Page 31 of In the Light of the Moon
He blew a raspberry toward the white ceiling above us, “I’m positive that it isn’t as beautiful as yours. I look forward to the next time I’m blessed to see it.”
I traced a nonsensical pattern on the leg of his jeans, “What about this weekend?” What we’d done was still sex, but I was excited to explore more of my lowered boundaries. To see if I’dbe able to let him into me. To feel how we joined together in the closest of ways.
His touch tightened on my breast, and I turned slightly to get a better look at his face. Orion’s eyes met mine, brows drawn in disappointment. “I’ll be going out of town this weekend. I’m sorry.”
Despite the high of our orgasms, I deflated. “Oh. Where?”
“I’ll be about two hours away. Camping.” Orion’s tapping picked up, and so did my heart, but I did my best to temper it. We’d only been dating for a few weeks. And in that time, we’d been lucky to have our schedules match up enough so that we hadn’t gone more than a few days without seeing each other. In the time between, there was a thread of cheeky texts to tide over until the next meeting.
“That’s okay. I’ll be extra happy to see you when you get back,” I painted a wide smile on my face, pulling my cheeks back and fighting past the disappointment when he didn’t offer for me to come with him. “And you can send me photos or something.”
Orion’s pink lips twisted before relaxing, “I’ll try to take some. But I’ll be racing back to you. I promise.”
“It’s all right, baby,” I flicked the tip of his nose, causing him to give a breathy chuff.
More color bloomed on his cheeks, though it wasn’t the beautiful flush when he came. Instead, it was more of that bashful pink and was such a charming contrast with the low raspiness of his voice. “I like it when you call me that.”
It took a moment for me to realize that I’d started to use the pet name, but once I did, my smile became less brittle, softer. “Well, I’ll keep doing it. So, you better stay safe during your trip and not get mauled by a pack of wolves or something. Make sure you come back okay.”
He got another curious look on his face before he leaned over to press a kiss on my brow. He promised to come back in onepiece, and, spurred on by the noise of Granna arriving through the kitchen door, we dressed.
With our legs tangled, Orion and I changed the subject to the newest story I was working on and what Granna had told me earlier today. Though he didn’t have any concrete advice on the latter, having his unflinching support made me feel closer to him all the same.
Hours passed, wherein I’d noted Granna’s quiet pattern through the house before going to bed. I learned more about Orion’s life and childhood split between two homes. After his parents’ divorce, he explained, his mother retained primary custody and went from living with her parents to marrying a wealthy man who she was still with to this day.
“She shipped me off to boarding school before Ramona was born, so I lived there mostly. I’d visit with them but preferred to stay with Da when I wasn’t at school.” Orion’s speech took on that flattened cadence when he spoke of his family, and I found myself giving his chest slow, circling caresses while he explained the dynamic. When he mentioned his father’s passing just after he finished college, he fell silent, and I didn’t push him to say more.
I spoke instead of experience with my own deceased father, how our different breeds of anxieties fed each other but also fostered a sort of understanding I didn’t have with anyone else. How he’d encouraged my writing and soothed me when I grew sad after witnessing other children with their mothers. Not wanting to continue to pull the mood into a somber place, I mentioned how Josie had scooped me up during one of my particularly awkward and insecure phases, making us inseparable—despite the distance—ever since.
When I asked Orion what his circle of friends looked like, he cracked a wry snort, “Do I seem like a person who attracts many friends?”
“Well, you managed to wear me down with your unique sort of charm.” I flicked a loop of his hair that was hanging over his forehead.
He gave another little huff and shrugged, “One or two of my colleagues, maybe. Juno—Dr. Vanders—and I hang out sometimes.” That made sense, considering the handful of times I’d seen the two of them chatting. Well, Dr. Vanders talking while Orion listened.
“They’re one of my favorite professors! I’m in their Multicultural Feminist Lit class, and it’s actually a joy to write my analysis papers.” I gave his shoulder a weak shove, but he didn’t budge an inch, “Makes sense my two favorite teachers would be friends.” He blushed again at that, and with a kiss to his temple, I set out to pull up a movie on my laptop since I could sense that he was done talking. After Orion stated that he hadn’t seen one of the classic horror films that popped up on the home screen of the streaming website, I declared that I now had a new commitment to expose him fully to my favorite genre. Halfway through the movie, though, I found myself straddled over his hips and pinning him with my kiss.
At nearly two in the morning, Orion and I made our way down the stairs. Throughout the night, I’d again felt nothing but tender, passionate care from him, with his touches and his words. I didn’t even hesitate to grasp his jaw and bring him down for a goodnight kiss.
“I’ll text you when I get home.”
I nodded against his chest, held close by his long arms. “Sounds good, baby.”
He gave another kiss to my hair, and I watched him walk to and climb into his car. In the light of the porch, Orion’s eyes glowed just for a second, and I waved as I watched him back out and drive away.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Orion
The trees whipped past as I ran, my lungs filling with the crisp, spiced air before emptying in even breaths from my mouth. The leaves and growth brushing against my body sent ripples of pleasure through my entire being, and my muscles were singing with the sweet exertion.
Days in the forest and sleeping under the stars, would never, ever grow old. Feeling this close to the earth, to the life around me. The patterns of the animals and the steady humming of the trees made sense. The way my body fit into this framework of nature, of theworldas it was meant to be, felt right. It was only until recently that I started to feel this way around anything besides my time in the forest.
But only here, I could be myself. Truly.
I let out an annoyed huff, feeling the air whoosh out of my mouth.And I had to drive almost two hours to get it.
Juno wasn’t with me this time, which was a relief. I knew that it wasn’t very rational, but sharing this time with anyone besides Sylvie felt wrong. Especially with someone I’d hooked up withbefore. Even if after the haze of lust, Juno and I quickly decided that we didn’t want to engage sexually again.
