Lying on his bed with Charli sleeping lightly on his chest, Oz couldn't believe that it was morning once more. In this light, he wanted to believe that somehow the sun had gone backward, that the whole day would be done again, that they could start again, together, as they had done the day before.
In the wonderful half-light, just before the sun appeared on the horizon, he couldn't believe that the spectacular sight he had just seen was not sunset, but it's more colorful, more breathtaking sister, sunrise. Lying with him, her arms hugging him to her while she slept, was exactly how he loved her most. The light created strange but beautiful shadows across her face. She was bathed in faint blue light. Oz silently wondered how many more mornings he would get to wake up with her. How many mornings he had to just watch her breathe and feel her heartbeat on his bare chest. He could feel her smooth legs as they moved, rubbing against his own. He wondered if this love's days were numbered, and if he could bear to be without her. His thoughts were interrupted by a faint murmur. "I said 'fries,' not 'fires'..." She wrinkled her nose. He wondered what she was dreaming about. What she was thinking to make her wrinkle her nose so. Her face relaxed again. Not wanting to wake her, Oz began to loosen Charli's grip so he could slip out of bed. As Oz's weight was lifted from the bed, Charli's expression changed. Her eyebrows creased and she frowned. In her sleep, her arms felt around the bed for her love. Oz stood and watched silently, unsure if it was in her dream that she had lost something. She cried out for him, desperation in her voice. Afraid to wake her up in the middle of a nightmare (he was very superstitious), he eased himself back onto the bed and stroked her hair. Her arms found Oz and once again she relaxed, this time out of Dreamland and back to Oz. She opened her eyes slowly to see Oz looking worriedly down at her. She pulled herself upward to him, letting the covers slide off of her bare body. She met his mouth in a sweet, love-filled kiss, then shrank back down, holding a sheet to her mouth. Oz was puzzled. He could tell she was smiling behind the blanket. "Morning," he said, trying to pull the covers down. "Morning," she said, holding the sheet tightly to her mouth. Oz mimicked her. "What are we doing?" he asked from behind the sheet. "Morning breath," Charli whispered, as if divulging a secret, "I have it bad." Oz smiled and kissed her through the sheets. "What should we do?" he asked in mock concern. "I suggest brushing," she said, getting up. The sheet fell away and she let him watch her saunter out of the room, not bothering to get dressed. He heard the water run across the hall. Charli poked her head in the door, toothbrush in her mouth. A toothpastey grin crossed her face. She went back into the bathroom, where he heard her spit, rinse, and return. "I have some bad news," she said, crawling back into bed. Oz frowned, but let her kiss him anyway. "What's the bad news?" "I have to go to work today." "It's amazing how little you have to go to work," he said, trying to remember the last time she had. "Well that's the brilliance behind being a fashion magazine editor," she replied. "Writers e-mail me their articles, I read them, fix them, change them, whatever, then the third Tuesday of the month I go to the layout meeting. It's the ideal job: minimum work, maximum pay check." "You said you wouldn't leave me for a second," Oz pouted. "Well after your performance last night, I'd say you were pretty much healed." After a few minutes of lingering in bed, Charli finally extracted herself from the tangle of arms and legs. "Really, I have to go. This is muy importante," she said. "Mind if I get dressed here?" she asked, already knowing the answer would be yes. "Only if I can watch," Oz said, grinning wickedly. "Fine by me," Nikki replied, leaning in for a quick kiss. As she broke away she glanced at Oz's alarm clock, strewn carelessly on the crate that served as his bedside table. "Oh jeez, I better move it!" she said, hurrying into the bathroom. She didn't even bother the shut the door or test the water before jumping into the shower. Oz walked into the bathroom. He could see her silhouette against the shower curtain, but tried not to get too aroused. "Anything I can do?" he called. "Hand me a towel?" Charli replied as she turned off the water. Oz pushed a towel in the small crack between the curtain and the wall, marveling at how short her shower had been. When she stepped out of the shower, the towel was on her head. Oz handed her his bathrobe. She quickly threw it on and headed to Oz's bedroom. Oz went into the kitchen to get her a cup of her favorite morning drink. When he returned, minutes later, Charli was completely ready to go. She wore a white tank top with an asymmetrical neckline, black pants with a hole in the waist, and a red choker to match her red lips.
