When Paulo first received Sue's text, he could not believe any part of it. First off, she was texting him. Second, it seemed very unSue-like, and third… well, they haven't spoken since graduation. They didn't really get along at school. Only because they shared other friends did they even spend time near each other. Even with that, they sat on opposite ends of the table. Now, it was years later, Mike, Lucy, and Daisy were all going to college while he worked. Sue had fallen off over the years, and while the main four met up regularly, Sue faded into the background.

But all the same, Paulo had found himself reading the text over and over again.

'Hey. Wanna come over and we can do something fun ;)'

Paulo couldn't even remember giving her his phone number. It probably happened at graduation, when everyone was giving out their numbers to keep in contact. The somali had mulled over the message, wondering if it was even real or not. It was literally the first thing in their message history. This had to be a scam. Despite his reservations, Paulo had decided to respond, and after a small back and forth, he agreed to meet her at her place that weekend.

So Paulo found himself at the address Sue had sent him, fully expecting it to be a ruse, but to his surprise she opened the door when he knocked. Her eyes lit up a little seeing him, which was definitely new for the both of them. Soon they were both inside, and it was then Paulo noticed she was wearing nothing but a robe.

He questioned her attire, but the girl shushed him. She put her arms around him and said, "We can do whatever you want, all I ask is afterwards you stay and talk."

This was beyond unbelievable behavior from Sue, and Paulo was understandably skeptical. However, Sue assured him it was okay, that she was of sound mind, and even guided one of his hands to her chest to prove she was okay with it. Though he still had some questions, who was he to deny her desires? And truth be told, it had been some time since he'd been with anyone.

So they both found themselves in her bedroom, on her bed, tangled in blankets and sheets and each other. It was a little awkward at first, but both were able to get something out of it. After both were done, and had collapsed onto the bed, Paulo held up his end of the bargain and they talked.

Sue talked about her life, and wanted to know about what Paulo and the others had been up to. And Paulo told her everything she wanted to know. Surprisingly to him, they talked for far longer than he was expecting. Eventually, he had to call it a night and go home, but as Sue walked him to the door, she said, "See you again soon?"

Paulo had paused a moment, having thought that night had been just a one time thing, but there was something in the burmese's voice that made him agree. A deep, sad longing that grabbed him by the heart, even if for a second. Sue smiled at his answer and wished him goodnight, and he did the same as well.

And so they made it a habit of meeting up every weekend, having their intimate dance together, followed by hours of talking. After a few meetups, Paulo even began spending the night with her, something Sue hadn't requested, but wasn't denying him either. She seemed happier when he did, and while Paulo thought this was just a friends with benefits situation, he began to wonder something he had forgotten after their first time - why?

That was the question he was going to ask her tonight. When he arrived, Sue was already at the door to greet him. They smiled, said their hellos, and Sue took the orange cat by the hand and led him to her bedroom. She dropped her robe and laid on the bed. "You know the deal. You can do whatever you want, just as long as you stay and talk afterwards."

Paulo nodded and began removing his clothes, but that one word question popped into his head, and he stopped. He slowly looked up from his unbuttoned, unzipped pants. Sue's expression changed from one of sultry to that of confusion. "What's wrong? Need some help?"

Paulo shook his head. "Why are we doing this?"

"It's just some fun!" Sue said, trying to get things back on track.

"I get that, but why are we really doing this?" He asked. "Why did you reach out to me? To bang and talk?"

A timidness was creeping into Sue's voice. He was beginning to want to break down some barriers. "I don't see why it matters, you get something, I get something. It's a fair deal. Now let's just do this."

"It matters because I care." Paulo properly fashioned his pants back up. "And I'm worried about you, Sue."

Sue crossed her arms and looked away. "There… there isn't anything wrong."

"Yes there is." Paulo took a step forward. "None of this is like you. Reaching out to me, wanting sex, and all you're asking in return is for me to talk to you? Not money, not dinner, nothing. You just want to talk."

"Okay, so what? Don't you like it?" Sue said quietly.

"Well… yeah." Paulo admitted. He had started looking forward to seeing Sue. They had found a nice chemistry together during all of their meetings. She was soft and plush, and Paulo found himself admiring all of her adorable little idiosyncrasies. She was easy on the eyes, the hands, his… Paulo shook his more primal thoughts away. There was something much more important to him than getting some action from her, and that was her as a person.

"So let's do it. I don't see why tonight is any different." Sue said, getting really uncomfortable that things hadn't gone back to normal.

