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Two of Us

By: clownprince2008



I watched her house from across the street. Ordinarily this would be very creepy behaviour, but at that moment, I couldn't help it. In fact, chances are I would've continued staring at the house had my friend not tapped me on the shoulder. 

'The party's inside Nate,' Rob said, handing me a drink.

'I know, just getting some fresh air.'

'Really? This has nothing to do with the fact that that's Miranda's house you're looking at,' he said.

I turned away from the house and looked at Rob. He too was eying it intensely as if it were the Mona Lisa. We were two guys who had been in love with the same girl, the girl who lived in that house. But we were never in competition for her affections. By the time I had met Miranda, anything between her and Rob was well and truly over. But whereas Rob had tried and failed in a relationship with her, I never had one. All I had was a crush and thoughts of "what if".

'You could just knock on the door and say hello,' Rob said.

'At 11:30 at night?'

'Why not? I would.'

'And you wonder why things didn't work out with you two.'

Rob laughed. Despite only being on the front porch, the sound of the party was quite muted. The traffic in the distance and the crickets in the garden were all that we heard. Rob tore his eyes away from the building, 3 houses down the road and across the street and looked at me.

'You two still keep in contact?'

'Nah. Fell out of touch after high school. We tried for a couple of years, but she runs in different crowds nowadays. I see her on the bus to university once in a but that's it.'

'Shame,' he said before raising his cup, 'Here's to Miranda. May she remain single and give the rest of us a glimmer of hope.'

I smiled and raised my cup to meet his. The disposable paper cups barely made a sound but it was still a nice moment nonetheless. Rob and I stood there for sometime, just watching the house. Our friend Linda, whose party it was tonight, lived less than 50 metres from Miranda's house. I rarely ever came to Linda's place, and so every time I do, my eyes always drift to Miranda's house down the street. In truth, this was probably because in the back of my mind, I still entertained some notion that something could happen with Miranda and I. Still, despite our connection and my feelings, Miranda has always just seen me as a good friend. At most, I was her confidant and sounding board back in high school. But those days are behind us now. Suddenly, a female voice from behind us caught our attention.

'My party isn't that bad is it? What are you guys doing out here?' Linda asked as she walked out onto the porch with us.

'Nothing,' Rob and I both answered at the same time. 

Linda smiled but let the issue go. The three of us engaged in idle chit-chat for a few moments. We were about to head back inside after a few minutes when suddenly, a taxi pulled over on the other side of the street. The three of us paused to look. A curious reaction seeing as we weren't exactly expecting any more guests at this late hour and Linda wasn't all friendly with the neighbours. But regardless of whatever thoughts were in Rob and Linda's mind, I hoped and prayed it was Miranda. And the moment I saw a girl of average height with shoulder length, dark wavy hair exit the taxi, I knew instantly, it was her. The three of us froze as we watched Miranda move to the driver's seat and pay her fare. Rob, the former flame. Me, the one with the crush. And Linda, who also went to high school the three of us but remained relatively indifferent to Miranda. 

The had taxi now pulled away and was heading down the street. We continued watching Miranda the porch, she held her shoes in one hand and was looking at her phone with the other. After several moments, she looked up at the only house in the street still bustling with life. It just so happened to be Linda's house.

'I think it's time I head back inside,' muttered Rob.

'Still bitter? High school was over three years ago. Come say hello,' Linda said, as if there was nothing awkward in meeting your ex. 

'I'm fine,' Rob said, walking inside without another word. 

Linda rolled her eyes before shouting loudly at across the road, 'Miranda!'

Even in the darkness, I could see the smile on her face as she slowly crossed the empty road. Linda and I slowly made our way towards her. I whispered to Linda before we had reached her,

'Do you see much of Miranda?'

'Not really. We live on the same street but that's about it. We were never close in high school, you know that.' 

Despite those words, Miranda and Linda greeted each other with big hugs and warm greetings. I stood back and let the girls exchange the normal "you look great" and "I love what you've done with your hair" remarks. I looked back at the house to see Rob was definitely gone. I continued watching them compliment each other and exchange pleasantries for several long moments until there was finally a lull in the conversation. Miranda turned to me with a big wide smile and said,

'And how are you Nate?'

'I'm good thanks.'

I took a small step forwards, and for a moment, we both raised our arms as if to hug. Despite our closeness over the years, Miranda and I had never expressed any of this physically, even through something an innocent as a hug. When it became clear than this moment in time was no different, I casually reached over to laid my hand on her arm and said warmly,

'It's really good seeing you. It's felt like ages since we've hung out.'

'Yeah, we should do something soon,' she said.

That phrase had been uttered by her many times. But not once, had she ever acted on it. And it wasn't for lack of trying on my end. Somehow, things have never worked in our favour since high school. Even though neither of us would admit it, our friendship was slowly dying since high school ended. 

'So what are you guys doing tonight? Party?' Miranda asked looking over at the house.

'It's my birthday,' Linda said.

This caused another sudden outburst of happiness and more hugging between the girls. The usual "happy birthday" and "I would've gotten you something if I had known" exchanges. 

'You should come inside. There's still food and drinks out.'

'Oh, I don't know if I should. I'm a little tired.'

With that sentence, I looked Miranda up and down. She looked very glamorous in her green silk dress that complimented her curvaceous figure nicely. She stood barefooted with her shoes still in her hands, her hair wavy as ever and reaching downto her shoulders. She was just as I remembered her, from those rosy cheeks to her ample breasts. She was a thin girl but still maintained those lovely curves. Her skin looked natural and untouched, neither tanned nor pale. To me, she was perfection. Linda's next words distracted me from my ogling.

'Come on, one drink, what's it gonna cost you?'

'Rob's in there,' I blurted without thinking.

The smile disappeared from Miranda's face for the briefest of seconds. I had met Miranda and Rob at the death of their relationship. I knew every little detail about it. I knew how Miranda felt about it. I knew her way of distancing herself from her ex-boyfriends. 

'Oh, how is he?' she asked, recovering quite nicely.

'He's well,' I replied, not knowing what else to say.

