Work Text:
i.
I see an eyelash on your cheek. I pluck it off and tell you Make a wish. You blow it off my thumb. It lands on my nose.
ii.
I hold you.
iii.
You sleep.
iv.
I text Sonja: is this normal?
v.
I make up a new game for us. It’s called “Your body is like…”
I’ll start…
Your chin dimple is like a fat baby’s knee.
Your ear is like a mini French Horn.
When I run my fingers through your hair it’s like petting a fuzzy lion cub.
vi.
You say you’re still not hungry but I make us some cheesy toasts and leave them on the side dresser just in case you change your mind.
Your skin is like piping-hot freshly baked bread with just the right amount of flaky buttery crust.
vii.
We watch old episodes of Cosmos and Family Guy until you drift off.
Your laugh is like being a kid and opening the first Christmas present at 6am because you are too excited to wait any longer.
viii.
From Sonja: He sleeps a lot when he’s down like this. Being there for him is enough. It’s sometimes all you can do.
ix.
You wake up and you’re cold. I ask Eskild for an extra blanket. I then remind you about Arctic Naked Survival 101: if you are ever stranded on say, Mt Everest after a big avalanche, then the only way to survive the sub-freezing temperature is to lay down in a snow ditch naked next to your really hot boyfriend. You know, for the extra body warmth.
The corners of your mouth turn up. It’s enough.
Your smile is like a lazy Sunday morning.
x.
I hold you. Skin to skin.
The scruff on your chin is like wet sand sticking to your skin at the seashore.
Our fingers, arms and legs entwined are like a woven basket made out of palm leaves.
Like a bow knot. Like a pretzel. Like cardamon pulla bread.
xi.
I tell you the story of my first kiss.
Britt Larsen.
7 minutes in Heaven at Jonas’s 13th birthday.
We made it about 2.5 minutes.
I tell you the story of our first kiss.
Once upon a time, there were two boys. Both were exceptionally handsome and they hit it off right away. One night, they were both dressed up for a Halloween party that neither of them really wanted to go to. They just wanted to be with each other. So they got on a bike and found themselves at a magical underground pool. One boy dared the other boy the jump in. So they jumped in. One boy dared the other boy to an underwater breath-holding contest. So they both plunged under the water. One boy cheated on the contest by stealing a kiss and so they needed to have a rematch. This time the other boy knew exactly what to do. He kissed the boy back. And they both won.
xii.
It’s getting dark in my room now. I don’t want to turn on the lights, so I ask Noora and Eskild if they have any candles. They have like twenty of them and they all smell like lavender.
Your smell is like catnip.
Like clean clothes out of the dryer.
Like clove cigarettes.
When I breathe you in it’s like remembering a childhood memory that I’d forgotten until this very second. But now I can’t believe I ever forgot it.
xiii.
We take a shower together. I drink in your wet skin.
Kissing you is like biting into the first ripe peach of the summer.
Our bodies moving is like a roller coaster. Like dancing underwater. Like swimming with a school of dolphins.
xiv.
I make us some peppermint tea (also Noora’s). You cup the warm mug with both hands. You breathe in the steam. You take a few sips and close your eyes.
xv.
I kiss your closed eyelids.
Your eyes are like marbles. They’re as deep and blue as our first-kiss pool.
xvi.
I rub your neck and shoulders for you.
Your spine is like a snake.
Your ribs are like a xylophone.
Your shoulder blades are like tucked-in angel wings.
xvii.
I give you a fresh t-shirt and sweatpants for pajamas.
xviii.
I hold you.
xix
You sleep.
xx.
I text my dad. Hey pappa, sorry again for leaving the concert early. It was an emergency with Even. Can we make a dinner date with you and mama for next week or the week after? I want you to meet my boyfriend.