Not Quite Right

 She couldn't figure out why she felt so uneasy.  This should be exciting.

She wracked her brain for the reason why she didn't feel right.  Maybe it was that they hadn't been communicating much since April. Even though that was the most fun she's had with him, maybe it was just that it might not get better.  Or maybe it's because it was 10:45 at night and he hadn't texted her yet.

He'd gone out for drinks with his colleagues and some students and it had ran later than he thought it would.  He invited her to just come directly up to his room.  It made her feel cheap, but she had gotten all dressed up and then starred up at the ceiling for the last hour.  It should be worth something right?

His hotel didn't have a parking garage, so she walked from another garage at night.  He came down and peaked his head out of the elevator to let her up.  He let go too early and the elevator door crashed into her arm as she tried to enter.  "I should've stayed home." She said.  He insisted he tried to keep it open.

The room was big and had a great view of downtown.  "I can see my car from here!" She joked.  He poured her a whiskey that was so strong she had to close her eyes to drink.  They chatted on the chairs for a bit, and she went over to pour him a whisky.  She didn't want one for herself since it seemed his AC was broken and she was already a bit overheated.  He said it had been that way his whole trip but he didn't have time to go down and complain.  He liked it colder than she did, so she was a bit surprised.

She took the opportunity to show him the top she'd bought for the occasion that looked a bit like ropes.  It was something he'd mentioned previously, and he commented how bold she was to be wearing it just over a wrap and pants.  At some point she went over and laid down on the bed and he chastised her for going over to "his bed" "without permission."

After a bit of fooling around he got up and went over to his luggage and they both lost the rest of their clothes.  She was stretching on the bed with her back to him, and suddenly he was behind her.  It was forceful and unlike how it usually was between them.  It hurt, but he had her pinned to the bed in a way that she could barely speak.

About 3/4's of the way through, he jumped up and said "shit" and walked over to his luggage.  She asked what was wrong, and he said he had seen her with her ass up on the bed and just went over and forgot the condom.

Her heart felt like it took on an underwear quality, and she felt a lump in her throat.  She'd never had unprotected sex before, and she thought he was over at his luggage getting the condom and just trusted it.

As she snapped back to reality she realized he was fumbling with the condom so they could continue, and she asked what the point was.  He reacted poorly, and they went back and forth for a bit before she suddenly realized what was different.

"How drunk are you right now?" She asked him.

"I'm pretty drunk.  I probably shouldn't have had that last whisky."

He was drunk.  He forgot the condom.

And 3 weeks later when she got her STI test results back, negative, she wondered if she'd be able to forgive him.

Whisky on the Ropes

"How long has it been?" Nameless asked, interrupting himself mid-conversation.

"Since we've seen each other?  About a year." She replied.

"Damn." He took a sip of his whisky.

They were at his bar hotel, a better bar with better whisky for him.  It was the hotel where her ex worked, so she had decided to sit with her back facing the entrance and pretend to be a different person. 

They caught each other up on the past year.  She told him about how she'd moved in with a friend for a bit and was now at the cottage that she'd have to leave soon due to the no AC and the landlord who promised to install it and then reneged.  She told him about a potential job opportunity at the University she had applied for.  He was struggling with a career decision.  He could continue doing the work he was doing until it ran out, or he could move to DC and start lobbying for the work to be done.  He didn't want to move to DC but was having a hard time seeing much of an alternative.

She tried to order a drink that he made fun of.  She chided him and told him to just order for her, since she was so bad at it.  "You are, you are a terrible order-er.  Great drinker though."

They called it after her second round, his fourth.  He signed the receipt, thanking the government for the gracious per diem he got for the day.  He said "Let's get back to the room" as if she'd been to the room before, as if they'd come together.

They got a bit lost looking for the room, as it was in a tower that was tricky to get to.  They had to go up and then down several different elevators to get there, and they were both too buzzed to get there with any sort of urgency. 

Finally they reached the tiny room, used the bathroom as was their custom.  The kisses, as always, were wonderful.  After some clothes came off he shared "I have a surprise for you." 

"Oh?" She raised her eyebrow.

As it turned out, he listened more than she ever thought he would.  She had been engaged in a spicy text conversation with him a few months prior where he had said that she seemed like the type who would enjoy whipping someone, and she said she might but she had wanted to be tied up first.

He had brought rope.  Not just rope, but some of the softest rope she'd ever felt.  When he was done he told her she looked good all tied up.  It made her blush and he laughed at how easy she was to compliment.

The sex was pretty great, in fact it wore her out and energized her all at the same time.  He was worn out and took a shower as soon as the sex was over.  She gave him a hard time about it, saying that aftercare should be a thing, even if he wasn't into cuddling.  He didn't want to and put up a bit of a fight, but eventually laid on the bed and spooned her for a bit.  She turned around when he stated it had been more than 5 minutes he promised, and buried her face in his chest.  He let her stay there another 5 minutes before asking if she was going to stay the night.

"You're too cranky in the morning.  If you are going to leave me and move to DC I want to remember you like this." She said.

She got up to get dressed and go to the bathroom.  When she got out he was fast asleep.  She took a long look at him, wondering if this was the last time.

Then, just like last time, she went over to kiss him on the forehead, but not enough to wake him.  She hit the lights on the way out.

When she was settling into bed she got a text from him.

"I passed out while you were in the bathroom.  Sorry.  Did you make it home safe?"

"For a casual encounter once a year, he sure was nice about everything" she thought.

A few days later, she was offered the University gig.  It was the greatest week she'd had in awhile.

The Sweet First Night at the New Place

 The move had gone smoothly, but she felt pressure to get ready for Mercury's arrival.  Her new little cottage, though cute, was incredibly small.  She would spend the next few days into weeks trying to tetris her stuff into place.

It was incredibly bad luck that he happened to be in town the very day she had moved in, but at least she got to see him for a night.  She hadn't seen him in person since Christmas, but they had talked for hours every Sunday on the phone.  She'd talked to him through a small relationship he had, let him see that it wasn't right for him and then he had said he wanted to get together when he was in town.  She asked if he wanted to meet up with lots of people for drinks, but he said he'd only wanted to see her.

Interesting.

She was just putting on the last of her makeup when she heard him walk through the door and yelled out hello.  She gave him a big hug and he asked her if she was okay.  "This is a big hug." 

"I haven't seen you in 10 months, just let me be happy to see you."  They kissed, and it was like not a day had passed.  She let herself feel it, their tendency to cosplay as the perfect couple.  She sank into the safeness of the feeling, knowing he wouldn't shrink from her affections in public or ever make her feel bad about just being into him.

She said they had to leave before she didn't want to anymore.  They went to her favorite bar where her bartender greeted him warmly; "Well look who is back in town!"

