"Do I have to go to work tomorrow? Can't I call in and tell them I died?"
Nell laughed and rolled over to face me, "Sorry girly, I don't think it works that way."
"Wait, I have a better idea. YOU can call them and tell them I died. How good is your fake cry?" I received a pillow in the face for that remark, and Nell smirked at me before rolling over and turning out the light.
It was the last night of my visit, and I was reluctant to leave my best friend and make the drive back home in the morning. Nell and I met in college, and life had taken us separate ways—her to a small farming town and me to the outskirts of the city to find work. I was glad to see her again, and we spent the week reminiscing about all-nighters and bad relationships and dining hall food. Nell and I were so close then, and the moment I stepped foot in her apartment, it was like nothing had ever changed between us. But something had.
I woke up to darkness in the unfamiliar room. I rolled over and groaned softly, looking at the clock. Midnight. Not so bad. I didn't have to work until 5 the next night, so I rolled over and sighed as I stared at the ceiling. I heard Nell breathing next to me and I rolled onto my side to look at her, when my eyes froze. She was lying on her back, with her arms stretched out above her head. Her shirt had hiked up four or five inches above her shorts, and her skin seemed to glow in the moonlight.
I knew I had a thing for Nell. We joked about it back in school, and everyone said that we would give up on men and get married one day. She was beautiful, everyone who knew her could see that, and I would often find myself looking at her for a moment too long as we got changed in the evenings. We were both single, but had only dated guys—so what was I feeling right now? I hitched myself up on my elbow and exhaled slowly. My breath blew across her stomach and I could see goosebumps rise on her skin. They quickly grew on mine too. What if I...? Before I could stop myself, I was reaching out my hand to touch her skin. My fingertips grazed the skin on her left size, and I felt a pull deep inside of me. The moonlight seemed to have control of me and my hands didn't leave her side. Slowly, painfully slowly, my hand made more contact with her skin. The balls of my fingers now slid across her belly, reaching for the center... Nell inhaled slowly and stretched in her sleep. Her shirt crept higher, and a rib peeked out as she reached her hands toward the headboard.