"Wake up," Roman said.
His voice seemed to come from far away. Dixie rolled over on her side and made a sleepy noise. She was not ready to get up yet.
"Wake up, kitten," he singsonged.
Something about that nickname woke her up a bit more. A nose running up her spine made every hair on her body stand up in excitement. She was suddenly fully awake and remembering everything that had happened last night.
"It wasn't a dream, was it? You're real," she said.
"As real as I can be," he said. "I also just started the coffee maker if you're interested. I'm not sure if you're a coffee drinker or not."
"I usually need at least four cops in the morning to be able to stand my own mirror image," she said.
He chuckled the same way he had done the night before.
"Are you still nervous?" She asked.
"A little bit," he answered.
"Why?" She asked.
"You haven't looked at me yet," he answered.
She rolled over on her back and stared at his face. He was wearing glasses. She broke out in a smile that made him smile too.
"You seem pleased with the outcome," he said.
"They look good on you," she said.
"If you can see that, you must be nearsighted," he said.
"I am," she laughed.
He pushed some of her hair behind her ear.
"I really love this look," he said.
"You don't think it's trashy?" She asked.
"No fucking way!" He said. "I love when a woman isn't shy of playing with hair dye. This look is perfect for you."
He leaned down slowly so she had every chance of stopping him. She waited until his lips touched hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her up to sit while kissing her. He broke the kiss and smiled at her.
"So I guess you're up for seeing me again," he chuckled nervously.
"I'd love to," she said.
"I swear this nervous chuckle will disappear soon enough," he said.
"I don't mind it. I'll probably still blurt out random shit to make you embarrassed anyway," she said.
"You didn't embarrass me. You made me horny," he smirked. "I'm happy where things ended."
She gave him a naughty smile before reaching for her phone on the nightstand.
"Damn, it's past noon," she said.
"We were up all night," he reminded her.
"I know. I can still feel it," she said.
"So you're not up for a wake up round today?" He asked.
"I didn't say that," she quickly said.
He broke out in a laugh and shook his head. He leaned in and kissed her again.
"How about we make a day out of it?" He placed a hand on her naked thigh. "I can make sure you wake up first. Then we can move on to a shower followed by some food and coffee."
"And how exactly are you gonna wake me up?" She asked.
"Well," he leaned in to kiss her neck. "I'm gonna..."
They were interrupted by her phone ringing. They looked at each other and laughed. She looked down at the screen and saw Mandy's name.
"Just great," Dixie mumbled before answering. "Hi, Mandy."
"I'm on my way to see you," Mandy said.
"I'm not home," Dixie said.
"Where are you?" Mandy asked.
"I never made it home last night," Dixie said.
Dixie looked at Roman who gave her a wink in return.
"You didn't make it home? What the actual fuck, Dixie?" Mandy yelled. "You better be home within half an hour, or I'm gonna be so fucking mad at you. You're my friend, damn it! Friends don't treat each other like that. You knew I wanted him. You stole him from me. I can't believe the nerves..."
Dixie hung up mid sentence and looked at Roman.
"You need new friends," he said.
"Tell me about it," she sighed.
She put her phone on mute and placed it back on the nightstand.
"Why do you let her treat you like that?" He asked.
"Believe it or not, we were both the outcast when we were young. No one wanted to play with the ugly ducklings so we became friends. She grew up into a beautiful swan and I became whatever fuck the opposite of a swan is. She still stayed by my side though. Her beauty opened doors I hadn't been able to walk through before. I felt like I owed her something for everything she made happen," she said.
He took her hands and smiled warmly.
"First of all, you're the swan between the two of you. Don't ever let anyone tell you differently. I noticed you across the room because you're so god damn beautiful. Second of all, did you like what was behind those doors?" He asked.
"Not really," she shrugged. "Sometimes there were friendly people there. People wanting something from Mandy who then went through me. It didn't really matter to me. She's my friend. Or she was. I don't even know anymore."
"Do you have other friends?" He asked.
"Yeah, I found friends outside of the small bubble her and I created back in the days. None of my other friends like her though so I don't ever hang out with them and her at the same time," she said.
"I think I like your other friends," he said.
"You'll like them," she smiled widely. "They're the best. No one ever judges anyone. We're all accepted as we are."
He leaned forward and pecked her lips.
"You don't owe Mandy anything. All those doors that opened didn't open because of her. They opened because you were there. You chose to walk through them with her but not because of her. Other doors open without her. Doors leading to good places as well. You already know that with the friends you found away from her," he said.
"And you," she blushed. "You were a freaking awesome door."
"Yeah?" He grinned. "Maybe you should keep this door open."
"And invite others in?" She asked.
"No!" He laughed. "It's only open for you."
He pushed her down on her back again. He leaned over her, took off his glasses and placed them on the nightstand. He kissed her and then moved his lips down her chin, throat and chest. He stopped at her stomach and raised his head to look at her.
"How about that wake up call?" He asked.
"Yes, please!" She begged.
"And she begs," he smirked. "I love it."
He kissed her stomach and dipped his tongue down in her navel. She grabbed a fistful of his hair.
"Please!" She pulled on his hair. "Fucking please, Adonis! Stop teasing!"
"Easy, kitten," he said. "You'll get what you need and then some more."
