18Author's Note: This can be a stand-alone or I could add to it…It's really up to you all I suppose. If anybody's interested in reading beyond this point there's definitely room for more with this storyline, I think. Let me know.
I saw her the moment that she stepped into the room…which would have meant more if I hadn't been watching the door for her. Her eyes scanned the room the moment she stepped in, taking in everyone and everything, absorbing every detail about the room, as she always did. Her dark, intense eyes zeroed in on me after just a few seconds, finding me in the crowd almost instantly. I held her gaze as long as I could, all the while zoning completely out of the conversation I was supposed to be having with my soon-to-be mother-in-law.
I absently excused myself from the conversation and headed right for the tall, beautiful woman that had just walked in. Everything seemed to slow down as I walked toward her, her dark gaze still locked on mine and her designer-suit perfectly outlining her strong form. She looked gorgeous, which was the first thing that had popped into my head when I had seen her.
She just watched me approach, her perfect hands slipping into her pockets. I wanted to wince—she knew that I loved her hands and she was hiding them from me, but I guessed that it was what I deserved. We were, after all, would-be lovers and best friends that were standing face to face for the first time in nearly a year…at the party celebrating my engagement to someone else.
"Hi," I said when I finally found my voice. Her eyes traced my face slowly, from my lips to my eyes and back again, lingering for a long moment before dragging back up to my eyes. She had always loved my eyes.
"Hey you," she said, one corner of her mouth crooking up into a bit of a smile. Her eyes didn't leave mine, not for one moment.
"I…uh, I'm glad that you came. Really," I said, wanting desperately to reach out to her somehow. I wanted physical contact, wanted her arms around me, wanted to hold her…but knew that it couldn't happen there, not like that. I saw a similar longing in her eyes, one that was present nearly every time I saw her. My best friend always wanted me in the worst way—the exact reason that we hadn't seen one another in so long.
"Yeah, well…I wouldn't have missed it, Kels," she said, her voice low. Her gaze was burning into me so intensely that I felt as if I could melt into a puddle on the floor. I looked around the room, finally tearing my gaze from hers, and when I looked back up at her I had an eyebrow quirked in question.
"I appreciate that…where's Jen?" I asked her. Jen was her girlfriend, someone she'd been with for the past six months or so. That's what I'd heard anyway…we had not seen each other in so long that I hadn't even met this girlfriend I was asking about. My friend cracked another small smile and shook her head.
"She's not coming…we broke up a few weeks ago," she told me, shifting her stance slightly. She squared her shoulders and stood up to her full height, a sexy three inches taller than me, and looked down at me intently.
"You broke up? Why didn't you tell me?" I asked her as I bravely held her gaze. She shrugged. Her broad, elegant shoulders caught my eyes with her shrug, but I forced myself to stay on-topic. It didn't make sense that she wouldn't tell me Jen wasn't coming.
"It wasn't a big deal, really. Mutually ended…we decided we didn't have enough in common. So where's Tom?" she asked. I hesitated for a moment, distracted by the information I'd just received, and looked around the room for my afore-mentioned fiancée.
"Oh, he's talking to our parents, over there," I nodded in their direction and turned back to my friend. She was easily the most attractive, affluent, imposing figure in the room; urban and intelligent and absolutely breathtaking. I chewed lightly on my lower lip and reached out to her. For a moment, she just looked at my hand…after a few moments she reached out and took hold of me. A jolt of something amazing zipped up my arm when she took my hand, but I ignored it. I led her toward my fiancée and our parents, and as we weaved our way through the crowd, she leaned forward and whispered into my ear.
"You know how I feel about your parents," she murmured, her breath tickling my skin. I shivered and turned to look back at her, smiling widely. She had never gotten along with either of my parents—mostly because I had never gotten along with them. They had never treated me well and that really burned her up.
"Yeah I know…but this is all part of a family function, you know? You're family; you get to hang out with my parents. Besides, you're a big-shot doctor now! What's your deal?! You can handle my parents," I told her, relieved to be able to banter with her like we used to. She just scoffed and nodded, gripping my hand tighter and following me to where Tom stood with our four parents. Even once we reached them, I didn't release her hand right away, instead reveling in the feel of her skin against mine. No one seemed to notice.
We made small talk with the parents for a while, and I eventually ended up glued to Tom's side, looking at Mia from across the group as we all talked about the various trips they had made to attend the party and wedding. Mia had just arrived from Los Angeles that day, and after we talked about what an incredibly long trip that was, she excused herself from the group to go get a glass of champagne.
