Rachel stepped out of the bedroom in her softest pair of athletic shorts and a cropped tank. She tugged at the hem, giving the illusion of adjusting something that didn’t need fixing. She could feel Noah’s eyes gravitate towards her as she walked into the living room. At least that meant the outfit was a success.
Sunlight streaked through the cracks of the patio doors’ vertical blinds. Cutting across the floor in narrow blades. Noah sat on the couch, hunched forward, elbows on his knees, foot tapping in sharp, uneven bursts. He gave Rachel a polite smile when their gaze met, before looking back down to the floor.
Rachel crossed slowly to the full-length mirror near the window. Its brass edge caught the light, casting a shimmer across her bare thigh. She picked up her makeup brush and gave her reflection a once-over. Her hair was swept up, clean and soft around her cheeks. The gloss on her lips still fresh.
“You look beautiful,” Noah said, not quite meeting her eyes in the mirror. Rachel looked at him in the reflection and smiled.
“Thanks,” she said, watching him from the corner of her vision. The compliment didn’t land right, however. His voice was too quiet, and his body language lacked his usual enthusiasm.
She tilted her head and applied a touch of blush beneath her cheekbones. Accenuating her already golden skin. She glanced back over to Noah, noticing he was still fidgeting nervously.
“Is there something wrong?” she asked carefully.
“Huh? Oh… no. It’s nothing,” Noah said.
Rachel stared at him through the mirror.
“Alright…” she said. She tried to sound relaxed, but her worry was poorly hidden.
Noah cleared his throat behind her.
“So… how did things go with Mike last night?”
Rachel’s heart skipped as she set her brush down. The brush slipped from her fingers, rolling off the vanity and onto the floor, clattering quietly.
“It… went well,” Rachel said, going to pick up the brush with a shaking hand.
But that was a lie. It had been more than well.
Mike had been the perfect experience. He had done things Rachel didn’t even know were possible. He knew exactly how to take control. How to pull her hair. How to make her beg. How to press his thumb into her mouth mid-thrust and pound her until she was sore.
And he’d made her laugh in a way she never had before.
Rachel prayed the truth couldn’t be seen on her face. Noah nodded, his gaze returning to the throw rug beneath his feet.
Rachel breathed through her nose, steady and slow. She leaned forward slightly, tracing a soft shimmer across her brow bone, but her mind was already drifting. Instinctively, she glanced into the bedroom and spotted the side of her bed through the doorframe.
In an instant, she was transported back to that night.
She watched as she leaned over, placing her hands on her sheets before looking back at Mike with a playful smile. She shivered as he slapped his cock against her entrance. Then bit her lip as his hands gripped her hips so tightly that his fingers buried into her skin. She closed her eyes and felt her cheek press into the mattress, her mouth open around a cry as Mike slammed into her with intense thrusts. The bed rocked beneath her elbows, her fingers twisted in the sheets.
She could still feel it.
The pressure. The lust.
A swirl of desire caused her breath to hitch. She shook her head and turned towards the living room, hoping that the memories would fade just as quickly as they came.
She looked at Noah sitting on the couch. The two shared a tense smile.
Then he began to fade away.
And Mike took his place.
She remembered him sprawled across that same couch. Shirtless, grinning, his laugh echoed through the apartment as the credits rolled. As the episode finished, she had climbed into his lap without a word, her knees framing his hips, her fingers drifting down the lines of his abs.
His hands found her waist, pulling her up with a force that left her breathless before guiding her down, slow and steady, onto his cock. Like she was nothing more than a warm, desperate toy.
She rode him hard, the couch creaking beneath them, the TV still playing as her moans bled into the background noise. Her hips slapped against his. Her chest bounced with every thrust he drove upward. She remembered how soaked she was. How tightly she clenched around him.
And when she cried out, Mike dragged her mouth to his and swallowed the sound with a kiss that melted everything else away.
And all of it happened right where Noah sat now.
“That’s good,” he said.
Silence fell between them.
Rachel felt her pulse throb behind her ears. She ran a hand through her hair, trying to gather herself.
Rachel’s lips parted, but no words came.
The silence this time was heavy.
It pressed between them like smoke, thick and slow and suffocating.
She turned slightly. Enough to see his reflection. His hands were clenched together now. Rachel swallowed.
She tried to find something else to fix on her face, some detail she could pretend to fuss over, but she knew it was pointless. Her heart was thudding too loudly for her to concentrate on anything else.
“So,” Noah said, eyes still low. “How long did he stay over?”
Rachel’s stomach tensed. The question struck her like a dart thrown into her chest, hitting her heart perfectly.
Her hands froze above the vanity.
“Oh, it was just a little while,” she said, trying to sound casual.
Noah’s foot resumed its tapping. “Can you define ‘a little while’?”
The air thinned around her. Rachel swallowed. She turned to face him, leaning against the wall in search of any form of comfort.
“He stayed most of the day,” she said carefully. “And… overnight.”
Noah stared blankly. It couldn’t have been more than a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity.
“Oh,” he said.
Rachel’s hands fidgeted with the hem of her shorts. “Is that… okay?”
He gave a shrug while looking back at the floor. “I mean… yeah. We never really talked about that sort of thing.”
Rachel nodded as Noah shifted on the couch.
“Did you like hanging out with him?” He asked.
Rachel’s hesitation spoke louder than any words could.
She remembered laughing with Mike over takeout and Netflix reruns. She watched him stretch on her sheets like he belonged there. What’s more, she remembered how his desire had made her feel. It was unlike anything else she had experienced before. It was primal, playful, and full of passion.
