"Hi," Sully was leaning on her door frame. He took in her appearance.
She wore sweat pants and a fitting t-shirt. She had secured her hair in a pony tail, and she looked a little tired from being awake most of the night.
"I brought food" he handed her a paper bag and smiled "From Grace's"
She moved a little and let him in with a smile.
"I guess I can't turn that down… I can't believe you went all the way across town" she said leading him into the kitchen.
She motioned for him to take a seat at the table, and he watched her rummage around making coffee.
"It's not too far from my place. Besides I promised you the best…" his eyes lingered at her small frame as she reached for the plates in the top cabinet
and a small area of skin on her back and stomach was revealed by her motions.
The next moment she was next to him leaning over the table placing the plates and cutlery.
"I could help with that" he mumbled trying to distract himself from the same area of skin mocking him, and she turned her head answering him.
"Would you mind getting the coffee?"
"Sure" he quickly got up and found himself opening random cabinets in search of mugs.
"There…" she was next to him, and this time he noticed a flowery scent from her hair.
"Right…" he took down two mugs, and literally bumped into her.
"Sorry.." they said in unison, and then they burst out laughing.
"This is awkward" she smiled, and he had that twinkle in his eyes.
"Is it?" Their eyes met, and she bit her lower lip.
"Maybe…"
He could not help touching her pony tail. "I like your hair, it's very soft… and beautiful." She smiled again.
"What's so funny?"
"It's just…" she shook her head feeling silly and lightheaded.
They sat down at the table.
"What?" Sully caught her eye again and held her gaze.
She took a deep breath before answering; "Well, every time I think you are going to do something, you always do something else."
"What do you mean?"
"Like now… you start talking about my hair."
"What did you think I was going to do?" he challenged.
"I think you know..." she shot back.
Sully grinned and took a bite of his food.
She did the same, and they ate in a comfortable silence.
When they were done Sully leaned back eying her with a cheeky expression. "So you want to kiss, huh?"
"I didn't say that…" she got up and started clearing the table.
"You did not have to," he commented.
She continued talking while preparing for the dishes. "I said you look like you're going to and then you don't.
Besides… I don't have the time for a…. boyfriend."
She turned to get the remainders from the table, but Sully was right there behind her with the mugs, and for the second time that morning she crashed into him.
He put the things on the counter, and steadied himself against it with his hands on either side of her.
"Did you say boyfriend?" his face was a few inches from hers, and his musky scent reached her nostrils.
"I… well… yes." She lowered her eyes, and he touched her hair again only this time his fingertips grazed her neck and shoulder in the process
causing her to look him in the eye again.
"I'm not in the habit of rushing into anything." He looked serious, "but you make me feel something I haven't felt before… don't look away."
He cupped her cheek with the palm of his hand and ran his thumb over her mouth. His eyes were fixed on her lips, and she held her breath in anticipation.
"Do I want to kiss you? Yes, I do." He spoke in a soft sensual tone while stroking her lips.
"But the truth, Michaela, is that I want more."
"More?" she grabbed the edge of the counter with her hands.
"Yes, I want all the perks."
She swallowed hard and queried "Perks?"
His eyes returned to hers; "you know… to come around unannounced because I feel like seeing you, to hang out, eat pizza and just be around you
without having to worry about acting correctly. To get to know you and maybe then… some more."
It all sounded so natural, so easy the way he said it. As a matter of fact she felt very at ease around him.
"Some more?" she questioned softly, and he smiled.
"Maybe…but we can start by being just friends. Truth is I don't take relationships lightly."
"Me neither. We could be friends… but… I have a history with male friends." She admitted shyly.
"What is that?" He looked at her awkward expression and her blush. "Let me guess. They fall in love with you and the feeling is not mutual?"
She wrinkled her nose at his guess and nodded. She didn't know why she had brought it up. It just seemed like a fair thing to say.
"I like you Sully. You're easy to be around, and well… there is something about you I really like."
They stood for a moment still inches apart.
"We could do a test…" he ventured. Her eyes widened a little "A test?"
"Yeah, you know I want to kiss you, and you want to make sure we don't end up in a difficult situation. So we could see how a kiss might work.
Then we would know from the beginning how we might feel. If the kiss is nothing, I promise you I'll never compromise our friendship.
That way you won't end up in an awkward situation."
She laughed softly "Are you crazy? This is something you say in 6th grade."
He smiled " I know… but it works."
She felt the intensity of his gaze on her. "So you tried it before?"
"Only in the 6th grade…" he grinned.
The thoughts were running through her head as she quickly contemplated her options. Then she made a decision.
"We need some ground rules for the test."
He laughed at her answer. "Spoken like a true scientist. What are the rules?"
"Lips only, no touching," she said with determination.
"Okay" he shrugged his shoulders a little. Then they looked at eachother.
"Ready?" she nodded in response and took a deep breath.
Slowly they moved closer. Soon the sound of their breathing was all they focused on.
Easy now... Sully thought to himself.
Their lips met half way, and they both held firmly onto the counter.
Sully leaned in, and she reached for his soft moist lips with hers.
"No touching…" she had to chant her own rule in her head.
His kiss was gentle and moist and it made her a little dizzy. He wanted to pull her close so he could feel her body fully against his, but he held back.
He did not want to break her trust. She smelled like flowers and tasted like strawberries, and he also felt a little dizzy.
The kiss lasted longer than they had first intended, and even if they did not touch, she felt her pulse quicken and she had to steady herself.
When he pulled back her lips were swollen, and she tried to control her breathing.
When their eyes met both searched for a response – a reaction- in the other.
"You okay?" he asked gently, forgetting the do-not-touch-rule and simply caressed her upper arm and shoulder.
"Yes…" she did not know why she whispered, but she did, and he added a "are we okay?" to which she nodded a silent yes.
Then he could not resist and pulled her close for a long warm hug.
Sully hung around most of the afternoon, and when he left he crossed paths with Miriam who was coming by to study with Michaela.
She had only just parked her car when she saw Michaela seeing him off.
"I'll see you on Tuesday after practise." He smiled at her, and she nodded suppressing a yawn.
"You better get some sleep" he grazed her shoulder and neck making her shiver.
"I have to study… you don't look too rested yourself" she offered him a smile, and their eyes met.
Once again she felt drawn to him, and for some reason she wanted to prolong the moment.
Sully lingered, too. He had been thinking about their kiss most of the day and wondered if she had felt the same as him. But he did not know how to bring it up.
"I'm going for a run and then I'm crashing on my sofa with a film. I've got practise tomorrow with the team." He responded.
Once again they just stood there waiting for the other to move and to say goodbye properly.
In the end Michaela spotted Miriam's car, and she fidgeted a little.
"Miriam's here… I better find my books."
"Okay, I'll come by on Tuesday, so we can plan what to do with Brian" with that he almost jogged down the steps to the street passing Miriam on the way to his car.
Michaela's fidgeting had not gone unnoticed, and he wondered what it meant.