Cultural Exchanges Pt. 02

Something wasn't right. Not wrong, per se. More unexpected. There was a weight pressed on top of me; something soft and warm. Moving, just a little. A person, breathing. No, snoring.

I opened my eyes slowly. Even the ceiling wasn't right. Where was... Oh. Oh yeah. A broad grin slowly spread across my face. London. Meeting Emma. Spending time together. Spending the night together.

My mistake. Everything was right. It's just that everything before the last twenty four hours had been wrong, and I hadn't realized it.

I didn't want to move. She was sleeping so soundly; I'd like to think that was a compliment, but it could also have been that the jet lag had so screwed up my internal clock that I was awake at two in the morning. I looked, from my mostly static position underneath my beautiful lover, for some sign of time. No clock. My phone was in my pants somewhere on the floor. Window? Curtained; dim light, but it could be an overcast morning or a bright streetlight.

Bacon. I smelled bacon being cooked. There were voices, quiet but not hushed, somewhere past Emma's bedroom door. I wasn't really paying attention to the layout of the place when I came in, so I had no idea exactly where.

I felt the petite form on top of me shift just a tiny bit. I tried to stay still, not wanting to wake her if she still needed to rest. Unfortunately, not all of me got that memo. I felt myself hardening against her, and she shifted once more. Em sleepily muttered, "Again, cowboy? Really?" I couldn't suppress a laugh.

Her head turned to look at me; not up, specifically, but up in relationship to where we lay together, toward my face. Those pretty dark eyes were half open, and her smile was warm. The affection on her face made me melt. Well, except for that one part. It did the exact opposite, drawing a chuckle. "God, Jay. Have to give a girl a little rest, you know?"

"Sorry, it's got a mind of its own." I leaned up to kiss her, and she sighed happily before resting her head back on my chest.

"Been awake long?"

"No, just a few minutes. Wasn't sure what time it was; jet lag and all." Another kiss, this one on the top of her head, spurred her to burrow her face into my chest.

We laid there quietly for a time, just enjoying each others' presence. I stroked her back and she giggled just a little, ticklish. Emma kissed my chest and pushed herself up a little bit. "That was wonderful, Jay. I..." A bashful little smile. "Thank you."

"Thank me? That was..." I shook my head. "That was the best night of my life. Best day, too, before that."

Emma smiled shyly and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah." She pulled herself up to sitting, straddling me. I remembered her straddling me the night before, and she saw the look on my face. "Oh no, mister. Don't get any ideas."

"Too late." I chuckled, but only rested my hands on her thighs. She stretched; whether intentional or not, she gave me a perfect view of her tight, athletic body, the muscles shifting under her flawless dark skin. "God, Em, you're so beautiful." Suddenly self conscious, she started to pull inward just a little bit. I stroked her cheek and said, "Hey, no. I... I don't think I've ever seen anything so lovely. You don't need to hide anything from me."

She chuckled nervously. "I know, I just..." That pretty smile suddenly looked so unsure. "I really like you, Jay. Like, really like you. I don't do this, ever. Not once. I don't... I don't want you to think that I just wanted to..." She fell silent, a small flicker of shame in her expression.

"No! No, Emma. I don't either. I-- I need to feel something with someone to be with them. And-- god, it hasn't even been a day, and I feel more connected with you than I think I ever have. With anyone. I'm sorry if that's scary, I'm not trying to spook you or make you feel like..."

I was at a loss for words. How do you tell someone that you've just met that you can tell, just from a day with them, that meeting them is going to change the course of your life? How do you say that without sounding like a lunatic? How do you feel that and know that you're not a lunatic?

I continued carefully. "I'm not trying to put any kind of pressure on you. But I want you to know that, if you're feeling shame because of how fast we're moving? I don't think we are moving too fast. I think that we're moving exactly as fast as feels right for us, even if that might seem... irrational to other folks. Does that make sense?"

She laughed. "So you don't think I'm a slut, just crazy?"

"If you're crazy, then sign us both up for some thorazine." I sat up and pulled her into my arms, kissing her again with a tender, quiet passion. Emma's fingers ran through my hair as our kiss deepened, as her tongue slid into my mouth. Then she broke away with a gasp. "Uh uh, cowboy." She put on her horrible attempt at my father's accent again. "I got rode hard and put away wet. This little lady's all tuckered out." She hopped up off me, but I got a quick kiss in on her belly as she did, making her giggle.

