My family

I woke up this morning in a state of almost narcotic bliss. SP had spooned me from behind, and he had his arm wrapped around me, with his hand on my chest. He pulled me into him so tight that I could feel his heart beating against my back.

Myra, my cat, had found her way under the sheets and pressed herself against my stomach and chest, and she purred lightly as she slept with my arm wrapped around her.

My family.

I sat there in delight, feeling love from every direction as I listened to them both. SP�s chest hair felt rough against my back, kind of like sand paper when he moved slightly and brushed against me. He breathed heavy and snored into my ear, gently. The cat�s fur, in contrast, was silk on my stomach. She tickled my thighs with her tail as he dragged it back and forth across them.

SP whispered into my ear. �You forgot to place the order.� He must be dreaming about work again. We�re so similar, young suburban homosexuals, overworked and overstressed, we often wake up in a cold sweat after a work-related dream. He began to move a little in his dream, just a jolt through his body, and Myra and I perked up our ears in response. He settled again for a moment, until another jolt rocked the bed slightly. �What are we going to do without that order?� he asked. Myra and I didn�t know, unfortunately, so we decided to wait out the dream and sit silently as we held each other.

Suddenly, SP jolted again, and his hips bucked into mine and sent the cat flying off the bed. His hand flung up off my chest and punched me in the face, my eye stung. I heard a light whimper from the floor beside the bed. I looked down to see my cat looking up at me in wonder, and I pet her head lightly to let her know it wasn�t her fault. At this point I wasn�t taking any more chances, and I got out of bed and reached for my bathrobe as I rubbed my eye.

SP woke up and stared up at me through sleepy eyes. He mumbled through his early morning haze and said in a disappointed voice just before he slipped back into sleep, �Awww, don�t you want to snuggle with me for a little while before you get up?�

I wanted to be mad but couldn�t help but smile down at him. I gave his foot a little squeeze through the comforter as I left him to sleep off his anxiety, and I walked to the kitchen to start the morning coffee. Myra rubbed up against my ankles, and I picked her up, rubbed my face in her fur and held her tight. I put her down on the bed next to SP and told her to keep him company while he slept. She looked up at me, unsure, before she walked in a small circle and sat down next to him. She kept her eyes open and watched as I walked out of the room again.

My family.