Casual Layovers

Chapter Eighteen

Ryan awakens when she feels Avery slowly sliding back into her bed. She blinks sleepily a few times before moving herself closer to Avery, nuzzling into her, and then closing her eyes again. When Avery shifts herself so that she can wrap her arms around her stomach, Ryan smiles. "Mmm... this is nice."

Avery agrees, of course, but cannot bring herself to respond. When she woke up a bit ago and looked over to see Ryan's peaceful sleeping form, she was hit with a mix of feelings. For one, she felt guilty for telling Ryan that she was still alright with their no-strings-attached arrangement when she knows in her heart that she has fallen hard for the other woman. She also knows that she will have to come clean eventually, but she feels torn because telling Ryan her true feelings might scare her away completely, and that is not what she wants either. She quietly removed herself from the bed so that she could go into the bathroom to splash some cold water on her face hoping it would wake her up and clear her head. It does not help her at all that the second she is back in bed, she finds herself once again with her arms around Ryan, making her feel as though this is where she belongs. "Did you sleep okay?" Avery finally asks.

"Very well." Ryan says with a smile as she tilts her head up so that she can see Avery's face. "How about you?"

Avery returns the smile. "No complaints. Although, I could probably stay in this bed all day."

Ryan hums. "Well, you're certainly welcome to it, if that's what you want. I don't have any plans to leave here today but I do have some work I have to do. I'll probably just be in my office all day, so you shouldn't have any distractions." She adds with a cheeky grin.

Avery laughs. "Do you ever not have work to do? You make the rest of us regular people seem so lazy. I mean, serious question... " She says as she reaches over to brush the few stray hairs away from Ryan's face so that she see both of her beautiful brown eyes. "Do you ever have time for anything else in your life besides your job?"

Ryan just shrugs. "I guess that sometimes I do wish I had more time for hobbies, or even going out on dates, which would undoubtedly make my family ecstatic, but those moments are very rare for me. I'd much rather be working, honestly."

"Well, hobbies are nice if they actually help you to unwind. And as far as dating, I think it's probably the worst thing to do if you don't want to add stress."

Ryan chuckles. "See? That's what I always try to explain to Tate and my mom. They don't get it. I really don't want the extra stress."

Avery smiles. "Oh, yeah, for sure. Before Julia and I got together, I was on one of those dating sites, Jane's idea of course, and I am convinced that I've gone out with every crazy woman in this damn city. I was like eight for eight, or something stupid like that. I gave up after that. It was not worth my sanity."

Ryan frowns at Avery's comment. She has to admit that hearing Avery confirm last night that they were still on the same page in regards to their current situation was a huge relief. Even though she cannot deny how nice it feels to wake up next to Avery, and a relationship with the blonde is the last thing on her mind right now, she still cannot help feeling a pang of jealousy hearing about Avery's dating life. "You went out with eight different women that you met on the internet?" She asks as she turns her body towards the blonde and props herself up.

"Hey! Don't knock it, alright? Not everyone on the internet is nuts. I've made some really good friends from all over the world through the internet. As it turns out, it's just the ones in Seattle that have that flair of psycho."

"That's not what I meant. I am just really surprised that none of the dates you went on worked out. How are you so sure it isn't you that's the problem." Ryan says as she smirks at Avery playfully.