“I’ll be okay. My skin can tolerate the sun better than yours,” he says and pushes the pants into my hands. “Here. Let me help.”
He does an unspeakable thing and gets down on his knees in front of me.
“May I?” he asks, pointing to my leg.
Speechless, I nod.Bri, get it together. Words! Use words.
He picks up my foot and pulls one pant leg over it up to my knees and does the same to the other. His rough hands on me sends another shiver. I focus on everything else as Tai tugs the pants up my legs and secures them at the waist. He unchains my skirt’s waist and wads up the flimsy material in his hand. Suddenly my throat dries up, and I resist the urge to lick my dry lips.
The pants are way too big. He folds up the cuffs and rolls the waist a few times to get them to stay up. When he stands back up to look me over, I see a similar want in his eyes that matches mine.
“Are you sure?” I croak out. My voice betrays me, sounding far too eager.
“Totally sure.” The look is gone, replaced by his serious business-like tone.
He grabs a canteen off his saddle, takes a long drink, and hands it to me. I take a slow sip, not wanting to choke on the water.
I take a beat to get myself together. It’s fine. He’s just being nice. I’m being weird because it’s been a long time since…
“We should, um, get going,” I tell him. Before I can struggle up Daisy’s side to get back on, he grabs one of my legs and hefts me up into the air. I easily swing my leg over and settle into the saddle again. It feels weird to be wearing pants that Tai was in seconds ago. I purge from my mind the thoughts of what parts of him were touching the same fabric I am wearing now.
The path down into the canyon almost does me in. I contemplate if it would be less painful to toss myself over the ledge instead of the slow zigzagging path down. What’s a few broken bones compared to a slow descent? It’s the final stretch, but there’s not a single muscle left in my body to hold me up. I cling to the saddle for dear life, hoping I don’t slip off and get trampled under Daisy’s huge, flat feet.
The small shack covering the staircase down to the colony reminds me of the countless stairs standing between me and my bath.
“Fuck me,” I mutter.
“What?” Tai asks.
“Stairs. So. Many. Stairs.”
“You can do it, Sunshine. You’re a goddess, remember?” he says. “First one down gets the bed!”
I channel my brother's competitive spirit for this finalpush. There isn’t anything a sense of humor and healthy competition can’t fix.
“You’re on!” I swing my leg over and try to dismount, matching his movement. My body doesn’t cooperate, and I land with a face full of sand. Before I can peel myself up off the ground, Tai has me up and back on my feet.
He brushes the sand off my arms.
I step away, suddenly needing to put space between us. These feelings that I am struggling to suppress are not a good idea. I need to remind my libido. I clear my throat and hike up the oversized pants.
“Ready. Set. Go!” I shout and sprint toward the door, taking him off guard. It’s a dirty move, but I need the advantage of a head start. I get through the door before him and step into the narrow stairway leading down. The lower half of my body is numb, but by some force of will, I find the energy to run down the stairs. There isn’t enough room for him to pass, so I set the pace. With every step down, my legs regain feeling. Sharp pain shoots up from my feet with every stride.
Tai’s heavy footsteps close behind fuel me to go even faster. There are a few widened landings where he could pass me. There is no way I’m going to lose my bed, so I speed up and somehow manage to keep him behind me.
We’re almost to the bottom. By my count, there is only one landing left and I’m still in the lead. It comes into view and I give it my all. Tai’s pants are slipping down my hips, and my foot catches on the hem. I’m pitched through the air and land with a hard belly flop on the stone floor with a wheeze.
I look up to see Tai’s face next to mine. He’s crouched down watching me, his face a blank slate.
“You okay?” he asks.
I roll over onto my back and look straight up at him. A small smile creeps across his mouth.
“Don’t you dare laugh,” I say, holding back a sour smile myself. My pride hurts more than anything else.
“You’re a clumsy little thing, aren’t you, Sunshine?” he says as thesmile spreads across his whole face. “That bed is going to feel so good tonight!” he says over his shoulder as he continues down the stairs, leaving me on the floor.
I don’t move from my spot on the ground, staring up at the blank ceiling until a bell warns me of an approaching brethren. Footsteps quicken and the last face I would ever want to see comes into my field of vision. Boss.
