Resonance
The annoying sound of her alarm was the first thing Samara heard that morning. She groaned, trying to hit it quickly so she could go back to sleep, but it was no use. After a long night out last night, she'd forgotten to turn it off for the weekend, and now it was blaring away at 7:30. After some more struggling she finally managed to hit it, but it was too late by then. She was well and truly up, and an annoying hangover was already starting to set in.
Frustrated, she sat up, her bedhead and baggy eyes clearly visible in the mirror on her nightstand, even without her contacts in. She rubbed the side of her head and cursed under her breath, pondering whether or not to try and go back to sleep (which she knew there wasn't much chance of), or decide that the day had started already. She brushed her dirty blonde hair and tended to her tired head for a bit, but eventually her grumbling stomach had made up its mind. She walked out of her room.
Sean was there waiting for her, stirring his coffee as he turned to the sound of her door. "You're up early." He was always the more responsible roommate, usually awake by around this time to get ready for the commute to work on his master's degree. He told her sometimes about how waking up at the same time every day was great for your health. Sam brushed him off, though. She was fine with an office job if it meant she got to let loose on the weekends.
"Yeah..." She managed, rubbing her head as she reached for a Red Bull in the fridge.
As she got closer, she could see his eyes drift down to her chest. Shit. She'd forgotten to change out of her pajamas: an old oversized t-shirt and panties. "Do you want me to leave?" At least he wasn't gross about it.'
"Nnh...it's fine, I'll get changed later," Sam said as she cracked open the can. If she was going to have a man as a roommate, especially one she wasn't attracted to, Sean was a preferable option. He kept to himself, didn't perv on her, and didn't say anything when she brought guys over.
Suddenly, though, she heard a ringing in her ear. A loud, piercing ring, even more intense than one she'd gotten after a front-row concert. She reached a hand to her ear, but it didn't stop, only lingering for a second more before ceasing. She must have been more hung over than she'd thought.
"...should be fine, right?" He finished. He must have been talking to her, but she hadn't heard any of it over the sound.
"Mm? What?"
He took a sip of his coffee. "I said that if you're comfortable like that, it's fine wearing those clothes around the apartment, right? I don't have a problem with it."
Sam looked up, a bit surprised. "You mean I should wear my pajamas when you're around?"
"Why not? That's what you normally do." He took another sip as she thought.
Something felt strange about what he'd just said, but Sam brushed it off after a bit. He was right, she wore her pajamas in front of him all the time. It didn't really matter, since she wasn't attracted to him. She grabbed her drink as well as some hash browns from the freezer, putting them in the microwave and looking through her phone for a couple minutes before grabbing the plate and sitting down on the couch.
The hash browns were alright, enough to keep her stomach at bay before thinking of what to do today. While it was tempting to put her feet up and relax with a show she'd binged 4 times already, if she was going to be up early, she may as well do something with the extra hours. None of her friends were available, so instead she took a shower, played her guitar for a little bit, and ordered from a local Thai place she'd never had. It was there in time for lunch, as well as for Sean to step in.
He'd gone for a jog, as he usually did on the weekends--at least according to him. She'd never noticed. As they ate some pad see ew together, though, he continued to linger for a little too long on her chest. Was he thinking of...that?
"Hey, Sean," she started, more put-together than she'd been earlier. Her hair was still damp, however. "I don't want you to get the wrong idea. Just because I'm wearing my pajamas, that doesn't mean I'm coming onto you. I just see you as a friend."
He nodded, making Sam think that _she_ was the one who'd made it uncomfortable. "Of course, I'm the same way."
Her ears started ringing again. She closed her eyes to try to block it out, but luckily it was gone after a couple seconds. What an annoying migraine. As she looked back up to him, he was smiling a bit as he looked at her breasts, not even trying to hide it this time. It didn't strike her the same, though. "...what were we talking about?"
"I was just saying that you don't mind if I admire your body, do you, Sam? I mean, you didn't say that you minded it before."
"Right, yeah, I don't mind it..." Those words slipped through her lips before she could consider them that much, but they sounded right anyway. That was how things normally were, she didn't need to make a big deal of it. She pulled her completely dry hair behind her ear and continued eating. Besides, she thought as his gaze turned to her panties, it wasn't a bad feeling. It was good to know she could still turn guys on, even if he was her friend. She wouldn't say that out loud, of course. She'd hate to make things weird.
________________
They stayed on the couch for a while longer, her roommate's gaze only occasionally shifting from her body. It was a bit much, but Sam didn't mind. Once the food was gone, Sam was tempted to go back to her room and lie around noncommittally for a while--her favorite weekend activity--before Sean flipped to a random channel. It was a cooking show, a medium which Sam was mostly ambivalent to, seeing as she usually ate out, but was a fine enough way to spend time with her roommate. She blushed a little harder as he scooted closer to her and craned his neck to see her ass. This was their typical routine at home, with Sam trying and failing to hide her appreciation of his interest.
Suddenly, though, it looked like he had an idea. "You must like how I pore over you, Sam."
She bashfully exhaled through her nose. They'd never talked about this: she liked it being an implicit factor of their relationship, one that neither had to draw attention to. "What are you talking about?" she replied, guiltily. She was never a good liar.
"Don't lie; I can see you blushing. And you never tell me to stop, do you?"
Not once had she told him to stop, and he'd been doing it since she moved in. If she really didn't like it, she would have put an end to it a long time ago. She rolled her eyes overdramatically but conceded. "I don't _dislike_ it."
"Why is that?" Sean asked, smirking. He wasn't going to give her a break.
She glared and pouted a little. "None of your business," was her first response, but his knowing smirk made her relent before long. "It lets me know that I look good, even when I'm not putting anything on to go out." She wasn't wearing any makeup now, and her legs weren't even clean-shaven. "It's an ego boost."
He chuckled, seeming glad to have gotten that out of her. "So you're not attracted to me at all?"
She looked at him strangely, clearly uncomfortable with the topic. "You're not my type." If he was going to come out with this much bravado, it was best to let him down easily.
Sean nodded, understanding. "I didn't mean to presume, I was only thinking tha-"
The ringing in her ears came back, and she shut her eyes hard. She could feel her heartbeat slow for a moment as it passed.
"-ose to me."
Her eyes flitted open, letting the world come back in slowly. She saw Sean's caring eyes first. He must have seen how dazed she was.
"Sam?"
"...I think I had too much last night," she explained, trying to alleviate his concern as she rubbed the side of her head.
He chuckled. "Maybe. Do you want to sit on my lap?"
That suggestion felt odd somehow, even though Sam knew that was one of her favorite ways to destress around her (admittedly kinda hot) roommate. "Now that you mention it, I guess."
