Page 11 of Collin: Episodes 4-6
“Anything. Please.”
Mr. Reevesworth reached for Collin’s other foot. He repeated the process. As his fingers worked, Collin could feel the knots and the places of strain. How did I not know how much they hurt? He blinked hard and looked up at the ceiling. He was not going to cry from a foot massage. He was not.
“Come here.” Mr. Reevesworth pulled on Collin’s leg. Collin startled. Had he been about to fall asleep? Perhaps. Or maybe he’d slipped into a waking dream state. He moved, not sure where he was going. Mr. Reevesworth caught him around the waist and settled Collin between his legs, his back to his chest. “Let me see your hands.”
Collin held up his palms.
Mr. Reevesworth took Collin’s right hand in both of his. “If someone is very tense and you don’t have long to rejuvenate them or you’re in public, there are five parts of the body that you can work with: the hands, the feet, and the head.” He trailed his thumb over the back of Collin’s hand. “Don’t rub the underside of the wrist directly. There are veins and too many people have injuries there. Start in the soft, slightly bulgy areas, the mound here behind the thumb. Feel that?”
Collin nodded. He could feel where his muscle was thicker and the circular pressure of Mr. Reevesworth touch was welcome.
“Then you can follow that around the palm, into the base of all the digits and down into the palm itself.” Mr. Reevesworth demonstrated. “How do you feel now?”
“I can’t believe how good that feels. That’s just my hand.”
“Many traditions locate the end points of the channels of the body in the hands, feet, and head, meaning that you can change the experience of the body through initiating changes in these locations.” He turned Collin’s hand over, working around the front, back and side muscles and then down into the fingers, just like he had done with Collin’s feet.
Collin’s head slowly fell back against Mr. Reevesworth’s shoulder. “When did you learn all this?”
“A long time ago. My second teacher was a strong believer in understanding the nerves of the human body. Do you want to try?” He offered Collin his hand.
Collin blinked his eyes open and sat up a little straighter. Mr. Reevesworth’s groin was squished against his ass.
It felt…odd. And nice. He focused on the strong hand between his own. The nails were carefully filed and rounded. There were small scars on the skin, showing where training or work had left marks. These were hands that had seen things. He turned it over, looking into Mr. Reevesworth’s palm. Slowly, he pressed his thumb into the mound below Mr. Reevesworth’s thumb.
“Think of it as working your way down in layers. Light pressure until you feel where the knots or tension are, then more pressure as it is released.”
Collin followed the instructions. It was like a conversation between his hands and Mr. Reevesworth’s body. He had to sense where the obstructions were, where the tenderness was, remember where the slight abrasions marred his knuckles from where he’d struggled against the wall with Mr. Moreau as they vied for dominance. Collin fell into it. There were bones and tendons; an entire world to map under his fingers. He didn’t need his eyes, only his sense of touch and the way Mr. Reevesworth’s breathing slowed behind him, his body resting lower and lower in the tub. It was like washing dishes with your eyes closed and using your fingers to find the bumps of grime and slick of oil that needed cleaning. But this kind of searching out and finding with one’s fingers was better, instead of cold ceramic, there was muscle, both hard and soft, and bones, and lines, and pulsing veins and all of it was alive, a person, that was allowing touch.
He found Mr. Reevesworth’s other hand and worked that one as well.
A soft snore echoed in the bathroom. Collin twisted around.
Mr. Reevesworth was asleep, head tipped back on his towel of a pillow, lips slightly open.
Collin bit his lip. It wasn’t recommended to let people sleep in hot tubs, right? But he could let him rest for a little while at least.
He went back to finishing Mr. Reevesworth’s second hand.
“Sir?”
Mr. Reevesworth stirred and opened his eyes. “Yes?” He frowned and sat up. “I was asleep, wasn’t I?”
“Yes, sir. I think it’s been about twenty minutes. It’s best not to sleep in hot tubs.”
“True.” Mr. Reevesworth stretched his shoulders. “Let’s take this back to the bedroom.”
Collin stood. Water rolled down his legs. He shook them slightly and stepped out, reaching for the towels. Turning back, he opened one and held it up.
Mr. Reevesworth looked up, half frowning, as if he did not understand.
“Are you coming out, sir?”
“Yes. I—” He shook his head and stood.
Collin wrapped the towel around him, then reached for his own. Mr. Reevesworth was continuing to stare at him. Did I do something wrong?
Mr. Reevesworth dipped his head in a “come along” gesture. “Let’s take this to bed.”
