The Christmas Cottage

Being Together

Consciousness slowly returned to Regina. She fought it, comfortable and wrapped in warmth. The scent of pine wafted over her, soothing her and lulling her back to sleep along with the steady beat under her ear. All she wanted was for time to freeze and to let her just float there forever.

Her bladder, though, had other plans. As sleep continued to recede, it became more and more difficult to ignore the pressure there. She knew she would need to get up and relieve herself, loathed though she was to do it.

Sighing, Regina blinked her eyes open. Her surroundings seemed foreign to her and she was confused for a few moments before her mind kicked back to work. A snowstorm had forced her and Robin to spend the night in the Christmas Cottage. She remembered listening to him talk about his travels around the world and figured she had fallen asleep on the couch.

Her mind registered that the other couch was empty as something moved underneath her. She realized that the warmth wasn't just coming from the quilt, the pine scent was not from the tree and the steady beating was Robin's heart. Her heart own heart pounded in her chest now as she looked up at him, his lips curved in a soft smile as he slept on next to her.

Reaching up, she gently stroked the scruff covering his cheeks. He had been clean-shaven when they dated and she liked this look on him. It suited him in ways he didn't others, like Daniel. There had been a few times he had tried to grow a beard but often ended up shaving before he could because neither liked the look on him. She guessed there was just something more rugged about Robin while Daniel had more of a businessman look to him.

The need to use the bathroom was growing more urgent but she didn't make any move to get up. She didn't want to wake him, not when he looked so peaceful and she felt so comfortable. Yet she knew they couldn't stay there forever. Not only were they needed back up at the hotel, this was a little too intimate for two people who had just reconciled and started over as friends hours earlier.

Yet it felt right and that unnerved her more than waking up cuddling with Robin.

She was not ready to unpack that.

Actually, she never wanted to unpack that.

Robin shifted beneath her and she saw his eyelids start to flutter. A few seconds later, his eyes opened and he blinked a few times before angling his body closer to her. He looked down at her, grinning at her. "Morning."

"Morning," she replied, voice hoarse from sleep. She cleared her throat, hoping it would help.

He gently ran his hand up and down her back. "How did you sleep?"

"Pretty well," she said, pleased when her voice sounded stronger. "You?"

"I'd say the same but I have a feeling my back and neck are going to disagree when I get up," he answered, making her giggle.

They continued to lay there together, the air still around them. Pale rays of sunlight hit his hair, making the golden strands shine like a crown or halo. His eyes once again held warmth as he gazed at her, still rubbing her back. "There it is," he said softly.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"That satisfying but elusive smile I always tried to draw out of you. The one that meant you were truly happy," he said, almost to himself. "I used to dream about it."

She felt a shift in the air, a current of something charging through it. Regina held her breath as their eyes remained locked on each other. She became acutely aware of how their bodies were pressed together and their faces only inches apart. It would take only one little shift to close the gap between their lips.