Chapter 2: Eyes Wide Shut
Mary had always been the lights-on, eyes-wide-open kind of a girl when it came to sexual matters. She'd never felt the need to hide, and she'd always scoffed at people who did. She didn't close her eyes when she worked out at the gym; why should sex be any different?
She'd also never understood the whole 'closing your eyes and fantasizing about someone else' thing. When she got to the point where she didn't want to be with a guy, she simply moved on. Not like finding a new lover was all that hard, so why bother with the charade?
So eyes closed? She really didn't see the attraction...
And yet, as she stood in the darkened elevator, acutely aware of every movement her partner made, of even the smallest change in his breathing, she considered that she may have been missing the point all these years. Maybe it wasn't really about hiding, or about fantasizing about someone other than the one you were with. Maybe it was about really experiencing the moment, without getting distracted by the visuals.
Feeling more than hearing Marshall's soft gasp as she shifted her hips, she wondered what else she might have missed while being distracted by what she was seeing.
Or by what she was not seeing...
"Mary?" he asked hesitantly, sensing something was off. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah... I- I'm fine."
"You don't have to... you know..." he trailed off. "I mean, if you've changed your mind, and you don't want to, that's okay."
"I haven't changed my mind," she assured him, pulling him closer, hands seeking contact with bare skin.
"O- okay," he half-moaned in response, moving ever-so-slightly against her, giving her own libido a wake-up call.
"Marshall?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you really okay with this?" she asked softly, concerned he was only going along with her because she'd bullied him into it. This was supposed to be about helping him, not making him do something he didn't want. She knew his body was more than willing – it was kind of hard to miss his mounting... enthusiasm... given their current predicament – but this was Marshall. She needed to be sure.
"Am I okay with this?" he repeated slowly. "I guess that really depends on what you're asking, exactly... Am I okay with being trapped in the dark with a bunch of strangers? Then no, not so much. Am I okay with doing... whatever you're planning on doing... in a public place, surrounded by said strangers? Still debating that one. Am I okay with doing it with you?" He paused for a moment, letting out a shuddering breath. "Yeah... I am."