Billy was asleep when I awoke. More surprisingly was how a twenty-five-year-old, 6'4" man appeared so young as he slept. A tiny part in his lips let out his silent breath. He was too tall for the couch, but his stubbornness was endearing. 

I tried to be quiet as I made tea by not letting the kettle rise to a whistle to avoid disturbing him. As I escaped back to my room, I saw his notebook. I refused to let myself read the words. I couldn't invade his privacy in that way, but my eyes still settled on the tattered pad and capless pen before I pulled them away and escaped back to my room.

It was crazy even to consider his offer. Still, I texted the subletters to see if they knew someone that may want a room. I convinced myself I was keeping my options open. As I hit send, Larissa texted me her address and a request to meet the rock star. Could I share him? Was it possible to overcome the impulse to keep him for only me?

I slowly got ready, knowing that Billy would probably be asleep for hours. Through many mistakes, I learned to put on my shirt after I finished my makeup. With limited coordination and even fewer makeup skills, the likeliness of spilling pretty much everything was high. Many shirts lost their cleanliness in the process before I learned to reorder my morning routine. This was how Billy found me.

"Oh, sorry; I didn't realize you..." He covered his eyes with one hand while awkwardly waving the other.

"Have you never seen boobs before?" I laughed.

"Of course I have." Groggy annoyance filled his voice.

"Is it bras that offend your eyes?"

He was adorable when unsettled. "You make it very difficult to be a gentleman." He shot back as he left the room, plopping on the couch.

I pulled on my shirt and headed to make amends with a pot of coffee.

"Sorry," I murmured as I passed. "I'll make you coffee."

"What about you?" Absent strumming on his guitar accompanied his words.

"I had tea."

"Do you prefer tea to coffee?" The focus filled his voice again despite the strumming.

"I do, but I don't dislike coffee. I only drink herbal teas, though; black and green teas give me a headache." He didn't say it, but I sensed he noted the preference in his head. "Did I wake you?"

"No," it was a curt answer.

"Did the couch to body ratio wake you?" I knew I shouldn't tease before coffee.

"You're determined to rile me this morning." It wasn't a question as much as an observation. "You may change your mind if I lose my temper."

"Do you?" I prodded. "Do you lose your temper?"

"Doesn't everyone?" He set his guitar aside. The conversation had become interesting enough to carry his full attention.

"I suppose, but it's not always a bad thing."

"It is when I lose my temper." A thickness filled his voice.

"Is that a warning? Should I be scared?" I had to poke. The idea of Billy even hurting a fly seemed ridiculous.

"No, you shouldn't, but it's not always pretty." While I didn't sense he lost interest, he reached for his guitar. I suspected this was a safety blanket.

The coffee maker finally finished gurgling, and I poured a cup for him, setting it on the table before letting myself sink to the couch.

"May I ask a favor since I'm diligently considering your request?"

"Diligently considering?" A throaty laugh rolled from Billy's chest.

"I am; I put a feeler out for a subletter."

He leaned in closer with a gleam in his eyes at this new information, "I'm listening."

"Can you reduce the gentlemanliness a touch and sleep in my queen-sized bed? I'm developing anxiety about destroying your poor back."

"I'll diligently consider your request." He gave me a slight nod as he sipped his coffee.

"I deserve that, I suppose. How many cups of coffee before you're human?" My eyes lingered on his notebook again.

"You don't consider me human?"

I raised my eyebrows at his response.

"I'm told three usually does the trick," he sheepishly added.

"You wrote last night." I acknowledged.

"Mmhmm. It was quiet; I'm not great at quiet. My mind swirls."

"What swirled it last night?" I didn't mean to prod; it just popped out.

"Mostly you." He sipped his coffee as our eyes met again. He had the same gaze that melted me prior.

"Stop doing that or stop being a gentleman. I don't care which at this point."

"Stop doing what?" But he knew what he was doing.

"Just drink your coffee. I have a big day planned."

"Do you? What's on the docket?" He downed the rest of his cup and pulled himself up to pour a second.

"A lot of togetherness." I followed him to the kitchen.

"Togetherness?" He leaned against the counter as he waited for his next cup to cool. "Why do I sense you're up to something?"

"Me?" I feigned innocence.

"You," he asserted as I moved closer.

"I missed you," I reminded him. "And enjoy you being near. I enjoy you."

"You enjoy me." A tease settled on his lips as he let his hands fall to my hips.

"Mmhmm, I remember enjoying other things about you." I raised to my toes.

"Togetherness," he murmured as his eyes fell to my lips.

"I have a friend that's throwing a party tonight." His eyes stayed on my lips as I spoke. "We could go."

"Whatever you want," he distractedly mumbled. 

"But I'm worried." I let my bottom lip pout out a bit.

His eyes reluctantly flickered up to mine. "What are you worried about?"

"Well, I thought we had something here. At least the start of something."

Billy slowly shook his head back and forth. "You don't play fair."

"You're the one smoldering?"