The moment Mia was out of earshot, Tom's mother (also a lesbian, by the way) turned to me and whispered urgently in my ear.
"Kelsey Myers, why didn't you tell me that your friend Mia was a doctor, and a well-dressed, gorgeous one at that? That girl looks as if she just stepped out of GQ magazine. Wow," she murmured, fanning herself with one hand. I gasped and looked with wide eyes across the room at my amazingly attractive friend. I looked back at my future mother-in-law.
"Joyce, are you serious?!" I gasped, laughing in spite of myself. Joyce was easily twice our age but was looking at Mia as if she wanted to devour her. It was ludicrous, so funny…I almost actually laughed out loud. I may have actually laughed out loud if Joyce wasn't talking about someone that I wanted so badly as well.
It was hard to even think that, still…but it was the truth. And the more that I watched Joyce fawning over her, the more it reminded me what a catch Mia really was. I shook my head and reached for a glass of champagne from a nearby table, downing it quickly.
The rest of the party passed eventfully—I spent my time trying to keep my cool as Tom's slightly inebriated mother obviously adored the woman who had traveled three thousand miles to see me. Tom was all over me, not leaving me a moment to myself. My parents were bickering with each other and belittling me at every turn. And finally, I was trying to avoid the intense gazes I was getting from Mia—at the same time trying to stifle the things I was feeling for her.
When the party was over, everyone went home and I found myself driving around town in my car listening to O.A.R. when I should have been going home and getting some rest for my wedding. I sang along with 'Crazy Game of Poker', which had been Mia's favorite song when we were teenagers.
I parked the car and got out, walking in the doors to the lobby and taking the elevator to the fourth floor. Down this hallway, turn left…I reached up and rapped on the door in front of me, unaware of what time it was but realizing that I didn't particularly care. The door opened in the next moment and there was the person I'd wanted to see.
"Kels, hey," Mia said, smiling at me. I grinned at her, unable to stop myself, and looked over her beautiful form unabashedly for the first time in a long time. She stepped aside, holding the door open for me.
"Thanks," I muttered, walking into the room. I stopped just inside the entryway, looking over at the king-sized bed in the middle of the room. The flat screen TV was on, some television show on LOGO playing. Mia's designer luggage sat open on a table near the window, and her suit jacket was draped over the back of the chair. By the time I turned to look at her again, she was standing directly behind me, just inches away.
"You want a beer?" she asked me, looking down at me with a warm smile on her face. She seemed much more at ease here, alone with me, than she had at the party. That shouldn't have surprised me.
"Yeah, please," I said, smiling back at her. She stepped around me carefully and opened the small fridge near the television, pulling two Sam Adams out. She opened them both with the bottle opener near the fridge and handed me one. I took it gratefully, stepping over to her bed and sinking down to sit on the edge.
I sipped my beer thoughtfully as I watched her take a gulp of hers before setting it down. She continued about her business as I sat there, seeming to have sensed that I just wanted to be in the same room with her for a few minutes before we talked about anything. I just sat and watched her as she untucked her white dress shirt from her ash gray suit pants. She unbuttoned the shirt and my breath caught as I watched her slip it off, putting it on a hanger and sticking it in the closet.
There she was, in her pants and bra, looking exactly how I'd imagined she might look without a shirt on. She reached into her suitcase and took out a white t-shirt with a v-neck, slipping it on smoothly before unbuttoning and unzipping her pants. For a moment, I knew I should look away…but I couldn't seem to tear my eyes from her athletic form as she took her pants off and folded them away neatly, standing in her white t-shirt and a pair of expensive-looking boxers.
I took in her wide shoulders, slim waist, and long body without reserve, my eyes simply feasting on her. It had been a long time since I'd seen her so unguarded. After standing for a long moment and taking a long drag on her beer, she looked back over at me.
"How are you doing?" she asked me. I chuckled, sipping my own beer and setting it aside on the nightstand.
"I'm…I don't know. This is the happiest I've been all week," I told her, watching as one perfectly-shaped eyebrow lifted slightly in question. Or maybe it wasn't question…maybe it was surprise at my honesty.
"Oh…are you just relieved that the party's over with, or what?" she asked, sitting on the foot of the bed, facing me. I felt a tingle in my stomach, and took a deep breath before answering.
