Forcing himself to pull back, Sam opened his eyes and leaned back until he could see Ollie’s gaze, full of exactly what he’d wanted to see. Sam smiled, and hope filled his heart.
“Hey,” he said, letting his hand caress back down Ollie’s neck and shoulder to stop on his bicep.
“Hey.” Ollie grinned back at him, and Sam’s heart stuttered again.
“Happy birthday,” he whispered, barely able to get the words out. He swallowed hard and pressed another kiss to Ollie’s lips. “This is... the best way to wake up, love.” He leaned his forehead to rest on Ollie’s and then closed his eyes. “Seeing you... so happy. I could...”
Sam hesitated. But Ollie seemed to know what he’d been about to say, and Sam felt his boyfriend’s lips brush his cheek.
“Me too, Sam. I wish... this... I wish we could wake up like this every day.”
All the air seemed to leave Sam’s lungs, and he nodded and pulled Ollie closer. “Y-yes, love. That’s what... That’s all I want.”
They lay there for a few more minutes, Sam carefully rubbing gentle circles on Ollie’s back. Then, he kissed Ollie’s forehead again and cleared his throat.
“So, I have specific instructions from your mom.”
Ollie pulled back, his eyebrows raised in question. “Oh?”
“Yep. I...” Ollie’s hand drifted lower on his chest, and Sam was momentarily distracted. Ollie grinned, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
“You were saying?”
Sam shook his head. “I, um . . . Something about . . . Yeah, I don’t . . . remember.”
There was a flutter of something in his stomach as Ollie buried his head into Sam’s chest and laughed, his breath warm through Sam’s T-shirt. Sam laughed too, tightening his arms around Ollie. It felt good. Just like this whole trip had so far. Good and warm and wonderful. Like everything he’d always wanted.
After a moment, Ollie pulled back and looked up at Sam, his eyes still shining and his smile still bright. “So, really. What were you going to say? Something about ‘specific instructions’ from my mom?”
But Sam was still so distracted that it took him several seconds to process Ollie’s words. And even then, Ollie’s grin—joyful and expectant and warm—made it difficult to answer the question. He shook his head and laughed again.
“Um . . .”
Ollie’s fingers pressed into his chest and pushed him onto his back, and then Ollie propped himself up over Sam and lowered his lips to Sam’s neck. Warm, wet kisses trailed down his throat, and Ollie paused to suck lightly at a spot right at the base of his neck.
God, that... wasn’t helping his memory at all. But Sam wasn’t about to ask Ollie to stop. He groaned and slipped one hand down to Ollie’s waist as he pushed his head back into his pillow. A light huff of warm air against his skin was followed by another kiss, and, at the same time, Ollie’s hand smoothed down his chest, over his abdomen, and across to his hip, the pressure sure, firm. Ollie’s fingers seemed to flex against him, and a moan escaped his lips as Ollie began kissing his way back up Sam’s neck.
“Can I...?” Ollie’s quiet words, mumbled against Sam’s skin, were accompanied by an exploratory touch along the bare skin of his stomach, low and slow. “Is this okay?”
“God, yes,” Sam breathed, and he felt Ollie laugh lightly against his skin again. The caress of Ollie’s fingers on his stomach continued, and Sam held his breath as Ollie traced just along the waistband of his pajama pants. His skin seemed to burn, Ollie’s touch searing a path as he explored a bit higher, his palm now flat against Sam’s stomach.
Sam brought both of his hands up to cup Ollie’s cheeks and then tugged gently, drawing Ollie back up to him. And when their mouths met, slanting together, Ollie quickly deepened the kiss, running his tongue along Sam’s lower lip before exploring his mouth. Sam heard a whimper—maybe his own—and then felt Ollie smile into him.
“Mmm, you... like this?” Ollie pulled away, and this time, Sam knew the sound he heard was his own whimper. He tried to bring Ollie back to him for just one more kiss, but Ollie laughed and pressed his hand into Sam’s stomach gently as he sat up a little more.
The sensation of Ollie’s hand still on his bare skin, the touch warm and firm, sent a pulse through Sam, a wave of heat radiating outwards from his chest. He groaned again as he opened his eyes partway. Through the haze of pleasure surrounding him, he saw his boyfriend’s soft gaze and kind eyes. He let his thumbs brush against Ollie’s cheeks, and with a shuddering breath, he leaned in again until their foreheads touched. Perfect. Everything was perfect. Sam thought that maybe they could just stay here, like this, all day, or forever. And he’d be perfectly happy.
After a few moments, Sam felt Ollie’s breathing become steadier, and they both inhaled deeply.
“Sam, I . . .”
He opened his eyes again as Ollie pushed himself up a bit. And they both just lingered there, Sam letting his hands slip down to either side of Ollie’s neck while Ollie’s hand continued light caresses back and forth along Sam’s abdomen. He smiled gently, and Ollie shook his head, his cheeks turning an adorable shade of red.
“What is it, love?”
“You. It’s you. I mean, I...” Ollie ducked his head and let out a short breath. “This is... really... This feels so good. To, um, be like this, here, with you.”
Sam swallowed hard and nodded. “It does.”