'That's good,' she said before changing tone, 'Thanks for the offer Linda, but I think I'll hit the hay. It's been a long night.'

'Oh, I don't like the thought of leaving you alone in your house while we're across the road partying,' I said almost immediately.

'In that case, why don't you could come over to my place for a nightcap?' Miranda said, clearly directing the offer at me and not both me and Linda.

I smiled widely. In my head, I had already accepted the offer. But this was Linda's birthday and I was at her party. I looked briefly to her. Linda examined my face for a moment. I wore an expression that all but read "please, you know how I feel about this girl". Linda smiled before turning to Miranda and saying,

'About time someone took him off my hands. You two have fun. I still have guests I have to try and convince to leave.'

I mouthed the words "thankyou" to Linda. She smiled and gave a slight nod. Miranda and I both wished her happy birthday once more before we parted company. Linda headed back to her party, smiling widely as if she had done me the greatest favour ever. It turned out, she actually had. Miranda and I started to walk to her house which was less than 50 metres away. In that instance, I was just happy to be in her company.

'It's really good seeing you Miranda.'

'Yeah, you too.'

That was the only exchange we had the whole time we walked back to her house. But it wasn't an awkward silence, somehow it was nice just to be able to walk side by side without spoiling it by making idle chit-chat. We walked to her house, she opened the door and we walked inside. She motioned for me to head to the lounge room. I did so obediently and leaned against the sofa, watching her disappear into the kitchen.

'What are you drinking?' she asked, breaking the silence.

'Whatever you're having.'

She came back a moment later holding two glasses and a bottle of vodka. She unscrewed the bottle and I offered the paper cup I was still holding in my hands. She gave me a bemused look and casually took the paper cup and unceremoniously threw it on the coffee table. She filled both crystal glasses and handed me one. All of this was done in silence. We both just stood there, glasses in hand with curious little smiles on our faces. I subtly looked her up and down once more. She looked even more beautiful indoors, illuminated by the bright lights. Her green dress went down to slightly above her knees. It tightly hugged her slender figure showing just a tiny bit of cleavage. It was very tasteful, it was very cute; it was very Miranda. She wore just a hint of shadow that complimented her pale green eyes nicely. She lowered her glass slightly when she saw me looking. She still had the glass pressed up against her lips, but her eyes were watching me watching her over the top of the crystal. 

'You look very nice tonight,' I said.

'Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself. Very suave,' she said.

'So, I take it from the casual vodka drinking that the parents aren't home?'

'Yep. I have the house all to myself for a few days. One of my sisters is partying it up down at the bay, she's just finished high school you see.'

'She's going to be so disappointed when she finds out how much more stressful university is,' I muttered.

Miranda chuckled and continued, 'My parents are interstate visiting a sick family friend. Both brothers are with them. And my other sister is sleeping at a friend's house. We all think it's a boy but she insists it's one of her girlfriends.'

'Jesus, I sometimes forget how many brothers and sisters you have.'

'It's hell. I can't tell you how nice it is to have silence in the house for once.'

'And how nice it is to have the booze flowing freely,' I said, raising my glass.

Miranda laughed and we both took a sip from our glasses. I had finished my glass and was now felt thoroughly more relaxed. Miranda almost immediately reached for the bottle again and refilled my glass before topping up her own. 

'Alright, I'll admit it. I've missed you,' she said.

'I've called.'

'I know.'

'Numerous times.'

'I know. But I've been busy.'

The last comment bothered me. I always hated when people used that excuse for not keeping in touch. It's really not that hard to find time for a quick cup of coffee or at the very least, take 5 minutes out of your day to make a quick phone call. Unfortunately, this was Miranda's greatest flaw. It was part of the reason we had drifted apart. Regardless, I decided then to let the matter go, at least for now,

'You know, in all the years I've known you, and this is the first time I've been inside your house,' I said, changing the subject.

'Don't take it personally. I'm not in the habit of bringing boys home to meet my parents.'

'But we're not dating.'

'Doesn't matter. In my parents mind, every boy I talk to is a potential boyfriend.'

'I wonder how they got that impression,' I mumbled, not really expecting her to hear.

Unfortunately, she did. But rather than get angry, she just burst out laughing. I quickly joined her. Miranda, not even attempting to compose herself, said,

'I'm not a slut if that's what you're getting at.'

'I didn't say anything.'

'I'm not that easy either.'

'I didn't say anything.'

She attempted to give me her best cold gaze, but with a smile still spread across her face, it didn't come across as very threatening. Talk quickly turned to university and old high school friends. This was how most of our meetings went since nowadays. Catching up on university and the old gang. We had always gotten a surprisingly amount of mileage from it. And so, we did our catching up, all the while, the vodka bottle began to get emptier and emptier. However, talk remained surprisingly tame and we both didn't appear drunk in the least. I'm not sure what the social etiquette is for how long a nightcap was suppose to last, but I'm quite sure we had gone overtime by the time we finally stopped talking. 

We hadn't stopped because we had run out of things to say, but rather car horn had sounded on the other side of the street. Miranda and I both stopped talking and made our way to the window and peered outside. Linda's party was ending and people were beginning to leave. We watched the farewells and the final photos being taken when suddenly I spotted Rob coming out the front door. The fact Miranda stopped breathing told me she had also spotted him. 

'When Linda called over to me before, was that Rob who snuck back indoors?' Miranda asked me without looking at me.

'Yeah.'

'He still bitter about everything?'

'I don't know if he's bitter. But you can't blame him for not wanting to see you. Your break up was chaotic to say the least. I mean, would you have said hello?'

Miranda had a funny little melancholy smile on her face. She turned away from the window and looked at me over her glass. 

'I suppose not. It's a shame too. Rob and I use to be such good friends. Oh well, just goes to show; getting involved with friends is never a good idea.'

My face remained passive. But inside, I was reading into that last comment with all my brain power. There was no double meaning to it. Miranda didn't want to get involved with friends romantically anymore. I guess it shouldn't have surprised me, but it was still a bit of a downer. I looked back at the window, not wanting Miranda see any sign of my feelings at her remark. It was then that I spotted Rob in his car. He gave a few honks of the horn, before he began to drive off.

