YES!
Another sweltering shift at the giant warehouse store was finally through, and after lifting a thousand dirty boxes all night I was filthy and starving. I used to clock out an exhausted heap after all the strenuous exercise, but lately I'd been feeling more stimulated after work, physically
and
mentally.
I'd been at this job for a couple years to get me through college, as the early morning hours coordinated well with my classes. Being in the midst of summer break however, my schedule was more relaxed and my days were actually free, so I headed straight home.
As I unlocked the door to my apartment around 8:30 in the morning, I was greeted by a bright and sunny, "Good morning!" bouncing my way from down the hall. It was my roommate Lacy, who was often just waking up when I trudged in from work.
Lacy was an ex-girlfriend from high school, (not to mention the couple of flings we'd had since then), but after too many fights and a hundred petty differences, I was thrilled to call her 'just a friend', and somehow . . . my roommate.
As the lease ran out on my previous place I was desperate for a quick renter to help with expenses. Lacy happened to be searching as well, and suggested we split a place together seeing as how we both had steady partners. It seemed ridiculous at the time, but the fact that we were otherwise attached was the only reason I had even considered it. There was no way in hell I'd have ever agreed to us living together as anything other than friends.
Lacy was definitely a great friend though, and we got along famously when we weren't emotionally involved; I had to figure there was a chance we could make it work. We each assured our significant other the arrangement would be totally platonic, despite our intimate history, and that we just needed a good living solution for a while.
My girlfriend Samantha, who lived outside of town, was hardly thrilled in the slightest. The girls knew each other from school, and didn't really see eye to eye. Sam actually warned me if I ever hooked up with Lacy while we were living together she'd have me hunted down, drawn and quartered. She wasn't joking.
So, with that delightful image keeping my head about me, we moved in.
It actually worked out well as we got settled. Lacy worked in the afternoon and went out with her boyfriend or friends after work. I would hit the sack early in the evening and was up around 3:00am. The only time we even saw each other was on the weekends, or early on summer mornings.
"What smells so good?" I called down the hall.
"I'm making breakfast," Lacy shouted back, "so I'm glad you came home."
I'd often stop at a local pub with some workmates for eggs and coffee in the summer, and wouldn't finally roll in until closer to 10:00.
"Well I'm starving," I voiced back, "thanks for cooking!"
I set my things down in the hall and considered a quick shower. I was excessively grungy, and I'd typically hop right in after walking through the door.
"You're welcome, and it's almost ready so don't shower," she said, reading my mind.
I walked into the living room and sat on the couch, flipping on the small TV and rambling through some channels.
Lacy padded out in her bare feet and a long baggy T-shirt, flopping down next to me on the couch. "So how was work?" she asked, looking clean and fresh, especially compared to me. Her short blonde hair was damp and smelled like flowers. She pulled her bare legs up underneath her and looked at me for a reply.
"Same as usual," I sighed. "Carl from receiving asked if I wanted to jam with him and his buddies this weekend, so I think I'm heading over there tonight."
"Sounds cool," she said, "What does he play?"
"I hear he has a pretty impressive drum kit," I said, getting excited thinking about playing with some new musicians again, "and he was actually in the Drum Corps Elite marching squad for a time, if you can believe that."
"You're kidding, that's amazing!" she said, placing a hand on my leg with her eyes wide, "they're awesome!" I knew she was speaking from experience because not only had Lacy been in marching band through most of high school, but her older brother also taught Drum Corps at a local level.
I felt a little awkward tension appear as her hand stayed on my leg for longer than normal. I didn't think much of it really; she was just a touchy person. That was how she talked to people, and I was well aware of it.
I glanced down at her hand, which she moved a little to let me know she realized it was there. My eyes also registered the fact she wasn't wearing much under her shirt, as her bare leg kept going as it crossed underneath her body. Was she sitting there in just a T-shirt and underwear?
It figured. Lacy was hardly self-conscious and could be pretty casual around the house, believe me. She would often take advantage of having a roommate she knew had seen her in all her glory, and would forego certain civilities she'd typically have in place for anyone else. In the mornings she knew it was just us, a couple of good friends who could hang out in whatever they happened to be comfortable in.
I had to steer my focus back to the conversation.
"I'll need to grab some new strings and fix my pickups if I'm going to play with them this weekend," I said, trying to keep my eyes to myself.
Working at the warehouse store was like an intense exercise every day, so my blood was warmed and my skin was sensitive to every input. The strange combination of her soft hand on my thigh and the sight of her smooth bare legs started getting to me.
"Where are you going then," Lacy asked, completely unaware of my racing mind, "to play I mean."
"Carl, lives on campus," I half gulped, "just down from fraternity row. They soundproofed the walls in the basement so we should be able to get pretty loud."
She rolled her eyes at that one. Lacy wasn't a fan of rock music, and constantly mocked my tastes. Not that I didn't give it right back, teasing her about her ever-changing infatuation with whoever was the hot flavor of the week. Our little conversations always gave us gentle reminders of why we were just friends, and never fared well as a couple.
She finally withdrew her hand and crossed her arms next to me and looked at the TV.