The delay while Scott formulated his answer was almost torturous. "Okay. I'm at work right now, I'll need to call my little brother to cover the rest of my shift. Can you give me an hour?"
"It'll feel like a hundred years," I said honestly, aware I sounded like a melodramatic teenager. "Can you do it any faster?"
"I'll try, but I had another idea," he said, his voice soft in my ear. "You must be exhausted. Use the hour I'm not there to lay down on your couch and take a nap. I promise, when I get there I'll wake you gently, and we'll see what happens from there, okay?"
His suggestion hit me like a ton of bricks, and my body cried out in exhaustion as well. "I think that could work," I said, stifling a sudden yawn. "One thing though, promise me."
"What's that?"
"Bring a Rockstar with you when you come. An hour only nap is going to need a jolt to get me awake, and I want to be very, very awake when you get here."
"Deal. One Rockstar, as fast as I can get there. And Tabby?"
"Yes, Scott?"
"Thank you." The phone went dead in my ear, and I collapsed back on my sofa. I was asleep before my head hit the cushion I think.
The next thing I knew, I felt a gentle shaking of my shoulder. I opened my eyes to see Scott kneeling next to me, a smile on his face. "Don't freak out, I just remembered where you left your key last night," he whispered, brushing a lock of hair out of my eyes. I looked at the sunlight on the wall behind him, and was surprised at how orange it looked. "I let you sleep some more."
"How long?" I asked, sitting up. I should have been weirded out, I mean, the guy just more or less broke into my house and sat there watching me sleep for what had to be an hour or more, based off of the sunlight. Then again, it wasn't the strangest thing to happen in my love life.
"It's three thirty," Scott replied, standing up and heading into my kitchen. He came back a second later with a familiar looking black can. "Here. They didn't have any Rockstars, but I was able to grab you a Monster Zero. Hope that works?"
"Yeah, I can do that," I said, popping the tab and chugging half the can in one long draught. I finished with a burp that would have impressed Homer Simpson, before covering my mouth and blushing. "Sorry, I guess that wasn't the sexiest thing I've done."
Scott shook his head and smiled, taking another can out from behind his back. "Tell you what, let's share in the disgusting bodily functions," he said, popping his own tab before chugging the entire can in a performance that would have left any frat boy I dated in college envious, and then letting loose a burp that sounded like a cross between Chewbacca and a fog horn. "There, we're even."
The disgustingly humorous romantic gesture touched me, and we both ended up laughing as I took careful sips of the rest of my can, not wanting to choke or have energy drink shoot out my nose. I've had that happen, and it burns bad, even worse than alcohol because of the carbonation. "So how long were you sitting there, anyway?"
"Oh, I got here just at one thirty, like I said," Scott replied. "But the look on your face was so precious I couldn't bear to shake you awake, and then when I did try, you were so out that you didn't even respond at first. So I just sat back and watched, thinking about you and what we're about to do."
"So you still want to, even after watching me belch like some biker mama?" I said, smiling. "Good, because it's all I could think of too."
Scott stood up and held out his hand, helping me to my feet before pulling me in close and kissing me. The slightly tangy taste of the energy drink was on our lips, and I thought it was appropriate, since Scott was that sort of interesting tangy sort of person. He could have had me twice, and yet here we were, and it felt more momentous than ever. Maybe he was right, and holding back made it better.
We stood there in my living room, kissing gently, and I felt happier than I'd ever been in my life. Scott held me in his arms, and I felt both powerful and protected, his lips dancing over my neck and behind my ear. Tingles ran up and down my spine as he bit my earlobe softly before tracing it with the tip of his tongue, and I could feel fresh heat radiate down to between my legs. "Oh damn, that is amazing."
"Let's head back to the bedroom," Scott said, taking my hand. "Lead the way? I only found your kitchen."
I smiled and led him back, where I had only a momentary flash of embarrassment at my unmade sheets. Sophie can tell you, I never make my bed, usually just yanking my blanket around me from wherever it happened to have ended up when I got up in the morning. My sheets were clean at least though.