The garage door rolled up with its familiar mechanical groan, and Noah pulled into the space next to his other cars. Before he even entered the house, he could already hear Rose's voice calling out from somewhere inside, carrying that distinctive note of barely contained excitement that meant she'd been planning something.
"Welcome home, Noah! I've got everything set up for our movie marathon." She appeared in the doorway between the garage and the kitchen. She was practically bouncing on her toes, her long curly black hair caught up in a messy bun secured with what looked like a pencil. She was wearing her favorite oversized sweatshirt, one she'd stolen from him years ago and claimed as her own, and silk pajama shorts that showed off her legs.
Noah chuckled, holding up the bag of snacks and wine.
"Yes, you brought the snacks," she said, grinning as she reached for the bag. "Ooh, you got the good wine! And... wait, gummy bears? Oh wow! You actually put some thought into this." She peeked into the bag with the curiosity of someone who knew his shopping habits well enough to be surprised. "Hold up, these are the fancy ones. Since when do you buy artisanal gummy bears?"
"Since I met someone who convinced me they were worth the extra money," Noah said, following her into the kitchen. "Just let me grab a quick shower and I'll be ready for whatever you've got planned."
Rose nodded enthusiastically, already pulling plates and glasses from the cabinets with the efficiency of someone who'd done this routine many times before. "¡Perfecto! Take your time, I'll get everything set up. Oh, and Noah?" She paused, turning to face him with a slightly mischievous smile. "Make sure you put on something comfortable, okay? We're going to be snuggled up for hours, and I don't want you complaining about being uncomfortable halfway through."
The way she said "snuggled up" was casual, the way siblings talk about sharing space, but there was something in her tone that made him pause for a second. Rose had always been physically affectionate, hugs that lasted a beat too long, casual touches on the arm or shoulder when she was making a point, the way she'd curl up against him during movie nights without thinking twice about it. It was just how she was; warm and tactile in the way some people naturally were.
"I'll find something appropriately slouchy," he said, heading toward the stairs. "Don't start without me."
"Wouldn't dream of it," she called after him, already busy arranging things in the living room.
Under the hot shower, Noah let himself decompress from the day's strategic performances. The memories of the day swirled in his head. The feeling of Mai's wetness on his fingers, the encounters with Jasmine, Aria, Yuki, and now the unexpected connection with Layla at the store. Different masks for different audiences, and the weight of maintaining them all was more exhausting than he'd realized.
But here, stepping out of the shower and toweling off, he could let those personas fall away. He pulled on his most comfortable clothes, basketball shorts that had been through enough wash cycles to achieve perfect softness, and a t-shirt from some conference he'd attended years ago. These weren't clothes designed to impress anyone; they were simply his.
When he came downstairs, Rose had transformed the living room into what could only be described as a comfort fortress. The big sectional couch was loaded with pillows and throws, the coffee table was cleared and ready for snacks, and she'd dimmed the lights to create that perfect movie-watching atmosphere. The TV was already queued up to a streaming service, and he could see she'd made a whole list of movies.
"All set, hermano? Ready for some serious bingeing?" Rose called out from the kitchen, where she was doing something that involved the sound of ice clinking in glasses.
The easy affection in her voice made something in his chest relax. She was someone who didn't need him to be charming, mysterious, or strategically vulnerable. With Rose, there were no games, no hidden agendas. Just genuine warmth and the kind of uncomplicated affection that made him remember why he protected this relationship so fiercely.
"Yeah, I needed a night like this," Noah replied, sinking into the corner of the couch and immediately understanding why she'd insisted on comfortable clothes. The cushions seemed to swallow him up, and he felt the tension in his shoulders start to ease for the first time all day.
Rose appeared a moment later, carrying two wine glasses and the bottle, which she'd already opened. "Perfect timing," she said, settling everything on the coffee table. "I may have gotten a little excited about tonight. Can you tell?"
"Just a little," Noah said, accepting the glass she offered him. The wine was better than he'd expected, crisp and clean, with just enough complexity to make it interesting without being pretentious. "This is really good. Layla definitely knew what she was talking about."
"Layla?" Rose raised an eyebrow as she settled onto the couch beside him, tucking her legs underneath her. "Should I be concerned about some mysterious woman at a grocery store, who managed to get on a first-name basis with you after a single meeting?"
Noah laughed while taking another sip. "Well, I'm a big boy, so you shouldn't be concerned. She's just a woman who works at Meridian Market. We spoke while she helped me find some stuff, so I learned that she's very ambitious. And I also found it cool that she was so thoughtful about her recommendations."
