Morning After

Briar sat up in bed, eyes still closed, wigged their hips and scooched themself back against the headboard. Reaching up, palms out laced their fingers and raised them as high as they could, screeching out with a soft sigh and a yawn before slowly lowering them until they were in front. Flexing and stretching their shoulders outward, with another small soft throaty sigh. Still not ready to greet the day, or open their eyes to the mid morning sun, Briar kept their eyes closed finishing the morning wake up but running their hands over their neck and under the long hair resting on their shoulders. Giving it a tussle to restore volume after sleeping on it all night. “Good Morning.” they mumbled into the room, voice still carrying that gravely of a long night's sleep.

“Good Morning.” a voice said in response.

Briar let out a choked scream pulling the sheet to their chest. A man that granted they’d decided to spend the night with, but had been what some might call overly clear that this was just a one time thing, for fun and nothing more than that. And he was still here.

“Oh-ho…you’re still here.” Briar said, trying to sound both unbothered but also throwing in a tone of ‘leave now’ that man didn’t seem to catch.

“Yeah sleepy head. I figured I’d stick around till you got up. Can’t lock the door if I don’t have a key and it wouldn’t be safe to just leave it unlocked, plus I thought maybe we could get breakfast.” he said, pulling on his pants, while standing and stumbling slightly as he tried to hop on leg in.

“Oh…darling…” Briar said. “We talked about this. We were just having fun. This isn’t a take me home to your family thing.”

“Well…” he said, putting on a smile. “I thought it would be fun to get breakfast.”

The man was very very attractive. Briar could at least admit to that, but boy oh boy was he as dumb as a hammer.

“You're cute when you are frustrated.” he said, pulling on his shirt, pausing for a moment before looking down. He chuckled to himself and pulled the shirt back off and turned it around. “Hard to tell sometimes.” he laughed in regards to messing up putting on a shirt. The shirt’s front dipped into a deep V shape pulled tight by string.

“Darling, you realise what that would mean right?” Briar asked.

The man looked puzzled. “What…it…means?”

Briar sighed, as they watched him figure out which boot was which. “Darling…you like women, correct?”

“Sure do.” he said, hopping up and down on one foot to get into his first boot.

“And you realise I am a man…correct?” Briar asked with a slow patience.

“You sure are.” he said, “Why’s that a question?” he asked.

“You’re not afraid of what people will say about you?” Briar questioned him.

The man scratched his chin a moment, thinking hard. Surprised he didn’t start to smoke.

“Hmm…I’m fine with people being jealous,” he said “I mean they can just be mad that they can’t have someone as pretty as you.”

Briar blinked, “Pretty?”

The man finally got his last boot on and nodded. “Course you’re pretty, I ain’t never seen someone with hair the colour of cream before, or with pale eyelashes. Makes you eunuch.”

“You mean unique.” Briar said, slightly dumb founded.

“Yep that’s the word…unique.” he repeated with some measure of wonder. “Besides,” he said with a slight pause. “You don’t make fun of me for not being so bright, and you are a lot of fun. Different from the other kinds of fun, but I think that’s why I like it.”

Briar stared at him as he stood there, looking like a golden retriever. Big, loveable but nothing going on between the ears…besides kindness and love. Which counts for something.

“But if you don’t wanna get breakfast I’ll understand.” he said sheepishly. Leaning down to grab his bag.

Something inside Briar twisted a little as they watched him readying to leave. “Screw it, we’ll figure out the feelings later.” Briar thought. “Come on.” Briar said, getting a confused glance from the man. Get over here.” Briar said.

“You want me to help you get ready?” he asked. “I don’t know how to dress someone else but I’ll try.” he said.

“No Darling…no get back in bed.” Briar said, motioning for him.

“But…” he said looking at the door then the bed. “I just got dressed.” he said

“If you don’t want to, I can’t make you stay. But I’d like you to stay.” Briar said.

The man’s eyes lit up, the man struggled out of his boots and nearly face planted to the floor as he tried to jump out of his pants, at the same time as taking off his shirt, half falling onto the bed.

“If you weren’t so sexy, and sweet…” Briar thought with a mental chuckle, pulling him close.

*Fade To Black*