Zoe woke up slowly, her eyes half closed against the bright sunlight streaming in the window. A band she didn't recognise were playing on the radio, the song making Zoe think of Sunday mornings and her teenage years. For a minute, she was so wrapped up in the nostalgia that she didn't notice the guitar in the corner that was definitely not hers, or the scattered underwear that definitely was, but as she did the events of the night before came flooding back. Following Max out of the pub, kissing him, turning up at his house an hour later because she just couldn't wait any longer. She remembered his face when he'd opened the door, cigarette dangling from his mouth and glass of wine in his hand. She didn't think she'd seen anyone be so effortlessly attractive in her life, and she'd known then how the night was going to end. The coffee, the wine, the sex...everything came back to her and she ran a panicked hand through her hair. A porter. She'd slept with a porter, ten years younger than her with a sister who, although undoubtedly lovely, lacked any understanding of the term discretion.
"Shit." Zoe sat bolt upright in the bed, glancing nervously at the other side before doing a double take when she realised it was empty. Frowning, she took in her unfamiliar surroundings - the guitar, the pile of haphazardly folded laundry, the desk covered in what looked like song lyrics. "Shit." She swore softly again, her head snapping round as she heard someone singing under their breath, the stairs creaking as whoever it was made their way up. She waited with baited breath, drawing the duvet up to her chin as she sank nervously back down into the pillow.
"I've got coffee, and I didn't know if you wanted waffles or pancakes, so I did both." Max appeared at the door, plates of food balancing precariously on his forearms. When Zoe didn't answer, he set them on the end of the bed, watching her carefully. "You've just had that 'what the hell am I doing moment' right?" He smiled softly, handing her a mug of coffee. Zoe nodded, a smile curling her lips despite the her internal panic.
"I can't believe you made waffles." She laughed as he blushed slightly, offering the plate towards her. Taking one, she watched him toying with the edge of the sheets, every so often brushing his fingers against her legs. "Max, about last night-"
Max interrupted her, aware of what she was about to say. "You're beautiful, you know." It was Zoe's turn to blush, rolling her eyes gently.
"Max, I'm being serious. You can't tell anyone, okay?" She inhaled sharply as his fingers began to trail further up her legs, ghosting across her thighs as he gently pushed the duvet off her.
"I was being serious too." Max mumbled against her calf, his lips following the path his fingers had taken. "So you're not telling me it was great but it was a one off?" Zoe took another bite of her waffle, raising her eyebrow.
"If I wanted to leave, I would've gone already." She replied, toes curling as he scraped his teeth across her groin. "God, Max." He lifted his head and winked.
"Just relax. Eat your waffle." He disappeared back between her thighs and Zoe grinned, tipping her head back and losing herself in the music, Max and and the smell of coffee and waffles.
Later, the pair lay exhausted in a tangle of limbs, Max slowly kissing her neck. Reluctant to move from her current position, Zoe gestured to the guitar resting against the wall with her cigarette.
"I didn't know you played." She tilted her head to give Max better access, biting her lip as he hummed his confirmation. She lay there for a minute longer before gently dislodging herself from his grasp. He turned to her, slightly disgruntled and she grinned, kissing him quickly. "Play me something." She sat back, looking at him expectantly.
"You are so demanding, you know that?" Max sighed as he rolled off the bed and padded over to his guitar. "Go on then, what do you want?"
"Surprise me." Zoe lay back on the bed, Max's shirt wrapped loosely around her, cigarette hanging from her fingertips. Max watched her for a minute, transfixed by the image. Then, grinning to himself, he began to play, crooning softly as he bent over the guitar. Zoe was briefly confused - she recognised the tune not the words - but remembering their conversation all those weeks ago, she laughed and rolled over to face him.
"I don't mean to brag, but I can play Hey Jude in Spanish."
She watched him, naked and cross legged on the floor, chewing her lip to stop herself squealing with delight. She hadn't felt this ridiculously excited about a guy since she'd been a teenager - it made her feel reckless, young, almost dangerous. When he'd finished, Max carefully put the guitar down before leaping back on to the bed, pinning a giggling Zoe to the bed. His eyes widened in amusement.
"Did you just giggle?" He held her arms above her head as she wriggled beneath his weight.
"No, because that would have been very teenage girl of me and not at all sexy." She gazed up at him, her smile fading as their eyes locked. He bent down and kissed her, harder than usual, a kiss with the promise of things to come. When he finally pulled away, Zoe was left breathless and slightly dazed.
"Personally, I think your giggle is the sexiest thing on the planet." He kissed her again, yelping as Zoe flipped them over in one swift, practised move. Eyebrows raised, she ran her hands over his chest before dipping down and biting his earlobe, whispering,
"Oh sweetheart, you haven't seen anything yet."
Hope you enjoyed it! I'm so excited for Sunday that I just had to write some Zax fluff. ! R&R would be lovely y'all x