His Hope

Part 5: Morning After

5

"Name one single song by him that doesn't sound like it's straight out of an old western?" She deadpans, staring the man beside her down.

Xavier opened his mouth to say something but stopped in his tracks as his mind went blank. "Okay, I can't think of one right now, but he is a solid musician!" He exclaimed falling back into the pillows and blankets that they had gathered around them. He, being the responsible guy, he is, decided it would be fun to go up to the roof. Luckily it had stopped raining by then and he made the split-second decision to grab the pillows and blankets from one of the beds, which is where they were settled now.

Their conversation flowed, switching from one topic to another. Louisa found out that Xavier hated barbecue sauce and loved country music. He told her about getting his first tattoo at 14 and how his mother almost had a heart attack and still hasn't gotten used to the many he had obtained since then. She couldn't contain her laughter when he mentioned he was terrified of lamas, because of an incident that happened when he was five. Earning herself a pillow to the face, which resulted in her laughing so hard tears were streaming down her face. When she had finally calmed, the conversation drifted back to music which resulted in their current argument over one of Xavier's guilty pleasures, Mr. Willie Nelson.

"Okay you, what's your musical guilty pleasure?" He cocked an eyebrow up at her and playfully glared at the smirk she sent his way as she snuggled further down into the blanket that was now draped over her body.

"Steely Dan, Doctor Wu." She answered right away, her intimidating gaze breaking instantly, a small smile lighting up her face. She glanced up to the inky night sky, the light from the moon letting her see the outlines of everything. She took in a deep breath, the fresh air feeding her lungs.

"I'm not sure I know that one." He frowned, mentally searching for anything that sounded even vaguely familiar, coming up empty.

"I'll play it for you sometime." She mumbled, tucking her hands under her head as her eyes fluttered softly against her cheeks, straining to stay open.

He wasn't sure he had ever seen a woman as gorgeous as she was. The moonlight showed down on her and he was trying to figure out why the moon and the sun both catered to her as if showing off their only child. He reached out, his fingers brushing over her slightly chubby cheeks and he swallowed hard as she leaned into his touch.

She felt him shift closer to her and her heart stuttered in her chest. She listened closely to the ruffling against the pillows before a hand was placed over her waist. Her body immediately relaxed at the touch and she wasn't having too force her eyes closed anymore. She thought she would be nervous; she was prepared for nervous, but the overwhelming sense of calm he brought her was unexpected and that was her last thought before she drifted off to sleep.

They laid there for a while before he realized she would probably be more comfortable in a bed. He sat up grabbing two pillows under his arm before leaning down and picking up Louisa, along with the blanket she was wrapped in. He slowly and carefully made his way back to the room and laid her gently on the bed, tucking a pillow underneath her head. She shifted getting comfortable but settled once again. He flipped the light off and sighed before grabbing a pillow and a blanket for himself eyeing the floor. He made himself as comfortable as he could before glancing up at the sleeping beauty. The feeling she brought out of him was indescribable, maybe this wasn't 'love at first sight', but it was certainly something, he was sure of it.

***

When she awoke the next day, she shifted uncomfortably and glanced around the room, her eyes squinting as she observed her surroundings. Realizing she was in a bed and not on the roof, it took a minute but the memories of last night slowly came back to her. She realized Xavier must have moved her to the room after she drifted off. She wondered briefly where he slept, her cheeks warmed instantly. She pulled the blanket that now covered her up to hide away from whatever she deemed necessary. As her mind went over every detail of the night before, she tried to establish how she was feeling. Warmth flooded her belly at the thought of Xavier and she briefly wondered where he'd run off to but tried not to dwindle on it too much. She needed this time to herself, to figure out her own thoughts and feelings.