Federal Affair

Chapter 33

I awoke wrapped in blankets next to Nick. I was lying on something hard and it took me a few blinks to realized we were still lying in the truck bed. I rolled onto my back and looked up at the sky. It was still very early and there were still quite a few stars visible off to the west. The sun was just starting to rise.

A chorus of frogs sounded nearby and I watched a grasshopper jump from one side of the truck bed to the other. Now that the sun was coming up, I could see our surroundings a lot better than I could at night. About a football field from us, horses wandered through the field we'd parked in. Off in the distance I heard a rooster crow. There was an abundance of little purple and white flowers throughout the grass and I could hear a woodpecker somewhere close by.

I turned my head to look at Nick who hadn't waked up yet. He was cuddled into a pile of plaid flannel blankets and his hair was a mess, bangs cascading across his face. He looked so young and innocent when he was asleep. He looked peaceful. I rolled over on my side, scooting back against him and pulling his arm over me. The action didn't wake him up but he stirred just slightly, breathing a groan and tugging my body closer to his, resting his hand on my bare stomach where my top had ridden up sometime in the night.

I started to fall back asleep, listening to the sound of the frogs, crickets, and birds. It was probably no later than six and I wasn't interested in starting my day at the butt crack of dawn. I was way too comfortable curled up next to Nick and I didn't want to leave his arms any time soon. I stared at the maple trees across the field until my vision began to blur and I finally closed my eyes and dozed off again.

Probably thirty minutes later, I was awakened by the feeling of the blanket over my body moving and uncovering my shoulder. There was a chilly morning breeze blowing my hair just a bit and I shivered, pulling the blanket back over my skin. I felt the blanket get tugged back down again. I assumed Nick was awake and he was messing with me. I hadn't opened my eyes yet. I groaned, yanking the cover up. Once again it moved.

"Nicholas, I swear to god-"

"Hm?" a sleepy groan came from behind me and I shifted to look at Nick who had been asleep the whole time.

"You're moving the blanket," I said.

Nick blinked a few times, yawning and looking at me confused. "What?"

"The blanket," I said, lifting the thin material. "You were-"

Suddenly a frog hopped out from under the blanket onto my chest, startling me to the point of an earsplitting scream. I probably scared the hell out of the poor thing. It hopped onto Nick's shoulder and then the side of the truck bed before disappearing into the grass.

"That," Nick busted out laughing, gasping for air between fits of laughter. "Was fucking awesome!"

I smacked his arm playfully. "You're such an ass."

He flashed me a cheesy grin, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me on top of him. "Fancy meeting you here."

My ponytail had fallen down at some point during my slumber and my long blonde hair fell forward, hanging in my face and down onto Nick's shoulders. I smiled at the comforting feeling of his arms around my waist and laid my head on his chest.

"You're not going to fall back asleep on me, are you?" Nick asked, running his fingers through the back of my hair. "Because I would like to breath at some point, you know?"

I moved my head, playfully glaring at him. "Are you calling me heavy?"

His mouth broke into a dorky smile. "No, Dear."