Every night is the same. I go back to our shared apartment to immerse myself in her scent. I know, it's pathetic, but I can't help it – she's intoxicating and I just can't seem to get enough of it.
She doesn't come home until pretty early in the morning, and I know this because I'm usually on the couch, pretending to have fallen asleep watching TV. If I went to bed, there's a good chance she wouldn't get any rest at all, because she wouldn't climb in it if I was in it.
And the couch isn't that bad. Better that I wake up with a crick in my neck instead of her.
The past couple of nights, she's come home and gone straight to the bedroom. From the noises she's barely making, I know she is undressing and slipping between the sheets, and I can feel my heart beat faster. After I'm convinced that she's asleep, I turn off the TV and lay back on the couch, listening to her even breathing, just glad she is home. Safe.
Last night, she came home, undressed, and tossed and turned for two hours, before finally; she swept the bedroom door open and quietly padded out to the couch. I didn't dare open my eyes, just kept breathing normally.
I felt the couch dip between my knees and at my sides under her weight, and a moment later, she was pressed to my side with her back against the couch's, her head on my shoulder, and her hand on my chest. She knows I'm not that heavy a sleeper, so it must have been my silence which she recognized as permission. Within minutes, she fell asleep.
I could feel her bare legs on mine, and with her sandwiched between me and the couch, I could feel her natural body heat emanating and seeping into my skin.
Tonight, I get home and hear her 'asleep' on the couch.
I slip off my jacket and peek around the corner, where it appears she has fallen asleep with no blanket. I consider squeezing behind her on the couch, but figure I better not push it.
I strip down in the bedroom, and the air is heavy with vanilla. It must have been bath night, I realize, pulling off my shirt and sinking back onto the bed. I don't bother with the threadbare blanket. I fold my hands and stare at the ceiling. Wide awake, I wait to hear if she makes any movements or noises.
Three hours later, she climbs onto the bed and lays her soft cheek on my bare chest, inhaling my scent. She rubs her cheekbones into me and my arms adjust around her.