Liz

I immediately slide from my position on top of him, sitting back on my heels.

What? How? WHAT IN THE FUCK?

He sits up, mouth agape about as far as mine. We stare at each other in disbelief, and my eyes run down his naked body about the same time his eyes begin to survey mine. I reach for a sheet to cover myself with, and we both awkwardly begin looking for our clothes. He finds his boxers and a pair of sweatpants then hands me my dress.

“Ummm…” he hands me my ripped thong, “…sorry?” he says, still looking confused.

I don’t remember… I don’t remember him ripping my thong, I don’t…

Flashes, almost like photos, scroll through my mind. Pulling him down on top of me, sounds of him laughing after I leaned in too close and caused us to bump heads, his mouth on my breast.

HOLY SHIT.

“Red, uh… I… don’t remember doing that?” he says.

“Me neither,” I say, looking wide-eyed at the torn garment.  “Last thing I remember clearly is the stars.”

“The stars,” he says.

“Yeah, we went to sleep in the window seat looking at the stars. Other things”—I divert my gaze, attempting to hide my embarrassment—“are a bit fuzzy.”

“The last thing I remember…” he pauses, running a hand down his face as if he's literally trying to wipe away the fog.

“I was trying to show you a routine, but couldn’t because I was too drunk, and then we took a shot,” he says, joining me on the bed.

We both sit in silence, trying hard to remember. Finally, he breaks the silence.

“Fuck… Red, are you okay? I can’t believe we got that drunk. I’m sorry,” Chris says, with a worry-stricken face.

“No, I’m good. I mean, clearly, we woke up with me on top of you, right? I don’t think you could ride yourself,” I chuckle, trying to lighten the mood. He relaxes a bit and smiles at my joke.

Shit, is it awkward in here, or is it just me? How do you have sex with someone and not remember? Well… I mean, I guess it’s possible, but for me?

“I’m good, are you?” I ask.

“Yea, I’m good, sexy. Just… fuck.”

“Yeah,” I huff.

More awkward silence.

“Well… I’m going to go look for Ros, make sure she’s okay.”

I want him to know I’m okay with this. I don’t want him to think that I think he took advantage of me or anything like that because I don’t feel that way. I remember that kiss and how close we came to breaking code before we came up to his room. There is no doubt in my mind that I was an active participant in whatever the hell went on.

I walk out of Chris’ room, shutting the door behind me the same time Ros emerges from the hall bath holding a towel and her overnight bag. As soon as she sees me, her eyes grow wide, she snatches my hand in hers, pulls me into our ‘bedroom’, and shuts the door.

“Oh my god! How was it??” she says, still looking wide-eyed.

“What? Wait… how do you know?” I say.

“How do I know? What do you mean? How does the whole house know?”

“What?!” I exclaim.

“I was in here knocked out cold, like epic sleep, like death, like the best drool-inducing…”

“Oh hell, Ros, would you just,” I gesture my hand in a circle, pushing her to move on.

 “Okay, anyway, Paul woke me up yelling at you guys...”

“Oh my god…” I say, dropping my head into my hands. “Ros, we drank way too much last night, we barely remember anything,” I say, still covering my face.

Well, I barely remember. I’m not sure if he remembers at all, and I’m too embarrassed to ask. Way to go, Liz.

“I woke up on top of him, we were both naked, and he looked completely freaked out. I still can’t believe it. It’s like we went to sleep, woke up, started having sex, and just passed back out in the middle or something,” I say, trying to keep my voice down.

Ros gasps. She actually fucking gasps.

“No! Trust me, y’all weren’t in the middle!’ She snickers. “I kept hearing someone yell “SHUT THE FUCK UP!” So, you know me, I jumped out of the bed and opened the door to tell THEM to “Shut the fuck up”, but I saw Paul banging on Chris’ door. You guys were loud, and it went on for a good a while. Paul was pissed!”

“Are you serious?!” I yell. “Oh god,” I say, dropping my head again in complete mortification.

Ros stares at me for a minute, and then I hear her do a spit take. I look up to see her leaning over onto the bed in hysterics.

“Shut up, Ros! This is NOT funny!” I yell at her.

“Bahahahahaha…Wait… wait … haha…I’m sorry,” she snorts and laughs harder.

