Page 54 of Semantics

Having slowly slipped out of bed so as not to wake Violet, Stella located her clothes on the floor. She hadn’t bothered to put anything on after her shower and hadn’t asked Violet to borrow anything to sleep in, either. At first, she’d worried that maybe they shouldn’t sleep naked again because she needed to actually sleep and was too sore for more sex, and just looking at Violet now had her wanting. Them sleeping naked meant it would be likely to happen again, but then Violet had emerged from the shower and, after drying off, she’d slipped beneath the sheets without putting on clothes, either. They’d fallen asleep not long after that, which meant that Stella had had about five hours of sleep. That was more than she’d gotten the night before, at least.

She dressed quietly but quickly, grabbed the rest of her stuff, and unlocked the door to Violet’s bedroom. Walking down the hallway, she pulled out her phone and was grateful that she still had ten percent left on her battery because she needed to order a car. She went to the app and thought she’d order a car and head outside to wait for it to reduce the risk of running into one of Violet’s roommates, but that was when she noticed the alarm panel next to the door.

“Shit,” she whispered.

Stella had no idea if the alarm would go off if she tried opening the door, but she assumed that it would. Then, she’d leave, and the door would remain unlocked, which meant that someone could get in. The likelihood of that happening was slim, but if someone came in and stole their stuff or worse, she’d never forgive herself. She looked around, not knowing what she was actually looking for, and when her eyes landed on the opening that led to the kitchen, she jumped back and gasped.

“Hey,” Arlowe said and sipped on her coffee. “Trying to make an escape?”

“What? No,” she replied. “And you scared the shit out of me.”

“Sorry. I heard someone walking around out here.”

“What are you doing up?”

“I’m a coder,” Arlowe replied with a shoulder shrug.

“O-k-a-y,” she said, lengthening the word.

“I pull all-nighters all the time. Sarai likes to suggest that I only survive on sugar and caffeine.” Arlowe shrugged again. “She’s not wrong. Coffee?”

“No, thank you,” Stella replied. “I need to get going. I was about to order a car.”

“Does Violet know you’re running out on her before she wakes up?”

“She’s awake,” Violet said, emerging from the hallway. “And yeah, I knew. Can you give us a minute, Arlowe?”

“Want some coffee?” Arlowe asked.

“No, I’m going back to bed in a minute, but thanks.”

Arlowe nodded and disappeared back into what Stella guessed was the kitchen.

“You’re running out on me now?” Violet asked with a lifted eyebrow.

“Not running out. I figured I’d leave before they woke up. I didn’t expect Arlowe to be up this early.”

“She’s not. She hasn’t gone to bed yet.” Violet walked over and entered the alarm code. “You could’ve woken me up.”

“I know. But you were asleep, and I didn’t want to. You were also naked. I see you, unfortunately, put on clothes.”

“I don’t usually walk around my house naked.”

“No?” Stella asked. “Also unfortunate.”

“I’m sure my friends would disagree with you,” Violet replied and laughed one of those morning laughs of someone who hadn’t gotten enough sleep the night before and who’d also maybe screamed their pleasure against a wall the night before.

“Well, I happen to live alone,” Stella reminded. “You can walk around naked at my place later.”

“Later when?” Violet asked.

“Later tonight,” she replied. “If you’re free.”

“Again?” Violet asked, leaning in. “I am so sore…”

“And you can recover today and come to my place tonight,” she suggested and placed her hand between Violet’s breasts for a second.

Then, she ran a fingertip down Violet’s chest, past her belly button, and over her center.