Even as he spoke, he was aware of how carefully he was editing the story. Not lying, exactly, but presenting only the most innocent version of the truth. He didn't mention asking Layla out, didn't mention the way her eyes had lit up when she realized who he was, didn't mention the small thrill he'd felt at adding another piece to his growing collection.
"Aha! So it wasn't just about the wine," Rose said, grinning. "You met someone interesting. Tell me more."
"There's not much to tell," Noah said. He thought about mentioning the other encounters from the day: Jasmine, Aria, and Mai. But something held him back. Maybe it was the fear of the wine making him expose more than he wanted to, or maybe it was the comfortable intimacy of the moment, but he found himself wanting to keep this simple.
Rose represented something pure in his increasingly complicated world, and polluting this space with the complex web he was weaving felt like a kind of sacrilege. Here, in this cocoon of pillows, with someone who called him "brother" and cared enough to create perfect movie nights, he wanted to be the uncomplicated man she believed him to be.
"So," he said, gesturing at the TV, "what do you have for us tonight? Something with explosions, I hope?"
Rose's face lit up with genuine excitement. "Actually, I was thinking we could catch up on the most recent SuperTeam movies? You mentioned being behind on the whole cinematic universe, and I've been dying to see the latest ones."
"Perfect. Let's start from wherever makes the most sense. I like understanding how it all fits together."
"That's such a professor answer," Rose said, but she was smiling as she navigated to the right movie. "I just want to see the explosions and the hot guys in tight costumes."
They got comfortable as the opening credits began, and Noah found himself genuinely relaxing for the first time all day. The wine was doing its job, the couch was impossibly comfortable, and Rose's enthusiasm for the movie was infectious. They both talked throughout, pointing out references, explaining character relationships, and getting genuinely excited about action sequences.
"You know what's cool?" Rose said during a quieter moment, when the hero was having one of those mandatory scenes of self-doubt. "Seeing you get so into these movies. Most people wouldn't expect a famous author to be such a fanboy."
Noah laughed, taking another drink and feeling the pleasant warmth spreading through his chest. "Are you making fun of me for still loving superhero movies?"
Rose reached over to pat his knee, her hand lingering. "Not at all! Well, maybe a little, but in a good way. I'm sure your students love you because you're passionate about what you do, and you don't talk down to them. Besides, there's nothing wrong with loving what you love. There's something noble and real about that. It shows you're not just some pretentious millionaire. And that you still have that sense of wonder, you know?"
The wine was definitely affecting him now, making him feel more philosophical than usual. "Sense of wonder, huh? Is that what you call your summer of clubbing and partying across Europe?"
Rose chuckled, cheeks flushing slightly. Wine or embarrassment, he couldn't tell. "Okay, maybe not all aspects of my life are quite so noble. But the point is, we all have different ways of connecting with the world. Yours involves literary analysis and superhero movies. Mine involves... well, more questionable decision-making."
"Your friends posted videos of you dancing on tables in Barcelona?" Noah teased.
"Among other things," she said with a mischievous grin, switching to Spanish. "Pero no estamos hablando de mis decisiones cuestionables ahora mismo."
Ha. I guess we're not talking about your questionable decisions, huh?
They continued watching, the wine flowing freely as they laughed at jokes and debated the deeper meanings behind character arcs. By the time the first movie ended, Noah was feeling pleasantly tipsy, his inhibitions lowered and his senses heightened.
"Wow, that was actually pretty good," he said, his words slightly slurred around the edges. "Better than I expected."
Rose nodded, stretching lazily. The movement highlighted the curve of her waist beneath the oversized sweatshirt. Her small crescent moon tattoo peeked out briefly as she moved. "Right? That was fantastic. Want to watch another one?
Noah hesitated, feeling the weight of the day catching up to him. The wine was making everything feel both sharper and hazier at the same time. "Maybe just one more. It's been a long day, and I'm not sure how much longer I've got in me."
Rose nodded, queuing up the next movie and settling back into the couch beside him. As she moved, he caught a hint of her shampoo. Something light and floral that mixed with the familiar scent that was just... Rose. With his senses heightened by the wine, it seemed more noticeable, more present than usual.
As the second movie played, Noah grew more relaxed, his eyes heavy with fatigue and alcohol. The bottle was now three-fourths empty, the room gaining that pleasant soft-focus quality that came with being just drunk enough to feel detached from normal worries.
Rose noticed his increasing tipsiness. "Do you want to slow down? I'm still on my first glass, so you've killed most of this bottle by yourself. I don't want you to feel terrible tomorrow."
Noah waved her off, feeling invincible in that particular way alcohol could create. "I'm fine. I know I don't usually drink much, but I'm good for a little more."