They had a few drinks while catching up about the previous week.  He showed her adorable photos of his new nephew playing with a toy he'd purchased for him.  She got a bit more drunk than intended as she hadn't eaten at all yet that day.  When she told him that she hadn't eaten, he'd kissed her and passed his last cherry from his old fashioned to her.  Even though it was a cheap high school move, it made her smile like crazy.

As they made their way back to the car, she suggested they grab a late night slice from the NYC style pizza place.  They were about to close for the night, so they took the slices to go.  He laughed as she encouraged him to go faster as these slices tasted horrible after they got the least bit cold.

After pizza on the couch that was barely put together, they continued to kiss and flirt.  She pointed out to him that her welcome mat stated no shoes, so he took them off.  Then she told him that he couldn't see it, but on the other side it said no pants either.  Eventually they moved into the bedroom.  He asked for oral, something they hadn't done before.  Even though it had previously been her rule, she broke it for him and enjoyed it.  There was some regret after that it wasn't exactly safe with neither of them getting an sti test after their previous partners, but she decided it was a calculated risk.

Around 2am he said he had to go.  She negotiated 5 minutes of snuggling on the couch before he headed out.  She didn't ask him when they would see each other again, she assumed Christmas.  She also sort of assumed that by Christmas he would have found yet another girl that wasn't right for him.  Either way, she was content to just live in this moment and feel this happy for as long as she could. 

An Alternate Timeline in the Year 2000, Part 2

 James wrapped her into a big fluffy towel and showed her the spare bathroom where she could take a quick shower and hang up her wet shirt.  As she reached into her bag for fresh clothes, she realized she did not pack for this trip for this specific thing to be happening.  She suddenly wanted to feel sexy instead of cute, and took another look at her clothes to throw something together.

She decided on a black double slit maxi skirt that she rolled down a few inches, showing off her stomach, and a lacy 70's inspired tank top.  She reached for her underwear and then decided to leave them off, just to see if he noticed.  It would make the skirt smoother anyways.  She walked around the house and found him in the game room.

James noticed her upped sexy attire immediately and she blushed as he looked her up and down.  She really didn't dress like this normally but she felt it was appropriate after what had happened in the hot tub.  

He got up from the couch and crossed to her, giving her a deep kiss. She squealed as he picked her up, walked backwards, and sat down with her on his lap with her legs on either side of him.  She suddenly felt very exposed with only a fairly sheer fabric between her and his very thin shorts.  She wondered if he realized how little was between then when a twitch told her everything she needed to know.

His hands reached under the slits to her bare ass and he grabbed the small handful, causing her to hoist herself up on her knees closer to him.  He buried his face in her breasts, and pulled one hand out from under her skirt to unhook her bra.  She pushed him back slightly to pull her shirt and her bra off over her head.  

He let her settle back down on his lap, as it gave his mouth better access to her breasts.  She arched her back and started grinding against him, causing him to swell further beneath her.  His hands left her breasts to tug the front her her skirt forward so that it was just his shorts between them.  James lifted her again and felt how wet she already was for him.  She reached down, nudged him, and pulled off his shorts as he lifted up.  He grabbed the condom he'd set on the edge of the couch previously, and lowered her down onto him.

She was shocked at the sensation, how it felt so good right away and seemed to push her to the very edge.  He went slow, and built up until they both couldn't stand it any longer. They came and collapsed together on the couch, with his head resting on her stomach.

"That was not on my to-do list today, but wow." She said, out of breath. "I can't believe we finally did that."

"I can't believe you think we're done." James said smiling.

An Alternate Timeline in the Year 2000, Part 1

 It was spring break in her freshman year of college, so she hopped on a greyhound to visit her friend at USF, as she did with every time off of college she had.  Not so much to spend to with her friend, but because James lived not too far away.

James had been her first internet friend and crush since she was 15 years old.  He was older but she had never felt the difference.  The three of them went out to see Erin Brockovich, and she laughed when someone's cell phone went off and EVERYONE in the theatre yelled at them to turn it off.  Even the theater felt more grand than anything back where she was from.  Something about San Francisco really felt like home every time she went for a visit.

After the movie they waited at the Muni stop to take them back to James' car and the university, but it never came.  They walked up a hill to another stop and finally caught the last bus of the night.

By that time it was late, but the ride was bumpy enough to keep her awake.  She was suddenly very aware of James' body next to hers, and she casually put her hand between them, closer to him than to her.  The muni seats dipped in such a way that it wasn't long before her hand was against his thigh.  He kept his arms crossed, but inched a bit closer to her hand.  They exchanged a glance right before her friend announced their stop and bounced out of her seat.

"I'm going to walk James over to his car" she said to her friend, veering away before her friend could question it.  "Go on up and I'll call you when I'm heading back."

She and James took their time walking and talking the few blocks.  The conversation had been flowing nicely enough that he opened the car door for her to get in on the passenger side, and she slid in easily without interrupting the energy of the conversation.

He cracked the windows after a bit of time because the humidity was causing them to fog up and not be able to see the stars and the moon, the moon which he'd often told her they shared.  "It's the same moon Penny."

Eventually it got a little cold and he started up his car.  She moved to hug him goodbye and as they were pulling apart, they looked into each others eyes for a moment.  Before she realized she was doing it, she'd leaned in and kissed him.  To her relief, James was kissing her back with equal enthusiasm. They kissed until she was almost dizzy, then he suddenly said "Come back and stay with me.  Go get your stuff."  Her heart was suddenly in her throat as she realized the gravity of what he was asking her to do.

The next thing she remembered was pulling into his driveway, her packed bag in the backseat.  James took it out for her and tossed it into the spare bedroom.

"I know it's late, but do you want to go for a swim?" He asked.  "It's freezing!  And I didn't bring a suit." She replied.

"There's a hot tub, and I'm sure you brought something you could make due in." He winked at her.  She laughed, and went to see what she could throw together.  She had a sleeveless dark shirt that was long enough that it hit her at her upper thigh, and she figured she would just wear some underwear with it and it would be fine.

He was already waiting for her in the hot tub as she slid the sliding glass door closed behind her.  She held her shirt down as she got in and he chuckled at her and told her she was no fun.  She made sure she was sitting on the edge of the shirt before letting go.  They continued to chat across the hot tub from each other until he offered her a drink.  When bringing the drinks back, James sat right next to her with their thighs touching and offered a toast even though they were just drinking water.

Before she even knew what was happening, he had set his water down behind her and wrapped his arm around her, as well as put his other hand on her bare thigh under the water.  She put her head on his shoulder as she'd wanted to do on the bus and looked out at the view.  She got a bit too comfortable and felt herself nodding off.  He must have sensed it as well because he moved his hand closer to the inside of her thigh and up, moving the heavy wet fabric of her shirt. It sent a jolt through her body and her breath quickened.

