Spending the first night (1/1)

“The snow is so pretty.” she said, awed as she watched the fat snowflakes decorate her windows in a bath of white. The city was thin and sparse, only the people who needed to be out were out, and while many shops were closed early, others had their workers shovel their parts of the sidewalk. But the street was drowning in snow, and for once cars were forced to slow down as the white sparkles continued to swallow their windshields. “Pretty inconvenient.” Vernon sighed from the couch, checking his phone. “But beautiful, I guess.” The rest of their movie was forgotten, her television rolling the end credits. The backtrack was a solemn ballad, incredibly fitting for his sake. She jutted her lip out, before stepping away from the window pane and curling up next to him, slipping her body under their blanket. “I really don’t want you to go. I know I shouldn’t be getting in the way of work or anything, but it’s really dangerous to be driving outside.” “No one’s going out tonight.” he assured, turning off his phone. “The radio station crew is leaving now, they’re just going to loop playlists for the night.” “That’s good.” she nodded, her muscles relaxing in the crook of his shoulder. “Then you’ll be okay spending the night here?”“Of course.” he grinned, patting the cushion of her L-shaped furniture. “Your couch is very comfy.” She made a face, “Why would you be staying on the couch? Of course you’ll be sleeping in my bed!” Vernon suddenly flushed, his whole body going stiff. She shifted uncomfortably, sitting up to get a better look at him. “Your bed?” he asked, in a more vulnerable voice. “With you?” She frowned. “We’ve been together for awhile. If you don’t feel comfortable I suppose—”“No no, it’s fine.” he waved his hands a little too quickly in front of him, and suddenly got up. “Perfectly fine.” “Vernon.” she sighed, “Please don’t make this awkward.”“Awkward? Why would I make it awkward.” he snorted, and started busying his hands by folding the ivory afgan he was using as a blanket. “Exactly.” she stretched her legs on the couch, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. “We’ve fallen asleep together watching tv, it’s the same thing. Only we’d actually be sleeping.” “I’ve never slept in bed with a girl.” she raised her eyebrows amusedly at this, and he started to panic. “And I mean, eight hours is a long time.” “Trust me, you won’t even remember it.” she rolled her eyes, getting up herself. “C’mon, I’m tired.” He gave himself a few minutes after she disappeared into the bedroom, wiping his perspiring palms over his slacks. The door was open a crack, letting in light from her built-in bathroom. The gesture was incredibly inviting. C’mon, really Hansol, it’s just one night. And it’s with your girlfriend, of all people. Couples dating this long would be sleeping together all the time—Stopping himself there, he shook his head, trying to shake the thought from his mind. No, not yet. At the very least, he could change in the living room. He quickly took off his jeans, finding a half-decent pair of sweatpants in his backpack to put on before kicking the rest of his things under the coffee table. Taking a deep breath, he slipped through her bedroom door, finding her brushing her teeth in the bathroom. He stepped in, taking in the pale blue tiles and simple black and white towels. Mouth full of foam, she offered him a brand new toothbrush already wet with toothpaste. It was a pretty lime color, which matched almost too well with her neon orange one. He wondered if it would end up being his toothbrush whenever he stayed over. It was almost picturesque, the way they were lined up next to each other like dominos, staring at each other in the mirror as they brushed their teeth together. It was strangely comforting, both of their mouths full of foam, and the sound of soft fibers slipping back and forth. A little part of him wouldn’t mind if they did this together every morning and evening. His girlfriend smiled at him through the mirror, her eyes curling into pretty crescents as if she could read his mind. She left first, and he watched her pad back into the bedroom, wearing only a large violet t-shirt that barely grazed the tops of her thighs. He almost choked on his saliva, gagging as he pretended like he meant to spit out everything like that. By the time he recovered, she was already on her bed, moving pillows around and her legs covered by the fluffy navy duvet. It was a good thing it was so dark, otherwise she would’ve seen how positively flushed he was. It was almost sinful, how enticing it was to simply sleep, but at the same time it made him wholly self-conscious. What if he drooled on her pillow, or talked in his sleep, or snored? He vaguely remembered never doing any of those things ever, but worst case scenario it could happen. He wordlessly followed suit on the side facing the window, and aligned himself like a sardine on the mattress. He didn’t even put the blanket over him. “Vernon.” “Yeah?”“We’re a couple, not parallel lines.” “Right.” and he tried his best to drape the quilt over each other without rustling the mattress too much. It was so quiet, he could’ve sworn he could hear the snow land. His leg brushed against her bare thigh, and he froze in horror. “Sorry.” She let out an exasperated sigh, before moving forward herself and pushing him down, promptly placing her body next to his. “Would you relax?” “Sorry, I’m sorry.” he spluttered, this was so embarrassing. “Stop saying sorry.”“Okay.” he paused. “Sorry.” Shaking her head, she adjusted herself so they were face to face, and her free hand reached to paint a line between his brows, unraveling the tenseness. Her hand then tangled in his hair, gently running through his honey colored locks. His embarrassment immediately cooled at the favor of her touch, and he mumbled intelligibly at the contact. How could she make things so simple, so easy?The motion was immediately soothing, and he leaned over to press their foreheads together.  This, this is what made it all worth it. “Good night.” she whispered softly. “Sweet dreams.” The following morning, they were a tangled mess. The sheets were half-on, half-off each other, their legs weaved together in multiple directions, and clutched together like superglue. Vernon’s girlfriend had the advantage of her small stature, as she pressed herself against his chest to block the incoming sun that was bleeding through the room. The fact that it was full of snow outside only amplified the bright light, and he had to force himself to get up and pull the curtains together. It was all a blur after that, he just remembered folding himself back into the warm sheets, burying his face in the strawberry scent of her hair. Vernon woke up hours later, to her placing feather-soft, lazy kisses across the hollow of his neck, his jaw, his cheeks, his lips. Blearily opening his eyes, he was welcomed by the face of his beautiful sleeping partner, who continued her wake-up call by curling her arm around his waist. In response, he slipped his arm through hers, feeling the bare skin of her back beneath her shirt. “Good morning.” she murmured, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder.“Mornin’.” he replied, his voice thick with sleep. They stayed in bed the rest of the morning, and he silently hoped for snow days like last night, for mornings like this.