"How would you feel about a... friends with benefits situation?"

Amber sighed as Reese kissed her neck. "Fuck, that feels so good," she whispered, reaching around them so she could stroke their back.

"What did you want to ask me?" Reese's voice was soft, almost muffled.

"It's so hard to concentrate," Amber giggled. "Forget I said anything."

"But I wanna know..." Reese kissed their way up to Amber's cheek, then forehead. Then they rested their head against her shoulder.

"I was just wondering... umm..." She stroked Reese's back; they felt gooseflesh rising. "How would you feel about a... friends with benefits situation?"

"Oh," Reese said simply. They kissed Amber's collar a few times while they thought it over (even though it really required no thought at all) and scooted over just enough so they could look up at her, so they could meet her eyes. "I would love that, actually."

"Really?" Amber stroked her lover's chest. "Are you sure?"

"Mmhmm." They nuzzled her neck. "I like spending time with you. And I like this."

"Me too."

"So, to answer your question, I would feel very good about a friends with benefits situation."

"Good." She giggled. "Good." Amber was all smiles as she brought herself down for a kiss.

---

They were lying on their backs, close enough to hold hands but not mashed together like they'd been before. Amber had one leg draped over Reese's, gently stroking their ankle with her toes.

"Can I ask you something? Friend to friend?" Amber was idly playing with her nipple ring.

"Of course."

"It's not too... cringey, right? The stuff I say during... y'know...?"

Reese chuckled. "Not at all."

"Promise?"

"I promise! It's really cute. And, umm... sexy." They squeezed her hand. "You're so... enthusiastic."

"That's a nice way of saying, 'lust-crazed sex machine.'"

"Is that how you see yourself?" They raised an eyebrow.

Amber giggled. "In short bursts, yeah. So, then... if I say something like, 'I want you to bathe me in cum,' you're not going straight for your pants and car keys?"

Reese snorted. "I feel like if you ever said that I would pass out."

"Really?" She snickered. "Perv."

"That's me." Reese looked up at the ceiling. "What time do you get off work?"

"Presumptuous, are we?"

Reese blushed. "Sorry."

"I'm teasing." She tapped them with her foot. "I'm off at 6:00 tonight."

"Nice."

"And I don't have to be in until 1:00 tomorrow."

"I see." Reese was beaming. "What time is it?"

Amber sat up and leaned over Reese -- they gave her a quick pat on the butt, making her laugh -- and grabbed her phone from the bedside table. She didn't withdraw to Reese's side, opting instead to lay draped across their torso. They stroked her back as she unlocked her phone. "Almost 8:00," she said, setting her phone back down. "I need to start getting ready soon." She huffed. "But I wanna hang out more."

"Me too." Reese kissed her side. "But, umm... maybe you should... pack a bag before you go..."

"You think so?"

Reese nodded.

Amber grinned. "Okay."

---

They sat, nude, on Amber's couch, eating cereal. The TV wasn't on, there was no music playing, there wasn't anything but the sounds of two tired, under-slept people eating breakfast.

---

Reese watched from their blanket fort as Amber dressed. It seemed like she enjoyed being watched: she made a show of pulling on her bra and panties, checking to make sure Reese's focus was directed solely at her... She laid back against the bed as she pulled on her knee-length socks, wiggling her toes in the air, rolling against Reese, who took the opportunity to plant a kiss on her lips.

Amber slowly buttoned her shirt, reveling in the attention Reese was giving her. She made sure her collar was nice and straight, that her sleeves weren't rumpled, and when she was satisfied that she looked professional she completed the ensemble with a knee-length black skirt. "How do I look?" she asked.

"Like a... coffee model," Reese said, feeling very stupid the moment they'd said it.

She snorted. "Coffee... model?"

"Like a model for coffee."

"Oh, well that clears it up."

"But seriously, you look beautiful."

Her eyes sparkled in the sunlight. "Thank you."

---

They loaded the film equipment and Amber's overnight bag into Reese's car.

"So... I'll pick you up at 6:00ish?" Reese asked.

"Sounds good to me," Amber said, unable to hide her grin.

"Okay." Reese chewed their lower lip. "Ready?"

"Ready."

---

Reese parked in a spot away from Heirloom's windows. Amber had specifically asked them to park there, noting that if Rebekah saw even a glimpse of Reese outside she'd spend the whole day making innuendos about how and with whom Amber kept company.

"Thanks," Amber said, unbuckling her seatbelt. "If Rebekah asked me about you right now I'd combust."

"You're just ashamed of me," Reese said dramatically, "like I always knew you were."

Amber rolled her eyes. "Weirdo."

"See?"

"Histrionic weirdo."

Reese giggled. "You don't deny it!"

"Reese, babe, don't be mean to the girl who's gonna suck your dick later, okay?"

That shut Reese up. They cleared their throat. "You're right. I've seen the error of my ways."

Amber snickered. "Good." She looked out the window and sighed. "Well... off to the coffee mines." She leaned over and pulled Reese into a kiss. Her breath was hot against their face; they felt their cock twitch. "I know this is lame, 'cause we just met and we've spent a significant amount of time buried in each other's crotches, but... I'm really excited to see you tonight."

"Me too," Reese said, voice barely a whisper. They kissed her again. "Can I text you?"

"Please do." She climbed out of the car and went inside, straightening her skirt, a vision. Reese lingered for a moment before driving away.