"Hey," he said, breaking the silence, "Come here for a second." and tilted her head up to his face and kissed her softly, but intently.  Her entire body responded to the kiss, and she leaned into him with more intention.  He wasted no time into pulling her leg up into his lap and pinning it to his chest so she was twisted towards him.  The movement has caused her shirt to come free and was floating around her waist.  He reached down and started fingering outside of her underwear as they continued to passionately kiss.  Once she moaned from the feeling, he moved her underwear aside and started to finger her clit, taking her to the edge and finally pushing her over it.  She was a little worried that her screams had actually echoed all the way across the bay.

She was still shaking from her orgasm, and he pulled her into his lap facing him and held her underneath her shirt.  She felt like the skin to skin contact was the only thing keeping her from just floating away.

"Ready to go inside?" He asked, in such a way that she knew they were anything but done.

"Yes."

Click Here for Part 2

Sex Injuries

 It had been a whole pandemic since she had really talked to Nameless.  Every once in awhile she thought maybe he had been in an experiment that wiped his phone so she would reach out to him to catch up.  It was never more than a few exchanges and back to radio silence.

So she was surprised to see a text from him saying he was finally back in town for an experiment at the University and staying at a new hotel.  She flirted with him saying that she'd always wanted to see one of those rooms.

A few days later they were having dinner in the fancy restaurant at his hotel.  It was strange seeing him again after so long, but they quickly dropped right back into their usual back and forth.

Midway through dinner he said "You've changed.  You're sad.  What's going on?"

She joked with him that he just hadn't let her get a word in yet.  Then she said "One of the last times we saw each other was when I was moving in with that guy, KSL.  It was very emotionally abusive, and then the pandemic happened.  I've sort of been through it.  I'll be fine soon enough, I'm moving out.  But it's really been a lot and I haven't really been happy in awhile."

He asked about other relationships, and she told him that since him she'd only had one new sex partner.  He was shocked and told her she needed to get out more.  She laughed and she said "Maybe in-between pandemics I'll try."

They finished up dinner and headed to the hotel bar, which he found to be severely lacking in his favorite drink, whisky.  She smirked and told him to get into her car where she drove him to the new whisky bar.  He walked in and said immediately he was in trouble.  "Why did you bring me here, you are evil." She smiled, told him that she was driving so he could have all the fun he wanted.

He was about $150 into enjoying himself when he decided to strike up a conversation with the couple next to them.  After awhile she realized he was going to keep talking to the guy, so she struck up a conversation with his wife.  She was really enjoying the conversation when she saw he got up to go to the bathroom.  On his way back he passed her and smacked her ass.  Somehow she knew he was going to do that, and she smiled and said goodbye to the wife, as she obviously had to get him back to his hotel.

He was unsteady on his feet walking back to the car, so she looped her arm into his as they crossed the street.  He said he was worried that he'd gone too far drinking and "might not be much fun" once they got back to the hotel.  She said she had faith that even if they didn't end up doing normal things she was still down to spend the night.

He seemed to forget how drunk he was once they got to the room.  It wasn't long before the lights were out and their clothes were all over the room.  He seemed to worship her body in a way no one else had ever done, and she felt and enjoyed their connection while at the same time feeling nostalgia for it.  The way he touched her made her feel electric and desired, an emotion she wasn't ever going to get used to feeling.

It was sure to end at some point, but it had been almost 6 years since their first "date" and it had always felt like this, at least since their first sexual encounter.

After a bit of fooling around and trying some new things between them, he exclaimed he was a little too drunk to continue, but said he would most likely wake her up in the middle of the night and want to go again.

"Say no more" she stated.  He rolled over to go to sleep.  She felt funny sleeping completely naked, but all she was able to find in the dark was his shirt.  She slipped it over her head and fell asleep.

She was actually the one to wake up in the middle of the night and get a little anxious for more.  Snuggling up to his back, she started kissing his neck and biting his earlobes, something she knew for a fact drove him crazy.  He was instantly awake and he was excited he almost forgot the condom.  They were going for it for a second time in a row when he suddenly cried out and rolled off of her.  He exclaimed that he'd blown out his knee.  She asked if there was anything she could do, and she got him some painkillers from his bag and talked him through the pain.  

Once he was okay she laughed a bit.  "You got a sex injury.  Good for you buddy!"

They fell back asleep until her alarm went off to get back home for work.  She got dressed and used the bathroom as quietly as she could, then roused him a tiny bit, careful not to fully wake him up, to say goodbye.

"I'm heading out.  Bye." She dropped a kiss on the top of his head, the only thing really visible from under the covers, and headed out.

A Christmas Treat

 She assumed they would stop talking, drift off and it would just be a beautiful weekend she once shared with him.  He had been very clear about there being enough differences that a relationship would never work out between them.  She had made her own list of reasons, and frequently looked at it after they spoke on the phone, which they did, frequently.  They got along so well despite their age gap and...other issues.

She decided to ask him if he would come up a day early, before Christmas, to spend some time with her.  Since she didn't want an awkward repeat of her room, she'd get a hotel room for them.  He agreed.

The day before Christmas Eve there was a snowstorm.  She'd decided she would keep the room regardless, even if she ended up spending the night alone.  It would be a nice break from her living situation.

As it turned out, it only delayed him a bit.  She knew this might be the last time it ever happened, so she squeezed herself into the one dress that still fit her, grabbed some edibles, whiskey, and a bath bomb and readied the room.  She realized a little too late that he wouldn't be able to get up to the room, so she put on a face mask and went down to the lobby to meet him.

Masks prevented a proper greeting until they got up to the room, where she kissed him right at the doorway.  It was like no time had passed.

He put down his stuff and handed her a box with a red bow.  "I might have overdone it." he said sheepishly.  This was the Christmas gift he was giving her.  She told him she didn't want him to give her anything, but he insisted.  She was a little afraid to open it with the warning he'd given her.  "It isn't something super kinky is it?" she asked.  He laughed and just told her to open it.

It was a very soft stuffed bear.  He had no way of knowing her fondness for Theodore Roosevelt and therefore teddy bears in general, yet here this adorable bear was, with a red bow.  He gestured for her to hold it closer to her face, and she realized that he had just about drowned it in his cologne. "To remember me by." She laughed "you aren't DYING." 

She held it close to her and said "I understand where you were coming from.  It's very sweet.  It's too much.  Don't do this again for someone you aren't serious about and you'll be fine."

They decided to leave for dinner right away, or they'd get stuck in the room with each other being carnal. 

The meal was lovely, the conversation never dragged or stopped.  She offered to drive them to a bar for after dinner drinks, but with the temperatures getting down to freezing they decided to retire back to the room.

There they broke out the whisky and edibles she brought.  She lit the candle, he filled the tub in the room.  He threw in the bath bomb, and she watched him undress and get into the tub.  Eventually he convinced her to join him, and they kept talking as the conversation grew more simple as the whisky and edibles worked their way into their blood stream.

