All the Small Moments

drucella

Drucella slowly opened her groggy eyes. From the position of the sun, it looked to be midday. She looked over to see Meredith and Louisa sleeping on the loveseat. Meredith's color was back to normal, and her breathing sounded normal. Naya's treatments worked.

If Louisa and Meredith were there, then who lay beside her? But she didn't need to turn to see who it was. She could smell spice with the faint hint of leather to know it was Presley. Nevertheless, she slowly dipped her head to see dark hair splayed across her lap.

Drucella's torso was propped up, but her legs were laid out, with Presley using her as a pillow while he was stretched out on the other side of the sectional. His arm was draped across her legs.

She stopped breathing briefly before she noticed the stumble along his jawline. Drucella rarely ever saw that. Presley always was clean-shaven, so this was something new for her to take in. Above the stubble was a scar through his eyebrow where he had his piercing ripped out during a fight freshman year.

These are just small things Drucella had never noticed up close before. She doesn't get to inspect anymore because Presley starts to squirm. She quickly closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. She slowed her breathing and tried to slow down her pulse, but it didn't obey.

Presley raised in a rush. Drucella pretended this rash movement woke her up. "Hey. Something wrong?" Her eyes squinted.

Presley stretched. "We must have fallen asleep." He nodded toward where Lousia and Meredith were. "Looks like everyone is going to be okay. I am going to find Naya." Presley looked at Drucella's lap. His hair was messy and got even more chaotic when he ran his fingers through it. Drucella wondered what the locks felt like, just for a moment.

His jeans were hanging too low on his hips, causing his lower stomach to be exposed. Drucella noticed far too much while he walked to the kitchen. She scrambled up and went to Meredith. She put her hand on Meredith's forehead without waking her. Thank God, her temperature is average.

Now she can panic over other things. She ran up the stairs to the bathroom. Once she stepped through the threshold, she closed the door with too much force. As she splashed cold water on her face with water dripping off her, she looked at herself in the mirror. "What is going on with you?"

Shaking her head, she wiped her face, brushed her teeth, and got presentable enough to go downstairs. Drucella even did a double take in the mirror, which she never did.

The smell of coffee led her feet toward the kitchen where Naya and Presley were. Presley was stirring in hazelnut creamer in a large steaming mug. Drucella felt drugged. She watched Presley's long fingers move the spoon to his mouth, where he licked the remnants of the coffee and creamer. He tossed the spoon in the sink once he was done. "Dru, you okay?"

Drucella closed her eyes. She had to calm down. Her body was not reacting to Presley Hayes. Absolutely not. Was it just her body? He came to her last night and stayed. "Just tired, is all."

Presley washed his spoon and sat it in the dish drainer. "I think we all are." He blew the steam from his mug before taking a long sip.

Drucella removed her favorite mug from the cabinet above the coffee maker. The mug adorned a cheesy dad joke. She silently reread the cup a thousand times and laughed. The joke never got old.

"What's so funny?" Presley sat down at the wooden counter island.

Drucella, still laughing, said, "You won't think it's funny."

"Try me." Presley quirked his eyebrow up, challenging Drucella.

"Okay. You have been warned." Drucella willed herself to stop laughing. "Never play poker in the jungle. It's full of cheetahs!" She clamped her lips together, holding in laughter.