"No, it's not that. It's being here, with you…with no pressure, and no worries, and…it's just so easy to be with you. Everything's crazy but you're solid for me," I told her, sitting back against the pillows, putting my feet up on the bed. They rested just inches from her, and she looked at them for a moment before slowly reaching up and carefully taking my shoes off, one at a time.
"Well I'm glad I could help," she said quietly, carefully setting my shoes on the floor near the bed. I let out a sigh, relieved to be incrementally more relaxed, grateful to her for knowing what I needed and wanted without me having to tell her. After a moment's hesitation, my friend took one of my feet carefully in her strong hands, and began massaging it expertly. I groaned and grinned, letting my head fall back, my eyes drift closed.
"Ohhh…I forget sometimes that you were a massage therapist before you were a doctor…" I moaned, laughing. She laughed too, shaking her head as I looked back at her. She continued kneading, stretching, carefully soothing my tired foot.
"Yeah…I forget too, sometimes. But its times like these I'm glad I was. I imagine you've been really tense planning the wedding and dealing with family being in town and everything," she said. I nodded, reaching for my beer and taking another sip.
"Yes, absolutely. You look amazing, by the way…did I mention that?" I asked her, changing the subject abruptly. She grinned widely and shook her head. She did look amazing, in so many ways. She was fit, her skin was tanned from the California sun, and every move that she made was measured, graceful, and beautiful to watch.
"No, Kels…you didn't mention that. Thank you, though. You look amazing, too. I'll bet you're absolutely breathtaking in your wedding dress," she commented, switching to my other foot. I sighed and melted into her touch, surrendering my tired muscles to her. Hearing her say that had, as it always did, an effect on me that I enjoyed but was discouraged to still feel. It would have been wonderful if I really didn't care for her the way that I did. It would have made things so much easier.
"You know, Tom's mother wanted to sleep with you. She thought you were the absolute most delicious thing she'd ever seen," I said, a smile tugging at my lips but something stronger pulling at my heart. Mia grinned at me.
"Really? That's funny…Did you tell her I only had designs on one girl at the party?" she said, her voice playful. But we both knew the truth to what she'd said. I smiled and shook my head.
"No…I didn't think she'd appreciate knowing that…" I murmured, sighing. Mia continued rubbing my foot without hesitating, but I saw the look on her face change slightly.
"I can't believe you're getting married tomorrow," she said, shaking her head. I couldn't believe it either—still. Another sigh escaped me and I sat up in the bed, looking at her intently.
"I never stopped caring about you, you know….that way," I blurted out, sick of talking and hearing about my impending nuptials. I hadn't come to her hotel room that night to talk about my wedding. Her dark eyes snapped up to my face, and her hands ceased their motions on my foot.
"What?" she asked me, her voice hard. I gulped and took a breath, my stomach feeling suddenly queasy.
"I said I never stopped caring for you…never stopped loving you. I love you still," I told her again. She looked at me, her face clearly showing her disbelief of what I was saying. She looked like she was going to cry as she quickly stood from the bed, standing in front of the television.
"Don't say that…I'm trying to be a good friend, here, and I'm trying to do right by you—I'm trying to support your marriage even though I don't agree with it. Why would you say that to me? We've been through this endlessly in the past ten years. I've finally made my peace with this…what are you doing?" Her voice had gone from quiet to angry to near-frantic, a sense of panic skirting the edges of her expression. I stood from the bed and closed the distance between us, wrapping an arm around her neck and one around her waist. I held her close, and though her body was stiff at first she quickly yielded to my hug.
We just stood there holding one another for a while…to this day I'm not sure how long it was because it was as if time was standing still for us that night. Her long, strong body pressed against me tightly and her muscular arms held me close…our curves fit perfectly against each other and I remember wondering why I'd never noticed that in any of our hugs before that point.
"You should be marrying me tomorrow, not him," she finally whispered, pain roughening the edges of her normally smooth voice as she gripped me tightly. I nodded into her shoulder, rubbing a couple of fingers across the back of her neck. Her skin was hot, flushed.
"I know," I whispered back, turning my head slightly and kissing the side of her neck. Her feverish skin was smooth under my lips, and I couldn't stop myself after kissing her just once. I pressed another kiss to her skin, and another and another…slowly kissing up her neck to her ear…then her cheek…then finally the corner of her mouth. We let go of one another enough to look into each other's eyes, and in that moment I think we both knew exactly what needed to happen.
The truth was, she was what I'd needed all along.