I shrug, and he kisses me so quickly that I have just enough time to register the softness of his lips before he draws back.

“I’m not sure what’s going on,” he says. “I don’t have any plans. Fuck, this is the opposite of careful planning. But I want you. I want to fuck you again.” His eyes darken. “I want to keep fucking you because that was the single most intense experience I’ve ever had.” I inhale shakily. “But I also want to be with you, Charlie, and I can honestly say I’ve never had that before. Usually, as soon as I’ve come, I’m preparing to fuck off. If you’d asked me yesterday what I’d do if we slept together, I’d have said that I’d have agreed with the way you skedaddled out of the flat this morning. But then it happened to me, and… You hurt me, Charlie.”

“Oh no,” I say, stepping into his arms and hugging him tightly. His body is hot, and the muscles in his torso are tight under my hands. “I’m so sorry, Misha.”

“I’m not,” he says.

I stare at him disbelievingly.

“Okay, I was fucking furious, but that told me more than I’d have learnt from having a long talk.” I glare, and he smiles. “It told me that this is important and that I need more of it. I know I won’t get that with a hook-up agreement.”

“So, you want to date? You don’t date ever.”

“Not until you.” He shrugs. “I can’t explain it any better. I woke up wanting a lot more from you, and you know me, Charlie. I don’t hesitate much with life stuff.” I repress a smile, and he looks suddenly unsure. “What do you think?”

I look at him. Really look at him for the first time today. My best friend is still here standing in front of me. He looks the same as he ever has, but there’s a difference now because I know what he feels like naked against me, the scent between his legs, and how he looks when he fucks me. Completely and utterly focused. And in the end, my decision is easy.

“I want more too, but we have to swear that if this goes wrong, we’ll still be each other’s best friends,” I say.

“I promise,” he says fiercely. “I don’t know where this road is going, Charlie, but we’re travelling together, and that’s all I’ll ever need.”