"My girlfriend is such a hottie," Oz said, coming into the room as Charli put on her black heels.
Charli looked up.
"Brought you coffee," he said, handing her the cup of chocolate milk.
"Yum," Charli said, taking it gratefully. She slowly sipped the chocolatey mix. He made it just the way she liked.
"Don't go," Oz said, sitting next to her on the bed wearing only his boxers.
"Have to," said Charli, finishing the drink. "That was delicious," she said, thanking him.
"When will you get back?" he asked, pulling a tee-shirt over his head.
"When you get some furniture for this place!" Charli joked. She often teased him about his bare apartment.
Charli gaze Oz a light kiss on the lips, which turned into a very deep, lasting kiss. She finally broke away and without a word left him sitting alone on his bed.
Oz got up immediately and got to work. After a quick shower he was out of the house, on his way to the nearest furniture store. He thought it would be a neat joke to furnish the entire apartment before she got back.
In a matter of hours, a delivery truck pulled into the parking lot of Oz's apartment complex. Oz was still cleaning out his old "furniture" (mostly crates and boxes stacked up to make tables and chairs) when they arrived. He had only managed to find a living room suite he liked, but thought the statement was a bold one.

Charli walked into Oz's apartment to find it completely dark.
"Oz?" she called tentatively. "Anybody here?"
In the far corner of the room, Oz struck a match. The light caught her attention and she barely glimpsed Oz's dark eyes before he blew out the small flame.
"Oh! Anybody's here!" she said, making her way to her hunny. She kicked a blunt object three feet into the room
"Ow!" she gasped, wondering what it possibly could have been. She closed her eyes in pain and when the pain dulled and she reopened them, she found Oz had lit several candles - and furnished the living room!
"Oz!" she said, throwing his arms around his neck. "This is huge!"
"Well, it's just a start... one room at a time. I hope you're ok," he said worriedly.
"Oh, I'm fine," she said, reaching for a light. She was stunned to see not only a furnished room, but a beautifully furnished room.
There was a dark brown leather couch and matching love seat, Oz's big screen television was hidden inside a beautiful entertainment center, and the new coffee table, which held candles and books, had two matching tables in the room. A beautiful lamp sat on one of them, in the corner formed by the sofa and love seat, and the other stood in the corner of the room. There were even plants and pillows.
Charli was floored by Oz's bold move. He told her, without saying a word, that his love for her was serious.
"Sit down," Oz insisted as he headed into the kitchen. "I made dinner," he said.
Unable to control herself, Charli burst into a fit of laughter.
"Ok, I didn't make dinner, I bought dinner. But the plates are mine," Oz said as Charli came in.
Oz's makeshift table served a meal which included salads. Charli still had an odd grin on her face. She had just noticed what Oz was wearing - a very nice tuxedo. And his hair wasn't spiked. It looked like he had used an entire bottle of gel to get it that slick.
Charli ate the meal, attempting to cover her astonishment at Oz's sudden grooming. She was ok with the tux, but the hair was too much. When they moved their little date into the living room, she could control herself no longer. She burst into peels of giggles before Oz even had a chance to sit down.
To Charli's surprise, Oz was not the least bit amused. In fact, he looked completely torn up inside.
When she realized his solemnity, she quickly regained her composure. "Oz, what's wrong?" she asked.
"Forget it... I tried to get you to take me seriously... like a boyfriend or something, not just a fling. Forget it," he said, heading toward the front door.
As he passed Charli, she stood up, catching his lips in a sweet, tender kiss. "When was this ever a fling?" she asked, staring straight into his eyes. She kissed him again, and the two spent the night christening the new furniture.