Comfort

The scent of his hair lingered on her hand. The delicious smell wafted up her nostrils as she randomly rubbed her itchy nose. That scent, his scent, made her smile.

There time together had been innocent. She'd gone to the party to relax after a stressful week at work. They'd known each other for some time, having met through the friend who hosted that evening. They saw each other, sat on the comfy couch, chatted, and commiserated on their difficult work lives.

Then, randomly, he reached in for a hug. They had already greeted each other, so this gesture seemed a little odd to her, but she knew him and liked him, so she accepted the affection anyway. He squeezed her tight. The embrace was just this side of being painful.

As she felt his body against hers, somehow this hug was different from their initial greeting. There was even more warmth, more comfort than before. It came from a place of knowing they each needed more than the other had previously been aware.

He began to nuzzle his head against hers. She returned the move, switching her head back and forth, gently brushing her ear into his hair. Her hands began kneading his flesh. An audible sign escaped his lips.

She let her mouth join in on the affection. She lightly kissed his ear, then ever so slightly gripped the top of his lobe with her teeth. He moved his cheek onto hers, and lightly kissed the inside of her neck. His hands had started working on her back as well, kneading and massaging the tight flesh.

They kept their embrace, lost in their own world, while the rest of the party continued around them. Their lips never met. There was no sex. Instead they shared affection, a desire to be close to someone, and found in the other the comfort they each needed in that moment.

On her car ride home, as she still smelled him on her hand, a warm wave of comfort hugged her, and she smiled.