'Oh shit,' I muttered.

'What?' Miranda asked, turning back to the window immediately.

'Rob just left.'

'So?'

'He was my ride.'

'Linda probably just told him you were hanging out with me tonight.'

'Nightcap doesn't mean spending the night. It means a short drink.'

'And yet, we've been talking for almost an hour,' she chuckled and finished her drink. 

As we continued watching the cars leave Linda's place. I sighed and turned to Miranda and asked,

'Can I get a ride home?'

She shot me a amused look. 'You do see the empty vodka glass in my hand right? I can't even say the alphabet backwards much less drive you anywhere.'

'Oh please, that proves nothing. Saying the alphabet backwards is hard, even when you're sober. Come on, I trust you.'

'This isn't the first drink I've had tonight. You saw me take a taxi home,' she said, waving the glass in my face again, 'But hey, don't worry about it, you can stay here tonight,' she added without hesitation.

'Oh no, I couldn't impose,' I replied, more out of politeness than desire. 'I'll just get a taxi.'

'Nate, taxi's cost a fortune, trust me. Not to mention it's late. It's really no problem, I have a guest bedroom, you can stay the night. We'll grab breakfast in the morning, then I'll drive you home. It'll be fun.'

I hesitated without quite knowing why. Truth is, spending the night at Miranda's is all I ever dreamt of. However, most of those dreams involved us naked and in the same bed. But with the knowledge that nothing sexual would happen between us, it might end up being more torture than a pleasant night spent with a friend. Miranda sensed this reluctance and said,

'You're the one saying we should always do something together.'

I laughed. 'Yeah, I meant coffee. Not crashing on your couch because I've been stranded here without a ride home.'

Miranda laughed and grabbed the bottle of vodka from the coffee table once more and waved it in my face.

'Who said anything about crashing on the couch? There's a guest bedroom. And seeing as you'll be staying the night, there's no point in remaining sober,' she said temptingly.

I let out an exhausted laughed while she stood there, swaying back and forth in anticipation. I looked back out the window, everyone had left Linda's house. I looked at my watch, it was past midnight. I let out a long sigh and hung my head. Miranda smiled widely, clearly knowing she had won. I looked up at her and said,

'Okay, I'll stay. But only if we finish that bottle.'

Miranda laughed and did a funny little pirouette on the spot before skipping over to the kitchen, momentarily disappearing from sight. I was about to follow her when she reappeared,

'How about we finish that bottle, and then we down this one as well,' she said excitedly as she pulled a champagne bottle from behind her back.

Despite appearing exhausted only a few minutes earlier, Miranda was now oddly alive and energetic at the unexpected turn her night just took. I paused for a moment. Looking at the near empty bottle of vodka and then the imposing unopened bottle of champagne. She raised the bottles temptingly in front of me before I finally said,

'I think I'm love with you,'

Even though I hadn't meant for the remark to be taken seriously, somehow, it felt wonderful just to be able to say it to her face. Miranda laughed loudly. She tucked one bottle beneath her arm before grabbing my hand and leading me across the house. I didn't realise until I entered stepped through the door that she had led me into the guest bedroom. It was a simple enough room. However, instead of a large king sized bed that I had expected, there were two single beds placed beside each other as if it were a hotel room. 

'This is where you'll be staying tonight,' she said.

'Why are there two beds?'

'The room is mostly used by my little cousins when they come over.'

'They can't sleep in the same bed?'

'They're 17 Nate. Maybe you like the idea of two 17 year old high school girls sleeping in the same bed together but-'

'-I do like that idea very much,' I interrupted.

We both cracked up laughing and continued to do so as I slipped off my shoes and socks and collapsed onto the first bed while Miranda pretty much jumped onto the second. It was one of those longs laughs where it would begin to trail off, but then a sudden burst of laughter would start it up again. 

'I shouldn't even be laughing. Those are my cousins you're talking about there,' Miranda struggled to say between laughs. 

By the end, it became more about the fact that the other person was laughing than the actual joke itself. But as we finally began to trail off, Miranda sat up straight on her bed and popped the cork on the champagne bottle. I too sat up on my bed and faced her. She pulled out two champagne glasses that I didn't even know she had and begun to fill them up. She held out the glass to me and I leaned across the gap between the beds and took it. 

'Thankyou,' I said.

'You're welcome,' she said with a pleasant smile on her face. 'What should we drink to?'


Two of Us



The was a slight pause before I said, 'To your c-'

This time it was she who interrupted me, '-If you dare say my cousins, I will actually kill you.'

'In that case, I got nothing.'

Once more Miranda laughed, before we both took large sips of our champagne. With a loud yawn, she fell backwards onto the bed causing her dress to be hiked up, revealing much of her long slender legs. She just laid there, eyes closed and spread across the mattress wearing that beautiful green silk dress, with her hair loose and free. My eyes lingered over her body for a long time. The outline of her bra became more defined as her dress bunched up on one side. Her eyes opened dreamily as she took another sip from here glass. I instantly diverted my gaze, pretending to look around the room.

'Long night?' I asked.

'Boring night. As much as I love my friends, they disappear into their relationships. I was playing fifth wheel all night.'

'You're not seeing anyone then?' I asked, surprised that I hadn't tried to tip-toe around the topic much earlier.

'Nah. Dated a couple of guys this past year, they weren't really my cup of tea,' she said sounding melancholy. 'What about you? Any pretty girls in your life?'

'A couple. None really serious,' I lied. 

Truth is, I hadn't had a relationship in a very long time. But for some reason, I didn't want her to know this. Miranda had this pity streak about her that was both adoring and annoying at the same time. I normally wouldn't mind it, but when it was on the topic of my love life, I tried at all costs to avoid it.

'Could you turn the light off? I can't take the brightness,' Miranda murmured.

'You can't take the brightness? What are you, a vampire?' I said, standing up and flicking off the light switch. 

The darkness was momentary as Miranda turned on a small bedside lamp between the two beds. I jumped back onto the bed to find that Miranda had refilled both our drinks. The dim lamplight definitely made for a more intimate setting. 

