A full 24 hours passed in silence between them. It gave her plenty of time to feel gitty, freak out, and keep thinking about people she could tell. Because it wasn't a secret. She could tell anyone she wanted to. That was a nice change.
She was talking to Mo on the phone, filling him in on her dating life.
"I don't know if it's an insult or a compliment when he says he was licking his lips for 20 minutes trying to figure out the flavor of my lip balm."
Mo retorted, "He was licking his lips for 20 minutes thinking of you Penny! Take the compliment!"
She pushed the envelope anyway and texted Nameless back "I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or an insult. I'd like to think it's an awesome olfactory siren call that reminds you of me...but the way you say it makes me think that you are kinda grossed out."
His response came 30 minutes later. "I was actually hoping I could make time soon just so I could do it again."
So, for the first time ever, they saw each other within 48 hours of the last date.
She went over to his house in comfy work out clothes to watch the movie late that night. She brought some rum and some coke, and because his directions to the house were confusing he said to text when she got there. He walked out to meet her and waiting until they were inside to give her a little side hug. She sort of expected a kiss but guessed he was "starting over" again. She realized it was the first hug they had ever had also.
He turned off his air conditioner and they settled in on the laptop to watch the movie, him not making a move to cuddle at all. Finally she told him he needed to turn the air back on, as she was so hot she was starting to sweat. He concurred, and also brought out a pair of in-ear headphones back, because now the air would be too loud and they wouldn't be able to hear the movie. "Of course, now we'll have to cuddle."
"Well played!" she retorted, her eyes smiling at him. She snuggled up to him, but he remained reserved, only gentle grazing his hand close to her shoulder.
They talked for awhile after the credits rolled, about his experiment finally going well this week and how her week was finally about to be settling down. She expressed how much she disliked customer service, but loved her job.
He finally, after 3 hours, bent down and kissed her. After a few he broke it off and said "You are just so far down there. You are so short!"
"I am, I am SO short" she laughed, straightened up, and kissed him again. They kissed for a long time, stopping to just snuggle into one another.
"I wish we could stay just like this, and I could sleep and kiss you whenever I wake up. But I guess I should be getting home." She said. "I mean, if you insist." Came his light hearted but sarcastic response.
She raised her head and looked into his eyes. "Is that an invite? I'll stay if you remember--"
"To be a gentleman? I remember. I've been good, haven't I?"
"You have. A little too good. You could be slightly less of a gentleman."
He stood up and took her by the hand into the bedroom. She quickly realized that it was never the passion, nor the kissing, that really stood up to a good hand hold. He was so tall, it felt nice to be taken care of in some way, even if it felt just a little like she was a girl being lead to bed by a parent. She was just so tired, it was around three in the morning.
His blackout curtains caused her to wrap her arm around him suddenly. Her flimsy curtains in her apartment had afforded her little darkness in the last year, and she exclaimed to him that it was the most dark she'd experienced in a long time. He ducked down and kissed her forehead.
He climbed on top of her and they made out for awhile before falling asleep. His hair smelled amazing, and every beautiful thing almost made up for the fact that his couch and his bed were so poorly constructed that her body was so very sore.
In the morning he convinced her to hit the snooze a few times, and she climbed back into bed, away from the frigid temperatures he kept his bedroom. "If we are snoozing again I need under the covers, I'm already in the second stage of hypothermia." He laughed lightly and let her snuggle up to his back.
"I'm glad you stayed. It was nice." He said, still with sleep in his voice.
He wasn't a morning person. He popped up when the alarm went off once again and said they'd slept too long and he needed to get ready. She got her stuff and he walked her to the door with a groggy disposition, but still kissed her on the cheek.
She grabbed his hand by the door and looked into his sleepy eyes. He understood and kissed her softly on the mouth before leaving.
"Maybe see you next week."
