Thanks go again to Rotorhead450 for crucial edits and advice!
*
Happy circumstance - is that serendipity? Sharon Ng was shivering at her good luck. Her best friend's big brother Danny and her had been circling each other for more than a year, ever since Penny moved into the city in the last year of high school. They had been flirting at arm's length the whole time. And as Sharon arrived at their house to stay the weekend, Danny was the only one home.
"What's up, where's Penny, where's your mom?"
"Nan took a tumble, they literally just left, heading back south."
At that moment, Sharon's phone rang.
"I'm in the car, mom and I just left home," Penny started to explain.
"I know. I heard."
"Ah? You're at ours already? We must have just missed you. Sorry, the weekend's blown."
"Your Nan had a fall?"
"Well," Penny whispered, "She did, but there are bigger issues around... toileting. She literally slipped on pee. So she doesn't want any boys with us, otherwise Danny could have come instead of me, that had been the plan. I don't know what that means for your weekend?"
"Well, my family is out, too, right? If I stay home, it's by myself."
"Danny will be at ours all weekend. At least that's some company?" Penny suggested, adding, "I'm really sorry to do this to you."
"Come on, it's not your fault. I hope your Nan can get better."
"Do we need to tell your mom that my mom and I aren't there? She's a bit strict like that, right?"
One thing that Sharon and Penny had in common was they both lost their father at a young age, both in car accidents, although a year apart, and in different circumstances. Since her dad was gone, Sharon's mum had become a religious zealot, projecting strict pious values onto Sharon and her little sisters. Staying in a house with a boy, alone, would be a straightforward no.
"I won't tell her if you don't," Sharon suggested.
"Deal."
"When will you be back?" Sharon asked.
"Don't know," Penny sighed. "I'll call you when I know."
Sharon hung up and walked around into the kitchen, where Danny was making a sandwich for his Friday night dinner.
"Master chef," Sharon teased him.
"Hey, if it's just me what's the point to cook something? If you're staying I'll do something proper."
"Do you mind if I stay as planned?" Sharon checked, happy to see Danny smile at the news.
"Not at all, that would be great, but I better add lettuce and tomato to the sandwich, make it proper gourmet food."
Sharon was only half Chinese, but her dad's surname was so long and complicated that she usually used her mom's name. Ng. Can't get more simple than that, right? And Sharon looked far more Asian than western anyway. Her size was typical for Chinese, but of course, that meant she was a little bit smaller and more slender than girls like Penny. Sharon was happy with her look though. If she could find the right size clothes or swimwear, her body looked shapely. Her hair was just long enough to tie up if she played sports, and like most young Asian girls she used light brown highlights on her natural black hair. Her mother was furious about it, of course.
Danny was tall, slim, and strong with brown curly hair. She'd seen him at the pool once with his top off, and wow, he had muscles on his stomach.
"The spare room bed is made up," Danny told her, "You can put your bag in there. Turn the electric blanket on, it will be freezing tonight. Use the bathroom by Penny's room, I'll use the big bedroom en-suite. I'll cook properly, give me forty-five minutes, so you can have your shower now if you want."
"Okay," Sharon said, wandering off into the rear of the house, turning lights on as she went. She locked the bathroom door before undressing. Danny was hardly going to walk in on her, but it was strange to be getting naked with only those two in the house. Sharon gave herself a quick wash, leaving her hair dry. Normally she wouldn't wear anything under her pajamas, but that time she put a bra, undershirt, and panties under her warm flannel sleepwear.
"Ooh, sexy," Danny teased when she came out to the kitchen. "If I knew you were going to wear stuff that hot... I'd have put on some Barry White, and set out some candles."
"Pfft."
"You may be the oldest young woman I know," he kept teasing.
"Is this off the back of my "master chef" jibe?" Sharon countered.
"Hey look at this," Danny said, opening the oven as it beeped.
"Ooh, quiche. That looks great," Sharon said genuinely.
They ate, they cleaned up, played cards, and then a round of Ticket-to-Ride. They were alone, but still dancing around the outside of the subject of them as a potential couple. It had been so long that no one made the first move that it was impossible to know where to start. Near midnight Sharon finally said goodnight, her eyes drooping badly. She shivered down the hall and jumped gratefully under the covers of the big spare bed to feel the heat of the electric blanket she'd turned on hours ago.
"Nice, nice, nice," she said to herself and closed her eyes.
Sharon couldn't have been asleep for five minutes when she felt the quilt raise and a person shuffle into the bed alongside her. Turning groggily to see what was happening, Danny's lips found hers in the poor light. He ran his hands through her hair as he kissed her. Shocked and delighted, Sharon kissed back. They fell into a loving clinch under the covers in the dark. Months of tension flowed through their lips, then tongues. Nothing was said, they just kissed.
Danny moved to her face, her ears, her neck. Sharon was shaking in fear and anticipation. She kissed him as he was kissing her until their jaws ached. Wrapped in each other's arms, they fell asleep blissfully. It was the first time Sharon had been in bed with a man, and she loved waking up from time to time during the night and seeing he was still there.
"Thank you," she whispered, grateful to him for breaking the ice. Danny didn't answer, he was sound asleep.
In the morning, Sharon woke up hot. Outside was frosty, but with all the layers of clothes, the electric blanket, and Danny in bed with her, it was hot.
"Hi," Danny said, opening his eyes to see she was awake. Sharon didn't answer, she leaned down and kissed his lips. She had to know if it was real, that she hadn't dreamt the night before. Danny kissed back, passionately.
"Hi," she said when they came up for air.
"It's hot in here," he laughed.
"I know," Sharon agreed.
When she dashed out to the bathroom, though, the house was freezing. Sharon was grateful to get back into the warmth of the bed. Danny did the same but stopped at the window coming back.