'Are you trying to get me drunk?'

'Nate, I've known you for four years and we've never even had a drink together. Let's make up for lost time shall we.'

I obediently downed my drink in one go. I wasn't the heaviest drinker and so, it took me several seconds to recover from the intake. Miranda however, did it without pause. It was a side to her I had never seen. But despite signs that she was partially inebriated, she remained her normal fun loving, bright self. 

'If I had known you enjoyed drinking this much, I would've asked you to a bar instead of coffee.' 

She smiled and refilled our drinks again. 'Well, it probably wouldn't have worked. You know how busy I am with University.'

'Hey, I'm studying law degree, but I still make time for friends. Unlike you, I don't shoot down every offer to hang out that comes my way,' I said, sounding more bitter than I had planned.

Miranda lowered the glass from her lips and looked at me. She had obviously heard the change in tone. I tried to read her expression. I couldn't. Her stare was piercing, but I just calmly looked right back. There wasn't anger or annoyance in her eyes though. I started to get the feeling it was she who was the one trying to read my expression. 

'Are you angry at me?' she asked calmly and quiet. 

'Disappointed,' I said, choosing the word carefully.

'Because we don't hang out?'

'Because you never try. I'm always the one to call you. And you're always the one who rebuffs me. Eventually I stopped calling because I felt like I was becoming a nuisance. I mean, I've seen you a few times since high school. But I feel like tonight is the first time we've actually, you know......done something since high school.'

'It's not something I do consciously Nate. I just, I prioritise my studying. And when I'm not studying, I'm working. And when I'm not working, I'm babysitting my brothers and sisters,' she paused for a long moment, 'I'm sorry.'

'Don't be. I didn't want to argue. And I'm sorry I even brought this up. I guess I'm just, a bit needy,' I said honestly. 

Things had suddenly become tense between us. And for a moment, I considered putting on my shoes and calling a taxi. But that was the thing about Miranda; she always knew just what to do in order make a bad situation better, whether it was a comforting word, a change in topics, an inappropriately funny joke or anecdote; but in this case, she downed her glass of champagne, grabbed the bottle and jumped, actually jumped, onto my bed and refilled both our drinks. She did so with such energy and exuberance that I couldn't help but smile. 

'I hate bickering with you like we're an old married couple,' she said before raising her glass. 'To our friendship.'

I smiled and tapped my glass against hers with a loud clink. She began to lean against me, with her head on my shoulder. My arm instantly wrapped around her waist, I felt smooth silk beneath my touch and the warmth from her body emanating through the thin fabric. Simultaneously, her perfume filled my nostrils. It was the same sweet scent that she had been wearing since high school. Instantly recognisable and oh so alluring. I couldn't deny how nice this felt as we both sat there together and drank yet another full glass of champagne. I carefully brushed her hair away from my face and tucked it behind her ear; the whole time, trying my best not to make it seem like I was hitting on her. 

Staring down at the half empty bottle in her hands, I was caught off guard by how much we had drunk. Admittedly, part of me was also happy with the knowledge that my tolerance for alcohol was obviously improving. Miranda went to pour herself another glass but this time for whatever reason, she ended up spilling most of it across the front of her dress and into her lap. The tension was well and truly gone at this point as we both just laughed uncontrollably to the extent that she collapsed onto the mattress in front of me with laughter. 

'Not that I don't like the idea of seeing you get completely smashed, but how much did you have to drink, prior to coming home?' I asked leaning over her.

She looked up at me, her face red from what I'm guessing was partly embarrassment and partly the alcohol. She propped herself up on her elbows, attempting to compose herself.

'Oh, I don't know, this and that,' she said.

'Come on. Be honest.'

'I had a bunch of shots with the girls.'

I gave her my best attempt at a stern look. She just laughed. 'Is that your angry and serious face?!' 

I joined her in laughter, 'Yes, yes it is.'

'I'm not drunk Nate. Not yet anyway.'

She looked down at her dress which now had dark spots down the front where the champagne had spilt. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a napkin I had taken from Linda's party earlier and handed it to her. She mumbled her thanks and begun to start dabbing at the wet spots. It didn't seem like much, but after a short moment, she undid the zip running down the front of her dress and began dabbing in and around her cleavage. Naturally, I didn't know whether to stare or just look away. Miranda was not normally the type to essentially feel up herself with a napkin, but I attributed it immediately to the alcohol.

'Oh God, it's in my bra,' she mumbled, barely loud enough for me to hear. 

She looked up at me to see my eyes wildly darting back and forth between her wet cleavage and to random objects around the room. As if becoming aware of the brief show she had just given me, she let out a tired chuckle and said,

'Maybe it's best if we don't spend the rest of the night drinking.'

I nodded in agreement. 'So I'm sleeping here tonight?' I asked, pointing down at the bed.

'Yep. I'm just going to my room to change out of these clothes. Make yourself comfortable, I'll be right back.'

Miranda got up from the bed and for a second, I was unsure how solid her footing would be. But she just stood up and walked casually out of the room with no problem. I took the champagne glasses and bottles and left them on the beside table before standing up and taking off my shirt. It was at this point that I was glad with the fact I was wearing an undershirt. A short trip to the bathroom and I was standing back in the guest room, unsure about whether I should prepare for sleep yet. I was still wearing my jeans but I decided then to leave them on until Miranda finally went to sleep for the night. The last thing I wanted was to look visibly aroused in front of her, especially with her comments earlier about not getting involved with friends.

I don't know exactly what I was expecting to happen when Miranda came back in. Part of me just expected her in her pyjamas and giving me a hug before bidding me goodnight. Instead, she walked back into the room about 5 minutes later, visibly refreshed wearing only a tank top and a very tiny pair of shorts. I had never seen her show this much skin. The white tank top was small, thin and borderline see through from the right angle. The absence of a bra also produced a visible bounce from her breasts as she walked back in the room; her nipples poking slightly through the material. Her shorts were especially tight and couldn't have been that much larger than her panties. The same panties which I could see the waist band of, poking over the top of her shorts. With the room only lit by the bedside lamp, she looked especially stunning. I wanted nothing more than to stand up, walk towards her, take her in my arms and kiss her. Instead, I just sat there, jaw on the ground. 

