But my very favorite memories were different. They were mornings like this.

As you stretched your limbs out, eyes avoiding the morning sun for a few more moments, your fingertips connected with soft skin. Spencer grumbled from where he was face down into the pillow, seemingly annoyed at the disruption of his slumber.

“You’re still here,” you mumbled dumbly.

Spencer’s head shot up at the sound of your voice, bleary eyes finding yours with a sheen of disheveled panic. He rolled onto his back and quite immediately ran out of real estate, tumbling onto the floor and taking the sheets with him. He fumbled his way out of the mess of cotton, cursing and apologizing all the while.

“Spence, calm down—”

“Sorry, sorry, I try to be out of your hair by the morning, I don’t— I don’t know what happened. I— my alarm—”

“You set an alarm?” You cocked an eyebrow. “It’s Saturday.”

“Right, but— but I always set an alarm so I’m not just, like hanging around,” he explained.

“What makes you think you can’t hang around?”

He paused at that. “Well, we’re just— we’re just— fucking.” He whispered the word and you almost laughed. “I thought— I thought that would be breaking the rules.”

You did laugh then. “Spence, there aren’t any rules to this.”

He huffed out a breath. “Yes. Yes there are. You didn’t— maybe we didn’t say them out loud, but there— there are inherent rules to this type of thing.”

“Okay.” You pressed your lips together to tamp down on the grin that threatened to split your face in two. “Tell me the rules you’ve come up with so far.”

“No kissing. Hand holding only as a restraint. No pet names. No discussion of our escapades outside of the bedroom or with anyone outside of ourselves.”

“Escapades?”

You couldn’t believe it was possible, but his cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red. “Well, what— what would you call it?”

“Probably just fucking.” He was simply too easy to fluster. You propped your chin on your hand. “Any other rules you’ve come up with?”

He opened his mouth and then closed it, scrunching his brow and shaking his head. “Mm— no. No, that’s— that’s it.”

You tilted your head in consideration. “I don’t believe you.”

Spencer cleared his throat and stood, pulling the sheet around his waist and beginning the search for his clothes. He murmured something you couldn’t quite make out.

“Hm?”

“I can’t tell you.”

You sat up onto your knees. “Why not?”

Spencer stepped into his trousers and pulled them up quickly over his hips. “Because I broke it.”

You watched as he pulled his shirt over his head. “You broke the last rule?”

His head popped through the neckline of his crewneck and he nodded.

“Well.” You swallowed thickly. “I think now you have to tell me.”

He finally met your eyes. “It’s supposed to be friends. Friends with benefits. And I’m not— I don’t.” He sighed. “I can’t be just your friend anymore.”

You felt your mouth drop open. “Oh.” That wasn’t the right thing to say, apparently, because he sped up his movements, gathering the rest of his stuff in his arms. “Spence— Spence, wait.”

You cursed under your breath as he exited your bedroom. Scrambling up from the bed, you followed him into the living room. “Spencer. Just— hold on a minute.”

He turned to you, a melancholy already beginning to simmer in his eyes. “Why? Do you feel the same?”

You didn’t know exactly how you felt. You liked Spencer. A lot. But more than a friend? “No?” The melancholy boiled closer to the surface. “I don’t— I don’t know. Maybe, um. Maybe I could?”

His expression didn’t change. He stood quietly, contemplating. You did, too.

“I don’t know, Spencer. That’s the honest truth.” You ran a hand over your face. “I guess I hadn’t really thought about it. I haven’t thought about somebody that way in a long time.” You took a breath. “But I do like you. I like you a lot.”

“You do?”

“Of course I do,” you quipped. “I wouldn’t spend this much time with someone I didn’t like. Even if it’s mostly fucking.”

It was quiet for fifteen full seconds. Spencer shuffled his feet and then admitted, “I— I don’t know what to do now.”

You took a step closer. “I think— as much as it pains my libido to say— maybe we put the benefits part on hold for a while.” You waited for him to meet your gaze. “And maybe see if we can move from the friend zone to the lover zone. What do you think?”

—