A little banter

He landed on some sitcom reruns and let them play while he settled back. His mind wasn’t on the TV though, and he could still feel the faint warmth on his palm from where her leg had been earlier. The memory alone was enough to make him adjust the crotch of his pants.

A few minutes later, he heard her door open again.

Natalie came back into the living room barefoot. Her work clothes traded for loose gray shorts and a soft tee that looked well-worn. Her hair was down and faintly tousled. The difference was small, but something about it all hit him in a way he didn’t expect. It was comfortable, familiar, and yet completely disarming.

She carried her bottle of water and set it on the coffee table. Then she sat beside him, tucking one leg under the other. “Find anything good?”

“Just background noise,” he said, keeping his eyes on the screen a second too long.

Natalie smiled faintly, catching it anyway. “That’s fine. I don’t think either of us really care what’s on.”

“You’re not wrong,” Aiden said, almost more to himself than her.

He leaned back, eyes on the screen but not seeing it. He was acutely aware that his arm rested casually on the couch behind her, close enough to feel her hair brushing his forearm when she moved. He could smell the faint trace of her perfume, which didn’t help him focus.

For a while, neither of them moved. The occasional laugh track from the show played over his own thoughts. He flexed his hand once, debating, then let his fingers fall, grazing her shoulder lightly. Natalie didn’t really react at all, just lifted her water bottle, twisting the cap and taking a slow sip. He could feel her awareness of him.

Aiden swallowed, forcing himself to sound casual. “You good?”

“I’m fine,” she said without looking at him. She just sat there, waiting to see if he’d push the boundaries he’d teased about at dinner.

It seemed like ages before he even tried again. His fingers moved a little closer, brushing against the fabric of her sleeve. The small contact was barely enough to even feel, making her finally look over at him.

“So,” she said quietly, “this part of the mission where you’re testing boundaries- how’s that going for you?”

Aiden froze mid-motion, caught. “Pretty sure I’m failing,” he admitted, a half-smile forming.

Natalie’s grin widened as her words cut through him, making him squirm. “Yeah? What happened to all that bravado you had at dinner? You were ready to take on the world a few hours ago.”

Aiden dropped his head in defeat. “Guess I ran into reality.”

“Oh? And what’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, turning slightly toward him.

He laughed under his breath, looking anywhere but her. “It means… I don’t know, this. You. The last few months have been-” He stopped, searching for the right word. “-intense.”

Her brow lifted. “Intense?”

“Yeah,” he said, feeling a bit defensive. “All that tension. And you just walked around like you don’t notice it. You being… older.” He stopped again, realizing what he’d said.

“Older?” she supplied, lips twitching.

“That’s not what I was gonna say.”

“You just did.”

He groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “Okay, yeah, but that’s not what I meant.”

She bit back a laugh. “Then what did you mean?”

He tried to regroup, meeting her eyes again. “I just meant… experienced. You know what you’re doing. You were confident with how you handled the conversation at dinner, setting rules and stuff. It’s… intimidating.”

“Uh-huh,” she said, clearly enjoying his discomfort. “So now I’m the intimidating old woman?”

“That’s not-”

She leaned back against the couch, finding a balance between a playful and scolding tone. “Are you saying I get around, Aiden?”

His eyes went wide. “Wha- No! God, no, that’s not what I’m saying.”

“Oh, I think that’s exactly what you’re saying,” she teased, pretending to look offended while hiding her smile behind her hand.

He shook his head, exasperated. “Fuck, I’m getting this all wrong!” he groaned.

“Maybe,” she agreed. “But you’re cute when you panic.”

“I’m not panicking,” he said, yet his voice cracked slightly at the end, giving him away.

She tilted her head, studying him for a moment before breaking into a big smile. “Relax,” she said. “I know what you meant.”

He exhaled, relief washing across his face. “Good, because I’m pretty sure I was digging my own grave there.”

Natalie smiled, amused and feeling a little more fond of him in that moment. “You kind of were,” she nodded. “But I’ll let you climb back out… for now.”

“Appreciate it,” he said, smiling sheepishly despite himself.

Her hand brushed the cushion between them, close but not quite touching his. “You really don’t have to be nervous around me, you know.”

He looked at her then, the smirk fading into something closer to sincerity. “Yeah,” he said softly. “That’s the problem.”

Natalie tilted her head, watching him closely. “What’s the problem?”

He exhaled, eyes flicking down for a second before meeting hers again. “That I am nervous,” he admitted quietly. “I don’t want to do anything wrong. And honestly… I’m kind of confused.”

“Confused how?” she asked, her voice gentle now.

He hesitated, trying to put it into words. “You’ll touch me sometimes, like it’s okay. Then when I try to-” He stopped himself, searching for the right phrasing. “-get close, you stop me. And I’m not complaining, I just… I don’t really know what any of it means.”

Natalie looked at him for a long moment, her fingers absently tracing the edge of her knee. He wasn’t wrong, and that realization made her chest tighten.

“Yeah,” she said quietly. “I can see how I’ve been giving mixed signals.”

“You think?” he said, trying for humor but mostly sounding uncertain.

She smiled faintly at that, then glanced down, gathering her thoughts before she answered. “It’s not you,” she said. “It’s just… not a great time right now.”

He looked puzzled. “Not a great time?”

She hesitated, weighing how to phrase it delicately. “You know. That time.”

His eyebrows furrowed for a second, and then the realization hit. “Ooooh!”

Enjoying the story? You can support my work on Patreon where this story is currently through chapter 176 at the time of this posting. Happy reading!