---

They heard the sound of singing birds; it lulled them back to the waking world. Reese yawned and sat up, scratching the back of their head. They checked their phone; it was about 9:45.

As soon as they'd gotten home Reese set Amber's overnight bag on their bed, changed into pajama pants, and crawled onto the couch. They were more comfortable napping there; in fact they'd gotten many a full night's sleep there, maybe a little less than half of the nights they spend sleeping in this house... they just felt more comfortable on their couch sometimes, safer... less alone, sometimes, though their loneliness never lingered long anyway. Right?

Reese had made sure to text Amber that they were going to take a nap:

"Just FYI I'm going to get a little more sleep. :)"

"Okay. :) Can I send you stuff anyway?"

"Yes!"

And, true to her word, Amber had sent them some things to look at when they woke up. A few literary memes, a breakdown of an extremely complicated order... it felt good, chatting so casually.

---

By 1:00 Reese was seriously debating going back to sleep. They'd mustered up the concentration to get some work done, but they quickly got bored and watched some videos on YouTube instead.

They needed caffeine.

---

"Would it be uncool of me to pop in for coffee?" they texted Amber.

"No, why?"

"I am dying of withdrawal. @_@"

"Then come get some, you goon... Besides, it would be nice to see you. :)"

The smiley face sealed it. Reese put their jeans back on, slipped a beanie over their messy hair, and hurried over to Heirloom.

---

"Come get some." The phrase played on a loop in Reese's brain as they drove to Heirloom, parked, got out of the car, psyched themself into not power walking through the door, normal-person-walked through the door, and got in line.

There were only a few people ahead of them, but the place was actually rather full. Then again it's not dinnertime, Reese thought, recalling their evening sojourn that ended with them falling asleep in Amber's arms. They quickly dispelled the memory, aware that they were in public and popping a boner would not be, ahem, cool.

"Hi, welcome to Heirloom," said the familiar voice, "how can I help you?" They fought to hide their smile.

Amber was behind the counter, hard at work, chignon already unraveling a bit, looking no less stunning than she had the night before. Maybe more so, but only in that she didn't look as tired today, looked... invigorated.

It felt like Amber's radiant smile reached all the way to the door, where Reese was standing, like she was smiling at them, for them. Don't be weird.

She didn't betray her secret knowledge as Reese stepped up to the counter. "Hi," she chirped, patting her apron. "How can I help you?"

Reese offered a friendly, but innocent, smile. "Hi, could I please get..."

---

The only thing one could pick up on was the conspiratorial smile shared between them as Reese thanked Amber for the coffee and dropped a tip in the jar.

They took a sip as soon as they buckled up, and suddenly all felt right with the world. They were about to turn on their car when their phone buzzed.

_"Hi. :)" Amber._

Reese smiled at her name on the screen. "Hi. :> Thanks for the coffee."

"I mean you paid for it, so... :p FYI I'm about to go on my lunch break."

"Nice. Do you want me to get you anything?"

"You're sweet. :) But Rebekah is insisting on buying everyone lunch. We've been slammed all day and this is our reward."

"Awesome." Reese drove home, eager to feel alive again.

---

They were lying on their couch, sending an invoice to a major client, when their phone buzzed. It was a welcome distraction. Satisfying as it was to tell a bunch of faceless men in ugly suits to pay up, capitalism bored them. Especially when a quick glance at their phone confirmed they were about to chat with a beautiful woman.

When Reese opened the message from Amber they were greeted with a picture of a banh mi sandwich. "I'm in love," read the accompanying caption.

"Looks delicious. :>" Reese replied, all too unaware that they were mouthing the words as they wrote them, wondering what that meant, if anything. "I bet you're going to be tired tonight, huh?"

"Oh I KNOW I'll be. I am. Working. My. Ass. Off."

"Hopefully not literally."

"...perv."

"Just saying. I'm a fan. ANYWAY"

"Oh you're a fan are you? ;)"

"Mmhmm. A big one. :x"

"...so we're going to need to double back on that when I come over."

"Yeah?"

"Yep. :)"

"I almost sent you something gross and dumb."

"Well now you HAVE to tell me."

"Noooo"

"Please? :)"

"I was going to say that if you're tired you can always sit on my face."

Amber didn't send anything for a few seconds. Well, I just fucked up, Reese thought, sighing.

Then:

"WHY DO I HAVE TO BE I HERE FOR LIKE 4 MORE HOURS"

Then:

"I JUST WANNA HANG OUT WITH YOU OKAY"

And then:

"I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO SIT ON YOUR FACE"

Reese blushed as they read the trio of messages. "Oh. Wow."

"Too much?"

"No! Just... ugh, 4 more hours :("

":("

"I'll make it up to you? :x"

"You better :) Preferably with ramen."

They chatted for a little bit longer, mostly about their plans for the evening ("other than, y'know... the obvious," as Amber put it), making a few advances, none miraculous. They agreed to just play it by ear, though Amber did admit that cuddling on the couch was a must-do.

"Okayyyy back to work," said Amber's message.

"See you soon. :>"

"See you. :)"

Reese returned to work. They finished the invoice, sent it, set a reminder on their phone to follow up if the company did not respond within the next forty-eight hours.

Their phone buzzed again. It was another message from Amber.

"Oh... I forgot. :x"