After fooling around in the tub proved to be a bit too much, they dried off and moved to the king sized bed.  It was the largest bed they'd ever shared, and they had sex all over it.  The memory of it was hazy, but parts stuck out in exquisite detail.  She could recall the taste of his lips and how they tasted like an amazing lollipop.  The edibles got her too into her head and she couldn't get into the sex, but enjoyed it anyway.  She remembered them laying there and him telling her that her fingers were really soft.  A tiny but beautiful compliment.

He got the munchies so they went downstairs for a quick bite, then went back upstairs for more edibles and booze.  Of course, more sex as well.  She had told him to buy 3 condoms as she intended to use them all.

She got loopy and knew she wasn't making sense, but also knew that he didn't mind.  She told him about her tattoo idea, and told him she wanted to have it on the side of her thigh.  He was also high but so excited about the idea, and put his hand on her thigh, exactly where she wanted it, and said "You have to get this tattoo."

They fell asleep, woke up, had sex, went back to sleep.  In the morning they walked to the parking garage together and shared one last kiss before parting ways.

"Merry Christmas"

The Weekend Affair, Sunday

A small bit of light was coming into the room.  Morning, almost.  Her last day.  Not even a full day, since she'd said she would be leaving around 3pm.

She felt him stir and reached out to him.  He responded in kind, and before she knew what was happening he'd brought her to an orgasm so great that without meaning to, she fell asleep on his chest.  He had said that he wasn't one to cuddle and sleep, so much later she awoke with a start and apologized. He said it was fine, he had fallen asleep too.  He smiled at her, and her heart both sank and soared.  She's gone too far.  She'd become attached, affected by his mere smile.  It was time to take a big step back.

They got ready and headed out to have breakfast.  It was a sweet little cafe on a hill, and they had a bit of a wait before they got it, but it seemed to pass quickly as they still had not run out of things to talk about.

After breakfast they drove around a bit, walked through a Harry and David and talked about the upcoming holidays and how everyone expected a basket from there usually.  He hadn't started his Christmas shopping yet, but asked if she also wanted a basket.  She smiled a bit thinking of him getting her a present for the holiday, but immediately reigned in her feelings.  "You do not need to do that."

Again, as she shopped and talked herself out of purchases like she'd done at the shop the day before.  She felt him being slightly amused at her, and she allowed herself to enjoy it.

They made their way over afterwards to a winery he'd picked out.  It was rustic and cute, but the conversation had halted somewhat.  They ended up assigning each glass in their wine flight to a male character from My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.  They'd settled into an ease.  For her, at least, it felt like there was a finality to it.

They went back to his house and she gathered the rest of her things as he stayed out in the living room talking to his roommate.  She felt a little cold, as if he had already written her off and no longer wanted contact with her.  She thought about asking for one more round but her pride caused her to stop and just get her stuff out to her car.

He insisted on taking her bag out for her, and she mentioned that she might see him at Christmas.  He said "yes, if I can make time." Her heart twisted as she assumed the brush off.  This was it.

He walked her out, and they shared a good by kiss.  She had to force herself to pull back, told him goodbye, and got into her car.

She managed to make it out of the valley and onto the main freeway before tears started down her cheeks.

The Weekend Affair, Saturday

She was very happy to learn that Mercury was ready to go after some recovery time.  They woke up and had sex again.  While basking in some afterglow, she said they should lean in for the weekend, since it would most likely not be happening again.  Just sort of pretend this was a weekend long relationship. 

He made her breakfast, they each had a shower, then they left for walking around downtown.  He parked and they wandered around, grabbing coffee, and looked through record shops, and various other shops.  He seemed to be amused by the fact that she talked herself out of every purchase.  It  got progressively more rainy and cold, and a shop they ducked into had a hoodie that declared "I'm cold" with a mountain range.  He told her that the hoodie color, a slightly muted gem tone green, would go beautifully with her eyes.  She bought it immediately, giddy. 

They walked down to where their Shakespeare festival took place.  It was shuttered and on break, there would be no shows that weekend. He walked her around the vacant buildings, telling her where everything took place, shows he'd seen in previous seasons.  He mentioned that he was planning on buying them tickets to a show, but alas nothing was playing anywhere in town.  She stated at some point she would love to see one, as the place looked like it would be quite festive right before a show.

They stepped into the gift shop where everything was on sale because they were moving locations soon.  He was amused as she walked around, talking herself out of every purchase because she was excited about everything.  Eventually she went to the register with a magnet for herself, and gifts for everyone else.

"You know, we should have a rendezvous." He said.  "Meet back here at the beginning of October next year.  Look at the fall colors, take in a few shows.  Go to the wineries.  Stay at one of the cozy bed and breakfasts down the road." She said that she doubted he would be single and willing by this time next year, but she would be willing to consider it.  The thought was quite romantic, like Before Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight.  He thought the idea reminded him more of One Day.

They moved the car and walked through the park a bit more, down to the new restaurant at the edge of the park.  They split a giant soft pretzel and enjoyed some cocktails while continuing their epic conversation.  They spent what felt like hours there, swapping stories and just "catching vibes."

Eventually they walked back through the park to the car. He tolerated her taking photos of  leaves and moss.  Then he drove around the neighborhood surrounding the park, checking out the multi-million dollar houses and deer just walking around the lawns.

They ended up back downtown, as his favorite bar had finally opened for business for the night.  They walked past a fountain of bubbly water.  He'd been talking about this all day, how it came from a natural spring and was considered a "delicacy" to the town.  He insisted people loved it and would go by and drink it all the time.

What he neglected to tell her was that there was a lot of sulfur in it.  He delighted in her nose crinkling and laughed when she tried to be nice and say that it was interesting.  It was apparently a trick that locals liked to play on people who hadn't been there before.  He took her hand and led her to his favorite bar for something that would wash the taste out.

The drinks were strong, and they became quite buzzed as they talked and flirted.  He became more loose and happy, and finally agreed to share his quiz results with her.  She gave him props for "finally letting them have fun" together.  What he wanted was something outside of her experience, but she was willing to try. After daring him to fool around with her in the bathroom, which he declined, they headed back to his place.

His roommates were having a bonfire in the backyard, so they sat and drank whisky, talked theatre experiences as the ash fell around them.  She thought they would stay out there for awhile, but he suddenly grabbed her hand and said they were turning in for the night.

The sex was fantastic, switching back and forth for dominance. It was absolutely the best sex they had so far because he seemed so into it.

Even though he wasn't really into snuggling, he opened the window and then invited her into his arms.  She fell asleep unintentionally, and he did as well.  It felt so warm, welcoming, and comfortable that as soon as she woke up, she kicked herself for really falling for him.

The Weekend Affair, Friday Night

She had spent the entire 5 1/2 hour car ride talking herself into having a good time during this trip and not thinking about the fact that she had put on so much weight during the pandemic and it was impossible that he found her attractive.

