Apophis: A Love Story for the End of the World

Chapter Sixteen: Playing House

I was having a dream. It was the kind of dream where you know you're dreaming, but the dream-world is so much nicer than reality that you don't want to wake up. The sound of the ocean crashing onto the sandy shore reverberated in my ears and when I opened my eyes, I was forced to squint and hold my hand over my eyes to block out the glaringly bright sun. I sat up on my elbows and languidly took in my tropical surroundings.

I was sitting on a sandy shoreline, feeling muddy sand squish between my bare toes. I wiggled my toes freely and felt the dirty grit of the beach. Rolling waves, not quite whitecaps, dotted the horizon. They traveled closer to shore where they tapered off and licked at the tips of my toes. Even the water was warm, not the surprising chill of most of the bodies of water I was used to.

I watched a small hermit crab scuttle across the sand. Its detached eyeballs seemed to dart around nervously, cautiously taking in its surroundings and staying alert for potential enemies. The small creature's claws worked busily and efficiently as it rummaged through the bits of rock and sand, scrounging for food.

When my eyes finally fluttered open, it took me a moment to remember where I was. I turned my head on my pillow to find Nora staring back at me. I gave a start, not expecting her aqua eyes to be the first thing I saw in the morning. Although I have to admit, I wasn't mad about it.

Rather than averting her gaze in embarrassment or offering up some explanation for why she'd been watching me while I slept, her grin widened. "Good morning," she greeted.  She stayed in the same position, lying propped up on her side with her head resting in her hand.

I cleared my throat and ran my hand over my face. "Morning." My voice sounded raw.

"Sleep well?"

"Uh huh," I confirmed. "A little too well." I sat up and swung my legs over the edge of the mattress, intending to get out of bed. I wasn't sure what to say or do now that it was the morning after. She'd said she didn't want things to change between us, so I assumed that meant I shouldn't cuddle with her, breathing in the scent of her shampoo. Not that I wanted to do that.

The top comforter slipped off my body as I sat up. I'd nearly forgotten I'd fallen asleep naked. With a fire blazing in the nearby woodstove and Nora's body heat to compliment my own, I hadn't bothered to put on any clothes after we'd exhausted ourselves. Now though, the fire should have long extinguished itself. I should be feeling the bite of the early morning cold, but instead I was still warm.  I twisted just my waist to look back at Nora.

"Did you make a fire this morning?"

Her grin was so wide and her dimples so deep I was worried the rest of her face was going to fall into those dimples. I imagined an avalanche where her nose and eyebrows and lips would just slip into those twin craters.

"When I woke up earlier, the fire had gone out," she explained. "You'd left all the fire-starter things out, so I thought I'd try. I figured worse case scenario, I'd burn down the house. But at least we'd be warm."

"You did it, Nora," I breathed reverently. I momentarily forgot my nakedness and turned around to fully face her. "And you even remembered to open the flue so the room didn't fill with smoke." I didn't know how many times even my dad had problems with that.

She pursed her lips, which made her look a little like a duck, and shrugged her thin shoulders. "I paid attention. I noticed all the little things you did to make the perfect fire last night." Her eyes dipped a few inches and her top teeth bit into her full, bottom lip. "I've also noticed that you're missing your shirt."

My eyes dropped down to my chest area as well. Yep. No shirt. They were okay breasts, I suppose as far as those things went. I usually had them bound tight beneath a sports bra though and with the temperature drop I didn't anticipate being in a bikini all that often.