Somewhere on Autumn Woods Drive
By Rikku Minouke
Disclaimer: I don't own any of YYH or its characters. I own only the situations and emotions in my writing.
AN: Sorry I've been absent for a while now. Vay cay didn't go as planned. As it turned out, I was super busy with my hubby and best friend. Plus I hosted my grandmother's birthday party (shoot me) and then work has been chaotic since my return. I am working around the clock, yay for overtime. All I think about in my free time is mentally helping my parents move and writing this story. I have about an hour of free time before my mother calls me to help her pack up her office for the move. So here goes nothing!
Dedication: to everyone who is STILL reading this! Love you guys, please review so I know you're still there for me
Chapter forty nine
Sometimes the best things in life just come out of the blue. You don't see them coming until they're right in your face and can't be ignore. Other times, the best things come hard work and dedication.
"Eight," I rubbed my hand over my belly as I lay on the couch. 'That 70's Show' played on the TV while I tried to relax. Taking a deep breath, I rubbed my other hand over my face.
"Hey Botan," Kurama's voice drew my attention as he shut the fridge door. Licking my dry lips, I listened to him approach me.
"Hmm?" was my response. So he at least knew I'd heard him.
"You have a missed call from your mom," he said with humor in his voice.
"What?" my forehead crinkled in confusion. "I didn't hear it go off." One hand slid to my pocket. Patting the empty denim, I sighed. "It's in one of my pockets."
Then it appeared in front of my face, dangling from his fingers. "Nope."
With a grunt, I reached up to grasp it. "Oh, it's cold."
"I found it on the top shelf of the fridge," he told me. "Next to the empty spot where last nights dinner was."
"Hardy har har" I blushed through my sarcastic tone. "Was that a fat joke, Kurama?"
"Most definitely not," even though I couldn't see him, I knew he was shaking his head. "It was just an observation."
"Observation…. My ass," I grumbled.
"If that's something you'd like me to observe, by all means, I won't object," it was impossible to miss how much he was enjoying this conversation.
"Kurama," I scolded. Then I felt the tinge of pain in my abdomen. "Nine."
"Are you counting the babies kicks?" Kurama asked and walked around the furniture to be in my line of sight.
Nodding, I rubbed tenderly the spot above my belly button. "Yeah. It's only been about a half an hour."
"Probably because you ate right before you started," Kurama said and came to sit on the edge of the couch. "I brought you these as well."
That's when I noticed the bottle in his hand. Taking a deep breath, I let the smile float to my face. "Oh thank you! I think I love you. I needed these." I heard him chuckle before my own words caught up to my ears. Stilling slightly I quickly glanced up at his face. Nothing out of the ordinary was shown. He smiled as he handed the bottle over.
"I figured you might," he said as I took the Tums from him. All the while keeping my eyes on his face. "You probably shouldn't lay down right after eating."
"I know, but it's easier to count the kicks if I'm laying down," I gave him a side smile. Shaking my head, I decided he took those three words as just a thank you and not the real deal. I shrugged and rubbed the same spot on my belly before moving to open the tums bottle.
I saw his eyes narrow slightly. "Are you itching your belly Botan?"
My lips thinned as I moved my eyes quickly away from him and to the now open bottle. "…No." I took two tums and popped them into my mouth.
"Are you lying to me?" his voice was teasing, but still lower than normal.
"I plead the fifth," I focused on closing the bottle. The white cap screwed into place before I handed it back to him. I heard the thump of the plastic against the wood table and I decided the hem of my lavender shirt was more interesting than looking back up at him.
Sighing, I knew he was shaking his head. Honestly, it was getting to the point where I knew what he would say when he wasn't here. I knew he would scold me for my tongue while I was at work when my filter would slip up. And there was no doubt that it was the same for him. I was sure he knew me inside and out.
"Why don't you just rub some of your lotion on?" he asked and I shrugged. He stood suddenly and walked away. I watched his back until he was out of sight. Then I turned my attention back to the television. The scene of the screen confused me. Somehow I'd missed most of the episode and now I'd have to go back and restart it.
Reaching for the remote, I could hear the soft padding of his footsteps round the corner and return to the living room. When my eyes caught sight of the Banana Boat lotion in his hand, I retracted my hand from the black remote and leaned back into my nook. "My lotion?"
"Yes," he nodded and perched at the edge of the couch by my thighs. "Lift up your shirt Botan."
"Pervert," I rolled my eyes and reached for the hem.
He laughed at that, "You'd like that wouldn't you." Instead of answering, a blush crept to my face. Focusing my attention to rolling up the bottom of my shirt to nestle it under my bust, I could hear him quirt the lotion onto his hands.
"Ooh that's cold," I hissed as his hands touched my belly. Taking a deep breath, I let it slowly release as I reveled in the feel of his hands on my skin. It felt so nice having him touch me; almost as if my body constantly craved him and when he finally placed his hands on me, I journeyed into paradise for a moment. When he took his hands off my stomach to get more lotion, I felt my mood momentarily dip. Only until he touched me again, rubbing the moisturizer into my skin. It was an odd feeling. When he touched me, it was almost like I was noticing how cold I was and he was my warmth.
Another tinge ran through me and I felt Kurama still. Blinking, I looked up at him to see a broad smile. "Ten," he whispered softly and I couldn't stop the smile from spreading across my face.