"Will you stay tonight?", Eric asked Nell once he had caught his breath, both still laying naked in tangled sheets. Nell just looked at Eric like she was seeing him for the first time, still reeling from their encounter she simply pulled on his bicep so he rolled over to her, laying his head on her shoulder where he could nuzzle her neck and she could toy with his hair. "I'm not going anywhere." Eric smiled into her neck and brought his arms up to wrap around her, desperate to be as close to her as he could.
Nell woke first. After taking a moment to realize whose bed she was lying in and whose arms were still tightly enveloping her, she allowed herself a slight smile. Turning slightly, she looked down at Eric, taking several minutes to make a mental image of the sandy blonde and slightly curly hair, strong cheekbones and jawline, the way his lips parted slightly in his deep sleep. Despite feeling immensely content and satisfied, Nell could not help but wonder if Eric would think their night together was a mistake, something he did for temporary relief of emotional pain. Best to keep this quiet until I know if he really feels for me.
She was still deep in her own thoughts as Eric stirred and woke up, renewing his hug and gently, tentatively, kissing her neck as he looked up with a smile. "Hi", he said in a barely audible voice, in wonder of the woman lying next to him, the woman he never imagined would actually be in his bed.
There was an uneasy silence as both wondered what to say or do next. Nell was holding off saying anything, seeing the 'after sex' talk as something the guy did, generally to offer her breakfast and a ride back to her place. Sure enough, Eric spoke first but it was not what Nell had been bracing for.
"Nell, are you okay with…what happened last night? I mean, it was…you were amazing. Like wow amazing. But…you didn't, ummm, you didn't sleep with me just to prove you aren't mad at me, right? I mean, not that you would do something like that, I just—this isn't coming out the way I thought, the way I, look, what I wanted to say, what I meant to say is—" Nell felt it was time to end Eric's misery and cut him off, "Eric. I spent the night with you because I wanted to."
Eric was still struggling for words and had shifted away from Nell to a sitting position against the headboard when she took mercy on him and ended his awkward rambling. He was floored by what she said. She wanted to be with me. He could think of no response powerful enough to convey how happy he was at what she said so he just smiled the smile that he reserved just for her and said "Awesome." as he leaned down and kissed Nell deeply, savoring the feeling of her reciprocating and pulling him down to her.
After about ten minutes of making out like teenagers, Nell glanced over at the clock on Eric's bedside table. "Oh! I need to get going if I'm going to get to Ops on time." Eric checked the time as well and reluctantly realized Nell was right, especially since she would have to go home to get ready first.
Nell and Eric separated to get dressed, both just putting on the hastily removed clothes from the night before, helping each other locate their missing articles of clothing that had gotten lost in the sheets or under the bed. As Eric walked Nell to his door, he asked, "Can I see you again? Like a date, I mean."
"I think I'd like that", Nell answered "But we need to be professional at work, the team shouldn't know about…you know" He'll want to hide me anyway, so this is just more convenient. Like any man can handle my special brand of quirks.
"Great! I'd like that too. And you're right, we shouldn't say anything at work. I'm coming in today, by the way. I feel so much better about the whole thing since you aren't pissed at me and I can talk to you. I'm sure the others will just leave me be and not say anything, which is fine. Preferable, actually. It's sort of a relief that they know. It's lighter, you know?"
Nell smiled at him and appreciated the casual way he took things in life in stride, even the loss of his mom which was still raw. "Yeah, that makes sense. Hetty might be mad at you showing up, but I think she knows we all work through things in different ways."
With one more kiss, Nell slipped outside and drove home, wondering if the morning and prior night had all been a dream and if Eric really would be different from all the other men before him.
I know, not the best. I'm not happy with it either. Hopefully chapter 6 will be better for all of us. Thanks for the reviews!