Page 12 of Daddy Bear Picnic

The knock came again, a little tap.

Answering it. Elijah stood in a robe, his chest hair in competition with his beard poking through. A big smile on his face. “I—”

“Do you want to come in?” I asked.

He nodded, following my lead into the bedroom.

“I came up because I was downstairs fixing myself a midnight snack,” he said in a whisper. “And I could hear you up here. Wondered if you were restless.”

I stared at him, unable to really process most of the words coming out of his mouth. I just wanted my lips to be on his lips, and yet, I didn’t even know if that’s something he also wanted. I needed a sign.

“You want a midnight snack? Maybe a hot chocolate to help you sleep?”

Nodding, I just wanted him to be in my room, and in my bed with me. I didn’t want it. I needed it. I needed him.

He turned and approached the door, closing it. “Or maybe you’d want to show off those drawings?” he asked in a whisper, yet it echoed like an ASMR tingle down my back. “And your stuffed animals.” He stepped closer as I was paralyzed by the foot of the bed to watch him. “I think I know what you are.”

“I—I—”

Elijah touched my chin, caressing it gently. “A little. Right?”

My obedient and slow head nod was more than enough for him. He smiled big. “How’d you—”

“I’ve encountered my share of littles,” he said. “And I’ve been a Daddy to a few of them. I know I really shouldn’t do this, but if you’re single, I would really love to spend more time with you and not use the excuse of helping you.”

It was the first time someone had been so forward with me in a while. I didn’t know how to respond. My body knew how, but my voice didn’t. We’d only just met, but I guess small towns moved fast when it came to new people.

“You don’t have to give me an answer right now,” he said. “And I’ll go make you that hot chocolate to hopefully settle you. We have a busy day tomorrow, and perhaps even more busy if you want to go out on a—date.”

“A Daddy bear picnic,” I let out, accidentally subbing Daddy in for teddy, a total accident, but it was totally his fault. He brought it out of me. “I—”

His hands, softer than they had been on my face rubbed at the evening stubble on my face. “First order of business is getting you tucked in bed,” he said. “Daddy’s ordering it.”

Was this all a dream? Was he really in my room demanding to tuck me into bed? I didn’t care. I obeyed the commands.

I climbed into bed and introduced Elijah—as Daddy to my teddy bears, and he tucked me in at the sides. He went away, made me a hot chocolate with whipped cream and sprinkles. He sat on the edge of the bed with his own hot drink in his hands. We must’ve spoke for about an hour, talking about what we liked the most about our respective dynamic positions. As a little I loved the care, attention, and my needs being second-guessed and met, while he liked to meet those needs.

Assured it was only a dream, I didn’t even find myself getting to the giddy part of being where was impossible because as soon as he was out of the room, I was out for the count. Again, if I wasn’t already sleeping.

The following morning, the half-drank cup of hot chocolate on my bedside table told me all I needed to know about last night. It had actually happened. The soft touches, the longing looks as we enjoyed each other’s presence without the nervous need to speak our opinions into the void. I was panicking now though.

Out of bed, I raced around the room to gather clothes and take a shower, needing something both hot, then cold, and hot again to wake me. In the shower, I searched for any additional reasons why last night could’ve been a dream, other than spending most of the day with him, and having an intense crush, but both of those could’ve been easily explained away. He had to have been there in my room last night. There was no other explanation for the mug of hot chocolate on my bedside table.

A knock came at the door while I was drying off. “One minute,” I called out, wrapping a towel around my waist and another around my shoulders. I answered the door to Elijah, smelling like sweet lemons. “Uh. Hi.”

“I just wanted to make sure you were awake,” he said, winking at me. “And to remind you that breakfast buffet style will be served soon, or I can make something just for you. If you want.”

It was real. All of it. He knew about me. And I knew about him. “Oh. Yeah, I’ll be down once I’m dressed.”

“Good boy,” he said in a quieter tone. “And don’t forget our other plans. A Daddy bear picnic, right? I’m thinking by the lake after a trip around town.”

I nodded, gulping hard that this was all real. “Yes, please. That sounds good.”

Once he left the doorway, I nearly screamed with excitement. Everything was looking up for me. It was the pure magic of this town that I remembered as a kid, all coming out again. I was in awe of the effect, and could only imagine whatwas going to happen to me now that I’d accepted the offer of a date.

In shorts and a t-shirt, I made my way down to breakfast where David and Reynard were both prodding sausages on their forks and seemingly fighting them with them.

“David, I don’t want your sausage,” Reynard blurted. “Oh, darling, we’ve got company.”

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