Seth stumbled out of bed next day and looked at his boots on the floor. It hadn't been a dream. Antoinette had been there to take off his boots. He rubbed his temples and was happily surprised that the hangovers weren't as bad as they could have been.
"Never drink again," he mumbled.
He walked out of the room and stopped. He could feel he wasn't alone in the house. His parents wouldn't be home for weeks. He walked through the house and found Antoinette. She was sitting on the countertop with a cup of coffee in her hand, looking out through the window.
"You stayed?" He asked.
She turned her head and smiled at him.
"On the couch," she answered. "I figured it was the safest thing to do. You were really drunk. I was scared you were gonna try and run off to find more alcohol."
He walked over to her and looked out of the window. Two crows were outside going through wallnuts that had fallen from his parents' tree in the garden. He smiled at the sight. They seemed so happy and free in their simple bird life.
"How are you feeling?" She asked.
"Better than I should all things considered," he answered.
"That's good," she said.
He placed a hand on her knee and looked at her. All the memories from the night before came crashing back. He hadn't forgotten anything.
"What are you the chances that you're gonna forget how big of an idiot I was by goading you into hitting me?" He asked.
"About the same as me forgetting about kissing you," she answered.
He couldn't stop the grin that formed on his face.
"I thought you might wanna pretend that didn't happen," he said.
"I should have, shouldn't I? I should have known you wanted me to. It's okay, Seth. It was just a kiss. It didn't mean anything," she said.
"No, I..." He started.
"Take a shower," she cut him off. "You reek like a brewery. And brush your teeth."
She turned her attention back to the crows in the garden. He removed his hand from her knee and walked out in the bathroom. He felt defeated. Last night had meant something. He hadn't expected her to cut him off like that. She had misunderstood him and he had been too slow to correct that.
He peed, brushed his teeth and took a quick shower. He felt better afterwards as he walked back to the guest room to get dressed and spray himself with some deodorant. He walked back out in the kitchen where she was still sitting to his surprise.
"I thought you had left," he said.
"Sorry, those crows were too entertaining apparently," she said. "I'll leave now."
"No, don't," he said.
He walked back over to her and once again placed his hand on her knee. He kept eye contact with her while he slid his hand up her thigh.
"Kiss me," he said.
"You're not drunk," she said.
"Exactly," he said. "If I had been sober last night, you know damn well we would have woken up naked together this morning. You did the right thing. You left my drunk ass in there to sleep it off. But sober me is standing right here in front of you, and I'm asking you to kiss me again."
He pulled her closer to the edge and stepped in between her legs. He had both hands on her thighs now, looking at her hopefully, waiting for those sweet lips to touch his again. She wrapped her arms around him and leaned down to kiss him. For a long time they stood like that until he broke the kiss and looked at her.
"It should have been you," he said.
"You told me last night," she said.
"I remember," he said. "And I meant every word. For so long I've wanted you. I didn't know how to handle it. I didn't wanna mess up your family so I stayed with Nikki. I'm a fucking idiot. I know that now. You can hate me all you want but I just wanted to be near you even though the days were far in between."
She kissed his forehead and smiled at him.
"I've never wanted anyone as much as I want you," she said.
"And still I feel like I can't drag you into this," he sighed. "You know there's gonna be a shit ton of drama on its way. When that child comes..."
"You're gonna do what feels right for you. Fuck Nikki! She made her bed. She can lie in it now. Meanwhile I'll keep you warm in your bed," she said.
She smirked at him and he smirked back. She really was something else.
"I never thought I'd meet someone like you," he said.
"Likewise," she said. "The online dating scene can be hell for a childfree person."
"How have you managed to weed out the bad seeds?" He asked.
"I had two failed relationships where I was supposed to change my mind according to them. You know that's never gonna happen. After the second one, I learned to put the ball on their side first. I simply asked where they saw themselves in ten years. If the answer was married with kids, I thanked them for the date and wished them well," she said.
"You're so fucking smart. I should have done that with Nikki. All this could have been avoided," he said.
He placed his hand on her cheek and stroked it with his thumb.
"But then I wouldn't have met you. Maybe this crazy ride was all part of a greater plan for the two of us to get together. Like destiny or some shit like that," he said.
"Why did we waste all this time instead of just coming clean to each other and giving the middle finger to my family?" She asked.
"I don't know," he answered. "I thought I was doing the right thing. I never knew exactly how you felt about me. I mean, I felt it somewhere deep inside. A part of me probably always knew but another part of my didn't want to break up your family."
"Fuck my family. I never liked them anyway," she said.
He lifted her off the counter and started carrying her out of the kitchen.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"What do you think, pretty face? I'm taking you to my bed," he said.
"No, not in your parents' house," she said.
"What do you suggest then?" He asked.
"My house," she smirked. "Call a cab and grab your bags. You can stay with me until you find somewhere else."
He kissed her again and pushed her up against the nearest wall. He had to force himself to finally put her down when it felt like his dick was about to take over all the decisions and decline her offer to go to her house first.
"Sex before breakfast!" He growled.
"I promise," she chuckled. "What do you want for breakfast afterwards?"
"More sex," he grinned. "And an omelet would be nice."