Alia rested her head against the steering wheel. She had been sitting outside her apartment for almost five minutes now. She had invited Jason over. For sex. And he had agreed. God, what had she gotten herself into. Part of her wanted to brush it off as a joke and hide herself in her room. The other part desperately wanted to be held and kept bringing up memories of seeing Jason shirtless at the gym.
He was probably waiting at her door already. He had discreetly left the party soon after they exited the balcony, telling her he had an errand to run and would meet her at her place. She had spent the next ten minutes saying her goodbyes and eyeing the alcohol. If she hadn't been driving home, she'd have downed another drink. Or two.
Looking up she saw someone approaching her car and tensed. Sighing she relaxed when she recognized Jason, his hair giving him away. He had a plastic bag in hand and a small grin on his face. Mentally composing herself, she forced a smile and left her car.
"Hey. Hope you weren't waiting to long," she said locking her door and leading him towards her apartment.
"No, just got here a bit ago. Wasn't sure where to park, but I think I found a space that should be okay." Jason replied, watching her unlock her apartment door.
"So umm this is it." Alia said, ushering him in and turning on the lights. "Let me give you the quick tour," she continued while slipping off her shoes. "Down the hallway is my bedroom, the bathroom is the first door on the right. As you can see, in front of you is the living room, and to the left is what passes for a kitchen."
Jason nodded and headed towards the kitchen, setting the plastic bag on the counter. "Where do you keep your mugs?" he asked.
"Huh?" Alia replied, following him. "They're above the microwave. Why?"
Grabbing two mugs, Jason filled them with water. "Instant cocoa. Clearly not as good as the real thing, but quick, easy, and good enough for our purposes." He started the microwave and opened the plastic bag.
Alia wrinkled her brow. "Um… I like cocoa and all, but what does that have to do with sex?"
Jason removed the cocoa box from the bag and opened it before replying. "A benefits relationship requires honesty and communication to work. I propose a 'Cocoa Conversation' rule: while we are drinking cocoa, we will answer each other's questions openly and honestly. If you don't want to answer something, that's fine – just say so, don't hedge your answer or avoid the issue."
Alia bit her lip, but nodded.
"Relax," he said. "Nothing needs to happen tonight. In fact, nothing will happen tonight that you don't want." He emptied the cocoa packets into the now hot mugs and grabbed a spoon from the drawer she pointed to.
He sighed, stirring the mugs. "This works so much better when you add the hot water to the powder, but I think I got it mixed well." Handing Alia a mug, Jason walked over to her couch and sat down. Dazedly, Alia followed him.
"Now," he said, turning towards her, "Questions." He smiled, raising an eyebrow.
His violet gaze distracted her for a moment. "I hadn't really thought that far….." She shifted uncomfortably.
"Alia . Relax. We're friends. Nobody will hear about anything we say or do tonight from me." He sipped his cocoa. " I'll get us started. Birth control."
Alia blinked, then relaxed slightly. She had a better feel for where this was going. Trust Jason to deal with those things she logically knew they should talk about, but really hadn't occurred to her in the awkwardness of the situation.
"Well I'm on the Nuvaring," she began. Noting Jasonn's puzzled looked, she quickly continued, "it's a plastic ring that’s..um.. sitting inside me. Works just like the pill, but I only need to remember to change it once a month." Some of his confusion faded, but he looked ready to ask a question. She didn't want to explain that there were plenty of medical reasons for a woman to regulate her cycle other than simply birth control. She hurried on, blushing, "You shouldn't notice it during sex. It's soft and flexible and will just get ..er shoved to the side."
