Lucy blinked open her eyes, stretching her limbs as she woke from a much needed sleep. Her and Lee had spent much of last night breaking into her parents house trying retrieve a videotape. That videotape, the one which just over 24 hours ago they'd been forced to watch in front of her parents, Tim and Daisy. That excruciatingly embarrassing few minutes where they'd all witnessed her undressing Lee then herself before crawling into bed with him. She felt herself blush, the cringing, tightening in the pit of her stomach returning as the incident played over and over again in her mind.

She turned to look at her bedside clock, forgetting that Lee had broken it by yanking the wires out. She sighed as she for the second morning in a row she found herself looking at the space beside her, just checking she was in bed alone. She was, though she was surprised how much she wished she wasn't.

Realising it was dark, so must still be early, she closed her eyes again. Something was bugging her, those missing minutes in between Tim and Daisy saying goodnight and her going to fetch the video camera from Tim some time later. She had the feeling there was something important she needed to remember.

As she found herself drifting in and out of sleep, snippets of memory started to come back to her, what happened in the missing time slowly unfolding in the moments of wakefulness. Her and Lee's drunken playfulness invebitably leading to them flirting with each other, making each other laugh, moving ever closer to each other on the sofa.

Her heart started to race as some of Lee's words came back to her. Almost out of the blue he'd told her he loved her, that he wanted to be with her. It was probably just the alcohol talking but...oh God, the memory of what happened next suddenly returned, as clear as day. When Lee said that she had kissed him. Just like that, practically pouncing on him, boldly pressing her lips to Lee's as she grabbed his t-shirt, pulling him closer to her. There had been nothing friendly or innocent about it. Nor in the way he had reciprocated, his lips moving eagerly against hers, his tongue plundering her mouth as it sought out her own. Their desperate breathing, loud and uneven as their hands explored, she could hear it now.

She pinched the skin on her arm hard, checking she was definitely awake. No, it hurt, she definitely wasn't dreaming. It was true that she'd laid in bed countless times imagining that situation. Her and Lee kissing, making love. But this time she wasn't fantasising. She was remembering. Some of the details were blurred at first, but not the feelings. As she remembered Lee's lips, his tongue, his skin against her own, the feeling of his body heat, his breath mingling with hers, his heart pounding beneath his chest, the way he moaned and sighed against her mouth. The memory was starting to make her feel breathless, make her skin prickle. She was becoming more and more aroused, the throbbing at her core intensifying by the second. If at first she could scarcely believe these were memories, now she was allowing herself to get lost in them. Her and Lee had been so close, so close to sleeping together until the effects of the alcohol had finally defeated Lee.

She remembered her disappointment when she discovered he had fallen asleep, her frustration at not getting what she wanted turning into a stupid determination to make a video. Then her panic in the morning when she'd woken up beside Lee and realised they were both naked. The not knowing whether they'd crossed the line or not. The thought that they might finally have given in and had sex and yet she didn't remember. It had been disconcerting and confusing. She wanted to be with Lee, but she wouldn't have wanted it to happen like that.

A crashing sound coming from somewhere in the flat suddenly made Lucy sit bolt upright in bed. If she hadn't been fully awake and alert before she certainly was now. She heard Lee cursing at whatever object or piece of furniture he had decided to trip over or come to blows with this time. He was so bloody clumsy. His clumsiness was sometimes endearing though. The way he would reprimand a table that had never been moved for getting in his way, as though it was a person. It made her laugh, much to Lee's annoyance.

Lucy started to think about all the things she liked about Lee, the way he made her laugh, his cheeky flirtatiousness, the way he would sometimes blush and go a bit shy when she flirted back, his protectiveness of her. As these thoughts ran through her mind she realised that maybe it was time. Something had to change. It was becoming too hard to be so close to Lee, to live with him but not with him, to be so near yet so far. And now she knew what it felt like to kiss him and touch him, it would surely be impossible. She knew Lee didn't remember, but for her things would never be the same.

...

Lee watched as Lucy finally emerged from her bedroom and headed straight for the front door. She didn't even acknowledge him.

"No Good Morning?"

"Sorry, morning",

Lucy replied without even looking up as she fastened her coat, scanning the floor for her shoes at the same time.

"Where are you going in such a hurry? We normally have breakfast together on a Saturday".

"I'm not hungry, and I've got stuff to do". Lucy picked up her keys and handbag, opening the front door.

"See you later then?"

"Yep".

With that she was gone, the door closing with a bang behind her. Lee was confused, worried he'd said or done something to upset her. Something was wrong, that was for sure. Maybe it was the video incident again, he'd tried to make her feel better about the whole thing but he could understand if she she was still embarrassed. Seeing all of that in front of her parents and Tim. Maybe it would take a bit longer for her to get over.

