"It's raining again."
More of the hopelessly mundane. May was sitting at my computer desk, up to god-knows-what, possibly with god-knows-who. A recent arrival to the region, she was still mystified by the possibility of no direct sunlight for weeks. It was winter, which in my neck of the woods meant cold, rainy days
ad nauseam
. I didn't respond. I was instead in the midst of a hopeless attempt to find something good on the television.
As I had countless times before during any of her frequent visits, I glanced over at her. Today she looked...comfortable. A naturally dark brunette, her long hair was adorned with a bandana of a style and pattern that evoked images of desert gypsies. People of a drier and warmer place, no doubt. Otherwise it was, again, the usual - faded denim jeans and a warm, fuzzy sweater. Both of which, again, failed to mask dangerous curves.
I'll admit it--I tried. She caught my eye instantly and I clumsily struck up conversation. Being a new transplant, I was mildly successful, as she was looking to make friends. She wasn't, however, looking to be bedded, something she made quite clear from the start. I wasn't her type, or something. She had a way about her that was very upfront and direct, a refreshing quality to be sure. I can't say I enjoyed the flat-out rejection, but we shared a lot of interests and we became fast friends. I'll also admit I held out hope, a hope stoked by the occasional tease and flirt. It was more than that, really. She could be downright aggressive at times but never opened that particular door. I think she enjoyed watching me squirm.
Then I noticed a sudden change in demeanor.
"Well, who is this now?" My eyes turned, first to May's bottom shifting in my seat--something I could surely blame on the not-so-innocent thoughts abounding in my imagination just then--then to the computer screen. Somehow she had worked her way into one of my accounts. It was a social networking website, the kind you don't give much thought to, just another way to try to maintain links with distant friends.
"Tricia." May cocked her head to the side. "Hey, she's single!"
The name blazed through my mind, igniting memories of a dull office job with often long hours and always bad pay. Then there was Tricia, an upbeat college student who worked part-time like so many these days to combat rising tuition costs. Our working relationship, if you could call it that, was tumultuous. She'd been distant, then passionately at odds with me, then very friendly shortly before my departure. She was a knockout in every sense of the word, blessed with the rare gift of both a fantastic chest and a well-rounded bottom. The name evoked memories of a few specific moments: her hand resting gently on my shoulder during a lively conversation, the swell of her breasts pressed into my back as she leaned over in the close quarters of a cramped supply room, heated arguments over disputes I can't recall. That angry passion came from somewhere, but I never pursued it. Even during the time we were amicable, she had retained a boyfriend, a high school sweetheart. To make matters worse, overheard conversations with co-workers over her unsatisfactory sex life only emboldened me.
But, in the end, I did nothing and moved well across the country. We barely stayed in touch. Hell, this had been the first I thought of her in months. Out of the numerous friends I'd had on that site, though, I pondered why May had stopped on that one.
"She's single now? She was in a serious relationship when I worked with her." My response was perfunctory, but I couldn't set aside that nagging suspicion...
May was genuinely amused, now. She turned to me and asked, "never banged her, did ya?"
"No. She wasn't interested," I snapped back, immediately regretting my hasty reply as soon as it passed my lips.
"Ohhh, so you would have, eh?" May would have surely given me a playful nudge if she was within range.
"I'd forgotten all about her ever since I laid eyes on you, my dear."
"Right. Good luck with that." She turned back toward the screen with an eyeroll and scanned Tricia's profile. Many of the pictures were old, of parties and weddings she'd been to while I was still around. May let out a quick gasp. "She's coming here!"
"Is that so? Can't imagine why," I feigned disinterest. I did remember that office's corporate headquarters was actually less than an hour away.
"We should meet up with her."
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.
We?
Then I put the pieces together in my mind, that almost audible
click
. That wasn't just innocent interest in her voice.
May and I had talked about her past travails. In one of those strange coincidences, we had both grown up in the same town but never met. It was a relatively big city, large enough to ensure we'd never meet but also large enough to yield a diverse array of people. May had dated her fair share, but she had said on more than one occasion she couldn't find a decent, open-minded girl to play around with.
Play, indeed. Yep, May wanted me to introduce herβor perhaps
herself
--to Tricia. That's what this was all about.