The soft morning light streaming in through the window is what finally woke me up. Fluttering my eyes open, I was confronted by an unfamiliar sight - a shirtless chest beneath me, an arm flung over me, a strong leg weighing on top of mine.
A smile crept over me as memories of the night before washed over me; the coat closet, dancing at the wedding, making out in the taxi, an embarrassed Julian in the lobby, making out with him again in the elevator...
one thing's fore sure, I like making out with this man
. I remembered how he teased me as I struggled to unlock my door, me dragging him to my bedroom, the
activities
that followed. Tearing off each other's clothing; Julian on his knees, on his back; writhing beneath me as I licked, bit, and kissed him; his ass in the air, begging me to fuck him.
I laid there on Julian's chest contentedly. The rise and fall of it as he breathed was soothing, and I let my mind wander. I tried thinking about work, about my sister's upcoming birthday, about a book I was reading, but none of those topics could distract me for more than a few moments at a time; last night was the only thing that would hold my attention. Succumbing, I allowed myself to further recollect on the night before.
I can't believe I gave a man I'd known for an hour a blowjob. In a closet. At a
wedding.
And then brought him home and fucked him.
I tried in vain to be appalled by my actions; I had a good night, damn it, why should I be ashamed? Because of some arbitrary rules made up by people with sticks up their asses who have to be looking down on someone to feel good about themselves?
I craned my neck to look at Julian's sleeping features.
How could anyone be ashamed of bringing
him
home,
I wondered. No, I definitely wasn't ashamed of having him in my bed. Or, for that matter, in a coat closet. Yet, I still had a nagging feeling at the back of my head, something that was off about our encounter. Something I should at least be worried about.
Something like contracting an S.T.D.
Crap, crap, crap. Oh, fuck. Could I have...? Julian doesn't seem like he'd... I know I'm clean - or, I was - am I now? Fucking hell!
As soon as the thought entered my mind, I was wide awake.
How could I have given a virtual stranger a blowjob? How could I have forgotten to use a condom? Why had neither of us thought of it at the time? Fuck, I hate going to the clinic.
I glanced at my clock - it read
8:46 A.M.
Coffee...I need coffee.
Carefully, I disentangled myself from Julian. He was still blissfully asleep, easily adapting to the new position I'd put him into. I quietly snuck out of the room, softly closing the door behind me, and went to the kitchen. I hastily put the water and grounds into the machine and started it; in moments, the rich smell of coffee filled the air. While it brewed, I went to the restroom to piss and brush my teeth. I found a pair of sweats discarded on the bathroom floor that didn't seem to smell, so I slipped them on. I emerged to find Julian looking ill-at-ease in the middle of my kitchen, wearing a plaid bathrobe of mine.
"Hey," I greeted him with a nod.
"Good morning," he returned. He pointed behind me and asked, "May I?"
"Of course." I got out of his way so that he could rush into the restroom and relieve himself. While he did, I got a mug from the cabinet.
Does Julian drink coffee,
I wondered, then grabbed a second mug to be safe. I poured the dark liquid into my mug and brought it to my lips.
"You were sleeping when I left," I said to Julian as he came out of the restroom.
"I smelled coffee," he smiled.
"Here, let me get you some. I don't take cream in mine, so there's none of that in the fridge, but there's some milk in there and I have some sugar lying around."
"Black's fine, thanks," he waved me away as I handed him his cup.
"How'd you sleep?" I asked, leaning against the counter as I sipped at my drink.
"I slept well, actually."
"You sound surprised," I noticed with amusement.
"I guess I am - I'm not really used to sleeping with someone else. And I mean that in both ways," he waggled his brows at me.
I raised an eyebrow; that was not what I would have expected from him.
"I know, I know," he laughed. "But it's true. Not to be clichΓ©, but I really don't usually do the whole one night stand thing."
One night stand.
The words stung to hear, but it was to be expected.
