Lust or Love?

I saw kind laughter in her eyes as she stared into mine. Her hands slowly rose up to her shoulders, gaining my immediate attention. A soft smile appeared on her lips, as she ever so slowly started to push down the top of her dress.

I felt a bead of sweat run down my brow. My eyes followed her hands, lazily moving over her shoulders, down towards her chest, reaching the top of her breasts.
The cloth continued it’s path downwards, seeming to push her hands rather than the other way around.

Her fingers trailed the soft curves of her breasts, momentarily leaving white lines in the skin. I felt my breath stop as the cloth strained and stretched, starting to slightly dig into the two wondrous gifts in front of me. Two dark circles appeared on the creamy skin, the garment’s path hampered as it got caught on two bumps in its downward path, refusing to reveal more.
Out of the corners of my eyes, I saw her tongue snake out. Enticingly it moved along her ruby, red lips. Soft hands gave a final tug on the infuriating cloth as she spoke…

“Happy Birthday!”
I awoke with a start as my parents burst through the door and shouted. The blankets around me seemed to come alive, binding me down as my limbs tried to free themselves. The grinning pair at the door just watched as the vicious blankets finally released my hands and head.

My mother came over and tousled my hair while giving me a kiss on the cheek.
“Mooom, stop treating me like a child.”
I sleepily tried to fend her off as I finally caught onto what was happening.
My birthday, it was finally my birthday!
The sun stung at my eyes through the open door, and my dad gave a soft chuckle from just inside.
“Yes dear, he is no longer a child. 18 years old, his first step into life as an adult.” His eyes gleamed with laughter as he looked me over.

If anything, my mother just hugged me closer, patting my hair in a vain attempt to make it look less like a birds nest. “For me he will always be my precious, cute little boy” At the end she was pinching my cheeks.
Letting go of my face, she grabbed the blankets which covered me, and yanked at them. “Well, up with you, breakfast is on the table.” At the last second, I clenched my hands around the blanket and held on for dear life.

My mother frowned at me as I held on, then her eyes drifted down. She gave off a soft yelp, and let go of the blanket. As she turned around I could barely hear her next words, “adult indeed.”
I looked down, and felt my cheeks flush as I saw the visible tent in the blankets around my private region. My dad just gave of another laugh as he also turned around to leave. “It’s a very natural thing, it’s nothing to be ashamed of” he said, closing the door.
Whether he spoke to me, or to my mother I am not sure, I was too busy burying my face in the blankets.

Waiting for my body to calm down, I sat listening to the noises outside. The blacksmith was awake and working, the sounds somehow carrying from the other side of the village. The creaking of the carts on the dirt road reminded me that today was market day. The farmers would be coming in and selling their produce, maybe I could ask my parents for some coins to buy a gift for Catherine.
That thought brought back the memory of my dream, and with it, my shame. My cheeks once again burning, I decided it was time to get dressed.

I carefully opened the door, staring out towards the kitchen area. My mom had her back towards me, slicing some bread. My dad was in the midst of drinking from a cup. I just saw his eyes above the cup, and I just knew he was hiding a smile as he started at me. I flinched, and was about to go back, when he lowered his cup and shouted towards me. “Theo! How nice of you to join us, come and sit down. Breakfast will get dry and moldy at the rate you are going.”
He kept smiling as I crept out of my room and towards the table.
“As I was saying to your mother, for MEN at your age, it is quite normal to wake up with…” his noble speech got cut off quite abruplty, as mom turned around and slapped the back of his head. “Stop that, are you trying to chase him out of the house? He is embarrassed enough as it is.” She had a slight red tinge to her cheeks, but seemed much more able to deal with the situation than me. If I could melt through the wooden bench, I would have done so by now. Didn’t stop me from wishing though.

She set down the sliced bread by the rest of the breakfast. My eyes widened, and I almost threw myself over the table as I noticed what was on it. My dad barely managed to move his cup out of the way as I channeled my inner glutton. “Cheese!”
“We must have really thrown him off his senses, it took him that long to notice,” he laughed. My mom just smiled, before tilting her head towards the door. Then she stood up and gathered another plate.

There was a soft tapping on the door, followed shortly by loud banging of knuckles on wood.
“Yes, yes, take it easy.” My mom was already halfway to the door, and managed to open it before whoever was on the other side punched a hole through it.
“What have I said about breaking my door Syl?” On the other side of the door, stood a thin girl, with short hair, arm raised, and an amused expression. “Sorry madam,” she said, giving a toothy grin. “I was making sure that Theo was awake. I see that was unnecessary.” She peeked past my mother. Looking at me with that familiar toothy grin, two of her front teeth sticking out between her lips.
“Well, I would invite you in for breakfast, but you seem to have been rolling through the fields on the way over.” My mom was quite strict about the cleanliness of her house.
Syl put on a shocked expression, then started brushing sticks and dust out of her short hair. She then moved on to the clothes, slapping her tunic with enough force to send billows of dust in all directions. He hands continued downwards to a patchy pair of pants. Once done, there were clumps of dirt on the doorstep, and a hazy cloud of dust hung in the air. “There, now I’m clean.” My mom just stared with a resigned look at the smiling girl. She sighed, opening the door further and allowing Syl to head inside. Mom started waving her arms towards the dust cloud, a desperate attempt to let as little of it as possible get inside, before slamming the door closed.

Syl almost ran towards the table, throwing herself next to me onto the bench. I gave her a beady stare, and closed my arms around my plate, hiding it from her sight. She raised an eyebrow and tried to peek at my plate. I let out a low growl at her, turning my glare up to double intensity. The toothy grin appeared again, as she threw herself towards my plate. “Cheese!”

——————————————

I stared forlornly at my plate, the few remaining crumbs which occupied it taunting me. To my right I heard a sudden belch, and looked up to see Syl. Slouched and with a pleased smile, she was slowly rubbing her stomach. “Ah, that was a good meal.”
Mom looked slightly amused. “So, Syl. How is your mother doing?”
Syl straightened slightly, and her smile broadened. “Oh, she’s doing well. She got to vent some anger today.” Mom raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue. “Well, it seems that one of the seamstresses had forgotten a pin in one of the men’s underwear.” I saw dad flinch slightly at the other end of the table, and even I felt sympathetic pain for the poor man who had gotten that particular piece of luck.
“That must have caused some ruckus indeed,” the twinkle of mirth in mom’s eye reminded me, even she was only human in the end.
Syl let out a snorting laugh as she continued: “I’ll say.