I glare at her.

“I’m so sorry, boo… wait… wait, oh god, are you telling me you have your first hook-up…like EVER, and you were too drunk to remember it? Not to mention… it was with a sexy as fuck, well-mannered… ex-stripper who probably fucked you stupid,” she laughs some more.

I can’t help it, I laugh a little too; when you put it that way, this shit is sort of funny.

“Oh, boo, I’m so sorry! God, that’s classic!” Ros says, smiling and shaking her head.

“But seriously, you okay? I know you were a feeling a little weird about hooking up with him. You okay with how everything went down?”

I sigh and take a seat on the bed.

“Surprisingly, yeah. Chris and I have so much fun together, and the chemistry between us is fucking crazy. I feel so comfortable with him and everything just feels natural, ya know? If anything, I’m almost pissed I can’t remember.”

I pout, and she puts an arm around my shoulders and snuggles me.

“Now that issue… easy fix.” Ros smirks.

“But it was so awkward in there before I left.”

“Haha, I bet. It’ll be okay, Liz, people drunk fuck all the time. Liquor is no joke, just don’t get that drunk anymore.”

Aw, that was actually some good advice.

“I mean, you can get ALMOST that drunk, just not THAT drunk. Ya know?”

Okay, that sounds more like my bestie.

She nudges me and smiles.

“Think about it. You went from barely drinking to going at it pretty hard. I know you’ve got a lot on your mind, but calm it down a little.” She hugs me.“Sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah,” I sigh. “I’m okay.”

“Good. Now come on, Ty was making waffles, and it looks like he made enough for everyone. ” Ros hooks her arm in mine and leads me toward the door.

“How many people are still here?”

“Most of the party guests left at like noon, so for the most part, just the roommates and a few girls,” she says.

I use the hall bath to freshen up, then Ros and I walk out into the kitchen and sit at the counter.

Yummy, buttery goodness floods my nose, and my stomach immediately growls. Ty is standing next to a large Belgian Waffle maker, moving waffles from the cooker to a plate. JJ stands next to him drinking a glass of water.

“Good morning, Liz,” they say in unison, with huge grins on their faces.

I wrinkle my nose at them both, and they laugh.

“Sleep well?” JJ teases.

I smirk and feel my cheeks flush.

“Haha… ahh… you want some waffles?” Ty asks.

“Yes,” I say, smiling.

Ty hands both Ros and I our plates and places a bottle of syrup between us. JJ hands us both a water bottle.

“Got to hydrate after all that drinking,” he says.

“Thank you,” we say in unison then dig in.

About mid-waffle, both of the boys start randomly clapping and hooting.

“ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT! THERE HE IS!” JJ says, looking behind me.

I turn to see Chris entering the kitchen from the hall, looking just as yummy as the waffles.

Chris is wearing a different pair of sweats and a tank top, his short hair damp, and his skin glowing. I’ve never seen a pair of sweatpants and tank top look better. I swear all of his clothes were especially sewn for him, or maybe he just looks damn good in everything. My eyes travel down the hard planes of his chest, to his sexy biceps and shoulders. His eyes flicker to mine as he notices me checking him out, but he doesn’t look away. The sound of JJ rummaging through a drawer gets our attention as he grabs a mixing spoon and uses it as an impromptu microphone.

“It is my honor to present this award today. Up until now, I held this honor, but it is with the utmost respect that I present the award of ‘Best performance of the night’ to one of my best friends, Chris.”

Both JJ and Ty begin their mock applause, again laughing. I look wide-eyed at Ros, who is chuckling and shaking her head; even Chris is shaking his head with a smirk.

“Man, fuck y’all both! We were just dancing,” Chris says, still grinning.

“Oh, dancing?” JJ exclaims. “Well, if dancing sounds like ‘Yes! Oh god, Chris!’ then you need to teach me that dance,” JJ says, laughing. My jaw hits the floor, and I cut my eyes to Ros, who is trying not to laugh, then to Chris, whose jaw is on the floor with mine. He looks at me for a minute then drops his head.

“Shit, are y’all serious?” he says, peering up, head still tilted downward.

“What do you mean? You were there, we were made well aware of it. Ha. Why do you call her Red anyway?” Ty smiles at me, chuckling.