No, no.  He'd invited her up here for the weekend.  He'd sent her a letter in the mail.  Well, it hadn't exactly gotten to her yet, but he assured her that he had put it in the mail, but it was lost.  It would hilariously show up returned to sender just days after she left.

She had convinced herself to not doom this.  To just live in the moment, not think about the future or what could be past this weekend.  She was determined.  Now to work on the nerves.

It was raining lightly when she parked by his house.  He came out to meet her and they hugged for a long time in the rain.  He looked like he wanted to kiss her but hesitated.  She wasn't bold enough to kiss him, so he grabbed her suitcase and they headed inside.  None of his roommates were around, so they sat for a moment on the couch and talked before heading out to dinner.

He drove her around downtown as the soft rain continued to fall, showing her the small town sights.  Eventually they parked at the restaurant and he made the decision to sit outside.  It was still raining a little bit so they avoided the wet spots and sat at the picnic table looking at the menu on their phones.

She chose a truffle sea-salt chicken breast and a blood orange margarita.  It tasted amazing, it was warm enough under the heat lamp, and they continued to talk.  It was a great conversation, and the rain had dissipated a bit by the time dinner was over, so they took a walk around.

They came across a bar his roommate had told him had a downstairs that was pretty quiet.  They headed inside and down the stairs to find another crowded bar.  Due to the pandemic it made her a little nervous, but they ordered drinks and sat down.  He apologized for the crowd, and she said it's fine, it was intimate, like the Great Gatsby quote.  He looked at her strangely and she said "I like large parties.  They're so intimate.  At small parties there isn't any privacy."  He smiled and her and said that quoting an actual book was pretty attractive.  She blushed a tiny bit.

After a couple of drinks, they decided to go back to his place after another short walk around the area.  It had finally stopped raining, but the air was still crisp and heavy.  It felt like a warm blanket as they walked along arm in arm.

He opened the car door for her and kissed her.  She melted a bit, a little more confident in what was to come for the weekend.

The roommates were home when they got there.  She was introduced to them and they talked for a bit, then he poured them some whiskey to take back to his room.  His roommates were both very nice to her, and were exactly what he had described.

Back in his room, he put on some great music, and they had sex twice before going to sleep.

Situational Candoodling Part Two

After the bar closed they spent an hour talking with the owner and mixologist of the bar, telling all the great stories and having a good time.

Finally they were kicked out and walked around a bit looking for another bar but finding them all closed.  He expressed very much wanting to go back to her place but she was nervous.  Not only had it been a little too long of a time since she'd had sex, but she also had never had what she assumed would be a one night stand.

Eventually they did head back to the apartment, had a drink, and were making out on the couch when KSL came back home.  He made a weak excuse of offering Mercury the couch to sleep on if he wanted to, then retiring to his room.

"Obviously I don't want to lead you on, we are in different locations and although I really like you, I can't really promise this will go anywhere past this night." Mercury said to her, with as much reverence as she'd ever heard when discussing such matters.  She told him she completely understood, and even though she really liked him, there were no expectations on her end except that she wanted to be his friend.

After a few minutes, they went into her room and had some quick sex.  Then they kept talking, until there were only two hours left before he needed to head back and have a full day before going back.  She told him he needed to try to sleep, but he never fell asleep.  She didn't either.

He expressed joy in the fact that he'd finally was able to sleep with a member of his hometown theatre community.  They both had a good laugh about that.  She walked him back to his car and kissed him goodbye.

Three weeks later she found her upstate visiting him for the weekend at his invitation.

Situational Canoodling Part One

Mercury had come to one of The Roommates movie nights back in August.  He and KSL were old friends and Mercury just gone through a breakup.  He had "escaped" back home to get perspective, and seemed like such a sweet guy that she did her best to cheer him up throughout the evening.

Even though they'd just met that night, he seemed different.  She could feel him paying attention even when she was talking to other people.  She could tell he was taking notes in his head, trying to figure her out.  She dismissed it.  He was going through a breakup and needed a weirdo like her to concentrate on, most likely.

At the end of the evening they exchanged social media, and he went back home, which was north about 5 hours. After some time Mercury gave her his number and they texted for awhile, but it seemed to run it's course.

Then he posted that he would be back in town.  Her heart did a flip and then she checked herself.  He was just coming into town, it had nothing to do with her.  But they texted each other at the same time about getting together for a drink on the Friday night that he was in town.

There was a miscommunication and she assumed he had wanted it to be a group hang, so she scrambled to find other people to join them.  Ultimately she was unsuccessful, save for KSL who joined them for a drink before heading to another social gathering.

Once they were alone, she felt the energy change.  He had "turned up" and her empathetic self turned up as well.  She hadn't had fun in so long, or a good conversation in so long, and it was electric.  She was actually happy.  She forgot what it was like, to laugh and enjoy a moment in time.  She allowed herself to get lost in it.

Getting lost in it led to more drinks, dragging out the evening.  The conversation got more flirty, and didn't stop.  Just before midnight, he kissed her.  It was sweet, and soft.  And completely unexpected.

Later, he would tell her that he came in with a plan.  They were going to go for drinks, flirt, walk around downtown, he would make the first move, and it would end at sex at her place.  She admired that he had been a man with a plan, even if it hadn't gone exactly that way.  First of all, he ended up making the first move at the bar.

This was done, he explained, because she had been flirting physically.  How exactly, she asked.  Her body pointed towards him, open, she had a comfort and ease touching and hugging, and had exaggerated gestures while making contact with him.

Meanwhile, she'd just been happy living in the moment.  Who knew that her happiness translated into flirting?  A power she would have to work on harnessing at a later date.

Holiday Trysting

Scheduling had been a real bitch between her and Nameless.  They ended up going almost two months without seeing each other due to his schedule always coinciding with her period.

Finally they were able to make a date work.  Well, an evening.  In order to make it work he was driving up late one night, and had an 8am meeting the next morning.  He got them a hotel room, and texted that he could be later than usual, around 10:30 at night.

She ended up downtown waiting for him at Goldie's place watching the dog with SD.  They turned on White Christmas, made hot beverages, and talked about making "Sisters" their newest karaoke duet that they'd never perform together.

Finally Nameless texted that he had arrived.  She said goodbye to a very sleepy SD and got into Nameless' incredibly tall truck.  She struggled to get into it as he laughed at her.

She could tell he was tired though.  He had just drove 2 hours after working a full day and right before that he had just flown in from across two time zones.  Regardless, they checked into the hotel and went to grab a drink from the nearest non-smoking bar.  After catching up and buying each other 1 round each, they decided it was time to head up to the room.  It was strange how they always needed a period of adjustment to get used to each other, to remember they were attracted to each other and not just strangers.

