I WANTED TO SEE YOU BARE TOES BUMPED AGAINST HEELS AS HIS SHUFFLING FEET MADE IT TO THEIR DESTINATION, HAIRS TICKLED EACH OTHER AS ONE PAIR OF ARMS BRUSH PAST ANOTHER INTENT ON WRAPPING AROUND THE CHEST IN A QUICK EMBRACE BEFORE SLIDING DOWN TO HANG AROUND THE WAIST.
YOU COULD VE CALLED THE TONE WAS OF CONCERN EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS A SMALL SPREAD ACROSS HIS FACE, YOU KNOW I WOULD VE COME AND SIT WITH YOU IF YOU WERE REALLY WANTING COMPANY. KNIFE AND VEGETABLE WERE SET DOWN, HIS WHOLE BODY MOVING AS HE TURNED, LEANING HIS BACK AGAINST THE COUNTER.
I M NOT THAT OLD WAS THE GRUMBLED RESPONSE I THINK I JUST PROVED I M STILL CAPABLE OF GETTING AROUND WITHOUT HURTING MYSELF. HE COULDN T STAY ANNOYED AT THE COMMENT THOUGH, NOT WHEN HE WAS GETTING ON EYEFUL OF THAT STILL HANDSOME FACE. LINES CARVED BY YEARS OF WORRIES AND SMILES WERE CRINKLING JUST ENOUGH TO BE CUTE THANKS TO THE WAY THOSE WERE CURLED, GREEN EYES PEPPERED WITH WORRY AND AGE WERE STILL AS GENTLE AS EVER. A STRAY STRAND OF HAIR WAS HANGING DOWN, AND WITHOUT EVEN THINKING A HAND WAS RAISED TO RUN THROUGH THAT THICK HEAD OF SALT AND PEPPER HAIR.
THE AFFECTION DID NOT DO A SINGLE THING TO DISTRACT HIM, GIVING A LIGHT CHUCKLE AND A QUICK EYE ROLL. IS THAT SO? WELL THEN TELL ME, WHO S THAT OLD MAN I SEE SITTING OUT ON THE PORCH EVERY DAY WAVING A CANE AT THE KIDS? ONCE THE HAND IN HIS HAIR WAS LOWERED BACK DOWN TO HIS WAIST HE BROUGHT HIS OWN ARMS UP, PAST THE RIBCAGE TO SPLAY HIS HANDS OUT ACROSS THAT EVER SO SLIGHTLY HUNCHED BACK THE TIPS OF HIS FINGERS JUST BARELY GRAZING THE UNDERSIDE OF HIS SHOULDER BONES.
HEY NOW! I WAITED SEVENTY YEARS TO BE ABLE TO CHASE KIDS AWAY LIKE THAT. YOU THINK I M GOING TO LET THE KIDS GET AWAY WITH NOTHING NOW THAT I VE GOT MY CHANCE? THEIR FOREHEADS MET, DARKER GRAY MELDING WITH THE ALMOST SILVER AND BLACK STRANDS OF HAIR, A REMARK MOMENTARILY PUT OFF BY THE FACT THAT THEIR LIPS BRUSHED TOGETHER IN A KISS THAT JUST COULD NOT WAIT ANY LONGER.
YOU RE ONLY SIXTY-SEVEN THE FACT WAS POINTED OUT AS SOON AS KISS WAS FINISHED, A PLAYFUL RUB OF NOSES FOLLOWED THE STATEMENT, THEN THE ARMS WERE BEING TAKEN AWAY AND THE SMALLER OF THE TWO BODIES TURNED AGAIN SO THAT HE COULD RETURN TO HIS WORK ON THEIR DINNER.
CLOSE ENOUGH BREATH GHOSTED AGAINST EAR AS A HAIR COVERED CHIN RESTED ITSELF ON THE LEFT SHOULDER, EYES TRAINED DOWNWARDS IDLY TO WATCH WHAT HIS LOVER WAS DOING. HE REFUSED TO GIVE UP HIS POSITION NOW THE HE HAD GOTTEN IT, BUT HIS BACK WAS STARTING TO ACHE FROM THE POSITION HE WAS IN. HE SOLVED THIS PROBLEM BY LIFTING HIS HEAD UP, BRINGING HIS BODY CLOSER INSTEAD SO THAT CHEST WAS LEANING AGAINST BACK SPREADING HIS LEGS SOME SO THAT THEIR FEET COULD STILL BE CLOSE TOGETHER WITHOUT GETTING TANGLED IN EACH OTHER.
THE CLINGING USE TO MAKE IT HARD FOR HIM TO MOVE, TO COOK, CLEAN, OR DO ANYTHING REALLY. YEARS OF DEALING WITH SUCH A THING HAD PROVIDED A SOLUTION FOR HIM THOUGH AND NOW HE MOVED JUST AS EASILY AS HE WOULD HAVE IF HE WAS STILL ALONE IN THE KITCHEN. HE WAS OCCASIONALLY SLOWED OR DISTRACTED BY THE KISSES BEING PEPPERED ONTO HIS FACE AND NECK AS HE WORKED, BUT IT NEVER STOPPED HIM ENTIRELY. THIRTY MINUTES LATER THE FOOD WAS COOKED AND BEING DIVIDED ONTO TWO PLATES SO THEY COULD BE CARRIED INTO THE LIVING ROOM FOR A CHANGE AND ENJOYED WHILE THEY WATCHED WHATEVER WAS PICKED ON THE TV.
WHEN KEITH FINALLY LET GO OF HIM TO HURRY OVER TO THE COUCH AND CLAIM HIS FAVORITE SPOT, HE COULDN T DO SO WITHOUT A PARTING SHOT THANKS TO THE EARLIER COMMENTS ABOUT HIS AGE. THE WARNING TO BE EXTRA CAREFUL NOT TO FALL AND BREAK A HIP DID NOTHING BUT MAKE DAVE SHAKE HIS HEAD AND GIGGLE DESPITE THE FACT THAT HE WANTED TO POUT, SETTING KEITH S PLATE AND FORK DOWN ON HIS LAP AS HE SETTLED DOWN TO THE BORDERLINE CRIPPLE WITH HIS OWN MEAL.
A SCARRED ARM SNAKED AROUND THE BACK OF THE COUCH TO DRAPE OVER HIS SHOULDER AND DAVE SIGHED AS HE STABBED AT A GREEN BEAN WITH HIS FORK, THE COMMERCIAL ON THE TV JUST FUZZY BACKGROUND NOISE COMPARED TO THE LOVING WORDS BEING WHISPERED IN HIS EAR.