“It’s easier to wear glasses for work, but I use contacts when I’m away from home on my days off.” He shrugged. “Do I look weird?”
She shook her head, absently reaching over to touch his hair. Without the gel, long strands fell around his ears, framing his face, and their hue was closer to a dark blond than their usual hazelnut appearance. “I like your casual hair. I’m really glad I invited you.”
She watched Holden’s cheeks redden again before she reclined back against the seat and returned her attention to the TV screen. For the first time, she felt as if he might be attracted to her, but she wasn’t going to dive straight in and fuck him. She wanted to work up to it first and let him think the sex was his idea.
Holden sniffed. “It always smells so nice in here.”
“Really?”
“What type of air freshener or carpet stuff do you use?”
She looked off to the side, trying to remember if she had ever used a rug deodorizer. She had a can of fresh linen-scented Lysol in the master bathroom and a courtesy can of some type of generic, dollar store air freshener in the hallway bathroom. She occasionally burned candles but only if she was having friends over for a party. She wasn’t much for cleaning up by herself.
“Whatever Maid to Clean uses.” Her lips curved upward as she shrugged.
“Oh, you use a maid service. That explains a lot.” Holden leaned his back against the couch.
“Say what?” She scowled, feeling as if she might have been insulted.
“Um, nothing really, it’s just a lot of other artists I deal with... Well, going over to work with them isn’t nearly as nice as coming to see you.” He ran a hand through his hair before settling his palm on his neck.
She nodded. The show was coming back on and she didn’t want to miss watching Jayne and Simon team up to escape the dudes in blue gloves. She sat with her right leg bent and curled under her left, and as the two watched the episode in silence, Holden’s knee brushed up against hers. The first couple of times their limbs made contact, he had jerked his leg back as if Mary Allison was on fire but by the third incident, he kept his leg still, allowing the subtle touching to continue, making her pulse react.
As she squirmed to position a throw pillow behind her back, Mary Allison’s shoulder rubbed against Holden’s arm. To her disappointment, he moved, but she soon realized he had turned to help her adjust the cushion. When their eyes locked, she nodded at the shy smile he displayed. He immediately turned away which Mary Allison would have found discouraging if he hadn’t taken the opportunity to lay his arm along the back of the seat. She hoped he would take the connection a step further and put his arm around her shoulder, but even if he didn’t, the new position still amped up the level of incidental contact a notch.
While enjoying the marathon, Mary Allison and Holden only spoke briefly during commercials. Most of their conversations had been about the show but they also discussed a few of their other science fiction favorites. “I never would have pegged you as a fan.”
He laughed. “I guess the genre has always held my imagination. I was raised by a since mother and spent a lot of time alone as a kid or with babysitters. A young teen with purple hair and a love for Radiohead was willing to watch me for practically free as long as she got to control the television—she had four brothers who only wanted to watch football—what you would call soccer. She turned me onto the old-school Whoniverse at a young age but I think I prefer the new series.”
“Oh my God, yes! David Tennant was the best doctor ever, closely followed by Tom Baker.” Their eyes locked during the nerdy conversation and her heart skipped a beat.
The next couple of commercial breaks were used to refill drinks or run to the bathroom, and during the opening credits of the next episode, Mary Allison had gotten up to bring out a bowl of chips in case Holden wanted to snack on something. Each time, they settled right back into their prior positions and resumed the casual touching.
Mary Allison unfolded the blanket next to her. Her old house’s poor insulation hadn’t kept the autumn air at bay, so there was a slight draft. Holden chuckled when he realized the throw was made to look like a Tardis. This time Mary Allison was the one who blushed. She couldn’t deny being a total geek when it came to this area of her life. When she sat down and draped the blanket over her legs, she held the end up to invite Holden to join her underneath.
“It’s a bit chilly.” Mary Allison bit down on her bottom lip and held her breath as she waited for his response.
“Yeah,” Holden took the edge closest to him and tugging the blanket over his lap.
His warmth soon enveloped her under the shared cover, making Mary Allison feel cozy. Having him so close also increased the ache between her legs, facilitating the need to step up the action.
Mary Allison had seen the series they were watching so many times that she knew the lineup by heart. Holden’s favorite episode had just concluded and the next two episodes weren’t in her top five favorites, so she would be willing to miss them in exchange for a sultry romp. It was time to give Holden a little push and see if he was interested in her
