Old Me

33 - Secrets

"Never have I ever been arrested," I read aloud.

I looked at him and counted to three as the rule card said we both had to answer it.

"One, two, three. No," I said as he said yes.

He got really quiet and stared at me as if he expected me to pry. I didn't and just handed him the card.

"Um, I guess you win," I said trying to lighten the mood.

"Oh," he said looking down at the cards that lay in front of us, "I guess I did. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing," he laughed awkwardly.

"Well you only beat me by one card," I said as I picked up the nine cards in front of me, "and the ones you put down weren't as embarrassing as mine. I mean come on," I said holding up one of the cards I had admitted to being guilty of, "I was in an embarrassing photo that went viral at my school."

"Okay, but that wasn't even your fault. That bitch was bullying you and planned it so you would sit in the melted chocolate," he said as he stacked his cards and returned them to the box.

"Yeah, I guess," I said still feeling the embarrassment as if it was yesterday.

"So," he paused checking the time on his phone, "It's getting pretty late, you want to get ready for bed?"

"Um, yeah. Sure."

"Follow me," he said holding out his hand after he stood up.

I grabbed his hand and let him pull me up off the sofa. He didn't release my hand as we walked down the hallway and into his bedroom. The rain and thunder hadn't let up and reminded me of why we were in this situation.

"Do you want pants and a shirt?" He asked as he gently squeezed my hand before releasing it.

"Um, yeah. If you have some that you think will fit me," I smiled.

The room was dimly lit as he placed a flashlight on the dresser while he opened the drawers. He had a large bed with two nightstands on either side and a full-length mirror in the corner of the room. There was a door to the right of the dresser that I assumed was the ensuite bathroom and a door to the left that was a black hole, presumably his closet.

"Um, here, try these," he said handing me a shirt and a pair of pajama bottoms.

I stared at him awkwardly not sure where he was expecting me to change when he was in the room.

"Oh, sorry," he apologized, "I'll just be in the living room."

He left the room closing the door behind him and I dropped the clothes on the edge of the bed. I quickly undressed and grabbed his shirt. I couldn't tell what was on it, but it was some sort of graphic tee. It smelled like fabric softener and when I pulled it over my head it was the length of a mini dress. I pulled on the bottoms, but they were way too big and kept falling off my hips. They didn't have a drawstring so I decided to just go without since the shirt was so long.

I folded the bottoms and the clothes that I had been wearing and placed them on the dresser. I carried the flashlight with me and returned to the living room. Mikey had made up the sofa with blankets and sheets.

"Hey," I said awkwardly tugging at the shirt as he looked me up and down, "Sorry, the pants were too big."

"Hey," he smiled, "No need for explanation. Uh, I've got a spare toothbrush in my bathroom, if you want to use it."

"Yeah, if you don't mind," I said.

"Of course," he said leading us back into his bedroom.

I realized I was still holding the flashlight and I used it to light our way. Once we were in the bathroom I placed it on the sink. He opened one of the drawers and pulled out a new toothbrush. He opened the packaging and handed it to me.

"Here," he said offering me the tube of toothpaste.

I nodded in thanks and spread some toothpaste on the brush. I handed it back to him and he did the same on his own toothbrush which was in a cup by the sink.

We brushed our teeth in silence and the lightning occasionally lit up the room from the window above the sink.

I felt awkward spitting in front of him and tried to not get toothpaste all over my face as I brushed. I rinsed my mouth and looked around for something to wipe my hands and face. Mikey pointed to the towel on the rack behind me since his mouth was full.

I held onto my toothbrush unsure of what to do with it until he was done.

"Um, you can just leave it in the cup in case you want to use it again in the morning," he offered as he wiped his face.

I nodded and placed it inside.

Why am I so awkward?

Michael picked up his phone and flashlight from the counter and I shuffled out of the bathroom. He placed it down on the dresser and picked up the pair of pajama pants I was meant to be wearing, tucking them under his arm.

"Well, I guess this is goodnight then?" He smiled.

"Um, yeah. Goodnight," I smiled.

There was an awkward pause before he left the room, leaving me in total darkness.

I walked over to the bed and wondered which side he slept on. Or did he sleep in the middle?

I pulled back the duvet and climbed in. The bed was so soft and comfortable. And his pillows smelled like him. Cologne and lavender like his fabric softener. I smiled into the pillows at the scent and tried to relax. I patted the bed for my phone and sat up quickly.

Mannaggia. I left it in the living room.

I climbed out of the bed and walked back into the living room. It was dark so I went slowly until I could see Michael.

Cazzo. He's changing.

I froze at the sight of him and he must have seen me from his peripheral vision as he turned to face me.

"Shit, sorry," I apologized as he pulled the pair of pajama bottoms over his boxers.

He laughed gently and smiled at me.

"No worries. What's up? You need something?" He asked folding his pants that he had just removed.

"Um, yeah. I left my phone," I said pointing to the coffee table.

"Oh, here," he said picking it up and walking it to me.

He was shirtless and I couldn't stop staring at how the candlelight cast shadows on his toned body.

I grabbed my phone from his hand and looked up into his eyes.

"Thanks," I smiled.

"No problem. Do you need anything else?" He asked scratching his arm, drawing attention to his biceps.

"Um," I flicked my eyes back to his, "No. I think I'm good."

He smirked and nodded his head.

"Okay, well if you need anything, I'll be here," he said pointing with his thumb over his shoulder to his makeshift bed on the couch.

I nodded and chuckled when neither of us moved.

He slowly stepped closer to me and my pulse started to race. When our lips met it was slow and soft, but I wanted more. I wrapped my hand that wasn't holding my phone around his waist and deepened the kiss. He got the message and quickly wrapped his hands around my hips, turning me so I was against the wall. He pressed his body up against mine, closing every inch of space between us.

He licked the edge of my lips and I opened my mouth a little for his tongue to slip in. It tingled from the minty toothpaste and I liked it. He slipped his hands down my thighs and reached around swiftly pulling my legs off the ground. I locked them around his waist and squealed when he pulled me away from the wall and I gripped his body for support. He chuckled against my lips and carried me down the hall into his bedroom.