I never thought it would happen like this.
Not when I first saw her step through the door on that rainy autumn day 5 years ago.
Not when I looked on in agonizing silence as John proposed to her.
Not when she left him, and took the first flight out to Chicago.
Not even when, against all odds, she miraculously appeared on my doorstep, laughing as always, with a smile on her lips.
I had tried to forget her, move on, put her out of my mind. And after all this time, I'd never dared to hope it would happen like this.
Jolie Martin had come home.
And what's more, I was the first person out of all our friends who she had come to see.
I never expected to fall for her, but fall for her I did; and hard.
I knew she was bi, but she had been, for so long, John's girlfriend.
And even if she had been single, I would never have expected her to show the slightest interest in me, at least, not in that way. We had been close for years now, but not as close as I would have wanted. I never thought someone as smart, funny, and sexy as Jolie could ever want me. So we stayed friends, even though it hurt to see her with John, and I caught myself, on more than one occasion, letting my gaze linger a bit too long on her.
I thought she hadn't noticed how I looked at her, how I blushed when she complimented me, how I lit up whenever she entered a room.
But now I thought...had she?
She sat perched on the stool at the kitchen island, a glass of wine in her hand and a hint of that playful laughter in her eyes. From where I was, leaning against the back of the sofa, I could see the warm lights of the kitchen lamps touch her strawberry blonde hair, and bathe her in a golden luminance. She smiled at me, and in that moment, she seemed to me a divine being composed entirely of starlight.
My heart beat faster as I felt a warmth creep up my chest and flood my face. Why did she have this strange power over me? All it took was the slightest action on her part: a smile, a compliment, the subtle brush of her fingertips on my skin, and I was spellbound.
I came towards her, and sat on the stool beside her. I could count every freckle on her radiant face, I remembered how she'd always hated them, and I could never understand why; she was so beautiful it hurt. A strand of her hair had fallen in front of her face, and I slowly, gently, reached out and tucked it tenderly behind her ear.
Her breath hitched, and her cheeks flushed red as she looked up at me. I gazed into her eyes; how many times had I imagined this? I wanted to fix every detail in my mind forever, because this was it, I had wanted this so long, we'd been through so much, and now, for better or for worse, everything was going to change.
I leaned forward, and kissed her.
It was as if my entire body was filled with a glorious and resounding chorus. I was enveloped in an embrace of light and sound and color, and I felt as if there existed nothing else in all the world but she and I and this moment. Her lips were soft and warm, and each kiss sent a fresh jolt of electricity throughout my body. She pulled back, gasping for air, and said, with a little laugh,
"Well Haley, you took long enough."
We both laughed, and I kissed her again, and because I couldn't help myself, I took her face in my hands and breathed, "God, you're beautiful"
I kissed her forehead, her cheeks, the tip of her nose, and her soft inviting lips again, parting them with my tongue, exploring her mouth with my own. I wound one of my hands into her tresses, and with the other, I reached around to the small of her back, my fingers flirting around the edge of her shirt, barely touching the bare skin underneath.
She had reached up, and was slowly undoing the buttons on my blouse. I pulled away just slightly, and looked at her again. I wanted her more than I've ever wanted anything, and I'm sure it was written all over my face. We didn't need words now, as we both got up, I took her hand, and led her into my bedroom.
I shut the door, and turned to face her. In the muted glow of the lamplight, I could see her perched on the foot of the bed, looking up at me. Again I was overwhelmed by her beauty and I thought to myself, "Is this real? Is this really happening?!"
As if she could tell exactly what I was thinking, she smiled, reached up, grasped the front of my blouse and pulled me down to her, popping open another button. Her lips met mine, and just like that, my body was on fire. I ran my fingers through her silken hair, and parted her lips with my tongue. She went to work on my blouse again, undoing button after button, and then sliding it down my shoulders and off my arms. She began a trail of kisses slowly down my neck to bury her face in my cleavage. I held her close to me, and sighed; I was completely overcome. Every kiss burned through me so that I could hardly breathe.
I eased her down onto the bed, and straddled her hips. My heart was hammering in my chest, and my hands were trembling, as I grasped the bottom of her shirt. She sat up a little and helped me as I lifted it up, up, over her head, ruffling her hair slightly.
I could see her soft pink bra, trimmed in delicate lace, just barely containing her round, full breasts. I kissed her again, and she wrapped her arms around me, pulling me closer. She reached around, and quickly unhooked my bra.
She was breathing faster now too, as she slipped my bra off, letting my own ample breasts tumble out. She gently caressed them at first, then began to tease my nipples, rolling them and pinching them between her fingers. I moaned with pleasure; she was driving me crazy.