We found our scattered clothing and dressed; I took the opportunity to get an eyeful of her in the daylight. That did not make putting my pants on any easier. When we were both ready, and in my case less ready, we went out to face the day.

It was a small place, as she'd told me the day before; we walked straight from her bedroom into the tiny living room, which was flanked by a tiny kitchenette and a tiny dining area. The table there was occupied by two people, a man and a woman, presumably Emma's roommates.

If she hadn't told me they were engaged, I would have thought they were siblings; the first word that came to mind was "stocky." They both had brown hair, brown eyes, and broad, pale faces. The man (Liam, I think?) had a mouthful of food and was chewing, but that didn't prevent him from having a slightly smug smile on his face. The woman, Erin, looked at me with a tiny playful smirk and said, "Well, yeehaw."

I turned bright red. Santa could have used me to light his way. Emma immediately facepalmed. Liam almost choked on his food. Erin laughed loudly and stood up, saying "Come on. Sit down and I'll fix you a couple plates. I imagine you two need to get your strength back up." I went from red to crimson and Emma groaned quietly.

It was good, if basic: bacon, eggs, toast, and strong coffee. Emma murmured, "Sorry about the noise."

Liam spoke for the first time. "Noise? What noise? Did you hear any noise, E?"

"Oh, no, not a bit. Well, a lot of shouting. Some moans. A bit of banging around." She looked up at the ceiling. "Oh, and was that a lonesome ol' coyote I heard howling at one point, cowboy?"

I stayed silent and let Emma field this. Was it cowardly? Yes. Was I going to do it anyways? Yes, absolutely. I put ketchup on my eggs and wondered how close in hue I looked to the bottle now.

Em snorted and said, "Fuck you guys. It's not like you don't keep me up often enough. 'Oooh Liam, it's so big! Oh, Erin, how do you do that with your tongue?'"

The clone couple laughed and kissed. "Oh, we're not complaining, girl. Just glad you got yourself some. Maybe you'll stop moping about now." She looked at me. "Assuming you're going to be around a bit? Or are you gonna ride off into the sunset?"

"I, uh. Neither? Both? Sort of? I'm here on business for a couple of months. I'll be on crunch for the first few weeks, so I'll probably be getting up at six and back to the hotel at eight." I looked over at Emma. "I probably won't be around much those days. I'll have Sundays off, and maybe Saturdays if things are going well, but..."

She put her hand on mine. "We'll work it out."

Erin said, "Wait, two months? When did you get here?"

"Uh, yesterday morning."

Liam and Erin both looked at me like I'd said I was from Mars. Then they looked at Emma with much the same look. Liam said, "Did... did he hypnotize you? Are you a doppelganger? Quick, tell us something only Emma would know."

"Again, fuck you guys." They both laughed, and she said. "I just..." She shook her head and told them about how we'd met and a brief summary of our day before. I felt like I was meeting her parents, not her friends, like she was making sure they were happy with the boy that she'd brought home before we went out on our first date.

Liam said, "So you arrived in a new country, threatened to kick the shit out of a Nazi, and then bedded a hot local girl in the first twenty four hours?" He laughed. "Fuck sake, lad. Way to make the rest of us look bad. You got any tips?" Erin elbowed him in the ribs and he kissed her. "Oh, love, you know you're the only girl for me. But seriously, Jay. Buy a scratch off or something."

Erin glared theatrically at him, then turned to me. "So, what do you two lovebirds have planned for today?"

"Well, we didn't really have any plans yet. Breakfast was as far as we'd gotten there. I had planned to maybe go see some more sights, but, ah..."

"Bit knackered?" Erin laughed. "I suppose you could always go back to your hotel." She smirked at Emma. "Alone or no." Her face turned back to me. "Where are you staying?"

I told her the name and she whistled. "Very nice. Quite near the university, too, isn't it, Em? Well, that'll be handy, ey?" She was really having fun making Emma squirm.

Liam finally said, "Okay, hon. I think they've had enough of the third degree. And you and I need to get going anyways; we're going to be late." He stood up and took Erin's plate. "It's good to meet you, Jay. I'm sure we'll be seeing you around." They chatted amongst themselves while cleaning the kitchen, leaving Emma and I to sit and eat in silence; I think neither of us wanted to make ourselves a target for more of their fun.

After they left, Emma sheepishly said, "I'm sorry. They're..." She chuckled ruefully. "They're good friends, but they really can be a couple of twats sometimes. They've been giving me shit about being single for so long, and now I meet a guy, and..." Her hand went over mine. "Sorry you got caught in the middle of them having fun with me. For what it's worth, I think they both do like you."

