"Fuck. We are so late," Savannah flipped her cell phone closed as she and her best friend, Angelique, walked into Savannah's apartment. She threw her keys on the console table by the door and shuddered at her reflection in the foyer mirror. Certainly not the impression she wanted to make on the date she was supposed to meet in 40 minutes across town.
"When are we supposed to be there?" Angelique asked, pulling her scarf and blazer off as she completely avoided her reflection; nothing good to see there.
"Eight-thirty,"
"Yeah, we're not gonna make that, we both have to shower and change, and we all know that will take you two and a half hours to get ready—not to mention an extra fifteen minutes in which you will create an elaborate plan in case these guys end up being total freaks," Angelique jested, poking at Savannah's soft waist with her long fingernails.
"Oh shut up," Savannah snapped and slapped at Angelique's hands. "I don't take that long. And besides, I already have the elaborate plan laid out. Let me just call Rob now and tell him we'll be a little late."
Angelique chuckled and headed towards the bathroom. "Fine, I get the first shower," she taunted. Savannah sighed and opened her phone to call Rob. After some charming flirtatious footwork, she was able to finagle Rob and his friend Max out of another hour of their evenings. "Ok, we'll be there at nine-thirty, not a minute later," she smiled and hung up. She checked her watch- three minutes till eight. With an hour long commute to the trendy village bar they were meeting the boys at, that only left 30 minutes to get ready. With a shrug, she set her phone down and walked toward the bathroom as she peeled off clothes. When she opened the door, Angelique let out an awkward screech as she turned towards the wall of the shower. "What are you doing?" she screamed.
"I'm taking a shower!" Savannah answered gaily as she unclipped her blue lace bra and slipped out of her matching underwear. She had to admit that tripping up Angelique was one of her favorite things to do. The two of them were in a good-natured war, always trying to outdo one another and seeing who would get the biggest reaction. Savannah opened the glass shower door and stepped into the steamy enclosure. Angelique had turned around and was giving Savannah a nasty look while still trying to cover herself. "Sav, what the fuck do you think your doing?" Angelique questioned defiantly. Savannah wet her generous black hair under the shower head and grabbed the shampoo.
"I told you, I'm taking a shower. We don't have time to take separate ones, Ange. Just go about your business and I'll go about mine and we'll both be out in ten minutes." Angelique nearly growled with annoyance at this intruder who was her closest companion, but Savannah flipped her clean hair and poked Angelique's waist. "Oh come on, you prude, I've seen it before!" Angelique's arms came down to push Savannah's hand away and she snorted in frustration.
"Fine," she said. "But I never agreed to this!" Angelique grabbed the shampoo bottle from Savannah and began washing her own thick mane of auburn hair. Savannah watched her defiant friend scrub away at the soft shiny hair she had stroked so many times. It was true, she had seen Angelique's body before, but something about this situation was different. The angry annoyance radiated from Angelique's hour glass figure with a fiery beauty that filled the steamy shower with emotional tension. The water streaming down Angelique's creamy skin, washing the suds from her hair down her smooth body, entranced Savannah for a moment, but then she thought, This is Angelique, my closest friend in the world. Why shouldn't we be so close?
When Savannah got to the conditioner first, Angelique grabbed it away from her, but it slipped out of her hand and clattered onto the tile floor of the shower. As she bent down to pick up the bottle, the wet, brown-sugar skin of Savannah's back slid against Angelique's side. She picked up the bottle at Savannah's feet and stood up quickly, an image of Savannah's long, muscular legs and soft, curving back stuck like a frozen movie frame in Angelique's mind. Blushing, Angelique turned away to condition her hair. Savannah had picked up the soap and was running it over her body, creating a fine creamy lather over her toffee-colored skin. She casually put a hand on Angelique's back and started to lather her up as well. "Sav, what the fuck do you think you're doing?" Angelique asked again, this time a little more playfully.
"I'll scratch your back, you scratch mine, Savannah said laughingly. Angelique sighed, but she let Savannah continue until her back was sudsy with the sweet-smelling soap. "Now turn around," Savannah said.
"I don't think I need you to do my front, Sav," Angelique quipped. "I should be able to reach that myself," but Savannah was already running the smooth bar of soap over Angelique's shoulders and arms. Angelique watched her do it, moving slowly and rhythmically over each inch of Angelique's skin. She was about to push Savannah away, but then thought better of it. What is she doing this for? she thought. Savannah rubbed Angelique's arms caringly and then began to soap her neck, her collarbones, her chest. She ran the soap over Angelique's generous breasts, once, twice, and the third time she followed the soap with an empty hand, trailing her long fingers over Angelique's coral pink nipple. As she passed over it, Angelique shivered ever so slightly and her nipples hardened and darkened. Angelique put her hand on Savannah's elbow and looked at her, bewildered.