This time I woke up because it was too hot instead. Ugh. I tried to kick the blanket off, but my efforts made it cling to me even worse. Maybe this was a nightmare? Hot and heavy, hm, yes, pretty damn weighty, blanket that clings to your body, and you can’t do anything to get it off?

Hm, but this blanket was pretty soft, all things considered. Comfortable even. Ugh. If only it wasn’t so needlessly warm. I tried to push it away once more, but it still refused to move. How is it even possible?

Argh. So bright. Well, not exactly, but coupled with the hangover, the not wholly dark room looked almost blinding. A couple of minutes of blinking and adjusting later, I was finally able to see again. Oh. Fuck.

Hm, that explained a lot. And brought so many more questions. The thing that was playing the role of my blanket, the heavy but soft and comfortable thing, how to put it… Well, it was Claire, who was currently drooling on top of my chest, while hugging me like a koala. God bless my past self for deciding not to remove her clothes, this would’ve been a helluva lot more complicated to explain otherwise.

I gave another try to push her off me, and it failed marvelously. Instead of getting off, the girl just frowned in her sleep and hugged me even tighter. I guess we were stuck like this until her eventual wake-up. Not the worst perspective, to be honest.

I closed my eyes back, got myself into a more comfortable position, and tried to get some extra shut-eye for a while longer.

Yeah, as if. Despite the hoodie being in the way, I could feel the squishy soft feeling on top of my own bare skin, and this was very distracting. Another thing was an issue where to put my hands, so I would be comfortable, yet it wouldn’t be weird at the same time.

I opened my eyes back. Fuck. Why did I even care? And wasn’t this the weirdest part? I really did care, for some reason. I sighed and shook my head.

Trying to distract myself from thinking too much, I turned my gaze to my blanket. Her sleeping face looked sloppy, even a bit silly. But she looked very relaxed, and her natural cuteness shined at this moment. Only now did I pay enough attention to notice the lack of makeup. Her current look was just a baseline, and, though there wasn't anything that required it, there was a room for improvement. Another point of weirdness to that Damien guy, fuck was wrong with him? A girl like that vied for his attention, and he ignored her. Poor thing. I caught myself right before my hand reached out to pat her head. But. Eh. Why the hell not?

While her bed-hair looked a bit spiky, it was very soft to touch. On a side note, while, most likely, just my illusion, I was almost sure she just leaned into more pats. Eh, well, this was just the right distraction for my still tired brain, so I will just go on with that. Let’s hope she won’t bite my head off for touching her hair, though. Not all women liked it, especially from someone they barely knew.

***

And so I drifted away. Once more it was a state of contentment, joy, and relaxation. It felt a lot different from the time I had that lap pillow from Olivia, but very much alike at the same time. I just listened to Claire’s relaxed breath and played with her hair. Huh, I guess that’s the difference, the roles were now opposite.

After a while, I heard her breathing pattern change and felt how the young woman on top of me momentarily froze. Hm, after a moment she did relax back. Surprise, surprise. Well, time to wake up, I guess.

“Rise and shine, sleepyhead,” I said and took my hand off her head.

“Pat me more,” objected my blanket.

“Sorry. What?” I was surprised.

“I said. Pat. Me. More.” Her spoiled tone was cute enough, so I chose to oblige.

“You know, whatever reaction I was expecting,” I said, after a few minutes. “This definitely wasn’t on my list.”

“What? Should I scream at you, curse and, maybe, try to hit you or something? You warned me right away to be more aware of you. Then you tried, on multiple occasions, to stop me from drinking more. Which I evidently refused to listen to. And now I woke up, still fully clothed. As for our current position, my friend told me many times that I’m very clingy in my sleep…” So far, she sounded pretty logical. “Well, I wouldn’t be nearly as calm if something actually happened, though.”

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Fair.” I shrugged.

“Um, another thing…” She started a bit later. “I understand why you left my jeans on, but did you try to take off my hoodie, perchance?”

“Um. Yes. I’m sorry.” I decided to tell the truth. Yeah, right, a lot of good being honest did for me lately, but for some reason telling a lie here just felt wrong. “And thanks for the treat. The view was absolutely breathtaking.”

