Miriam woke up first. Wes' hand was strewn across her mid-section, pinning her to the mattress, while his head brushed against her shoulder, leaving her skin sticky with breath. She stroked his face and smiled when he woke up and kissed the crease of her elbow.
"Morning," he said, voice husky with sleep.
"Hi."
"I thought you would've snuck back into your own room," Wes admitted.
"What?" she snorted. "Like how we snuck out of Daniel's?"
"It was for the best," Wes said rather decisively. His tone was enough to send a tingle running down Miriam's spine.
"I agree," she said before turning to face him. "And, in the spirit of full disclosure, I did consider going back to my own bed," she said with a laugh. "But you were too cute to leave."
Wes leaned close and kissed the tip of Miriam's nose. "That's what I like to hear." His mouth migrated to her cheek then her neck before retracing its steps to her lips.
"Don't get used to this," Miriam murmured between kisses. "My bed's much comfier."
"Is it now?" Wes pulled her flush against his body.
"Oh, a hundred percent."
"Well, then I guess we'll just have to move in there."
"Maybe we will." Miriam reached for Wes' face and held him in place, eyes skimming up and down the features she'd committed to memory and adding the feel of his mouth pressed against hers to the vault right alongside her most treasured memories.
"There's no maybe about it." Wes kissed Miriam so softly it felt like a dream. One which was interrupted by a ringing phone. Miriam's ringing phone. She rolled away from Wes' warm embrace and groped along his bedside table until she found the vibrating device.
"Finally." Esther's face, smeared eyeliner and all, filled Miriam's phone screen. "I've been calling you all morning," she said.
"Sorry." Miriam angled the phone away from Wes. "I slept in."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Look, are you—"
Wes sneezed, earning him a wide-eyed glare from Miriam and a questioning frown from her sister.
"Are you alone?" Esther eventually asked, her face somehow taking up more of the screen as she either leaned in or brought it closer for inspection.
"Yes, obviously I'm—"
"Don't bullshit me Mer." Esther's left eye twitched. It reminded Miriam of their mother; of the way she seemed like she might explode if she didn't receive the truth the instant she asked for it. Sometimes she did, shouting for hours at a time in a fizzing ball of rage. Flashes of explosions past caused Miriam to cast Wes a helpless glance. A glance which saw him sigh and slide into frame.
"Hey Essie," he said almost as if he and Miriam woke up beside one another every morning.
Esther's face blanched, if only for a second, then it was full of unabashed glee. "Fucking finally," she cheered. "Darren! Come here, I've got—"
"Would you calm down," Miriam hissed just as Darren climbed into bed beside Esther.
"Look," Esther said, ignoring Miriam's pleas. "They're together."
"Finally," Darren grinned while handing Esther a mug. "Took you guys long enough."
Wes laughed and kissed Miriam's shoulder. "Thanks man."
"So, I guess we can count on you both coming down Friday night?" Esther said, emphasis on the both.
"What's happening Friday night?" Miriam asked.
Esther lifted her hand, glittering emerald and all, and waved it about for five seconds too long. "It's nothing fancy," she added. "Just family and a few friends. Although we did manage to book a private room at The Albion so you know the food will be good."
Miriam made a face to which Esther simply huffed. "I'm sorry Essie," she said, "but it's a glorified gastropub."
"Whatever," Esther scoffed with a deprecating roll of the eyes. "Just get there for eight."
"We wouldn't miss it."
Her sister ended the call, leaving Miriam to revel in the pleasure of referring to her and Wes as an us. Of course they'd been an us before, but friend us was so different to this us. The real question was what was this us? Would it be too presumptuous to call it a relationship? Was it a convenient situationship? Would it end the moment Wes found the love of his life, their friendship reigniting as this new phase dissipated?
Miriam shook herself and snuggled closer to Wes, clinging to his body like a poorly socialised chimpanzee. He laughed and stroked her arm. "What's going on in that beautiful mind of yours?" he murmured against her forehead.
"Nothing," Miriam laughed, the sound wavering into a question mark.
"I know you," Wes said. Usually such a sentiment would make Miriam wretch, but she couldn't help but grin up at him. "What's wrong?" he asked.
In the two years since Miriam started her side hustle, she'd learnt many things. Her cardinal rule: never be the one to ask for clarity. That is unless you also wanted to be the one to precipitate the end of the relationship before it even begun. But, this was Wes. Not some random guy who was easily spooked, but her glorified rock. Her everything. And anyway, if this did go wrong, if she precipitated the end, they'd still be friends. Of that, she was sure.
"What is this?" she blurted.
