The room was dimly lit, the warm glow from a single bedside lamp casting soft shadows on the walls. Rain tapped gently against the window, a soothing rhythm that filled the quiet space. You were lying on your side, propped up on one elbow, the silky sheets pooling around your waist. Across from you, Nicholas sat on the edge of the bed, his back to you, head tilted slightly as he stared out at the rain.
"Do you ever think about it?" you asked, your voice soft but laced with curiosity.
He turned, his dark eyes locking with yours. "Think about what?"
You hesitated, your fingers absentmindedly tracing patterns on the sheet. "Us," you said finally. "What we'd be like if things were... different."
Nicholas's lips twitched into a small, knowing smile. He turned fully toward you now, leaning back on his hands, his figure outlined by the faint light. "What makes you think I don't already?"
Your breath caught in your throat. The way he was looking at you—like you were the only thing in the room, the only thing that mattered—made your heart race. "You fantasize about me?" you teased, your voice lighter now, though the weight of the question lingered in the air.
He chuckled softly, his eyes never leaving yours. "What can I say? You make it impossible not to."
You tried to play it cool, but the way his voice dipped, low and intimate, sent shivers down your spine. "Okay, fine. Tell me what you fantasize about."
Nicholas leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, his gaze holding yours captive. "You really want to know?"
You nodded, biting your bottom lip as your pulse quickened.
He exhaled slowly, like he was letting go of a secret he'd been holding onto for far too long. "I think about what it'd be like to have more time with you. Not stolen moments, not just late nights like this, but everything. Waking up next to you every morning. Taking you out and not caring who sees us. Coming home to you, knowing you're waiting for me."
His words made your heart ache in the best way, but he wasn't done.
"And then there's..." He trailed off, a crooked smile playing on his lips.
"There's what?" you pressed, sitting up now, fully invested.
"There's the way you'd look at me if we were somewhere else. Somewhere private but not too far away," he said, his voice dropping an octave. "Like if we were at a beach house, the kind where the windows are so big you feel like the ocean is right there in the room. I'd be sitting on the couch, and you'd walk in wearing one of those little sundresses you love, with your hair all messy from the wind."
You swallowed hard, his imagery so vivid it felt like you were already there.
"And you'd sit on my lap," he continued, his voice a murmur now, "like it's the most natural thing in the world. And I wouldn't even have to ask—your arms would just wrap around my neck, and we'd stay like that for hours, not saying a word."
The intensity of his gaze was almost too much to handle, and you felt your cheeks flush. "That's... specific."
"I told you, I think about it a lot," he said with a shrug, his smile soft but genuine.
You reached out, your fingers brushing against his, and he took your hand without hesitation, his thumb running circles over your knuckles. "Why don't we make it real, then?"
Nicholas's smile faltered, replaced by something deeper, more vulnerable. "You think I don't want to? It's all I want. But you know how complicated things are."
You knew he was right. Between his career and your own commitments, it felt like your relationship was stuck in this in-between space—more than friends but less than everything you wanted.
"But what if we stopped caring about complicated?" you asked, your voice barely above a whisper. "What if we just... did it? Let the world figure itself out."
He looked at you like you'd just said the most dangerous, tempting thing in the world. "You really want that?"
"Yes," you said without hesitation. "I want all of it, Nick. The mornings, the nights, the beach house... all of it."
For a moment, neither of you spoke. The rain outside grew heavier, the sound filling the silence between you. Then, slowly, Nicholas leaned in, his hand coming up to cup your cheek.
"I've wanted you since the first day we met," he murmured, his lips just a breath away from yours. "And if you're ready, I'll give you everything."
You closed the distance, your lips meeting his in a kiss that felt like every unsaid word and every secret longing finally coming to light. His hands moved to your waist, pulling you closer until there was no space left between you.
When you finally pulled back, your foreheads resting together, you both laughed softly, the tension breaking into something lighter, something full of promise.
"I guess we're done fantasizing," you said, your voice tinged with playfulness.
Nicholas grinned, his eyes sparkling in the low light. "Not quite. But now we can make them real."
And as the night stretched on, the rain still falling outside, it felt like the beginning of something neither of you would ever want to wake up from.
