Just Friends

Chapter 31

Colm's POV

Colm looked around the apartment. He didn't have much here and it was getting late. He better pack up quickly and try to get a room for the night. He was sure he would get one, even though it was last minute. Even if he couldn't he could always sleep in the car for a few hours before driving home to Dublin. 

He had been looking forward to spending Christmas with Maria, even before the mind blowing kiss they shared. He loved her company...he loved her but he couldn't tell her that. Especially not now. 

"I'll get a hotel for the night and leave first thing tomorrow, I really am sorry for ruining your birthday"

She gave him a sad smile "It's just another day Colm, you know I'm not big on birthdays and you'll do no such thing. You can stay here as planned...if you want to."

He was surprised. Why would she want him to stay? 

"You still want me to stay? for Christmas?"

She nodded her head "Of course, if thats still ok with you"

"That's more than ok with me...I didn't think you'd want me anywhere near you"

She just smiled at him "Ok thats settled...now I'm getting hungry, I haven't had anything to eat since earlier today when we were out. I'm going to order chinese, do you want anything?"

Colm gave his food order, Maria rang it in and they sat and waited for it to be delivered. The tv was on in the background but neither of them were really paying attention to it. 

He needed to make it up to her. He had to show her he could still be a good friend. He made the decision to squash his feelings for her and just be the friend she needed him to be. He would never regret the kiss but he would always regret what happened that day. Maybe it was a good thing though, He gave her a get out of jail free card before things got serious between them. He'd hate himself if he hurt her a few weeks or months down the line and the inevitable break up happened. 

The intercom buzzed, it was their food. Maria went downstairs to get it while he got the plates, cutlery and glasses out for them. She came back into the apartment just as he was putting ice into the glasses. 

They plated up their food and made some small talk. He watched her mouth every time she took a bite of food. Her lips were slightly redder than usual from the spicy food. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes sparkled every time she spoke about her dad.

Her Dad would have probably put a stop to them being together anyway. He wouldn't let some dumb school drop out date his precious daughter. James was a great man, he saved him from a life of trouble and probably prison but...he knew who Colm was before he had come into their lives. He was the one that stopped him from killing a man that had been beating his wife in the middle of the park that summer day. His rage got to him again and when he saw the man hit the terrified looking woman he lost it. 

Luckily James had been passing at the time and he stopped his car when he noticed the man shouting at his wife. He was already on the way to intervene when the man hit her and Colm got involved. James talked the man out of pressing charges and drove him to the hospital. Unfortunately his wife went with him holding his hand. They had reported it to the Garda but the wife insisted that she had fallen and her husband didn't cause the split lip she was sporting. The garda had seen the same thing happen hundreds of times so they said they would help her but that was the last Colm and James had heard from them.

It was just after 11 when Maria said she was tired and was going to go to bed. He pulled out the sofa bed and got it ready. Maria came out of the bathroom, she had changed into her pj's. The vest top stretched over her chest and hugged her breasts and stomach. Her bottoms were long but light and you could see the curve of her thighs in them as she walked. He wanted nothing more than to go to her bed with her and feel her body against his but he knew he couldn't. 

She said goodnight and got into her bed. He heard her moving around a bit but then there was silence. She must have been really tired to have fallen asleep so fast. He lay watching tv but he wasn't really paying attention to it. The memory of Maria's lips on his earlier that day kept running through his mind. He couldn't get comfortable in the bed. Turning over onto his side he lay like that for a while before he had to turn to the other side. After about an hour he heard Maria's voice through the darkness.

"Colm?" 

Shit, he had woken her with his tossing and turning. 

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

"No, I was awake...I can't sleep."

He sat up in his bed "Me neither" 

He couldn't get the image of her lips, red and swollen from the kiss they had shared out of his mind. He couldn't tell her that though. Then her terrified face flashed into his head. He put his hands to his head and leaned forward.

He heard footsteps coming towards him, Maria sat at the end of his bed and reached for his hand. He looked up at her, he wasn't sure what she was doing. He was trying so hard not to just grab her and kiss her. 

"I don't want to ruin our friendship but...can we just have tonight for us please?"

He gulped..actually gulped. He wasn't sure what to say...he wanted nothing more than to lay with her, not even sex, just to lay there and hold her but then they'd wake up and it would all be over in the harsh light of the morning. 

"Maria...I'm not sure if we should...what if we regret it?"

She put her hand on his face and moved closer. He could feel the stir in his groin and he scolded himself. 

"I know I'll never regret it, and maybe somewhere down the line when we're over what happened today...we can do it again but right now. Can we just lay together ? I want to wake up beside you at least once..just to know how it feels." 

She moved her hand between them and he watched intently. He really wanted to lay with her...and she clearly wanted it too. She obviously needed some comfort, he thought about it for a moment.

"Okay"

He shocked himself with his reply. He had said it so quietly he wasn't sure if she had heard him. Maria took his hand and they walked to her bed. Colm sat down then lay back, Maria got in beside him and put her head onto his chest as he put his arm around her. It felt so good laying like this, it felt like it was how things should be. After a few minutes he relaxed and she moved closer to him. He wished that he could fall asleep like this every night and prayed that she would still be here with him when he woke up in the morning.