My best friend said “But we friends though”. Then she kissed me.
The Barrier Fails
I don’t even know how I managed to fall asleep. But somehow I woke up to sunlight hitting my face and a weight on my chest.
Ava was completely on my side of the bed with her head on my chest. My arm was around her waist. All the towels were on the floor in a pile.
She was still asleep and I didn’t dare move. I barely let myself breathe.
Her head was on my chest and my arm was wrapped around her waist like it belonged there. I could feel every breath she took.
My heart was pounding and I was terrified it would wake her up. Her face was relaxed in a way I’d never seen before.
I wanted to remember every detail of this moment. I wanted to remember the weight of her against me. I wanted to remember how perfectly she fit there.
This felt so right, like we’d done this a thousand times before. I knew the second she woke up this would end.
She’d pull away and make some joke about the towels not working. But I knew that soon this would be 100% intentional.
She would choose to be here like this.
I knew the exact moment she woke up because her entire body tensed. She lifted her head slowly and looked at me. Her eyes were wide and her hair was a mess.
“Hi.”
I smiled down at her. She blinked a few times and gave me a small smile.
“Hi.”
She looked down at where we were tangled together. My arm around her waist, her leg thrown over mine, all the towels on the floor.
“So, the barrier didn’t work,” she said.
I told her apparently not, and she sat up quickly.
“I’m so sorry.”
“I must have moved in my sleep.”
She was scrambling to put distance between us, and I hated it. I sat up, too.
“It’s fine.”
“No, it’s not.”
She looked away and started gathering the towels from the floor.
“This is so embarrassing.”
“I literally built a wall to prevent this and then completely ignored it.”
I told her it wasn’t embarrassing and she laughed, but it sounded forced.
“I woke up on top of you, Aaron.”
“That’s pretty embarrassing.”
I wanted to tell her it was the best way I’d ever woken up. I wanted to tell her that I’d been awake for 20 minutes just watching her sleep because I didn’t want the moment to end.
But I didn’t say any of that. So, I just said it was fine again like an idiot.
I thought it was too heavy for someone who had just woken up. Plus, it was obvious she was falling for me, so she didn’t need to hear any of that just yet.
Sunday afternoon, Eva texted asking if she could come over. I said, “Yeah,” and she showed up 20 minutes later holding two coffees.
“Peace offering,” she said when I opened the door.
She walked past me into my apartment like she owned the place.
“What for?”
I asked, taking one of the cups.
“For being weird yesterday morning.”
“I don’t want things to be awkward between us.”
“Nah, they’re not awkward,” I said, taking a sip and staring her down.
She couldn’t hold eye contact with me and I saw her fidgeting.
“Good,” she said after a while because we still have like two weeks left of this bet and I’m not losing.
I almost spit out my coffee. She really thought I didn’t even bother responding and just went to the couch.
She followed after me and suddenly we were watching some show that neither of us cared about. She kept looking at me from the corner of her eye. I could see her doing it.
After the fifth time, I turned my head.
“What?”
She whipped her head back to the TV.
“Nothing.”
“I’m just thinking about how I’m totally winning this bet.”
I laughed and she looked offended.
“What’s funny?”
“The idea of you winning is pretty funny.”
She sat up and twisted her body to face me.
“I am winning.”
“The month is almost over and I haven’t fallen for you.”
“So, yeah, I’m winning.”
I mirrored her position.
“You really believe that?”
She nodded so hard her hair bounced.
“I know that.”
“You’ve tried everything and it hasn’t worked.”
“Are you sure?”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Positive.”
“Still just friends?”
“You lose Aaron.”
I smiled at her and she threw her hands up.
“Why are you smiling like that?”
“It’s creepy.”
I told her nothing was creepy about it.
“You woke up on my chest yesterday, Eva.”
“Your whole body was wrapped around mine.”
Her face went bright red and she grabbed a pillow to hold against her stomach.
