There were supposed to be five of us at the bar, but only Sara and I were there. And at this point it was pretty clear that the others weren't coming. This wasn't the first time it had happened. Our friend group formed in college a few years ago, and those of us that never left the area stayed close friends. But over the past year, it seemed like everyone was always bailing on plans because they were too busy with their jobs and their partners. Sara and I were the only two that were still single. We both had jobs, but I guess we're just awesome, fun-loving people who prioritize friendship over work.
"You know, Micah, at this point, I feel like it's almost our fault for expecting them to show," said Sara, looking into her piña colada, music pounding quite a bit too loudly.
"Alright, Eeyore," I said with a smirk. She laughed and smacked me on the arm.
"No, but it really does make me sad! It's like... we're drifting apart and we used to be so close and the harder I try to pull us back together the further apart we drift. Do you know what I mean?"
"Yeah... I feel the same way," I said, taking a gulp of my beer. "But sometimes you can't control change. I make a new friend once in a while."
"What?" Sara yelled, battling the volume of the music.
"I said, I make a new friend once in a while!"
"It's too fucking loud in here!"
Five minutes later, we were walking down the sidewalk towards Sara's apartment. We were going to watch TV or something. I was okay with this plan because I wanted to leave the bar, but also it would have been sad to go straight home after a mere fifteen minutes of drinking.
"You know, there's a plus side to everyone drifting apart. We've become better friends," I said. In college we had been on opposite sides of our social circle, but in the past year we'd been forced to hang out one-on-one enough that we were actually becoming kind of close.
"Yuch," she said, rolling her eyes. Then she smiled. "No, no. That's true. I like how close we are actually. I feel really comfortable with you."
We arrived at Sara's building and trudged up the stairs and into her apartment. It was a tiny studio apartment, and actually quite a shitty place for two people to watch TV, because her "couch" was more of a big, weird chair with room enough for about 1.75 asses. I plopped mine down on it anyway.
Sara unzipped her jacket and hung it on the door. She was wearing a tank top that showed a lot of cleavage. Now, I only ever saw Sara as a friend as she's not my type romantically, but she had a very feminine, very... luscious body. I don't want you to get the impression that I had ever lusted after her, but there had been a handful of times when my eyes accidentally caught one of her plump parts sway or jiggle, and it caused an involuntary stirring in my pants. And this was one of those times.
She squeezed next to me on the couch and we started watching Netflix. We settled on some show about doctors which I actually found quite boring. I planted my elbow on the arm of the couch and leaned on it, partly to give my neck a rest and partly to keep me from accidentally brushing the side of Sara's tit with my other arm.
Though we were both trying to give each other space, the shape of the couch inevitably pushed our knees together. By the end of the episode, we were comfortable in a position where her right thigh was pressed against my left thigh. On this particular night, there was something very nice about her warmth.
I could tell she was trying not to fidget, for my sake. But I wished she would. I was loving the moments when her leg brushed against mine, and I could feel that my flesh was less than a millimeter away from another living person. Maybe I was just desperate for some physical intimacy, but being pressed against her was just making me feel... happy. In the corner of my eye, I could see her eyes flicking around the room. I wondered what she was thinking.
Sara had always been confident, loud, and sarcastic. But in this moment, she was silent and calm. Her lips opened and shut absentmindedly as she half-watched the show. The light from the TV glittered in her eye... The lamp behind her illuminated her stray hairs... She looked so gentle and so full of life.
She caught me glancing at her and used it as the chance to speak. "My ADHD is not letting me follow the plot of this show."
"I had a feeling you weren't paying attention," I said.
"Are you into it?"
"No, it's super boring," I said, yawning. "It's putting me to sleep. When is naptime? ... Do you remember naptime? In, like, kindergarten or whatever? Why don't adults get to do that?"
"Speak for yourself. I take naps whenever I want."
"Yeah?" I said.
"Yeah. We can take a nap right now," said Sara.
I chuckled.
"I'm not joking," she said, almost annoyed. "Don't get all nostalgic about naptime if you're not gonna take a nap, dick."
"Eh, this couch is not comfortable. No offense."
Sara popped to her feet, walked to the bed. "Of course we're not having naptime on that horrible couch. Get in," she said, tearing the covers to the side.
I couldn't quite tell if she was joking, but Sara's enthusiasm for napping together was infectious. I played along and walked to the bed, but Sara stopped me before I got in. "Ah-ah-ah," she said, waving a finger. "You're not wearing your dirty street clothes on my sheets."
