Sorry for the delay...my life likes to be crazy. But thank you for reading and as always, feel free to vote or send me some feedback to let me know how you like the chapter.
--------
"Terri, telephone," Zack yelled from the kitchen, where Terri had dropped her cell phone.
Terri ran in and snatched up the phone, not even bothering to thank Zack before she left the kitchen and returned to her room. It had been that way for the past two weeks and for the life of him, Zack couldn't figure out why. Terri had made an effort to distance herself from him. It was all he could do to get more than a few words out of her at a time. They had gone from warm and cuddly to freezing-your-balls off cold in a matter of days. He felt as if he was cut off from his best friend, and in a way, he was. Despite the fact he saw her every day, Terri was a stranger to him.
Terri sighed and attempted turned her attention to the phone call. On the one hand, it was torture separating herself from Zack. She missed hearing his laugh, hearing him gripe about reality TV, and she even missed his occasional ass scratch that he thought he was doing on the sly. She was amazed at how hard it was to remain just his friend the day after she saw him at the restaurant. On the other hand, it was too much to look at him and know that he had lied and was still lying about breaking up with his girlfriend. She should have kicked him out, but listening to him talk all those weeks ago about how he relished his independence from his father and the ability to get out and do some things on his own, she just didn't have the heart.
Instead, she became a recluse. She barely saw him and made an effort to spend as much of her time out or in her room as possible. She knew that it was pissing Zack off, but it pissed her off that he thought that he could just waltz into her life, seduce her into wanting him with every fiber of her being, and then still be attached to his blond waif of a girlfriend. She was angriest about the fact that he couldn't be up front with her. She thought they were friends.
"Mona, if you're not going to respond, the least you could do is grunt. Let me know you're still alive." Arthur's voice and annoyance finally broke into her consciousness.
"Hey, sorry. I was thinking," Terri replied.
"Obviously you weren't thinking about what I talking about. You haven't even acknowledged any part of what I've been talking about for the past few minutes."
Terri grimaced, knowing that she was caught. She knew exactly what Arthur was going to say when she apologized. "I'm sorry, Arthur...Hey, you know I love you, right?"
"Mona, I wish you would just talk to him. Do us both a favor and just confront the boy."
Terri shook her head, once again forgetting that she couldn't be seen over the phone. "I...can't."
Arthur just sighed and began to repeat what he was talking about before Terri tuned in. "Cathy and I are going out to dinner tonight and we thought that you should come and join us. You haven't really had a chance to meet Cathy, with all the pouting you've been doing, and she was thinking it was about time."
"Yeah, yeah...why don't you just come out and say it. Cathy wants to make sure I'm not a threat."
"Well, yeah...but you two should get to know each other, in case we get serious."
Terri raised an eyebrow and began to mentally catalogue her wardrobe. Anyone who could make Arthur to talk about getting serious was worth a night out, even if it would be spent stroking Cathy's ego and assuring her that there's nothing going on between Arthur and herself. "Serious? Ohh...well then, count me in. I want to meet the woman who has brought the great Arthur Rogers to his knees."
Arthur's snort in reply made her laugh. Terri felt like she hadn't laughed in ages. It was definitely time to get out. "I'll come, but don't expect us to become best friends over night. Girls are harder to win over than boys. With a guy, you flash him some skin and he's your best bud. With a woman, you have to convince her that you're not competition before she'll let her guard down enough to befriend you."
Arthur chuckled. "You didn't flash me any skin. I obviously got the short end of the stick." He shook his head and proceeded to give her the details about the outing. They were going to one of the fancier restaurants on campus, but Arthur was paying, so Terri had no problem meeting them there. Who could pass up free food that was guaranteed to be good? After it was all settled, Terri said her goodbyes and hung up the phone.
She prepared her outfit for the night, complete with jewelry. After a quick shower, she began to get ready, as dinner was in a couple of hours. She donned the knee-length, black, halter-style dress, accentuating it with diamond earrings, necklace and tennis bracelet. The jewelry was a gift to her from her grandmother before she died. Terri rarely had a chance to wear it, but this dinner was as good excuse as any. Checking her reflection in the mirror, she smiled. The dress accentuated the soft slopes of her breasts and the curve of her butt. She looked good and if she was lucky, maybe she'd find a guy to occupy her time while Zack was getting his act together. She shook her head at the thought. Zack had so engrained himself in her heart, the thought of getting with someone else almost made her feel sick to her stomach. That just convinced Terri that she needed some kind of life outside of the house.
As Terri was grabbing her coat, Zack came into the living room and paused, unable to breathe. Once again, Terri had stolen his breath away, but this time, it was coupled with a feeling of extreme jealousy. Who was she wearing that dress for? Was she going on a date? Zack could feel his temper starting to flare. He was two seconds away from demanding that she tell him where she was going. He was only a second away from grabbing her, throwing her up against the wall, and eating every inch of her sweet body.
Terri smiled inwardly as she noticed Zack's reaction. He probably thought that she was going out on a date and Terri wasn't in a mood to contradict him. She didn't have to wonder if he was feeling jealous, it was written all over his face.
"Hey." Zack's greeting was strained.
