Here With You | ✔

CHAPTER THREE; part two

 February 2020 (pre-covid)

Calvin Sumner

    "It's freaking freezing out here," I scream, wrapping my arms around myself as I run across the back deck. Dres is moving leisurely, of course, at the speed he seems to prefer to move at, particularly in ten degree weather.

     My teeth are chattering when I tell him to hurry up, bouncing on my feet like that may increase blood flow enough to warm me up even a fraction of a degree. It doesn't.

     Dres runs up behind me and picks me up unexpectedly, throwing me over his shoulder like I weigh nothing. I scream his name and can feel his shoulders shaking under my hips as he laughs, moving swiftly down the stone pathway towards the hot tub.

     He walks us into the center of the tub before he sets me down. I let out a sound of satisfaction when my feet submerge into the hot water, turning towards the nearest wall and crouching down against it without hesitation. I sink low enough that the water grazes my chin. Dres remains standing, looking mildly uncomfortable.

     "Is it supposed to be this hot? It feels too hot."

     "No, it's perfect. This feels so good. Come on, sit down." I slap the water. "You just need to get used to it."

     Dres eventually sits down across from me, leaning back against the side. Most of his chest is above the water and his arms are sprawled across the back. He looks posed, like he's sitting for someone who's going to paint his portrait, even though he's clearly not trying. His eyes are closed and his heads tipped back. He could be sleeping.

     I kind of want to put my mouth on him but I've been trying to exercise restraint.

     Okay, so I just decided in this moment I'm going to exercise restraint. Because sex in a hot tub doesn't really have that much appeal to me.

     The silence must tip Dres off because he opens his eyes and tilts his head to look at me. "What?" he asks, amusement in his tone.

     "Nothing, you're just breathtaking, is all," I say in the most casual of tones.

     Dres flushes. "Stop it."

     "I'm just saying."

     "Don't just say," he grumbles.

     "You need to learn how to take a compliment. Here, try it with me. Thank you, baby, that's so nice of you to say."

    Dres is like really flushing. I want to chalk it up to the hot water, but I'm certain it's my words. Dres doesn't do well with compliments but he's going to have to work through that because there's lots of them in his future. I kind of think despite how poorly he takes them, that he needs them. Maybe even likes hearing nice things about himself.

     He's flustered now, though, as he grasps for a response. "I'm not calling you that."

     "Fine," I say with an exaggerated eye roll, even though I'd really be on board with baby as a pet-name. Especially if it's coming out of Dres's mouth. Super hot. "Thank you, darling, that's so nice of you to say."

     "No."

     "Thank you, sweetheart, that's so nice of you to say."

     Dres pushes away from the wall and wades over to me, climbing into my lap like this segue is a very natural progression. But Dres in my lap is not something I'll ever be equipped to handle, always feels like the best kind of surprise.