They had also been sexting a lot lately, and she was a bit concerned how much of it he actually wanted to put into practice and how much was just talk.  She was a little bit nervous.  He actually made a joke if she brought anything to get tied up with, and she did say she brought her scarf just in case.  He laughed and said he was just kidding, and she wondered what else he was kidding about.

Maybe she had just waited too long for him to arrive, but even two drinks later she wasn't feeling it at all.  Her spirits lifted a little when he finally reached out to her and kissed her.  She was more comfortable in a one on one space with him anyway.  She had to wonder if that was a KSL holdover, trying to pretend like they weren't anything when they were in public together.  Mel was the only one who was prone to PDA out of the fauxlationships she'd had the past few years.

It wasn't long before they were both kissing and tearing clothes off.  She was suddenly acutely aware that he was always on ripping her pants off, but didn't bother with anything else most of the time.  She took it upon herself to get her top and bra off, and he didn't say anything one way or the other about it.  He was actually very attentive, and for a few quick moments she thought he had maybe forgotten about his no oral rule, but he would always end up moving away as she was getting excited for anything to happen.

As per their discussions, she 'begged' him not to stop, thereby causing him to get too tired to finish in the middle.  Stating he just needed a small break, she teased him saying it was his fault for asking her to tell him not to stop.  "Well, I hope you got yours already" He said, causing her to near-snort with laughter.  He was a man of science, surely he didn't think she was just spontaneously orgasming.  It must have been the rock n roll past where girls would just lie to him without reason.

As he rested a moment her mind wandered to how KSL always said that he would make sure the girls would get theirs before he got his.  She shook her head violently as she realized what she was doing.  Why was she in the middle of a sexcapade thinking about him?  Thinking about how well he would be treating her at that moment?

Soon they were back again for round two, and it was just as great as it had always been.  Until he suddenly stopped, and stated that the condom had fallen off for a second.  When they tried a different position he joked it had been "easier when the condom fell off" and she suddenly didn't really feel safe anymore.

It was late when all was said and done and he went quickly to sleep.  She found it hard to drift off, her thoughts going back again to people who treated her a bit better.  There weren't many.

She'd waited months for this encounter, only to feel more alone than before.

Sweet Surrender Part 2

"Usually I get an upgrade with the government money, but no go on this one.  Just your basic room."  He said as they entered, then excused himself to the bathroom.  She took her shoes off and put down her purse.  She picked up her skirt to check the view out the window when he came out and commented she was sure making herself at home taking off her shoes already.

She smirked at his ribbing and took her own trip to the bathroom.  When she got out he had shoes off and was collapsing into the uncomfortable sofa.  He held out his arm, almost unconsciously for her to join him.

Her shoulder tucked under his arm perfectly, and he kissed the top of her head as she settled in.   He brushed her hair aside and gently stroked her bare neck.  She moaned softly and snuggled deeper into him.  "You always smell so good.  It's your beard."  He replied that it was his beard oil, sandalwood.  She sighed and expressed again that it was a bummer that he wasn't coming back.  After awhile he complained about the couch and she suggested they just move over to the bed.

They put the pillows at the other end of the bed and turned on the TV, complaining about how weird it was to be watching regular TV.  She sat up and rubbed his back and neck as they watched an old episode of a show.  They were only a few minutes in when he pulled her into a spooning position, no longer looking at the TV.  He started kissing her neck, and asking her if it was okay.

"Mmmhmm.  I thought you were too tired for this."  She said, reaching back to caress the back of his head.  "What can I say, your body woke me up.  You like this?" He asked, his hands roaming down her leg and around to her rear.

He made a surprised sound when he realized that under her long skirt she was not wearing any underwear.  In fact the only thing she'd left on was her bandelettes that were lacy on the outside and he deemed "extremely sexy."

She was shocked as he reached down and started rubbing her clit.  He'd made it pretty clear that oral wasn't something he was willing to do, so she sort of assumed from the time before that this was also off the table.  She was almost touched that he was stepping outside his comfort zone for her.  She rocked with his motions and let the physical tension build.

He finally spun her around and they had sex for hours, almost falling off the bed a couple of different times.  His stamina was incredibly impressive, and they both cried out several times that they didn't want it to stop, ever.

Eventually, of course, it had to. They laid in each other's arms for awhile, kissing and allowing their breathing to slow to a normal pace together.

He said he wanted to see her at least once again during that trip.  They tried, but it never ended up working out.  She said she would try and find a good time to drive down and visit him, but she couldn't really gauge if he thought that was a good idea or not.  She decided she'd wait a month and text to to see where he was at.  She'd gone and gotten herself a little attached, but not as badly as she had in the past.

It was a great middle ground.

Sex In A Different Bed

She and Nameless decided to go to the bar at the base of her old building, since it was so close to where he was staying.  She assumed incorrectly that they had a good beer menu, and he decided to order a cocktail when he realized she'd been wrong.

After arguing about Marvel movies, who was the best Batman, Why a movie was a best Batman, the differences between "masculine" and "feminine" and him bullshitting with the bartender, he asked her if she wanted another drink.  She declined, again stating that at some point she was going to need to drive home.  He was again disappointed that she wasn't staying, and she told him with all the last minute she didn't have time to prepare.

He had one last beverage, she enjoyed her water, and then they walked back to the hotel.  The evening had been so wonderfully nice; good food, good conversation, great drinks. He listened to her, respected her opinions, but was able to debate and throw down when need be.  Even though their hang out sessions had been rare, they had finally maintained an ease.  She leaned into his towering 6' 2" frame as they got into the elevator, and he maintained the closeness.  She wasn't used to someone not pulling away, emotionally or physically.

She checked out the view, which was just her old view but closer to the ground.  They were suddenly kissing, the act was so fluid she didn't even remember it starting.  It felt so familiar and warm, as if they had been doing this all along.

Emotionally and physically they both knew where the other one stood.  He would only be in town occasionally, the worry of any sort of relationship was alleviated by the fact that he no longer lived in town.  It was the perfect casual encounter.  He was attentive both before, during, and after.  It was exciting, wonderful, and she felt like her heart was also in a safe place. 

When she said she should be heading home, he again chided her for not packing a bag, then walked her out to the corner where her car was parked.  He gave her a quick kiss goodbye, and she road the high for a long while.  They tried to meet up again the same week but the schedule didn't work out, so she said to just let her know a week beforehand in the future so she could clear her schedule.

Then the radio silence started up again, but she didn't mind at all.

Shall We Move On?

"Next week I'm at the downtown hotel...right next to your old place."

"I always wondered what the view looked like from there"

"Hahahaha...so you are inviting yourself to my hotel room?"

"I'm not inviting myself anywhere, just saying I was wondering about the rooms."

"Ha, you were totally inviting yourself, but that's okay.  I have no problem taking you up to the room."

She admitted she might have been inviting herself.  After all she was the one who had convinced Nameless that she wouldn't be having him in nature.  He had wanted to forgo the hotel and camp and invited her to join him. She informed him of her extreme princess status and how the outdoors was not a friend of hers.  It didn't take much convincing for him to book a room.

