They sat on the couch, the bowl of popcorn in her lap.
Nathan reached over from some popcorn, eyes never leaving the TV. Summer swatted his hand away playfully, eyes focused on the movie, smiling as she popped another piece into her mouth.
Nathan rolled his eyes, settling back against the couch, putting his feet up on the coffee table.
This was their usual Wednesday night tradition. It'd started years ago when Summer had been dumped and she'd come crying to Nathan. Nathan had been annoyed with her flirting with him and then dating someone else, but he couldn't turn her away.
He let her back into his apartment and gave her hot chocolate while she cried. After her heartbreak healed, Summer spent more time with Nathan going out to lunch, seeing movies, and calling almost every day.
Then, when he began to become hopeful again, Summer would meet "the perfect guy" and gone would be the time with Nathan and Movie Wednesdays.
Nathan, who should have learned from previous experiences, shrugged it off and put Summer out of his mind, dating other girls and even loving a few.
As Summer grew out of her "Summer Romances," she quieted down and hadn't dated someone in almost a year.
Carefully, Nathan gave in to her requests to hang out and just like it'd started, Movie Wednesdays had returned. He noticed she was not as flirtatious, less emotionally explosive, and more reasonable. Then again, she'd been 18 when he met her and perhaps she'd grown out of her ways now at 24.
They'd spent more time together, going places as friends, no feeling of anything more from either of them. He'd escorted her to a friend's wedding and she'd gone with him to his office party.
They always kissed goodbye on the cheek and nothing more. She'd slept in his bed with him a few times when she'd been too tired or drunk to drive home and again, there was nothing more. She'd slept next to him like a puppy.
It was easy spending time with her now, she'd become a very good friend often helped Nathan when he needed it. She'd brought him soup when he was sick and even went over to his apartment after he went to work when he thought he left the door unlocked.
The more time they spent together, the more he wondered if he would ever be anything more to her... but the thought was always shaken from his head, just like it was now with her sitting on the couch with him.
Taking another sip of his beer, Nathan noticed it was almost gone, starting to get up to retrieve another.
Summer stopped him.
"Do you need another?" she asked, already hopping off the couch, grabbing her empty glass of water and taking his beer bottle out of his hand before he could answer.
"I need more water anyways," she explained, heading towards his kitchen.
He watched her filling up her glass and getting his beer. She looked comfortable moving about his kitchen, knowing where everything was.
Summer padded back to the living room barefoot, jean shorts covering her swaying hips.
She handed Nathan his beer and set her water on the coffee table after taking a drink.
She picked up the blanket but instead of settling on the far side of the couch again, she settled down in the middle, next to Nathan.
Covering her lap with the blanket, she settled back against Nathan comfortably, not delicately or carefully by any means.
Nathan froze, not expecting it. He waited for her reaction to his quietness but there was none.
He'd often dated girls who cuddled up with him on the couch but who'd look at him with a smirk as soon as they did it, wanting to get playful.
Summer had leaned back on him, but had gotten engrossed back in the movie, not paying attention to him.
Nathan relaxed, looking back at the movie, trying not to think of Summer's body pressed against him. He'd slept in bed with her before and it hadn't meant anything. Surely this was the same type of situation.
He did find her attractive, very much so, but ever since she'd come back to him, he'd put those thoughts elsewhere. If they were to be friends, that would be all he thought about.
Leaning back, Nathan settled his arm around Summer and pulled her closer to get more comfortable. She obliged and snuggled in, bringing the blanket with her.
As the movie progressed, Summer began idly tracing outlines on his arm, giving him goosebumps, and his fingers had found their way into her hair, playing with the ends.
All of this, however, still felt friendly, more loving than lustful. He was quite content with her laying on him like this, her warm breath on his skin.
As it got later, Nathan hadn't realized how long the movie really was, and they'd both gotten tired, cuddling now out of comfort.
Summer stretched, yawning, then settled her head back down on Nathan. Mimicking her actions, he did the same, stretching underneath her, settling back down, and kissing the top of her head.
She snuggled into it, eyes starting to close.
"I don't think I'm going to make it to the end," she yawned, stretching.
"Me, neither," Nathan chuckled, "Let's just go to bed."
Summer nodded, getting up. There was nothing sexual or suggestive about his proposal. They'd slept in bed together before and he knew there was no way she'd drive home this tired.
In the bedroom, Nathan offered her one of his t-shirts and basketball shorts as usual. She always took the t-shirt but never the shorts, complaining that they were too uncomfortable to sleep in as they fell more to her ankles than to her knees.
And then again, another tradition. He always shut off the light and got into bed while she finished in the bathroom and then she'd come to bed in the dark, never wanting him to see her in her underwear since she'd refused the shorts he offered.
Tonight was no different. Once he was in bed and the lights were off, he felt her crawl into bed with him. As always, there was no feeling of anything more.
Laying on his back as usual, he wait to feel her roll onto her side and fall asleep. Instead, however, he felt her crawl through the sheets to him and snuggle up to his side, putting her head on his chest, her bare leg touching his. He'd worn a t-shirt to bed for her sake but didn't put shorts on over his boxers.
She'd never slept with him like this before and he wasn't sure he could keep friendly thoughts in his head with her almost naked body pressed against his.
