[Noah] In for a penny, in for a pound

Kate was already in his room. And they had already been making out that night. Realistically Noah didn't see how this could look any worse for him, so for the moment he figured there was no harm in letting her stay a little longer. "Aside from all that, how've you been enjoying the place?" he asked. "Why don't you sit down for a second?"

She looked around, up at the ceiling, and then sat down on the end of the bed. "It's really nice. My parents used to have a cottage when I was growing up, but we sold it when my dad lost his job a while back. It was nothing like this, though." She still looked uncomfortable. Like she couldn't really say what was on her mind.

Noah moved closer to where she was sitting. "I know, right? More like a mansion than a cottage." That was overstating it a little, but he was really just trying to keep the conversation going. "Anyway, sorry about tonight. I mean, not sorry about kissing you, that was great. But sorry about the mess." He felt like he was toeing the line now. But by the way she sat up when he said it, he didn't think he'd crossed it just yet.

"Oh, yeah, it was... great," Kate agreed. She let out a breath. And hesitated again.

In for a penny, in for a pound. It had already fucked him over a few times that night, so why not one more? "It's not like I haven't thought about you like that before. Only natural. Just a guy thing, you know? But it's not like it... means anything."

"Yeah," Kate said. "Just part of the game. Who doesn't think about their friends that way?"

He almost pounced. "So you do too?"

Even in the dark he could tell she was blushing. "Yeah," she said. "Once or twice."

"Me too."