As the afternoon wore on, the rain only got worse. Thunder rolled in slowly, and as the courtyard slowly got waterlogged, everyone moved inside to the main rooms of the inn.
Rock and I found ourselves stationed on the edge of a big cozy sofa, tucked beside a fireplace that looked like it was from a hundred years ago.
“Now, you know I’ll protect you from any wayward embers,” he said, positioning himself on the end of the sofa, closest to the fire.
I smiled. “And thank you, Rock, for protecting me.”
The evening was so much more subdued than last night. Rock and I didn’t drink, but got caught up in conversations with anyone who passed through the common rooms. Rock told me stories from his rescuer training days, and I told him about my first years as a cook. Chloe, Cooper, and Dayna ran around inside like a little swarm of hummingbirds, and every time they got close to the fireplace Rock sat up a little straighter, always on alert, always trying to keep everyone safe.
It was so simple, but so perfect. All of my defenses were down, but for the first time in so long, I didn’t care.
At first I tried to keep a little distance between the two of us on the couch. But the longer we stayed there, it was as if I was inevitably pulled into his gravity.
We got closer. He touched my leg. Eventually I wound up with the whole side of my body pressed to the side of his.
And by the time the night was winding down, I was exhausted, resting my head on his shoulder.
“Bedtime,” he murmured as I moved against him, and I let out a small groan.
“Don’t want to move,” I mumbled.
I felt his chuckle against my body.
“Come on. It’s so close. Maybe I get to help you up the stairs, huh?”
I relented, following him up the stairs and down the quiet hallway to our room. We slowly got ready for bed, brushing our teeth and grinning like idiots at each other around the toothbrushes.
And then both of us were just in sweatpants, climbing into bed together like I imagined a longtime couple would do.
“You know you’re cute when you’re sleepy,” he said quietly after turning out the light.
“Am not,” I said. “I’m a big strong man with silver hair.”
“Yep,” he said, turning over under the sheets and reaching an arm around me and pulling me close. “A cute as hell silver fox.”
So many things were blooming inside me. I knew I couldn’t hide how much I enjoyed what he was telling me, and I definitely wasn’t trying to hide how much I enjoyed his touch.
I breathed deep. “I’m just surprised you don’t sleep with that baseball cap on.”
“What?” he muttered. “Of course I don’t.”
A smile crept onto my lips. “You always wear that damned thing.”
“What’s wrong with my baseball hat?”
“Oh, nothing’s wrong with it. I love it, actually.”
“Do you?”
“Of course I do.”
“Liar. You secretly hate my baseball hats, huh? It’s the only thing holding you back from taking things to the next level with me, boyfriend.”
“Bullshit,” I said. “It’s probably one of the things that made me think you were attractive in the first place.”
“That’s bullshit,” Rock said. “It was my enthralling personality, and you know it.”
“Sure. The way you talked about eating pineapple pizza,” I said. “Man. I just couldn’t get enough. Knew I had to end up in bed next to you someday.”
He laughed, and I loved the feeling of it against my body. It was a type of joy I was getting used to, and I had no idea how in the world I could ever give it up.
I was lying on my back. It was dark in the room, but I felt Rock shifting in the bed, propping himself up on his elbow next to me, so his face was hovering above mine. I could just start to see his silhouette, and as my eyes adjusted, I saw that he was looking down at me, his face calm.
And then he dipped lower, pressing his lips to mine. He kissed me slowly, tenderly, like he had nothing to prove. It seemed like he just wanted to kiss me, and somehow, it was so easy for him to act on that desire.
This. This was what I liked so much about Rock. His ability to take actions, to say “fuck it” and take the plunge into whatever he felt was right in the moment.
And it was also what I’d been so afraid of, earlier today. Rock had worn down my defenses without even realizing it
I rolled sideways, facing him in the bed, leaning into his kiss. I was exhausted, and I knew he was too. It created a magical half-sleepy delirium world, where nothing else mattered but our two bodies. We were too tired to do anything more, but this was enough. It was so much. I felt at home next to him, at home with his lips on mine.