"I love you," she whispered a huge smile on her face. I smiled too pulling her into my arms for a kiss.
"I love you too," I cooed stroking her cheek. I took her hand and she grabbed her purse and we headed down to meet Rebecca and Stacey. My aunt let Rebecca keep a car on campus so we all just took her jeep to the mall. Rachel and I sat in back, Rachel lying down her head on my lap. Stacey kept looking back at us then Rebecca turned up the music to stop a confrontation. Rachel sat up then singing and dancing Rebecca joining in. I missed this, the group of us hanging out. Summer was so hard on me... Rachel danced Rebecca and her singing together and laughing at Rachel's goofy car dance moves. She and I knew that she was a terrific dancer but her in a car and that just was not the case! I kept noticing Stacey glaring at me and it was getting really obnoxious.
"Where have all the good men gone and where are all the gods?!" Rachel turned to me dramatically, "Where's the streetwise Hercules to fight the rising odds?" she took my hand, "Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed? Late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need!" then she did jazz hands as the temp picked up screaming out in sync with all the ahh's! I laughed then and Stacey did too watching her as well. "I need a hero! I'm holding out for a hero til the end of the night!" she sang along dancing and I shook my head covering my face in embarrassment. There were a lot of things I loved about this girl but I swear when we were in an open car and she just spazzes out it is not adorable. It's embarrassing. She knew it too. And she worked it anyway!
"Hey ladies!" we pulled up to a red light and Rebecca turned the music down looking over at the car next to us. Stacey crossed her arms staring dead ahead and Rebecca waved flirtatiously. I waved too, Rachel giggling as my hand crept onto her thigh. She nudged me and I leaned toward her to whisper in her ear.
"Too bad they don't know," I mumbled and she giggled turning and kissing me suddenly. I was shocked then I kissed her back and the guys hollered as Rebecca took off at the green light. They honked but Rebecca lost them and we all started laughing, except of course Stacey who just stared dead ahead her arms still crossed. We got to the mall a few minutes later and got out all talking animatedly. Stacey was really pissing me off though, the way she kept glaring at me.
"Hey, Rachel, let's go get some pretzels!" Rebecca grabbed her arm and tugged her along as I stood in line to get myself lunch at the SubShop. Stacey cleared her throat stepping up behind me and I turned.
"You have been angry all freaking day so far and I'm pretty sick of it," I said and she rolled her arms crossed.
"I didn't appreciate walking into a lesbian love fest in my room!" she snapped and I threw my hands up in the air laughing.
"Unbelievable! That's your cop out?" I kept laughing shaking my head and she grabbed my arm stopping me from turning around. "What?" I demanded and she stomped her foot.
"I was making her better, she was obsessed with you. It was unhealthy and I was helping her get over you!" she said and I rolled my eyes trying to turn way. She stopped me again. "She was going to have sex with me you know?" Stacey said her eyes now feisty trying to hurt me. "Yeah, the other night. I had gotten out of the shower and was drying off and she got all over me, trying to have me. I was about to let her when she stopped saying she just couldn't. She had to try and get over her feelings for you before she could do anything with me," her smug smile really pissed me off more. I felt my lips purse my eyes narrowing.
"Well, either way, I have her now. Deal with it," I said and turned away. I ordered my food and found Rachel and Rebecca at a table, sitting down with them. Stacey came later with a tray and some italian food. We all started just talking as if nothing was wrong but I wanted to freak out on Stacey. She just kept flirting with Rachel and making it obvious to everyone that she wanted her. Rebecca was even getting uncomfortable and sexual behavior was the most natural for Rebecca out of all of us. Rachel excused herself to go to the bathroom and we said we'd wait here for her to get back. Rebecca turned to Stacey immediately.
"Grow. Up."
"Look you don't understand! She wanted me too! Then she comes back into the picture," Stacey pointed at me angrily and Rebecca pinched her nose.
