We both went quiet after that. The silence stretched between us for what felt like a while. It seemed as if both of us felt the heat in the moment. She let out a small chuckle, dropped her eyes to her lap, and tapped her nails on the glass. I reached over, picked mine up from the table and took a sip.
After I cleared my throat, I said, “Can I ask you something?”
She looked at me. “Sure.”
“Why you put your things in the guest room?”
She scoffed and twisted her lips. Through furrowed brows and a laugh, she responded, “Boy, why is you playing? You know why!”
“No, I don’t,” I teased. With my eyes on her, I took a sip from my glass.
“I don’t even know why you playing with me right now.”
“I’m just saying, you seen that California king bed in my room. More than enough room.”
“I bet it is.” She playfully rolled her eyes. “But you already know the reason.”
“No, I don’t. Let me hear you say it.”
She exhaled. “Because we said we’d learn each other again as adults. As friends. No rushing. No pretending old feelings didn’t complicate things.”
I nodded, even though my chest tightened. I had agreed to learn more about each other before we jumped into something, and although I had joked, I knew she was right. “I agreed to that? I don’t remember that shit,” I joked. “Sound like torture to me.”
She chuckled. “It’s discipline.”
We stared at each other then. My eyes traced the way her hair framed her face. Her deep, brown eyes held mine like she knew exactly what it did to me. The light from the fire kissed her skin and highlighted the trace of her jawline. She always held the kind of beauty that never needed to beg for attention. I wanted to forget the movie, forget what we were talking about, but most of all, I wanted to say fuck the rules we’d agreed on. The way she stared at me while she took calm and deep breaths made my dick hard.
I broke the silence first. “What movie is this again?” I asked, squinting at the screen like I cared.
She laughed out loud. “You are ridiculous.”
“Hey, how I’m supposed to remember every conversation we ever had?” I smirked.
“Yeah, whatever, nigga.”
We both picked up our phones and checked the time at the same moment.
“I should get some sleep,” she said as she stood.
I couldn’t help but stare at the way her ass looked in those leggings. Princess had a curvy body ever since we were younger, but as she aged, her hips spread even more. She stretched, and her sweater rose a little, revealing her belly button. She laughed through a yawn and shook her head when she caught me gawking.
“You are so funny, Zay.”
I licked my top lip and bit my bottom one playfully. “I ain’t doing nothing.”
I grabbed the remote, turned the TV off, and stood. The light from the fireplace danced behind us and cast shadows on the wall as I followed her to the hallway. We paused at the doorframe. The guest room was to the right, my room to the left.
“Good night,” she said.
“Good night,” I replied.
She smiled once more before she turned to the right. I watched her walk down the hall and pause at the door. She waved, opened the door, and stepped into the room. It made a soft click when it shut.
I sighed, turned left, and padded the short walk to my room. I noticed how quiet the house was once I closed my door. My thoughts were loud when I pushed open the bathroom door and flipped the light switch.
My bathroom wasn’t big, but it was one of my favorite parts of my space. The matte-black fixtures were nice, but the stone flooring made it pop. The shower sat open and wide, with entrances on the left and right, a large tub in between. The stone tiles aligned the walls and ceiling that met in the middle, where the waterfall head was mounted. It was easily big enough for three, maybe four people. I knew that from experience.
The memory popped into my mind, uninvited: laughter, hands everywhere, soft bodies with titties pressed against myback and chest. That night felt indulgent, loud, and empty in hindsight.
