The fire leapt under the hearth as Shelly closed the oak doors behind her. I looked up from my book and smiled as she settled in the leather armchair across from me, a tumbler of Jack Daniels on ice nestled in her hands.
"Getting a bit cold out there," I observed, loving the way her hair tumbled loosely over her shoulders as she wrapped the wool blanket around her.
"A little," she agreed. The flames crackled in the silence for a moment, then she snuggled lower and coyly looked at me. "Can you help warm me up?" She sipped her drink, her eyes shining.
I chuckled. "You like these tales, eh?" She nodded and leaned her head back in expectation. I sipped my drink and looked at the fireplace, the memories flowing easily back.
* * * * *
I first met Christina the fall I pledged my fraternity. Chris was dating one of my pledge brothers. Several of us lived in the same dorm and Chris was on the floor above us. A lot of the residents of both floors grew to be close friends, especially since it seemed we were all pledging at once. In addition, the sorority that
she
and her friends there were pledging was located right next to our fraternity house. It all added up to a lot of drunken partying both at the house and in the dorm, and some good bonding whether fueled by alcohol or not.
This was where I learned how a woman could also be a friend. Chris and her sisters hung out with our crowd quite a bit. Some dating went on, but the main interactions were just between a group of good buddies. We all got through our pledging processes together and soon were comfortable denizens of our respective Greek houses.
Fast forward a couple of years. Now we were older and wiser, seasoned college students who had survived many long aimless nights together. Chris was still dating my friend, and we were all very close and cared about each other.
She was a couple of years younger than I, me being a slightly non-traditional student. Small of frame, she had a short shock of straight red hair above blue eyes, and freckles across her face and down her arms. We were incredibly comfortable with each other, best friends in the truest sense. She swore like a dockworker and didn't put up with any uppity sorority bullshit. During one party, we came out of my room (we're now in the frat house) where a bunch of us had been partying in private. A line of girls waited in the hallway for the bathroom and another buddy was coming up the stairs towards us. She yelled out his name and they both leapt into the air to chest-bump each other. One of the girls in line turned to another and said loudly, "Not very lady-like." Chris turned to her and matter-of-factly said with a smile, "Fuck you, bitch!" and walked down the stairs. It may not read well but trust me, it was a Moment.
Time passed, and we found ourselves at another party as my last year in school started. Somewhere in the late evening/early morning Chris and I found ourselves talking in the chapter room. I doubt if either of us ever knew or cared what we were talking about. But we started talking intimately, and then we were talking about how good friends we were, and then...
I was slowly, word by word, telling her how I felt, how I had lain awake many nights thinking of her. I said, "I've thought about... being with you... I've thought about..." I paused, fearful of saying the words. Yes, she was a good friend but she was also dating one of my best friends. How could I say such a thing, do that to him?
Her hand slipped over and rested on my arm. I looked at it and finished the sentence: "...making love to you." I raised my eyes and met hers. They were soft and she shyly smiled.