Maybe the couch is a bit awkward, but the last thing I want to do is push. Being close to Claudia is what I want, even cramped together and half-convinced we'll end upon the floor, I don't care.

"Well..." I draw out the word, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear. A brush of my lips follows; the edge of her jaw and the base of her ear. It's tentative but my stomach jumps and I wonder what exactly I could offer her. A thought strikes, and crazy as it is, I whisper it, "whatever you want. Stay here more often. Not just this weekend."