Back in the apartment

Back in the apartment, the mood was relaxed. The sun had drained them all, leaving them draped on the couch and armchairs with snacks within reach. Some reality show spin-off flickered on the TV. The cast was older now, but all the same drama still circled, just about different things. Aiden sprawled sideways with the remote, remembering when he was a kid and his mom used to watch the original version, all bronzed skin, messy hookups, and club lights of the roommates living in some shore house. Natalie curled at one end of the couch with her feet tucked beneath a throw, while Lisa sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the couch, close enough to steal handfuls of popcorn every so often.

For a while, everything felt simple. The hours after a swim had been full of food, laughs, and the fun energy of Lisa, leaving them all lazy, sated, and each of them just existing together. Eventually, during a break for commercials, Lisa muted the TV.

“Okay,” she said, taking on a serious tone. “I need to say this before I don’t get around to it, because I’m heading out in the morning.”

Aiden groaned. “Don’t get all sappy.”

Lisa rolled her eyes but she stayed serious. “I mean it. I need to know you’re both good when I go. Whether you’ll admit it or not, I can tell things have been weird between you two for some reason, by the way you both react whenever I ask. So, if there’s a problem that you’re not telling me, I need to know you’ll at least talk about it with each other. For real. I can’t help fix what I don’t know about, and I hate leaving with things up in the air. I care about both of you, and Aiden moving in here was my idea. I don’t want that to be the cause of some sort of problem, and no one say anything, or whatever the issue is.”

She looked back at Natalie over one shoulder, then over the other at Aiden. “Promise me. Both of you.”

Natalie moved, pulling the blanket tighter. “We’ll talk if there’s ever something we can’t figure out. I promise.”

Aiden sat up, mouth quirking at the edge. “Mom, there’s no problems! How many times do I have to say it? Don’t make me regret calling you.”

Lisa just kept her eyes locked on his. “If there’s no problem, then there’s no reason you can’t promise me this, in case anything comes up in the future.”

“Yes, I promise. If anything ever comes up, we’ll talk it out,” he relented.

Lisa searched their faces, reading them both for any trace of hesitation, then nodded, satisfied. “Good, that’s all I need. Now, turn the volume back up. I want to see which of these meatballs is gonna hit the ground first.”

Aiden grinned. “You would want to see them fall on their face.”

“They’re the ones that do it for national television,” Lisa said, settling back in with a fistful of popcorn.

Natalie watched them, relief working its way in under the lingering guilt. For tonight, at least, the promise to talk seemed to be enough.

Aiden finally pushed up from his spot, stretching his arms overhead. “I’m wiped. I’m gonna watch something in my room, and probably crash.”

“Night, kiddo,” Lisa called, wiggling her toes at him.

“Night, Aiden,” Natalie echoed, offering a small wave as he slipped out of the room and closed his door.

For a few minutes, the apartment fell into the background hush of just the murmur of the TV. Lisa waited only moments before climbing up beside Natalie, folding herself against her, and pulling the blanket across their laps. She slipped her arm around Natalie’s waist, her hand coming to rest low on her hip, holding her close until their thighs pressed together. The familiarity of it, the way Lisa’s body fit so easily against hers, always surprised Natalie with how quickly things could turn from friendly to charged with her.

Lisa brushed Natalie’s hair back, tucking it behind her ear, her fingers lingering as they moved along her neck. “Finally, some time with you all to myself,” she murmured, leaning in for a kiss. Natalie turned willingly, meeting her lips in a slow, searching press. Lisa’s thumb traced lazy circles against her side, the rest of her hand finding its way under Natalie’s shirt, gliding over warm skin.

Natalie shivered and didn’t pull away, but when Lisa’s hand began to drift higher, she caught her wrist, holding it against her ribs and pinning it there. She didn’t try to push it out, just stopped it from climbing any further. Her hand stayed where it was, warm against her bare skin.

Lisa’s eyes flicked up, questioning. “What’s wrong?” she asked quietly, her nose brushing Natalie’s.

Natalie hesitated, feeling her heart thump in her chest, her thumb stroking the back of Lisa’s hand from over the shirt. “We’re in the living room. If Aiden comes out… he could be in the kitchen in two seconds.”

Lisa kissed her again, softer and more coaxing than urgent. “He already knows, Nat. We don’t have to hide anymore.”

“I know, but…” Natalie trailed off, closing her eyes for a second. She felt the heat from Lisa’s palm, the way her fingers felt against her. She didn’t let go. “That doesn’t mean he needs to see everything. I have to live with him after you leave.”

Lisa’s mouth quirked. “No he doesn’t. We could… take this to your room instead,” she suggested with a little back and forth of her head.

Natalie didn’t answer right away, leaning in and resting her forehead against Lisa’s. The moment lingered, her nerves tingling with the feeling of wanting two things at once. Wanting Lisa close, yet wanting to not be seen wanting Aiden. And feeling guilty for all the thoughts she’d had about him.

Lisa’s hand stayed where Natalie kept it in place, just resting against the curve of her side, heat soaking in, letting her thumb make tiny circles.

After a minute, Natalie sighed. “He already knows about us because… he heard us. That first night you stayed over. He told me a while ago, but I didn’t want to make things weird by telling you.”

For the first time, Lisa’s confidence wavered. She blinked, her cheeks going pink. “Yeah, I caught that when he mentioned it this morning.” A nervous little laugh slipped out, low and breathy. “That’s- wow. Okay, it’s kinda embarrassing.”

Natalie couldn’t help but smile, shifting just enough to nuzzle Lisa’s jaw. “Yeah. I’ve wanted to tell you, but… You just walk through life with no shame, don’t you?”

Lisa’s eyes sparkled, even though her face was red. “It’s not that I have no shame. Just… less shame, I guess. At least until right now.” She laughed again, more genuinely this time, burying her face in Natalie’s shoulder. “God, I can’t believe he heard us. I wonder what else he’s heard that he’s never told me. We’ve always been so open, I guess I just always figured he’d call me out on keeping him awake or something.”

Natalie loosened her grip, finally letting Lisa’s hand drift up to her collarbone from under the shirt, pulling the lower hem up to mid-stomach with it. Lisa took the invitation and kissed her again, slow and deep, the room shrinking to just the two of them for a moment.

They stayed like that, tangled together on the couch, leaving the TV forgotten. Natalie traced lazy lines along Lisa’s arm, her heart still skipping every so often. She wasn’t sure if she was more embarrassed, relieved, or just grateful to feel wanted at all.

Lisa’s blush lingered, but she smiled, pressing a final kiss to Natalie’s neck before settling against her side, both of them finally relaxing into the hush of the night, letting their worries drift. And Lisa, unaware of what Natalie had witnessed on that very couch, roughly only a week earlier.

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