It was amazing really. How, without even trying, Mason always seemed to find a way to fill the voids in my sad, empty life. Even more surprising was the fact that I seemed to have a lot more of these "voids" than I ever would have thought.

I never knew I could feel so satisfied by something as simple as cuddling after sex. I mean, it always sounded nice when I heard about it, but I never really thought of it as something that made a difference.

But now, being wrapped up in his arms this way, the warm feeling of his skin against mine, the gentle way he twirled my hair between his fingers as he played with it. It felt good. It felt right. It felt as if this was where I was always meant to be. Right here. In this moment. With him. And I never knew I could feel so whole from something so simple.

I felt like I could have stayed that way forever. If my damn bladder didn't have other plans, that is. I let out a sad, reluctant sigh as I pulled myself from his arms and sat up.

"Hey, Mason. Where's-"

I didn't get the chance to finish my question. As I sat up, I noticed a strange sensation between my legs. Almost like something was leaking. I glanced down to see a small pool of white liquid soaking into the sheets beneath me.

My heart stopped in an instant. My stomach churned as if I would be sick at any moment. My vision got dark as the world started to spin around me.

No. No. I had been so careful. I had always been so careful before. How could I have not thought of this? How could I be this fucking stupid? How could I not think about...

My hands trembled by my side. Mason reached out and grabbed them, squeezing gently.

"Hey, hey. Is everything alright?" He asked, his face full of concern. "You look like you're about to pass out or something."

"I... We... We didn't..."

My mind was too numb to make any sort of cohesive sentence. He stared at me, confused and worried. I glanced back down at the small pool of white liquid between my legs. His eyes followed mine. And then, to my surprise, he did the last thing I think I ever would have expected him to do in this situation.

He laughed.

"Jeez, is that what you're freaking out about. God, don't scare me like that," he chuckled, letting out a huge sigh of relief. "I thought there was an actual problem or something."

Although I knew I should probably be more pissed at his nonchalant attitude, I think it honestly left me more dumbfounded than anything else.

I stared at him, slack-jawed and confused. "But... I... What if..."

"I'm sterile."

I couldn't tell if I was still spiraling from my initial panic or just in shock at his words, but either way, they weren't really sinking in for me. I stared at him blankly, trying to make the words connect with some meaning inside my brain.

"I... umm... What?"

He smiled, giving a casual shrug. "Water's in the pool but there's nobody swimming, if you catch my drift."

"So... I..."

"Would become the next Virgin Mary before you ever gave birth to my damn kid," he laughed. "Sorry, guess I should have told you that from the start. Could have saved you a panic attack."

A small snicker escaped my lips at his words. And, along with it, my fear. I could feel my muscles starting to relax. My heart slowed back to a normal rhythm and the world stopped spinning around me. Once again, with just a few little words he somehow managed to remove all my doubts and put me at ease.

"Don't worry," I reassured him playfully. "I'm sure I would have had one at some point or another during the day today. Just think of it as you saving me the trouble of having to have one later."

"Aww, don't tell me you're regretting things already." His tone was teasing, but I could see a hint of genuine worry in his eyes as he asked.

"No... not regret," I sighed. "In fact, I think regret is probably the one emotion I don't feel about all of this."

Despite the more than apparent curiosity on his face, he didn't press the issue. We may not have known each other long, but I felt like I was really starting to get a good idea of the kind of guy that Mason was.

The thing that stuck out to me the most was his kindness. He was the kind of guy who was always willing to help out someone in need. Whether that was helping a new neighbor to mend their fence, or just looking the other way when a topic came up that would clearly make someone uncomfortable to talk about. He'd just keep his mouth shut and smile through it all as if he'd never heard it in the first place.

Considering how many cringe-inducing awkward moments I'd been spared due to that very trait, you'd think that I would be thrilled with it. However, sitting here now, in this obvious "elephant in the room" silence, I couldn't help but feel a little bit resentful of it.

Maybe it was because, in reality, I actually wanted to talk with Mason about everything that was bothering me. To have a confidant. Someone who would be there to listen to my problems and grievances. A friend that I could confide in. And, God, if that was going to be anyone in this phony "white-picket" neighborhood, then it was going to be him.

But I wouldn't. That wasn't his burden to bear. As nice as being with Mason was, I wasn't delusional about the nature of our relationship.

We were fuck-buddies. That's all. His obligation toward me started and ended with body-shaking orgasms. An obligation which he had already more than fulfilled for the day. It wasn't his job to sit around and listen to me bitch about my problems. And I wasn't going to make it his problem either.

"So, umm, back to what I was saying before the spiral," I commented, hoping to break the awkward silence. "Where is your bathroom?"

"Ah, do you want to shower?"

Shower? I didn't even think of that. Although, I could easily see how he came to that conclusion. I bit my lip looking down at the mess between my legs.

"I don't know... I probably need to, but I think it might make the neighbors a little suspicious if they see me leaving here with wet hair," I explained. "After all, 'moving' or not, it'd be weird for me to take a shower at some random neighbor's place when I could just take one when I got home."

"You can hang out here until your hair dries," he offered. "I don't mind. I'll order a pizza or something and if anyone asks, you can just say I insisted on treating you for all your hard work. After all, I believe a pizza is still the standard payment for helping somebody move, right?"