Miranda walked past my bed and onto the other one. She untucked the sheets and moved to lie down beneath the covers. I watched her the whole time, my arousal turning to mere curiosity for a moment.

'You're sleeping in here?' I asked.

'Well I could sleep in my room, but I didn't want to leave you all alone. It's not going to make you uncomfortable is it?'

'Of course not,' I lied. 

Truth is, I'd rather she went back to her room and her bed so I could join her in there. But I didn't make this suggestion, and as a result, she laid down on the bed, letting out a yawn. She made herself comfortable beneath the sheets before turning back to me. I hadn't even moved.

'You're not going to be sleeping in your jeans are you?' she asked. 

'No,' I said as casually as possible.

She turned away for a moment leaving me to unbuckled my belt and take off my jeans. The decision I had made in the morning of boxers over briefs was a life saver. I pulled the sheets out and jump into bed. I made myself comfortable and stretched my arms before settling in. Suddenly, I felt slender fingers grasp my hand and looked over to see Miranda had reached across the divide between our single beds and held my hand. 

'Goodnight Nate,' she said while stroking the top of my fingers with her thumb.

I didn't quite know what this meant and so, I merely replied, 'Goodnight Miranda. And thankyou for letting me stay here.'

'You're welcome.'

Miranda turned off the lamp and there was darkness. Now the only light in the room came from the dim moonlight coming in through the curtains. There was a long silence with the only sound being our breathing. I turned in the darkness to face her. She was nothing more than a dark silhouette. And yet, that by itself was enough to get my heart racing. 

***

I awoke inexplicably in the middle of the night. I couldn't explain what had woken me. Outside it was still dark as ever and there was not a sound to be heard, indoors or out. I adjusted myself in bed, trying to get comfortable before I realised something else; Miranda's steady breathing had ceased. I watched her silhouette intensely for signs of movement. There was nothing but a very slow rise and fall of her chest. She was lying perfectly still and I could barely hear her breathing. She was more quiet now then she was when she had fallen asleep. Somehow, despite the moonlight shining in through the curtains behind her, and my inability to see her face, I knew then and there that she was awake. We both laid there for sometime, both of us wide awake, but both wondering whether or not the other was or wasn't. The moment was oddly tense. Eventually, I just said quietly,

'You're awake aren't you?'

'Yes,' she replied almost instantly.

I can't explain why I did what I did next. To this day I still can't. There was no reason for it. But somehow, for some reason, I felt that the timing was right. Apart from that, there was no reasonable rationale behind it. Maybe it was be sleepiness that was affecting my judgment, but I turned on my side to face her in full. My eyes piercing the darkness, trying to see her face. I started simply by asking,

'Miranda?'

'Yes?' she replied with a slight tremor in her voice.

'I'm in love with you.'

She hesitated before saying what she said next. I barely breathed the whole time. She barely moved. She said in almost a whisper,

'I know.'

'You knew?'

'A girl always knows Nate. What I don't know is how long you have felt this way.'

'Long. Since high school even. I guess that makes it about 4 years now.'

'Why didn't you tell me?'

'I was afraid. Afraid of rejection.'

'So why are you only telling me this now?'

'I don't know. I guess I just don't care anymore. And I need you to know how I feel,' I said, with the words coming easily to me. 

'I don't know what to say.'

'Say nothing. The longer you say nothing, the longer I can dream.'

There was silence once more. Neither of us moved. We just kept watching each other in the darkness. The only movement I saw was her hand move to her face followed by a quick and silent sniffle. Was she crying? I don't know. All I knew was that the next few minutes were some of the most intense few in my life. 

When she said nothing after what felt like a full 5 minutes, I turned away from her and lay on my back, looking up at the ceiling. The whole world seemed to be silent. I couldn't even hear any cars out in the streets or crickets in the garden. The clocks didn't even appear to be ticking. This made the noise of her climbing out of bed that much louder. She did it without a word and I instantly closed my eyes, pretending to fall asleep, despite the fact we were only talking a few minutes ago. If she saw me, she probably would've known I was faking. But she didn't say anything. She just crept out the door and into the bathroom in the hallway. I heard running water and no other movement. 

I had told her to say nothing. I was starting to regret it already. I wanted an answer. It was debatable that her silence meant she didn't feel the same way. But I wanted her to expressly say so. But she didn't. She just remained in the bathroom for a long time. I lay there, trying to think how I had gotten myself into this predicament. I was supposed to be home hours ago, after a spending a nice night celebrating a friend's birthday. And now I was here in my dream girl's house, sleeping together in the same room, and I had just told her that I loved her. It's funny how things work out sometimes. She remained in the bathroom for so long that my eyes actually became heavy. What started out as shutting my eyes to avoid her gaze, had now slowly turned into actual sleep. And I did sleep. As a result, I had no idea how long it was, from the time she went to the bathroom, to the time she came back in and she sat down beside me on my bed. 

The first thing I felt her hand on my own. I opened my eyes immediately. I saw her sitting beside me. The lights were still off, the room still dark. She took my hand in both of hers and spoke quietly,

'Why do you love me?'

'Because you're the most beautiful person I've ever met. Beautiful, inside and out. You're kind, you're generous, you care...' I paused before adding, 'and you're easy on the eyes as well.'

She laughed quietly. All I wanted to do was to turn on the lights and look at her smiling face. But instead, I just laid there and listened to what she said next; entranced by her every word. 

'You never gave up on our friendship did you? Of all my friends from high school, you were the one who kept trying to keep in touch.' 

'I've always wanted to be in your life. And I should've told you how I felt from the moment I met you. But I was too cowardly to do so then. And every day for the past few years, every invite out for coffee was just another attempt by me build up the courage to say so.'

More silence. Now our breathing seemed to have stopped. I know that I literally held my breath and waited for her next words. She just sat there looking down at me. I could only see the rough outline of her facial features from where I laid. That and her trademark dark wavy hair. But I new she was staring intently at me. Eventually, she said in almost a whisper,

'I wish you'd tried harder.'

