"Okay, I think it's time for a break."
Smooth brown hair met freshly washed pillow as Roxy fell back onto the bed, letting go of her controller as she did so. The fluffiness of the pillow and the light scent of lavender that emanated from the sheets made her feel cozy and at home - which was a wonderful feeling, given that it was neither her home, nor her bed.
"Yeah, we have been losing kind of badly these past few games."
Roxy felt the bed jostle slightly as another body fell beside hers. Despite her exceptional comfort, she adjusted slightly to face her companion. His lighter brown hair - just on the verge of blonde - covered his eyes as he pressed himself into the bed with his hands behind his head. The strands shuffled with the rhythmical tapping of his legs against the bed frame.
The thumping made Roxy aware of her own heartbeat, which had once been following that rhythm, but was now quickly moving into double time. Blood rushed to her cheeks as she stared wordlessly at her friend, gently scanning him from top to bottom.
"Rox? Everything okay?"
Roxy's head snapped up to meet her friend's now-visible eyes. His head was cocked slightly, with an adorably concerned pout that made her want to just roll over and squeeze him.
Don't, don't you do it. Just answer him. That's your out. Take the out.
"S-sorry Jesse, I'm just... a little frustrated. It was a lot of losses in a row."
"Yeah, sorry, I'm pretty rusty."
"No, no, it's not your fault! I'm not the best either. Sometimes, you just lose, right?"
Jesse nodded with a gentle smile. "Well, if we're taking a break, we should have snacks! I'll get some, and a few drinks, and then we can swap to something else!"
"That sounds good! Need any help?"
"No, no, you're my guest! I've got it. Why don't you look and see what you'd like to play next?"
"Oh, sure, I can do that."
With the plan set, Jesse heaved himself out of the bed, nearly tumbling over his long legs as he did so. Steadying himself, he waved a small goodbye to Roxy before walking out of the bedroom.
Once the sound of his footsteps faded, Roxy turned, pressed her face into the pillow, and let out a frustrated moan.
Why does he have to be so adorable in person, too!?
Flipping over to regain her breath, Roxy sat up and looked around the room. It wasn't a particularly large bedroom, but it was cozy and tidy. Across from the bed that she was sitting on was an entertainment center with a decently sized TV and a collection of gaming consoles. Beside that was a tower with countless games shelved inside of it. A small work desk rested against the wall near the door, upon which sat a computer, a few figurines, and the handbag that she had set down upon arrival. No tossed clothes, no loose trash - either Jesse was way more organized than even she was, or he had made sure to nicen up the room for her arrival. She wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but she couldn't help but feel like it was probably the latter. After all, this was their first-time meeting in person - no doubt he wanted to make a good first impression.
Not that he really needed to do that, since even just through their online interactions, Roxy had become smitten with him.
She couldn't even fully remember how long ago she had met her once-online-only friend. In college? Slightly before? It had been a few years since they'd graduated, so she knew that it had to have been a decent amount of time since they'd met one another. Even so, every time she looked at him, she felt less like an adult and more like an anxious teenager talking to her longtime crush. It was a miracle that he hadn't noticed why she had been playing poorly: she'd been staring at him with sparkles in her eyes instead of focusing on the screen. She desperately wanted to just tell him, to let the butterflies out of her chest, but she couldn't. It wouldn't mean anything.
After all, he wasn't into... well, anyone, as far as she knew.
For as long as she'd been talking to him, his asexuality had been a known quantity. It wasn't a secret - in fact, she'd found out fairly early on by pure chance, and nobody batted an eye about it. He was a sweetheart, one of the nicest people she'd ever known, and one of the few people she'd always enjoyed spending time with. But the thought that he wouldn't reciprocate - wouldn't be able to reciprocate - made her too hesitant to try.
Especially since if she knew that he felt similarly, she'd had shoved him into the bed and been riding him like a cowgirl already.
A light shock shot through her lower body as the thought popped into her head. A low, breathy moan escaped her lips as her body shuddered.
God damnit, why did I have to think about ittttt?
Roxy popped off the bed and started walking. Rather than heading over to the game tower to pick a game, however, she instead made her way over to her bag, which sat on Jesse's desk.
Gum, a mint, something I can put in my mouth -
she flicked herself, knowing what she really wanted to have there -
I've gotta have something I can...
"Shit," she whispered as she stopped thumbing through the contents of her bag.
"Everything okay?"
"
AAH!
"
Roxy stumbled back as Jesse reentered the room with a couple of bowls of snacks. Her bag tumbled out of her hands, spilling its contents across the bedroom floor. She stared at the dispersed items for a moment before whipping her hazel eyes over to Jesse. She felt like her face couldn't have gotten any redder, until she realized that he wasn't looking at her. The heat in her cheeks rose as her eyes followed his line of vision back to the object of his focus.
The reason she'd cursed in the first place.
The thing she hadn't meant to bring.
The
one thing
she didn't want him to see.
Nestled neatly on top of the pile, like a little kinky treasure, was a black leather collar with a wrapped-up leash.
Frozen silence drifted around the room. Both parties remained deathly still for a moment.
A minute.
One thousand years.
The Earth could have imploded and the two of them wouldn't have noticed a thing.
Finally, as if the switch on time had flipped from "Incomparably slow" to "I'm Barry Allen," Roxy reached out, grabbed the collar, and slammed it back into the bag.
"Y-you didn't s-s-see that," she stuttered, incapable of even looking directly at Jesse. She reached out to grab more of her bag's contents but was just as quickly stopped by the man gently placing his hand on hers. She looked up at him, flush with a mixture of embarrassment and lust, tears forming at the edges of her eyes. He looked back at her with a gentle, understanding smile, though even he couldn't hide his own light blush.
"It's okay, it's okay. No judging. You like what you like, right?"
