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Walking back outside, the heat of the July night smacked them right in the face.

“Thank god that place is air conditioned, because I was sweating my ass off in DDR.” Rose laughed, looking down nervously at her worn Vans.

Even though they had spent the entire day together, something about standing in front of the arcade felt big. All Rose wanted was for Drew to want her… no… to need her. To beg her to come back to their place. Another night in their bed was all she could think about.

Drew closed the gap between them, letting their fingers lightly run down her shoulder to her hands. The slight touch raised her skin, goosebumps rising all over her body. She felt the wave of excitement pass down her back, right down to her center.

Their eyes were soft as they looked at her, flicking from her green eyes down to her lips.

“Would you want to come back to my place?”

Rose nodded. It was a silly question – all of her stuff was still on the work table in their apartment. But something about it made Rose’s body yearn for Drew. “I’d love to.”

Drew smirked and leaned closer to her, their warm breath grazing her lips. They hesitated for a second, opening their eyes to look at her. She wasn’t sure what they were waiting for, but her heart raced faster with every second that they held back.

After a moment, Drew pulled her in and let their lips collide.

So much for casual.

21

DREW

Drew’s eyesdrifted open to the warm, golden light pouring into their loft. They squinted as they checked the time on their phone: barely 7 am. But as they rolled over and saw Rose’s sleeping body, perfectly lit by the sun, they had an idea.

Placing a gentle kiss on Rose’s back, Drew shifted out of the bed. They did their best not to wake her. She was posed perfectly, her curves cradled by the mattress like a cloud.

Drew padded across the wood floors on bare feet, scanning the apartment. Once they spotted their camera next to their desktop, they grabbed it and brought it back to the bed.

They kneeled by the side of the bed, peeling the lens cap off and turning the dial to manual. The film inside clicked into place, running itself through the internal spool. Drew winced at the noise, hoping it wouldn’t wake the gorgeous redhead in their bed.

Looking through the viewfinder, Drew’s breathing hitched in their chest. Somehow, Rose looked even more incredible on camera.

Their fingers pulled focus, bringing her figure into crisp vision.

Drew lingered over the shutter button, the round plastic rubbing against their fingertip. Once they framed the shot – Rose’s red hair pooled against the plush pillow, and the crisp white sheet draping over her hips – Drew pressed down on the button.

The camera clicked, capturing her defined shoulder blades forever. The curve of her spine led Drew’s eyes down to the sheet, just barely covering her ass. It left a lot to the imagination; even Drew, who was starting to feel like they knew every inch of the woman in their bed, couldn’t help but wonder what was beneath the sheet.

They couldn’t stop themself from taking more, adjusting the frame slightly with each picture. After a few shots that came in quick succession, their model began to shift. Rose took in a deep breath, her back flexing as her lungs filled with air.

She lifted her head off the pillow and turned to look behind her when she felt the empty space where Drew should be.

“Drew…” Her voice was groggy as her eyes opened slightly.

Once she saw Drew, squatting on the floor in just a pair of boxers, her eyebrows raised.

“What are you doing?” she asked, opening her eyes wider as she noticed the camera in Drew’s hands.

Drew cleared their throat. “You can go back to bed. The light was just beautiful, and I wanted to capture it. I’ll get rid of the film, if you’d prefer.”

Rose smirked, beckoning Drew to come back to the bed with her fingers.

Doing as they were told, Drew crawled into the bed. They put their hands on either side of her head, towering over her.

“You are a very nasty person, Drew.” Rose sleepily giggled, her chest vibrating as she did. “But if you get rid of those photos, I’ll kill you myself.”

Drew smiled, planting a kiss on her chin.