"You're delusional! Rachel came running to Nikki, not the other way around. In fact Rachel spent the entire night in her bed and confessed her apologies and her love. Rachel even told her about the fact that you've been trying to get with her!" Stacey's face went red with anger and embarrassment. Rebecca grabbed her arm both aggressively and comforting at the same time. It was a weird gesture but Stacey got the picture. "Move on. Okay? Rachel is not someone who can handle this type of stuff. She is sweet, and innocent except when it comes to Nikki. And that's because Nikki is meant to be with her. No one else. Got it?" she stared at Stacey who just sat there silently. Then she nodded slowly and pouted picking at her food scraps. Rachel came back her hair now up in a cute bun. She saw Stacey's sad expression and looked at all of us.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing," I said standing up taking her trash and mine throwing it out. We all headed to the arcade and played games for a while, waiting for the movie time. According to Rebecca there was an event planned for our school to all meet at the movie theater for a showing and there were buses transporting tons of students. When we headed to the theater I realized she wasn't crazy. There were tons of students, a lot of them being freshmen. Some students walked up to Rachel and she hugged them.
"Hey! Guys this is Dom, she's my," she paused and looked up at me I took her hand and smiled.
"Girlfriend," I finished and we both smiled at each other for a second. The group of girls giggled and they started talking about Rachel's work in her music theory class. I guess she was really popular among the music department. I was feeling a little left out but also really proud of her.
"You have to see her perform!" a guy said who joined the conversation a bit late. He was staring at Rachel with absolute love, lust, and admiration. I was getting irritated all these people doting on her. It made me want to just take her away and hide her. She was my love, and I was tired of people doting on her so obsessively.
"She's performed for me," I said proudly and Rachel blushed deeply clearing her throat. Rebecca snorted with laughter at the guy's expression. Rachel nudged me playfully and I kissed her forehead. There was some brief chit chat and the guy was just staring at us totally unsure how to handle this turn of events. Rachel ran ahead with the girls to get our tickets and some snacks. Rebecca, myself, and the guy stayed back.
"Hey, so you and uh, Rachel?" he asked me. I nodded still amused at his dumbfounded expression. Rebecca spanked me playfully.
"We're just a bunch of lesbians over here!" she hollered and I lost it. The guy laughed too and Rebecca smiled pleased with herself. She always knew how to make things better. Stacey was watching us from afar standing on the outside of the group. I'm not sure if she was staring at me with envy or if she was still just angry at me for "stealing" Rachel from her but I didn't care.
"My name's James," he said reaching his hand out. I shook it still trying to calm down from Rebecca's outburst.
"Yeah I'm Dominique. Rachel calls me Dom, everyone else pretty much just calls me Nikki," I said. He nodded shoving his hands into his pockets.
"Sorry about, uh, you know, coming on to her?" he said and I shrugged staring at Rachel now.
"She's smoking hot, she's talented, she is so nice, and lovable. I'd be more offended if you didn't like her," I said and that wasn't wrong either. It felt amazing knowing I had the one girl everyone wanted. He scratched his head laughing nervously.
"I asked her out a week ago, you know?" he said and I looked at him shocked.
"Yeah? What did she say?"
"She'd think about it," he admitted and I laughed looking at her. She waved at me excitedly pointing at a jumbo bag of M&M's. I laughed giving her two thumbs up.
"She doesn't know how to hurt people. In fact she punishes herself worse than anyone ever could when she hurts someone," I looked back at him and he nodded. I punched his shoulder playfully and he smiled. "If you want to take her on a date you can, I guess? But that's up to her. I'm not gonna stand in her way of happiness just know that she does love me. And if you ever hurt her, I will hurt you," I said sternly and Rebecca coughed on her drink looking at me terrified at my threat. James rocked on his feet uncomfortably then and Rachel came skipping to us which was an incredible feat in her heels.
"Let's go! I sent them in to get seats for all of us!" she grabbed my hand and we followed. She made everyone happy. It was unbelievable. I was still so surprised she never had any friends in High School. This girl was meant to be around people. Her love was so amazing to experience, even if it wasn't romantic it still made everyone around her happy. Rebecca and I had a long talk about it one day when she had gone home for a long weekend to see her mom and Rebecca offered to sleep over last year to fill the empty room for me. We talked about her the entire time. It was when we really first started calling each other our girlfriends. It still surprises me to this day. We joined the crowd filing into the theater and I pulled her close my hand on her hip my lips at her ear.
"You are the most amazing woman here," I whispered and she giggled shaking her bag of M&M's.
