Want

1. If I Say No

How long has he been waiting for this? How long have I been fighting it? How long have I been telling him no, pushing him away, watching him reluctantly but dutifully comply until he began to stop even without my asking him to? All for us to end up like this: half-dressed and flustered and breaking every promise I've ever made to stay away.

The pouring rain is the guiltiest of culprits. One minute, I was alone in my apartment, having just wave him goodbye as he began the trek back to his own home on foot. The rain was already coming down at that point, but it was light and tolerable for a short walk. Then, suddenly, it was as if the weight of water abruptly tore through the weakened clouds, and the rain came down in torrents. He was soaked through in seconds, and I couldn't bring myself to argue when he came running back to my door.

All of which led us to here, sitting in deafening silence on a stack of pillows on the floor. His bare chest, along with his legs clothed in tight, borrowed sweatpants, remain pressed tauntingly up against me; while I wear only the t-shirt and underwear I'd put on for bed before his unexpected return. His clothes are now being washed, but even I know that he won't be leaving by the time they're complete. The storm shows no signs of letting up, instead only growing louder and fiercer outside. For me, the occasional thunder and lightning are a comforting reminder of the coziness indoors, but he makes it a point to huddle closer towards me every time they occur.

I sigh and squint down, finding it difficult to concentrate on anything other than his bare skin and the feel of it brushing against me. He knows I'm struggling, unsurprisingly, as my face is beaming so brightly red that even I can almost see the glow radiating from my cheeks. I've never seen him shirtless before, much less felt his bare body so close to mine; having him here, sitting so close that I can feel the heat coming from his exposed skin, is unbearable.

After several minutes of trying and failing to focus on what's before me, I finally give in and grab a random item from the floor and hold it up past my shoulder. "This one," I sigh. "Let's do this one."

He takes it from my hand and examines it for a moment. "Cabin Fever... 2?" he asks, and I can hear the laughter hidden behind his smooth voice.

"Yes," I answer flatly. "I like that one."

"And you don't think we should watch the original first? Especially since I've never seen it..."

I mash my lips and flip blindly through the stack of DVDs on the floor, still struggling just to register the words written on each cover. "I'm—I'm not sure if I have it," I stammer, ears burning. "I don't see it here..." Without even a moment's hesitation, he reaches down and picks up a DVD from the middle of the pile, then hands it to me.

"Here," he says. "I think that's the one you're looking for." Even as he sits behind me, I can just hear the massive smirk on his face. My head sinks shamefully down into my shoulders as I reluctantly take the disk from his hand.

"Yeah," I mutter. "Thanks." I crawl up to the DVD player and slide in the disk, taking a hold of the remote before trying subtly to resituate myself a safe distance from him. There's no escaping him, however, as he immediately wraps his hands around my waist and pulls me back towards him. I let out a high-pitched squeak and flop gracelessly into his lap, laying stunned for a second while he laughs.

"I love it when you make those girly sounds," he giggles. "You should do it more often."

I scowl and pull myself upright. "Next time you pull something like that, you're getting an elbow to the stomach," I growl.

"Something like what?" he murmurs, leaning in closer. I flinch, bracing myself for another attack, but instead I'm caught by surprise when he plucks the remote from my hand. I whirl around to face him.