...

Lucy wasn't really sure where she was going, she just needed a bit of space and time to think. She walked across town, aimlessly for a while, until she found herself at Tim and Daisy's front door.

Daisy opened the front door, surprised to see Lucy. It was nice to see her, but she didn't normally turn up unannounced.

"Lucy! Hi"

"Hi Daisy, is Tim in?"

"No, he's gone shopping for a new laptop. Is everything okay?"

Lucy was relieved to hear her brother was out. She had decided she needed to talk to someone about how she was feeling, and this wasn't something she wanted Tim to hear.

"Yes, everything's fine. Can I come in?"

"Of course. No Lee this morning then".

Lucy followed Daisy into the living room.

"No, we're not joined at the hip you know".

"Well, you say that but I see you together more than I see you apart. I was just making lunch, do you want anything?"

"Yes please, I didn't eat before I left the flat".

"Cheese on toast okay?"

"Lovely, thanks".

Daisy disappeared into the kitchen, returning with two plates of cheese on toast. She passed one to Lucy, who immediately wolfed down the first slice. She'd walked several miles on an empty stomach, so needed the energy.

"So, what's up?"

"I wanted to talk to you...about Lee".

"What's he done now?"

"He hasn't done anything..."

There was a pause while Lucy considered what to say next. She decided to get straight to the point,

"Do you think Lee likes me...you know...as more than just a friend?"

Daisy put her plate down. She had wondered when Lucy would finally come to her senses. Having said that, she wasn't sure why Lucy needed to ask. I mean it was obvious wasn't it?

"Lucy...Lee loves you, surely you've realised that by now, it's obvious to everyone else".

"Really?"

"Why are you suddenly asking me this? Please tell me this means you've finally admitted to yourself that you've got feelings for him"

"Well...actually...to be honest I admitted that to myself ages ago. It's just...do you think I should admit that to him?"

"Of course, how are the pair of you ever going to get together if neither of you makes the first move?"

"Do you think we should get together then?"

"Well, duh! You clearly find each other attractive, more than that. He loves you. You love him".

"I never used those exact words".

"You do love him though, don't you you?"

Lucy realised there was no point in denying it. It turned out that Daisy was more astute than she had ever given her credit for.

"Yes".

"Then why not get together?

"Do you think it would work? I mean he's got his faults hasn't he?"

"Yes, but who hasn't? He's human, like the rest of us"

"What if all went wrong? Our friendship would be ruined, we couldn't carry on living together".

"Maybe, but what if it didn't go wrong? Being friends first is a good grounding for a relationship. You'll never know unless you take the risk. Lee might have his faults but he's a good man really, beneath all that joking around. He's a sweet guy, kind of vulnerable deep down I think".

"I know he is. Yes he can be a bit lazy and childish but beneath all that he's really sweet and cute and funny and loyal. And he tries his best to look after me. I feel safe with him. Not in a boring way though, life with Lee is never boring. And when I'm with him, I get a sort of fuzzy feeling. Sometimes when he gives me a certain look or if we accidentally brush past each other, I swear my temperature rises, my skin sort of hums, if that makes sense".

"Wow Luce, you really are head over heals. The way I see it, Lee just needs a bit of guidance, a bit of a kick up the backside every so often. That's where you fit in. Plus...he's got a really impressive cock".

"Daisy! I can't believe you just said that!"

"Well, you saw it on the video, we all saw it. I mean, don't tell Tim I said that but you must have been thinking the same thing".

"Funnily enough I was a bit preoccupied with the fact everyone was about to see me naked".

"You can't have missed it though, not given how big..."

"Daisy! Stop. Right now. This is such an inappropriate conversation. I've got to go home and look Lee in the eye later. I was struggling to act normally around him as it is. I've got no chance now".

"I think you should go home right now, look him in the eye, and tell him how you feel. Everything you've just said to me, about how you feel, it's not me you should be telling, it's Lee. Don't tell him what I said about his cock though".

Lucy blushed again. She really needed to get that image out of her head. It was very...distracting.

"I wish it was that simple".

"What's complicated about it?".

"Things are a bit awkward still, after the other night. And I've remembered more about what happened. Me and Lee kissed, and we were close to doing a lot more than that before he fell asleep"

"So...why does that make a difference?"

"I don't know, it's just that I don't think Lee remembers. And I don't know if the stuff that was said, and the things that happened were only said and only happened because we were drunk. It's a weird situation that's all".

"I get that but won't it just keep being weird until you're honest with him? If you don't you'll never be able to move on. You'll never know whether those things were just because of the alcohol".

"You're right".

"I'm always right".

"Erm...always is a strong word, but on this occasion you're right".

"Good, now finish your cheese and toast and go home".