"Look, Carla, you have to come with me. Steve can't go and leave his cousin at home alone, since he invited the guy to come for a visit, and I can't go if I'm alone with them. You don't have to like him, just go. Please. Do it for me?
I knew Carla would not say no to me. She never said no to me, no matter what I asked of her. But there was a reason for it. She wouldn't say no because she couldn't stand the thought of me being with someone else. The relationship we had was that way.
The two of us had both turned 18 six months before. Carla was exactly seven days older than me, and always liked to remind me that she'd be the first one to reach legal drinking age, as if that made a difference for Carla. As young as we were, I don't think we really understood the dynamics of our relationship and what it meant for us then, or in our futures. We just knew that there was something short of actual electricity between us just by occupying the same room.
This was a time in our lives where labels didn't really exist. We were both small town girls trying to exist in a world that didn't quite seem right, and yet we really didn't know what it was that was wrong. It wasn't the two of us, we knew that. It was that the rest of the world was out of sync with us. Everyone who knew us knew we were practically inseparable, but no one knew the true extent of how close we were.
"Goddamnit, T. you know I can't say no when you ask like that. Besides, if I leave you alone, there's no telling what kind of trouble you'll get into." Giggling like the school girl I was, I thanked her, told her I loved her and to be at the house at 6:00 so that we could dress together.
She was prompt as always and already dressed to kill in a white pant suit that only served to accent her lush curves and flaming curls. As usual. She was bra-less, and her very dark pink nipples were not-so-subtle shadows beneath the white blouse she wore. I always envied the color of her nipples, how they teased through her blouses, daring you to stare at them.
She went straight to my closet, looking through it for just the "right" outfit, and I knew before she completed her search that it would be a dress or a skirt, and I was right. Black knit sweater material, skirt, matching sweater with three bright pink stripes across my breasts, nude stockings, black garter belt, dark pink panties and bra, black fuck-me pumps, earrings... Carla always liked that particular outfit. She said it made me look like a delicacy all wrapped up, waiting to be opened and slowly enjoyed. Even today, she has an effect on the clothes I choose, things that I know she would have chosen for me, not so much because I loved dressing up for her, but because she was always so good at choosing the most flattering things.
The guys were right on time. Steve introduced Henry to me and Carla and then we were on our merry way. Steve and I were in the front seat, Carla and Henry in the back, but I sat so that I could see her face and let her know I had not forgotten her. She was not happy about being in the company of this young man, but for me, she turned on the charm and within minutes this guy was like everyone else who ever met her, simply lost in her words, her actions, wanting to please her in hopes he'd get to see those nipples outside of that blouse before the night was over. That look of hunger was all over his face.
She and I just exchanged knowing glances with each other without saying a word. Carla was not the least bit interested in men. She dated from time to time, but always on a double date with me and whatever guy had captured my attention at the time. It was a double life that I led, not her. And she went down every path with me, dark or light, waiting for me to figure it all out. She certainly wasn't making things easy on me, but then it was never her intent to do so.