Nothing Left to Hide Pt 5

Part Five

The Morning After

We didn't solve anything that night.

Maybe that was the smartest thing we'd done all week.

After dinner, Megan and I drifted back toward the couch. The television came on, although neither of us paid much attention to it. Tomorrow kept hanging there between us.

Kelly.

The date.

Whatever Megan and I were becoming.

Whatever Kelly and I might become.

Every few minutes I caught Megan looking at me. Not at my body. At me.

That was somehow harder.

Around eleven, she yawned.

"I'm going to bed."

"Okay."

She stood.

Then didn't move.

I knew the question before she asked it.

"Are you coming?"

I looked toward the hallway.

"Do you want me to?"

Megan rolled her eyes.

"I wouldn't have asked otherwise."

"Just checking."

"You're annoying."

"So I've heard."

She started down the hallway.

I followed.

There was no discussion this time about what sleeping together meant.

That felt significant.

The night before, we'd practically negotiated a treaty.

No sex.

No assumptions.

Bodies could react without creating obligations.

Either person could change their mind.

Tonight Megan simply pulled back the covers and climbed into bed naked.

I got in beside her.

Also naked.

She turned off the lamp.

Darkness settled over the room.

For perhaps ten seconds we stayed on our respective sides.

Then Megan moved.

"Come here."

"You come here."

"This is my bed."

"Exactly. You know the terrain."

"Asshole."

I heard the sheets move.

A moment later she was against me.

Her head found my shoulder. One arm crossed my stomach. My arm settled around her.

And there it was.

Normal.

Which was insane.

Two weeks earlier, Megan seeing my dick in the living room had been a household emergency. Now we were naked in bed together and the nudity barely registered.

Her warmth did.

The weight of her head did.

The way her blonde hair tickled beneath my chin did.

The little movement she made when she found a comfortable position did.

Those things felt intimate.

After a while she spoke into the darkness.

"Blake?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm still jealous."

I smiled.

"I figured."

"I'm trying not to be."

"You don't have to try that hard."

She lifted her head.

"What does that mean?"

"It means you're allowed to feel however you feel."

She settled again.

"I don't want to become some crazy jealous woman."

"I don't think you're crazy."

"Good answer."

"Thank you."

"I could still become crazy."

"I'll monitor the situation."

She pinched my side.

"Ow."

"Monitor that."

I laughed.

She tucked herself closer.

Then, quieter:

"I like this."

I knew she didn't mean being naked.

"Me too."

"Whatever happens tomorrow..."

She stopped.

"What?"

"Don't disappear on me."

That hurt a little.

I tightened my arm around her.

"I'm here."

"I know."

She exhaled.

Eventually her breathing slowed.

Mine followed.

And sometime after midnight we fell asleep tangled together.

⸻

Morning arrived before either of us was ready for it.

Sunlight came through the blinds in thin gold stripes.

I was on my back.

That was the first thing I registered.

The second was warmth.

Megan was curled against my left side, one leg partly draped across mine, her head tucked against my shoulder.

The third thing I registered was that I had an absolutely raging morning erection.

Nothing unusual there.

I was twenty-two.

I'd been asleep.

Morning erections had already become something Megan and I could joke about.

Then I became aware of something else.

My brain took several seconds to understand it.

Warmth.

Pressure.

A hand.

I opened my eyes completely.

Megan's arm was lying across my lower stomach.

And sometime during the night, her hand had ended up resting directly over my erection.

I stopped breathing.

No.

Surely not.

I looked down.

Yep.

Megan was sound asleep.

And she was holding my dick.

Not doing anything.

Not moving.

Just...

Holding it.

Like sometime during the night her sleeping brain had apparently decided it needed somewhere to put her hand and had selected the single most awkward location available.

I stared at the ceiling.

"Fuck."

Barely a whisper.

What was I supposed to do?

Move her hand?

That meant touching her hand while it was on my dick.

Leave it?

That seemed considerably worse.

Wake her?

Absolutely not.

Good morning, Megan. Before you open your eyes, there's something you should know about your current hand placement.

No.

I remained perfectly still.

