"So, last night was fun..."
You smiled, cocking a suggestive eyebrow, and she giggled, cupping your chin in her palm, her fingers squishing your cheeks slightly, while her eyes flicked between your lips and eyes, asking a silent question. You hung onto the doorway with one hand as you leaned forward, snaking an arm around her waist as you did, and connecting your lips with Penny – or was it Paige? Your eyes were lidded from lack of sleep, and she was all dressed in last night's clothes as you wore only your lingerie and a short silk robe, your fuzzy bunny slippers donning your feet.
"I'll call you." You gave the empty promise like you always did, but they never minded and both of you knew what this really was.
"Sure, babe," She smirked, kissing you quickly before sending your housemate a small wave as they lounged across the couch with a bowl of cereal nursed on their stomach, "See you, Alex."
"Adios!" They raised their spoon and she smiled before her eyes fluttered back to yours, giving you a slightly hopeful look before she left, so you closed the door.
"Why do you always slurp your cereal every morning I've had someone over?" You asked, your tone holding amusement as you tied your robe.
"Dunno," They shrugged nonchalantly, "At first, it was because I was jealous of the types of girls you always pulled, but since I've moved on to dudes, it's become more of a tradition if anything."
"It definitely forces them out faster." You huffed and they chuckled, pointing their spoon at you.
"Don't act like that bothers you – you have a famous person in your bed every other week and you still forget names, it's downright criminal."
"Not like they know mine by the morning." You scoffed, padding your feet into the kitchen.
"Yes they do, but you like to make it sound like you're a hooker or escort or whatever." They deadpanned and you snorted a laugh.
"I'd definitely love my job if I was," You smirked and they rolled their eyes as you pulled out the pancake mix, "You staying in for brunch?"
"Mm," They considered their half-eaten bowl of Captain Crunch, "Yeah, I could go for some bacon."
"You can always go for some bacon," You chuckled, reaching to put some music on, and a moment later, you were muttering along as you twirled around the kitchen, prepping everything, "Like the rain on a sunny day...there's a shadow behind your face..."
You and Alex have been living together since your guys' first year of university. You were both eighteen, new to the city, and just figuring it all out while trying not to die from an overload of course work and lectures. You bonded over movies, music, and art – the basic stuff when you're human and the art came in to play since NYU was flooded with shows always going on for the students who were majoring in it. Alex being one of those students. Now they spend most of their days painting or trying to sell their work to galleries, but you know deep down they love more than anything to sit on the boardwalk or pier and paint all day, maybe selling some to tourists.
Now, life looks a lot different from those earlier uni days where ramen was two meals a day and selling their paintings or you repairing computers on the side just barely paid the rent in Brooklyn so you didn't have to dorm. It was the smallest studio you've ever seen where half the bathroom was in the kitchen – but calling a mini fridge and a tiny sink that couldn't fit your two hands a kitchen was being generous. And where taking the subway was a privilege and mice or street rats became your friends.
But you guys were happy.
And you still are.
But happiness now comes in a four-story townhouse in Manhattan's Village with roof access and a basement that would go for probably two grand a month and be called a 'garden apartment'. You each took over one of the top floors, the second floor being for overnight guests and mainly storage, while the first floor is the grand chef's kitchen and massive living room. The basement has outdoor access and you've been renting it out cheaply to a nice couple who came from Ghana but needed a place under the wire while they get their papers sorted so they can live in the states permanently. They pay about three hundred a month or whatever they can each time, but that's mostly just formality and so they don't take advantage and like trash the place or something – it's just a floating number that started when you first got this place and rented it to the previous owner's daughter.
If you started sleeping with her for the six months she was here before she completed her doctorate in neuroscience while you were still in NYU, that's irrelevant.
"Slut!" Alex shouted suddenly, making you snap out of your trance, "Ha, I love that you perk up at that."
"Call me a slut all you want," You shrugged, "You're just jealous because I get laid and you haven't in weeks."
"Months." They corrected with a groan, and you shook your head with a smile.
"Maybe it's because you don't go out and when you do, you practically bite people's heads off for trying to talk to you!"
"Biting seems to work for you."
You bit your lip hard at that, trying not to laugh, and they smirked as you blushed, looking away.
"I don't know what you-"
"If vampires liked collarbones, I'd call you one." They deadpanned and you scrunched your face up at that.
"Anyway!" You cleared your throat loudly and they laughed, "I could set you up, if you'd like."
"Last time you did that, I wound up in jail."
"It was three years ago, and I got you out!" You argued, knowing this conversation came up way too often.
"I was naked and covered in leeches, I don't think they wanted me in that cell any more than I wanted to be there!"
"How was I supposed to know she'd be-"
"No set ups," They put their hand up to stop this before you both got caught in the same circle as always, "Thank you, but that's a big no."
"Fine, then go find yourself a girlfr – or boyfriend or whatever you're into these days because you need to get laid."
"I do," They agreed with a sad sigh, and you chuckled before sliding their plate over, "Bacon helps though."
"I've heard that somewhere." You agreed and they smiled to themselves before tucking into their plate as you did the same with yours.
After that, you got dressed, did a few assignments that took hours, and then got ready to go out in the evening for some drinks with Chris and Jenny. They were your married friends that you knew from working at a bakery part time when you were about twenty – another way you guys scraped together rent while balancing uni and trying to have a social life.
"Hello?" You answered your phone as you tugged on your coat and you froze as they spoke, "Yeah, I'll be right over, just give me fifteen m – oh? Happy's outside? Um, okay, see you soon then. Bye."
You hung up, walking back to the end of the staircase to call up to Alex while they worked on their latest masterpiece and hastily sent a text to Chris, telling him you'd have to cancel, but a raincheck was definitely in the works.
"Stark again?" Alex called back knowingly.
"Yeah, will you be okay tonight?"
"If you're asking me to feed Porky, I'll do it, but if he shits when I take him out later, I'll let you know where when you get back so you can go pick it up – I'm not touching that nasty, even through a bag!"
"Thank you!" You laughed loudly and as if on cue, your little chonkers came stumbling down the stairs after you, his tongue hanging out of his mouth, "Hey, buddy, mommy's gotta go for the night, will you be okay? Take care of Alex for me, they can be a real bitch sometimes."
"I heard that, asshole!"
You gave the dog a few scratches and a kiss on the head before leaving, heading down the stoop after locking the door behind you.
"Hey, Haps," You grinned at the man and he nodded with a small, worried smile, so you knew it was a bad one this time, "Is he at the-"
"Tower. Yes. And we should hurry."