"This?" Wes lifted his hand from her bicep and gestured between them.
"Yeah," Miriam said, glancing at the ceiling, then the foot of the bed, then the door. Anything but him.
Wes shifted onto his side. Miriam felt his hands creep up her face, and relented when they gently forced her to look at him. "Do you really have to ask?" he murmured.
"I just want to make sure we're on the same page."
"Well, if that page is titled dating and the next one is relationship, then I'd say we are."
Miriam bit her lip in the hopes of concealing her smile, but then Wes grinned, and the operation fell to pieces. She wanted to kiss him; more importantly, she could. Could tear his boxer's off even. Could do anything she wanted. Which, funnily enough, was a power she always wished she yielded. Maybe not consciously, but what else were the twinges in her stomach when she saw him with other women?
Grabbing such power by the metaphorical balls, Miriam inched closer, tilting her chin, and brushed her mouth against his. Unfortunately, before they could move any further than a chaste peck, her phone rang for the second time that morning. With a groan, Miriam rolled over again and grabbed it, answering without bothering to check the caller ID.
"Thank god your safe," Abi said, words muddled with a gigantic sigh. "I've been so worried, you have no idea."
Miriam squeezed her eyes shut then sat up, swung her legs out of bed and stood. Wes reached for her, but she shook her head before scampering out of his room and heading straight for hers. Door closed, she sunk against it, collecting in a neat ball on the cream carpet. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "Wes and I thought it better if we left."
"You and Wes?" Abi's scepticism rang loud and clear.
"I'll explain later," Miriam said once she heard the tell-tell shuffle of another.
"Oh no, you'll explain now."
"But you're not alone," Miriam pointed out. "We can't speak properly."
Abi swore beneath her breath then said, "Hold on." What followed was the unmistakeable sound of doors opening and closing followed promptly by a rush of air. "I'm in the garden," she said.
"Okay." Miriam knew she should've just gotten it over and done with. It was Abi, after all. She wouldn't judge. But when Miriam opened her mouth, she simply choaked.
"What the fuck happened last night?" Abi asked in a rushed tone. "Because Ade's been stomping around all morning, and he won't talk to anyone, and you and Wes are gone so I can only assume that—"
"You can only assume what?" Miriam croaked.
"Well, that you implicated Wes." In the face of Miriam's silence, Abi swore. "You fucking did," she said. "Didn't you?"
"I-it was an accident. I didn't mean for it to happen. I didn't think Wes and I—"
"Thank god," Abi said. "You and Wes were like two pinning idiots."
"We weren't pining," Miriam frowned.
"If that wasn't pining, I don't know what is. All the icing one another out and jealousy? Is that not like the textbook definition of pining?"
Despite Abi having a point, Miriam ignored her and asked about the rest of the party.
"It was good," Abi said. "A little boring once Daniel was well and truly wasted, but if I'm anything, it's a good girlfriend."
"The best," Miriam smiled.
"Right. Anyway, he's still sleeping. I'm gonna make him breakfast in bed and then try and get him to go for a walk."
"Not everyone likes to exercise a hangover away," Miriam laughed.
"It's the only way," Abi insisted with such sincerity she became almost pious.
"Whatever you say. Anyway, good luck with Daniel and I'll see you when you're back."
Abi said goodbye and hung up, leaving Miriam to clamber, slowly, to her feet and hurry back to Wes' room. He was sitting upright when she slipped into bed. His arm snaked out and drew her against his solid chest, pressing her cheek against his abs. "Who was that?" he asked, hand creeping down her waist.
"Abi," Miriam said. "She was worried."
"Did you tell her what happened?"
"Not really." While not the truth, it wasn't technically a lie either.
"Okay." Wes' hand slipped under the waist band of her shorts. "Well, I had an idea."
"You did?" Miriam teasingly poked his abdomen.
He hummed and leaned down to kiss her cheek. "You know last night?" he said, Miriam nodded. "When I said were doing this all backwards." She nodded again. "Well, I want to do it right. So, would you do me the honour of making yourself scarce this afternoon?"
"Wow," Miriam cackled. "That's exactly what a girl wants to hear."
His grip tightened around her hip. "Please," he said, eyes widening ever so slightly around the edges.
"You don't have to puppy dog eye me." Miriam slapped his chest. "I'll go."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you." Kisses rained down upon her face. "You won't regret it."
Miriam placed a single kiss on Wes' mouth then shifted out of bed. "I better not," she said.
And even if she did, she had a caramel macchiato to claim.
***
On account of being a bloody hefty chapter, stay tuned for pt.2
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