Act III: Harmonic Convergence
[Author's Note: the following story is the third (and possibly final) act of "Sensitive", which is based on real events from my life. You'll probably enjoy this part a lot more if you read acts 1 and 2 first, because to me, what makes this story special (and what made me decide to remember it by writing about it) is the way each event built on the previous one, and how the tension slowly increased between us with each step we took. I hope I have managed to re-create the build-up of that intensity and excitement for you. As I mentioned in act one's note, there is an act four, which is a continuation of this act. If there is demand, I'll write it. This story -- all three acts of it -- make up my first submissions here, so I welcome any comments or suggestions you have. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have enjoyed re-living it through writing it.]
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Another week went by.
Things were no different between them, which was good. He knew that if anything was going to happen (and he still wasn't certain that it would) it would only be when it was right for her. He knew this -- and perhaps more importantly, he respected it. To him, it was still a matter of friendship, and no matter what happened -- or did not happen -- their friendship was the most important thing. No, at this point in his life, it was the only thing. And while he desired her like mad he was determined that his animal needs would not come between them or endanger the bonds they shared.
He found himself at her house. They were hanging out together, as usual, and he was sitting on her couch, relaxing and watching whatever happened to be on TV while she was using his laptop. She was checking her email and catching up on things online. He was waiting for her to finish up because his plan was to go home when she was done. Well, she finished, and they watched the end of an episode of Biography on A&E.
She excused herself to go wash her face and change clothes. He guessed she was probably changing into whatever it was she was going to wear to bed. Despite his plans, he didn't want to leave. Honestly, going home just didn't appeal to him at that particular time because it could be a lonely place, and he really didn't feel like returning to its solitude just yet. But if she were ready for bed, it was time for him to leave no matter what he wanted.
A few minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom, dressed in a comfy-looking shirt and a pair of the soft, stretchy cotton shorts that fit her legs so perfectly. He found himself wondering -- again -- what it would feel like to have her legs wrapped around him, or be laying down with them spread over his body while she arched her back in ecstasy as she took him deep inside...and he clamped down hard on that thought, bringing it to a crashing halt before he had to explain why he was sitting next to her with a hard-on making a bulge in his jeans.
The Biography episode ended, and they talked about it for a few minutes. They talked a little more, and then she got up from the couch and began to walk back towards her bedroom without saying a word. He followed her without really thinking about it, assuming they would follow their routine of him "tucking her in" and then saying goodnight. She turned off the light and walked over to her bed, pulled the bedspread back and crawled between the covers. He sat down beside her, his legs hanging over the side of the bed.
The remote gave her problems.
She wanted to turn the small TV in her bedroom on, but the remote wasn't working. They spent the next half-hour working on it, replacing the batteries, pressing every button, attempting to determine if the programming of the remote had somehow changed, trying one possible solution after another. Finally it started working (he still couldn't remember exactly what fixed it, one of them finally did whatever it was that needed to be done). She idly flipped through a few channels, but as was usual for this time of the early morning, there was simply nothing worth watching. With a press of a button, the TV went off and out came her laser pointer. She had an attachment that she screwed onto the end of it -- lighting people would call it a gobo -- that made turned the red laser dot into a little picture of a stylized UFO. They played with it for a few minutes in her darkened bedroom, her under the covers, he stretched out on the bed beside her.
He'd taken off his shoes when he had first lay down, though he couldn't remember when he'd decided that he wasn't going to keep sitting next to her when he could get comfortable and lay down. He took his ever-present mobile phone and case off his belt and laid it on the floor. She pulled a pack of gum from the top drawer of her nightstand, one of those types that promised a strong, minty flavor. She took a piece for herself, then offered him one. He accepted, of course, and the gum flooded his mouth with freshness as the strong mint made his tongue began tingle.
"Now it's too quiet in here," she said, and turned on the clock-radio on her nightstand. It wasn't tuned, and the damned thing seemed to resist her every effort to find a good station. Eventually she got it to stay tuned in to one of the local modern rock stations, and she finally relaxed, laying still on the bed.
He turned towards her. She looked at him for a second, then turned away, rolling onto her stomach.He reached out towards her, his hands seeming to move on their own until his fingers touched her shoulders. He let his fingertips drift up so he could massage her neck, pressing his fingers into her skin, slowly working down to her shoulders.