“Fishing for compliments?” he asks, and I snort a laugh.
“No. I was just thinkin’ about the first time we met, and I wondered if you remember it the same way,” I tell him honestly. Recalling the memory with only my own perspective feels like half of the story is missing.
“I know what you mean.” He looks thoughtfully toward the spot where we first met. “Weirdly, I remember your scent hitting me for the first time more than seeing you. I was minding my own business, enjoying a late-night swim, and then suddenly, all I could smell was heather and lightning. I thought it was so bizarre how the air could be so still and calm yet smell so much like a storm brewing. And then there you were. I’d been so distracted by the smell I hadn’t even heard you approach. It was strange because I remember thinking I’d never been hit with a scent even close to it, but at the same time, it was familiar, like home.”
Well holy shit, if that isn’t the most romantic fucking answer I’ve ever heard.
“Only you could make me fuckin’ swoon while you’re still pissed at me,” I say, trying to lighten the moment a little.
“Yeah, well, we both know I was never very good at staying mad at you.” He rolls his eyes, and I’m flooded with relief. I know everything isn’t suddenly fixed, but I’m starting to feel we could be heading in the right direction.
“I’m pretty much countin’ on it at this point,” I reply, and he huffs out a laugh.
“Do you remember that time I tried to see if I could give you a blowjob underwater, and I accidentally breathed the water in and thought I was going to die?” Fee asks while he picks through the punnet of cherries. He hates eating fruit with even the slightest bruise on it, as if it’s contaminated or something. I pass him a few I’d put to one side that appear to be completely smooth, saving the marginally damaged ones for myself. He gets a soft look in those brown eyes when he realises, and I feel oddly embarrassed. The cherries have stained his lips a rosy red, and it’s very distracting. Especially paired with him reminiscing attempted blowjobs.
“Yeah, I remember. You panicked and almost bit my dick off. Was a long while before you were trusted with your teeth in that region again.” We must have been no more than twenty or twenty-one at the time; a lot of our sexual exploits back then were us trying out random things we’d watched in porn.
Newsflash—rarely a good idea.
“Piss off, ‘a long while’. You wanted a blowjob a week later.” He laughs, and the sound reverberates through me. He’s not wrong. I smile fondly at all the stupid shit we got up to back then, and I’m grateful Fee seems to be joining me on the nostalgia trip today.
After we’ve finished eating, Fee takes his t-shirt off and lies on his front to bathe in the sun. I don’t even bother trying to stop myself from ogling the large expanse of beautiful olive skin since he’s facing away from me. Is a back fetish a thing? His skin glistens where he’s sweating slightly, and I want to lick him.
“Stop staring at me.” His voice is muffled from where his face is tucked into the crook of his elbow.
“What makes you think I’m starin’ at you?”
“I can feel your eyes boring into the back of my head.”
“What can I say? The back of your head really does it for me.” He snorts but then returns to his cat nap, and I return to admiring the view—of his back.
When the sun hides behind a wall of clouds, I begin packing away and stuff everything back into my rucksack. We walk together and head out of sight towards the trees.
“Race you back to the house?” Fee asks as we start to strip out of our clothes.
“What do I get when I beat you?”
“Usual prize applies? Not that you’re likely to win,” he says, and my blood pumps a little harder at the promise. I want to win because I’m competitive, but I’m not sure I can really lose either way here.
“Deal.” We shake hands on it before shifting.
We’ve always been pretty close in speed, I’m bigger as a wolf than Fee is, but he definitely dodges obstacles better than I do. After around a mile of running, I’m marginally ahead of him, but he keeps nipping at my back legs with his teeth, trying to throw me off. He tries again, and his teeth nick me.
“Sneaky bastard, stop cheating.”Even now it's strange to me that we can speak mind to mind. We’ve only been running together a few times since the ceremony, so I’m still getting used to it.
“Sorry. Mistook you for a little rabbit. You look like prey.”
Behind the thoughts he sends me, I can sense his emotions. He’s amused and impish at the moment, and I’ve missed this side of him. It’s been odd seeing him so serious these past few months. It was as if the playful glint in his eyes had been extinguished, and I was the water that had doused the flame.
Hold up, did he just call me a little rabbit? Wanker! I whirl on him and pin him to the ground. I press my teeth to his jugular but don’t bite down.
“Who are you calling a little rabbit? Who’s prey now??”
Fee's tongue is lolling out of his mouth, making him look dopey and ridiculous. I shake my head at him and huff in amusement. He pushes up suddenly and flips us so I’m beneath him.
He distracted me with his goofy face!
I could probably get out if I wanted to, but he looks so pleased with himself I’m hesitant to move. I regret my decision immediately when he starts licking my face and slobbering all over me. The next thing I know, he’s leaping off me to get a headstart back to the house. He’s playing dirty today. Someone clearly wants the prize.
