Amnesia

Chapter 14

A week later at breakfast Penny blurts out, "We should start sleeping together."

Avi chokes and coughs violently, pounding his chest in an attempt to clear his airway. Sipping at his milk, he swallows hard and clears his throat before rasping, "We should what?"

"You heard me," she says, taking a bite of her waffle. "Although, by your reaction, you took it in an entirely different direction." Penny smirks as Avi side-eyes her, still taking sips of milk to ease the tickle in his throat.

"I can't share a bed with you, Penny," Avi says, spooning more cereal into his mouth and staring hard at a point on the counter in front of him.

Penny throws up her hands in exasperation. "Why not? We've done it before, no? Plus, Avi, it's a king-sized bed, we've got room to roam."

A blush creeps onto Avi's cheeks as he finishes chewing and swallows. "Yeah, well, I—what if, you know, touching happens and—Jesus Christ," he sputters hanging his head and scratching as his beard.

"Oh God, Avi, not touching!" Penny cries in mock horror, standing to place her dishes in the sink. "You think I'm afraid of a potential boner or something?"

"Penny!" Avi exclaims, face burning in humiliation.

Penny sighs. "If you're worried about it being weird, nothing can be weirder than you helping me bathe. We crossed that line of friendship on day two. We're there. Sleep in the damn bed with me."

"Seriously, I'm fine on the couch."

Penny crosses her arms and actually stomps her foot like a petulant child. Avi gives her a funny look while Penny makes her face more stern. "No, you're not. You're tired. I know you say you can sleep anywhere, but quality matters, too. Sleep with me in the damn bed. I promise I'll protect your virtue."

Avi shakes his head. "No, Penny. Now drop it," he says, his voice more stern than Penny's ever heard before and she knows she's running a fine line with her argument.

You should drop it, Penny.

No! This argument is stupid. I'm not asking him to get naked and sleep with me curled in his lap. I just want him to be comfortable and sleep well for once.

Penny, seriously, I would—

"I can't imagine it was this hard to get you in bed with me the first time," Penny mutters, keeping her arms crossed and blocking her inner monologue.

"I am not discussing that with you," Avi says pointedly, glancing up from his cereal briefly.

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Penny asks angrily, moving to stand in front of him, arms braced on the counter. "It's me you slept with, is it not? It's not like that was some different person!"

The anger boiling under the surface explodes and Avi slams his hand down on the counter, yelling, "Yes it was!" The force of his fist shakes the bowl and spoon in front of him, and the noise seems to rattle in Penny's brain.

Penny shrinks back from the counter, eyes wide and her heart beating loudly in her ears. She stares at him in disbelief as he bores a hole into the counter with his eyes, his breathing ragged and clipped. Avi closes his eyes and blows out a long breath through his nose before quickly standing, sending the stool toppling backwards with a deafening thud and Penny actually flinches at the noise. He barely looks behind him, offering only a momentary glance at Penny's face before storming off, fists clenched.

At the sound of the bedroom door slamming behind him, the breath Penny had been holding bursts from her chest and she draws in a shuddery gasp of air, staggering on her feet and clutching the counter behind her. She wipes in vain at the tears running down her face and attempts to calm her breathing. Moving slowly, she carefully rights the stool, her fingers shaking before walking over to her photography room and closing the door behind her.