It was one of the best nights I'd remembered in a while.

Aiden and Ellie left after we had some drinks at our place. As much as I wanted to go out and continue the celebration after the gala somewhere else, now I was grateful for the rain.

We spent time with our friends, talking and laughing. I talked to Sky.
I almost kissed her. Twice.

Once, in the dark Auditorium, when I told her things about my family. The second almost-kiss was in the back of the cab.

I wanted more. More of her curves under my palms as we danced. More of her skin. More of her hand in mine.

But now, it was the cognac talking. We had quite a lot to drink. I shouldn't be thinking about her in that way when I was buzzed.

I shouldn't be thinking about her in that way, period. A moment of weakness after I'd opened up to her was one thing. Our reality in which we hardly knew each other and shared this apartment was another one.

I wanted her a lot. But if I acted on it, things could get awkward. I wasn't good at dealing with those situations. Yesterday was an excellent example of that.

"I'm getting rid of these."

Sky got up and stepped out of her high-heeled shoes, kicking them aside.

"Do your feet hurt?" I asked.

"Not so much, but it will be better if I have another drink. Pour that cognac in the glass, roomie."

"Wait." Chuckling, I grabbed one of the scented candles Sky had collecting dust on the coffee table and lit it. Then, I turned off the light.

"You're making the whole thing look romantic." Sky smiled at me from the couch.

"It's our home, roomie. I wanted to make it cozy and shit."

I poured the cognac in two glasses and handed one to Sky. She twirled it in her hands, saying nothing at first.
"What do you think about the prize we got?" she asked in a short while.

"Champagne? Do you wanna open it now?"

"No, Liam." Sky rolled her eyes. "Access to the dance studio. I think I might want to check it out. Do you?"

"I don't know." I sighed. "I kind of left that in the past, Sky."

"You still love it. Isn't it reason enough to continue?"

"It's not that easy. You've seen that we hardly have any free time now with all the workload. Going to the gym is enough exercise."

"Okay." Sky shrugged. "As you wish."

I placed my hand on her cheek. "Are you upset? You should still go and see what they offer. It'd be a shame to waste it. These things are expensive, and you have if for free."

"I will. Don't worry. I do think you should dance, though. I saw that it made you happy."

"It also brings back memories, Sky. Sometimes they are not so easy to handle without getting upset."

"What memories?"

I rested my head on the back of the couch and spoke without looking at anything in particular - just a random spot on the painted apartment wall. "Memories of when my mom was alive and my parents used to watch me dance. I never wanted to do it for a living, but I liked it."

"What did you want to be when you grew up?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "I knew I wanted to study a degree. Both my parents told me I had to. Mom used to say she regretted not having one. She was a pro at dancing, but when she had to give it up, she didn't have a solid back-up plan. She taught in a dance school, but it wasn't nearly enough money."

"I get it," said Sky. "My dad always tells me the same thing. He had a sports scholarship in college; he used to play basketball and dreamed of going pro. My mom got pregnant with me when they were still studying. He couldn't dedicate that much time to the game and had to look for a job to support his family financially."

"What does he do now?"

"He teaches PE to kids. He's good at it, of course, but it's not what he wanted to do with his life. Sometimes, I think he's a bit bitter because of it. My aunt Sam is his younger sister. As a photographer, she got to travel abroad and see the world, while my dad never left the country."

"That's why you like taking pictures." I smiled. "You took after your aunt."

Sky laughed. "Yeah. Besides, she's cool and open-minded. My dad is more conservative; that's why they always clash. My aunt always told me to pursue whatever career I wanted, but she's not the one paying for my degree, so..."

"It's still a good one, Sky. Damn, I know at least ten jobs where it would come in handy."

"I know, Liam." Sky took a sip of her cognac before speaking again. "I'm just really struggling now. The mess with my ex also wrecked my performance. I lack motivation and cannot focus the way I should."

"Fuck him. He doesn't deserve you. I honestly don't get what a girl like you was doing with someone like him."

Sky rolled her eyes. "A girl like me? Please."

"Give yourself some credit. You're beautiful, smart, talented. You're a great friend and a wonderful person."

"And yet guys like you go for the girls like the one I saw at the gym, confident and with zero issues."

"What are you talking about right now?"

I was genuinely lost. Sky seemed uncomfortable as she stared at the almost melted ice cubes floating in her tumbler. "Nothing, Liam. I just overheard some girls talking about how good you were in bed."

