The Best Things Happen When You Least Expect Them

Common Ground

David woke when blazing sunlight hit his eyelids. He tried burying his face deeper in his pillow, only to discover that his face was met by a pile of tangled hair that tickled in his nose and made him prop up his arm in confusion. Before his eyes had adjusted completely to the brightness of the room, visions of last night played before them. He had called Natalie, she had been crying on the phone, he had driven over to Cass' place, their kiss under a streetlamp...

The arm he had leisurely lying over her waist pulled her closer as his actual vision cleared and he made out Natalie laying next to him, sprawled across his bed. At his movement and the sun hitting his bed, she shifted and slowly turned on her back. Suddenly self-conscious, David drew back his arm from her waist and let her turn fully to face him. She let out a soft sight as her eyelids fluttered and revealed her chocolate eyes. Finally, his hesitant gaze was met by hers and he held his breath as he watched her assess the situation. He didn't dare guess how she was going to react to waking up in his bed. For all he knew, things could seem different in blazing sunlight than under dim streetlamps.

Eventually, Natalie's lips broke into a soft smile and David exhaled.

"Good morning", her morning voice might have been the most familiar sound to his ears. It was deep and calm, resembling most closely what she sounded like when no camera was rolling, and no impression was to be made. This was how she sounded when they were alone speaking earnestly. It provoked a deep sense of intimacy in him.

She hadn't fled the room and she was actually smiling up at him, David took that as good signs. He was so endlessly relieved about how things had turned out since he had called her the night before, wasting that shot was not an option. Natalie was in his bed, cuddled up in his blanket, still wearing nothing but the PJs she had worn when she had literally fled her friend's apartment to be with him. Good signs all over the place.

"I'm so happy that you picked up my call last night", David confessed as his hand slid back to her waist, pulling her further to him.

"And I'm glad that you picked me up."

"Why did you stay away for so long? I mean it's not like I didn't buy you a car, you kind of don't need my pick-up services." His serious question was conveyed by a light chuckle.

"It's just that... I needed space. I still do, maybe. I mean what are we doing here?" A blush graced her cheeks as she looked at his arm around her and they realized at the same time how she was laying practically beneath his propped-up arm. After a short pause she went on.

"I mean we hook up, you act all strange about it in a conversation that you set up by the way, and I start thinking that maybe if we just forget it things will get back to normal. But then you start acting really weird around Ilya and everyone, I notice you watching me all the time. And it's strange because..." the red on her cheeks deepened as Natalie shifted and buried her face in his chest.

"What?", he urged her on. She only buried herself deeper into the blankets until nothing but muffled sounds could be heard from her. "Oh come on Nat, don't leave me hanging like that. I know I was acting strange, look, I'm sorry it was just so... unnerving. The three of us have known each other for what, over ten years? And out of the fucking blue, literally days after we... you know. Days after that he confesses his crush or whatever. Like what are the fucking odds of that happening? And I just... oh god I thought the same as you did. That it was nothing. Let's just go on and whatever. But..." David was struggling with his words like an idiot. "I guess I just began seeing you differently." Finally, her face reappeared.

"And that's what was so strange. Like, I had never thought that you, of all people would like, look at me like this. But then you did and I... I liked it I guess." Her cheeks were burning at this point. His propped-up arm going numb anyway, he lowered his hand and ran a finger along them. A question was lingering on the tip of David's tongue and before he could make a conscious decision, it was already out there.

"Did you tell Cass?", he tried sounding as casual as possible, she sighted deeply.

"Yeah, I did... And she had all sorts of things to say about it. They all made perfect sense, you know. She was just trying to be a good friend." Natalie made a long pause, probably contemplating whether telling David what Cass had said would be considered snitching. David didn't dare urge her on but prayed to the heavens above she would tell him. He needed to know. Luckily, Natalie went on.

"You know she reminded me of how you always tell people that you could never have and never had any feelings for me and how even the suggestion was super ridiculous. And I know that our relationship has never been that way, so... it made perfect sense." Of course, he was such a fucking idiot. Had he really believed that these things would disappear from everyone's memory just because he, all of a sudden, changed his mind about them?

"And in the beginning, I kept telling her that there are just things that you need to tell people, regardless of what's actually happening. But then we met at Dom's and... things just got so confusing, Dave. Like, I really tried re-establishing the lines between us. But then you act so different from what you say and we almost..." Her body shifted again, embarrassment written on her face.

"Look, I know I have to apologize for what happened at Dom's. This went entirely not how I planned it. I was just so... I wasn't sure what you were expecting of me now. Where we stood with each other. But we never had a second alone to talk with this house always being so fucking crowded." Frustration vibrated in his voice.
"And so I told you to come to Dom's, and you show up and suddenly my head is just blank and I'm back at being an idiot. I'm really sorry, I wanted you so damn much, but I just wasn't ready to admit to it at the time."

Natalie sat up and the blanket fell from her arms. Only inches away from his, her eyes locked intensely on his face.

"And now?", the words were almost whispered, his glance alternately found hers and her lips as she spoke them. Instead of an answer, David reached for her neck and drew her closer. "Consider this my confession", he mumbled right before their lips met with just enough force to make her welcome his tongue. Without breaking off their kiss, Natalie lowered back into the pillow and David shifted so that his body weight was pressing her down into the mattress. While her hands roamed his hair, he let his fingers slide down the side of her body, until they found the hem of her top. Just as he started gently pushing it up her belly, Natalie pushed firmly against his shoulders.

"Dave... David stop for a second." He immediately let go of her clothes and drew a little back to have a better look at her expression. Her breath was coming as rapidly as his, but she didn't look angered. "I need to know where we stand with each other."

Ah yes, David gathered the few braincells that were not impacted by the sudden blood-drain that his brain was suffering from and ran a hand through his hair. How could he forget when this was why he had called her in the first place the night before? He needed to know too, at least before other needs had come in the way... He mentally kicked himself for not being the one who asked the actual question. Now he was the one who was expected to give the answer. He took a couple of seconds before replying.

"Look Nat, I don't know how we are going to figure this out and if or not. All I know is this: over the last couple of weeks something changed, and I don't think I can just go back to being friends. For some time, I tried telling myself that hooking up with you hadn't changed anything at all, but it did. I never saw you in that way, that's true, but now I do. And also let me tell you, the things I've seen cannot be unseen for sure." He let his eyes wander her body in a mock seductive way that made her giggle softly.

"This radio silence has been killing me and my vlogs fucking suck when you are not around, because I can't focus on anything long enough without you slipping in my mind."

"You forgot to mention that they also lack my expertise and magic touch", Natalie threw in with another chuckle.

"Yeah, sure Nat", David replied with a grin and an eyeroll. "I'm serious... Let's just figure this out one step at a time and see where it leads." Natalie sucked in her lower lip and squirmed her eyes.

"Alright, sounds good to me", she replied after several seconds. David's lips broke into the biggest smile and he lowered his head once again to capture her lips with his.