Just What I Needed

Just What I Needed (77)

All news about sequels and spin offs at the end of this never ending chapter.

For the first time in a long time, Keely felt utterly relaxed and blissfully happy. The last moment she could truly remember having the same sensation, the one where her body felt lax with sheer contentment, was all the way back in a hotel room in California.

Seth had been reading that excerpt from a Victor Hugo poem to her in French while she’d curled against his body, simply listening to his voice since she could understand none of the words and loving the way she could feel the words rumble from his chest and every breath he took with her cheek pressed against his chest. Thinking about in that way, Keely couldn’t help but think she almost sounded like a Police song, and mentally made a note to never tell him about it.

But she was still feeling that wonderful isolation from the rest of the world in that moment.

With her cheek pressed against the soft pillow case on the motel’s bed, she stared straight across the bed to where Seth was lying on his side as well, just a touch away from her.

In moments like that she had to think there was something about her and motel rooms, maybe her, Seth and motel rooms, or – rather – maybe it was her, Seth, motel rooms and beds. She wasn’t sure. But it felt like the only things that existed in their world – at least at that moment – was the two of them.

Burying slightly deeper into the bed, Keely felt a soft smile touch her lips as she reached across, bridging the distance between them as she brushed a lock of his messy hair away from his forehead. Because she could do that now, whenever she wanted she could reach out and touch him for no other reason than wanting to touch him. The knowledge of that made her have the contradictory feeling of giddiness and simple acceptance all at once.

Yet, what else were they but contradictions?

“Have you…” she paused, biting her lip as she tried to think of a question she’d like to ask him. It was odd, she’d thought of a million things to ask him in the time they’d been separated, yet at that moment when she was so close and could ask anything she wanted, she pulled a blank. “… ever had a dog?”

The moment the question was out of her mouth, Seth laughed loudly, rolling onto his back. “Shut up,” she complained, hitting him on the chest with the heel of her hand.

Still chuckling, he rolled back over, the gold in his eyes sparkling beneath the dim light of the lamp across the room. “Seriously, rebel? Out of all the questions in the world, you ask me that?”

“Yes,” Keely told him stubbornly, refusing to blush under his gaze. “Now answer the damn question.”

“Alright,” Seth replied with a roll of his eyes, but his voice was still trembling with laughter. “No, I never had a dog, always wanted one though. We moved around too much when I was young, and Jack didn’t like dogs. And now it just wouldn’t be fair to have one with touring and recording and all, not enough time for it.”

Staying quiet because she knew he didn’t want to hear her say she was sorry for the way he’d grown up, he knew she was, silence was enough. So she simply continued to look at him, finally realizing she’d never taken her hand away from his smoothly muscled chest. Chewing on the inside of her lip, she regretfully pulled her hand away and rested it beneath her cheek against the pillow.

As he stared thoughtfully back, obviously pondering his question to ask, Keely allowed her eyes to dip down, not feeling embarrassed about it any longer. How many times had she admired the indentations and muscles that graced his chest but had quickly looked away as to not get caught? She could do that without any shame now, and it was suddenly the most normal of actions for her to reach out and touch him. Even then she wanted to run her hand over his chest, but held herself back. Keely didn’t want to inflate his ego that much.