Perception

Part 40

Sang POV

I come back to consciousness with my face smooshed against a smooth, warm rock. I sleepily wonder if I somehow fell asleep with wet hair laying on the patio after swimming because it feels damp under my right cheek. I have strands of hair in my mouth and tickling my nose so I try to wiggle my nostrils and blow them away. The rock rumbles and moves under my face, and I'm startled enough that I take note of the rest of my body. This patio slab is really too lumpy to be a patio at all, not to mention stone doesn't laugh, or have limbs. I finally manage to crack my left eye to take stock through my tangled mass of hair.

Somehow I fell asleep last night watching a movie with Kota, felt myself get placed flat in Nathan's cypress and leather-scented bed, and wake up on his cypress and leather-scented chest. With my face smooshed almost sideways in sleep. In a puddle of my own saliva. Hair a mess. Enough with the disjointed thoughts, Sang.  I locate my hands on my arms, (yes, I'm that disoriented) and drag them away from some very interesting places, and heave myself up from my sprawled spot across Nathan. He sleepily laughs at me as I pull the drool-glued strands of hair from my face.

"G'morning, Peanut," he rumbles out with his sleep-roughened voice. I feel my face heat, and I do my best not to indicate I knew where my hands were.

"Um, good morning. How did this happen?" I ask. I must have looked as confused as I felt, because he tilts his head on the pillow, and shrugs his bare, muscled shoulders.

 I take a moment to allow myself to stare, before I look down his chest and see the pressure marks of my face imprinted there. There are similar pressure marks from my weight that show the direction that one of my arms was headed. I feel my face heat again, but strive for distracting Nathan instead of figuring out this particular mystery. I glance at the time, and see that it's still early.

"Do you want to visit Precious and the kitties with me?" I ask quickly before he can come up with anything else for me to be embarrassed about. He sits up, and begins to gather the pillows and blanket. Once he stands, I see a lovely imprint of my palm and fingers disappearing right into the waistband of his boxers above his butt cheek.

"Sure. I'll meet you back out here in a few minutes," he says and shuffles off to his room. I go to my adopted room, and grab some sweats to throw on over my sleep clothes.

 I find the only pair of non-dressy closed shoes that I can slip on, then head to the kitchen to deposit the remaining food I had stashed with my stuff. Nathan walks back in just in time to see me downing some ibuprofen, and his blue eyes become serious. I don't want a lecture, or for him to hover over me, so I send him a warm smile, and point to the cupboard where I stashed the cans of cat food. With him on that task, I grab some waters, and my backpack to carry everything in—which he promptly takes from me to carry. With keys in hand, I nod toward the patio door, and he follows me out into the cool, damp air.

Kota is waiting at the entrance to the path, and greets us with a bright smile, and a forefinger pushing his glasses back up his nose.

"Hi, Kota!" I greet happily. I'm still a little hurt that he didn't want me to know what my parents were up to, but I decided to give them all the benefit of the doubt. We walk through the woods with him stealing glances at me stealing glances at him.