I'd known Erik for six years. We met at a mutual friend's birthday, ended up talking until the bar closed, and that was it. We'd been close ever since.
The breakup with Luka had hit him harder than he let on. I could tell because he stopped bringing it up. Erik didn't go quiet when things were fine.
I suggested the mountain house. His family had a place up there. The city wasn't helping. Too many places that would remind him of things. Too many people who would ask.
He said yes without thinking about it.
He drove. Four hours with the weather already turning, sky low and grey by the time we hit the mountain roads. He didn't talk much, but that was fine.
The house was cold when we unlocked it. Erik went straight to the heating panel, then upstairs to shower. When he came back down the heat hadn't caught up yet, he had his puffer on over his pyjama pants, a trapper hat, but bare feet. He dropped onto the sofa letting out a sigh.
I grabbed my things and went up to shower.
When I came back down he hadn't moved. Stretched out across the sofa, feet up on the far cushion. Outside the storm had settled into something steadier.
I sat at the other end. His feet came to rest against my leg.
I'd seen them plenty of times before. The beach last summer, sleepovers, lazy Sundays on someone's couch. They were my type. Long toes, high arch, smooth soles. I'd never said anything about it.
"Better. Good to be out of there."
We talked for a while. At some point Luka came up.
"I don't even know if I miss him. The idea of it. That's what I miss. What I thought it was going to be."
I didn't say anything. He shifted against the cushions and looked at the ceiling. His foot moved against my leg, just a slow press.
"Can I ask you something?"
"You've got a thing. With feet."
"I've noticed it. For a while. I wasn't going to say anything, but... I don't know. It seemed like a good night to ask."
I didn't answer right away.
"So what do you actually do with it?"
He looked back at the ceiling.
"It's just like any other thing. I don't get why people make it weird."
"I'm not shaming you. I'm curious."
"It's... I don't know. Smell them. Touch them. Kiss them."
"Okay. I've been told I have nice feet."
He put both feet in my lap.
"I don't want to make this weird."
"Wait, do you think they're ugly?"
He flexed his toes slowly, watching me.
I put my hands on his soles. They were soft, bigger than I expected up close. I started to rub them slowly.
I could see him watching me from the corner of my eye. He didn't say anything.
I worked my thumb along his arch. He let me. After a moment he raised his left foot and rested it against my jaw. Then dragged it slowly up across my face.
I kept rubbing his right foot.
He pressed his left foot against my nose. I breathed in.
He held it there for a second, then lowered it down, letting his big toe settle against my lips.
I opened my mouth and took it in. Started sucking on it slowly.
He exhaled through his nose. Still watching me.
He removed his toes from my mouth and pointed down at the floor. I got down off the sofa. Onto my knees at the end of it, facing him, his feet right in front of me.
I bent down and put my mouth on his sole.
I worked slowly. His arch, his heel, back up to his toes. Both feet. I took my time. He let me. I could hear the storm outside and nothing else.
At some point he put one hand behind his head. Completely still. Completely at ease.
I kissed along his sole and took his toes back in, one at a time. My hands wrapped around his foot and I stayed there, on the floor, at his feet.
"You know what? I could get used to this."
origamiaround
romaincrisis
baratheonpilled
kaledo-art
gummygunk
pixelskylines
ellievsbear
