The wooden floor was cold on my warm feet, making it even harder to leave the comfort of the duvet and pillows that belonged to Will. I wondered if this would be as close to him as I would ever get?
I pulled my hair into an elastic band I found on the coffee table, slouching the curls over my head like a giant bow. I needed a shower and pronto. Gathering my clothes, I tip-toed down to the bathroom, careful not to wake Will or Gav in the process. I slid my hand to the handle of the bathroom door and jumped a mile as it opened, and I was greeted with an alarmingly almost naked Will.
“Morning,” he said as I raked my eyes over the dips of his chest. The towel was slung low over his hips, hugging the outline of his very impressive cock. I groaned, unsure if I was too turned on or too weary to fight myself from looking at it again. Jesus, it did something to me. Changed my psyche and common sense.
It’s a Magic cock. Put a spell on me.
“Can I grab a quick shower before I go?” I managed to say.
I never thought I’d be a woman to pine.
“Sure. Let me get you a towel.” He opened a door, reached up and I was seeing back dimples and the tip of ass crack. Oh, boy. “Did you sleep OK?”
I twisted my lips. “Not great.”
“We could have swapped beds,” he said, and I was having a hard time not imagining him spread out and dreaming. A soft snore and a smile of his lips. One arm over his head leading to the sheet that was lightly covering his most private places to have slipped and left him on full, delicious display. “Skye?”
“Yep,” I answered, jerking out of my daydream only to find that the image in front of me was even better than my imagination.
“Never mind,” he replied. “I’ll make you some breakfast.”
I spent far too long in the shower, the water beating down over my shoulders, my breasts. I tried to think of some goodbye banter that would leave this awkward chapter of our friendship closed. I thought of the words, the snark. A way for me get back into my role of buddy with the cruel tongue and heart of gold. My mind closed off. Wandered elsewhere. I thought back to last night. The electric current that snapped and crackled. What if we’d given in to our desire? Used each other? I couldn’t help but wander back to how sex could change everything. Friendship ruined. No going back. Irreversible.
Doomed.
I needed a Will cleanse. To rid him of my body and mind like a demon. Brighton would surely have a working exorcist somewhere.
I dressed slowly as my mind raced. Will was in the kitchen opening packets and pouring milk into a pan, but I noticed him glance at me as I started to smooth out the bed sheets and put the sofa bed away.
“I put the photo back,” he said. “I found it on the bed. Great memories.”
I sighed, hoping he didn’t put two and two together and picture me cradling the frame to my chest as I tried to fall asleep. “Ibiza, wasn’t it?”
Act cool. Aloof. Think of something witty to say.
“Last year.” He laughed. “Don’t you remember?”
“Must have blocked it out.”
Liar.
“Tequila will do that,” he replied, before we fell into silence. He watched me cautiously, waiting for me to say more, but I couldn’t find words that didn’t involve me vomiting out my feelings. He threw up an orange, catching it with alternate hands, repeating the process until I wanted to catch it myself and throw it against the wall. “You seem quiet,” Will said. “Everything OK?”
“Yeah, I’ve just got a lot to think about.”
He pushed up his glasses with a slender finger and started serving out cereal. “I wondered if last night would put you off. It feels like the film is getting bigger by the day.”
“I’m not put off,” I said indignantly. “In fact, I emailed Margot this morning.” In between sessions of ceiling staring and photo analysing. “She said she’d put me in touch with a woman who’s appeared in a couple of her films. She messaged me just before I went in the shower. She’s willing to do a scene with a friend of hers, but I’ve been thinking.” He glanced at me before dumping the pan in the sink. “We need to make a decision. Two men or two women?”
“I can’t believe I’m having this conversation over breakfast,” he said, pulling up a stool and sitting at the kitchen island. I joined him. Damn, he smelt good. Clean and everything I wanted to melt into. “What shall we do? Toss a coin? Roll a die? Heads for lesbians, tails for…well…tails.”
“That joke is terrible,” I replied. “Let’s move on before you embarrass yourself further.” I knew my lips were betraying my tone. A small lift. A bite to stop it increasing.
“What about both?”
“That’s a lot of work, Will.”
I waved my hand at the sugar pot, and he pushed it over to me. I tried to ignore how domesticated and homely we looked. “Think back to why you’re doing this,” he said. “For the clinic. To educate and inform young people. To offer safe sex advice and lead the way in sharing how awesome sexual relationships can be when it’s mutual and consenting.”
“I haven’t forgotten,” I replied, wondering when he became so beautiful. He got me. He understood the drive I had, knew what was hiding behind this. Elliott’s memory. A chance to keep him shining.
He took a sip of his coffee. “If you film two men, you’re losing a vital piece of your audience. Two women, you’re doing the same.”
“Sexuality is much bigger than that, though. What about people who are bisexual or trans? Are we losing them too?”
“Skye, we can’t please everyone. Whatever their preference they’ll still appreciate a good cock or a lovely vag.”
“Insightful as ever.”
“You got it.” He pulled a trigger finger and winked.
“This is getting complicated.”
“It doesn’t have to be.” He pushed his stool back and poured himself a glass of milk. “Two sex scenes, two women, two men, one message.” He leaned back against the worktop and folded his arms. He’d dressed when I was in the shower. His light blue shirt stretched across his muscles, pulling it taut where he’d rolled up the sleeves to his elbow. I bit my lip at the sight. “Safety, consent and sex is amazing.”
“Amen,” Gav said as he draped his coat over the back of the sofa. “Any coffee left?”
“Go for it,” Will replied.
He filled a plastic cup and clicked a lid in place. “What are you talking about?” He smirked as we both smiled. “There I was thinking you were in separate beds last night.”
“What the hell, man?” Will said drawing his eyebrows together. I couldn’t read the look on his face. Was it disgust at his assumption or annoyance that he was showing me zero respect?
“I slept on the sofa bed,” I replied. “Although, it’s none of your business.”
“Alright,” he sniffed. “Calm down. Just a joke. Ready to go, mate?”
“Yeah. Two steps behind.”
We watched as Gav disappeared through the front door.
“Dick,” I said as Will nodded in agreement. I pushed my arms behind my head and started a weird rocking on my heels motion. “I’ll head back to Brighton, then. Start planning the next steps.”