I laughed. "Jeez, you do realize I cannot control what someone says about me, right?"

"So, it's not true? It's all lies?"

"I didn't say that, Sky. I'm not a dick flick actor, though. I try not to be selfish and make the girl enjoy it, but that's a normal thing to do."

"You must've done it with a lot of girls." Sky downed her drink. I could tell she was blushing.

"I'm not a whore. Yeah, I had sex without being in a relationship, but I was always honest about what it was. I didn't sleep with the girl and promised her a happily ever after when I knew I wouldn't be giving her that. If both people want it, what's the problem?"

"None, I guess. God, I'm so weird talking to you about all of it."
Sky buried her face in her palms.

"Come on, don't do that." I removed her hands from her face, smiling at yet another time her cheeks turned pink. Was I making her uncomfortable?

"I want another drink." Sky got up from the couch and went to the kitchen. In barely a minute, she was back with a bottle of sweet liquor.

"Do you want some?" she asked.

"Okay, but that shit will make us drunk fast."

"Good. I have things to forget." Sky shrugged, pouring the drink into small shot glasses and downing hers before I did.

"I hope you don't want to forget today," I blurted out, unable to stop myself.

"I don't. I loved dancing with you."

"Do you want to do it now?"

Sky's eyes widened. "Here?"

"Yeah. Why not. Just a slow dance."

"Okay."

It took me a couple of minutes of fumbling with the playlist on my phone to find the song I wanted. Placing the device next to the empty tumblers on the coffee table, I took Sky's hand in mine. "Come here."

She glanced at me, almost shyly. "Where do I put my hands?"

"Behind my neck or wherever you want. It's just a normal dance. No rules."

"Okay." Shifting closer to me, Sky drew her arms around my neck.

The position made our bodies touch as the music started to play, and we began to move slowly. I brought Sky's body even closer to mine and pressed her to me firmly. If all I had was one dance, I at least wanted to allow myself to feel things.

I felt every fucking one of them. By the time the chorus sounded, I was on my way to losing my mind.

Aiden's words started to play in my head- that there was nothing wrong with wanting something with someone, that I could have it if I didn't chicken out.

Sky let out a small gasp when I moved my hand up her back and rested it on her bare skin. I knew she felt the chemistry between us. Even when she didn't say it, I felt her reactions to my touch.

We didn't have many of those moments, but they were enough for me to see and feel how inexperienced she was. It didn't make a lot of sense when I knew she was in a relationship for almost a year. I wished she talked to me and told me the truth about whatever it was that made her say the things she said earlier. All that insecurity had to come from something that happened to her.

Sky's soft breath tickled the skin of my neck. I tilted my head down ever so slightly and pressed my lips to her cheek, placing soft kisses across her skin.

She trembled in my arms as if I kissed her the way I wanted to - with lust, abandon, passion. Her grip on me tightened, and I wondered if maybe she was tipsier than I realized.

The music stopped; I was still holding Sky in the middle of the living room.

"Liam?" I heard her say.

"Yeah?"

"Could you do something for me?"

"Anything."

"Could you sleep with me tonight? I don't mean sex; I mean just the two of us sharing my bed."

I could name a hundred reasons why it was a bad idea. It would blur the lines and make it hard for me, both figuratively and literally.

"Okay," I whispered against Sky's temple.

She blew out the candle and took my hand in hers, leading me to her bedroom.

Once we were there, Sky disappeared into the bathroom. While she was there getting ready, I went to my room and changed my clothes, getting rid of the button-down and slacks and throwing on some shorts and a white tee. Then, I brushed my teeth and splashed cold water on my flushed face.

As I sat on Sky's pale pink comforter, I tried to rein in the nerves.

It was just two roommates sharing one big bed-no big deal at all. Nothing would happen.

The door to the bathroom opened, and Sky walked out of it. Her makeup-free face was beautiful, and her blond hair looked soft.

Sky hesitated for a moment before sliding under the comforter. I lay in bed, facing her.

"Come here, sweetheart. Since you wanted to share the bed with me, I might as well give you a full cuddling experience."

I pulled Sky into my arms and placed a kiss on top of her head, feeling her body relax and nestle into mine.

"It's the first time I've shared the bed with a guy," whispered Sky while I ran my hands over her back. "I just needed to know what it was like to feel wanted."