Page 13 of Cuddles for the Bear
A loud bang woke Wren from a beautiful dream, where he was warm, well-fed, and being protected by someone with strong arms. As he flailed his arms around, trying to get his bearings, his whole body shook with fear. He felt a movement on the mattress he realized he was on, and then the thuds of heavy feet running away from the bed, and presumably toward the door that was being knocked on again.
Opening his eyes in a half-squint, Wren noticed he was completely smothered in pillows. They were all colors and various designs. It was as if somebody had created a nest for him out of the pillows, while the mattress underneath his butt was soft and comfortable.
But still he froze, registering it was daylight, but his brain still hadn’t clicked into gear. What was with all the cushions and the comfort? Was this a trick? Was Michael playing another horrible game? He let out an audible sigh as he heard the deep tones of Bear’s voice coming from another room. “Wren’s asleep, you assholes! What are you doing here so early?”
“It’s not early,” Wren heard another voice say, “and we brought breakfast.”
“For goodness’ sake, they kicked us out of your hotel at ten o’clock this morning. Damn rude of them if you ask me.” Another voice, Wren thought he recognized.Python, he thought that was the name he’d heard the night before, although he wasn’t sure. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and sat up, listening intently.
“So yes, as we couldn’t laze around and enjoy ourselves in your hotel room, we packed up your gear, dropped off the rental car,and here we are. Ta-da! With breakfast, no less. Where’s your little warrior?”
“In the bedroom, although he’s not likely to be sleeping now, thanks to you two.”
In said bedroom, Wren gulped, glancing down at his clothes. They covered him, but he felt grubby. He looked around the room. It was a lovely space, all soft and comfortable, done in brown and gold tones that reminded him of what a bear’s fur might look like.
Over on a chair by the dresser, he spied the pile of clothes that was left by one of Bear’s friends the night before. Bear must have brought them in from the porch.He must have brought me too, he thought with a giggle, as he scrambled his way out of the cushions and his feet landed on the floor.I definitely don’t remember going to bed in here.
In fact he distinctly remembered being cuddled by Bear while they were on the porch. That must have been when he fell asleep. But now it was bright daylight. Wren grabbed hold of the pile of clothes and disappeared into the bathroom. Bear had been so considerate, leaving the door open so he could see where it was.
Closing the door, Wren debated about locking it, but then decided that might be disrespectful. It wasn’t his house, it was Bear’s. But he quickly did what he had to do in the toilet, and then glanced at the shower. Would Bear be cross if he had a quick clean-up? Wren couldn’t imagine it, and he wasn’t about to put on the nice clothes Flint had given him when he was grubby. It had been at least a week since Wren had showered.
Decision made, he quickly shucked off his clothes. There was a laundry hamper placed next to the shower area, and he put his clothes in there, noticing the other dirty clothes already in there.Perhaps I can help Bear by doing the laundry later.
The shower had one of those mixer units he remembered from Michael’s place. Wren got the water running, not even waiting for it to heat up before he ducked under the spray. Shaking with the cold this time, he scrubbed himself down, making sure he was clean before shutting off the water as soon as he could. Wren wouldn’t abuse Bear’s good nature by using all his hot water.
Stepping out, he looked at the towels hanging on the rail. One of them had clearly been used, and Wren decided to use that one again, rather than make the one next to it all wet and soggy. He dried himself off as thoroughly as he could, rubbing the towel all over his body in an effort to warm up, and then rubbing it through his curls.
Flint’s clothes were a little bit big for him, but not by much. Guessing from the clothes, it seemed that he and Flint were about the same height, but Wren was a lot skinnier. Wren could make do, especially seeing as Flint had provided a belt. There was no underwear, but the soft jeans felt nice on his skin, and Wren pulled on one of the big sweatshirts Flint had left for him. It would help keep him warm.
Wren looked down at his feet. He had no idea if there were shoes anywhere. He couldn’t even remember if he’d left Michael’s with his old sneakers on. Inhaling sharply, Wren decided he wasn’t going to worry about it. He was clean, and Bear was nearby.
Wren ventured out, making sure to leave the bathroom clean first. Tiptoeing through the bedroom, he hovered near the door frame, trying to hear what was going on. He could hear people talking in low voices. It seemed the company hadn’t left. Wren sniffed as the smell of bacon and something sweet came through the door.There might be more donuts.
He peeked around the doorframe. Bear was sitting at the kitchen table, and he had clearly been watching the door. He smiled ashe met Wren’s eyes. “Wren, come on out. I don’t think you were officially introduced to these two last night,” he said. “This is Python, who aided in our recovery, and his partner Cyrus.”
“We don’t bite,” Cyrus said with a smile. “I’ve heard a lot about you, so it’s lovely to meet you. Please, come and have a seat.”
Wren wasn’t used to sitting with people, but he trusted Bear. He still didn’t understand that, but he did. He wasn’t so sure about Python and Cyrus. Python looked like the type of person who thought everything was a joke, although Cyrus had a kind face. Python was bigger than Bear, and Cyrus seemed almost as tall, although they were sitting down, so Wren couldn’t be sure about that either.
Conscious of three sets of eyes on him, Wren crossed the room and sat down in the chair next to Bear, plucking at his sweatshirt. “I need to thank Flint for these clothes,” he said quietly. “It was very thoughtful of him to loan them to me.”
“We’ll take care of some more clothes for you later,” Bear said. “But you can tell him yourself when we meet up with my friends later. Python and Cyrus wanted to chat with you first. Do you like bacon? They bought some bacon buns from the bakery. Gwen is a whizz with bacon – it’s honey-cured so it’s sweet and savory all at the same time.”
“That sounds lovely.” Wren wasn’t sure what honey-cured meant, but the smell coming from the paper bag Bear put in front of him was lovely. “Should I get drinks for everyone? Coffee or a glass of water?”
Wren was really thirsty, but Bear got out of his seat.
“You sit there and eat,” Bear said. “I’ll get you water if that’s what you prefer, and coffee for the rest of us.”
Wren wasn’t sure that he felt comfortable about eating in front of people he didn’t know, but his stomach picked that moment to let out an embarrassingly loud gurgle. Python chuckled, and cheeks flaming, Wren picked up the bacon bun and bit into it, chewing as quickly as he could, still feeling the weight of the stares of the two men sitting across from him.
In the time that it took for him to finish two of the buns, Bear was back with coffee for himself and his friends, and a glass of water for Wren.
Scrunching up the paper bag, now it was empty, Wren took the glass, sipping from it, before holding it in both hands. “Thank you for giving me time to eat,” he said, not meeting anyone’s eyes. “What did you need to know?”
“Ooh, this one’s sharp,” Python said with a chuckle. “How do you know we haven’t just popped in to make sure that you’re all right after your horrific ordeal last night?”
Wren thought about it. “That could be possible, I suppose,” he said, “although you don’t know me, so I’m not quite sure why you would, but if that’s why you came, thank you. I’m a lot better than I was last night, thanks to you…all.” He wasn’t sure what Cyrus had done, but it seemed polite to include him.
