The room had the faint lingering scent of the cotton spray on the sheets and the curtains were drawn which casts a reddish light across the white and grey of the quilt. I went past him to click the bedside light on, then across the room to turn off the overhead light, which took away the electric harshness to a much softer and more muted glow. He lifted his head to shoot me another look of appeal, somewhat embarrassed if I read his mouth and the lines on his brow right, but he couldn¡¯t help it escaping past his lips. Even if it was quietly, as if in the hope I wouldn¡¯t notice he was arguing.
¡°Please? I won¡¯t again, I¡¯ve got it now, I promise. Really.¡±
¡±I believe you, honey.¡± I took a seat on the edge of the bed beside him, keeping my voice quiet. Gentle. I did believe him; that was very far from the issue. And this wasn¡¯t about being angry with him either, there wasn¡¯t one drop of exasperation in me.
¡°But I said a week and you know I meant it. You need to remember.¡±
¡±I willllll¡¡¡¡± he was trying valiantly not to whine and his head was down again, partly in denial that he was pleading.
¡°Come on,¡± I said softly.
He didn¡¯t move for a minute. Then with a wince and somewhat muted and wordless mutter that was also definitely a whine, he got up and his hands went to his hips. It took him an unnecessary minute of fumbling there, and I didn¡¯t interfere, letting him take his own time. I¡¯m not sure he found that at all helpful, in a way he might well have preferred me to grab him and make it easier for him by doing it myself. But eventually he slid his pyjama trousers down. They dropped around his legs, around the angles of his calves, and slowly, head still down, he took the last step to me and bent down across my lap.
I put my hands on him to guide him into position, settling him a little further over as always than he was actually comfortable being, the last inch that bent him acutely, lifting his toes from the floor. He wriggled a little, trying for a few seconds to negotiate a less vulnerable position, then gave way and lay quietly, his chin on his arms on the quilt. I rubbed his back once, gently, then put a hand on the tail of his pyjama shirt, pushing it up the hollow of his back to bare his bottom completely. Still a definite pink instead of its usual white, and I had no doubt either still sore. He cast one look back at me, eyes dark under his tumbled fringe with something between plaintive and reproachful protest, and apprehension as I rested one hand across both cheeks and the other across his waist.
¡°I AM sorryyyyyyyyyy¡¡¡¡±
¡±I know.¡±
I rubbed the cheeks under my hand, comforting, which I suppose rationally made no sense, but he¡¯s mine and I love him and however much he deserves it, it doesn¡¯t stop me sympathising with him. Then I took my eyes away from his and he turned back around, his back tensing, his legs shifting nervously against mine as they had every night this week.