I pulled up in front of his apartment around seven. I told him I’d be there at six but just couldn’t find the nerve to get ready on time. When I rang the doorbell he opened slowly, as if he wasn’t sure who he saw through the peep hole.
“Hey.”
“Hey.” I smiled. He stood in the door way, his hair rumpled, probably from laying around all day. His glasses were askew and he only wore an undershirt and basketball shorts- not that he actually played. My suspicions were proven correct as he opened the door a bit wider and revealed the living room, still a mess from his hours of video games. There was one of the many solider games he spent way too much money on, paused on the screen. Beer bottles and pizza crusts lay abandoned on the coffee table, floor, and even the couch. “Could you be any more of a cliché for twenty year old bachelors?”
He shrugged, pushed some things around, and made room for me on the couch. He pressed play and resumed his game as I began talking about my day. He nodded and shrugged, showing that he was vaguely listening. Things don’t really change. I felt it as we slipped back into the old routine. He shot zombies on screen as I told him about a conversation I had with someone from work. He collected shining gems as I ranted about my professors.
Finally he paused his game and shut down the system. “I’m hungry.”
“Really?” I said, looking around at all the pizza crusts.
“That was from yesterday.”
“….Ew.”
“Chinese?”
“Sure.”
“Movie?”
“Yeah.”
He stood and went into the kitchen. He returned with a bin, and a menu. He tossed me the menu and began picking up all the shit littering his living room.
By the time I hung up, he was returning the bin to the kitchen.
“What do you wanna watch?”
“Anything,” I said, removing my hoodie and shoes. I stood so I could sit cross legged on the couch, but he walked away as I did so, towards his bedroom. “What are you doing?”
“The cable box doesn’t work in the living room any more. I don’t know why. I never manage to call them to come check it out. I hooked it up to the TV in the room.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.” he said as he disappeared down the dark hallway.
When I walked in behind him, I was surprised to find it genuinely tidy. He could be a bit of a slob at times. He sat on the bed and I took the spot beside him, curling my legs underneath me so I could get comfortable. He scrolled through the on-demand menu until he found something interesting.
“We’ve already seen that.”
“So?”
“So I want to watch something new.”
He looked at me, staring blandly until I rolled my eyes and snuggled in to watch the movie- for maybe the sixth time. There was no point arguing with the stubborn boy.
As I watched Iron man’s friend take his suit, I began to get cold. “Turn the air off. I’m freezing my balls off.”
“The air isn’t on.”
“I’m cold” I said, rubbing my hands up and down my arms. He stood, pulling me up as well, and dislodged the comforter from where it was tucked in under the mattress. He sat, and as I did, he wrapped it around my shoulders. “Thanks” I said, knowing it wasn’t enough. He wasn’t fooled. As we continued to watch the movie, from the light glowing in the dark room, my goose bumps were illuminated, and he ran his hand across my exposed forearm.
“Come here.” When I hesitated, he rolled his eyes and pulled me into his arms. He wrapped me up in a warm embrace, rubbing from my shoulder down to my elbow to try and warm me up. We sat like this for a moment, him holding me, me feeling a bit too comfortable. His arms were just too familiar. Soon, he gently unwrapped the thick fabric from around me and tucked it in over his shoulders and around his other side. He snaked an arm around the small of my back and pulled me closer, so that my leg was slightly over his. I watched him the entire time, his eyes never left the screen.
“What are you doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?” He turned towards me and looked into my eyes, staring blankly. Behind the blankness, however, I saw a twinkling of something familiar. “Relax. We’re just watching a movie- there's no reason for us both to freeze. No big deal. Okay?” he turned back to the screen, and with one final tug, I was under his arm and my head found the familiar spot under his jaw, right up against his long warm neck. I rested my head on his shoulder and snuggled my face into his neck. He began rubbing my arm again, making the cold leave me completely.
There, under his arm, snuggled up to him, I felt too comfortable. It was too easy to rest my hand on his lower stomach and wrap the other around his back. He put his arm back onto my waist, and as if by accident, his thumb hooked into the top of my jeans. He never turned to look at me. We just sat there, warm and comfortable, watching the movie. With no cue, almost simultaneously, we turned to face each other. I looked up at him as he gazed down at me, his face no longer blank and guarded. With a slight tilt of my head, I betrayed myself. He took my invitation and met my lips, softly moving his against them. I could feel the stubble on his face tickle my chin and cheek. He deepened the kiss, sliding his warm tongue into my mouth and probing, trying to bring mine alive. I responded happily, again betraying my desire.
He brought his other hand around and grasped my face, holding me in place as his mouth widened even more, enveloping my bottom lip as his tongue danced in my mouth. For a while, we just sat there- kissing. It has been a while since we made out like that. His hands traveled down my neck, over my breasts, and back up my shirt. When he reached around to easily pop my bra open, he pushed it up and took a healthy handful of my chest. He squeezed gently and I began to feel the fabric of my panties dampening. Oh, I wanted this bad. I was already there. He palmed my breasts more, and then pinched my nipple between his thumb and finger. I gasped at the sensation and felt his smile against my lips.