“Thank you. I’m sure,” he says.
And now that we’re done with that topic, the elephant has walked back into the room.
Zephyr and I had sex last night.
He’s seen me naked.
He held my naked body while we slept.
And I need him to be the one to say something about that.
“Do you want to split fajitas with me?” Zephyr asks.
“Yes, always,” I tell him.
“Great,” he says, smiling at me.
He’s nervous.
I can tell he’s nervous because he is having trouble keeping my gaze. He’s scratching his arm. He’s staring at the ceiling.
And finally, he looks at me.
“So, last night,” he says, smiling. “You kissed me.”
“Wait a second,” I say. “You kissed me, too.”
Zephyr smiles wider at me. “I absolutely kissed you, too. I kissed you many times. And… we had sex.”
I look around, scared someone might hear us. “Yes, we did. My first time having sex.”
“Mine, too,” he said.
I was pretty sure it had been, but it was really good to hear it confirmed.
“I’d like to do it again,” he says, “A little less drunk this time.”
I blush. I’m sure he can see it. “You do?”
“Of course I do. How do you feel about it?” he asks me.
I place my chin in my hand and bat my eyelashes at him. “I feel like I would love to do that again with you.”
He nods and licks his lips. “This is crazy. I’ve wanted to kiss you for so long.”
I feel like my whole body has been lit up inside with a warm, bright light.
It’s all unfolding.
I can’t believe that all this time that I’ve been pining for my best friend, he’s been pining for me, too.
“I’ve probably wanted to kiss you for longer,” I admit.
He shakes his head. “I doubt that.”
Zephyr takes my hand in his.
“This is good,” he says. “I was always so nervous to cross this line with you. I didn’t want to lose my best friend. But I realize now that I’m not losing you. It’s just making our relationship even better. Right?”