.....
James was already in the laundry room in front of his dryer, clad only in a comfortable jogging pants, when Nadine found him.
'Hey.'
'Hey,' He turns to her. 'I'm just drying your clothes.'
'Thanks.' She says. 'Uh, saan ko lagay to?' She asks pertaining to his towel she used to dry her hair.
'Let me.' He takes it from her and hangs it by the window.
He turns back and it's just then that he realized she's wearing his clothes that he prepared for her.
His t-shirt is too big for her but it stops just right below her round bum which shows a bit of her undies as she bends over the dryer, and it's hot because he knows there's nothing else beneath it.
Just her in his shirt.
He likes it.
I should make her wear my clothes more.
He thought.
He walks over to her quietly as he felt the need to be close to her. He stands beside her. He watches her as she watches her clothes spin inside the machine.
'Are you gonna do that for the next twenty minutes?' He teases her.
'Why? Are you gonna stop staring at me if I do?'
His ears turn red.
He didn't know she noticed. Was he staring too long?
'I-I was staring at-at the dryer.' He's not sure why he denies it. He's usually not shy if he likes a girl.
But, he doesn't like her. He reminds himself. He doesn't like her that way. He shouldn't like her too much.
'Sure you are.' She teases him with a knowing look.
He shrugs off her comment as he walks out of the room.
He comes back with a bottle of beer in his hand and glass of water on the other.
He hands her the glass.
She raises an eyebrow at him.
'So Im not allowed to drink your beer? You cant even spare a bottle for your guest? Are you that selfish?' She says sharply.
'But-but...I didnt...' He stutters and he immediately runs to get her a bottle. With that tone of hers, anyone will do what she wants.
'Here.' He hands her a bottle when he got back.
'Yay!' She beams.
He joins her on the floor where she sits in front of the machine.
'I didn't think you were a beer drinker.' He states. 'Most girls go for cocktails or shooters or whatever.'
'Im actually a wine girl. But, I love an ice cold beer once in a while.' She says before she takes a swig straight from the bottle.
Once again, James finds himself amused with the girl beside him, and he can't stop himself from looking at her again.
She has her face bare from make up, just fresh out of the shower. Her eyes are not looking at him but he can see them glimmering clearly. Her lips are small, but he likes the way they hug the mouth of the bottle when she drinks. He knows it's not meant to be sexy, but it is.
'You're really pretty, do you know that?'
'So tinititigan mo nga ako...' she teases him again.
'Hey, Im just trying to give you a compliment.'
She looks at him funny. 'I'm already sleeping with you, you dont have to flatter me, James.'
'I know.' He says. 'But, that's it...you're sleeping with me..I mean, why are you single? You could get any guy you want...And I bet you get asked on dates all the time.'
'Honestly,' she starts, a little bit shy. 'I don't get asked on dates a lot.'
His eyes widen. 'What?? What is wrong with the guys around you??'
She laughs at his reaction before she speaks seriously. 'I dont think it's them though, I think it's me. They say I'm intimidating...or Im too picky.'
'Well, they're insecure fuckers. And that's not your fault.' He says. 'Besides, you have all the rights to be picky. You're sexy, smart...successful. So be picky all you want.'
Those words escape his mouth so casually, but Nadine appreciates every bit of it. They never really talked like this. Nothing so personal. She never thought he could be sensitive. She's never seen this side of him before.
'But, I should probably be thanking them, right? You wouldn't be sleeping with me if they actually asked you out.' He laughs as he brings his bottle up and clinks it to hers.
She sighs. There goes his sensitive side.
'What about you? Why are you single?' She asks.
'That's easy. Cuz I like being single.'
'Really?'
'Yeah. I have all the fun I want when I want it. No one to hold me back.' He takes a swig from his bottle. 'Women will come and go anyway.'
'It's maybe cause you ask them to go...' she says. 'You never know if they'll stay.'
'No...I never ask them to stay in the first place. That way, they know and they wouldnt get their hearts broken.'
'...And you wouldnt too.'
He shrugs. 'Hmm...yeah. I mean, who wants to get their hearts broken, right? It's better this way.'
'So, you had your heart broken before?'
'Of course...Everyone's hearts have been broken once in their life.' He says seriously, and she sees the loneliness in his eyes again. The same one she saw the first time she went to him.
She remains quiet as she watches him down the remaining contents of his bottle.
She wants to say something or do something to comfort him, but he stood up.
'Im gonna get another, you want some?'
She nods.
She lets out a breath when James left. She felt like she needed to release it. It's maybe 'cause she felt how heavy James' burden might have been. She doesn't like him feeling that way. She wants to make him feel better.
He comes back with two bottles, and sits with her again.
'You know...not all women come and go, James...' She quietly says after a while.
'Yeah?' He says, urging her to go on.
'Mm hmm...' she continues. '...If you make them your friends.'
'What are you saying?'
'Im saying that...friends dont leave each other. And if you want, I can be your friend.'
'But friends don't sleep with each other. Aren't we breaking some rule or something?'
'Hmm, you're right.' She says. 'But, we never made rules, James.'
It makes him smile.
It's true. They never really got to talk about any ground rules. They just went on with their thing with mutual understanding.
'Alright.' He says. 'Kinda wanna know what it's like to be friends with girls anyway.'
'But you dont sleep with girl friends, okay??' She immediately reminds him. 'I'm just an exception.'
It makes him chuckle. She laughs too before he adds in, 'Yeah, you are an exception.'
They spend the rest of the night talking in his laundry room, with two bottles of beer accompanying them. Both of them engrossed by their new found appreciation of each other.
Neither one of them cared that the dryer stopped turning, and her clothes have been long dry.
...
Sorry mejo nalate. I left my Wattpad phone hahahaha!
Hope it's worth the wait. :)