Maybe she'd move naturally.

She didn't.

Instead she snuggled closer.

My eyes widened.

"Megan..."

Nothing.

Her fingers shifted slightly as she settled.

Every muscle in my body locked.

"Oh, Jesus."

Her eyelids fluttered.

No.

No, no, no.

Not yet.

Give me five seconds.

Three.

Anything.

Her eyes opened.

Sleepy blue.

For a moment she simply looked at me.

"Morning."

Her voice was soft and rough with sleep.

"Morning."

She smiled.

Then frowned.

Because she'd noticed my expression.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"I'm really not."

She became more awake.

"Blake?"

"Yeah?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Her eyes narrowed.

Then she moved.

Barely.

Her hand moved with her.

She froze.

I watched awareness travel across her face.

Confusion first.

Then recognition.

Then absolute horror.

Her eyes got enormous.

She looked down.

Then back at me.

Then down again.

"Oh."

I said nothing.

Her entire face turned red.

"Oh my God."

"Good morning."

"OH MY GOD."

She snatched her hand away so fast she nearly elbowed me in the stomach.

I started laughing.

"Don't laugh!"

"I'm sorry."

"Blake!"

"I didn't put it there!"

"I KNOW!"

She rolled away from me and yanked the sheet halfway over herself.

Which was ridiculous.

I'd seen every inch of Megan for more than a week.

Apparently embarrassment had temporarily rediscovered modesty.

"Oh my God."

She covered her face.

I was still laughing.

"This isn't funny!"

"It's a little funny."

"I was holding your dick!"

"Technically."

Her head snapped toward me.

"Technically?"

"I don't know what else to call it."

"Don't call it anything!"

I laughed harder.

She buried her face in the pillow.

"I'm moving out."

"It's your apartment too."

"Then you're moving out."

"Seems extreme."

She rolled back toward me.

Her face was still scarlet.

"How long?"

"What?"

"How long was my hand there?"

"I don't know."

"Blake."

"I was asleep too!"

"When did you wake up?"

"Maybe thirty seconds before you."

"THIRTY SECONDS?"

"What was I supposed to do?"

"Move my hand!"

"I considered it."

"And?"

"I couldn't figure out how to do that without making the situation even weirder."

She stared at me.

Then glanced down.

I was still very obviously hard.

Her eyes shot back to mine.

"Why is it still..."

She stopped.

"Megan."

"What?"

"I'm twenty-two, it's morning, and a beautiful naked woman just woke up with her hand on my dick."

Her mouth opened.

Closed.

Then:

"Oh."

I smiled.

She pulled the sheet higher.

"Stop saying things like that."

"You asked."

"I know."

"And for the record, I'm not complaining."

That earned me a pillow directly to the face.

I caught it.

"Asshole."

"You were the one grabbing things in your sleep."

"I WAS ASLEEP!"

"So was I!"

She stared at me.

Then her mouth twitched.

I saw it.

"No."

"What?"

"Don't laugh."

"I'm not."

"You are."

"I'm traumatized."

"Bullshit."

Her smile escaped.

Then mine did.

Within seconds we were both laughing.

Megan dropped backward onto the pillow and covered her face again.

"I cannot believe that happened."

"Neither can I."

"What is wrong with us?"

"Apparently we're very comfortable roommates."

She peeked through her fingers.

"Too comfortable."

"Possibly."

The laughter slowly faded.

Then something changed.

Megan lowered her hands.

She looked at me.

Not downward.

At my face.

"I really didn't mean to."

"I know."

"You know that, right?"

"Of course."

"And you didn't..."

She searched for the words.

"Think it meant anything?"

"No."

Her shoulders relaxed.

"Okay."

I looked at her.

"Megan?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

She thought about it.

Then nodded.

"Embarrassed as hell."

"Understandable."

"But okay."

She looked toward the ceiling.

Then a little smile returned.

"Although..."

"What?"

She turned her head toward me.

"Apparently even unconscious Megan likes you."

I laughed.

"That's the conclusion you're going with?"

"I'm trying to recover some dignity."

"How's that going?"

