Mika sighed restlessly as she flipped through the channels. Ted had called a 1/2 hour ago and was on his way. Eyes moved to the clock, it would be at least another 3 hours before Janey was expected back. She could always use the excuse of playing dumb, but Janey knew Ted would know where he was. This was far too complicated. The ringing doorbell brought her to her feet before moving towards the front door and swinging it open. G-d, he was cuter than she remembered. He half smiled, ruffling a hand through his hair.
"So, this is a little bit awkward." Mika giggled. He could have fallen in love with her right then if she wasn't standing in Janey Abramowitz's doorway.
"Um, come on in." She stepped out of the way, letting him through. He walked through this place with such sureity. It was almost creepy to think of the way she hung in the inbetween space of lives. That past present and future were meshing as he walked through that door. She took a deep breath, if he were here, it meant something. This wasn't her usual style, getting all caught up, but there was something about him. The sheer honesty. The transparency his eyes lent themselves to.
"Sooo, umm.." He stopped in the kitchen, scratching at his head.
"Do you wanna take a dip in the pool?" She seemed so at ease compared to the bundle of nerves he was. All that needed to happen was for Janey to walk in early and see him, he'd be screwed, But those chocolate brown eyes were hard to say no to.
"Yeah, sure." He followed her through the surrealy familiar house, they had gotten new couches, and pictures of the family had been added, sans Janey's step mother. His brother's had mentioned her departure in passing, but the facts hadn't struck him fully. It was so odd, he stopped by the mantle, where the pictures of Janey's prom sat, she and Matt looked so proper together, even if they had only gone as friends. And there he was, smiling beside her. He remembered she had insisted that he be in the last one.
He looked at the grin on her face, sandwiched in between the two boys, Matt in his tux and Ted in his usual jeans and t-shirt, her arms extended far up above her head so they could hang around their necks. He could even remember the way she had smelled, like jasmine and vanilla. They had taken several, he had kept copies of a few before he had thrown everything left of her away. He couldn't help but remember the one where she gazed up into Matt's face so adoringly. It had never really struck him, that the two of them had lasted this long without any official commitment.
"Are you coming?" Mika's voice disrupted his pattern of thought, forcing him to turn. The look on his face was so bittersweet. Eyes fell on the picture diagnolly behind him. Well, there was no taking back her impatience now.
"Uh, yeah, sorry. Just kind of weird, I used to practically live here." She nodded understandingly and walked out to the pool. Ted followed and watched in awe as she shed the tom boyish board shorts and t-shirt that hung on her frame to reveal a black bikini. Her muscles were just barely toned, her skin a deep golden brown. He wondered what it would feel like to run his fingertips along her sides. He laughed as she entered the pool slowly and squeamishly, hands raised above the water as she winced.