The next day, we go back to campus without really knowing where we stand with our parents. They haven't tried to call us or talk to us at all. Bella's mom let us stay with her over night and in the morning, we just decided to leave. Mom and Dad need some time to cool off before we have a real discussion.

It's Saturday and I know that Bella is going to a party tonight. She's been flirting with this guy in one of her classes lately and she's pretty confident that they're going to finally hook up tonight. I don't want to go with her, so I opt to just making myself a nice dinner and turning in early. I've had a long few days, so I don't mind just calming down for the day.

Since Jesse is with Clay, I have the apartment to myself while I'm making dinner.

As the chicken is in the oven, I'm about to decide on a side dish when there's a knock at the door. I look through the peephole and am pleasantly surprised to see Shaw standing on the other side of my door.

"Hey," I greet him with a smile and let him come into the apartment. "What are you doing here?"

"How'd it go?" He asks me. "You didn't stay home, so I'm taking that as a bad sign?"

"Yeah, it wasn't a great time," I sigh, going back to the kitchen. "You want to stay for dinner?"

"Always. What are you cooking?"

"Just some chicken and maybe a vegetable because I'm feeling good about myself," I say jokingly.

"So what happened? Did you go through with everything?"

"I did," I confirm with a nod. "I told them that I quit law, they went into denial and got pretty pissed. But then Jesse came out, and they got even angrier. My dad yelled a lot, my mom started asking him some really bizarre questions, and it was just all around a bad night for everybody."

"At least you told them," He leans against the counter and watches me cook because he knows that I don't like it when people try to help. I appreciate their willingness to try and help make the food, but I'd just prefer to do it all myself.

"Yeah, I know. It feels good. I feel good," I confirm. "What are your plans for the night?"

"I don't know, I was just going to hang out here with you," He says with a shrug.

"You want to get drunk and watch Bob Ross videos?" I ask him curiously.

"That's all I've ever wanted to do," He says jokingly as I get dinner ready. Thankfully, I cooked enough for two because I was planning on packing some up for dinner tomorrow as well, but I don't mind sharing. There are a bunch of Bob Ross episodes on Netflix, so we get our plates of chicken ready with some beer and head into the living room.

It's usually a thing that I do with Bella, watch Bob Ross's painting videos, because they're so calm and oddly motivational. I don't think that Shaw will enjoy it as much as Bella does, but it was the first thing that came to mind to ask him if he wanted to stay. I'd much rather spend my night hanging out with Shaw than spending it alone.

"You do this a lot?" Shaw wonders once the episode starts.

"Sure I do. You don't? Watching Bob Ross is like an immediate mood improver and it's even better when you're drunk," I explain to him. "Just shut up, don't knock it 'til you try it."

"Alright," He concedes with a small laugh. "I'm giving it a chance."

We're sitting far apart on the couch as to avoid any bodily contact. We've been doing well being just friends lately, but it gets trickier when we accidentally touch or make any unexpected eye contact, there's some awkwardness. I think that it's because we're both still attracted to each other and we want to be together, we just need to wait for things to calm down before we do anything. I'm okay with dealing with the awkwardness if it means that we can be friends.

"I got a phone interview, by the way," Shaw informs me after a moment of silence.

"That's so great," I grin at him excitedly. "What's it for?"

"This engineering firm," He says. "I put that I have my associates degree on my resume, which is why I'm even getting the interview. I've taken so many technical classes that I basically do have the degree so I'm not worried about that. It's in Seattle though."

"Seattle," I repeat slowly. "Wow. That's really great, Shaw. That sounds really exciting. But if you want to work in technology, why not just get a job with your dad? Isn't that what he wants anyway?"

"He doesn't want me to work at his company, he wants me to run it," He explains to me. "It's business crap, meetings, marketing, stuff like that. I don't want that, I just want to do the technical stuff."

"I'm excited for you," I assure him. "Let me know how the interview goes."

"I will. It's next week."

