It was at rock bottom I met you. 

mine of course. (Your immovable grace would never let you falter in such a way.) 

A birthday party, for whom i didn’t remember or particularly care; surrounded by people i was sure i would never see again. But the allure of free alcohol to further cloud my thoughts, and a way to quiet my friends worries of my current state of well being were too tempting to pass up. 

 I was half way down my sixth tall boy and you were being a social butterfly when our eyes first met. (It wasn’t cliche, and it wasn’t love at first sight, but you were beautiful so i didn’t mind staring.) Honestly i was surprised you could see me through the thick smog of melancholy and disinterest that hung so close to me, but you somehow found your way through and ended up by my side.

You were even more alluring up close, and i could feel the alcohol begin to cloud my inhibitions. With your classic smirk you introduced yourself in that smooth honey voice, that nearly left me unable to croak out my own introduction. But you smiled anyway repeating my name, it never sounding so sweet as it did on the tip of your tongue.

“You look like you’re enjoying yourself…” you said wryly.

“Just trying to loosen up a bit.” I lied shaking my now nearly empty can, praying you didn’t know how many I had already had.

“Here,” you laughed, leaning over the kitchen bar we sat at.

The perfect sway of your back and long leg line had my eyes dilating, and lip bitten to prevent any surely obscene comment from escaping.

“This works a bit faster.” you finished cocking the corner those smooth pick lips upwards again as you filled two short glasses from the bottle of soju you had just procured. 

“well, cheers” I said with a raised glass, as we threw back the first of what would be many glasses that evening.

We didn’t talk of much, shallow conversation you would usually have with someone you had just met on such an occasion. You seemingly found my aloofness funny, your laughter echoing through my empty chest. It’s weight in my chest was exacerbated by the heat radiating from you, the distance between us far smaller than i had recalled before we began drinking.

The blush of your lips, the tightness of your jeans on your hips, the slight glisten of sweat on your protruding collarbones had my fogged mind traveling to places not appropriate for polite company, and each shot we took brought those thoughts closer and closer to escaping my lips. 

Some point in the evening, I’m not quite sure when, you began refilling a single cup, mine. You must have been a sadist the way you smiled as all sense of sobriety flittered away with each drink. I amazed myself that I was able to continue conversation and not simply attach myself to your lips, forsaking what little space was left between us. You were a step ahead of me, as always, leaning in so close i could feel each word against the shell of my ear.

“Let’s get out of here.” Heat built in my chest with every word.

I honestly had no intention of coming here in search of a one night stand that would fade to it’s usual regret once morning came, but as you rose I followed suit. (Though as i watched your hips sway as we weaved our way to the door, i decided my regret would be having only one night, when i could think of countless ways to spend sleepless nights with you.)

The night air chilled my lungs, yet did little to sober me up. Luckily you assured me your apartment wasn’t far. As smoothly as my drunken stupor would let me, I s my arm around your waist hooking my fingers into your belt loops, not only to stable myself but to close the distance between us, my body craving the return of your warmth beside me.  You smiled, leaning in to whisper we had arrived.

You turned into the building, leading me through the deserted lobby and into the awaiting elevator. As the elevator closed what remained of my inhibitions was left in the lobby. You were pressed between the cold stainless wall and the fire you had ignited in my chest. My lips hopelessly crashed into yours my tongue barely waiting to run along your full bottom lip asking for entrance. Instead your teeth grazed my bottom lip, releasing it antagonizingly slow before the doors opened announcing our arrival.

Your apartment was five doors down and to the right. (Of course I would not remember that come morning.) We fumbled through the door kicking off our shoes, me continuously trying to attach myself to your hips, into your living room. We fell onto the couch, lips connected and legs tangling. Before I was able to begin to enjoy you fully you pulled away, standing, leaving me to feel that the cool fall evenings had began to set in.

Leaning in you whispered heavily into my ear once more before departing into what i assumed was the kitchen. Taking a moment I surveyed my surroundings. Art hung generously throughout the room, albums and records stacked neatly on a windowsill. (Our taste were similar, you a little more modern and slightly less eclectic, but it felt familiar none the less.) Soon I heard the hiss of a kettle, which was soon followed by you returning, two mugs in hand.

Taking a sip from your own, you sat, entangling your graceful limbs with my hopelessly fumbling ones before handing me a cup. The slow languid sip of buttered rum began to ease a chill in my bones so deep set I seemed to have felt it belonged there. Soon what little was left in our cups lay forgotten on the pristine white table, alcohol finally weighing down our, well more aptly my, blood.  

Pulling away from the kisses ghosting along your sleek jaw you smiled and cocked your head towards a closed door. “Let’s go to bed.”

 In the haze your presence left me in, I had nearly forgotten the lust that had coursed through my veins not an hour before. As graceful as I was able I followed, mind racing with how to end our evening. By the time I had closed the door behind me you stood in nothing but black boxer briefs, angular bones and toned muscles basked in the dim orange street lamp’s glow below your window. You crawled under the billowing red duvet and I quickly stripped myself of pants and over shirt to join you. The soft glint in your eye brought wordless swells of feeling I couldn’t possible describe from the base of my spine to the tip of my sternum.

I pulled you hips closer to mine, no longer able to stand the distance. Delicate fingers found their way to the base of my neck and led what I had only now realized was a very heavy head onto your shoulder. Lazy digit mapped every crest and dip of your hips and ribs as long fingers wove though my messy brown locks, butterfly kisses dancing on my temple.

Warm words danced along the shell of my ear as you whispered comfortingly sweet rambling of nothing I had no hope of remembering by morning. That night we slept together. Not having , but simply slept. I wasn’t sure what daylight would leave us, but I couldn’t remember the last time I slept so well.