The Lift

12

Yes, he was going to kiss her. Tonight. He'd decided. Screw consequences. They would figure it out.

Just as he decided to go with his gut, Preston turned to him and asked if he'd seen some video. He didn't even register the title and simply shook his head. David was frozen and didn't dare say anything because the words that would come out of his mouth would only be about wanting to kiss her. Preston smiled big and played the video, either not noticing or not caring that David was now shoulder to shoulder with her.

Internally, alarm bells were going off in her head. David was very close, and she had eventually noticed him moving closer, even though she was pretty sure he didn't even realize he was doing it. She had a fleeting feeling that something was about to happen right as she asked him about the video. What was going on with him tonight?

Her asking the question about the video brought David back to earth. No, kissing her now would be impulsive. And when it came to Preston, he didn't want to be impulsive. Everything about her was deliberate, and he wanted to be that way too.

It was late at night. They both danced around the prospect of something else, which they both also denied to anyone else. For now they preferred the safety of friendship. Friends are great, she thought. Friends can still come back from lying about knowing someone. She wouldn't let anything "romantic" happen until they were on the same page with regard to the start of everything.

They watched a few more videos, all of Preston's choosing, while also talking through them. Neither of them seemed to be getting tired, or at least they wouldn't admit it. Suddenly, though, Preston noticed the time on her watch and put her head back.

"It's almost 3, David. I need to go," and she moved to get up.

"Preston, no. It's too late to drive," and he lightly grabbed her arm.

"I'm awake enough," she tried to argue, but suddenly she couldn't keep in a huge yawn. "Damn it. You jinxed it."

"Just stay over," David practically pleaded. "There's plenty of space."

Preston took off her glasses, rubbed her eyes, and sighed. "I basically have no choice, huh?"

David jumped up, "Nope! C'mon, let's go to my room. My bed's the best." He cursed himself silently and hoped she wasn't put off by his invitation to go to his bed.

Preston ignored David inviting her to bed; he was just tired and misspoke, she thought. His bed was insanely comfortable though, and that would be hard to pass up.

Preston took David's outstretched hand and he guided her partway down the hall to his room. David's hand felt like it was on fire; it was like he was holding hands for the first time all over again. He had to let go or else he'd do something he couldn't take back.

He dramatically opened the door and sat down on the bed, gesturing for Preston to join him. They had hung out on his bed before, though it was never 3 AM, and it usually included a few other people.

Preston was wired now. She didn't really think they would share the bed, but would it really be that big of a deal? She'd slept next to lots of friends in tents and hotel rooms over the years. Her brain was thinking about backing away, but Preston sat down anyway, seemingly not in control of her own body.

"There's one more video I want to show you," David said while getting comfortable.

Preston moved to sit with her back against the headboard. "Let's get it over with," she said sarcastically.

But of course one video turned into two, turned into even more. Eventually YouTube was on autoplay and David and Preston were talking and laughing again. The conversation jumped around until things quieted.

"You're a good friend, David," Preston said, feeling like she owed him a bit of vulnerability in return. She'd grabbed the fleece blanket from the end of the bed and was now lying on her side, her head propped up on a pillow.

"Why did you say it like a confession?" David joked. "Did you really think I was that bad?" He was still sitting up, with his back against the headboard, and looked down at her.

"No, not really. I just didn't know what to expect," Preston admitted. Her voice was getting quieter and her speech slurred from being tired. "I'm glad Blake bailed on me that day."

David was also fading fast, but he was awake enough to realize he didn't know who Blake was, so he asked, "Who's Blake?"

"My ex," Preston yawned. She was now talking with her eyes closed. "He found out about me getting the GoPro project and got in touch; he was apparently excited to see me. It just wasn't meant to be I guess. I got stuck with you and all your friends instead." She was smiling as she said all this.

David almost stopped breathing but couldn't help smiling himself. He hadn't expected to learn more about her relationship with her former fiancé, well, ever.

"I'm glad Blake decided to be an asshat," David said, borrowing one of Preston's favorite insults.

Preston laughed quietly. "Yeah, he is." And then it seemed she was very asleep.

David slowly got up to turn off the TV and lights, thinking only about how great it was to spend time alone with Preston. He honestly hadn't intended to sleep in the same bed as Preston, but the sleepiness got the best of him. So David got back in bed and fell asleep right when his head hit the pillow.