The late afternoon sunlight poured into the flat as if it were a messenger from heaven. I breathed in deeply and opened my eyes, staring at the white ceilin’ above me. I let my hands rest above my head. I smiled to myself as I looked at every flaw in the drywall and every crack in the ceilin’. I wasn’t an accessory here anymore. I belonged. The birds and the occasional car horn could be heard outside. If this was what serenity felt like, I never wanted it to end. I felt flushed and a little dehydrated. I turned my head toward the clock on the opposite side of Roger: 1:34 PM. “Oh my god…” I said under my breath as I took in the sight before me.  Roger looked so peaceful as he laid there sound asleep. His hair was everywhere and he was still in the exact position he had been in after we had sex the second time. Oh god the second time…as if the first time hadn’t been intense enough…the second time really did us in. Obviously, I’d never slept with him twice in one night…but I’d sure as hell do it again….every night if I could.

 I absolutely had to capture this moment. I was torn between my desire to lie there beside him and my desire to find a pen and sketch him. I turned the other way to glance over the floor to see if there was anythin’ lying there for me to put on. One of Roger’s t-shirts was in a wad near the curtain. I reached out to grab the edge of it. This would work for now. Oh, how it smelled exactly like him. I was so desperately aroused this afternoon that inhaling the scent as I pulled it over my head was enough to make me tremble. It hung on me in a wrinkled mess and I loved it. I very quietly got out of bed, hoping I wouldn’t dare disturb or wake Roger. Shit…I was weaker than I had thought as I stumbled slightly. The cooler air of his flat hit my bare legs making me wish I were back underneath the covers. My legs shook a little as I looked around. There was a pen near his telephone. I took his telephone directory off the floor near his kitchen table and ripped the back of it off.

 Though it was a less than proper position for me to be sitting in considering I had no pants; I had returned to the side of the bed and sat on the floor with my legs crossed. It wasn’t like Roger would care if he had seen me. I sighed. It seemed as if I were in love. Or maybe that was my out of control hormones. I watched him as I clicked my pen and began my sketch. “That’s your boyfriend right there.” My mind kept sayin’ to myself. I nearly giggled out loud at the thought, which was very much not like me.

  I ignored my inner conscious and it’s incessant babblin’ and worked on my sketch. I tilted my head a bit sideways and motioned my right hand in front of me. I mentally changed his position and altered my sketch accordingly. I worked feverishly with my pen just knowin’ that any minute he would wake from his sweet slumber. The passin' cars outside were such a comforting sound this mornin’…I mean… afternoon. I stopped for a moment and pushed my hair behind my ear as it kept fallin’ forward. I heard him take a deep breath and move slightly. Shit, I was right. I needed to work faster, I had only completed about half at this point. It was a good thing that I was fast when I sketched. He breathed again deeply and opened his eyes this time. Roger had his face toward me. I had been caught. He smiled…it was brighter than the sun itself.

 “What are you doin’ over there.” He asked, still smilin’ at me. I smiled back at him.

 “Nothin’…just…you looked so perfect and peaceful…I sketched ya’ real fast.”

 “Let me see.” He reached out a hand toward me. I laughed a little and handed it to him.

 “Sorry…I took the back of your phone directory.” He grinned even bigger.

  “This…this is really…I mean it looks just like me. You’re talented Lydia.” He handed my sketch back to me. Though it wasn’t complete, I scribbled “RMT” in the corner and 9/24 on the bottom. I sat it aside for safekeeping. He was still smilin’ at me. “You’re wearin’ my shirt.” He said. I laughed…god I was so damn giddy this afternoon.

 "Yeah…”

 “I could get used to that. Come ‘ere.” He reached both arms out to me and I slid into bed once again and into the comfort of his arms. Roger kissed me. He was so warm as I held onto him. “Here…here…I got an idea.” He reached around his neck, searchin’ under his hair and unfastened his necklace. He reached over to me, putting it around my neck and pulling my hair out from underneath it. He took his other necklace off and did the same. “There…oh wow…look at you.” He whispered. I laughed again.

 “Did you sleep well?” I moved his hair away from his face.

 “I’ve never slept that well. And I can’t believe I’m wakin’ up with you in my bed…in my clothes. “ Roger said. I pulled him a little closer to me, kissing him softly.

 “I could do this every day. You spoil me.” I told him, laughin’ again.

 “Oooh Lydia.” His voice was a bit breathless as he kissed me again. “We don’t need a condom this time.” Roger wrapped his arms around me and I clung to him, pulling his body over mine under the covers. It made my heart leap into my throat with excitement and in my mind I was thinkin’ ‘god no…no…no we don’t. We don’t need one. I won’t lie…I wanted to feel him so badly.’ And unfortunately, my logic kicked in at about that time.

 “We kind of do. But...I have an idea. Give me a few days. I need to get into my doctor and he’ll give me a prescription for the pill.” I explained. Roger had a strange look on his face. “Birth control.” I clarified for him.

 “Oh, oh…ooooh.” He answered me, intrigued by my response. “Oh, Lyd...that’s gonna’…yeah let’s go with that.” he didn’t have to finish that sentence.

 “I know…Rog.” I noticed his eyes were bloodshot as I smiled at him.

 “Hey, what do you want to eat?” Roger asked me, pushin’ himself up on his elbows. “We can have somethin’ delivered.”