"Terribly."

She moved closer again.

That surprised me.

Not as close as before.

But close enough that our shoulders touched.

She rested her head against me.

Then immediately lifted it.

"Hands above the waist."

I laughed.

"Mine were!"

"Hers too."

"Whose?"

She held up her right hand.

"This bitch."

I completely lost it.

Megan started laughing with me.

A few minutes later we were still lying there, sunlight slowly spreading across the bed.

The awkwardness hadn't disappeared.

Neither had my erection, although it was finally beginning to.

But something important had happened underneath all the embarrassment.

Neither of us had run.

Neither of us had turned an accidental moment into something it wasn't.

And neither of us suddenly needed clothes.

Eventually Megan sighed.

"So."

"So?"

"You have a date tonight."

There it was.

Kelly.

Reality returned.

"Yeah."

Megan traced an absent little line against my shoulder with one finger.

"Are you excited?"

"Yeah."

She nodded.

"Jealous?"

"Are you asking me if you're jealous?"

"Yes."

"Then yes."

She pinched me.

"Asshole."

I smiled.

Then she grew serious.

"Blake?"

"Yeah?"

"Come back afterward."

I looked at her.

"You mean come home?"

"No."

She shook her head.

"I mean come back to me."

That was different.

I reached over and took her hand.

This time very deliberately.

"I will."

She squeezed mine.

Then glanced down toward the sheets.

"And tonight..."

"What?"

She pointed a warning finger at me.

"Your dick stays on your side of the bed."

I laughed.

"You were the one holding it!"

"Details."

"Megan!"

She was already climbing out of bed.

"Coffee!"

"That's not a defense!"

"It is before eight in the morning."

I watched her walk naked toward the bedroom door.

She looked back.

Caught me looking.

Then smiled.

And after what had happened when she'd walked toward me the night before, she knew exactly what that look meant.

"Behave."

"No promises."

She disappeared into the hallway.

I lay there another few seconds staring at the ceiling.

Tonight I had a date with Kelly.

This morning I'd woken up with Megan wrapped around me and her hand accidentally in the single most awkward place possible.

Somewhere in the middle of all of that, I was supposed to figure out what I wanted.

I had absolutely no fucking idea.

⸻

By the afternoon, I'd managed to convince myself the morning incident wasn't going to make the rest of the day weird.

This was optimistic.

I had gone out for a couple of hours, partly because I had things to do and partly because sitting around the apartment with Megan while thinking about my date with Kelly seemed like a terrible idea.

When I came back, I opened the door and called out.

"Megan?"

"Living room."

I walked around the corner.

And stopped.

She was sitting on the couch.

Naked, obviously.

That wasn't unusual anymore.

The way she was sitting was.

Megan was turned slightly sideways, one leg folded loosely beneath her while the other rested bent against the cushion. Her phone was in one hand. Her blonde hair was piled carelessly on top of her head, with loose strands falling around her face and neck.

She looked completely comfortable.

Completely unguarded.

And because of the relaxed position of her legs, more exposed than she probably realized.

My eyes dropped before I could stop them.

Her full blonde pubic hair framed rather than completely concealed the soft pink folds beneath it. The relaxed position gave the glimpse beneath her hair, her intimate folds in an almost butterfly-like shape, delicate and unmistakably feminine.

It wasn't posed.

That was what got me.

Megan wasn't presenting herself to me.

At least I didn't think she was.

She was simply sitting on our couch, relaxed enough around me that she hadn't arranged her body according to what I might or might not see.

And the sight hit me hard.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey."

I didn't move.

Her eyes narrowed.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You're staring."

"I just walked in."

"That's not a denial."

She followed my gaze.

"Oh."

For half a second her knees shifted.

The old reflex.

Cover.

Hide.

Then she stopped herself.

Her eyes came back to mine.

And slowly, deliberately, she relaxed again.

That changed everything.

Because now she knew.

And I knew she knew.

"Sorry," I said.

"Don't be."

"You sure?"

"I'm trying to be."

I smiled.

"What?"

"You."

"What about me?"

"Nothing."