"I'll take your word for it."

She kissed me on the cheek. "Thanks for being a good sport." I heard a little purr in her voice. "I promise, I'll make it up to you later. But first..." Emma stood and picked up her plate. "I have got to shower. All that walking and then all that..." A little chuckle. "Give me ten?"

I thought about offering to join her, but decided against it. She would have invited me if she'd wanted to, and I wanted her to understand that while the sex was fantastic, it wasn't the only reason I was in her apartment. "Okay. I'll try to think of things I want to do today while I wait."

I didn't really come up with anything, and ten minutes was a gross underestimation. I ended up doing our dishes while I waited; might as well, and I was technically a houseguest. She came out wearing another sundress and carrying a shoulder bag. "You don't need to do that."

I shrugged. "Sure, but someone would have to. Your roommates cooked, I figure it's fair I do my share."

She laughed. "Oh, cowboy, you did far more than your fair share."

I could feel myself blushing a bit and focused on the plate I was scrubbing for the third time. "That was its own reward."

Em gave me a hug from behind, her face pressed against my back. "Finish up, Jay. I have something I need to ask you." I heard her moving around somewhere in her bedroom as I dried the plates and then my hands. We almost bumped into each other as she came out. "Oh!" I took the opportunity to steal a kiss, and she took the opportunity to squeeze my ass. It's nice when everyone gets something they want.

"What did you want to talk about?" I looked down into her lovely face as we hugged, and she turned a bit shy.

"I, ah. I know you've got to get an early start tomorrow. And I don't want to-- I know we spent the night together last night, and I... " She stole the kiss this time. "It was wonderful. But I don't want you to feel like-- I know that we've just met and I don't want to." She shook her head. "Fuck, I want to stay with you tonight, okay? But I don't want you to feel like-- like you have to say yes. I know that you've got your work and--"

This wasn't a stolen kiss. This was pure, straightforward plunder. I pulled Emma tight against me and pressed my lips to hers, licked at them and felt them open. She moaned into my mouth and responded in kind, our tongues dancing with each other, before we finally broke away. "Got your bag packed?"

My company paid for all travel while I was in London, so we took a very overpriced Uber; thank god for the foolish extravagences of venture capitalists. I found the concierge and got my bag, then checked into my room a day late. "How many keys do you need, sir?" Emma was standing in the lobby, silhouetted by the morning sunshine as she watched people come and go. My heart skipped a beat just looking at her.

"Two."

The room was nice; smaller than I had expected, but tastefully appointed and clean. As I unpacked, Emma kicked off her shoes and reclined on the bed. "So, cowboy, given any more thought about what you want to do today?" I looked over at her and chuckled. She got shy suddenly. "Besides that. I, um, I don't know if we can today. You-- well, it's been a while and we were pretty vigorous last night. I'm a bit sore."

I tried and failed to not show my disappointment, but rallied quickly. "That's okay, Em. I don't want you to think... Look, last night was fantastic, but that's partly because it was a capper to an amazing day. You up for giving me another amazing day?" I grinned. "We can leave the fantastic night for another time."

Her laugh was so sweet, so effortlessly and almost accidentally sexy. "Promise?" Emma tilted her head to one side. "For what it's worth, I'm disappointed, too. I-- I hate that we're going to... well, I know that we've only got so much time together. Seems a shame to waste a night."

"Are you staying here tonight?"

"I already said I was." She bit her lip, voice suddenly concerned. "Did-- "

"Well, then, it's not a wasted night." I leaned over and kissed her softly. "Any night that ends with you in my arms couldn't possibly be considered a waste, Em."

She groaned. "God, why couldn't you be just a little bit of an asshole? Making it real hard to stick to my guns here, Jay." Then, with a chuckle, "Go take your shower. Tch! Don't even say it. There's a reason I showered at home."

Truth be told, I was exhausted; there was a part of me that was glad we'd be taking it a little easy tonight. I had no doubt that I could rise to the occasion. I'd have to be dead to not respond to her. But I doubted I'd put on the best showing, and I'd be exhausted in the morning. I wasn't even sure I was up for any sightseeing.

I took a little time in the shower to just decompress. It had been a busy twenty four hours, and letting the sweat and grime from travel, walking, and sex be washed away by the spray and soap felt heavenly. Relaxing. Maybe too relaxing. I'd just woken up, and I already wanted to take a nap again. But I had to stay awake to get my clock on London time.