“That was an accident.”
“I told you I move in my sleep.”
“Felt nice, didn’t it?”
I asked. She suddenly got very interested in the couch.
I didn’t comment on the fact she didn’t deny it. The silence got heavy between us.
It got so heavy she was able to snap out of whatever trance she was in.
“I can’t control what happens when I’m asleep,” she yelled and launched the pillow at my face. She loved doing that.
I caught the pillow before it hit me and set it aside.
“Okay, Eva, whatever you say.”
She made this frustrated sound in her throat. She turned her whole body to face me on the couch, her legs tucked under her.
“Stop doing that.”
I asked what she wanted me to do.
“I want you to admit that I’m winning.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
I told her because it wasn’t true.
She leaned forward on her knees.
“Yes, it is.”
She was right in front of me now. She was close enough that I could see how frustrated she actually was.
“You’re lying to yourself,” I said, and she put her hands on my knees to steady herself as she got even closer.
“I’m not lying about anything.”
“You’re just mad because your plan failed.”
She moved up until one of her knees was between my legs. I stayed completely still.
“Keep telling yourself that, Eva.”
She made this noise of frustration. Her other knee came up so she was straddling my legs.
“I am telling myself the truth.”
Each word was punctuated, sharp. She was sitting on my thighs now. Her hands were planted on either side of my shoulders on the couch.
I just looked at her.
“You done?”
That made her angrier.
“Say something real.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“What do you want me to say?”
She leaned in closer.
“Anything.”
“Tell me I’m right.”
“Tell me you give up something.”
I shook my head slowly.
“You already lost Eva.”
“How?”
I gestured between us.
“You’re on top of me right now.”
She froze. Her eyes went wide like she just realized her position, where her hands were, and how close our faces were.
“That’s because you’re being infuriating,” but she didn’t move back.
Her chest was rising and falling fast.
“And stop smiling.”
I tilted my head.
“What am I smiling about?”
She gestured at my face with one hand before putting it back on the couch.
“That you’re doing it again.”
“That knowing smile like you’ve already won.”
I told her the truth.
“I have won.”
She leaned in so close our noses almost touched.
“You’re so annoying, so full of yourself.”
Her voice had gotten quieter, less angry. Something else was happening in her eyes.
She was fighting with herself. But her eyes gave away her feelings when they dropped to my lips. It was just for a second, but I caught it.
“Ava,” I said softly, and she looked back at my eyes quickly.
“What?”
Her voice was barely above a whisper now. I pointed it out.
“You just looked at my lips.”
Her face went red.
“No, I didn’t.”
She did it again. She looked right at my lips and then back up.
“You’re doing it right now,” I said.
She opened her mouth to argue, but nothing came out. Her breathing changed, got heavier.
“Aaron,” she started, and I could hear her voice shaking.
“How many times do I have to tell you that I’m not falling for you?”
“I won’t.”
“This bet is ridiculous and I’m going to win.”
I tilted my head slightly.
“Really?”
She nodded, but I could see her resolve cracking.
“Yes, I’m not falling for you.”
I reached up slowly and she watched my hand like she was in a trance. My palm touched her cheek. Everything stopped. The whole world went quiet.
She leaned into the palm of my hand as I brushed my thumb across her cheekbone.
“Then why are you about to kiss me?”
Her eyes looked different when we made eye contact, softer, vulnerable. They looked at my lips and her breathing got heavier.
And then she closed the distance. Her lips crashed into mine. I pulled her closer by her waist.
She melted against me and made this small sound that made my heart race.
When she pulled back, we were both breathing hard. She looked at me with her forehead pressed against mine.
“I fell for you,” she said quietly.
“I know.”
She laughed breathlessly.
“Of course you did.”
“You’re so smug about it.”
I pulled her back to me.
“You love it though.”
She kissed me again, slower this time, deeper.
“Yeah,” she said against my lips.
“I really do.”
