Partition

Chapter 7

He collapsed onto the bed. You too rolled over, stretching out perpendicular to him while your head rested on his stomach. His fingers tickled their way across your arm as you laid there for awhile, catching your breath and reveling in the aftermath.

"Do you really have to go?" he spoke first.

"I should. I'll be behind all week if I don't." You regretted those words the moment you said them. Nonetheless, you had made your decision. You turned your head to look at him. "Now, how am I supposed to get out of here?"

"I'll drive you home."

"No, you can't do that. Someone will notice and snap a picture of us." You crawled out of bed and searched the room for your dress, forgetting it was still in the living room. He got up and walked over to his dresser and pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt and handed them to you.

"You can wear these home." He gave you a peck on the lips. "And why should I care if someone takes a picture of us?"

"I care," you motioned for him to take his clothes back. "I don't need these - I don't know when I'll be able to return them."

"Hmmmm," he hummed and tugged you into him and smiled. "Keep them, and I'll have something to wear after I spend the night at your place."

You looked back up at him and sighed. "Are you really serious? You keep implying that you want more than just a hook up. You don't need to pretend with me if that's all this was. I'm not going to think you're a bad guy."

"I didn't think I was implying anything. I thought I was being pretty explicit. I want you."

"OK. Well, what does that mean? Is it more of... this?" you gestured towards the bed. "Or is it hanging out?... Is it going out?"

"All of the above." He leaned in and kissed your cheek. "A relationship, I guess, is what I'm hoping to get."

"Like... you want to be my boyfriend?" you asked slowly. He shrugged and shook his head Yes. Contemplation skewed your face as I thought about what he was proposing and how you were going to answer. "Well... this may sound funny since we already had sex..." you started to recount the nights events.

"...four times." He winked as he finished your sentence. "Plus, the car."

"Right...," you said trying to hold in your smile. "...but, let's just start with you calling me first and we'll see how that goes."

"I feel like we are beyond a simple phone call."

"I mean..." You felt a little sheepish. "...to set up like... a date or something."

"Done." He gave you another kiss on the lips but he accompanied it with a smack on your backside. "Get dressed, I'll call you a cab."

You were home by late morning. Famished, you raided what little was left in your fridge before dressing in your finest bleach-stained sweats to take on the afternoon. You thought about bathing, but you could still smell him on your skin and wanted to hold that scent for a little longer. Plus, you knew you'd want to take a long, hot shower after you finished today's chores.

The whole day was a mix of emotions. While at the corner store, the words "You're fucking amazing" suddenly came to you. It was so vivid; it was as if he was standing right beside you. You buried your grinning face into a box of cereal to hide your glee from fellow patrons. You checked your phone often and whenever you noticed it wasn't within arms reached, your panicked heart raced as you searched for it. While doing laundry, you caught a glimpse of your dress and were instantly haunted by the phantoms of his hands that help slip it off of you. You never stopped moving, because when you did, your mind began to flip through all the intoxicating memories or you'd get yourself twisted, wondering if and when he'd call. You questioned often your decision to not stay with him all day.