He lay staring at the ceiling as he listened to the sound of water beating on the shower floor. She was humming along to some pop song he didn't recognise, the sweet sound drifting through the gap in the doorway along with hot steam. A smile spread across his face and his heartbeat quickened at the thought of his (his!) new girlfriend actually having been in his bed minutes before.
There had been a moment in the night where he had thought he was dreaming, actually sitting bolt-upright and rolling her over to check it was really her. There had been plenty of other women in his bed in the past, but none had made him want to just lay awake staring at them. With her it was entirely different, like she was a precious creature he had ached to hold for so long and once he had her, he feared closing his eyes would end the delicious dream.
It was her, alright. Beautiful, unique, crazy her.
Her humming stopped as she dropped something on the floor, interrupting his thoughts. She let out an irritated groan and he chuckled to himself. How could she be behaving so normally? Everything seemed different to him. He was looking at the world through a new set of eyes, as if everything was lighter. He suddenly realised how soppy he was being and cleared his throat to remind himself that he was in fact a manly man. What a sap, Castellano!
His thoughts trailed back to the moment he realised it was Now or Never. He had wasted too many opportunities to kiss her in the past, always afraid of where it might lead and how it would affect their friendship. Had he have known for certain that she would react the way she did, he would have kissed her years ago! But in truth, the timing probably wasn't right on all those occasions and their strong friendship was what made the first kiss as passionate and intense as it was.
She meant so much to him and he knew he needed her by his side. In all honesty, he knew that their friendship was strong enough to survive even if she had knocked him back. Thank God she didn't.
He heard the squeak of the shower being turned off, turning his head to face the door. Ready to see her beautiful figure emerge from the doorway. She appeared, a sexy smile spreading across her cheeks. She didn't say a word, just walked slowly towards him, dropping her towel seductively as she approached the bed. He loved her confidence around him, knowing that she didn't ever have it with the other men she'd been with. Her skin was still wet, beads of water dripping from her hair, which she'd tied into a lazy knot at her left shoulder. She was breath taking.
He reached out to stroke her cheek, laying a soft kiss at the corner of her mouth. She leaned in for a more passionate embrace, but he teased her by pulling away and shooting her a crooked smile and a sly wink. His smile broadened as he walked away, laughing heartily as she berated him for being such a tease.
After a short while, he stepped back out into the bedroom, peering from behind the bathroom door to check her state of undress. She was still naked, but now draped in the bed sheets from the waist down. She gestured for him to come closer and he dutifully obliged. He knelt at the edge of the bed, placing his arms around her waist and looking up at her deep brown eyes. He took a few moments to drink in her features, marvelling at the intensity of her stare. She looked serious, as if she too was struck by how safe and normal this felt.
He leaned forward and took her nipple in his mouth, softly sucking before licking gently up towards her neck. She let out a soft moan, moving her head backwards in appreciation. He moved his hands slowly up her stomach to her breasts, cupping them gently before moving around to her back and holding her in a firm embrace. Only then did he kiss her on the mouth, parting her lips with his tongue. He crushed his lips against hers hungrily, before pulling away and looking down at her delicious body again. He trailed his tongue slowly down her neck, down her collar, over her chest and across her nipples. He continued down to her navel before stopping abruptly and pulling away yet again.
She shot him a concerned look, but he smiled at her with the same playful expression as before. He declared it was time for breakfast, wondering out towards the kitchen as if it was the most appropriate timing in the world.
Truthfully, he wanted nothing more than to taste her and feel her tremble at his every touch, but he knew that keeping her waiting would make her all the more frantic for him. Hell, he had waited years to feel her, so she could certainly wait five minutes!
He reached for a pan and turned on the heat on the cooker. Pancakes. He reached for the cupboard door, but was stopped from opening it by the feel of a finger softly trailing down his back. He didn't turn, so soon her touch spread around to his front, as she ran the palm of her hand down his chest. He grinned, determined not to falter at her touch.
But it wasn't her touch that had the power to turn him around. It was her words. She told him that as much as she loved pancakes, she loved him more. Loved. Him.
Up until now he had only allowed himself to believe that she was attracted to him, and only recently so. Sure, he very much realised that she wanted him, liked him a lot. He wasn't expecting an admission like this any time soon.
He looked into her eyes with a curious frown. Was she serious? She seemed to suddenly realise what she had said, and started rambling. Something about getting carried away in the moment, not wanting to freak him out. But he was freaked out. And what the hell for? He had realised months ago that he loved her, why should her feelings unsettle him?
He pressed his lips to hers to gently reassure her that he was in fact OK. Totally Normal. Not At All Panicked. She seemed satisfied and continued with her seduction tactics.
A while later they were laid out side by side, legs in a tangle. Her chest was pressed into his back, her arm tucked underneath his. He could feel her warm breath on his back as he lay awake.
She loved him. He knew he should be singing from the rooftops, but he had a niggling feeling in the back of his head. What if he wasn't all she wanted? He was a miserable old man after all, and she had so many rom-com ideals for him to live up to. What if she was only kidding herself that she was in love, and that in actual fact she was just trying to feel something that may or may not come in time?
It wouldn't do. Sooner or later she'd realise that he wasn't good enough for her and he'd end up with a broken heart yet again. He had to end it before it had a chance to get off the ground. Yeah. Yeah that would be for the best. It would hurt like hell at first, but their friendship would survive it, right?
Right?