A few weeks later he was texting that he was in town.  After some back and forth they finally decided to meet up at the last minute downtown after she got off work.

She moved her car and they met up at the base of his hotel.  He side-hugged her and hustled her off to dinner, explaining he was starving.  They'd never had anything more than a few tapas together before and she was shocked at his actual hunger.  She got to explain to him that MP on the menu for the steaks at the restaurant stood for "Market Price." He declared himself too hungry to care and told her to order anything she wanted.

Two Market Price Steaks and two Old-Fashions later, and he opted for a third drink and she had some dessert.  He let her wax poetic about what was wrong with the local theatre scene, and what she would do to fix it, if she was going to stay in it.  As it currently stood, she didn't think she was going to attempt it again.  It hurt her heart too much to keep going with people not valuing her opinion or effort, or giving her a chance to direct.

Besides, she was having such a great time having downtime at the moment, otherwise she wouldn't be able to meet up with Nameless.  Hell, she'd had so many other friend commitments she had barely met up with him anyway.  She deliberately didn't make plans for two nights that week.

"Shall we move on to a bar?" He asked.  "I don't know how many other drinks I can have, I still have to try home tonight." She responded.

"You didn't pack a bag?"

Skin Hunger

Piz followed her closely and went to check out her view.  She stood by the couch and took off her sweater.  She went to take a step towards him and realized that was what she had done the last time.  She only had to wait a few seconds before he turned around and walked to her.

After the disappointing night with Mel, she appreciated how much he took his time just kissing her, touching her, not just ripping her clothes off.  His touch continued to be addictive, and she was lost in it.

The sex was fantastic, as usual...but there was something missing.  It was like having one of the greatest hamburgers of her life, but someone had forgotten the ketchup.  Though he lavished her with attention, it no longer held the emotional impact it once did.  He said he wanted to make her orgasm, but wasn't doing the things he needed to do for her to get there.  She didn't return the favor, seeing as how she was sure he had unprotected sex with his ex and she was having sex with him.

4 condoms and half the night later, they were spent.  He pulled her under the covers and snuggled up to her.  The way he held her was still unparalleled.  She felt good, safe.  He must be uncomfortable but still he held her to him.

At some point during the night she got up to get some water, came back and he didn't immediately reach out for her.  She realized with some finality that this was it.  Even though he was giving her forehead kisses in his sleep, waking up to make out with her, and looking deep into her eyes before wishing her sweet dreams...it meant nothing.

They woke up early due to the sunrise streaming into her high rise, illuminating the few boxes she had scattered around her space.  He kissed her good morning and put his hand lovingly on her face, then through her hair.  "Was your hair this long when we were together?  It's so great."

Though it was early, they easily launched into a serious discussion about the friend situation waiting for him back home.  His friend was going through a really rough time and having a drinking problem, as was his other friend/future roommate.

"Maybe you guys need to do a dry summer.  Or get a hobby.  Something to look forward to." She advised.  He agreed that a break from drinking would be good, considering he felt like he had a small hangover from his 4 drinks last night.

He went to take a shower, and she remembered that she had been texting KSL about the whole ordeal.  She grabbed her phone and read the last few messages they'd exchanged.

"Look up 'skin hunger.'  It's a thing.  Perhaps it's been too long since you've fed your body."

It had been just a few days shy of a year and five months since she'd last had sex.  She guessed that played into it, along with booze last night.

Although it was 7 in the morning, she texted him again.  "I can't get attached to any of it.  I know he isn't interested in anything, he's leaving in 3 weeks.  I can't connect.  It's just...there."

"Well yeah, that's why being a demisexual sucks." he texted back.

Piz got out of the shower and said he should go to the university to work on this paper a little bit.  He gave her a hug and asked if she had fun last night.  The question hit her as absurd and she stuttered a bit, saying "yeah, but...I mean...you are leaving in 3 weeks."  He seemed a little hurt and upset, and she couldn't quite read his emotions.  She told him it was fine, she just needed to sort stuff out in her head.  She offered up her apartment a couple of times a week for him to have a place to sleep.  His eyebrows went up and she said "Not for sex, you used up all my condoms last night anyway, just in general."

"I would just feel like I'm imposing Penny, I don't know."

"If you were bugging me you'd be gone.  You know that right?"

"Okay...I'll think about it."

And she would be sure to overthink about it all.

Rekindling

It had been a bear of a week, and she took off work early and texted Piz, wondering if he was in town and wanted to grab a drink.

He was in the library at the university writing a paper, and asked her if they could meet up in an hour.  She said sure and headed home.  As she walked in the door she got a call from Piz saying he couldn't concentrate any more.  When he walked through the door, he was smelly and looked very tired.  He'd been at school working tirelessly and had moved into a trailer with his dad for the last few weeks of school.  "Do you need a shower?" She asked, half joking.  "Yeah, and maybe I could crash on your couch tonight."

They had trouble deciding what they wanted to do, so he headed over to her apartment where they talked for awhile before deciding on the local bar at the base of her building for the cheap drinks and apps.

She talked about how her grapefruit beer and avocado fries combo was a favorite of her and 21's, but with him being in England she never got to get it.  When they were out last week they had an amazing conversation where she called him a coward and he told her she never took any risks.  They survived that, and it was so nice to be with him again.  After a few more stories and a second beer for him, they decided to go to the Speakeasy they had attempted to go to a couple of weeks ago.

They were a little disappointed that they didn't ask for the password, they just walked right in.  Piz mentioned the password to the bartender, as it was a drink he had quite a bit when he was stationed in Brasil for awhile.  The bartender was obsessed with flavor profiles, and pointed out that they had meatballs for customers as well by the bar.  They each had a couple and agreed they were great, although the drinks were so strong that she could barely taste them anyway.

The BBQ meatball seemed to invigorate him, and he perked up for the first time all night.  She couldn't help but keep smiling at him, he was such an adorable child when things made him happy, it was infectious.

He noticed her smiling and asked "What?"

Her smile lowered a little bit, and she said "I'm just going to miss you when you leave.  I know you won't be coming back."

He looked at her, and she held his gaze.  "You were just an important part of my life, and now it's over."

"I know I've said this before, but your eyes are so pretty.  I could stare into them forever."

She melted.  The spark was still there between them.  She wasn't sure if it had always been that way or not.

They walked across the skyway back to her apartment.  She grabbed for his hand to lead him inside, and they stopped by the saunas for a minute and talked about going in but couldn't reach a decision.

"I don't know Penny...what do you want to do?"

She looked him, and said "I want to go upstairs.  What do you want to do?"

He searched her eyes, then leaned down to kiss her before answering.

"I want to fuck your brains out."

