Todd, Mark and I have all been best friends for years: ever since our first year in college, actually. We spent long hours in each other's dorm rooms studying, watching movies, and just generally having fun. Each one of us had a very different personality, which seemed to compliment the other. Todd was always the funny man, often causing Mark and I to break into mass hysterics from his jokes, impressions, and stories. The role of the studious one fell to Mark. Many a study session would have never begun had it not been for him.
I sort of fell in the middle...not as carefree and fun loving as Todd, and not as studious as Mark. But we got along well. So well, in fact, that Todd and I ended up getting married right after our graduation.
As it happens often in life, each year that passed found more distance between us, until our visits with Mark were limited to once, sometimes twice a year. We talked often on the telephone, but it was just not the same. We missed the fun the three of us had together.
So it was with great excitement that I relayed Mark's recent news to Todd. He would be coming for a visit the following weekend. We spent the rest of the week clearing our schedules, so we would have plenty of free time to visit and catch up with each other.
Friday evening found Todd and I excited and busy. He was to pick up Mark from the airport after work, while I bolted home from the office to start preparing dinner. We usually stayed in the first night upon our visits, so that all the catching up could take place, and then spent the rest of the visit going out, re-visiting old haunts, and generally having a great time. It would be the same this weekend. Or so I thought.
I was standing in the kitchen checking the sauce for the pasta, when I heard the front door open and the sound of masculine voices murmuring back and forth, with an occasional chuckle or two. Quickly wiping my hands on a towel, I turned around with a very large smile upon my face only to be engulfed in a huge bear hug. Laughing delightedly, I squeezed my arms around Marks shoulders as he swung me around in a circle before setting me back on my feet.
Throughout the evening the conversation flowed, as did the wine, and so the merriment level ran high. Periods of laughter rang through the room, and so did moments of comfortable silence as the meal was consumed. I could not help but admire how well Mark was looking. I had always thought of him as good looking, with his dark brown hair, tall and slightly lanky build: and the years seemed to be agreeing with him. Stating as much, his cheeks warmed upon my words. Teasing him a bit about it, I stood to begin clearing the table.
"Blush looks good on you, Mark. You should wear it more often!" Grinning mischievously, I winked at Todd, who chuckled good-naturedly.
Apparently choosing not to reply, Mark stood and began gathering plates and wineglasses together silently, a small smile playing about his lips. He followed me into the kitchen where he stacked everything on the counter next to the sink. I spent a moment rinsing a few of the dishes, and then turned to walk back into the dining room. Gasping, I bumped into Mark, who had silently been standing behind me.
"Oh! Would you stop sneaking like that?" I laughed softly and placed a hand on his chest to move him out of the way. He surprised me by placing his hand over mine, holding it captive above his heart. I looked up at him, curious as to what was going through his mind, and then he leaned towards me, and my nose was suddenly filled with the scent of his cologne, my eyes filled with his face. And my heart fluttered a tiny bit. Tugging on my hand, I stepped back...a mistake since this trapped me with the counter at my back, and him at my front.
Stepping closer to me, he let his body lean into mine ever so slightly, and a flash of excitement raced through my veins. My eyes flickered as I tried to train my gaze on his face, and not on his chest as it so desperately wanted to do. "Is there something I can help you with?" Although I tried for nonchalance, the words came out a bit breathlessly, ruining the effect.
Brushing his cheek against mine for a moment, he stepped back, eyes twinkling. "Blush looks good on you, Anne. You should wear it more often." And with a swagger in his step, Mark strolled back into the other room to join Todd.
Laughing to myself, and shaking my head at my own foolishness I follow suit, finding that the "boys" had moved to the living room. They sat talking quietly as I entered the room, and I stood for a moment by the doorway, admiring them. Both were fairly tall, Mark topping Todd by a few inches. Where Mark was dark in hair and skin, Todd was blond and fair. Both men very handsome, both very different in nature. Both very dear to me.
"So what has captured your interest so much that you sit here gossiping together like a couple of old women?" Stepping further into the room, I grin a bit at them.
Smiling and patting the empty sofa space between him and Mark, Todd replies, "The same thing that has kept our interest for years..." and three voices chime in together with the answer. "Sports!"
Sitting in the offered seat, I relax and once again the atmosphere is cozy and comforting. We discuss plans for the following day for a while, and it grows more difficult to smother the yawns that creep up on me. "I think it is time for us to call it a night, my dear boys."
Standing, I motion for Todd to follow me. "I will be right there, honey. I just need to discuss something with Mark." He smiles up at me, and I kiss his cheek, and then Marks before going to our room.
I pull the bed covers down, and get ready for bed in our bathroom, slipping into a plain white t-shirt that hangs to mid-thigh. After brushing my long red hair for a bit, I walk back into the bedroom and find Todd already there sitting on the bedside, slipping off his shoes. Smiling at me, he says, "It is good to see Mark again, isn't it?"
Walking over, "Yes, it has been much too long since our last visit. He seems to be doing well, though, don't you think?" I crawl onto the bed behind Todd and kneel in the center. "He seems more confident, almost."
Slipping his shirt over his head, he turns to me. "You think so? Maybe you are right."
Feigning a gasp, I say playfully, "Oh my word! You just admitted that I was right, and I didn't have to twist your arm to get you to say it! The world is ending...the sky is falling...the..." I shriek and try to move away as Todd lunges across the bed, and we tumble to the floor, laughing and wrestling.
Pinning my arms to the floor by my head, he blows a raspberry on my neck causing me to buck and shout with laughter. Catching him off guard, I manage to toss Todd off, and roll to my feet. Laughing, I back away from him, throwing taunts and grinning. Todd stalks towards me a few feet, before suddenly stopping. In my glee at having "bested" him, I do not notice that his gaze falls a bit over my shoulder. Taking another step back, I come up against something hard that is blocking my get-away. Looking over my shoulder, I see Mark standing behind me, a small smile playing about his lips.