Count On Me

XIII

Cal:

I wake up when I feel someone moving behind me. I groan, roll closer to the source of heat.
Arms tighten around me, fingertips stroking my back lightly.

"Good morning. I didn't mean to wake you, but nature calls."

I pull away, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes and sit up laughing. "Go!"

"My pleasure." Xavier says slipping out from under the sheets. I pale when I realize that he's bare, and when he's in the bathroom I quickly pull the sheets up, my own clothes gone.

"Don't tell me your forgot about last night already? What kind of first impression would I be making then?" Xavier scoffs from the other side of the room. "A bad one at that" he says answering his own question, strutting back to me with nothing on still.

"Oh I didn't forget." I say pulling the sheet over so that Xavier can climb back in. "Just thinking."

"About?"

"Whether it's safe to stand up, and whether I can go downstairs and face my daughter."

Xavier grins. "If you can't get up I'll be happy to take care of you. And the Sukie thing is inevitable."

"Great. Thanks."

"Oh you loved it."

I grunt. Xavier said he loved me...well, sorta. Yet I did reciprocate in a familiar form, but on an even lower level compared to his admittedly. I said I loved a moment when he loved a part of me. I played the safe card. And truth be told, I was ashamed. But Xavier isn't one to push, and he didn't seem upset at all, so maybe we are okay.

Xavier leans close, presses a kiss to my temple.
"You said you did...last night.

A smile creeps up, my own smile matching Xavier's.

"I did." I confirm.

———————

"You owe me ice cream." Sukie says during breakfast, her smile smug from behind her cereal bowl.

"Whatever happened to school?" Xavier mumbles behind his coffee mug, his own expression mischievous.

"It's called winter break." Sukie quips.

"It's not even ice cream weather." I argue.

"Uh no. Every day is ice cream weather." Xavier snaps.

"Agreed." Sukie says waving my words off. "So it's settled that only the spirited and fun people go get ice cream."

"Mhmmm." Xavier says thoughtfully.

"Come on!" Sukie says smiling. "You promised me before. And think of it like a Day-After-Christmas-Gift."

"Nobody celebrates that." Xavier mutters.

"We are." Sukie smirks.

"I'm not going to be able to argue my way out of this, am I?"

"No."

"Alrighty. Ice cream it is. After lunch." Xavier sighs, smiling to himself.

"Yay!" Sukie sings. "It's about time Xavier and I got some time together."

"Whatever happened to father-daughter time?" I ask offended. "I'm a pretty cool and hip dad."

Sukie laughs, Xavier choking on his coffee.

"Really?" Sukie smirks.

"Hip?" Xavier questions.

"Ok. Never mind!" I say holding my palms up innocently.