The word slips out in a breath before I can stop it, my surprise evident.
And just like that, his expression shifts, just for a moment, like my reaction threw him. Like it stirred something in him.
"Why are younaked?" Missy blurts, pulling both of our attention to her, looking thoroughly unimpressed. "Can you please put some clothes on?"
She gags, loud and theatrical, complete with an exaggerated retching sound.
Ford huffs, but I can feel his eyes on me as Missy tugs me further into the room.
Against my better judgment, I chance another glance at him, at his stomach, and watch as his muscles tense in response. And to say that doesn’t do something to me would be a complete lie. A pulse of heat flashes through me, sharp and sudden, settling low in my core. My fingers twitch with the ridiculous, traitorous urge to reach out, to trace each defined line.
"Excuse my son," Grace calls out, snapping me from my thoughts. "He was just taking a quick shower before lunch, he was filthy." She turns towards Ford, exasperated. "Go get some clothes on before you scare the poor girl away!"
He clears his throat before finally reaching down, slowly buttoning up his jeans.
Eyes up, Stormy. Keep your eyes up.
From the sofa, Jensen lets out a bark of laughter. "You should’ve seen the state of him!"
The girl beside him giggles, and Jensen leans forward, barely containing his amusement.
"One of the campers called about some issue with the showers, so we went to check, and turns out the entire block was flooding. Someone left a shower on, and the drains weren’t draining properly." Jensen struggles to hold back another laugh before continuing. "Anyway, there was this huge muddy puddle outside, water had pooled everywhere, and Buddy went barrelling toward it. Ford, in his infinite wisdom, tried to stop him, charged after him like some kind of hero, only Buddy stopped short, and Ford?" Jensen wheezes out a laugh, shaking his head. "He tripped right over him and into the mud. He was covered."
Behind me, Ford lets out a low, grumbled, "Can we not? It’s really not that funny."
I turn and I catch the twitch at the corner of his mouth when he notices me smiling, before he quickly schools his expression.
"It was fucking hilarious," Jensen insists, reenacting Ford’s graceless stumble with far too much enthusiasm.
I glance at Buddy, who lounges on the sofa with a knowing glint in his eyes, looking all too pleased with himself as he watches the chaos unfold, obviously well-accustomed to the playful antics of his humans. Meanwhile, the girl beside Jensen bursts into laughter, struggling to get the words out.
"When they got back, he looked like …" she wheezes, momentarily losing the ability to speak through her laughter. "… you know Wreck-It Ralph?" She pauses, trying to catch her breath, then dissolves into giggles again. Jensen nudges her playfully, clearly enjoying the moment as she continues, "That scene where he’s completely covered in that green candy, stomping around like some giant grumpy monster?" She lets out another fit of laughter, elbowing Jensen back, who’s still in hysterics. "Well … that was Ford!"
With dramatic enthusiasm, she starts reenacting the scene, arms flailing in exaggerated frustration, making the whole thing even funnier, and I can’t help but giggle.
Ford lets out a long groan, dragging a hand down his face as if enduring the worst kind of suffering.
"Really? This is what we’re doing now?"
Jensen just grins, thoroughly enjoying watching the girl beside him as she continues her dramatic display, stomping around like some over the top monster.
Ford crosses his arms, his jaw ticking like he’s debating whether or not to argue, but then, against his will, a half-smile lifts his cheek. He tries to suppress it, clearing his throat and controlling his expression back into one of pure irritation, but it’s too late.
"Oh my god," Jensen gasps, pointing. "Did you just smile?"
Ford scowls, launching his towel at Jensen’s face.
"No."
"You so did," Missy chimes in, arms crossed, enjoying herself far too much. "Admit it, you think it’s funny."
Ford exhales through his nose, shaking his head as if deeply disappointed in himself, then mutters under his breath, "You’re all annoying," before walking off down the hall.
I lean against the edge of the sofa, arms loosely folded, watching the scene unfold with quiet amusement. The easy banter, the teasing, the way laughter bounces off the walls, it’s something I haven’t been around in a long time. Something I’d forgotten I’d missed. There’s a lightness here and an effortless kind of warmth.
Missy rolls her eyes at Ford’s grumbling, but the fondness behind it is unmistakable. Jensen laughs too hard at his own jokes, and Grace scolds Ford with exasperation, but there’s love in every word.
I let the moment soak in, taking a slow breath.
