Page 99 of Dreaming of Dawson

He didn’t give me time to ask for explanations, but pulled me into the bathroom, making me scream his name twice before he filled me, leaving me breathless and in need of his arms for support.

“Don’t let me go,” I whispered, clinging to him, fearful my legs wouldn’t hold me up.

“Never,” he murmured, kissing my forehead as he waited for me to recover.

It took a while, but once he was sure I was okay, he took a half step back, looking down at me. “What is it we need to do?” I asked, and he tilted his head, like he didn’t understand. “You said there were things we needed to do this morning.”

“Oh, yeah. I forgot all about that.” He leaned in and kissed me. “I guess my first need of the day made me forget about all the others.”

I smiled, loving his words, almost as much as his deeds… and him.

“So, what’s it all about?” I asked, as he shut off the water and reached for two towels, wrapping them around us.

“I need to drive you to your aunt’s place.”

“You do?” I gazed up at him, confusion getting the better of me. “Why? I brought clothes with me so I wouldn’t have to.”

“I know, but we need to talk to her.”

“To Aunt Bernie? Why? Don’t you remember? I told you I spoke to her yesterday.”

“I know. I hadn’t forgotten, but if I remember rightly, you also agreed to move in with me last night, and while Bernie isn’t your keeper, it’s only polite to let her know what’s happening.”

He had a point, and I felt a little guilty for not realizing it myself.

“I guess we’d better get dressed and have some breakfast.”

“We had… because when we’ve told your aunt our news, I’m kinda hoping there’ll be time for us to pack your things, so I can bring them back here, after I’ve dropped you at Peony’s place.”

“You’ve got this all planned, haven’t you?”

“Yeah. Is that a problem?”

“No. It’s just that it all felt so rushed last night, and now it feels like you’ve been preparing for weeks.”

“Not weeks, Mace. Hours. But that’s long enough.”

“So it seems,” I said, and I leaned up and kissed him.

Aunt Bernice wasn’t even remotely surprised by our news. As with everything else in life, she didn’t bat an eyelid and took it all in her stride as we sat at the kitchen table and told her of our plans. She smiled across the table at us, pouring the coffee she’d just made, and said, “Are you gonna tell your mom and dad, or do you want me to do it for you?”

I hadn’t even thought about telling Mom and Dad, but I couldn’t leave Aunt Bernie to relay my news.

“I’ll tell them,” I said.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but they might not react well.”

“Why not?” Dawson asked before I could say a word.

“It’s nothing personal,” Bernie replied quickly, sensing she might have offended him, and I grabbed his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, just in case he was feeling insecure again.

“What is it, then?”

She glanced at me before she answered and then let out a sigh. “They haven’t really accepted the fact that you’re not going home,” she said, surprising me.

“I know we haven’t talked about it much, but I thought they were okay with it. They’ve never said anything to me about being unhappy.”

“They’re not unhappy. But I think they’d be happier if you were back in Boston. It’s gonna be hard for them to hear that’s not gonna happen.”

---