"So, Boston," said Alexandra. As agreed the previous night, she was behind the wheel of her girlfriend's Wrangler, cruising north toward O'Hare airport. "In November?"
"Boston in November," replied the blonde in the passenger seat. "It's not that bad. At least as compared to here, that is."
Alexandra fiddled with the heater, adjusting its temperature upward.
"What's in Boston?" asked Alexandra.
"A lot of things," said Kira, turning her head to smile at her partner. "You ever been?"
"Yeah. Last September we played Tufts up at their place," Alexandra said. "We won, 3-1 I think. Yeah, 3-1. Sam had two of them and the last one was a header off a corner." Alexandra neglected to mention that she had scored the third goal.
"Then you'd know it's a nice city. To answer your question, I'm dog-sitting for a friend who's going to a wedding in New York," said Kira.
Alexandra laughed. "She can't find a pet sitter closer than Chicago? Is she paying you for this?"
"Oh, I'm sure she could. Find one, that is. But remember, my brother's a pilot for United, so I can fly for free if there's space. And there are so many flights that I can always snag a seat, even if it takes patience." Kira shook her head vigorously, letting her long hair re-settle itself in a new order. She'd let it air-dry this morning, and it was still damp despite having been washed hours before.
"Besides, this is like my favorite dog on the planet. She flunked out of service dog training midway through, so she has all these cool skills."
"Then why'd she fail?" said Alexandra, accelerating past a slow middle-lane driver.
"She learned the skills fine, but she has a mind of her own as to when to use them. It's not that she's a bad dog. Overall, she's great. She just uses her skills to her own ends," said Kira.
"Like what?"
"When she wants to go out at night night, she noses my friend and waits a minute. If Ashley doesn't get up, Phoebe goes over and turns on the overhead lights. No barking, no whining. Just turns on the light switch," said Kira, finishing the story just before erupting in laughter.
"Wow," squeaked Alexandra, laughing too.
"Yeah, Ash had to have every single switch in the entire house replaced to put a stop to that. Some of the door levers, too. Phoebe opens doors, including the fridge. Which therefore has a lock."
"She opens doors? Like, with her mouth?"
"No," explained Kira. "They were those paddle-type doorknobs. She opens them with her paw, then pushes the door closed with her head. It's hilarious to see. Ash left a few the way they were in rooms where she doesn't care if the dog comes or goes. So you'll be sitting in the basement. You'll hear the door at the top of the stairs open, then close, and then Phoebe appears. You know, like this is completely normal."
"Sure, a dog that opens doors," said Alexandra. "Normal."
"Alexandra, it's not that she opens them. She closes them too. Every time. She's like the world's most polite canine miscreant."
"I'm not sure I've ever heard that phrase before, 'canine miscreant,'" said Alexandra.
"Not sure you ever will again," replied Kira. "Next exit."
Alexandra moved to the right lane. A couple minutes later, they were sitting curbside in front of the terminal.
"Enjoy Boston," said Alexandra, leaning over for a brief hug.
Kira grabbed her by the top of her shirt, just below the collar.
"I'm going all weekend, and I'm just getting a hug?" she asked, extending her lower lip in a mock pout.
Alexandra glanced sideways between the seats, checking for anyone watching. Then she kissed Kira, letting her lips linger for a long second, feeling the softness of Kira's full lips on hers. Her eyes closed involuntarily.
"That's better," said Kira, removing her seatbelt. "Take care of the car. Don't use it to pick up too many girls."
"And how many is too many?" asked Alexandra, her eyes following Kira's backside as she dropped out of the truck.
"Mm, more than two?" Kira winked as she said it, then grabbed her bag from the back. "Drive safe!"
Within seconds, she was inside the terminal. Alexandra could swear she'd given her hips an extra wiggle just before she entered the revolving door.
--
She managed to find a parking space with a block of her building. Once in the warmth of her apartment, Alexandra composed a mental to-do list for the day.
A shower came first. She'd slept in while Kira had gotten ready earlier. Other items included a trip to the gym, catching up on some reading for class, and possibly finding something new to wear for the party. Time permitting, of course.
She stepped into the steaming water.
Oh, who am I kidding
, she thought.
I'm getting a new dress for tonight.
It'll need to be cheap, but I'm doing it.
I might as well do the H&M run sometime midday instead of later, when traffic gets bad.
But why?
Her mind flashed back to Kira exiting the car at O'Hare. She knew Kira had been teasing her, but their flirting also covered the elephant in the room: apart for the weekend, they were -- per their agreement -- free to sleep with others. And she wasn't sure how the idea of other women checking out her partner made her feel.
She has great hair
, Alexandra thought while rinsing out the shampoo from her own.
The kind that people compliment.
She paused, wondering whether her own mousy brown locks had ever garnered a compliment. Not that she could remember, at least.
And then there's Sam's hair.
That's in another league
. Thick, chestnut brown waves well past her shoulders. The last time they'd seen each other, Alexandra had struggled to resist reaching out and running her fingers through it.
But that would be super creepy, even if the rumors are true and she's into you
, she thought.
Alexandra turned off the water and sighed. Sam, Sam, Sam. Sam was a whole different ballgame from Kira. Where Kira was several years older than Alexandra and took the lead both in and out of bed, Sam was Alexandra's quiet soccer teammate. Confident on the field, Sam was at least as introverted as Alexandra off of it.
She turned off the water and grabbed her towel, mind still fixed on Sam. Besides Kira, Alexandra had been with one other woman, her old classmate Katy McLean. Like Kira, Katy had taken the lead in all matters seduction and sex. Was she, Alexandra, actually ready to take the leap and try to get Sam into bed?
A mental picture answered the question for her. Sam in front of her, long hair flowing over naked shoulders, then flipping her tresses over her shoulder as she knelt on a bed between Alexandra's legs. Sam, who would be at the party at Lydia's tonight, supposedly willing to make some version of the daydream into reality.
Alexandra bit her lip and knew her answer. Yes, this was something that needed to happen.
From there the morning proceeded easily. It was as if some inner conflict had resolved and her mind simply moved to the next problem. Her classwork presented no substantial difficulty, mere words that needed to be absorbed, albeit in large quantity.
When she looked up from the pile of books, Alexandra was startled to realize it had been four hours. A quick check of her fridge revealed enough to microwave something for lunch, but precious little more.
OK,
she thought.
Groceries.
Gym?
Run?
Oh, I need something to wear.
This is a going-away party, which means there will be pictures.
Pictures means I need to look cute.
Looking cute means...ugh. I definitely don't have anything cute that is clean, given how long it's been since I've done laundry.
Laundry.
Dishes.
She made a mental list while completing the last item first. She'd put the laundry on next, then go for a quick run while the washer ran. Turn it over, shower, then go try to find a damn dress.
Breathe.
