Pair of slim and soft hands with thin fingers are making circles on my back, starting on my waist and slowly going up. I’m feeling nervous, but then my body gives up and starts to get relaxed. The cream is cold but her touch is warm, and my body perceives only warmth. The smell of the cream is fresh strong, but it blends well with the vanilla and cinnamon aroma.

It feels good, really good. It’s a really pleasant sensation.

I shiver when a soft breath blows on my neck and then something wet and warm makes me tickles behind my left ear…Over and over again, it’s like someone is me… me?

I open my eyes immediately and the first thing I see is a gray hairy face with black stripes and long whiskers. I can’t help but to receive with a broad smile to this adorable intruder that interrupted my dreams… or memories… I can hardly notice the difference now.

—And how did you get in here? — I say petting his ears and head moves funny from one side to another.

Dadoong walks in circles a couple of times and curls next to me in a place that was free near to my lap. He’s so cute! I put myself comfy and start to pet him as I watch him sleep. I remember it now perfectly. It is not a dream, it’s a memory; and it’s not from my very past but from yesterday night. Every touch; every sensation; everything. I never imagined the mere action of rubbing cream for muscular ache could be so intense.

When I asked Dara for the favor, it was because I couldn’t do it myself. If I ever knew it would trigger such reaction on me, I would have never asked her. I feel embarrassed when I remember how her hands felt on my back… Gosh, suddenly it feels so hot in here, is it because of the heater? Yeah, It cannot be caused by the memories of last night, that would be absurd…

—Ohh God, CL. You and your early frenzy. Cannot help it right?! — I scold to myself as I sink my face on the pillow, hiding a lithe cry that sometimes I try to shout. Dadoong wakes up liking at me, shaking his head; it feels like he’s telling me how crazy I look in these moments.

—You’re totally right Dadong, totally right.

—Wow, don’t tell me Dadoong talks with you now and you can actually understand what he says?!

That voice makes me jump out of the bed and almost turn my head like possessed trying to look where that voice is coming from.

—If I take him to one of those pet talent shows, do you think he would speak in front of everyone and I would become millionaire?

Dara comes in chuckling with a tray on her hands. She leaves it on the bead and now I realized it’s the breakfast. It has two slices of bread slightly burnt, she could not make it today neither. That makes me come back to reality.

—Yeah, if I’m the only one there.

I take my place on bead leaning my back against the wall, putting some pillows in the middle, and there is where if feel no pain on my back anymore. I’m about to tell Dara but seeing her sitting just in front of me, brings back to my mind all those images of last night and her hands on my back which makes me feel the heat mostly running through my cheeks.

—Are you ok? Your face suddenly turned red.

Oh great, that explains why my cheeks feel like two balls in fire. Dara is getting closer, and closer, our faces are less than an inch of matter. Her hand, that soft hand, is touching my forehead for a couple of seconds.

—Hmmm no, you have no fever.

She takes her hand away from my forehead and moves an inch away, she’s still pretty close and I can still smell that fragrance of cinnamon and vanilla. So, is it her? She’s the one that smells like this.

My thoughts are interrupted again by her hand touching my feels when she fixes a lock of my hair behind my ear. God, what is happening to me? I think my heart will burst any time if it keeps beating in such a fast rate, I’m pretty sure Dara can listen to it right now. Our eyes meet and we keep looking at each other for a couple of seconds that seemed to take like forever.

Those big brown eyes. They are similar to the ones I dreamed of last night. At a blink of my eyes now I see Dara away from me, actually is not that far but it’s a distance she makes me feel less weird things. I blink a couple of times more just to realize of the tray with my breakfast. I listen how Dara coughs lightly so I look at her now. There she is with her cheeks slightly red too.

—This heater is just too high, besides is not that cold today…

She’s like mumbling something at the same time she puts some mango marmalade on one of the toasted slices of bread. When she finishes and gives it to me I grab it instinctively, trying to recover my sanity.

—Thanks….

My voice is barely coming out. Dara might think I’m lost again or something like that. I don’t blame her even though it’s her fault… kinda.

—Does your back still hurt? Do you feel better or the same now?

Now I’m choking with my bread! Does she rea