I Want You, Simon

Chapter 16

Simon and Samira are lying in the bed together. Simon is lying face up and Samira is lying on him with her face on his chest, her chest around his stomach area and he has his arm around her.
"Sami?"
"Hmm?"
"Does it bother you that I'm skinny?"
She looks up at him "No, why?"
"I don't know, you're so thick and I'm so..."
"So what, Simon?"
"Not, I guess?"
She chuckles "No Simon, it doesn't bother me." She puts her head back down on his chest
"Okay, so it doesn't bother you, but if you had a choice, you'd rather me be more muscular?"
She scrunches her eyebrows "No. I like you how you are."
"Really?"
She looks up again "Yes. What's going on today, what's wrong?"
"I don't know, I was just thinking about us..."
"What about us?" Her eyes sparkle
"How we look when we're together,"
"How do you think we look?"
"Well, pretty awkward, I suppose." he pushes his hair back
"I don't think we look awkward at all. A handsome man, walking with a hot woman."
"Has no one ever called you pretty?"
She looks startled "What?"
"You're always describing yourself as 'hot', never 'pretty' or 'beautiful' or like you know...drop dead gorgeous. So I was wondering if anyone has ever called you pretty." He sits his head up a bit to look at her.
"I've been called pretty..." she doesn't meet his gaze
"So why don't you call yourself that?"
"I-well...this isn't about me!" She is flustered by his questioning
"We're going to come back to this later." He purses his lips "What were we talking about?"
"You!"
"Ah yes, me." He rolls his eyes a bit. "How would you feel if I was gone?" She sits up and raises an eyebrow "it's just a hypothetical."
She huffs and puts her head back on his chest "I'd be devastated."
"Really?" He is a bit shocked for some reason
"Yes!"
"But you haven't even known me that long."
"I don't have to. Look at us! Clearly, I know you well. Well enough to know that I would miss you."
Simon laid back and thought about this for a moment. Then he felt light tapping on his stomach "What are you doing?"
"Listing the things I like about you,"
"On my stomach?"
She smiles again "I like tapping to help keep track of my thoughts. They all get so jumbled up, sometimes I forget what I'm doing. But then again, I could never forget about you." She smiles at him like a child "Wanna hear?"
"The things you like about me?" She nods "It'll probably take a few seconds, so sure."
She rolls her eyes at him and starts listing things on her fingers "Well, you know I'm obsessed with your hair,"
"Ah yes, that I know. No clue why." He flicks his hair nonchalantly "It's just hair,"
Samira pants "Let me finish!"
"Sorry," he rubs her back, which calms her a bit.
"I like your cute glasses. My glasses aren't cute."
"What? Your glasses are totally cute. Well, you look cute wearing them."
She scowls a bit and Simon smiles apologetically "Let me talk or I will leave."
"I'm sorry!" He holds her with both arms, as if his intent is keeping her there forever.
"I like the little wrinkles you have by your eyes," Simon instinctively reaches up and feels the skin by his eyes. "Oh! I love that thing that you do where when you get kinda startled your hands go limp and hang at your wrist. Like this," Samira shows him t-rex hands, and laughs. Simon is shocked, he wasn't even aware that he did that.
"I love your voice. The way that you read is," Samira does a chef's kiss. "And there's definitely way more, but I can't really remember."
Simon clears his throat, his chest and face getting warm. He never felt so exposed and vulnerable, but appreciated.
"Oh! Your gray streak is so sexy," Samira licks her teeth a bit "But I guess that counts as me loving your hair."
Simon reaches up to his hair and fiddles with the gray at the front of his hair. He never really thought of it as more than a sign that he was getting older. At one point, he had felt a bit uncomfortable with seeing his hair turn white once more. Just another reminder.
"Well, thank you." he lifts his head to look at her. "No one has ever detailed my features so intricately. At least not in a..." he searches for the word "intimate, non-platonic way." He smiles awkwardly
"Well, that's because you keep 'Dadding' everyone."
"Dadding?"
"Yeah, Dadding. Like you meet a young boy or girl, and basically adopt them as your own kid.  But you're not gonna 'Dad' me."
"Are you sure about that?"
She sits up "Yes I am,"
"You're right, I'm not going to 'Dad' you. I'll Daddy you."
Samira laughs in astonishment "Excuse me?"
"That's what you called me right? 'Daddy'?"
"Well that was just a pun, because Marcy said-" she cuts herself off with a laugh "I cannot believe you just said that to me."
He sits up "Well, you asked me to flirt. Was it too much?"
Still laughing, she responds "No, I've just never heard you outwardly flirt like that before!" She grins "I like it." She puts her hand through his hair, and her other hand flat on his chest. He plays back down and smiles, stroking her back once more, as she lay on his chest listening to his heartbeat.
"You know what I like about you?" he chirps up after a few moments of silence
"Hmm?" she lifts her head
"I like how confident you are. And I love your singing."
She waves him off "Everybody loves that. If you're gonna do this, get deep."
He puts his hand under his chin to think "Umm, I thought of something, but I don't want you to think I'm gross." his olive skin turns pink-ish
Samira sits up and gives him a mischievous look "Oh? Do tell"
He swallows before saying "I really like...your butt." he looks away in shame
Samira starts cackling and clapping in amusement "Really?"
Simon nods "Yes."
Still laughing she says "Wow, I never took you for an ass man" Her laughter fades as she looks at his flush cheeks "I'm not laughing at you by the way. I'm just shocked at this information. I'm actually very flattered. Okay?" she touches his shoulder
He smiles with still red cheeks "Okay."
She stares and smiles at him before asking coyly "What do you like about it?"
"Well...it looks really soft..." He sounds as though he doesn't know what to say.
Samira smiles wider "It is." she says "You know you can touch it...anytime you want" She winks at him as his face grows an even brighter red and he pulls on his collar that was suddenly too tight on a shirt that was suddenly too warm.
"Um, another thing I like about you..." he blurted, trying to pivot the conversation so as to not lose control of himself and his feelings
She gets extra close to his face "Tell me," she whispers, her breath hitting his face
"I like your face."
She raises a brow "What about my face?"
"Everything."
"That's a cop-out! Pick something!"
"Your lips are very...inviting."
She smirks "Ooooh. I like that description. What else?"
"I...like how much you care about things." he smiles sincerely "Like, how much you care about...me, I suppose."
Samira's eyes brighten and she smiles a true smile.
"I like," he continues "How you care about people, and how when you say something, it's because you believe it. I like your taste in books, and your striking intelligence, your ability to hold a thrilling conversation, how you make other people feel heard, and I love your ability to respect other people even if you don't understand their needs, and how you go after what you want until you get it." he had gotten lost in his answer, and when he opened his eyes, he saw Samira playfully staring at him, less than an inch away from his face. "What?"
"The last thing you said is true. I do go after what I want until I get it."
"Yes. That's what I said."
She leans in even closer "And you know what I want?"
Simon thinks for a moment "Is it me?" he points to himself
She smirks and nods once "Oh yes, it's you" she pulls on his collar "I will have you Simon," she pushes up his glasses "How do you feel about that?" He gulps, feeling warmth in his chest "Tell me."
"I like it when you talk like that."
"Yeah I bet you do."