I felt her arms around me tighten even more, as well as her face trying to bury itself deeper into my pecs. Out of sheer curiosity, I decided to open my eyes. It was just like I thought, Claire played her best impression of ostrich, while blushing right up to her ears. Cute.

For the next fifteen minutes or so, we played a strange game. She refused to answer any of my calls with anything more than 'Hmph'. The craziest part of it was that for the whole duration I kept stroking her head. And all of my attempts to stop and take my hand off were met with her catching my hand and placing it back.

It all ended when I finally remembered that there was absolutely no reason for me to actually try to coax her.

“Claire,” I called out. “You know, the fact you seem to have given me a ‘Good Guy’ card already, really grinds on my nerves.”

I put my free hand unto the small of her back. One quick fluid motion later, and our position was reversed. Now I was looming over the still hugging me young woman, whose eyes looked at me like a deer into headlights right now.

“I warned you a few times already, especially with the story of my mess of a love life,” I continued. “I am not a good person by any kind of measure, but you seem to ignore it. Ah, ah, ah. That won’t do.”

From the small of her back, my hand found its way under her hoodie and now slowly creeped upward, exposing more and more of her skin with every passing moment. I looked into her eyes, watching how the realization and dread slowly filled her gaze. And a faint hint of something else, not quite as easy to read.

“I am not gay, nor am I blind or dead,” I whispered it right into her ear, eliciting a shiver out of her. “I find it perfectly fine to play within the boundaries you set, but don’t expect me not to push them once in a while if there is an opportunity. Just because I choose not to, doesn’t mean I can’t.”

The hoodie was pulled almost up to her chest, fully exposing her flat stomach and the slim waist. I wasn’t about to pull it any further, though. I was here with a lesson to teach and a point to make, not to force myself upon her.

As such, I brought my hand to her face, cupping her chin and tracing her lovely lips with my thumb. All the while, she kept her eyes firmly locked upon mine, staring unblinkingly, like a mouse at the hungry snake before it.

“Whatever should I do with you? Oh, right, I know just the thing…” I left the words to linger for a while. “What would you like for breakfast? I must say my fridge is pretty empty, so choices aren’t that abundant. Eggs, milk, cereal, bread, cheese. Take your pick.”

Ah, the look on her face was absolutely priceless.

***

I left Claire alone, giving her some much-needed space to calm down, and now was in the middle of cooking an omelet with cheese for myself. With plenty of spices, of course. Two pieces of bread were in the toaster as a side. And a kettle of water was in the middle of being heated up for my favorite beverage as of late. Green tea. Fuck. I really need to buy some proper coffee.

“Tian,” I heard the voice from behind. And ignored it, who the heck was Tian anyway, and why was someone looking for him in my kitchen? But the voice repeated itself. “Tian.”

Ah, right, my brain finally caught up. Wasn’t that the name I introduced myself to her? Should I correct it? Maybe later.

“Yes?” I voiced at last.

“Mind if I use your shower?” I heard something unexpected. Once again. Was my first life so one-sided that things kept surprising me this time around?

“Are you sure about that?” I decided to tease her a bit more. “Have you already forgotten my lesson?”

“I… don’t think I will forget it soon,” Claire said in a strange tone. “I, um, just decided to trust in your decision to respect my boundaries enough.”

I turned my head to look at her for a moment. She looked really hot and bothered right now, and not in an angry kind of way. Huh, did I randomly manage to push just the right buttons with her? I did act like one of these CEO novel male leads there, didn’t I? How did I know? My last fuck buddy read them on the regular.

“Hm. Sure.” I turned my attention back to the pan. Just in time, as well, since the omelet almost got burned. “Do you want a change of clothes? I doubt there are pants that would fit you lengthwise, but some of my old t-shirts should be just the right size.”

“No, thanks. I, um, think I would rather not,” she declined.

“Up to you,” I concluded.

I finished my breakfast preparations, while listening to the sound of running water from the bathroom. Hm, have I put the towel back yesterday? No idea. I didn’t want to disturb her right now, and if it wasn’t there, she would just call out anyway. With this thought, I turned my attention back to the food.

Just as my behind touched the chair, I heard the doorbell ringing. Huh, who might it be?