No, we both fall asleep. [2023 July Special.]

Flora rolls off of you and snuggles into the bedsheets. You know this could spell disaster if anyone were to walk in on you in the morning, but you’re too tired to say or do anything about it, so you decide if it happens, you’ll just cross that bridge when it comes… You slowly drift off on your own, your mind still swimming in the thoughts of recent sex. Flora in her birthday suit, the sounds of your intimacy, the sensation of your genders meeting…

Your breathing slows, and soon, your mind is slipping into a dream state, and before you know it, you’re launching back into the personal heaven that you’ve now plunged into more times than you can count… Or, at least, that’s how it almost seems to you…

…

…

…You stir on the couch and notice everything is dark. Outside, however, you hear deep thumps and some distant crackling. You blink awake and listen to these sounds, at first thinking it was gunfire if it weren’t for that familiar feeling of everlasting peace.

You aren’t naked, but you know you’re still not alone either. A soft moan and a warm weight press against you when you move. You pause, not sure what to do at first. “Flora?” you whisper, forgetting where you were.

“Try again,” Astrid giggles, the booming outside continues, and you realize it’s fireworks. “It’s me.”

“Oh,” you smile. You feel the couch's leather when you roll on your back and smell Astrid’s charming scent. Sweet lingering smell that triggers pleasant memories and better times. “How’d I get here?”

“You fell asleep,” she whispers, crawling up to you to plant a soft kiss. “I’m not ruining anything, though, right?”

Some thoughts go through your head, and your life on Earth suddenly seems vague. Who was Flora? What were your problems? Was there life outside of this couch with Astrid? “I don’t think so,” you manage. “I’m…I’m happy I’m here.”

Astrid exhales through her nose, and you know something is on her mind. So you prod at her with a question. You feel her fidget. “I’m worried about you,” she admits. “Now that you’re working with Scarlet, I think you might lose some of yourself.”

You laugh slightly, but she doesn’t see what’s funny. “What’s she doing right now anyway?”

There’s a pause that lets you bask in the noises outside. “Doing something evil,” she finally says. “Scarlet is a wicked woman, more than you think.”

“She doesn’t seem so bad.”

“You have no idea who you are working with. In some ways, she’s worse than Amara and meaner than Kenji. And definitely less innocent than Flora. You should consider Scarlet an enemy, not a partner or acquaintance.”

You wanted to take offense from her comments, but the amount of trust you had stored in Astrid prevented that, and instead, you listened to her, taking note of the concern. “Alright then. I’ll have to remember that when I’m back to my, uh, realm then, I guess?”

Astrid hits you. “Take this seriously, Warren. She’s dangerous in more ways than just one.”

“I am taking you serious,” you complain. “It’s just that…when I’m with you, it’s hard for me to fathom that there’s anything wrong.”

You feel her relax and then hear her apologize to you. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” you sigh, hugging and pulling her closer. Her body feels light. She’s warm. “Where are we?”

“Same place,” she tells you. “Just a different part of it.”

“And all that outside?”

“I thought you’d want to be in a warmer time of year, so when I scooped you up. So, imagine you and I are together, and it’s summer,” Astrid rubs your chest with her hand and giggles. “It’s the 4th of July, and you fell asleep on the couch watching a movie-”

“-what movie did we fall asleep on?”

“Oh,” she laughs. “_You _fell asleep. I stayed awake and watched the rest of it. That’s why the TV and the lights are off. It was Independence Day, by the way.”

“Independence Day? I’ve never heard of that movie.”

“Well, it’s an afterlife exclusive.”

You think. “That’s unfair.”

She muses. “If ever given a chance, I’d love to watch it with you and not just pretend we did.”

Astrid then clears her throat and straddles you. You see her white tank top and white skirt. Her pale thighs are only slightly visible in the dark living room. You see her eyes, dull in the lighting prevented, but her hair is pulled back in its usual ponytail. “So, it’s the 4th of July, and as someone who lives in America, you ought to do something a little festive, don’t you think?”

You rest your hands on her thighs, staring up at her. “What do you have in mind?”

“I’d love to go out and watch the firework show,” she walks her fingers on your chest, her eyes wandering over your face. “But, when I look at you under me, I know we can stay here, too.”

She tilts her head somewhat. You’re beyond flattered that a girl like Astrid could look at you with such amazement. There’s a strong connection between you and her. She leans down and kisses you. “I don’t care what we do as long as we’re together, Warren. I’m so sorry this can’t last or go beyond pretend. Please, tell me what you want to do.”