Lacey warns her house guest

Lacey disentangled herself with practiced stealth from Maeve’s embrace, trying to avoid waking her. Her girlfriend’s chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, sleeping soundly on the couch. Lacey hesitated for a moment, watching her girlfriend’s peaceful face. A pang of guilt wracked her. But she couldn’t linger; she had to deal with the problem waiting in her bedroom. She slipped off the couch and padded down the hallway. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open.

Her (platonic!) friend Paul was still sprawled out asleep in her bed, bare chested. The sheets were twisted around his legs. Lacey cursed under her breath, her anxiety spiking. She hurried over to him and shook his shoulder. "Wake up!" she hissed.

Paul groaned, his eyes fluttering open. "What?" he mumbled.

"My girlfriend is here," Lacey whispered urgently, her eyes darting toward the door as if Maeve might suddenly appear. "You need to get out. Now."

Paul sat up, rubbing his eyes, clearly confused. "Girlfriend? You never mentioned a girlfriend." His voice was heavy with sleep.

Lacey winced. She hadn’t exactly been forthcoming with him. "Yeah, well, I do. And she’s in the other room, so you need to go. Please."

Paul frowned. "Why didn’t you tell me?"

Lacey ground her teeth. "I didn’t mean for this to happen, okay? Just... please, you have to get out of here before she wakes up."

Paul sighed and glanced around the room, then back at Lacey. She was still in her bra, she remembered. At least she had kept her jeans on. "Alright, alright. I’m going." He swung his legs over the side of the bed and went for his clothes. As he pulled on his jeans, Lacey’s eyes wandered despite herself. She took in the way his muscles moved. For a guy, he had a great butt, not that she cared. For a brief moment, she allowed herself to admire him. But then she caught herself, her heart lurching with guilt.

"Come on," she urged, her voice sharper now, as if trying to scold. "Out the window. I’ll text you later."

Paul gave her a look, one eyebrow raised, but didn’t argue. He moved to the window and undid the latch. "I’m out of here," he said. "But you owe me an explanation later, Lace."

"I know," Lacey muttered, her eyes avoiding his.

He hesitated for a moment, then slipped out the window onto the fire escape. He glanced up at her one last time, giving her a half-smile before disappearing into the night.