The Cruelest Summer

Chapter 10- Ben & Jerry's Under Sheets

Taylor was slumped against the quartz countertop, still ever so slightly out of breath. She took a careful sip of water, wondering how the notoriously bland liquid managed to suddenly taste so good. Who knew sex could be that dehydrating?

"Cheers," Joe crowed, clinking his glass with Taylor's.

"Cheers."

The pair stood there, barefoot in the kitchen, basking in the comfortable silence that had fallen over them. It was now 3:37 in the morning. Despite the early hour, 23 Cornelia Street, New York NY was very much alive. Wet clothes were strewn across the bathroom. Cats were meowing. Moonlight was creeping through the kitchen window and streaming onto the wooden floorboards.

It was Taylor that broke the silence. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she giggled.

Joe blushed and put his now-empty glass of water in the sink. "I dunno what you're talking about," he said smugly.

"Yes, you do!" Taylor protested. "For an actor, you sure are a horrible liar."

Joe pretended to be hurt by this comment. "I for one am offended!" he exclaimed, gasping dramatically. He paused for a moment, smiling that his antics had generated a laugh from Taylor. "But in all seriousness," he breathed, "I was looking at you that way because I like how your sweat sparkles."

"My sweat sparkles?" Taylor repeated, roaring with laughter. "We fucked for like two hours and all you can think about is my sweat?"

"Well, yes" Joe admitted, rolling his eyes at her obnoxious cackling. "But it's more than that. I just meant that you look beautiful....like this is your most gorgeous state."

Taylor felt her face go hot. This is my most gorgeous state? I'm not wearing any makeup, my hair is a fucking disaster, all I'm dressed in is a men's t-shirt......and he thinks I'm beautiful? How many gin and tonics did he have? 

"Thanks," she said shyly. "I don't know how to respond to that to be honest, because I don't know how true that is."

Joe shook his head at her reply. "The mirrors in your apartment must be broken, Taylor," he quipped, "because I don't think I'm seeing what you're seeing. You're bloody gorgeous, trust me."

Taylor blushed fervently. She was about to argue with him and say he was all wrong and just being polite because of the sex, but the longer she held Joe's gaze, the more sincere his words became. He was looking at her so intently, that Taylor reasoned that there had to be some truth to his remark. Perhaps, in some wild turn of events, Joe found Taylor to be attractive. She hoped that this was the case.

"I'm exhausted," Taylor sighed.

"Same, I'm beyond knackered," Joe said wearily.

"I think we earned ourselves some sleep after all of that hard work," she remarked.

"You're right," Joe said in agreement. "I should probably go then, so you can go back to bed."

"No," Taylor said boldly. "Stay."

She wasn't sure where she had summoned the courage to utter those words. Of course, she wanted Joe to stay- she'd be insane not to- but she'd be just as insane to ask him to. They made it clear that they were going to be friends with benefits afterall.

"But-"

"As a friend, Joe."

"Alright."

Taylor smiled to herself. She wasn't going to be alone tonight. Someone said yes to sharing a bed with her. Someone said yes to being her friend.

So, Joe, exhausted from jet lag and meetings, and Taylor, exhausted from recurring nightmares and insomnia, lazily made their way back up the stairs, stopping to peck each other on the lips every now and again.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Taylor mumbled sleepily, once she collapsed onto the bed.

"Of course."

"This is a guest bedroom," she explained, stifling a laugh. She was so fucking fatigued that she had reached the point of delirium where everything was hilarious. "....And the only reason I didn't invite you into my actual bedroom is because there are empty Ben & Jerry pints in my sheets and wine glasses on my nightstand."

"How courteous of you," Joe chortled. "We could have easily had sex on top of all of your rubbish....but you were kind enough to let me fuck you on a clean surface."

"What can I say? I'm very ladylike," Taylor smirked.

"That you are."

"Thanks for inviting me to the dive bar by the way," she whispered into the darkness. "I really needed that."

"No, thank you," Joe corrected. "It was really good to see you."

"It was really good to see you too."

Taylor laid there for a moment, waiting for Joe to say something more. But he stayed silent. She rolled over onto her side to discover that his breathing had slowed and his body had stilled. He was fast asleep. Contrary to how tired she was, Taylor was far from sleep. Her mind was still very much alive and swirling with a million different thoughts.

As she stirred, her brain kept replaying the events of the past couple of hours. First, the sex- the amazing, gravity-defying, soul-blessing, melodic journey she went on. Then, the conversations- the sarcastic comments, the dumbass confessions, the explosive laughs.

But what did all of this even mean? Where did this leave Taylor and Joe? Before Taylor could come up with a solid answer, she was knocked out cold. 

AN: For all of my confused readers wondering what the hell Ben & Jerry's is, it's an ice-cream brand, based in the U.S. I wasn't sure if ppl outside of the U.S were familiar with the brand. Funnily enough, Taylor's favorite flavor is chocolate caramel not that anyone cares lol. 

As always, thanks for reading!! <3