Bedside Chat

There she was. Jennifer. The woman of my dreams, or at least the woman who was going to become the woman of my dreams. The app, that quiet glowing thing on my phone, was going to make it happen. Soon this vision of beauty would belong to me in every way that mattered.

She stood in the doorway with her long brown hair still messy from sleep, a few strands caught against the frame of her glasses. The oversized hoodie and baggy sweatpants did their usual work of hiding everything, yet I knew what lay underneath. I had seen the proof in old honeymoon photos Marcus had shown me once, the ones where she wore a swimsuit that actually fit. I had scrolled through the rare social media posts where she dressed up for a night out, cleavage visible, curves clear, green eyes sharp and alive behind the lenses. Even in the formless clothes she preferred at home, the height and the shape of her were impossible to miss. Jennifer was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen up close. She simply preferred to keep that fact under wraps.

Not for much longer. At least not with me. She was going to learn a new way of presenting herself when we were alone, a version of herself that Marcus would never need to know about. A version she would eventually learn to prefer.

"Hey Jennifer," I said, the trigger phrase deliberate and clear. "Come sit next to me on the bed and talk for a minute."

The request sat right on the edge of what felt safe. Under normal circumstances she would never have agreed to step fully into my room, let alone sit on the bed. That level of closeness had always been off-limits, the kind of thing that would have earned a sharp refusal and a lecture about personal space. Yet I had been magically chipping away at her walls. The app still listed her at Level One, twenty-five percent. I still did not know how many levels existed, or what happened when the number climbed higher, or whether new options unlocked at certain thresholds. Curiosity and want pulled in the same direction.

For a moment it looked as though I had overreached. Her eyebrows drew together. The familiar irritation flickered across her face. Then she blinked, drew a slow breath through her nose, and stepped inside. Soft footsteps crossed the short distance to the bed. She sat on the edge of the mattress, not pressed against me, but close enough that the space between us felt intentional.

"Thanks," I said, offering a small smile. "I just wanted to talk. I don't think I've told you how much I appreciate you, or how much I notice everything you do around here."

She rolled her eyes, the old reflex still present.

"You could have just texted me that," she said.

"Yeah, but it wouldn't have felt right. Like I didn't really mean it."

"It's fine. Next time just tell me when I see you, so I don't have to come in here like this."

"Hey Jennifer," I said again, keeping the tone light. "Take my compliments at face value. I'm trying to have a good relationship with you."

The words landed and changed something. Her eyes widened for a second. A faint flush of colour rose along her cheeks. The almost invisible smile that followed looked genuine.

"Okay," she said. "So you appreciate me. I get it. Thanks."

"Not just that." Momentum mattered. I kept going while the influence held. "You're really fun to be around. Even though you and I haven't gotten along too well in the past, it always feels good to be in the room with you. You brighten it up, like having a window open on a clear day."

"That's really sweet, Dustin." The smile widened. Her gaze locked with mine and stayed there.

"Not as sweet as you are," I continued. "When you spend time with me like this, just the two of us, I feel like I can get a hold of my life again. Being alone and unemployed has been depressing as hell. You make me feel more alive."

"Dustin." Her mouth curved into a full grin. "You give me too much credit. But still, it's not really my job to make you feel so good. Maybe we should try to find you a girlfriend, or maybe I could help you with your resume so you could land something steady. That would help too, right?"

"Hey Jennifer," I said. "Just enjoy the feeling of being close to me, the same way I enjoy being close to you. Your ideas are good, but they'll only work if you and I keep spending time together."

The smile faltered while she processed the new instruction. A searching look settled in her green eyes, as though she were testing the shape of a thought that had not been there a moment earlier.

"I think you’re right," she said at last, the words carrying a distant quality. "Honestly, I think you're right. You and I have been at each other for so long that I never noticed how good it feels to have you around. I'm sorry I've been so terrible to you."

"It's okay," I answered. "As long as we can spend time together now. Now and going forward. I promise I'll do better for you."

"And I promise I'll do the same," she said. The earlier hesitation had vanished. Energy replaced it. "Now, how about we start right away. Resume first, then girlfriend. We have all day to spend together. It'll be fun!"

Oh yes, I thought, watching the colour still warm on her cheeks and the easy way she had settled onto my bed. It will be.