“We were so wasted, we don’t remember doing it; well, not really,” he says, eyes flickering to mine.

Both boys go quiet for a minute, then begin laughing again.

“Man, fuck y’all,” Chris says, again, looking at both the boys.

“Aw, man, you serious? Y’all were so loud, Paul was pissed!” JJ says, grinning.

“Shit, the interview.” Chris winces.

JJ walks toward Chris, carrying two plates of waffles.

“Well, man, sucks to be you right now. I’ll see y’all later. I’m about to go feed the girl in my bed, that I do remember fucking last night,” JJ teases and walks down the hall.

“He’s such an asshole.” Ty snickers as he leaves to take a shower.

Chris takes a deep breath, smiles, and shakes his head. I return the gesture.

I got a feeling it’s going to be a very long day with these boys.

“Morning, Ros,” Chris says as he joins us for breakfast.

“Afternoon, Chris.” She smiles, teasingly.

I roll my eyes and sigh.

Yup, long day.

After Ros finishes her waffle, she fiddles with her phone. Chris and I steal glances and smiles at each other over breakfast, but it still feels pretty weird.

“Liz. I’ve got to get ready to go, my mother has that spa thing scheduled this afternoon,” she says as she slides off her stool. “I just ordered an Uber.”

“Oh, that’s right… that is today,” I say.

“You can come back if you want, Ros. I plan to steal Liz for the rest of the day,” Chris says, smiling at me with a mouthful of waffle.

God… I wish I was that waffle.

“I would if I could, but knowing my mom, we’ll be all over the place.”

Chris nods in understanding before he takes a sip from his water bottle.

“Well, I’m going to go pack up.” She disappears down the hall.

“Wait, you’ve got class in the morning, right?” Chris asks me.

“Nope, spring break.”

“So I really can steal you for the day?” he asks, smiling.

“I don’t know, that’s if I let you.”

After we both finish eating, I head up the hall to take a shower, and Chris follows behind me.

“You can use mine if you don’t want to use the hall bathroom,” he says. I shrug, grab my overnight bag, and head toward his bathroom.

Chris’ bathroom is huge, and not at all what I was expecting. His bedroom has the normal bachelor look—neat, but for the most part not. It has the minimum in it: bed, dresser, computer desk, mirror, TV, and a recliner, but his bathroom almost looks elegant. He has double sinks, a deep garden tub, a huge detached stand-up shower with a bench; the shower even has the sprays the come down the sides and a rain head.

Hm, I guess he got the master bedroom. I didn’t notice how big his room is before, but I guess that was the last thing on my mind last night.

After I wash the smell of alcohol, sweat, and apparently amazing—but forgotten—sex off my body, I leave his bathroom feeling completely refreshed. Chris is sitting on his bed poking at his phone, but puts it down and smiles when he sees me.

“Your shower is amazing,” I say with a sigh, and lean back against his dresser.

“It really is. I’m planning to get one installed at the duplex,” he says as he stands from the bed and moves toward me.

“Speaking of amazing,” he says, “I know we don’t remember much from last night, but I do remember that fucking kiss.”

“Yeah, that was hot.”

“Fuck yeah, it was. I don’t like this awkward shit between us, Red, I think we need to fix it.”

He moves closer.

I brace myself, unsure of what he’s about to say. Chris stops about a foot in front of me and smiles.

“I think we should start from where we remember leaving off.”

He pulls me to his chest. In the milliseconds it takes my brain to register what he’s about to do, I begin to slightly panic.

What if all that heat and passion from last night’s kiss wasn’t our attraction, but it really was the alcohol? Or what if the forgotten sex completely ruined our chemistry and now we’ll be stuck in awkward forever?

As soon as his lips touch mine, the anxiety completely vanishes, and I relax into his kiss. We both let out a deep exhale—me, because of relief; him, I’m not sure why. He opens his mouth, and my tongue plays with his in the same hypnotizing rhythm as the night before. He skillfully explores my mouth and lips with his kiss as we melt into each other. I wrap my arms around his neck, and he backs me into his dresser as our kiss quickly turns from sensual to passionate. My hands run down his body and my pulse quickens as that very familiar electricity surges through us, causing a tingle to pulse through me. After a few moments, he gently bites my lower lip, groans, and then breaks our kiss, placing his forehead against mine.

