No Strings Attached | ✓ 18+

twenty-one .ೃ࿐

For the next few weeks it was the same series of events that played on repeat. Not that I was complaining.

We would wake up every morning, have sex, get cleaned up, have coffee, then one of us or both of us would go our separate ways until we came back in the evening, where we would have sex again. Occasionally, we had to put this on hold because of company, phone calls, or something else. But for the most part, it was sex, a small one or two hour break and then sex again.

It was fucking amazing.

Today was one of those days where we had to put the whole sex thing on pause. It was our first grocery shop together as roommates, because we'd officially cleared out all of our snacks and meal prep food. Usually, Clay wouldn't let it clear out like this when he'd lived alone, (he notified me of this), but you know. We've been sort of busy. With each other.

Amber, Lou and I had actually been keeping in touch, too. Amber had basically found all of my social media the minute I'd left the bar a few nights ago and added me to a few group chats. One including the guys and another including just the girls.

They were both insistent we needed to go out for a girls evening for drinks on a patio or something. Amber said she had ins with a hotel if we wanted to crash in a nice place for cheap, too. Lou insisted she knew the best patios in town with the prettiest drinks, (Amber backed her up on this) and she wanted us all to go sometime soon.

So, tonight while we went out together just the girls, the boys were going golfing and then coming back to Clay's for the night and to watch the football game. Hence the reason we kind of needed groceries because we were hosting and we'd been slacking off.

[ ♡ ]

Shopping with Clay was an unnecessary amount of fun. We'd found everything on the list in record timing, now left with only propane on the list that happened to be all the way across the store.

"Hop on." He told me, a mischievous glint in his eye.

Obviously, I complied and hopped on the back of the cart. He grabbed the handlebar at the front and began to run down the long aisle that led us to the propane. We were grinning at each other like we were children, not paying to anyone else who was shooting us glares.

"Excuse me, sir, ma'am!" A voice interrupted our giggles. "You there, runnin' with the cart. Excuse me!"

Clay jerked us to a halt and luckily I was holding on. He shot me a wink, then turned to the lady with the button-up shirt, softening his gaze. "We are so sorry, ma'am."

"Yeah, well you better be. Shift's just started an' I already had to catch two of 'em teenagers making out in our model closets down the furniture aisle. We'd appreciate it if you acted your age."

I flushed in embarrassment as I stepped off the back of the cart. "We're sorry."

The lady huffed in response, before turning away and continuing down the aisle, making her way to a yogurt mess and a crying four-year-old. We barely made out something along the lines of, "I don't get paid enough for this," as she walked away.

"Tough." Clay turned toward me with a big smirk on his face. "God, love, do you ever act your age?"

"It was your idea!" I exclaimed, my cheeks warm. He shoved me lightly as I fell into step beside him.

As we approached the propane section, we carefully went over items in the cart and what we'd written on the list. We made sure to grab everything and a few extras. We argued over who was paying, (I was insistent on paying at least half the bill, especially because I was living with him now and I wasn't paying hydro or rent), Clay continued to shake his head.

"Seriously, love. It's all good."

"I'm not broke, Clay. I am capable of paying. I just didn't have a place to stay."

Of course, the argument ended the minute Clay disappeared around back to pick the propane can and the man working the till gave me the barcode to scan at check-out. With the barcode, I rushed back to the check-out section in the front of the store and helped the lady scan all of our items and used my card to pay.

When we got in the car later on, Clay was huffing to prove his frustration with me. "You don't have to pout," I said matter-of-factly. "It was my pleasure. You already gave me a place to stay. It's the least I could do."

He muttered something that I could only make out as, "You could have at least let me cover the propane bill," before turning back to the window to resume his moping.

[ ♡ ]

It didn't take Clay a long time to forgive me. Basically, when we climbed in the shower together twenty minutes before our friends arrived, I was forgiven the minute his lips pressed against mine.

That also made us two minutes late in getting dressed and looking presentable when the doorbell began to ring. Clay quickly buckled his pants and ran downstairs as I finished brushing my hair and putting on this evening's clothes, (a simple sundress and a pair of casual shoes).

Thank God we'd held it together long enough to put away the groceries, otherwise I couldn't tell you how much of a disaster we'd be right now.

I could hear Trent's laugh and Amber's voice floating up the stairs as I opened my bedroom door. When I made my way downstairs, everyone was sitting around the couch, looking ready to head out.

At the sight of the couch, I caught myself near blushing at the events that took place there just awhile ago. Clay must've caught the way I felt, because he squeezed my ass and shot me a wink as he walked over to the group from the kitchen.

"Hey, babe!" Amber stood up excitedly with her purse in hand. "You look amazing!"

I smiled and thanked her as Lou gathered her things to leave. Just before we'd left, I made sure to remind Clay not to leave the dips out of the fridge before they wanted to eat the snack board we'd created for the guys.

And when nobody was looking, he pressed a kiss to my temple. "Have a good evening, love. Text if you need anything."

When I closed my eyes, I pressed my nails into the palm of my hand. No strings attached, I reminded myself and the butterflies in my stomach.