Rockin' Eve Part 2

KSL walked through the door, and she reintroduced him to Dawn.  He hugged JJ, who immediately said he had to leave and took off.  Dawn was resting on her bed, and KSL made her a margarita with the booze he had brought.  He also gifted her an entire pizza, saying he picked it up at one of his other parties.

They sat down on the couch, and Dawn got up and started gathering her things.  She gave Dawn a hug goodbye, and then she and KSL were alone again.

"I swear I didn't do that on purpose.  I thought everyone was staying for awhile." She said.

He shrugged it off and sat down with his drink.  They slowly descended into being fairly buzzed on their drinks, and he talked about his next show.  Around 3AM they drunk dialed his friend who was going to be part of it.  He didn't answer of course, so they continued to watch videos and talk.

They got to talking about their lives, and she shared a little but was evasive.  She explained her feelings of not feeling desired or wanted.  Her spirit animal and the two dates that had deleted their online dating profile.  "Even you." She added.

"Me?  What about me?" He said, obviously offended.

"Nothing, never mind."

He started talking about how bad he felt about where he was in his life.  He confessed he was a little in trouble at work, even though he was doing well there.  Everything was coming down on him the same way that it was coming down on her.

She felt compelled...so she kissed him.  He kissed her back, but didn't move his hands.  "What are you doing?"

"I like kissing you.  But not when you aren't playing along."

"Hey, the last few times it's been all me.  I'd like you to take charge for once."

Challenge Accepted.  She pulled herself to straddle his lap and continued to kiss him while taking off his clothes.  He finally gave in and reached under her shirt to remove her bra, then her shirt.  She led him over to the bed, but he started to pull her hair.  She was trying to get his belt off, but wasn't able to do it.

"I'm sorry, am I distracting you?"  He smirked.

"Very much so.  This is my rodeo pal, drop the hair."

Her control over the situation was lost a few moments later, when he realized she still had her jeans on and he was completely naked.  It got wild with them quickly, and his aggression was almost too much for her to handle.  He seemed to want to actually start to have sex, so she stopped him and asked him if she wanted him to grab a condom.  He continued to kiss her and come closer and closer.

"KSL?  Condom?" She asked again.

He grabbed her and growled into her ear "Not yet.  It's my turn to have some fun."

He took over and ravished her for a long time before finally pull her up off the bed to get a condom.  The sex was, as always, amazing. It was like he had decided to take over for being the marathon man in her life.

There was no cuddling afterwards, he went straight to the bathroom.  She waited her turn, and he was dressed by the time she came out.

"It's like, 7 in the morning.  You've been up for over 24 hours.  Would you sleep for like an hour or something before driving home."

"Actually, that kind of invigorated me.  I feel like I've had an energy drink or something.  She put her head to his chest, and his heart was indeed pumping very hard.

"Look, you got me a little this time." He said, pointing out a small bruise forming on the inside of his arm.  "I got you a little too," he said, pointing to her shoulder.  She looked down and frowned.

"No...that's my...my birthmark.  It's always been there."  She was more than a little shocked that he had never noticed it before, considering how many times he had spent with his mouth over it.  Piz had noticed it one of their first nights together.

"Hey, maybe I can beat the sun home." Sunrise was fast approaching outside her giant wall of window.

She walked him to the door, and he hugged her goodbye.  Knowing this might very well be the last time, she kept his embrace, looked up and him and said "Hey" so he was looking at her.  She tapped her finger to her lips, indicating a good bye kiss.

He pretended not to understand for a minute, then bent down and they shared a single kiss.  They'd never done that before, it had always lead to making out.

"Happy New Year." She said after they parted.  He echoed her sentiment, without any awkwardness or dread behind his tone.  Maybe they had made it to their plateau.

He texted her that he was home safe 20 minutes later, and she fell asleep.  At least her year was off to a multi-orgasm start.

Baby, It's Cold Outside Part 2

"I have some new stand up that isn't Patton Oswalt!" He exclaimed, then set up his phone.  They listened and snuggled, occasionally stopping the recording to relay their own stories to the topic.  It was nice and comfortable until she started getting cold despite her heat being on.

She grabbed and turned on her electric blanket, and KSL grabbed for half.  They snuggled under the blanket and watched the moon rise, laughing along with the stand up so hard their cheeks started to hurt.  He was being very playful, very physical with her.  He started reaching to boop her nose, and old game they shared.  She resisted, and playfully bit his arm that was holding hers down.

"Hey, no biting, you know what that does to me!" He exclaimed.

"Do I?  What does it do?" She asked innocently.

"Stop it, you know how much that turns me on."  He shot her a sideways smile while still holding down her arms.  She couldn't help pushing her luck.

"I thought that was just your earlobes.  I had no idea it was everywhere!  Is it here too?" She asked, going for his neck.  He protested and they wrestled with each other a little while longer.  He eventually let her go but kept teasing her with his words.

She grabbed his face and started kissing him.  He said in-between kisses "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Shutting you up.  This is the only way I know that works."

There was no hesitation from him.  He jumped into grabbing and biting, commenting "It's winter, no one will see them." Then biting her on her neck.  She yelped and pushed him a little, saying "Watch it, I don't own a turtleneck!"

He smiled devilishly and bit her shoulder.  She responded by biting his neck hard, then giving him a huge raspberry on his stomach. They both laughed and joked as they moved to the bed to continue to fool around.  He kept asking if she was okay, all the while pushing a little farther but keeping his own pants on.  "I'm just respecting this 'No Dick December' thing you've got going."

Eventually she caved.  "Alright, I give up.  Let's have sex.  Go get the condom."

He was hurt, saying "Wow.  Way to make a guy feel special.  I mean, I really am in the mood now that you are begrudgingly having sex with me."

She grabbed his face and started kissing him, again shutting him up.  The rest of their clothes came off easily, and after 3 or 4 positions, they collapsed on the bed, her head on his chest.  They talked some more, laughing about his excessive sweaty-ness on her clean bed.

"Maybe I'm just weird about the sleeping over thing." He said.  "I just feel like sleeping over is making it more serious or something."

"Yeah...well I can't speak for anyone else, but I think sleeping is just sleeping.  And, judging by our issues with sleeping alone...I think it might be helpful to us."

He turned slightly towards her, while still stroking her back lovingly and spoke into her hair "You too?"

"Yeah...I blame this stupid pillow.  A couple of weeks ago I reached out for it, and it felt like Piz's chest.  For a second I couldn't figure out why he wasn't reaching out for me, like he always did, even when he was asleep.  I haven't been able to sleep through the night since."

He remained silent.  She let the silence envelope them, then realized he might be falling asleep.  She raised her head to look at his face.

"KSL?" She whispered.

He mumbled a sleepy "Uh huh?"

"What are you doing?"

"Shhh.  Resting."  He pulled her gently to his side, and slowly he stopped stroking, leaving his fingers resting on the small of her back

Soon he was snoring loudly.