Memories flashed in seconds.
They were half-dressed, eating lunch on the bed, when Mike suddenly grabbed her hips and pulled her down beside him, tickling her until she was breathless with laughter. He’d kissed the corner of her mouth, his palm still sliding under her waistband. She remembered how her giggles had turned into quiet moans as his fingers buried deep into her.
Then he climbed on top of her.
His playful laugh melted into a deep moan of satisfaction as he entered her.
That moan still echoed in her ears.
He drove into her slowly, her legs curled up and open, pinned back as he rocked deep. The mattress groaned beneath them as his chest pressed to hers, one hand groping her breast while his mouth worked her neck.
The way he held her afterward was also unforgettable. His giant arms wrapped around her tightly as heat radiated off his broad chest.
Rachel blinked, and was relieved to be looking at Noah once more.
“He was fun,” she said flatly. “But it was really just about the fucking.”
Noah nodded, but something behind his eyes flickered.
Rachel stepped forward slowly. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Noah said.
She bit her lip. “Hey… If this was crossing a line, I’m really sorry. I’ll ask next time, ok?”
“Yeah, that’s fine, we could also just not have a next time too,” he said, his tone gentle but sharp.
“Oh yeah! I know that. I wasn’t saying that I wanted there to be a next time or anything…”
Rachel waited. Noah didn’t respond.
She continued to ramble. “I was just saying… that you know in the future… if something like this happens again… I’ll be sure to ask about anything new.”
Noah looked up at her, smiling gently. “Yeah… That would be great.”
Rachel exhaled. “Okay.”
A few seconds of silence passed.
“I’m really sorry…” Rachel said softly, her lip trembling as she fought to keep her voice steady.
The crack in her voice melted Noah’s tension in an instant. He stood without a word, crossed the room in just a few strides, and pulled her into his arms.
“Hey,” he said gently. “You don’t have to apologize. These things happen.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Yeah. This is all new… we’re both still figuring it out.”
Rachel nodded against his chest. “Alright.”
Noah held her a moment longer, his arms warm around her, grounding. She closed her eyes and breathed in his scent.
Silence settled between them again. But this time, it didn’t sting quite so much.
Noah exhaled a small laugh, almost to himself.
“What?” Rachel said, a smile forming on her face.
“Nothing it’s just… when you said ‘are you sure’ just now, it reminded me of something.”
Rachel smiled, keeping her head pressed to his chest. “Tell me.”
Noah laughed again. “Alright, you remember that stupid frog puppet from freshman year?”
Rachel laughed. “Oh my god. The one with the googly eyes?”
“Yeah. Do you remember the voice you used to do for it?”
“You remember that?! I’ve done everything I can to repress it,” she said, already laughing as she stepped back from him.
“You did this weird little British accent–”
“Please, Govnah!” she said in that same awful accent, clasping her hands dramatically. “Are you sure I need to eat the crumpets?!”
Noah burst out laughing. “Jesus! That’s the one.”
Rachel grinned, watching the tension slip off his shoulders.
“And you used to do the nerd voice for the other worm puppet with the glasses, remember?!”
“Oh, come on, no one remembers that.”
“Are you kidding? You made the entire class erupt in laughter. I remember,” Rachel said. Noah smirked, pretending to push up an invisible pair of glasses.
“You remember me, m’lady?” He said. The two continued to laugh, speaking to one another in their funny voices as Noah’s hands trailed down to Rachel’s waist.
“I think,” Noah said, pulling Rachel close, “that someone’s in need of a tickle attack.”
Rachel’s eyes widened. “Ahhh! Please, Gov’nah!” she shrieked, bolting from the couch while laughing.
Noah followed quickly behind, catching her waist, fingers playfully trailing her sides as her warm laughter filled the apartment.
Noah backed her toward the bed, collapsing with her in a tangle of limbs and laughter.
Rachel rolled on top of him, panting slowly.
For a moment, they just stared at each other.
His hair was a mess. Her cheeks flushed.
She felt the shape of him under her hips. The realness of him. The steadiness.
Then she caught a faint whiff of Mike’s cologne still left on the bedsheets.
And suddenly she was staring at him once again.
She heard his laugh. It was deep, confident, and powerfully mischievous. She remembered how he’d tugged her into his chest and playfully buried his face in her hair. Tickling her neck with his nose until she laughed loudly. She remembered his hand sliding down her back as he rolled on top of her, brushing loose hairs out of her eyes.
Their laughter slowed as he slowly entered her, giving way to soft moans. He leaned down by her ear, whispering something that made her shiver. She didn’t dare remember the words. Their bodies moved together like waves, rhythmic, hot, and unhurried.
He could be slow and gentle when he wanted to be.
And he wanted to be with her.
His words flowed back.
“I’ve never felt this before,” He had said.
Then Mike kissed her so deeply she forgot what day it was.
The memory cracked Rachel wide open.
Her chest tightened. She looked down and saw Noah again, his soft brown eyes full of warmth. Of history. Of everything real.
And she knew.
Whatever this thing was with Mike, it didn’t live here.
Noah did.
She leaned down, wrapped her arms around him, and held him as tightly as she could.
“I love you,” she whispered, eyes shut tight.
Without hesitation, Noah wrapped his arms around her in return.
“I love you too,” He said.
They stayed there for a beat longer. No sound but the rise and fall of their breathing. Her head tucked beneath his chin, his hand stroking her back.
Whatever came next, whatever questions still haunted her, they could wait.
For now, Rachel lay on Noah’s chest while the sun slowly set.