I smiled and replied, 'Me too.'

I felt her shift on the bed and suddenly, she leaned in and kissed me on the lips. Her soft, supple and moist lips felt like heaven against my own. It was the softest of kisses with her lips barely touching my own before she sat back up. I watched her in the darkness and suddenly, I saw her peel off her tank top and casually toss it across the room. In the darkness, I could see nothing. But the knowledge that she was topless excited me to no end. I took off my own shirt before clasping her hand and pulling her down on top of me. 

The first thing I felt were her hips grinding against my own before she slipped one leg on either side of me. Suddenly, I felt her unmistakable feel of her breasts pushing up against my chest and I pulled her in for another kiss. This time, the kiss lasted. I felt her lips part and her tongue slide past and briefly make contact with my own. She purposely and with great excitement pressed her groin up against the growing erection in my pants. I let my hands leave her face and slowly slide down her neck and run across her silky smooth skin, briefly grazing the side of her breasts, before coming to rest on her shorts. 

I wrapped my fingers around the waist band and slowly pulled it down her slender legs. When I moved my hands back up, I found another obstruction. This time, her panties. With her still on top of me, locked is a passionate kiss, I moved my hand underneath her and pressed it up against the front of her panties, savouring the feel of her vagina through the thin fabric. Even though I didn't do anything except run my finger up and down her opening, she let out a long pleasurable sigh and broke away from our kiss as we looked at each other in the darkness. Next, my hands slid them into her panties and firmly grasped her arse. 

We stared into each others eyes. Even if the lights were on, her face would still be obscured by her dark brown locks of hair. Suddenly, I felt her sit up and slowly pull down my boxers. I adjusted myself in bed and let her remove them, leaving me naked in bed. She climb off of me and move to the edge of the bed, making several quick movements with her legs before I heard the sound of her panties landing halfway across the room. She was completely naked now. We were both completely naked. I sat up and wrapped my arm around her waist. We kissed sitting up for a moment before I swung her beneath me and slowly forced her down onto her back and climbed on top of her.

Slowly, I placed one hand on her stomach and slowly ran it over her smooth flat abdomen. I looked up at her to see her eyes were closed and her hand between her teeth, just waiting for the waves of pleasure to hit her. But I acted slowly, as my hand moved agonisingly close to her breasts. But I didn't just grab them in my hands. I slowly and sensuously ran my finger along the underside of her breasts. I savoured the firmness and the goose bumps that had spread across her skin. With only one hand, I gently squeezed her left breast and felt it mould into a different shape. I savoured the thrill of simply laying my hand flat on her breast and running my fingers over her stiff, erect nipple, feeling it beneath my fingertips one by one. I could feel her heartbeat racing beneath my palm. 




Two of Us



My other hand found its way onto her stomach before I took both her breasts in my hands and squeezed them. This time, Miranda inhaled sharply at my touch. I lowered my lips down to her long slender the neck and began to sensuously kiss her; my lips briefly making contact with her skin before slowly moving further down her body. I planted small kisses in a long line from between her breasts and along the underside of them. Her hands suddenly grasped at the sheets and she held them tightly as I continued to have my way with her body. I took her nipple between lips and softly sucked on it. The stimulation of her nipples began to intensify as my tongue lapped over them repeatedly and I suckled on each one in equal measure.

With one hand, I felt her wrap her slender fingers around my fully erect penis. It hovered there, mere inches above the opening of her vagina. Miranda grasped it and slowly led it to the lips of her vagina and all but begged me to push it inside of her. I released her breasts and with one hand, continued to stroke the side of her body, and with the other, I reached down and grabbed her right thigh which she raised slightly. With one long fluid movement, I lowered myself into her and for the first time, sampled her tight hot vagina. Our bodies now touched in full as I buried the full length of my penis deep inside of her. The feel of her skin against my own was an indescribable pleasure. Warmth engulfed my body, especially my penis that remained imbedded inside of her for several more seconds. I pulled out slightly, the tip of my penis barely between her lips before pushing my penis back in. The feel of her vaginal walls contracting as I did so only increasing the pleasure. I felt her thighs tighten around my hips instinctively. I reached down with my hands, placing them on both thighs and parted her legs before thrusting back into her with more force than last time. Miranda let out a loud pleasurable moan and attempted to close her legs once more. But I firmly kept her legs spread wide with my hands and settled into a slow rhythm as I began to move in and out of her at will. 

It hadn't taken very long for a nice layer of moisture to develop inside her vagina as we continued to make love. Despite intending to take it slowly, I soon found myself thrusting in and out of her more vigorously by the second. I planted kisses along her lips only to find them wide open as her moans were replaced by gasps and sharp inhaling. I resorted to kisses along her neck as her perfume filled my nostrils once more. The smell was intoxicating and only served to increase my excitement. She now wrapped her arms around me, pulling me in close. She now kept her legs spread wide on her own accord, allowing me maximum penetration. Miranda continued to gasp and moan, as if she was short of breath and unable to form any other sound. Her mouth remained wide opened as I continued to thrust in and out of her, again and again. I slid into her with ease now, her vagina immensely wet from the service I was giving her.

The sounds of my scrotum slapping again her vagina and her increasingly vocal cries of pleasure began to dominate the room and I'm assuming, the house. I propped myself up for a moment, and watched her writhe in pleasure beneath me. The pale moonlight didn't illuminate much, but it was just enough for me to see my penis furiously moving in and out of her, seemingly without friction, her breasts bouncing back and forth with the momentum of her body, her mouth wide open while her eyes shut tightly. I raised my hand to her face and gently stroked her cheek. For a moment, I stopped all movement and waited for her to open her eyes. She opened them very slightly and looked at me, wondering why I had stopped. Before she could ask, I had forcefully rammed my penis into her once more. This elicited the loudest cry yet. The expression of pure unadulterated pleasure was a sight to behold.