Rose smiled sympathetically, refilling his glass but with noticeably less wine this time. "Fair enough. It's good to cut loose sometimes, right? Just don't go getting too crazy on me."
Noah laughed, leaning back into the cushions and closing his eyes for a moment. The couch seemed to be getting more comfortable by the minute, and Rose's presence beside him felt warm and familiar. "You know what's funny?" he said, opening his eyes and looking at her. "Today was supposed to be just another day. But instead it turned into... new people, new possibilities, new complications I have no idea how to handle."
"What kind of complications?" Rose asked, her voice softer now, more curious.
"The kind where you're not sure if you're making good decisions or just making decisions," Noah said, probably more honestly than he would have without the wine.
Rose shifted closer, her shoulder brushing against his. "That sounds like life, Noah. Most of the time, we're all just making decisions and hoping they work out okay."
"Damn, that's deep coming from the girl who told her mother she had a plan for her future just before deciding to throw it away and wander through Europe for a year. Almost sounds like an excuse for reckless behavior," Noah said, but he was smiling.
"That's different," she said, grinning back. "Life is messy and unpredictable, and that's what makes it interesting."
The wine and the warmth of the room were making him feel philosophical, and Noah found himself studying Rose's face in the flickering light from the TV. She was beautiful in that effortless way some people just were, but more than that, she was comfortable. She was home. In the soft light, with her dark eyes reflecting the screen and her hair slightly mussed from the evening's relaxation, she seemed both completely familiar and, tonight, somehow different.
Keep your shit together, he reminded himself. This is the one pure thing in your life. Don't complicate it.
========================================================================
The room was still dark when Noah felt someone tugging at him, but it wasn't enough to wake him up completely. He mumbled something under his breath and rolled over, pulling whatever was underneath him closer. It was warm and soft, and he wrapped his arms around it tighter, drifting back into a deep sleep.
Rose was getting frustrated trying to move his dead weight, breathing hard as she struggled to shift him off the couch. Then she lost her balance and tumbled forward, landing right on top of him. He grabbed her reflexively and rolled over, pulling her with him, then passed out again, this time on top of her. Her face went bright red as she realized how this looked.
"Oh shit, Noah! Wake up, please! This is getting ridiculous!" she said, half-panicked and totally embarrassed. She tried to push herself up, but his arms were locked around her like she was a body pillow.
Noah stirred a little, his eyes barely opening as he mumbled, "Mmm, not now. You can have more later."
More? More of what? Rose thought with mixed feelings about his words and their possible implications.
Regardless, she let out a relieved breath since he finally seemed to be waking up, but then she felt something big and hard pressing against her leg. Her eyes went wide, and her whole body tensed up as it hit her what was happening.
"Noah, you need to wake up right now! You're drunk and you have no idea what you're doing!" she said, trying to wiggle away from him. She started smacking his shoulder. "Seriously, wake up!"
He blinked a few times, trying to focus on her face. "Rose? What are you doing?"
She shook her head hard, trying to clear away the confusing mix of feelings that were definitely not appropriate right now. "I'm not doing anything, you pulled me down!"
Noah tried to shift his weight to get up, but his loose shorts had ridden up, and suddenly there was way more skin contact than either of them had bargained for. Rose froze completely, face burning as she felt his hard muscles and what she could barely believe was his semi-erect member against her skin.
"Oh my God, Noah! What the hell?!" she practically shouted, trying to cover her face with one hand while pushing him away with the other. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it might explode.
He looked down and realized what was happening, then let out a drunken laugh. "I... I have no idea how we ended up like this. But it feels really good," he slurred, the words all jumbled together. "Haha... Oh shit, what am I even saying? I must be drunk."
Rose shook her head, looking completely freaked out. "No, this is so not happening! You need to get up right now!"
Noah nodded and managed to roll off her, stumbling to his feet. "Yeah, you're totally right. I'm going to bed," he said, weaving toward his room like nothing weird had just happened.
Rose watched him leave in stunned silence, her heart still racing and her skin tingling from their unexpected encounter. Once he was out of sight, she collapsed back onto the couch, her hands trembling as she tried to process what had just transpired.
"Holy shit... that actually happened..." she whispered to herself, her face still burning with embarrassment, shorts dampened by lingering arousal. But that was something else she didn't want to think about.
She took several deep breaths, trying to calm down and get her thoughts together. Finally, she got up on wobbly legs and snuck back to her room, her mind spinning with confusion and embarrassment.
Noah collapsed on his bed, still fully dressed, his mind a blur of mixed-up emotions and too much alcohol. He passed out almost immediately.
Rose lay in bed, replaying the night's events. She couldn't help but smile at how comfortable they felt together, even during the tense moments. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep, dreaming of heroes.