For those who have been following the friends' saga, thanks for hanging in there, and for
most
of the comments. Again -- fair warning -- this is written as more of a love story than a graphic sexual romp.
*****
Both Jess and Karen took turns leading the way to the lake, with no sign of their cowboys. As the long hike began to take its toll on their bodies, they were forced to focus less on each other, and concentrated instead on stepping along the rocky trail. They relaxed together on a single bench overlooking the scenic lake, and shared sandwiches, grapes and cheese. They decided to avoid the wine, choosing instead to hydrate with spring water.
As they worked their way back, each carefully avoided any flirtation, and instead they chatted about movies, music and the ongoing drama at the diner. When they reached the rocky decline, they chose not to hold hands and instead gripped the trees as they worked their way down. Finally reaching the parking lot, they dropped their backpacks into the trunk before pulling out and returning to Jess' apartment.
"Thanks again for loaning me the shorts," Jess said as they reached her apartment.
Karen thought to herself, "The pleasure was all mine," but instead she said, "Of course, that's what friends are for, right?"
"Right. Well, I'll drop them in the wash and get them back to you along with the other stuff. Want to grab a bite tonight? I have some leftover ziti."
"Sounds good, Jess. I may have to take a nap first. What time are you thinking?"
"Later is fine, maybe seven-ish?"
"Ok, it's a date... I'll bring the wine... See you at seven," Karen said as she popped the trunk for Jess to retrieve the backpack, quickly regretting calling it a "date." She took one last look at Jess in her short shorts and bit her lip, relieved to have survived the temptation yet again. She drove away, anxious for a hot shower and a short power nap.
Although Karen was exhausted, she struggled to sleep after her shower, torn between the risk of submitting to her growing desire, and maintaining her oldest friendship. She knew something had be resolved either way; otherwise, she faced the prospect of unending sleepless nights. So it was either suppress her desires, end the friendship, or force the issue. She freshened up, knowing that she needed an answer either way.
Looking in her closet, she reached for a blouse and jeans, which - other than leggings or sweats -was her typical attire for a casual night with her best friend. As she pulled the blouse from the hanger, she spotted her "go to" strapless black dress, which brought back memories of compliments and lustful stares the last time she wore it out dancing.
As out of character as it was for her, she remembered how sexy and desired it made her feel, if just for one night out on the town. She remembered feeling that it was more than a couple of inches too short, but heard comments about her gorgeous legs throughout the evening.
What if she wore it to Jess' apartment, she wondered. Would she get a similar reaction from her friend? She envisioned sitting across from Jess in her living room, gauging her body language as she slowly parted her thighs. The dress was so short that it wouldn't take much to give Jess a glimpse of her panties -- or would she go without panties and give her an unobstructed view of her exposed mound? How would she react?
Deciding that it was way too risky, and could easily backfire, she went with her initial choice -- a flannel blouse over a soft cotton tank top, jeans and tan sketchers over comfortable fuzzy socks. She briefly considered wearing her French-cut black satin panties with a touch of lace at the waistband, but in keeping with her "comfort" motif, she picked a pair of plain canary yellow cotton Hanes panties. She decided that a bra was unnecessary under the tank and flannel -- which was one benefit of being smaller up top.
She looked in the mirror. Perfect, she thought. Casually sexy, but not over the top. She spent the next half hour preparing her hair and decided on a minimal amount of makeup. No ponytail tonight. She wondered if Jess would be attracted to a "butch" look or a more feminine appearance. Catching herself, she realized that she already assumed that the attraction was mutual! How embarrassing it would be if it wasn't, Karen thought.
To quell her discomfort, she poured herself a generous shot of tequila, and reached for a full bottle of merlot to take with her for her "date" across town. She dropped her toiletries, a pair of leggings and panties into her overnight bag, just in case -- before leaving the home for her adventure/date.
Driving there, she suppressed the urge to turn around at nearly every traffic light, but she knew that she needed to press on, for her sanity's sake. Despite the shot of tequila, she found herself shaking with nerves as she parked in Jess' apartment complex. She slowly walked to the front door and rang the bell.
"Come in," she heard Jess yell from the other side of the door. She entered and looked around, placing the wine bottle on the kitchen counter.
"It's me. I'll pour us some wine," Karen said, knowing how badly she needed it to calm her nerves.
"Ok, I'll just be a minute, ok?" The shaky voice came from the bathroom down the hall.
Karen stood at the kitchen counter, quickly downing the merlot and hoping it would calm her nerves. She poured a glass for Jess as she heard the bathroom door open, and Jess came around the corner.
Karen stood in front of the kitchen island, shifting her weight from her left to her right foot as she held the glass, as if waiting with anticipation to meet a blind date.
Jess looked at her friend, from head to toe, and Karen did the same before they both burst out in laughter, realizing that their attire was virtually identical once again. Jess was in a burgundy flannel, while Karen's blouse was blue with grey undertones. Both had white tank tops underneath, with sleeves folded up just below the elbows. A rarity, neither had their hair in ponytails.
"Ok, this is really getting creepy," Karen said as she handed Jess a glass of wine. "What are we, twins now?"
"Well, we either both have great taste or bad taste in fashion, I guess," Jess said as she sipped.
Karen slipped her sketchers off and dropped them by the door. "That feels better. Now we REALLY look like twins!" Both giggled as they looked down at their fuzzy socks.
"Are you hungry? The ziti is ready." They moved to the kitchen, and Jess prepared Karen's meal.
"Grab a seat, Karen. I'll be right in." Jess brought the plates to her along with the dinner rolls and they sat down to eat.
Jess sipped her wine, commenting that she already had a glass before Karen arrived.
"Me too, plus a shot of tequila." Karen admitted to her friend. "I already feel warm!"
"Well, you can always crash here if you think you had too much. I get the bed though," Jess said.
"Hey, from what I remember, we both fit on that the other night, didn't we?"
"Oh my God, you're right," Jess said. "And from what
I
remember, you're a blanket hog!"
"That's not how I remember it," Karen laughed. "Anyway, I won't drink too much. The ziti looks great, by the way."
"This may sound really silly, but do you mind if I say a prayer?"
"Of course not," Jess said, putting her glass down. Karen reached out both hands while offering a prayer.
"Lord, bless the food we're about to eat, and thank you Lord for bringing us close friendships. Please watch over us as we explore life together, and help us to make good choices in friends, in lovers and in life. It's all these things in Jesus' name we pray, Amen."
"That was beautiful Karen," Jess said. "I didn't realize that you were so spiritual, or that Jesus doubles as a matchmaker."