Miranda began to mumble a long string of words, begging me to go harder and quicker. I didn't disappoint and decided it was time for both of us to get out release. Lowering the top half of my body down onto her again, I braced myself against her body and began to forcefully and vigorously assault her vagina. She moaned loudly beneath me, her head lifting off her mattress as her teeth bit into my neck. But just as quickly as her jaw had clenched, it slackened again as I moved quicker and quicker. Suddenly, I felt her tense up against my body as every muscle began to stiffen. I knew instantly she was about to have her orgasm, but despite this, I didn't let up and continued to thrust in and out of her with more force than before. This caused her to instinctively wrap her legs around my waist again, stopping me from pushing into her, as if it was almost too much for her to handle. But I didn't let her stop me and roughly grabbed her thighs once more and forcefully spread her wide once more. I held her legs far apart and assaulted her vagina like never before. Within a few moments, I heard her cry out directly into my ear, a cry of pure ecstasy. As if the sound of her pleasure triggered something inside of me, I felt it coming inside of me too as I began to slow down, opting for long hard thrusts instead. Miranda's orgasm was beginning to subside as her body became limp. She appeared almost oblivious to the fact that with one final push as I felt myself come inside of her. I made a motion to roll off of her body, but she immediately held me in place and gasped between deep breaths,

'No don't...don't move...just stay there.'

I did as I was told and just laid on top of her, her heart racing beneath me, her hot breath against my neck, our collective juices oozing out of her, and my penis remaining relatively stiff inside of her. She remained almost perfectly still beneath me. I softly kissed her on the lips; she responded weakly but still made the effort to slip her tongue into my mouth. We remained like this for sometime, both of us panting heavily and tremendously satisfied. When I felt my penis finally become flaccid, I pulled out and rolled off of her body, making sure not to fall off the small single mattress bed. Miranda was still not moving very much, she just lay there, breathing heavily. I lazily moved my hand over to her body and with the slightest of touches, I moved my finger to her vagina. It was dripping wet. I sat up slightly and looked at her body. The moon must've come out from behind the clouds, because now it seemed to be just a little brighter in the room. 

In the darkness, I could see the moonlight glinting off of the line juices that was oozing out of her vagina, down to her rectum and onto the mattress below. I took my index finger and coated it with our collective juices and casually slipped it into her vagina. Miranda remained silent, as if oblivious to the finger currently inside of her. I moved my finger around inside with ease, the walls of her vagina still felt tight but was slick and slippery. Not content to let her sleep just yet, I moved my thumb to search for her clitoris. I found it almost instantly and now began to stimulate her with just one hand. I wondered if she had drifted off to sleep after her orgasm, because despite my stimulation of her clitoris, no matter how slow and lazy it was, all I could get from her was a slight murmur. Although there was without a doubt, pleasure in the sound she made. Happy to hear her still somewhat aware of what I was doing, I watched her face closely as I buried two more fingers inside of her whilst continuing to rub her clitoris with my thumb. It wasn't long before I felt her entire body shudder, and with it, a fresh wave of liquid flowed freely from her vagina. Miranda seemed barely aware of it. Her face contorted in a look of pure bliss. Satisfied that I had managed to illicite two orgasms from her, the second time barely trying, I pulled her fingers out of her and ran my hand over her bare skin, leaving a trail of moisture behind as I did. My hand came to rest on her breasts, as I leaned forward and kissed her twice; once directly on her nipple, and the other one on her lips. As if reading my thoughts, she reached over and pulled my in close, our naked bodies touching once more. I pulled her slightly on top of me, and together we lay there in a naked embrace. The next few hours were the best sleep I had ever had. 

***

When I awoke, the room was filled with light. The sun shone almost directly through the window. The glare was intense and for a moment, I wasn't quite sure where I was. I was about to roll over in bed when I literally fell off the side of the bed. I landed with a thud, remembering in that moment that I had spent the night sleeping on a single bed. The memory of who I spent the night with also came to me as I sat up straight on the floor and turned around to see Miranda still asleep. She looked peaceful as she just lay there, breathing lightly with the sheets draped over her bottom half except for her long right leg which dangled over the side of the bed. Suddenly, I heard my phone ring beside me, still inside my jeans. I quickly pulled it out and answered immediately, not wanting to wake Miranda. I continued to sit down on the floor as I answered the phone in a whisper,

'Hello?'

'It's Rob.'

'Morning,' I said, literally not knowing what else to say.

'So where'd you disappear to last night?'

'I should be asking you that. You left me at Linda's.'

'You say that like you didn't leave the party to hang out with Miranda.'

I chuckled. 'Ah, so you do know where I disappeared to last night.'

'I was just testing. I know I probably should've called you to check if you still needed a ride home, but you were over at Miranda's for so long I just assumed you were spending the night. Did you?'

'I did. You're not pissed off are you?' I asked.

'No, of course not. Miranda and I have been over for a long time.' 

'So what are you calling me about?'

'I was just wondering about the nature of your stay,' Rob asked wryly. 'Is she there with you?'

I looked over my shoulder at Miranda; naked and asleep. 'Yeah, you might say that.'

'Oh, I see,' Rob said, obviously not needing anymore information.

'Are you sure you aren't angry? Because I think this might breach some kind of unwritten rule about dating your friend's ex-girlfriend.'

'Technically, yes, it's a betrayal,' Rob laughed, 'But I don't care. You have by blessing okay. I know how you feel about Miranda. But more importantly, did you just say the two of you are dating?'

'I don't know. I mean, we slept together.'

'Doesn't mean you're dating. I mean, especially taking into account the copious amount of alcohol I'm guessing you both had last night. Maybe it-'

'I didn't get her drunk in order to sleep with her if that's what you're getting at.'

'I'm not getting at anything. But I'm just saying people's judgment could be impaired after they have a drink, or ten as the case may be. Don't you think it's time you find out whether this is the start of something or just a one time fling?' 

'Oh God, you always have to over think everything don't you. You can't just let me have some fun.'

Rob laughed. 'It's what I do. Anyhow, I have to get going. Goodluck on your end.'

'Okay, thanks. I'll tell Miranda you said hello.'

More laughter. 'Yeah, I'm sure she'll like that.'