"As it happens, neither do I." I didn't like the insinuation in his offhanded comment. "And, on that matter...we didn't use protection yesterday."
A blank look crossed his face, before realization hit.
"Fuck, are you telling me that you gave me something," he questioned angrily.
"No! But what about you?"
"I'm clean," he answered with less ferocity in his voice.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure," he replied, then reddened.
"What? You're not lying, are you?"
"No, no. I know I'm clean. Actually, I get tested twice a year." His ears turned a darker shade of red, so I pressed him further. He didn't look at me as he spoke."Okay, okay, calm down. It's nothing bad, really. I got tested about six months ago now, and, well, I haven't been with anyone since."
"Really," I grinned.
"I wouldn't have admitted it if it weren't true." He kept his eyes on the ground.
I put my cup down on the counter, and stepped forward to him. I gave him a kiss on the corner of his lips, his stubble poking me as I did.
"Don't be embarrassed, I only asked for both our sakes. If it's any consolation, I've been going self-service, so to speak, for about the same amount of time as well."
"Somehow, I don't believe that," he muttered.
"I don't make a habit of lying, Julian," I told him seriously. I lifted his chin with one finger, so that he was looking at me. "I'm telling you the truth. And, coincidentally, I couldn't care less if you haven't slept with someone in six months, or six weeks, or six days."
And since it seems we won't be seeing each other again after this, it's a moot point in any case.
His expression betrayed nothing, so it was quite unexpected when he closed the space between with his mouth and kissed me. He was tentative, more cautious with this kiss - something new. He didn't immediately shove his tongue into my mouth (not that I would've refused him), and it didn't seem like he was planning to. He rested his hands lightly on my neck, rather than feeling me up like last night. Without thinking about it I kissed him back in kind, my hands going to his waist.
I shouldn't be doing this. This is dangerous - this is just a one night stand, you heard him say so. This is way too tender for a casual fuck. Let go, step back.
And though I knew all of this, knew I was getting too wrapped up in my own head, I made no attempt to step away. I decided I could live in the moment, fantasize the morning away, and let the regrets flood me later that night. In that instance, it was all I could do to not turn into a puddle before Julian.
He ran his tongue along my lower lip. I let my mouth open, freely granting him any access he may seek. He sucked one side of my lip gently, then the other, but his tongue went nowhere near mine. I tried hedging him onwards by licking his upper lip, but he was having none of it. He brought his lips fully over mine, his tongue securely within the depths of his own mouth, neither allowing me to enter his mouth nor his mine. He kissed me delicately until we were both out of breath and forced to separate.
"Are you hungry? I can make us breakfast," I offered after a minute.
"I can never say no to breakfast," he pulled back and grinned at me.
"I'll get right on it, then. Eggs and bacon sound okay?"
"Perfect. Hey, is it alright if I take a shower? I feel a bit...sticky."
"By all means," I laughed. He thanked me while walking to the restroom, and closed the door behind him. In another world, I'd invite myself to join him in his shower and leave the food for later; I'd tell him to help himself to my dresser so he wouldn't have to put yesterday's clothes back on; I'd convince him to cancel any plans he might have for the day; but I couldn't.
God, get a grip on yourself, Chris! You've had one night stands before - why is this so different?
I chastised myself on and on - because it was true. I wasn't new to having a stranger in my kitchen, nor even to being the stranger in an unfamiliar kitchen. Hell, most of the time I'm desperate to have the man out of my hair as soon as possible.
I pondered this odd change of heart as I idly prepared our breakfast.
What was it about Julian? Admittedly, he was one of the best lays I could remember. Not to mention, attractive. But aside from that, even with only one night's worth of experience, he was fun; he was entertaining, witty, and up-front. I hadn't quite been looking for a relationship at that time, but if I had, Julian would have been exactly what I wanted.
Just as I was setting our plates on the table, Julian returned from his shower - clean, and again wearing my robe.
"I could smell the bacon from the shower," he remarked. "It looks good."