It was a tempting offer to be sure. After all, it's not like Phil would be home anytime soon. Plus, I had my phone if he tried to call about anything. But all that was secondary really. In all honesty, I just didn't want to leave Mason yet.

Sex aside, I liked being around him. Something about being with him made me feel at ease. Again, maybe it was just the knowledge that I didn't have to put on an act around him. But whatever the reason, I didn't want to leave. Not any sooner than I had to, at least.

Still, I knew that I was playing a dangerous game right now. Every second I stayed here was another second that I risked somebody questioning what we were doing here together. Sure, his explanation was reasonable enough, and I think we did a pretty good job setting up the foundation for that whole "moving" excuse with our unpacking earlier, but there was still a risk. However small. And considering how much I'd already pressed my luck so far, I wasn't sure if it was one that I could afford to take.

"Besides, I don't really think you have a choice at this point," he commented, his voice breaking through my paranoid thoughts. "After all, what would be more suspicious: You coming out of my house with wet hair? Or you coming out of my house smelling like sex?"

I couldn't exactly say he was wrong about that. At least I could make a half-assed excuse about the shower, but the sex smell? I might as well wear a neon sign announcing to the neighborhood what we were doing together. Not to mention the kind of hell that would break loose if someone like Greta Hillard managed to catch a whiff of what was going on.

I could already see her: eyes wide and sparkling, grinning ear to ear, perked up like she'd just gotten her second full-body lift. No way in hell she'd let something that blatantly obvious slide by her. I'd be the talk of the neighborhood by dinner. And then when word finally got back to Phil...

I let out a heavy sigh. "Alright, alright. Fair point. You sure you don't mind me hanging out here until my hair dries?"

"Well, I certainly wouldn't be opposed to keeping you around a little longer," he hinted, winking.

"The point of the shower is to get rid of the sex smell. Remember?"

"Ah, right. Well, that's fine too." He shrugged. "Like I said, we can just eat lunch together. Plus, it probably wouldn't hurt for us to do a little bit more unpacking too. After all, I think you leaving here too clean would be equally as suspicious. Especially considering you allegedly unpacked boxes all afternoon."

"Yeah, that makes sense," I mumbled, thinking it through myself.

"But that's a problem for later," he said, standing. "Come on, I'll show you the bathroom."

You'd think that after everything we just did, something as simple as following him to the bathroom would be no big deal. However, that wasn't the case.

Walking around his house naked like that, standing completely exposed in the open hallway, I felt as if I were on display. As if there were eyes around every corner, watching my every move. I hugged myself, trying to cover up a little, but somehow, that only seemed to make me feel even more exposed.

Luckily, the bathroom was just across the hall. I swear I could feel every muscle in my body relax at once the moment I stepped foot into it. No windows, no open space. Small, private, safe.

"You go ahead and wash up. I'll go unpack you a clean towel."

"You don't have any towels in your bathroom?" I asked.

"What part of 'I've been living out of boxes' did you not understand?" He chuckled. "I haven't even moved the box with the bathroom stuff over here yet. You really think I have towels unpacked?"

"Why don't you just grab the whole box when you're grabbing a towel? At the very least your stuff would be in the same room then."

"Yeah, yeah, I will," he agreed flippantly, heading out the door. "Some other day though. I'm a little busy today."

I crossed my arms, letting out a heavy sigh. "This is the reason you're still living out of boxes."

His laughter echoed from the hallway. I rolled my eyes and shook my head, turning towards the shower.

The second the hot, steamy water hit my skin it was like it melted away all my troubles. I let it run down my body, savoring the feeling as it warmed me slowly from the outside in. I was relieved to see that Mason at least had the common sense to unpack his soap by now.

His body wash smelled exactly like he did. I smiled a bit as the familiar scent surrounded me. It was just like him. Warm and comforting.

Unfortunately, I knew it couldn't last. I'd probably have to take another shower to wash it off when I got home later. We didn't own anything that smelled like this, and the last thing I needed was for Phil to question why I smelled like another man's soap.

Still, the knowledge that I'd have to rid myself of this scent so soon made me sad in a way. Like I wasn't ready to let go of this part of Mason quite yet. No matter how small of a piece it might be.

My thoughts were interrupted as a pair of hands suddenly slid onto my waist. His lips pressed against my neck. A breathy chuckle brushed against my warm skin, cooling it slightly.

"God, you girls really do like your showers to be the temperature of Satan's piss, huh?"

I smiled and leaned back against him, soaking in the feeling of his arms around me. "Aww, what? Can't handle a little hot water?"

"Oh, I've handled hotter things," he teased, sliding his hand between my legs.

I hummed contentedly as he rubbed against me gently. His fingers teased the entrance of my lower lips. I felt something hard start to press against my back.

"What? No objections?" He murmured. His voice was an enticing mixture of surprised and hopeful. "What happened to 'taking a shower to get rid of the sex smell' and all that?"

"Oh, I will."

I reached back, grabbing his hard member. He let out a soft grunt as I started to stroke it gently. I leaned up, grazing my teeth against his neck.

"After I'm done fucking you," I clarified.

I saw his eyes flash with excitement and lust as he looked at me. A mischievous smile filled his face. His hard member twitched in my hand. My heart fluttered under his hungry gaze.

No, our fun wasn't over quite yet. In fact, I'd say it had only just begun.