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How on Earth did I think we could forget what happened? It was the first question that popped into my mind when I opened my eyes in the morning. I was drunk last night, but sadly not drunk enough to forget the feeling of Ashley’s soft lips pressed against mine or the way my entire body felt like it lit up when she straddled my thigh.
I sighed deeply as I pulled my sleeping bag over my head. I hoped to God Ashley and I hadn’t fucked things up last night. Damn her and her demon eggnog. I knew we shouldn’t have drank so much of it.
A soft knock interrupted my ruminations. “Hannah? Are you awake?”
“Yeah, come on in.”
“Merry Christmas!” Ashley said brightly. “How would you feel about waffles?”
I groaned. “Aren’t you hungover?”
“God yes, that’s why I’m making waffles.”
I pushed myself to seated. “Will there also be bacon?”
“Of course.”
“All right, I’m gonna brush my teeth and I’ll be right out.”
When I joined Ashley in the kitchen she was midway through cooking breakfast. I poured myself a cup of coffee then set the table, trying to decide if I should bring up the kiss. Maybe Ashley was drunk enough that she forgot it? Any hopes I had about that were dashed as soon as she set the plates down and sat down at the table.
“About the kiss...”
My eyes snapped to Ashley’s.
“Yeah?”
She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table, her beautiful face adorably earnest.
“I have a crazy idea, but hear me out before you say no.”
“Um, okay.”
“For some time now, I’ve been increasingly attracted to you, which is quite an inconvenience because I really don’t want to be. Attracted to you, I mean.”
“You don’t?” I couldn’t resist asking.
“No, because I like you as a friend and a roommate and if we were to date, when we broke up – which we would inevitably do because, let’s face it, neither of us has the best track record – I’d lose not only a great roommate but one of my best friends. And that would really suck. I do not want that to happen.”
She took a deep breath.
“I thought it was just me,” she continued, “but after last night I realized it was possible, I mean I think it might be true, that you are feeling the same level of attraction towards me that I’m feeling for you, is that right?”
Ashley was incredibly adorable when she was all wound up like this.
“Yeah. I am. And I have the same concerns. I don’t want to lose you as a friend or a roommate and as you know, I’m still getting over a bad break-up.”
“I have a proposal.”
I watched as she took a bite of her bacon and gave me an expectant look, as if I could guess what her proposal was. When she didn’t continue I raised my eyebrows at her.
“Well? What’s your proposal?”
“I think we should sleep together.”
My fork clattered to my plate, sending a piece of waffle flying towards the floor.
“I thought we just agreed it would be a terrible idea to sleep with each other,” I reminded her.
She shook her head. “It would be a terrible idea to date, or to get emotionally involved in any way. But what if we just slept together once to get it out of our systems?”
I looked around the kitchen. “Am I living in a TV rom com right now?”
She rolled her eyes. “To be blunt, I think we’re both just horny. But because we both have had a string of bad relationships, we’re turning our horniness towards each other because we’re safe. If we sleep together once we’ll clear the pipes so to speak, so we can focus on finding people to date instead of misplacing our attraction on each other.”
“And when would this happen, exactly?”
“Tonight. One night only.”
I frowned and pointed a piece of bacon at her as I replayed her words. “One time or one night? You said both.”
“Isn’t it the same thing?”
“Uh, no. You can have sex more than once a night, as I’m sure you know.”
“Okay, one night, that’ll give us one orgasm each.”
“Why limit ourselves to one orgasm?” I asked curiously.
For the first time Ashley seemed the tiniest bit embarrassed by our conversation.
“Well, it’s not like most people are multi-orgasmic.”
“They’re not?”
“No.” Her voice sounded a bit unsure.
“You’ve never had more than one orgasm in a night?” I clarified.
She shook her head, a flush rising up her pale cheeks. “No, it takes me a while to, um, get to the finish line and after that, my body’s done. Even when I’m alone I’m a one and done kind of gal.”
“Hmm, that sounds like a challenge to me. But why one night?” I asked. “Why not be friends with benefits? Theoretically I mean?”
“It’s too high a risk,” she explained. “One of us might catch feelings and then the whole system is ruined. We just need to bang it out, then we can go back to our easy, uncomplicated friendship and get out there and find some women to date who aren’t us.”
“This is either the most ridiculously stupid plan ever, or the most ridiculously brilliant, I can’t decide which.”
Ashley gave me the confident smile that I loved, her previous embarrassment gone.
“It’s brilliant Hannah. Now finish your breakfast and give it some thought. If we’re going to do this I want to wait until later anyway. I have plans for us today.”
After we ate, Ashley and I went to the living room to open our Christmas presents. Last night we’d each put a couple of presents under the tree for each other and while I’d been sleeping Ashley had hung two stockings on the wall under the window, one with each of our names. They were bulging with candies, gum, and trinkets like pens, ponytail holders, and stickers. I was ridiculously excited about it. I’d never had a stocking before.
“You made yourself a stocking too?” I laughed.
“Of course not, those are from Santa,” Ashley said archly.
“Well Santa has good taste,” I mumbled as I shoved a sucker in my mouth. “I love a Tootsie Pop.”
Ashley opened her presents first, oohing and ahhing over the Stranger Things pajamas, vanilla bath bombs, and new earbuds I got her. We laughed as I opened my first gift from Ashley, a Stranger Things tee shirt.
“Great minds think alike,” I said happily.
Then she slid a large package over to me. I ripped the wrapping paper off and, to my absolute horror, for the first time in thirty years, my eyes filled with tears.