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Chapter Ten

NICOLE

I jumped after Taylor opened their door.

It sounded like they ran to the front door after I knocked. I could hear the heavy thuds of their feet quickly approaching the door.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” Taylor said, opening the door wide enough for me to step through the threshold into their apartment.

I noticed a lot of muted warm colors. A burnt orange accent wall, healthy indoor plants on shelves.

A large book with someone wearing a jersey on the cover, sitting on their wooden coffee table.

Unlit candles on their kitchen counter to my right, a clean and empty kitchen sink.

Cream curtains framing the sliding glass doors on the opposite end of the living space.

Their apartment was clean, cozy, and calm.

Being in their space made me want to relax my shoulders and dramatically exhale a sigh.

After they closed the door, they raised their hands to fix their hair.

Even though there was nothing wrong with it.

I wanted to run my fingers through it myself, though.

“Hi,” I said as I slipped off my sneakers, “Cute jeans.”

Taylor wore light-wash straight-leg jeans with a simple forest green t-shirt.

I liked how they looked in jeans. They looked good in their athletic wear, too. But something about jeans just did it for me. Their sock-covered feet tapped a rhythm on the floor as they shoved their hands in the pockets of their pants.

“Thanks, they’re new,” Taylor did a cute little twist, showing off their perfectly toned ass and how the jeans fit them like a glove.

“I’m a big fan.” My eyes were glued on their ass until they twisted back and faced me straight on.

“This is good,” Taylor smirked, before moistening their bottom lip with their tongue.

It reminded me of the last time they did that in front of me.

How they took my face and kissed me like their life depended on it.

We never made it to my bedroom that time.

Would we make it to their bedroom this time?

“Um,” Taylor blinked and shook their head, looking a little lost in their own thoughts as well, “Can I get you anything? Water? Tea?”

I smiled, “Water would be nice, actually.” I set my purse down next to my shoes, tucking my hair behind my ears in an attempt to cool off.

My heart was racing; my cheeks were flushed with both arousal and anticipation.

We both knew why I was here.

I wanted to hook up again.

They wanted to hook up again.

So, we were probably going to hook up again.

Would it be just as good as last time? Would the excitement wear off after this time?

“Here you go,” Taylor’s voice interrupted my spiraling thoughts as they slid a glass of filtered water over to me.

“Thanks,” I smiled at them again before taking a few deep gulps of water. I ended up downing the whole glass, not realizing how thirsty I was, and appreciating how the refrigerated water cooled my body down a little bit.

Taylor took the empty glass from me; their calloused fingers gently teased my own before they refilled the glass again for me.

“Sorry,” I huffed a laugh to myself, “I didn’t realize how thirsty I was.”

“No problem, hydrate or die-drate.”

I snorted into my glass of water from their words. Water dribbled down my chin, and I choked on the water I was in the middle of swallowing.

Taylor’s dark blue eyes sparkled, thrilled that they got me with that one.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, swallowed the mouthful of water, and finished my sip. I shook my head at them, smiling widely.

“I haven’t heard that one before.”

“Glad I could be the first to share that age-old wisdom with you.”

I laughed again, “Age-old? Is that what our ancestors said? Hydrate or die-drate?”

Taylor shrugged, before biting their lip and asking, “Nicole?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I have you now?”

My cheeks flamed at that question.

Something hot burned in my lower belly from their words. My heart stopped in my chest and rapidly took off again. I wiped my hands on my own jeans, a looser fit than what Taylor wore, before I nodded.

“Are you sure?” Taylor asked. They turned their lips down in concern as they stepped closer to me, “Was that too forward of me? I’m sorry.

You look nervous now. Do you want to do something else instead?

” I had to hand it to them. They sounded genuine.

As if I could say, “Actually, I want to watch all the extended versions of Lord of the Rings instead. That cool with you?” And they would probably respond with, “Sure, let me pop the popcorn.” And it would be a normal turn of events.

But that wasn’t what I wanted.

“You do make me nervous, but in an exciting way.” I tucked my lips between my teeth, “I’m not used to such…directness.”

Taylor’s dark eyebrows twitched a little as they stepped closer. They held my eyes with theirs as they slowly looped their index fingers through my belt loops and tugged me closer to them.

“Let me know if I’m ever too blunt, okay?” Taylor’s voice got quieter. Softer. Gentle.

“Okay.” I nodded before resting my fingertips on their forearms. I slowly traced my fingers up toward their elbows, the outside of their biceps, before I slid a few inches up their shirt sleeves, “Also, yes.”

“Yes?” Taylor asked, tugging me closer. Our jeans were flush together now. Their fingers looped on my beltloops, trapped between us.

“You—” I cleared my throat, “You can have me now.”

Taylor smiled, wide and stunning.

Wordlessly, they released one of my beltloops but tugged me to follow them through their apartment with the other.

Leading us toward their bedroom. I tried to take in as much of their bedroom as I could.

Burnt orange comforter, wicker bedframe—unexpected, but it looked good.

A clean wooden dresser with a lava lamp on it.

No dust on their side tables. Sconces on either side of the bed.

Their calloused hand palmed my neck, dragging up toward my cheek to get me to look at them again. Their septum piercing glinted in the dim light of their room as they smirked at me.

I felt entranced by them. Like they could ask me to do whatever they wanted, and I would happily oblige. Something about them just…warmed me. I was nervous, a little awkward and stiff at first, but as soon as their lips pressed against mine again and they sighed, I felt my body respond similarly.

Kissing Taylor Desmond felt like finally filling your lungs with air. Like swallowing a mouthful of water after rationing. Kissing them felt like I was finally getting what I needed .

“I’ve needed this,” Taylor murmured against me, as if they were inside my mind, “I missed you, Nicole.”

I smiled against their lips, nipping their bottom lip with a confidence only they have been able to pull from me lately.

“I can’t believe it’s not just me,” I whispered against their skin.

Taylor groaned before gently pushing me onto their mattress. The details of their bedroom were forgotten. All I could see was Taylor.

Their dark blue eyes were hooded and glassy and hypnotizing as they unbuttoned their jeans and pushed them down their strong and toned legs.

Taylor’s dark hair flopped over their forehead, and they reached to undo mine and tug them off my softer legs.

“This okay?” Taylor asked, dragging their palms up my legs. Their eyes dropped to where I was aching for them.

“Yes. Please.” I replied.

With a kiss on my thigh, they reminded me how easy it was for them to get me off.

I wondered if the first time we got together was a fluke.

A rarity. A result of being celibate for too long.

But no, because they had just gotten off over a week ago, and I had gotten myself off every day since then—including this morning, but they were about to get me off within minutes again .

Their fingers were the perfect combination of gentle and teasing. When they lowered their lips to my center, I cried out.

“I’m almost there,” I panted, my hands were balling up the comforter below me.

Taylor hummed their approval against me, and that’s all it took.

While I throbbed around their fingers and moaned at the ceiling, I realized how crazy this was. How our chemistry was so undeniable. Our bodies responded to each other so easily, so simply.

This random human, whom I only met through a friend of a friend.

Perhaps it was meant to be, in a way.

I never believed in “the one,” no matter how much of a romantic I was. But I did believe that there were certain types of people made for each of us. A small handful, sprinkled throughout the world, were designed for each other.

Even if Taylor and I were temporary, I appreciated whatever time we shared.

When they finally lifted their head from between my legs with a confident smile spreading on their cheeks, I fooled myself into believing that I could keep doing this.

That I could keep my heart out of the equation.

That we could be intimate and return to an amicable friendship, no problem.

I fooled myself, and I should have known better.