It sucks that he might go to Seattle because I feel like we're just now getting into a good friendship vibe but obviously, he should go to Seattle if that's where his dream job is. I'll be happy for him if he gets the job. As our conversation dies down a bit, I'm beginning to rack my brain for any culinary schools in the Seattle area. I know that it'd be ridiculous to move with him but I don't have any real reason not to. I don't want to stay here in Idaho and I don't have a desire to go anywhere specific.

"I probably won't get it though," Shaw adds after a minute. "It's a big company, they probably have a ton of applicants."

"You're really smart," I promise him. "I'm sure that you have a real shot."

I finish my dinner and my beer before getting into the stronger alcohols out in the middle of the first episode. "A drink to celebrate. All I have is Malibu, I know that's not the manliest of rum, but it's delicious, so drink up."

"Why are you trying to get me drunk?"

"I'm trying to get us both drunk," I defend myself as I'm pouring the rum into two glasses with a little bit of lemonade. "I just want to have a good night. Everything is coming together, you know? No more law, no more baby, no more bitterness towards Clay or Jesse. I am ready to just have a good night."

"Alright, let's have a good night then," He grins at me and then I hand him his drink. Although I know that it's a girly drink, he doesn't seem to mind and drinks it anyway.

"You should try to paint something," I tell him, sipping from my own drink. I made them pretty heavy on the rum, so it shouldn't take too much to get me drunk. I'm excited because I think that when I'm in a good mood, I'm a fun drunk. This will be a fun night. "He gives pretty clear instructions."

"When have I ever given you the impression that I can paint?" He looks at me suspiciously. "Or that I even want to?"

"I think that it would be funny," I justify with a short laugh. "Because you'd be so bad at it."

"I could be good at it if I tried," He defends himself now that I've basically challenged him. "It's just a bunch of trees and grass, how hard could it possibly be?"

"If I had paint, I would definitely test that theory, but I don't. Next time though, I'd love to watch you fall at painting little trees," I inform him and then I take another drink.

"It'll blow your mind," Shaw promises me. "Is Bella coming over tonight?"

"No, she's out at a party," I answer him. "I didn't feel like going out tonight."

"Jesse?"

"He's with Clay. Why?"

He glances over at me and then asks, "You really think that it's a good idea that we're drinking just the two of us in your apartment?"

"I don't know," I say slowly. "I guess that it might lead to something unplanned. I just figured that it's about time to relax, and alcohol helps me relax. If you don't feel comfortable with it, we don't have to drink tonight."

"It's not that I'm uncomfortable with it," He assures me. "I just think that you should be aware of the risk that comes with it. We might not be acting very friendly once we've had a few drinks."

"Right," I agree with him. "Maybe, if it happens then it happens. If we don't want it to lead to anything tomorrow, we can just blame it on the alcohol."

"That sounds good," He tries to hide a smile. I feel like what he just heard me say is that I'm going to sleep with him tonight, which is absolutely not the case. I'm only saying that it might happen if I have too much to drink, but I don't think that it's likely. Us being just friends is going so well that I think that I'll take a lot of alcohol to make me jeopardize that. And Bob Ross isn't exactly prime making out material, so I think that we're safe.

I don't clarify for him, I'll just let him believe whatever it is that he wants to believe and we'll just see how the night goes.

I get drunk faster than I thought that I would and I think that Shaw can tell when I've had enough, because I start talking to Bob Ross through my television and laughing a bit too hard when Shaw says something funny. Or when he just says anything that's not even meant to be funny. I'm not the only guilty party though, because Shaw's words are slurring and he's got quite the case of giggles as well.

"We don't make mistakes, we have happy accidents," Bob Ross tells me from the TV.

"You really think so?" I ask the TV and then I look over at Shaw. "You really think that we only have happy accidents?"

"I don't know, is that what you think?" He throws my question back at me, which is completely unhelpful.

"Meeting you was a happy accident," I inform him. "Having sex with you was probably a mistake."

"Really?" He scoffs at me.

"Yes, really," I assure him with a nod. "It led to so many problems."

"Problems that you overcame," He says. "It was worth it for you, I was the best you've ever had."