 “Sweetheart…it’s 2:27 in the afternoon. I’ve got to my flat soon.” I said. That only made Roger’s eyes plead with me.

 “Why you gotta’ do that? Why you gotta’ go to your flat? No you don’t. Stay here. We gotta’ talk about the trip up north!” This was his selling point. I laughed.

 “I got no clothes, no toothbrush, I have a test in art history Monday for which I’ve studied nothin’, and I haven’t organized my art portfolio for the first check.” I explained. “ I need to do laundry.”

 “I got an idea. Watch this.” Roger slid across the bed to the shelves and drawers on the opposite side. He opened a drawer and began throwing everything inside out to the floor. “There! See that? That’s your drawer. You go to your flat and get some clothes and whatever else it is ya’ need. Laundry can wait. Come back here and we’ll have lunch and tea. You can study and whatever. I won’t bother ya’. Hell, I gotta’ find my drumkit anyway. Roger’s eyes were sparklin’ at me with such a hopeful gleam.

 When I’m in a relationship with a man, I liked to be in the drivers’ seat. Maybe it was a defense from havin’ your heart broken one too many times. But right then, I decided…I wasn’t gonna let past relationships dictate how my relationship with Roger would go. I smiled all over. “Alright…alright. You…you’re really persuasive.”

 “Ah, Lyd. I’m so happy you’re gonna’ come back and stay with me.” His smile made my heart soften. “Hey, on ya’ way back stop and get a carton of cigarettes. Let me get some pants and I’ll get ya’ some money.” He said.

 “S’Alright. I got money.” I said rolling out of bed to put my own pants on. I didn’t offer to change out of his shirt.

 “No, Lyd. I’m not lettin’ ya’ pay for that.” Roger insisted. Now that he had pulled a pair of pants from another drawer near him, he walked over to the couch and took his wallet off the table beside it. I had just buttoned my jeans and was ready to head to my flat. I walked over to him. “Here.  And here’s your cab fare.” I looked down at the bills he gave me.

 “Alright. But I’m pickin’ up a bottle of Southern Comfort…that’s on me.” I put my arm around him and kissed much more inappropriately than 2:40 in the afternoon typically allowed. “Give me like…twenty or thirty minutes and I’ll be back.”

 “That’s perfect ‘cause I’ll order us some lunch and that’s about how long it will take.” He kissed me again. “You be wearin’ my clothes when you come back.” He told me.

 “Oh, I will.” I kissed Roger one more time before slippin’ my shoes on. I had left my sweater in the floor near the couch where it came off last night.

 “I’ll walk downstairs with ya’. He scooped his shirt off the floor that he had worn the night before. He didn’t bother to button it. The independent part of me could have said, ‘no you don’t have to’. However, I decided against it. I’d let him take care of me.  I grabbed my bag and Roger headed out the door with me. He didn’t lock it behind him. We were the only ones in the hallway as we headed down the creaking steps. Honestly, we both looked as if we had been run over a couple times with a bus to the rest of the world. But, as we walked hand in hand down those stairs, I’d never felt more beautiful. And he looked so calm...so...content.  As we approached the front door of his building, another couple of folks entered; givin’ us a nod. I squinted as the afternoon sunlight hit the sidewalk. I wished I had my sunglasses this afternoon. I couldn’t help but laugh. I spun around, grabbing Roger and kissing him. I didn’t care who saw or what they thought.  “It’s a beautiful day.” He said.

 “It is.” I said, my voice sounded lovesick.  I looked into the oncomin’ traffic and threw my hand in the air, noticing the cab in the distance. Roger still had ahold of my other hand.

 “What are you hailin’? There’s no cab in that traffic.” He said. I couldn’t hide my laughter.

 “You can’t see the cab comin’ down the street, can you?” I turned and looked at him. The face he gave me was completely priceless. The cab moved to the lane closest to us and began to slow down, seein’ my hand in the air. It slowed down, coming to a stop. Roger walked me over to the door, opening it for me. I slid inside, my feet still touching the curb.

 “Thirty minutes. No longer.” I promised him. Roger leaned in and kissed me one last time. I turned around in the seat to face the driver.

 “21st and Madison.” He told the driver and closed my door.  As the driver pulled away, I turned around in my seat. I watched Roger as we made out way down the street. He just stood there on the sidewalk. I knew he was watchin’ me too….well, watchin’ me for as far as he could see without the cab becomin’ blurry again. Once we rounded the corner, I turned around again to face the driver.

 I jammed the key into the lock of the door on my flat. The door swung open with a squeak. I stepped inside and leaned over against the wall, looking around. I didn’t turn any lights on. My flat was drastically different from Roger’s. With my free hand, I ran my thumb underneath Roger’s necklace. I still smelled like him. It felt like ages since I’d been here last. I looked around, taking in the silence. It was deafening. I can remember the first conversation I had with my friends here one night: ‘so, I met this guy…he’s in a band.’  As I stood there, smiling to myself I wondered what they would say when I told them ‘you know that guy I met? I’m datin’ him now.’ I wouldn’t find out today. I needed to get busy. I didn’t want to keep Roger waiting. I closed my door behind me and began gathering up some things for my newly acquired drawer. And as for our holiday up north? Well, I couldn’t wait to hear what he had to say. 

Thank you for reading! I am writing a spinoff that will include the addition of Brian, Freddie and John. I hope you will consider reading it!