Wednesday

I know what you're all thinking.  It's Wednesday!  That means it is time for a continuation of Aoede.  Well, normally that would be true.  But this week I'm taking a break from Aoede.  The other two segments change from week to week.  I've been pretty good in keeping Aoede going, but I think I need just a bit of time to step back and examine where I've been and where I'm going with the story.  So instead, I give you a short, standalone piece.

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The smells of summer drift in the air around me.  They swirl in the thermals created by the warm earth.  Here I detect a hint of lavender.  There, the heady scent of roses in full bloom.  I can even smell fresh-cut grass.  Tilting my head back, I feel the warmth of the sun beat against my face.  It feels wonderful.

I let myself fall onto my back in the grass.  A new pocket of scents rises around my prone body.  Smiling, I dig my fingers into the sun-warmed grass.  This is so luxurious.  I could almost fall asleep.  I hear another body fall beside me, so I slit my eyes open and look.  Through a haze of blue I see my lover next to me.  He reaches out to caress my cheek.  I roll over and rest my head on his shoulder.  A new scent joins the ones of summer.  The scent of his skin and cologne are a heady addition to an already potent potpourri.  My hand plays in the grass at his side, his resting as the small of my back.

He whispers a sweet nothing in my ear, making my giggle.  I poke his side and he squirms.  He's ticklish.  I attack his side until he pushes against my shoulder and rolls me onto my back.  As he leans over me, he looks into my eyes and his smile reminds me of a little boy.  He leans down and kisses the tip of my nose.  My forehead.  My lips.  His kisses are so sweet they steal the very breath from my lungs.

He pulls away and lies down beside me, burying his face in the curve of my neck.  He sighed against my neck, seemingly content.  I took up at the sky, a deep and cloudless blue.  How I'd love to come back here at sunset.  To watch the sky fade from light to dark in a blaze of glory.  Maybe someday I'll return and watch the sunset.

I feel a certain lassitude take me over.  I just want to stay here forever.  To have him wrapped around me, pressed against me.  Sleep tugs at the back of my mind.  He shifts, but it's a sleepy shift.  Wrapping my arms around him, I let go and surrender myself to a content and peaceful rest.