"Lil, I do many things, but this homely face doesn't smolder." He had broken my spell and now had a cheeky smile on his face.

"Ugh," I pushed off him and turned away, annoyed.

"Hey," his hands grabbed me and pulled me back to him.

My back crashed into his chest. He leaned his face into my neck as his hair tickled me. I squirmed at the sensations, allowing him to spin me back to face him. His lips crashed to mine, but it wasn't the tender moment I expected. He pulled me in tighter; my body formed to his as my senses pulsed inside me. He aimed his focus directly at me. It was boiling and consuming. My mind tried to whirl to what I was doing, but I could only fixate on more, a consistent chant of more. But he pulled away quickly.

"We good here?" His hands fell from me.

"We're certainly something." I clung to the counter for support.

"So, what are the plans for today?" He took a large gulp of coffee.

"We stay in." They had been my honest plans, but it sounded like a ploy after the recent turn of events.

"Just stay in? Those are your big plans?" Mocking clouded his tone.

"Hear me out; you've been traveling a lot. We stay in and watch movies." I looked him straight in the eyes to impose this had been my plan.

He softened at my determination, letting a hand fall back to my hip. "That sounds amazing. What movie is up first?"

I let my hands settle on his chest. "Well, it's barely noon, so Duck Soup."

"Shouldn't we start with The Music Box?" He recalled. His face neared mine as his breath flowed over my forehead.

"You pay attention, don't you?"

"To things that matter," he concurred. 

His lips pressed into my forehead, but I shook him off. He looked down at me, off-put by my movement. I took a moment to push up and meet his lips again. His lips curled into a smile beneath mine before he gave in to me. He lifted me to the counter and leaned against me. My hands moved through his hair as I clung to him. My mind went blank as I focused on the sensation of my lips and tongue. But I had no control; he drove us both. I held on for dear life as though I was on a ride at an amusement park. His kiss had knocked my strength from me, and instead, I was a floating mass of Jello.

He parted from me but still held his arms tight around me. "I'm sorry. What were we talking about?" His words sounded thin like he had gotten distracted by a snip of news or commercial, not by a life-altering, heart-pounding kiss.

My forehead dropped to his chest, both trying to hide how embarrassingly consuming he was and catch my breath.

"Don't be a gentleman," I begged.

He laughed, a throaty, knowing laugh. He had me. It swelled in his chest and burst from his lips, low and rough. "Noted."

He took a tentative step away, prepared to catch me if I couldn't hold myself together. It shocked me when I didn't wither straight to the floor.

"You pick a movie while I shower." 

My eyes trailed after him, wishing his lips were still on mine.

I drank the second half of his coffee as I listened to the shower. Billy didn't sing in the shower as I imagined. However, he seemed clumsy, as I frequently heard things crash to the floor. The water cut off, prompting me to move to the couch. It was one thing for him to know how off-kilter his kiss sent me; it was quite another to let him know how long it lingered on my lips.

"Hey," he smiled as he plopped down next to me. He leaned in and gave me a quick kiss that still sent butterflies fluttering through my stomach.

"So, we're at the casual kiss stage."

He didn't stop drying his hair; he just let out a simple "mmhmm" from his tight lips.

"Do you comb your hair?" I asked out of genuine curiosity.

"Do fingers count?" He mocked. I stuck my tongue out at him, and he added, "it looks like this mass of fluffy wires unless I put a lot of crap in it, and I try to travel light."

"What do you do in the shower?" I asked.

Confusion clouded his face. 

"Wait, I didn't mean..." I shook my head, not quite ready to talk masturbation with the man that just made my toes curl. "I imagined you as a shower singer, but all I heard was that you're clumsy."

He let out a snort before sheepishly adding, "I juggle." His eyes flicker to mine as he put an arm around my shoulders. "Poorly, it seems." A smile broke across my face as I nestled into his side. "What about you; are you a singer?"

"No, I think a lot. It's where I get my best ideas."

"Really, what great idea formed today?"

"Oh, I can't share that; you may steal it from me and use it to become rich and famous."

"I would never," he feigned indignation. "For one, I'd look ridiculous with a handlebar mustache."

"Yeah, and the upkeep; you like to travel light," I added for good measure.

"And I'm terrible with knots."

"Knots?" I missed the correlation.

"Yeah, inevitably, I'd end up having to tie you to railroad tracks, and you seem squirmy. I doubt you would sit still while I tried to figure out the knot."

"I'm very squirmy. It's one of my best features; that and how easily I'm kidnapped. Luckily I'm close with a sailor that has an affinity for spinach."

"What? I have competition? And a sailor?" Billy let out a sigh. "How can I compete with that?"

"Lucky for you, he shoves off for months at a time." I let my head drop to his shoulder as I hit play on The Music Box.

"So, you collect us lonely transients?" He kissed the top of my head.

"It was that or Coca-Cola cans. Transients are less sticky." 

Billy raised an eyebrow at me. 

"Ew." I slapped his chest at the insinuation.