It was the first time in a long time that I awoke in bed next to another person. There was certainly an initial shock, my hand hitting someone's body as I stretched under the covers. But that faded quickly as remembered last night, as I remembered
who
I was in bed with.
Kat was still fast asleep, despite my hitting her. In sharp contrast to last night, her hair was a mess, and her face was makeup-free. Seldom did I see her like this, but I cherished every time I did. I don't know why I preferred her like this, to be honest. Maybe it felt more real.
"Are you just going to keep staring at me?" Kat grumbled, barely opening her eyes.
Maybe I did wake her up when I hit her.
"What did you want me to do?"
She said nothing in response, just pursing her lips. Understanding the request, I leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss. Seemingly unsatisfied, however, Kat held the back of my head and stole three more before pulling me into a tight bear hug.
The hug acted as a sharp reminder that we were both naked. For me, I decided it was more desirable than running next door to get a pair of my pajamas last night. Kat just said she liked sleeping naked better. Regardless, both decisions led us here; our bare breasts pressing against each other, her thigh involuntarily - or maybe voluntarily - rubbing between my legs. The intimacy felt a little unfamiliar to me - a strange fact considering just how
intimate
we were last night.
"How do you feel?" she asked.
"About what?"
"Life, I guess," she replied, running her hand through my hair.
I could sense some level of what I guessed to be unease in her tone. Though, I didn't know its cause. Was she regretting what we did last night, or worried that I was? "Decided to get philosophical all of a sudden?" I asked, pushing her face away with my hand and wriggling free from her grip. "I feel good."
Was that the truth?
It was for now. But I was not unfamiliar with the short-lived post-sex happiness, nor was I unfamiliar with the crushing regret that often followed for me as of late. But I
was
feeling good right now. Maybe that's what I needed to focus on.
"Well, I'm feeling tired," she yawned, rolling back over while pulling the sheets up to her chin. "Ten more minutes and then maybe I'll get up to make some breakfast."
Strangely, for one of the few times in my life, I was feeling wide awake despite the early hour. Leaving Kat in bed, I slinked out from under the sheets and made my way down the hall, entering her small bathroom. It was convenient I guess that our apartments were mirror images of one another. It made navigating when still groggy a whole lot easier.
Flicking on the bathroom light, I closed the door, doing my best to avoid the mirror but eventually succumbing. It was rare that I stood naked in front of one - I had learned that lesson long ago, even before Dave left. It was unsurprising, then, that my eye was immediately drawn to all my worst parts.
Cellulite on my thighs and ass, stretch marks developing around my waist, and - worst of all - the gut I had developed since the divorce. It hardly looked like the body of a 34-year-old woman. I tried not to dwell on it as I peeled myself from my reflection; as little good as that did.
Flipping the lid of Kat's toilet, I sat down, the chill of the cold seat running through my body. As is started to pee, I did my best not to think about my body. In letting my mind water, unfortunately, my brain quickly made its way back to Kat's question. I desperately tried not to think about it, but it was inevitable.
How do you feel?
What was its genesis? And was my answer truthful?
I feel good.
I mulled the answer over. It was true, I guess. Or, as true as any answer to that question could be, all options having some level of dishonesty when dissected enough. Right now, for example, it was good. An hour from now? Or hell, a couple of weeks? That was unknown.
Truthfully, what I cared about more than anything, was how
Kat
was feeling. I never felt good. I hadn't felt good for a long time. But if she was regretting last night, or having second thoughts, then that was something new.
The light knocks at the door barely registered. It swinging open was the first thing that caught my attention, followed by Kat slipping inside. "I thought you were tired."
"Couldn't fall back asleep. You almost done? I need to piss."
Her sudden intrusion briefly clouded my mind, but her question was a sharp reminder of what I was doing. Snapping my legs together, I cut off the trickle of pee that was still leaving my body.
"You're acting like we didn't just have sex last night," she stated nonchalantly before her face shifted to a look of realization. "Oh, shit. I didn't..."
Doing my best to appear relaxed, I let my legs open and moved my hands away from my crotch. "No, it's fine." Grabbing a wad of toilet paper, I haphazardly wiped before standing and flushing the toilet. "It's all yours."
I could tell Kat was still unsure, a level of trepidation both on her face and in the way she hesitated to move from the doorway. Eventually, it seemed her need to go outweighed the opposition. So, still looking in my direction, she took a seat and let nature take its course.
It was strange being in a room with someone else using the toilet for the first time. Well, other than public bathrooms, of course. Even as I washed my hands in the sink, I could faintly hear Kat's pee hitting the water in the toilet bowl.
It felt almost predatory, but I was immediately turned on. It didn't help matters that we were both naked. As Kat had said, we just had sex last night. And yet, this was almost more erotic to me. A private matter shared only between the closest people, rarely seen by anyone other than yourself.
I'm sure she noticed the not-so-subtle glances I was stealing her way. Just as I'm sure she noticed how long I stood at the sink washing my hands. To tell the truth - despite being aware of how obvious I was being - I almost stayed longer.
I did, however, eventually pull myself away, drying my hands before slipping out of the bathroom. Though, I didn't make it further than just outside, hovering with the hopes of hearing anything behind the thin wood door. It was a couple of minutes later when Kat peeked her head out to address me.