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TRACK 5

"Got any coffee?"

"Uh... yeah... There's a machine in the kitchen," I said, eyeing her cautiously as she walked off.

Now that was unexpected. This was the time she decided to remain calm and level-headed?

I quickly rose to my feet, instantly regretting the decision. Slow and steady, I told myself as I slowly followed behind, in an attempt to not collapse from the dizziness.

I leaned against the door frame, watching her move around the kitchen as if it was her own. "You're not mad about the photos?"

"Mad? No. Creeped out? Definitely."

"I get that. It freaked me out the first time it happened. Still does."

"You should have worn your baseball hat again," she scoffed, "You're completely unrecognizable in that thing."

My eyes rolled at her sarcastic remark, "I'm gonna grab a shower. Feel free to eat whatever you want."

TJ nodded and turned back to the machine that loudly brewed her coffee. Heading down the hallway towards my bedroom, I opened the door to a neatly made bed. Suddenly, the actions of last night hit me like a tidal wave.

The two of us stumbled into my bedroom, miraculously without tripping or bumping into something. Our lips were connected as soon as we stepped into the house. I was surprised we had made it this far with our clothes still on.

I could feel her hands going towards my belt, her lips finally parting from mine and moving to my neck. My drunken mind sobered, just long enough to comprehend was what about to happen.

"Wait," I gently pushed her off, taking a step back, "I think we should stop."

"Stop?" She repeated, utterly dumbfounded. "You really want to stop... now?"

I nodded, unable to find words to support my reasoning. I quickly shuffled my feet towards my dresser, grabbing a clean shirt and tossing it in her direction. Without a word, I walked into the bathroom and gripped the counter. Running the cold water, I splashed some onto my face in an attempt to clear my head. Shit.

I gave myself a few more moments before stepping out back into the bedroom. "You can sleep in my bed."

"Where are you sleeping?"

"I'll take the couch."

TJ nodded, turning her back to me. Her hands going to the bottom of her shirt, I let my eyes linger as she pulled the material off her body. She caught me looking from the corner of her eye, "Your loss, Young."

Walking into the bathroom, I stripped from my clothing and slipped into the shower, turning the water on. I had made the right decision last night. If I had stayed, who knows what could have possibly happened? And I had too much on the line. There was nothing worth risking our arrangement. Not even sex.

Stepping out of the shower, I grabbed a towel and tightly wrapped it around my waist. I paused, hearing her voice from down the hall.

"Yes, I know, I saw the photos too," I could hear her say, "I'm not freaking out so I don't know why you are... Silas, you can't even see my face... It was just a drunk kiss. It didn't mean anything... Will you calm the fuck down?"

My moral compass greatly failed me as I stood with my ear pressed against my bedroom door, hoping to hear every word I could.

"Well, we all knew this might happen at some point," TJ continued, "If she tries to contact me, I'll call you... Yeah, whatever... Fuck off, okay? Bye."