"There's that word again."

I put my keys on the table.

"You look comfortable."

"I was comfortable until some guy came home and started staring at my pussy."

"Megan."

"What?" She laughed. "That's what you were looking at."

"I wasn't staring."

"You absolutely were."

"Observing."

"Oh, fuck off."

I laughed.

But she kept watching me.

Then her eyes moved downward.

The amusement in her face changed.

"Oh."

Not the horrified oh my God from that morning.

A very different oh.

I looked down.

There wasn't much point pretending.

She'd gotten a reaction out of me.

Again.

Megan looked back at my face.

"Bodies are stupid?"

"No."

Her lips curved.

We'd already established this one.

"This is me again?"

"Yes."

Her smile grew.

"Interesting."

"Don't."

"What?"

"Get smug."

"I'm not smug."

"You look incredibly smug."

She put her phone beside her.

"Come sit down."

I hesitated.

That made her smile disappear.

"Blake."

"You know I have a date tonight."

"I know."

There was something different in her voice.

"I haven't forgotten."

I walked over anyway.

Megan shifted enough to make room.

I sat beside her.

Not touching.

Close, though.

Very close.

For several seconds neither of us said anything.

Then Megan turned toward me.

"Are you nervous?"

"About Kelly?"

"Yeah."

"A little."

"Excited?"

"Yeah."

That answer hurt her.

I saw it.

She looked toward the television.

"I hate that."

"What?"

"That I ask questions and then don't like the honest answer."

I leaned forward, elbows on my knees.

"You want me to lie?"

"No."

She answered immediately.

"Absolutely not."

"Then don't punish yourself for asking."

"I'm working on it."

She looked at me again.

"Are you going to kiss her?"

"Megan."

"I'm asking."

"I don't know."

"Do you want to?"

I exhaled.

"Probably."

Her mouth tightened.

Then she nodded.

"Okay."

"Megan..."

"No. I'm okay."

"You keep saying that."

"Because I keep trying to become it."

That shut me up.

She looked down at her hands.

"I know you like her."

"Yes."

"And I know you like me."

"Yes."

Her eyes lifted.

"How much?"

I stared at her.

"What?"

"How much do you like me?"

"Megan."

"I'm serious."

I turned toward her.

"What exactly are you asking?"

She didn't answer.

Instead, she moved closer.

Just a few inches.

My heart started beating harder.

"Megan."

"What?"

"You know what you're doing."

"Maybe."

That was new.

This wasn't the Megan who had accidentally woken up with her hand on me that morning.

This wasn't an involuntary reaction.

This wasn't bodies being stupid.

This was Megan making a decision.

She reached up and touched my face.

Her fingertips rested against my cheek.

I didn't move.

Neither did she.

Her blue eyes searched mine.

"Tell me to stop."

I didn't.

"Megan..."

"That's not stop."

Then she kissed me.

For one second I was too surprised to react.

Her lips were warm and soft against mine, tentative at first, as though she'd committed to the decision but hadn't yet decided how brave she intended to be about it.

Then I kissed her back.

Her hand slid behind my neck.

The kiss deepened, not frantic, not rushed, but no longer uncertain either.

When we finally separated, we stayed close enough that our foreheads almost touched.

I stared at her.

"Okay."

She smiled.

"Okay what?"

"That happened."

"Very observant."

"You kissed me."

"I did."

"You know I'm going out with Kelly tonight."

"I know."

"Megan."

The smile faded.

"I know, Blake."

"Then why?"

She looked at me for a long time.

"Because I'm jealous."

I started to answer.

She stopped me.

"And because I like you."

"Megan..."

"And because I've spent the last week walking around naked in front of you, sleeping beside you, waking up wrapped around you, worrying about whether my thighs are too big and then secretly loving every time I catch you staring at them."

I smiled.

She didn't.

"And this morning I woke up with my hand around you."

"Accidentally."

"I know."

Her cheeks colored.

"Believe me, I know."

Then she looked directly into my eyes.

"But this isn't accidental."

She kissed me again.

This time there was no hesitation.