"I wanna know why you reached out to me." Paulo said. "ME of everyone."

Sue looked up at him with sorrowful eyes, and looked away again. She withdrew into herself, wanting to push him away again, but she knew better. Paulo was stubborn, and he wasn't going to just let this go. If not tonight, then it would be another, if there ever was another. "I… I was just so lonely. I just… I just wanted to talk to my old friends again." She whispered, tears stinging at her eyes. "There. I said it."

"So why not reach out to Mike? Lucy? Daisy? Anyone?" Paulo asked, even more confused, and he walked over and took a seat beside her on the bed. "Why ask me?"

Sue wiped away the tears that had managed to form themselves in the corners of her eyes. "I haven't talked to anyone since graduation… I assumed you guys had forgotten me, and… I just didn't know if any of you even cared anymore. And I thought… God, I've been so stupid, so selfish!"

"Thought what?" Paulo asked.

"I thought…" Sue whispered, completely ashamed of herself, now that she was saying it out loud for the first time.

"That if you offered me sex, I would show up and talk." Paulo finished.

He had guessed correctly. Sue's walls were breaking down entirely, and years of anxiety and insecurity were now taking hold of her again. "It's h-horrible of m-me, r-r-right?" She choked through her tears. "T-to think so l-little of you that I th-thought that I c-could use th-that a-as a means of g-g-getting your attention."

"I mean, it worked, I guess." Paulo shrugged. "But yes, ouch."

Sue nodded, hating herself more now than she ever had before. She had set a new low, lower than the ground, she had dug a hole and buried the bar there. "I h-hate myself!"

"C'mon, we all do stupid things for attention." Paulo said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You should have just reached out, I'm sure the others would be thrilled to see you again."

"After wh-what I've d-done? I d-don't deserve their friendship, and d-definitely n-not yours…" Sue sniffled.

"If I didn't care about you, I wouldn't keep coming over here every weekend." Paulo comforted her. "It wasn't just for the sex, maybe at first it was, but after a few times I was doing it for you." Sue wiped her cheeks again and looked at him with big, watery eyes. "I guess what I'm trying to say is…" Paulo went bright red, now having the added pressure of her eyes on him. "That I've grown to really care about you. I like talking to you, hearing about the things you've been up to. And… for what it's worth, you're a total babe in bed."

Sue couldn't help but smile through the tears and laugh a little. "Th-that is such a you thing to say."

"Hey, glad I could get a smile on that face." Paulo flashed a charming grin of his own.

Sue nodded, wiping away the last of her tears. She scooted right up to him, laying her head on his shoulder, and Paulo put an arm around her. They sat in silence, soaking in the moment. There was a newfound sense of comfort in it, moreso than any of their best nights before. After some time, Paulo broke the silence. "Ssoooo…"

"So?" Sue asked.

"Still wanna bang?"

Sue began to open her mouth to chastise him for ruining the moment, but Paulo continued. "Or, I'm thinking I can take you to dinner. Then we can bang. And talk."

Sue dialed back and smiled again. "I'd really like that."

Paulo pulled his arm back and got up. "Then put some clothes on. I don't think they're gonna allow nudists at the restaurant."

"I didn't think Burger-Tron would care." Sue stuck out her tongue.

Paulo put on a faux air of offense. "You hurt me, Sue! Why just assume I was going to take you to Burger-Tron?"

"Weren't you?" Sue cocked an eyebrow.

Paulo smiled sheepishly. "I… I mean, yeah, but… y'know… it's late and a lot of places are closed…"

"Hey, dummy! Burger-Tron sounds great. Now get out!" Sue pointed at her bedroom door. "I need to get dressed!"

"Really? This is nothing I'm not already admiring." Paulo whistled, eyeing Sue's body up and down.

Sue blushed, never having imagined she'd be so flattered by such a corny line. "Just get out, I'll be ready soon."

"Alright, alright." The somali put his hands up defensively, backing out of her room, with just his head poking in. "Just know that after this little date, I'm taking them all off again."

Sue launched a pillow at his face and Paulo laughed, backing out and giving her her privacy. The burmese fell back onto her bed and sighed happily. It was a really hard conversation, but it was over now. She wished she had just been open to him about it sooner. Would they have gotten as close, though? Outside, Paulo had whipped out his phone and texted Lucy, Mike, and Daisy.

'Hey guys, meet me at Burger-Tron in 15. Bringing an old friend.'