To live and love on Earth

Socially, equality is a lot harder to enforce than legally.

    For as long as he could remember, Ashley had always been an early riser.  Even if he had been up to all hours the night before, he couldn’t help but rise with the Sun.
    The naked Ashley sat up in the comfortable bed, he held the thick duvet high on his chest, an unusual habit since he was male and hence had nothing to cover up there.  Ashley brushed his long brown hair away from his eyes to free his vision and turned to observe the sleeping figure next to him.
    This was a familiar sight because even though Ashley woke at dawn every morning, his lover Sam most certainly did not.  He didn’t mind though, watching her sleep as he waited for her to join him in reality was one of Ashley’s favourite ways to spend a morning.
    Looking her up and down, Ashley noted the many differences other than their sleeping habits that existed between them.  There Ashley was, making sure he was covered even though no one could see him, while Sam slept beside him, the duvet only covering her lower half as she slept on her back, snoring comfortably.
    Ashley’s eyes roamed all over her pale velvet-like skin until they arrived up to her sleeping face and the short black hair above it.
    Sam was several inches taller than him and substantially heavier.  Their friends and family found it cute that it was Ashley who always sat in his girlfriend’s lap and it was Sam who would always have an arm around her boyfriend.  But as for everyone else, everyone who didn’t know them, Sam and Ashley had received more than a few questioning looks from them.
    Every time they walked down the street together, holding hands, they knew some eyes would linger on them longer than if they had just looked like a more ‘traditional’ couple.  If he had been a tall muscular specimen and her a tiny petit princess, but that was not the case.
    In the 21st century, there was supposed to be no discrimination on any basis and this was true, legally that is.  But socially, that was still far from being the case.  If someone was unusual in any way, if they broke the trend that was perceived to be the most ‘common’, then there would be comments.
    You aren’t free to love who you choose, at least without there being a price and this is not just in the dramatic cases.  Simply by picking a partner that society recognises as not the kind of person you should want; you will feel the effect.
    And it is this effect that can hurt just as much.  Words have the power to wound, for an emotional state has and will always be more substantial than the physical.
    Ashley cast these depressing thoughts from his mind and returned to his state of contentment.  He decided to think back to how him and Sam had met.  It wasn’t that great a story if he was honest, Sam was just a regular customer at the shop he worked at and the two had become friends quite rapidly.  It didn’t take more than a few interactions before they both realised they got on extremely well.
    After a few months of knowing each other, they were spending an evening at her home, as they so often did and Sam had suddenly looked at him in a way she had never done before.  Before Ashley could even decipher the meaning of her expression, Sam had already closed in.
    Ashley didn’t know what to think; he hadn’t seen this coming.  But as he let her softly kiss him, a rush of emotion engulfed him as he realised that this person who he loved to be around deeply cared for him.  It had been a wonderful feeling, much stronger than with anyone before.
    He wasn’t aware of how happy it could make him, to have his favourite person want him.
    Many months had passed since that night and Ashley was surprised to discover that nothing had changed, they were still close friends, even closer in terms of how much they shared.
    Ashley had never had this kind of lasting happiness before.  In the past, there had been brief flickers that quickly died but nothing of the enduring flame that burned now.  And still there were some of his friends who said things that he couldn’t understand.  He couldn’t understand what they couldn’t understand.  He couldn’t see why they thought him strange because he wasn’t with the tiny blond that they expected him to want.
    Ashley took in a comforting breath and lay back down next to Sam, watching her bare chest rise and fall as she slept.
    His mind couldn’t help but slip back to the night before.  The mere thought was enough to make Ashley’s body tingle with warmth.  He remembered her undressing him and the intoxicating feeling of her soft hands caressing his flesh followed by the embrace of her powerful yet comforting arms.
    Among the bliss of the night before, one incident had stood out more than most in his mind, causing him to smile as it found its way into his memory.

    Sam had been lying with an arm around her lover as he lay on her chest and suddenly whispered to him, “Do you know my favourite part of your body?”
    The easily embarrassed Ashley had blushed at this comment, he had always hated how little it took to make his cheeks redden, but Sam didn’t mind.  In fact, she kind of liked it and would often tease him to that state.
    “It’s here,” Sam had then said before lowering her neck and gently kissing his collarbone, forcing him to respond with a slightly feminine moan.

    Ashley looked down into Sam’s face once again, slightly envious of how cool and confident she was, being able to do things like that without embarrassment or hesitation.  How he wished he could reciprocate the similar feelings contained within.
    As Sam began to stir, Ashley grew excited and exhaled deeply, thinking to himself why should he be a slave to this unseen and purposeless force of shame?  With a sudden burst of daring, he snuggled under her arm without her pulling him in as usual and came to rest in the familiar area between her neck, shoulder and chest.
    Sam awoke to the sight of Ashley staring deeply into her eyes.  He wasn’t blinking or turning away out of embarrassment, although he was blushing, but only slightly.
    Unburdened by the reservations living among human society had driven into him during his life, Ashley took the initiative for the first time in their relationship and kissed her cheek lovingly before whispering, “In case you haven’t noticed already…I really love you.”