Her arms slipped around my neck as she moved closer. I put a hand against her side and felt her pull toward me rather than away.

Every part of me responded to her.

She knew it.

I knew it.

There was no point invoking stupid bodies anymore.

This was attraction.

Mine.

Hers.

Ours.

When Megan finally broke the kiss, both of us were breathing differently.

"Still excited about your date?" she asked.

I stared at her.

"That's dirty."

A mischievous little smile appeared.

"I know."

"Are you trying to make me not go?"

That smile disappeared.

"No."

I believed her.

Mostly.

"I don't want to be that person."

"Then what are you doing?"

She thought about it.

Then gave me an answer so honest it hurt.

"I don't want you walking out that door tonight without knowing what you're leaving here."

That landed somewhere deep.

"Megan."

"I know that's not fair."

"Maybe not."

"I also don't care very much right now."

I laughed softly.

She smiled.

Then she kissed the corner of my mouth.

Once.

Almost teasing.

"Go on your date."

Another kiss.

"But don't pretend this isn't here."

She kissed me again.

Longer this time.

When she pulled away, I was staring at her.

She knew exactly what she'd done to me.

And judging by the expression on her face, she'd finally decided she was allowed to enjoy knowing it.

"Jesus Christ, Megan."

"What?"

"You've been holding out on me."

Her smile became almost wicked.

"You have no idea."

That sentence nearly killed me.

She stood.

Completely naked.

Completely comfortable.

And this time when she walked away from me toward the kitchen, she knew damn well I was watching. Megans plump ass jiggled as she walked.

Halfway there she glanced over her shoulder.

"Your date's at seven, right?"

"Yeah."

"It's four thirty."

"Why?"

She smiled.

"No reason."

Then she disappeared around the corner.

I remained on the couch.

Aroused.

Confused.

Completely attracted to her.

I was still sitting there when Megan came back from the kitchen.

She didn't have anything in her hands.

No drink.

No snack.

Nothing that explained why she'd gone in there in the first place.

She stopped in the doorway and looked at me.

I looked back.

Neither of us said anything.

Something had changed in her face.

The teasing was gone.

So was the uncertainty.

"Megan?"

She walked toward me.

Slowly.

I started to stand, but she reached me first.

She held out her hand.

I looked at it.

Then at her.

"What?"

She didn't answer.

Just waited.

So I took it.

Megan pulled me to my feet.

For a second we stood facing each other in the middle of the living room.

Then she kissed me.

Nothing tentative about this one.

Nothing experimental.

When she pulled away, she kept hold of my hand.

Then she turned toward the hallway.

My heart started pounding.

"Megan."

She looked back.

That was all.

One look.

And I understood.

I followed her.

Past the bathroom.

Past my room.

Straight to hers.

She pushed open the bedroom door and led me inside.

Then stopped beside the bed.

I looked at her.

"You sure?"

Finally, she spoke.

"Yes."

That one word contained absolutely no uncertainty.

I stepped closer.

"Megan, this isn't something you have to do because I'm going out with Kelly."

"I know."

"I'm serious."

"So am I."

Her hands came up to my face.

"This isn't about stopping you."

"Then what's it about?"

"Me."

She swallowed.

"You."

Then:

"Us."

And she kissed me again.

That was the last conversation we managed for a while.

The rest belonged to us.

To two people who'd spent more than a week pretending that being naked together was somehow the biggest boundary we'd crossed, only to discover that nudity had been the easy part.

We fell on to Megans bed with me on the bottom, Megans right breast in my hand, the softness was amazing, her nipples were hard and erect and pressed against my palm. All the nerves in my body were alive and for the first time ever I was worried about performance.

Megan had taken my heights of arousal to a different place, a place I had never been before. whem she began to guide herself down onto my dick I immediately felt her warmth. In my brain something snapped and i let go...

When we finally resurfaced, the room looked different.

The late-afternoon sunlight had shifted across the wall.

The sheets were a disaster.

Megan was sprawled beside me, blonde hair everywhere, one leg tangled with mine.

Neither of us spoke.

I stared at the ceiling.

She stared at the ceiling.