"I've only slept with three guys, including you, so I wouldn't say that being the best I've ever had is that much of an accomplishment," I remind him with a short laugh. "One of them was gay and the other one was a quickie in an abandoned building, so I wouldn't say that your competition was very competitive either."

"I'm also the best you'll ever have," Shaw promises me with a slow nod of his head.

I don't doubt that, but I also don't want to admit that to Shaw. His ego is already so big. "You're so full of yourself."

"I bet that you want to be full of me too," He says jokingly and it makes both of us start laughing.

"You're disgusting," I accuse him even though I am still laughing at his terrible joke.

I really thought that it'd take more alcohol for me to want to kiss him, but I was wrong. I shouldn't have brought up sex, so this is my fault, but I really want to kiss him right now. I know that we were going to just be friends, but I think that this new stage in my life should be about me being happy. Doing things that make me happy.

And being with Shaw makes me happy.

Right now, I feel like kissing Shaw will make me happy. Seeing that look that he gets in his eye when he sees me naked will make me happy. What could it hurt? I just want to be happy.

"Just make big decisions, drop them in, let it go," Bob Ross is giving me some very sage advice from the television, but I'm still staring at Shaw because he's staring at me and I can't look away. He's already getting my blood pumping, and we haven't even touched.

"We're really going to do this, aren't we?" I lean against the back of the couch.

"I told you that it'd be a bad idea if we started drinking just the two of us," He reminds me in a gloating voice. "But to answer your question, yes. We're really going to do this."

"I thought that I'd have more will power," I admit to him. "And that we'd learned our lesson after that ridiculous pregnancy scare."

"I never learn my lesson," He says to me.

"Good for you then, that I got an IUD."

"What's that?"

"Doesn't matter. The point is that I can't get pregnant again," I inform him. "It's still a bad idea."

"You already said that it's going to happen. No take backs."

"I can take it back if I want to," I tell him, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Do you want to?" He raises his eyebrows at me, leaning over to put his hand on my jean clad thigh. "Because by the way that you're looking at me, I'd say that you don't want to."

"Maybe I do."

"Then take it back," He challenges me.

Of course, I'm not going to because I've already decided that this is going to happen. I've reasoned it in my mind by telling myself that I should just do what makes me happy, even if that includes Shaw. He used to be an awful asshole, but he's changing. And so am I.

I think that I can see a boner already starting to grow in his pants, which is turning me on even more. When he sees me looking down at his pants, it makes him laugh.

"I knew it. You're hopeless around me," He says with a smirk on his face.

"So are you," I defend myself. "You want it just as much as I do."

"Maybe even more," He shamelessly admits to me.

I lean over and kiss him. It feels right. It could just be the alcohol that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when we kiss, but I like it. I really like it. And I'm proud of myself for finally getting to a place in my life where I can comfortably do what I like, what makes me happy.

I haven't done that in a really long time. Even the first few times that we'd slept together, it wasn't to make myself happy like I thought that it was, it was just to distract myself from my pain. But now that I've moved on from all of that bitterness and hatred, I feel at peace and I'm good with where I'm at in life. With or without Shaw's body. Even if it's not the best decision, I think that it's the right decision for me right now. Because I'm happy, and I think that that's all that really matters.

"We're just going to try it and see if it works," Bob Ross tells us as we're wildly making out on my couch. "And if it doesn't? Hm, we've had a good time anyway. I've certainly enjoyed being with you."

-------------------

My new story is out now on Radish! This new story is called Hazed. Here is the summary:

Heather is a homebody whose only human connection is her brother. Her world revolves around painting, and keeping to herself. However, that all changes when her brother ends up dead after a night of partying at his fraternity. Hungry for revenge, Heather starts to change everything about herself to go undercover at the university to make sure that the people responsible for her brother's death pay. How far will she go to get revenge for her brother's death?

To find it on Radish, search writerbug44 to find my stories and then find the Hazed cover. Radish is a free mobile app, and the story is freemium. That means that right now, you can read the story for a few cents per chapter. Eventually, the story will be available for free on Radish. Once the story is completely free on Radish, I will also be making it available here on Wattpad. If you have any questions about Radish or the story, feel free to message me!