Staying Grounded [BXB]

Beyond The Hole In The Hedge

SEBASTIAN:

The strange sensation of something hot and emphatic nuzzling at my neck rouses me awake.

I stay very still, reluctant to disturb whatever else it is that's tracing languorous circles across my abdomen — spiralling around... around... around — a gentle tease.

Every other inch of my body, however, feels too achy and cramped for comfort. Legs pinned by an unyielding weight; arms exposed to a numbing chill; hip crushed hard into...

"Oi," a hushed voice cuts through my haze, more vibration than sound. "Nope." So soft it could almost be imagined. "Dobs, buddy, please stop."

The expanding whirls over my stomach abruptly cease. With a gruff snort, the snuffling at my throat also stops. I should be more concerned, probably. Except, the solid pillow my head is resting on beats a calming rhythm against my temple, and wispy tendrils of sleep are stubbornly refusing to let me go. And as the familiar scents of cologne and mint and woodsmoke invade my nostrils on a deep draw of air, even trapped though I am, I can't quite stir myself to full consciousness.

Then, "Bas?"

Eyes flickering open, I tilt my face upwards.

The steady thrum under my ear kicks into a rapid thud.

And, damn, of all the colours in the rainbow, my favourite by far is the cornflower blue that hooks my gaze.

Delicious memories of the night before instantly sweep the fog from my mind, spreading tingles through me. Every touch, every taste, and every soul-altering emotion, an experience replayed in vivid snapshots, clung to in a willful bid to hold off the outside world's intrusive tug.

"Morning," Craig rasps, his indecent grin enticing mine, and a slight shift betrays precisely what is gouging my hip.

There's no stifling the moan that escapes me.

The moment it's out, though, a furry brown beast barrels in.

I bolt upright, attacked by a deluge of slobbering kisses. Not at all the kind of kisses my lips crave, I hastily turn away from the probing snout.

Bright rays of early morning sunlight peek through the old oak's branches overhead, dewy spring leaves glistening.

Vibrant pinks and oranges streak the sky over Yoverton, out beyond the ridge, and a rowdy dawn chorus heralds the promise of a beautiful day.

The small fire that warmed us through the evening into the night has long since burned out. Our nest of bedding is damp from the dew-moistened grass. I'm only half-covered and half-clothed, my flesh fiercely pimpled, and the look Dobby's now giving me suggests I might have lost the plot.

"Wha—?" Getting a word out is more work than it should be. Angling around to anchor once again on depthless blue eyes, I try again. "What are we still doing here?"

Craig's legs remain tangled with my legs inside the sleeping bag, his arm still splayed wide in anticipation of my head returning to him. "The aim was to share the sunrise," he replies. "Guess we've missed that."

I remember sitting at the bluff's edge, watching the stars appear in a moonless sky as dusk crept across the land, and talking about how magical daybreak here would be.

"You made me swear to stay awake for it, Bas."

I remember setting up our camp and getting intimately cosy, making promises that I would keep him entertained.

"And within the hour, you were snoring on my chest."

I feel like our night together has carved its own special cubby of headspace, but I cannot remember a damn thing after whispering the three most significant words ever uttered against his lips: I love you.

"Neither of us lasted beyond two."

"Oh," a yawn steals my reply, and an almighty shiver follows.

More disorientating still is the crisp packet that skitters across the ground, sharply caught up by the wind and sent to face slap me. It's not alone. Snack bags and wrappers are littered everywhere. All empty. All shredded. I blink, looking toward the oak's log seat where our belongings have been dumped, noting the open rucksack. My dog whimpers and guiltily disappears behind the thick trunk.

"Yup," Craig props himself up on one elbow. "Your hellhound sure made the most of his unsupervised time."

"What the—?" I shiver again, another blink snapping my focus to the pile of discarded clothes at our feet.

And yet, when a hand snakes around my torso, trailing a frosty path over my skin, any move I might have made barely registers as an inkling.

"We should stay a while." Warm breath caresses the fine hairs on the nape of my neck.

His firm tug topples me backwards.

"Hideaway here for just a little longer."

His lean frame hooks me in cocooning arms.

"Let's not get up yet, okay?"

I don't think I quite manage to nod. But maybe I do... because, next, the sleeping bag is yanked up and over us, as I surrender to him, my head guided back to his heart.

"Go back to sleep, Bas." I hear. Lulled by the resumed touch of navel-scrolling fingers, I'm already drifting. "We have an eternity of glorious sunrises to share."

Yes. My eyes close. Yes, we do.

And that easy, every wakeful care ceases to exist.