Finally:

"Holy shit."

I turned my head.

Megan was smiling.

"What?"

She looked at me.

"Nothing."

"No. You don't get to use 'nothing' after that."

Her smile widened.

"Fine."

She rolled onto her side.

"I've been thinking about doing that for days."

"Days?"

"Maybe longer."

"How much longer?"

"Don't get smug."

"I'm not smug."

"You look incredibly smug."

"I just learned my roommate has apparently been plotting against me."

"Plotting?"

"That's what I'm calling it."

She laughed and dropped her head against my shoulder.

I wrapped an arm around her.

Then the laughter faded.

Because reality was waiting.

Megan lifted her head.

Her eyes went toward the clock.

Then back to me.

"Oh."

I didn't need to look.

I already knew.

Kelly.

The date.

Megan's expression changed.

Not regret.

Something much more complicated.

"You're still going."

It wasn't a question.

I looked at her.

"Do you want me not to?"

She thought about it.

For several seconds.

Then shook her head.

"No."

"Megan."

"I mean it."

She sat up, pulling her hair away from her face.

"I told you to go."

"That was before."

"I know."

"Before this."

"I know what just happened, Blake."

I sat up beside her.

"Then tell me what you're thinking."

She looked at me.

"I'm thinking I'm jealous."

"Okay."

"I'm thinking I probably picked spectacularly questionable timing."

That made me smile.

"Probably."

She bumped my shoulder.

"And I'm thinking I don't regret it."

That mattered.

"Neither do I."

Her expression softened.

"Good."

Then she looked toward the clock again.

"But I'm also thinking you made plans with Kelly before this happened."

"Yeah."

"And she didn't do anything wrong."

"No."

"So go."

I studied her face.

"You sure?"

"No."

I laughed.

Megan smiled.

"But go anyway."

She leaned over and kissed me.

Gentler this time.

When she pulled away, she rested her forehead against mine.

"Just don't lie to her."

That surprised me.

"About us?"

"About anything."

She sat back.

"If this is going to become some gigantic mess, I'd rather it be an honest gigantic mess."

I smiled.

"That's a terrible slogan."

"It's what we've got."

I kissed her forehead.

Then started getting out of bed.

Behind me, Megan said:

"Blake?"

I turned.

She was sitting in the middle of the wrecked sheets, watching me.

"What?"

"Come back tonight."

I looked at her.

"To the apartment?"

She shook her head.

A tiny smile appeared.

"Don't make me say it twice."

I smiled.

"I'll come back."

"Good."

I started toward the door.

"And Blake?"

"Yeah?"

She pointed toward the clock.

"You have a date in less than two hours."

"I know."

"You look like you just got dragged through a hedge."

"So do you."

She grinned.

"Mine's earned."

I laughed.

Then headed for the shower.

Behind me, I heard Megan collapse backward onto the bed.

"Holy shit."

I stopped in the hallway.

"What?"

"Nothing!"

I smiled.

For once, I let her have it.

Because in less than two hours I was supposed to pick up Kelly for our first date.

And I had just crossed a line with Megan that neither of us could ever uncross.

This was definitely going to be a problem.

I was still sitting there when Megan came back from the kitchen.

She didn't have anything in her hands.

No drink.

No snack.

Nothing that explained why she'd gone in there in the first place.

She stopped in the doorway and looked at me.

I looked back.

Neither of us said anything.

Something had changed in her face.

The teasing was gone.

So was the uncertainty.

"Megan?"

She walked toward me.

Slowly.

I started to stand, but she reached me first.

She held out her hand.

I looked at it.

Then at her.

"What?"

She didn't answer.

Just waited.

So I took it.

Megan pulled me to my feet.

For a second we stood facing each other in the middle of the living room.

Then she kissed me.

Nothing tentative about this one.

Nothing experimental.

When she pulled away, she kept hold of my hand.

Then she turned toward the hallway.

My heart started pounding.

"Megan."

She looked back.

That was all.

One look.

And I understood.

I followed her.

Past the bathroom.

Past my room.

Straight to hers.

She pushed open the bedroom door and led me inside.

