The sun shines through the curtains casting an ambient glow around the room. It's still dark enough to sleep but bright enough that I can see my surroundings. They are strange and unfamiliar.
I stretch and my muscles scream in protest. I'm terribly sore and tired. I haven't exercised in months, so that can't be it. And where am I?
A form stirs beside me and a flinch away before I realize where I am, who I'm with and that the delicious dream I had last night wasn't a dream at all.
Tom was here, beside me, and probably still naked. I didn't recall him getting dressed last night. A peek under the sheets told me that he was, in fact, still completely naked, and impressively so.
My heart hammers in my chest and tears threaten to prick my eyes as I lay back down in his bed and let the feelings of the night wash over me. Tom loves me. Really, truly loves me. Like I love him. And he made love to me last night. The last thought causes a shy blush to creep up my cheeks. I had been quite candid last night and a bit more take charge than I normally was, at least during Tom's story time. The rest had been all him.
I lean against his body and press a soft kiss against his shoulder. I'm allowed to do that now, I think as I kiss him one more time and head for the bathroom to take a shower.
*****
I let the hot water beat against my body, my aching muscles revel in the heat.
"Lennon?" Tom calls my name. I hold my breath before yelling to let him know where I am. I hope what happened last night hasn't changed anything between us, at least not in an awkward way.
He pops his head in the shower and I cover my lady bits quickly, suddenly shy.
"Good morning, beautiful." He says in a sing song voice and steps in.
"Do you mosey in and join people in the shower often?" I ask, pulling a washcloth up to my chest in an effort to cover.
Tom snorts and pulls it away. "And what are you hoping to cover with that?" he asks, smirking at me. We both know my chest is impressive enough that a simple washcloth cannot withhold the massiveness.
"And no. Your showers are the only ones that I will be joining in." he presses a kiss to my forehead and I relax into his arms, the self-consciousness slipping away. "For the rest of my life."
It's a simple statement. One that most people would pay no attention to. But after the things we've admitted to each other and in light of recent events, just to hear him assure me that this is forever, this is real, is a huge weight off of my chest.
His arms are wrapped around me and my naked chest is pressed into his stomach. The height difference is almost comical now that our naked bodies are in such close proximity.
"You were hiding yourself from me." His brow is furrowed, droplets of water cling to his eyelashes. "Why?"
"I didn't want last night to change anything." I mumble, embarrassed with myself for even thinking those thoughts.
"Change anything? Lennon, it changed everything."
I gulp and look up at him. He wipes the water from my face and tilts my chin upwards towards him.
"Do you regret it?" I ask timidly.
He looks baffled then realizes the concern on my face is real. "The only regret I have, is that I didn't get my ass on a plane 15 years ago and find you."
I sniffle as my eyes fill with tears. I have hopes that the shower is hiding it for me.
"I wasn't as awesome back then as I am now."
