He was cheating on her again. Just like before, Emily had confronted him and they'd worked their way from flat-out denial to confession. Just like before, he had sworn that it was "compulsion, nothing more" that had landed him in another woman's bed. But unlike before, this time Emily had had enough had handed him his ring back and made it clear that the only place they were likely to see each other in the future was the courtroom for violations to the restraining order she'd get if he didn't sod off.
But what had started out as a hiatus from dating had become an introductory course on how to become a crazy old cat lady. Days were spent working at her teaching job, and nights were spent at home, not dating. A characteristic she seemed to share with the young woman who lived across the hall from her.
Emily had noticed her from time to time. She knew her name was Erica, and that she worked in a law office downtown, that she was in her early twenties, close to her own age, liked to dress in comfy clothes when not working, and was totally and undeniably jacked like a porn star. Emily was amazed that there wasn't a steady stream of guys coming and going from Erica's apartment, but such was not the case.
It was about two months after the break-off with Jack, and it was another Friday night alone, when they'd run into each other in the hallway.
Erica was wearing a pair of oversized sweat pants, and a pastel tank top that was doing its best to contain the swell of her perfect D's. Emily was tired after a long day in the classroom and an even longer staff meeting afterwards. They had ridden the elevator up together, and on the door opening the grocery bag that Erica was holding decided to rip almost in half spilling a half dozen items out into the hallway.
Emily bent to help pick up the jumble, and Erica thanked her.
"Hey," She added. "I'm making pasta tonight and was going to watch a movie or two. Why don't you come over? I mean, you don't seem to be going out much....Oh shit! That sounded wrong. I mean, if we're going to be alone tonight, we might as well be alone together..."
Emily just cocked her head slightly trying to figure out if she was being insulted or hit on.
"Oh fuck. You must think I'm an idiot." Erica trailed off.
Emily suddenly grinned to her neighbor. "No. It sounds lovely. Just what I need after this week."
"Great!" Erica recovered. "Just come on over whenever you're ready. I'll get to work on dinner."
It became a regular Friday night date for them. Emily still felt she wasn't ready to throw herself back into the dating pool. And Erica, despite her stunning figure, and angelic face, never seemed to have anyone on the hook. So Friday pasta and chick flicks became the norm. Emily hadn't failed to notice that Erica seemed more relaxed and less aloof, and after about two months they had really bonded. Movie nights started not to just be a Friday night thing, but something they'd do two or three times a week.
They laughed and shared stories about growing up, school; the usual stuff except for guys. Erica seemed particularly uncomfortable with this subject, to the point where Emily was starting to wonder if she wasn't gay or something, except Erica never talked about girlfriends either, so they'd learned to steer clear of those subjects. Despite that one area of disconnect they found themselves becoming besties, and if anything important was going on from job stuff, to visiting family, they shared it all.
It had been a particularly long week and Emily was exhausted. The car was in the shop and she'd had to take the bus in to work for the last three days. She looked forward to hanging with Erica and watching a couple of movies. Erica, sensing that the week was going to prove a long one for her friend, had gotten a couple of bottles of decent wine, and after dinner and a few refills, Em seemed to finally be relaxing.
In fact Em was splitting her attention between the romantic comedy they were watching, and slyly observing her friend. She was never sure whether she was jealous of Erica's figure, as hers wasn't all that bad, or whether she was just a little turned on by having her friend's undivided attention. In any case, Erica should have been aware enough about her looks to try and show them off. Instead, every wardrobe choice she made seemed aimed at trying to downplay her attractiveness. Not in a direct way, mind you, but in a conservative, off-handed way. Emily admitted to herself that she had begun to find that to be one of the sexiest things of all about her friend.
Erica had gradually become more and more aware of the attention her friend was paying to her. She had to admit that while she enjoyed it and was flattered, that she was also a little afraid. She was socially awkward at best, and frankly she'd spent her entire life trying to avoid situations like this. Still, she couldn't help the stirring of feelings and the obviously growing mutual attraction she felt. It was a new feeling for her, and although she knew that it was wrong, she also couldn't seem to dispel the growing desire she was feeling.
Emily had finished off the first bottle of wine and was feeling just a little tipsy as she opened the second bottle and topped off both of their glasses. She sat down on the couch next to Erica and set her glass down on the coffee table. The movie had now become background noise to the sexual tension that they both felt.
"Erica?" Emily blurted out suddenly.
"Yeah?" Erica replied.
"Anyone ever tell you that you have really awesome boobs?" Em continued awkwardly.
"That was random, but um..., yeah. I guess..." Erica's voice trailed off.
