“I wish you would,” she replied.
“I’m confused. I’ve never had sex that’s like this. It’s… I don’t even know how to describe it. And after last weekend I’ve been like a junkie all week, craving another hit. Of you. But it’s not just the sex. The thing is…” I paused and took a bracing breath. “I don’t just like you as a sexual being. I like you as a person too.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying I’d like us to be friends.”
I could have sworn that I saw a flash of disappointment on her face before she schooled her expression.
“Just friends?”
I shook my head and gave her a sly smile. “I wouldn’t be opposed to friends with benefits.”
“That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement,” she said drily.
“Okay, I’m just going to put myself out there then and tell you what I want. I want to be friends. I want to have sex. Lots of sex. I like you more than I thought I would, and I love fucking you, so let’s hang out, fool around, and see what happens.”
She was quiet for so long I thought for sure she was going to shoot me down. I waited patiently, recognizing that unlike me she wasn’t a verbal processor. Chris needed a few minutes to think, and I gave it to her, sitting quietly and finishing up my dinner.
“I’d like that too,” she finally said.
Something inside me settled, like I’d been holding my breath or something, but I didn’t want to analyze why Chris’s answer was so important to me.
“So what happens now?” I asked.
“You wanna watch a movie or something?”
Her question caught me by surprise. “What?”
Chris shrugged, and I detected a tinge of pink on her cheeks. “It’s just that if we’re going to be friends, we should do some friend things.”
“Like get drunk on tequila at the local bar?” I teased.
“Well, maybe let’s not do that again for a while. If ever. But watching movies, having dinner, going to concerts or festivals, hiking, those are the kind of things I do with my other friends.”
“Okay, we can do that,” I agreed.
God knows I needed to give my vagina a little break before we went at it again. We hadn’t exactly been gentle with each other earlier.
“What kind of movies do you like?” Chris asked after we’d loaded the dishwasher, put away the leftovers, and transitioned to the couch.
I looked around at Chris’s place, having been a little too preoccupied earlier to do so. It was pretty basic. Kind of plain. It reminded me of one of those short-term stay places that business people rented. It didn’t have a lot of personality. Maybe she’d moved in recently and hadn’t had time to decorate yet?
“How long have you lived here?”
“A couple of years. Why?”
“You don’t have any pictures anywhere. Or artwork,” I pointed out. “Your walls are empty. Other than the TV.”
“I’m not big on decorating.”
“Hmm, okay.” I plopped down on the couch and patted the cushion next to me. “Let’s talk movies. You like romantic comedies, right?”
I burst out laughing at the look of disgust on Chris’s face.
“No? Let me guess. You like gruesome true crime stories?”
She shook her head.
