Oh no,” Clara said immediately, “I told you. There's no hurry.”
“Well,” he frowned, “We're expecting a new delivery of cars tomorrow and I might not have another chance soon. Besides, I don't mind at all. I'd like something to do.”
She sighed in reply. “Well, if you absolutely insist. I'll stop by after work with something to eat, alright?”
John smiled and nodded.
OOO
As Clara made her way to the garage she couldn't quite believe that their meeting earlier had actually taken place. He hadn't mentioned kissing her with a single syllable. Okay, she hadn't mentioned kissing him either but her kiss was short and had actually made sense to her. It was a simple New Year's Eve kiss between friends. What John had done was. . . Clara didn't even know what it had been but it bothered her that he hadn't felt the need to mention it.
Maybe she had been wrong about him. After all, he was significantly older. He had already had a wife and a family. Maybe he could handle it, maybe he could handle being her friend and on some occasions being more than that when the mood struck them.
Clara knocked on the door before she carefully stepped inside and spotted John, his back to her, bent over the sink while he was washing his hands. Her eyes scanned the room and soon found her motorcycle.
“It looks finished,” she commented as she stepped closer, leaving the bag with their takeout dinner and her jacket on the seat of it.
John turned around, a boyish grin on his face. “It is. All done and ready for a ride.”
Her mouth fell open. “No way.”
“Way,” he replied with a proud smirk.
Clara looked at him for a moment as if seeing him for the first time. What if he couldn't handle it? What if she slept with him and it ruined their friendship because he would develop romantic feelings for her? Right now she was willing to risk it. John looked as nice in his oil stained work outfit as he did in a suit, maybe even more so and Clara had been alone for a long time.
“John,” she began, “I need to ask you something.”
He looked up, directly at her and he seemed a little confused. “Uhm. . . okay?”
Clara took a deep breath. “That kiss, last night. That didn't really mean anything, did it?”
John furrowed his brows.
“Well?” she pressed.
“I guess not,” he replied after a while, “Why do you ask?”
Clara bit her lip and approached him. If she did this there was no telling how it would turn out. If she did this there was no way back. She came to a halt right in front of him and placed both her hands on his shoulders. John raised an eyebrow at her.
“Clara?”
“John,” she smiled nervously, “I want to sleep with you. Right here. Right now. No questions asked. No talking it to the ground afterwards. Are you up for that?”
“I don't think I understand?”
Clara had run out of ways to make it plain to him so instead of talking she pushed herself up on tiptoes and kissed him. He was hesitant at first and the only reaction she got from him was his hands slowly wandering to her waist, holding her gently. Playfully she bit his lower lip at which he winced slightly, but John didn't pull back. Finally he opened his mouth to her and Clara trailed the outline of his tongue with her own while he pressed her body against him. He felt nice against her, especially now that he was beginning to loosen up. She slid her hands down his chest and it was warm beneath her palms, his heart beating fast. John was lean, but not too muscled and Clara became curious, wondering if the same silver curls that looked so handsome on him were covering his chest as well. Her hands wandered further down but when they had reached his belt John suddenly stopped her and pulled away.
“Should we be doing this? I thought,” he spluttered, “I thought we were friends?”
Clara gave a slight shrug. “Who says friends can't do this if they both want to?”