Page 40 of Surviving Slater

"I am," I admitted, slumping down on the unmade bed.

Taylor sat beside me.

"Spill." I looked at her.

"It's Slater. I wasn't sure how everyone would handle the news that Slater and I were going to be 'friends with benefits.' After we spent the night together on Friday, I asked him to leave before you or Matthew got home." Taylor listened quietly as I talked. "He was pretty ticked off. He told me to find him when I could be an adult about it."

"So why don't you talk to him?" she asked. "I can distract Sin." She gave me a mischievous smile.

"It's just that he's been so standoffish. He's barely looked at me since he arrived," I said. I twisted my hands nervously.

"Talk to him," she encouraged.

I held her eyes for a moment as I wrestled with the decision to approach him.

"Okay," I agreed. "You distract Sin so I can talk to him."

"Sure," she said, standing up and walking over to the doorway.

"Sin!" she yelled. A few moments later he appeared in the doorway.

"I need you to help me with something," Taylor said, and I took the opportunity to leave them alone and go in search of Slater.

In the kitchen, I heard some movement and I found him packing away some glasses. When he noticed me, he stopped.

"Hi," I said, feeling like a thirteen-year-old girl approaching her crush for the first time.

He remained quiet. His stare was dark and intense. I had no idea what he was thinking.

You can do this, I told myself. But the thought came with no confidence.

I stepped into the room, trying to hide the nervousness I was feeling. My eyes held his as I took another step closer.

Be an adult about it. Go after what you want.With those thoughts I walked up to him.

I reached out and cradled his face. He made no move as I rose up to kiss him. His lips moved beneath mine and his arms enclosed me. He broke away but didn't loosen his hold on me.

"What if someone walks in?" He wanted confirmation he wasn't a secret I was going to hide.

"They know already," I revealed.

He kissed me again, this time deepening the kiss.

Taylorand I unpacked the last of her stuff, then I put a hand to my aching back to rub the sore muscles. There hadn't been a lot of boxes to unpack but it had taken us a while to put her things away.

"Thank you so much for helping," Taylor said as she surveyed her new room with accomplishment.

"You owe me," I teased. "When I need to move, you're helping."

She laughed. "It wasn't that bad."

"Speak for yourself," I mumbled, giving her a playful glare.

"It's nice to see you happy," she said. I shrugged.

"It's just good sex," I reminded her, not wanting to make a big deal out of whatever was going on between Slater and me.

"Is it that good?" she asked.