After drying off, I wrapped a towel around my waist, then brushed my teeth and shaved. When I exited the bathroom, Emma's reaction was a raised eyebrow and a smirk. "Going to change right here, Jay? In front of an unmarried woman? How scandalous!"

"I could take my clothes and go change in the bathroom, if it offends your delicate sensibilities, madam."

She laughed. "Hell no! Strip for me, cowboy!" I whipped the towel away with a flourish, and she laughed again, then bit her lip. "Do a little spin for me, handsome. I want to see what my man's body looks like."

I obliged, giving a slow turn and posing just a touch for her. "Your man, huh?"

Her face was a little sad. "For a couple months, at least." She shook her head and smiled again, but I could see a little of the sadness was still hiding behind it. We were of the same mind there. "God, you're lovely, Jay. I still can't believe you're single. Were single. Are single. Fuck, I mean..."

"I know what you mean. It's okay. It's... this is..." I shook my head. We were in uncharted territory for both of us. An insanely intense and almost immediate connection, an ill-defined relationship that we were jumping into with both feet, and a hard time limit on it. There was no way this wasn't going to be weird, and we'd have to make it up as we went along. "Let's go with 'were single.' I can't imagine wanting to be with someone else while... while I'm here. Sound good to you?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, okay. 'Were single,' for both of us. I, ah, there's no way I'm going to be looking for someone else when..." Her eyes swept across me again, then she shook the look of lust on her face away. "Get dressed, Jay. I can't think with that thing swinging in my face." I, of course, danced closer to the bed with my hands behind my head, and she laughed, pushing me away. "Go, perv!"

As I dressed, we discussed plans for the day. We didn't have any. "Erin was being kind of a bitch, but she was right: I'm exhausted. I imagine you are, too?" I nodded. "Something low key, then?"

We took a short walk, both to get out of the room and stave off temptation, as well as to wake up just a bit. Lunch was next, a quick bite to eat at a sidewalk cafe. We chatted all the while, just little bits of nothing about our lives. I wanted to hear her voice and she wanted to hear mine; we could have been talking about the weather, as long as it was with each other, and we would have been happy.

A movie was next, one of those indie horror films that tried to seem deep but unraveled as soon as you thought about them. That was, if I'm honest, mostly just an excuse to have my arm around her while we watched. It was an excuse for her, too. She pretended to be scared so that I could pretend to protect her.

The movie was fine, but not particularly scary. We walked into the lobby more tired than we were when we went in; sitting in a cool, dark room for two hours will do that. We yawned at the same time. Emma laughed. "Cowboy, I know you need to stay up, but I'm not sure how that's gonna happen." Seeing the lascivious grin on my face, she kissed me on the cheek and purred in my ear, "Mmmm, if only."

Taking her hand in mine, I led her into the bright sunlight, where I suddenly saw the answer to our problems. "Come on." She trailed behind as I bounded forward like a kid going to a birthday party.

That wasn't far off, actually. It was an arcade, the type you rarely see anymore. The inside was a cacophony of bleeps, explosions, digitized voices, and people laughing and yelling. It was dark, but illuminated by bright, flashing lights. Emma looked less than enthused. "Really?"

"Oh, uh." Now I felt kind of dumb. "We don't have to if you don't want to. But this is what I'd do in college to stay awake during cram sessions, take a quick trip to the arcade and dump five bucks into a machine. Then I'd grab an energy drink and get back to it. The adrenaline and the caffeine could keep me going for a few more hours."

She rolled her eyes and grinned. "Okay, cowboy. Okay. You're lucky that I lo-- like you so much." Her eyes went a little wide, and she looked to the side. "So, ah, what's a good one for a new player?"

I let her Freudian slip go without comment. She was tired; that's all it was. Sure. "Well, none of them, really. They're designed to separate the player from their money. It's like Vegas, except the house can never lose at all. It's more about what you'd like to play, what kind of things you like. There's scifi, fantasy, cooking games--"

"Ooo, really?"

"Yeah, sure. Come on!" I found a co-op time management game, Sir Cooksalot, about a knight that had been demoted to Camelot's castle and had to earn his way back to a seat at the round table by making delicious food. It was a silly little bit of fun that I'd never gotten into, but a friend had adored. Our first forays were not very successful, but Emma and I played for half an hour, and she got good at it. Really good, way better than me. "You're a natural!"