"As much as I love having a beautiful woman playing with my hair," Gabe sighed, "I think this is going to require a scrub down in the shower." The fact that Zoe was a beautiful woman hadn't escaped Gabe's attention from the first minute. But it had been decided officially that what they were was friends only. Anything else would make things difficult and they were people that needed real friends in the city.
Forcing himself to sit up properly, Gabe kissed Zoe on the cheek and said, "put the kettle on, yeah? I'll be back in ten and we can coffee and eat and TV."
Standing was an effort and the dramatic groan he made while doing it fully illustrated this point.