You make me ache

Ch8: Twisted sheets and Carnal longing.

Troyes POV.

 I stalk the hotel gardens one more time looking for any inspiring shots that I may have missed. I had managed to take some pretty photos at the stream earlier today and I am still feeling in an arty mood. I am hoping that this will reflect in these photos of the hotel grounds also. The marquee from the wedding and its contents have now been taken down and stored away, leaving the garden empty; a vast expanse of lush green grass and pastel plants. I take a few more shots of the lake situated at the end of the garden and begin to make my way back to my hotel room, back to Tyler.

I reach the lift and see myself in the mirror. I sigh heavily- my hair is floppy and far from tame, my quiff flopping against my forehead. I try to push it back up into place but it seems to have a mind of its own. I sigh again- it'll have to wait until I've showered. I decide that when I get in, I'll let Tyler finish editing and busy myself by getting ready for our night out later. However when I push my key card into our door and make my way into the room, I see that Tyler is not editing. Instead he is sound asleep, his thick-rimmed glasses still on, lips slightly parted and breathing quiet snores. His laptop is lying sideways pressed up against his bare thighs, snug on the mattress. I carefully move his laptop to the desk and I notice that he is wearing one of my shirts. It looks good on him; he always looks good in my clothes. I think that there is something inherently attractive about seeing the person you love, wrapped in your own clothes. Alike to the love bites that I like to leave across his torso, I like to think that my clothes mark him as mine and only mine. I take in every inch of him with my eyes, smiling proudly at myself for managing to snag such a captivating man. I reach over and delicately remove his glasses, not wanting to wake him. His body rolls at my slight touch and I quickly place his glasses on the bedside table before creeping into the bathroom and quietly closing the door.

A cloud of steam escapes from the bathroom as I emerge, a fluffy white towel draped loosely on my hips. I had enjoyed my shower, relishing the hot water and the knowledge that I still had hours before I had to go anywhere or do anything, allowing me to take my time as it rained down on me. I steal a glance at Tyler and see that he has crept further down the bed. He is no longer propped up on the pillows and instead is curled up as small as possible in the centre of the huge bed. He looks tiny and adorable and I cannot resist grabbing my camera. As I quickly snap a photo of my endearing boyfriend, the flash sparks and he quietly mumbles my name. I silently cringe to myself; I hadn't meant to wake him.

"Yes Tilly?" I gently call out but I don't get a response. I peer down at him and see he is still soundly asleep; his calling of my name obviously part of his sleep talking habit. I smile as I process that I am in his dreams and then proceed to snigger at myself for the fact that he makes me smile even when he's sleeping. I feel that the entire time I'm with Tyler I am smiling, my cheek muscles must work twice as hard since our relationship began. Whether I'm spending time with him, thinking about or talking about him, there is a constant smile on my face.

I watch as Tyler's chest rises and falls peacefully and I gain a sudden urge to be close to him. Pulling my towel tighter around my hips, I climb onto the bed and gently lay down next to him, positioning myself so that my face faces his. I reach my hand out and lightly hook it under his. A wave of emotion rushes through me as I feel our skin touch- how is it possible to feel this strongly about someone? A simple, forced touch with a sleeping human, should not elicit these kind thrills and butterflies within another human. Grinding my teeth together to prevent a squeal escaping my lips, I shuffle closer to him, now close enough to feel his breathe on my face. Before I'm aware of what I'm doing, I'm suddenly kissing his mouth softly. 'So much for not wanting to wake him up', I chastise myself silently, shaking my head at my own desperation to always be close and connected to Tyler. I bargain with myself, allowing one more kiss in exchange for then forcing myself to actually get up and dressed, and leave his clearly exhausted body to rest. Connecting our lips together again, I smile, delighted as I suddenly feel his hands wrap around me, drawing me in against his body. I happily continue to kiss him, wrapping my fingers under the cotton hem of his- or rather my- t-shirt. Sleepily he pulls away from our kiss, eye lashes fluttering as he adjusts to the light and mumbles something that I do not quite catch.