“Nope, wasn’t the alcohol,” he says, smiling.

Same thing I was thinking…

“No, it clearly was not,” I say, chuckling.

Still standing between my legs, he pulls his head back and looks at me thoughtfully.

“Now I know exactly how we ended up the way we did this morning.”

“Yeah?” I say, raising a brow.

“At one point or another, we clearly started kissing last night, and that’s how we ended up naked. Want to know how I know for sure?” he asks.

“Yeah, how do you know I didn’t just jump you in your sleep?” I ask, grinning.

“Because every time I kiss you, I don’t want to fucking stop,” he says in a husky tone.

“I know what you mean.”

He’s right, though. I swear, kissing this man is like a drug, and I’m slowly becoming addicted.

“And now I’m pissed because I know the sex had to be fucking amazing,” Chris says, shaking his head.

“Yeah, issue of the forgotten sex. Well, I was thinking about that while I was in your shower, all wet and alone, ya know? That would’ve been a perfect time for you to come in and fix THIS issue,” I flirt, teasing him.

“Fuck…Red. You can’t say shit like that.”  Closing his eyes as a look of pain crosses his face.

“What?” I laugh.

“I decided I want to take my time with you. I’m not expecting to fuck you tonight, but I do want to spend more time letting you drive me fucking crazy because I want to know every inch of your body before I decide to make you scream again,” he says with a dark, unwavering look in his eyes.

I almost choke on… nothing, nothing at all. My god! Who says shit like that?

“No, you can’t say shit like that!”

He laughs and presses his lips against mine. At that moment, JJ and a girl with long brown hair exits JJ’s bedroom that unfortunately sits across the hall from Chris’ room.

“Oh hell, here they go again!” JJ teases.

We laugh, and Chris leans over and pushes the door with enough force for it to shut.

He returns his attention—and his lips—back to me. After a beat, I hear the front door close in the distance and the sounds of two men talking.

“Shit,” Chris says as he reluctantly pulls away, “that’s Paul. I’ll be right back.”

I stand in the doorway and watch as he meets Paul in the hall.

“Alright, Ty, I’ll see you later,” Paul says and then turns to Chris, frowning.

“Paul, listen, I’m sorry, we were really wasted last night.”

“Yeah, y’all had me up at four in the fucking morning man; it was fucked up!” Paul scolds.

“You know I wouldn’t have done it on purpose. I fucked up. I hope we didn’t mess up your sleep too bad.”

“Yeah, you did, but I made it on time.”

Chris grimaces.

“You know, I’d be so much more pissed at you, though, if I didn’t just get a new job,” Paul says as a grin spreads across his face.

“Ah, shit! Man, congratulations!” Chris smiles and gives him a man hug.

“Yup,” Paul smiles, “he hired me right there on the spot. So, you know what that means. We’re partying at the Cross Bar tonight! Drinks on me! Aye, JJ… Nard!” Paul yells, excitedly.

Chris locks eyes with me and lets out a breath of relief. I smile at him brightly, and he walks back into the room with me.

“Fuck, Red, I’m so happy I didn’t ruin that for him. He prepared really hard for that meeting.”

“That’s awesome!” I say, meeting his enthusiasm.

“You can drop me off before you guys head out to celebrate. We can get together another day,” I say, still grinning.

A hint of disappointment washes over me.  When I think about it too much, it shocks me at how much I want this. Sean is who I want, but Chris is what I want. Every time I think about Sean, Chris smiles, winks, or does something mind-numbingly sexy and I only see him. It’s insane. I love Sean, but I know if I dwell on him, I’ll stay stuck in a large pile of suck. I think I would rather float away with Chris for a few hours, than roll around in shit with Sean. For now, anyway, I need a pain break.

“Nah, I’m good. We can pre-party with them, but I don’t really want to go out.”

“Awh, but it’s a big deal, you have to go,” I say.

“Trust me, Red, the way these boys party, we’ll be celebrating all week for Paul. Plus, how will I spend the night trying not to fuck you, if I take you home?” he says, darkening his gaze.

I just smile at him. I’m not sure what to expect for the night, but I’m sure as hell looking forward to it.