on the bed again. He’d only gotten through a few commercials before Nicole re-entered the room.
“You’re back,” he said as she walked over to her suitcase.
“Yeah,” she said. She dug out her pajamas and walked into the bathroom for a shower.
Daniel watched her exit the room, and then turned his attention back to the TV. He wasn’t sure what he had thought would happen when Nicole came back. He kind of wanted to jump in the shower with her, but he’d just reasoned with himself that that was a bad idea.
She came out from the bathroom, toweling off her hair. He realized that he’d never seen her in her pajamas before. She was wearing just an oversized T-shirt with tiny shorts underneath. The thin fabric clung to her chest, patches of it becoming transparent where her hair dripped water on it. Somehow, she looked sexier with more clothes on. Daniel sat up and reached for a pillow to hold in his lap. “You’re doing that on purpose.”
“Doing what?” she asked. She dropped the towel on the floor and kicked it back through the open bathroom door, then placed her hands on her hips and turned to face him.
“Being that ,” he said, waving his hand vaguely at her. “You’re really hot.”
“I’m wearing more than I was earlier. Or would you like me to wear a muumuu?” she asked, a trace of an amused smile on her face.
“Yeah,” he said, catching onto the joke. “Cover up your sexy body.”
She laughed, and walked to the other side of the bed. She lifted up the covers and crawled under, even covering up her head. “Better?”
“Not really,” he said. “You stole my bed.”
“But you can’t see me!” she joked, her voice muffled through the thick comforter.
He stood up and turned down the covers, climbing into the bed as well. He pulled the covers over his head and found himself face to face with the grinning girl. “Now I can see you.”
She laughed again, but as her laugh died out, she seemed to realize something. She slid out of the bed. “Sorry,” she mumbled.
He sat up. “Sorry for what?”
“Leading you on,” she replied. She shook her head and sat on the corner of the bed, facing away from Daniel. “I can’t be flirting with you when we both know it’s not going anywhere.”
He sat next to her, but didn’t touch her, though he wanted to. “I don’t care. You set the boundaries here, ‘cause I don’t really have any. I can’t keep saying I want you. You already made it clear that’s not going to happen. But can you make up your mind what is going to happen?”
“I don’t know,” she said, hanging her head. “Could we maybe, I don’t know, keep going like we are? And I’ll just tell you if it’s too far?”
He hesitated. That didn’t sound like a great plan to him. But it was better than nothing. “Yeah. Okay. But if I run off to the bathroom when you stop me, don’t come in.”
She laughed. “That’s fair.” She glanced up at him, and he gently kissed her. He pulled her closer, and let his hand rest on her bare leg, on that smooth skin he’d been dying to touch.
The sleeping bag went unused that night.
They did sleep together, but only in the literal sense. They shared the bed because after spending time on it before falling asleep, neither really wanted to go back to the floor. So they slept side by side. Nicole had a habit of sleeping diagonally to the bed, and this meant she ended up with her head on Daniel’s shoulder. This was only a problem when he woke up first.
There was a pretty girl on his shoulder. He didn’t want to move and wake her, but he really had to pee. It’s not like she looked like an angel while sleeping anyway. She had a weird snore that sounded like a pig snorting, and a puddle of her drool was appearing on the pillow. It was dripping down his arm. Even though her saliva hadn’t bothered him last night, it was a little disgusting now.
He slid himself out from under her, replacing his shoulder with a
“You’re back,” he said as she walked over to her suitcase.
“Yeah,” she said. She dug out her pajamas and walked into the bathroom for a shower.
Daniel watched her exit the room, and then turned his attention back to the TV. He wasn’t sure what he had thought would happen when Nicole came back. He kind of wanted to jump in the shower with her, but he’d just reasoned with himself that that was a bad idea.
She came out from the bathroom, toweling off her hair. He realized that he’d never seen her in her pajamas before. She was wearing just an oversized T-shirt with tiny shorts underneath. The thin fabric clung to her chest, patches of it becoming transparent where her hair dripped water on it. Somehow, she looked sexier with more clothes on. Daniel sat up and reached for a pillow to hold in his lap. “You’re doing that on purpose.”
“Doing what?” she asked. She dropped the towel on the floor and kicked it back through the open bathroom door, then placed her hands on her hips and turned to face him.
“Being that ,” he said, waving his hand vaguely at her. “You’re really hot.”
“I’m wearing more than I was earlier. Or would you like me to wear a muumuu?” she asked, a trace of an amused smile on her face.
“Yeah,” he said, catching onto the joke. “Cover up your sexy body.”
She laughed, and walked to the other side of the bed. She lifted up the covers and crawled under, even covering up her head. “Better?”
“Not really,” he said. “You stole my bed.”
“But you can’t see me!” she joked, her voice muffled through the thick comforter.
He stood up and turned down the covers, climbing into the bed as well. He pulled the covers over his head and found himself face to face with the grinning girl. “Now I can see you.”
She laughed again, but as her laugh died out, she seemed to realize something. She slid out of the bed. “Sorry,” she mumbled.
He sat up. “Sorry for what?”
“Leading you on,” she replied. She shook her head and sat on the corner of the bed, facing away from Daniel. “I can’t be flirting with you when we both know it’s not going anywhere.”
He sat next to her, but didn’t touch her, though he wanted to. “I don’t care. You set the boundaries here, ‘cause I don’t really have any. I can’t keep saying I want you. You already made it clear that’s not going to happen. But can you make up your mind what is going to happen?”
“I don’t know,” she said, hanging her head. “Could we maybe, I don’t know, keep going like we are? And I’ll just tell you if it’s too far?”
He hesitated. That didn’t sound like a great plan to him. But it was better than nothing. “Yeah. Okay. But if I run off to the bathroom when you stop me, don’t come in.”
She laughed. “That’s fair.” She glanced up at him, and he gently kissed her. He pulled her closer, and let his hand rest on her bare leg, on that smooth skin he’d been dying to touch.
The sleeping bag went unused that night.
They did sleep together, but only in the literal sense. They shared the bed because after spending time on it before falling asleep, neither really wanted to go back to the floor. So they slept side by side. Nicole had a habit of sleeping diagonally to the bed, and this meant she ended up with her head on Daniel’s shoulder. This was only a problem when he woke up first.
There was a pretty girl on his shoulder. He didn’t want to move and wake her, but he really had to pee. It’s not like she looked like an angel while sleeping anyway. She had a weird snore that sounded like a pig snorting, and a puddle of her drool was appearing on the pillow. It was dripping down his arm. Even though her saliva hadn’t bothered him last night, it was a little disgusting now.
He slid himself out from under her, replacing his shoulder with a