Page 38 of Sit, Stay, Love
‘All right. I’m doing it.’ He took a deep breath and slid below the clear water. A second later, he spluttered back to the surface, almost leaping into the air. ‘Okay. This was a dumb idea,’ he said through chattering teeth. He stumbled out of the creek, slipping a little on a rock in his haste.
Sera meant to look away – she really did – as he stepped from the water. He was wearing only a wet pair of undies that clung to him absolutely everywhere. Absolutely.Everywhere.She patted Buffy with such an intensity that the dog got up and moved away.
Ethan wrapped his arms around his chest as he hunched over and shivered. ‘Why didn’t you warn me it was so cold?’ he said, dripping.
She rolled her eyes and tossed him his t-shirt.
He caught it and pulled it over his head. ‘I’m going to climb up there for a minute to warm up,’ he said, pointing to a rock bathed in a circle of sunshine.
‘Be careful.’
‘I’ll be okay.’ He grabbed his jeans, tossed them over his shoulder and scrambled up the sandstone ledge.
She took the time to thoroughly check out his butt, again, as he climbed. She might as well enjoy the entire package.
Ethan let out a loud sigh as the sun’s warmth hit his body. He closed his eyes and put his hands above his head as if worshipping the golden orb in the sky.
Sera also sighed, but for an entirely different reason. She let out pent-up frustrations at the way his t-shirt rode up, and how the sunshine sparkled off the water still clinging to his face and thighs.
He lay on the rock, drying off. ‘You came here when you were a kid?’
‘Yep,’ she called up. ‘I’d come here with my grandfather and search for tadpoles.’ She was never a girl for pretty dresses and shiny shoes, much to her mother’s dismay. Her auburn hair was always a little untamed and her knees were always grazed. ‘And that rock you’re on was my favourite reading spot.’
He sat up, looking down at her. ‘Okay. I’m coming back.’ He pulled on his jeans and launched himself towards the ground, landing in a crouch.
She gasped. ‘Oh my god, that was a total superhero landing.’
He shrugged. ‘Stunt training.’ He lowered himself onto the grass beside her, slowly reached out and patted Buffy. ‘Is this what you had in mind?’
‘Yep.’Except for the glistening wet, semi-naked part.‘You get to hang out with a dog. And Buffy won’t be ignored, so you kind of have no choice but to touch her.’
‘I’ve noticed.’
‘And she’s sweet and she does what she’s told. Mostly. We should have done this in the first place. I’m so sorry I put you through the terrible walk with Kevin, and what happened at the park.’
He unzipped his backpack and pulled out their lunch. ‘I’m more comfortable being here with this one now,’ he pointed at Buffy, ‘than I would have been without our first two attempts.’
‘Still, I should have thought it all through, put together a plan.’
‘You had a plan.’ He handed her a sandwich.
Buffy wedged herself between them.
‘She’s persistent,’ he said.
‘Yes, she is. Anyway, in future, I’ll run everything past you to make sure nothing’s going to freak you out.’
‘I need to be freaked out. I need to get to a place where I’m not cringing all the time. And whatever you come up with, I’ll do it. I trust you, and—’ He looked away and rubbed Buffy’s head. ‘I like spending time with you.’
Sera tried her best not to blush or squirm, or to notice how her stomach flipped and flopped like a beached fish.
She failed.
She liked the feeling, and she liked spending time with him too. A little more than she wanted to.
They lay on the grass, enjoying the sliver of sun that peeked through the tops of the trees. The birds chirped merrily around them, and the bubbling of the creek was almost lulling Sera to sleep. She could so easily doze off, with Buffy stretched out beside her, and Ethan on the other side, his quiet, rhythmic breaths almost hypnotic. She reached out to pat her dog, and her hand landed on Ethan’s, already on Buffy’s back. They both laughed lightly as they snatched their hands away.
Sera cleared her throat. ‘Can I ask you something?’
