We're Just Friends

Chapter Two

I really should have known that something like this was going to happen. I had been thinking too much about being in love with Alex throughout the hours before sleeping. I was overheating under the duvet, and with Alex curled up into my side. My breathing was fast and erratic, I was starting to panic, and just as I was coming to a decision on getting out of bed to head to the bathroom, Alex woke up. "Mm, you okay?" His voice was quiet and filled with sleep, so I knew he was still half asleep. Good, maybe I can make this work. He shuffled closer to me in his sleep, tangling our legs together, and if you listened hard enough you could faintly hear the sound of my internal screaming. "Cal?" He asked, waking up a bit more. "Are you having a nightmare?" He dragged his head up to the side of my neck and pressed a kiss there, completely catching me off guard. "Hey, it's okay. You'll be fine, I'm here. Just breathe." He must have thought I was still asleep, and the way he wasn't looking at me properly made me think that maybe this has happened before. I've had nightmares while sleeping over at his house before, and he's been overly affectionate the next morning, as if he knew. Maybe he did know. Maybe this was his routine when I had nightmares. "That's it, just keep breathing," his voice brought me back to reality, and I noticed that my breathing had gotten more stable, and I felt less hot than before. Alex's little routine really seemed to help. Or maybe it was how calming his voice is.

Alex snuggled even closer to me, his hand coming to wrap around my torso, and his breathing deepened and evened out, letting me know he had drifted off again. His mouth was pressed lightly against my neck where he had kissed me, his breaths coming slow and hot against the skin there. He was driving me crazy and he didn't even know it. My mind started to slowly spiral with the things that just happened. Nightmares I can deal with, Alex knowing I'm having a nightmare and reassuring me I can deal with. Knowing that his go to reaction is to kiss my neck? I will be passing away shortly, thanks. I expected to lay there for hours more, just thinking about what had just transpired, but I started drifting off quickly, my pathetic attempts to stay away to savour Alex snuggled into my side thwarted by my heavy eyelids.

When I woke up, Alex was in the shower. The covers were knotted at my waist and tangled around my legs, urging me to stay in bed forever. My mind drifted back to last night and I felt my face getting hot, remembering how Alex had whispered to me and kissed me on my neck. It was the most intimate we had ever been. I don't know why it was making me blush so much, I've had dreams about Alex before in much more intimate scenarios. I guess things really are different when you aren't imagining it. The water from the shower shut off suddenly, bringing me from my thoughts. I fought to get the blush off my face, not wanting Alex to suggest I had a romantic dream and tease me about it. I looked around the room absently, trying to remember my class schedule without looking at my phone when Alex walked back into the room, with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.

Okay, so I've seen Alex shirtless before. We have gym together. And we go swimming together. And I've known him for years, so we sometimes change in front of each other. But this? This would certainly be the death of me. Alex's chest was still damp from the shower, his skin practically glowing, and the last time I checked, he didn't have defined abs. Like, very defined.

"What?" Alex was frowning, having caught me openly staring at my chest. I couldn't help the blush this time, there was no hiding it. "Is there something on me?"

"No, just didn't realise you had abs now, weirdo," I tossed in the weak insult, which would hopefully take away from the fact that I had just been checking him out. I looked at him, unable to not look at him for long, and could've sworn I saw a faint blush there.

"I go to the gym now," he mumbled, "when you have night practices and don't stay over. I feel like it's a good idea, since you do a sport outside of gym class, and I don't." Something in my belly flipped, and I was struck with the strange urge to hold him close and kiss his face all over. How can one person be this cute? I look away, partially out of fear that Alex will see something I don't want him to on my face, and partially to give him privacy to change. I hear him walk over to the dresser and rifle through the draws, then the slide of cloth on skin, and the towel dropping. I resist the urge to look over big time. Not going to perv on my best friend slash crush. Not happening.