Then stopped beside the bed.

I looked at her.

"You sure?"

Finally, she spoke.

"Yes."

That one word contained absolutely no uncertainty.

I stepped closer.

"Megan, this isn't something you have to do because I'm going out with Kelly."

"I know."

"I'm serious."

"So am I."

Her hands came up to my face.

"This isn't about stopping you."

"Then what's it about?"

"Me."

She swallowed.

"You."

Then:

"Us."

And she kissed me again.

That was the last conversation we managed for a while.

The rest belonged to us.

To two people who'd spent more than a week pretending that being naked together was somehow the biggest boundary we'd crossed, only to discover that nudity had been the easy part.

When we finally resurfaced, the room looked different.

The late-afternoon sunlight had shifted across the wall.

The sheets were a disaster.

Megan was sprawled beside me, blonde hair everywhere, one leg tangled with mine.

Neither of us spoke.

I stared at the ceiling.

She stared at the ceiling.

Finally:

"Holy shit."

I turned my head.

Megan was smiling.

"What?"

She looked at me.

"Nothing."

"No. You don't get to use 'nothing' after that."

Her smile widened.

"Fine."

She rolled onto her side.

"I've been thinking about doing that for days."

"Days?"

"Maybe longer."

"How much longer?"

"Don't get smug."

"I'm not smug."

"You look incredibly smug."

"I just learned my roommate has apparently been plotting against me."

"Plotting?"

"That's what I'm calling it."

She laughed and dropped her head against my shoulder.

I wrapped an arm around her.

Then the laughter faded.

Because reality was waiting.

Megan lifted her head.

Her eyes went toward the clock.

Then back to me.

"Oh."

I didn't need to look.

I already knew.

Kelly.

The date.

Megan's expression changed.

Not regret.

Something much more complicated.

"You're still going."

It wasn't a question.

I looked at her.

"Do you want me not to?"

She thought about it.

For several seconds.

Then shook her head.

"No."

"Megan."

"I mean it."

She sat up, pulling her hair away from her face.

"I told you to go."

"That was before."

"I know."

"Before this."

"I know what just happened, Blake."

I sat up beside her.

"Then tell me what you're thinking."

She looked at me.

"I'm thinking I'm jealous."

"Okay."

"I'm thinking I probably picked spectacularly questionable timing."

That made me smile.

"Probably."

She bumped my shoulder.

"And I'm thinking I don't regret it."

That mattered.

"Neither do I."

Her expression softened.

"Good."

Then she looked toward the clock again.

"But I'm also thinking you made plans with Kelly before this happened."

"Yeah."

"And she didn't do anything wrong."

"No."

"So go."

I studied her face.

"You sure?"

"No."

I laughed.

Megan smiled.

"But go anyway."

She leaned over and kissed me.

Gentler this time.

When she pulled away, she rested her forehead against mine.

"Just don't lie to her."

That surprised me.

"About us?"

"About anything."

She sat back.

"If this is going to become some gigantic mess, I'd rather it be an honest gigantic mess."

I smiled.

"That's a terrible slogan."

"It's what we've got."

I kissed her forehead.

Then started getting out of bed.

Behind me, Megan said:

"Blake?"

I turned.

She was sitting in the middle of the wrecked sheets, watching me.

"What?"

"Come back tonight."

I looked at her.

"To the apartment?"

She shook her head.

A tiny smile appeared.

"Don't make me say it twice."

I smiled.

"I'll come back."

"Good."

I started toward the door.

"And Blake?"

"Yeah?"

She pointed toward the clock.

"You have a date in less than two hours."

"I know."

"You look like you just got dragged through a hedge."

"So do you."

She grinned.

"Mine's earned."

I laughed.

Then headed for the shower.

Behind me, I heard Megan collapse backward onto the bed.

"Holy shit."

I stopped in the hallway.

"What?"

"Nothing!"

I smiled.

For once, I let her have it.

Because in less than two hours I was supposed to pick up Kelly for our first date.

And I had just crossed a line with Megan that neither of us could ever uncross.

This was definitely going to be a problem.