Can last night last
Or was it just too much red wine
Or one too many lonely nights
Can last night last
Could this be the start of us
Every morning waking up
To your sleepy eyes smiling back
Or is it just too soon to ask
Can last night last
~Lady Antebellum~
Kara's never been more grateful for a slow morning as she is today. With Snapper on one of CatCo's vague mandatory retreats, she's been granted permission to work from home today. Under normal circumstances this fact alone would've made her day, but her circumstances right now are definitely not normal. And everywhere she looks she's reminded of those not-so-normal circumstances.
There's the lipstick stain on the second coffee cup sitting on the breakfast bar, next to the one she herself used this morning.
Without looking she knows there's an extra plate in the sink. Two knives. Two forks.
Her robe hangs from the back of the couch, left behind with a lingering scent not purely her own.
Though no everyday occurrences, they've certainly happened before but this morning everything feels different. It probably feels different because everything is different.
Before last night, the lips having left behind their blood red impression on that coffee cup had never touched her own.
Before last night, the always animated hands wielding that cutlery this morning had never touched such intimate parts of her body.
And before last night, that robe had never smelt of another's perfume. It had never protected another's modesty than her own.
Last night everything she thought she knew about her friendship with Lena had changed with a cliche meeting of their eyes, suddenly so much more intense and meaningful than ever before.
Driven by alcohol or maybe the fact that they both finally realized that the only thing missing from their relationship had been the act of kissing with their eyes closed and mouths opened. They'd discovered a whole new level of intimacy together just hours ago. And then again this morning.
No matter how up close and personal they'd been during their lovemaking, the real intimacy came with sleepy eyes smiling back at her uncertainly in the half light of dawn, searching for something Kara could only take a wild guess at.
The actual getting up and being together in the same space after their night spent together had been a little awkward, both searching for the right words to have a conversation without addressing the giant elephant in the room. With unsure hand gestures and half sentences Lena had been able to point out the need for a shower and a clean shirt to wear home. Kara making coffee and breakfast after a shy, "You know where everything is, Lena".
Kara feels like an idiot when she remembers the thudding of her heart and the fuzziness in her brain when Lena had hurried her way from bathroom to bedroom wearing Kara's robe and not much else.
Feeling like a little creep (but not really caring), Kara picks up the robe from the back of the couch, brings it to her nose and admittedly swoons a little when she picks up on their mixt scents on the terrycloth. Images of pale, silken skin and plump, smeared lips flash through her mind's eye. Languid strokes of strong fingers down her thighs, hot breaths on her neck and in her ears, teeth and tongue getting to know the delicious sensitivity of her trapezius muscles.
Lena, as it turns out, is a very attentive lover. Lena is very giving in every other aspect of her life. It should come as no surprise that her selflessness shines through even in her most passionate moments. Kara can't help but blush when she thinks of Lena's resolve to bring Kara pleasure first (and second and third), before letting Kara anywhere near her own overheated body. She's no pillow queen, but Kara cannot find fault in such single-minded determinedness. She could get used to something like that. And therein lies the problem.
No matter how pleasurable or how long overdue, last night changed everything between them. Kara had never even considered the possibility of having an even more intimate relationship with her best friend, not taking into consideration the steamy dream or two beyond her control, of course.
The awkwardness of this morning worries her. Lena had left with little to say, hurrying her way through coffee and breakfast, looking away whenever Kara made eye contact. What if Kara's the only one who'll gladly see their friendship progressing into something more? She would love to wake up to Lena's warmth and intoxicating scent every single morning for the rest of her life. But what if this eye opening, earth shattering experience becomes the thing that ruins them? Kara wouldn't trade the closeness for anything in the world, because, truthfully, she's already a tiny little bit addicted to Lena's hands and lips and fiery eyes, but nothing is worth not having Lena in her life. Nothing! If friendship is the only thing that Lena wants, then Kara will try everything in her power to continue to be the best friend Lena could ever hope for. The thought alone brings tears to her eyes.
Looking at the clock, Kara realizes she should woman up and get herself going if she wants to get anything done today. Trying to let go of her friendship slash relationship troubles for now, she makes for the shower, trying not to think about Lena in that same shower. Naked. Eyes closed against the stream of water cascading down pale skin, reddening up the most sensitive parts of her. Yeah… not thinking about Lena in a sexual setting after having explored her exquisite physique last night is really not that easy. Sue her.
When she's showered, dressed and ready to go, her phone beeps just when she grabs it from the coffee table. It's a message. From Lena.
With baited breath and pounding heart, she opens her message app. It takes a second to comprehend what she's reading but when the words start to make sense, her heart actually stops for a couple of beats. Kara never knew it was possible to smile so wide and cry real tears at the same time, but she's doing it. Just to make sure Lena's words mean what she thinks they mean, Kara reads the tiny words in the colorful balloons on her phone's screen until they really sink in.
I know I left things weird this morning
I'm sorry. I didn't quite know what to say.
I was afraid you might get scared, had I told you how much I wanted to stay.
And maybe it's too soon to ask…
Can last night last?