Twenty-One Night Stand ✓

28 / slip and slide

When morning came around, it was as though yesterday hadn't happened. The sun shone brightly through an unobstructed sky, not a cloud to be seen, and Maddie winced when she opened her eyes and realised she hadn't closed her curtains. Nick was still fast asleep with his arm around her, having hardly moved a muscle all night, and she reached for her phone while trying not to wake him. Squinting at the screen as she unlocked it, she saw that it was only seven o'clock in the morning, but the sun had been out for an hour and a half already, drying last night's rain. She dropped her phone back onto her bedside table and closed her eyes, willing the sleep to wash over her for another couple of hours

A soft tap on her door pulled her away from her attempts to doze and she grunted in response. The door creaked open a foot, and her father popped his head round. His gaze flickered over Nick but he said nothing of it, only offering his daughter a smile. She squinted up at him and mustered up a smile.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, ttal," Jung-min said, "but I didn't get a chance to see you last night, and now I have to go to work." He shook his head at his situation. "Will I see you tonight?"

"Mmhmm," she said, giving him a nod and resting her head back on her pillow. "See you later, appa. Have a good day."

"You too, ttal," he said, pulling the door shut again and padding downstairs until his footsteps faded, followed by the distinct sounds of him leaving for work: the front door clicked shut; his engine juddered to life; the tyres peeled away from the gravel driveway.

Nick slept through it all. He had always been a deep sleeper: once at university, Maddie had had to shake him awake during a fire alarm, and she couldn't count the number of times she'd reminded him that he had a nine am lecture. Smiling at her fond memories, she pulled her pillow closer and closed her eyes, allowing sleep to engulf her like a welcome wave.

*

Nine o'clock was a more respectable time for her second awakening, though Nick was still flat out. Her body more rested and ready to start the day, she lay contentedly in his arms as her mind meandered over her to-do list, something that only ever seemed to get longer, no matter how much of it she completed. There was always another necessity. But nothing was urgent and right now, all she wanted to do was stay right where she was for as long as Nick was asleep.

For fifteen minutes she lay in peace, her heartbeat slow and steady as she struggled to find anything to stress herself out. Usually she woke up each morning with a list of anxieties, as though her brain had spent the night preparing everything she needed to worry about. But not this morning. It was hard to care when she had everything she needed: a plan for the year, the perfect best friend, and Nick.

He woke slowly as he pieced together where he was and why he was there, running his hand over Maddie's body as he morphed into a stretch. Maddie felt him swell against her the small of her back, pressing against her when he arched his back in an enormous yawn. She rolled over to face him, their eyes just a few inches apart, and he gave her a winning smile.

"Hey," he said, a lazy hand finding its way to her waist. "Nice morning, huh?"

She glanced down between them before lifting her eyes back to him, holding back a smile. "Glorious," she said, and Nick let out a dry laugh. He said nothing, but he eased her closer to him and planted a kiss on her nose. It wasn't long before his lips found hers and he rolled onto his back, pulling Maddie on top of him. She laughed when she bent forward to kiss him, her hair swaying in his face. His hands moved from her hips, pushing up her t-shirt as he cupped her breasts and slipped one hand to her back, pulling her down to meet him, but she sat up.

"I need to shower," Maddie said, resisting his charm with a grin. Nick groaned.

"Why bother showering when you're only going to get dirty again?" He winked and she rolled her eyes, though a familiar hunger grew within like an infectious disease that spread through her body. His hands traced back down to her waist, eyes imploring hers, and mesmerised by his smile, she didn't move.