Yesterday, 12:24 AM
Title: Auntie's Touch
Scene 14
I nodded against her shoulder, too tired to speak. It was more than worth the wait. It was the most amazing thing in the world. We lay there in the quiet darkness of her bedroom, wrapped in the sheets and the scent of our bodies. I felt a deep, bone-weary sleepiness pulling at me. I could have stayed there forever, safe and warm in her arms.
After a long time, she shifted beneath me.
Jayashree: "Okay, little man," she whispered, her voice gentle. "You need to rest, but you can't stay here forever. Your mom will start to worry."
She carefully eased me off of her and sat up. My body felt heavy and clumsy as I followed her lead. She took my hand, and just like the first time, led me to the bathroom. This was her own bathroom, with her colorful towels and bottles of lotion on the counter.
The routine was familiar now. She turned on the warm water, wet a soft cloth, and gently cleaned me. I stood there passively, letting her take care of me. There was a comforting rhythm to it, a ritual that marked the end of our "lesson." She cleaned herself quickly, then we went back to the bedroom to get dressed.
As I pulled on my shorts, she knelt in front of me, taking both of my hands in hers. She looked at me with a serious expression.
Jayashree: "This is our special secret, Sunny," she said, her voice firm but quiet. "For our lessons to continue, no one can ever know. Not your mom, not your cousins, no one. Do you understand?"
Sunny: "I understand," I promised, my heart swelling with the importance of our secret. "I won't tell anyone. Ever."
Jayashree: "Good boy." She smiled, and the seriousness was gone, replaced by her usual warmth.
She walked me to her front door. Before opening it, she peered through the peephole to make sure no one was outside. She gave me one last, quick smile and a soft pat on the head.
"I'll see you tomorrow," she whispered.
Then she opened the door. I stepped out of the cool, quiet darkness of her house and back into the bright, hot afternoon. The familiar sounds of my family—cousins yelling, an auntie laughing—washed over me. I took a deep breath and walked back towards my house, the most wonderful and terrible secret in the world locked safely inside me.
Scene 14
I nodded against her shoulder, too tired to speak. It was more than worth the wait. It was the most amazing thing in the world. We lay there in the quiet darkness of her bedroom, wrapped in the sheets and the scent of our bodies. I felt a deep, bone-weary sleepiness pulling at me. I could have stayed there forever, safe and warm in her arms.
After a long time, she shifted beneath me.
Jayashree: "Okay, little man," she whispered, her voice gentle. "You need to rest, but you can't stay here forever. Your mom will start to worry."
She carefully eased me off of her and sat up. My body felt heavy and clumsy as I followed her lead. She took my hand, and just like the first time, led me to the bathroom. This was her own bathroom, with her colorful towels and bottles of lotion on the counter.
The routine was familiar now. She turned on the warm water, wet a soft cloth, and gently cleaned me. I stood there passively, letting her take care of me. There was a comforting rhythm to it, a ritual that marked the end of our "lesson." She cleaned herself quickly, then we went back to the bedroom to get dressed.
As I pulled on my shorts, she knelt in front of me, taking both of my hands in hers. She looked at me with a serious expression.
Jayashree: "This is our special secret, Sunny," she said, her voice firm but quiet. "For our lessons to continue, no one can ever know. Not your mom, not your cousins, no one. Do you understand?"
Sunny: "I understand," I promised, my heart swelling with the importance of our secret. "I won't tell anyone. Ever."
Jayashree: "Good boy." She smiled, and the seriousness was gone, replaced by her usual warmth.
She walked me to her front door. Before opening it, she peered through the peephole to make sure no one was outside. She gave me one last, quick smile and a soft pat on the head.
"I'll see you tomorrow," she whispered.
Then she opened the door. I stepped out of the cool, quiet darkness of her house and back into the bright, hot afternoon. The familiar sounds of my family—cousins yelling, an auntie laughing—washed over me. I took a deep breath and walked back towards my house, the most wonderful and terrible secret in the world locked safely inside me.