The hot water was so soothing that it didn't take Kurt very long to get me relaxed.

With my face against the cool tile wall of the shower, I bent down a little further and reached back behind me, guiding him towards me.

I took a little breath, quickly settling into the gentle push/pull of his hips against me.

The movement of our skin, the grunt/exhale of his breathing, the warm water flowing over, in and around us. It didn't take me very long to relax.

*****

Dried off, I burrowed into the fresh sheets of his bed.

Their coolness felt so good I got dopey and my eyes started to flutter asleep.

"Don't fall asleep, babe," said Kurt, standing in the doorway of the bathroom, combing his hair. "I need to talk to you."

"If you loved me, you'd let me sleep," I said. "I'm so worn out, I just want to do a Rip Van Winkle."

"I'll make it quick." He came over and sat down, naked, on the bed beside me.

I leaned my lips forward and kissed the side of his thigh. He cupped the side of my face and ran a hand over the stubble across my cheek.

"We're not seeing enough of each other," he stated, rather coldly. "You're back at work," I said, "so that's to be expected. You saw plenty of me tonight."

"When was the last time we made love?" He crossed his arms.

I shrugged my shoulders and yawned. "I don't know." It wasn't like I didn't have any free time. I had stopped living at Mocha Daze since Steve and Peter were taking over the extra hours. In reality, I'd been home a lot more than I thought I had. Sitting in front of the VCR with a quart of ice cream.

"Understand, I've been alone for so long that I'm used to taking care of myself." I said. "Sometimes I forget that there are other people in my life. When I'm stressed out or feeling blue, the last thing I want to do is have sex. I'm too busy wallowing in my self-pity."

"I don't understand that," he said. "When I'm feeling bad, I feel a lot better when the people I love are around me. Making love is the icing on the cake. It makes me feel even better."

"Things are different. I don't know what else to say."

"Between us?"

"Between me and everything."

He reached over and stroked the side of my face some more. "If you want to talk, I'm here for you. If you're depressed, sad-- whatever--just tell me what you want."

"Right now, just give me my space, do the nasty with me once in a while, and we'll be okay. Don't crowd me by putting too many demands on me. That's what I want, right now. That's what I need."