At last, we parted, slightly breathless, yet understanding each other on a level deeper than even before.
But my exhaustion had truly caught up with me. I released a gentle sigh, and my tired eyes yet again glanced his way. He grasped my meaning, leading me over to my bedroom, his hand a constant reassurance against my back. Still, no words were spoken.
As we neared the door, that night's battle overcame my always resilient strength. Not knowing why, my knees buckled, surprising the both of us. His cat-like reflexes saved the day, however, scooping me up into his arms like nothing more than a small child, weightless.
I still don't know why I allowed him to carry me like that, I'm an X5! But something in me finally gave up and he brought me to my bed, setting me upon its soft surface. He paused, slightly unsure, then started turning to leave.
My hand and eyes stayed his exit, though, pleading inwardly for him to stay. Relief seemed to cover his face, and he sank into the warm covers with me. Suddenly cold, I turned my back to him, drawing the blankets up around me.
Fatigue entered my body from every angle, seemingly from thin air. It crept into me and sleep beckoned. Warmth started returning though as I felt his body slide against mine. The greatest sense of contentment, peace, and comfort overwhelmed me. It was something I'd never experienced before, its feeling strange to me, yet reassuring.
Like the softest, most natural thing I had done in my entire life, I let sleep claim me, knowing I was the safest I had ever been. His arms wrapped protectively around me, his heartbeat soft in my ear, his breathing echoing my own, were the last things I was aware of before I slipped into the deepest sleep I'd known in years.
Now, laying in my bathtub, reliving those moments, I remembered. This morning, he had been gone, like the entire episode had been a strange dream, fuzzy on the edge of my consciousness. Yet, I'd known it had been real.
I hadn't seen him at all today, which I took as a blessing. I was wrapped in too much confusion; I needed to figure myself out. Get back to something basic. Investigating, hunting, catching, fixing; my usual occupation. A normal day was his blessing to me today. A day to think, and I did a lot of that.
The water was getting cold. That was to say, my body was used to it enough that its relaxing properties had no lasting effect. Raising my dripping body from the tranquil waters, I toweled off and changed into some "bumming" clothes, the clothes everyone has that are comfortable and not meant to be seen by anyone else.
Less than fashionable, I believe would describe these. One by one, I blew out the candles, letting the darkness surround me again. I'd try to find him tomorrow, let him know I was okay. See what happened from there. It was the only thing I could do. I couldn't ignore him after what we'd been through, not anymore. Best to explore this as we went along; it was new for both of us, I felt. Slipping into bed, the final candle extinguished, I awaited tomorrow.
Wow. I guess it's finished! I'd like to do a sequel, but I don't know if I can duplicate this kind of writing; I wrote this a while back. Please let me know what you think. I went back and changed the look of the chapters so they were easier to read (format). Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, you really make it a pleasure to write:-)