Dated 04/09/2014

MIKE: In the whole wide world, there was no place I would rather be.

We'd probably seen this episode a hundred times before. And the one before it. I could already hear all the next lines in my head as the scene narrowed to a blurred slit of flickering shapes between my drooping eyelids. I would probably be asleep before the first commercial break.

It didn't matter. I wasn't watching the show. There was only one thing on my mind.

The warmth. The soft skin. The gentle, reassuring weight against my back, his legs tucked behind mine. It felt like he was all around me.

It was still early days. Such was the whirlwind of that first night where we had discovered our feelings for each other, Rexar and I had decided that we should take things slowly. Not to rush, not to intensify our relationship too soon. For now, we were simply beginning to embrace our newfound closeness, letting ourselves become more intimate with each other. Becoming partners.

To begin with, I had been nervous. I wouldn't say I had been having second thoughts. No. Much as I still felt some slight anxiety, even disbelief, that we were crossing this line together, I could think of no-one better to be experiencing it with. It was more the thought of being in a relationship for the first time. What to do, what to say, what was expected of me, where we would be going next...

But Rex knew how I felt. He knew this was a new experience for me. He hadn't pressured me. I think taking things slowly must have suited him too, after everything he had gone through with Carl. Amid my uncertainty, I sensed him guiding us, steering our romance through its infancy. And the more time I spent with him, the more I felt blessed by his patience, his understanding. It was exactly how I had always imagined he would be.

And so there we were, snuggled on the couch together, illuminated only by the shifting glow of the TV. It had been dark for hours, yet neither of us had thought to switch on a lamp. We didn't want to move. We didn't need to. We just stayed there, watching the hours drift by from our bubble on the couch, huddled together in the twilight of the living room.

Shifting slightly on the chair, I nestled my cheek into the crook of Rex's arm, feeling his thick muscles on either side. I wrapped my hands around his forearm, resting my head on it like a big red pillow as I squinted at the bright screen. As I lay there, I could feel Rex stroking my arm softly with his thumb. He continued for a while, perhaps not even realising he was doing it.

Enjoying the warmth of the moment, I heard myself let out a little squeak of contentment. As soon as I did, I felt him looking down as if to check on me.

"You okay, babes?" he whispered.

I nodded. Chuckling, he gave me a little kiss on the top of my head. It was so sweet, so tender, it sent a tingle quivering down my spine.

Wriggling deeper into his embrace, I felt him resting his other arm on my back. Then with the tip of one of his claws, he gently scritched the fur on the back of my neck. Another tingle rushed through my body. Such gentle, soothing affection - it was wonderful.

And just at that moment, it dawned on me. This was it. This was what I had always wanted.

I thought back to the times I had looked upon Rex from across the room, thinking about him. How I had watched him sitting with Carl on this couch. The times I had sat in solitude in the next room listening to them cuddling together, wondering, imagining what it would feel like to be that close and intimate with him. And now here we were, on the very same couch. Only this time, it was our moment. Our night.

Closing my eyes, I felt myself beginning to drift off to sleep. The sound of the TV became a haze of indistinct murmurs, the familiar lines floating in and out of my consciousness as my mind retreated into the quiet pocket of warmth and shadow in Rex's arms. As he rested his chin on my head, I could feel him surrounding me. Watching over me. Keeping me safe.

I knew it for sure now. At last. He was mine.

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Rexar & Mike: Snapshots - List of episodes in full:
M - mature rating | E - explicit rating
(List last updated 30/12/2015)

Admiration (M)
Lost Opportunity
Out Of The Crowd
Moment Of Weakness
Revelations, Pt.I
Revelations, Pt.II
Couch
Exploration (M)
Reciprocation

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This was the seventh instalment in my popular Rexar & Mike: Snapshots series, a collection of images and short stories depicting the romantic relationship between my characters Rexar and Mike. This series is ongoing, so more instalments will be added in due course.

RRRex