Sometime around when Ben first fell asleep (threeish?) he woke up soon after and picked me up, moved me to his other side and turned away toward the wall, pulling me in against his chest so that I am almost falling off the bed, tight in his arms, not in the middle anymore. The middle is my spot. The middle is where I live and he had a bad dream or a moment and here I am, wide awake and hung over a four-foot abyss where the Baba Yaga can reach me because you can't tuck the covers in if they're no longer over you and hardly any of you is actually ON the bed.
And then I promptly fell asleep because old times.
And I woke up like this. Still hanging out, mashed sweaty and sleepy against Ben who woke up seconds after me and mumbled something about why I couldn't just sleep in the middle and he was comfortable.
You moved me.
And he laughed and I got a kiss and then he threw me back to the middle and he cracked his arm good to get the stiffness out and I felt a little bad because that was a DAMNED GOOD SLEEP, you know?
I don't think Lochlan noticed.
He was sleeping great. We always seem to do a little better once the warm weather goes away and the new fall routine settles in. But I woke him up anyway, because the previous morning he was surprised that I didn't. I tangled my fingers in his hair and gently pulled his curls out, rolling them long on the pillow until they straightened. Then they'd spring back and I'd start all over and after a few moments his lashes fluttered open and there he is. My Lochlan.
Morning. Where'd you go?
North of Ben.
He laughs. And?
Maybe too far North.
He pulls me in and frowns. You smell like him.
Aftershave?
Deodorant.
Gross.
If you were taller and didn't fit under his armpits this wouldn't even be an issue.
I'll get him to use my Chanel instead of Irish Spring then.
That could work. Hey, what should we do this afternoon? (He asks because we garnered the worst of the chore list this week and must work first, play later.)
Eat leftover pizza and watch scary movies? (The local pizza joint takes pity on us and gives us free extra pizzas sometimes because we seem to pay their rent. It has resulted in sometimes having a fridge full of leftover pizza. This is Henry's dream come true. PJ's too.)
Done. And he grins sleepily and I reach up absently into the air.
You can't pause time here, Bridge.
Oh, God, I wish I could.
And then I promptly fell asleep because old times.
And I woke up like this. Still hanging out, mashed sweaty and sleepy against Ben who woke up seconds after me and mumbled something about why I couldn't just sleep in the middle and he was comfortable.
You moved me.
And he laughed and I got a kiss and then he threw me back to the middle and he cracked his arm good to get the stiffness out and I felt a little bad because that was a DAMNED GOOD SLEEP, you know?
I don't think Lochlan noticed.
He was sleeping great. We always seem to do a little better once the warm weather goes away and the new fall routine settles in. But I woke him up anyway, because the previous morning he was surprised that I didn't. I tangled my fingers in his hair and gently pulled his curls out, rolling them long on the pillow until they straightened. Then they'd spring back and I'd start all over and after a few moments his lashes fluttered open and there he is. My Lochlan.
Morning. Where'd you go?
North of Ben.
He laughs. And?
Maybe too far North.
He pulls me in and frowns. You smell like him.
Aftershave?
Deodorant.
Gross.
If you were taller and didn't fit under his armpits this wouldn't even be an issue.
I'll get him to use my Chanel instead of Irish Spring then.
That could work. Hey, what should we do this afternoon? (He asks because we garnered the worst of the chore list this week and must work first, play later.)
Eat leftover pizza and watch scary movies? (The local pizza joint takes pity on us and gives us free extra pizzas sometimes because we seem to pay their rent. It has resulted in sometimes having a fridge full of leftover pizza. This is Henry's dream come true. PJ's too.)
Done. And he grins sleepily and I reach up absently into the air.
You can't pause time here, Bridge.
Oh, God, I wish I could.