I hung up and tossed the phone back onto the pile of clothes. I turned around to face Miranda again. I had expected to find her still sleeping but instead I found an empty bed. I did a double take and looked around the room. She wasn't there. She had disappeared as silently as a ninja. I sat there for a moment, confused. Suddenly, I heard the tap turn on in the bathroom down the hall. I slowly stood up, not bothering to put on any clothes and walked down the hall.

The bathroom door was wide open. She didn't notice me a first allowing me to take in the breathtaking sight of her naked and leaning over the basin, splashing cold water on her face. The sunlight filtered in through the bathroom window; long beads of glistening water dripped down her body and onto the tiled floor. I watched in awe at her and slowly walked up from behind whilst she continued to refresh herself in the basin. I didn't want there to be any other pretence to what I wanted and simply reached forward with both hands and cupped her breasts from behind. She let out a surprised gasp at my touch. 

'Well good morning ,' she said, staring at me in the mirror. 

'Good morning.'

We stood there for a moment in silence. Her standing still, water dripping from her face and her neck down onto the front of her body; my hands, squeezing her breasts and moulding them into different shapes. I slipped her nipples between my thumb and forefingers and watched in pleasure as she closed her eyes at the stimulation. Suddenly, without warning, Rob's words drifted into my head. Before I could help myself, I just blurted out,

'Does this mean we're dating?'

The question obviously caught her by surprise. She pulled my hands down from her breasts and turned around to face me. Once more, her nakedness held me in a semi-trance. Her perky yet firm breasts, her well toned body, slender arms and legs, a nice small patch of pubic hair directly above her vagina; meanwhile, the random droplets of water over the front of her body only enhanced her beauty. Despite the future of our relationship potentially hanging in the balance, I couldn't held but continue to stare. She reached over and placed her hand beneath my chin and slowly brought my head up to face her. 

'You can't just spring that question up on me and then ogle me like that 2 seconds later.'

'Sorry,' I mutter. 'But in my defence, this is the first time I've seen you naked in the daytime.'

She smiled before saying, 'You want to know if this means we're dating?'

'Yes.'

'Well, the way I see it, we have two options. Number one, this is just a one time thing and we go back to being friends.'

'No, that's not an option for me.'

'Or we start dating and see where it takes us. Knowing full well that if things don't work out, we probably won't be friends anymore.'

'Okay. That option. I choose that.'

She chuckled. 'Then why are you even asking me?'

'I know what I want. I just don't know if it's what you want, especially when you consider the two empty bottles sitting on the bedside table.

'Oh honey. Yes, we had lots to drink. Yes, I may have been a bit tipsy. But the fact that we fucked and I'm not regretting it means we're okay. Yes, I want to give us a go. And yes, that impassionate speech of yours actually worked. You don't need to worry, I'm not filled with regret. Last night was wonderful, and I would happily repeat it again.'

I felt my heart swell. Her words were music to my ears. I took her hand and lifted it to my lips and kissed it. She stood there giggling. I wasn't usually the hand kissing type but in that moment, I just couldn't help it. Nor could I help myself as I wrapped my arm around her waist and brought her in for a big kiss. Her lips were just as soft and supple as last night; her tongue slipping into my mouth and moving at a tasteful speed and motion. I pressed my body up against hers and savoured the feel of her bare skin once more. Every bit of contact brought back the memories of last night, almost as if I was reliving a wonderful dream. When she finally broke the kiss, both of us were all smiles.

'So what's on the cards for today?' I asked.

'Well, I want you to spend the day fucking me long and hard all day and ravishing my body as best you can leaving me sweaty, satisfied and short of breath,' she said, her voice dripping with seduction before quickly adding, 'And we'll find a way to fit breakfast and lunch in there somewhere.'

'This is the first time I've ever heard you talk so dirty. I gotta admit, I quite like this side of you.'

'What else do you like?'

'Your eyes,' I said, staring deep into them.

'What else?'

'Your neck,' I said before planting several small kisses along the length of her neck. 

'What else?' Miranda sighed in pleasure as she grasped the bathroom basin for support.

'Your boobs,' I said, gently tweaking her nipples.

'Anything else,' she asked with restrained pleasure in her voice.

'That face you make.'

'What face?' she asked, genuinely confused.

'That face you pull when I do this,' I said, quickly moving my hand between her legs and slipping a finger inside of her vagina.

She was dry inside, but with several slow movements of my finger inside of her, and my thumb in search of her clitoris; within moments, I could feel the unmistakable wetness inside. I quickly pulled my hand out, leaving her standing there against the basin, panting and wanting more. 

'You know, I think I forgot one thing before when you asked me what we were going to do today,' she said, stepping past me.

'And what's that?' I asked.

'Personal hygiene,' she said, pulling aside the shower curtains and turning on the knobs causing a jet of water to spurt forth from the showerhead. I merely stood back and watched her testing the water and getting it just right before she stepped inside. Water instantly covered her from head to toe causing her hair to fall flat and saturated about her shoulders. She looked at me and held out her hand. Her welcoming, wet and shimmering body calling to me. With another word, I stepped into the shower with her. The hot water felt fantastic and refreshing on my skin, but what felt even better was the feel of her wet and slippery body clutching my own as we kissed under a hot jet of water. 

With one fluid movement, she kicked her left foot to one side and parted her legs for me. I didn't wait for a second longer and launched myself forward and felt my penis slip into her once more. The movement caused her to fall backwards against the wet tiled wall. Her feet struggled to keep steady and for a moment, I thought she might fall over but I quickly grasped both legs and hauled her into the air. Her slippery body was hard to keep hold of and so, I kept her pressed up against the wall, her breasts pressed up against my chest and my penis still imbedded inside of her. She opened her eyes and looked deep into my own. Neither of us moved. I just stood there, her in my arms, us on the cusp of more sex, but instead we just looked deep into each others eyes. The water continued to pound against my back, but we seemed oblivious to it. I don't know what was going through her head at the moment, but in my mind, the only thought I had was that she was now mine. I looked at her beautiful face and the amazing sight of her water soaked breasts and thought to myself once more; she was mine. She was finally mine.