The Player
Chapter 2 - The Arrangement
The coffee shop had changed over the years. Its current incarnation as a gaming-themed location named "Level Grind" had become a big hit with its core customer base of college students. Michelle wasn't one of that number, but she had other reasons to appreciate the location, such as the artwork contributed by her friend and coworker Austin, whose girlfriend was a barista here. The shop manager, Heather, and her fiancée were regulars at Gabby's, Michelle's other place of work.
Also, it had the best coffee around, and pricing tailored for student budgets.
Arriving early for her meeting, Michelle had picked up a cappuccino, and had taken a table in the center, less popular with notebook-toting students, then spent her time observing the decor. Austin's creations shared space with pride flags and other symbols of inclusion, most of which predated the shop's recent redecoration.
When Rose arrived, she gave Michelle a mischievous grin before standing in line for her coffee. Michelle suddenly found the wall art less engrossing compared to the tight ivory shorts and long expanse of leg as her friend - did she count as a friend, now? - placed her order. It was disappointing that her tan lightweight jacket hid her highly observable ass, but the sight of the muscles of her thighs and calves was a fair temporary substitute.
Michelle no longer thought of her libido as being out of action. At last week's gig, one of the band's fans, a cute, dark-haired girl of about nineteen, had made eye contact with her. The hunger in the girl's eyes had ignited a matching thrill low in Michelle's body, the ennui of the past year completely absent. When the girl sought her out after the show, Michelle made a snap decision to take her home. If the evening didn't go well, she might be reluctant to try again, but the night with Rose had left her hopeful.
The private afterparty had been a success, yielding Michelle a single but very pleasurable climax, while she had the dark-haired girl crying out her name three times. Lust, she now knew, could again be part of her vocabulary.
Even so, the magnetic pull of Rose's body puzzled Michelle. She tried to force herself to remember the name of the dark-haired girl to steer her mind from memories of Rose's perfect breasts and creamy skin.
She still hadn't remembered the name when the chair on the other side of the table was pulled back. Rose hadn't waited for her order to be prepared, heading directly for Michelle's table.
Seen from the front, Rose's light jacket was open, revealing a cami in a silk satin gold that matched her hair, tight at the chest, but loosely draped over her belly, ending no more than an inch above the lightweight ivory drawstring shorts, which hugged her hips just as snugly as Michelle had guessed.
Thoughts of the cute but nameless groupie fled from her mind as Rose dropped into the chair across from her. "So, hi," she said as she sat.
"Hi yourself," responded Michelle.
Rose looked around the room, much as Michelle had been doing before she'd arrived. "The place is different each time I visit," she said.
"Is that..." Michelle began, then stopped herself. She held up a finger as the other woman turned back to look at her. "I mean, what I should say is..." She smirked at Rose. "
Do you come here often?
"
Rose snorted, then shook her head. "Not often." She leaned forward and lowered her voice, conspiratorially. "No offense, but too many students."
Michelle returned her half-smile. "Try to sound impressive as they look down on you, and don't tip for shit?" When her companion raised an eyebrow she said, "I tend bar, remember? I feel your pain."
Rose laughed. "Yeah, I guess you do."
With a sigh, Michelle added, "Though they're also our most reliable fans."
She raised her paper cup, intending to comment about the quality of the coffee, but she glanced up to see the tall redhead, Heather, approaching their table.
Rose turned to see what had caught her attention as Heather arrived, a slight blush on her porcelain cheeks, a large, disposable cup in her hand, her auburn hair as impossibly perfect as ever. "I brought your latte," she said to Rose.
"I wasn't expecting personal service," Rose replied, taking the proffered cup.
"I didn't know you knew each other," Heather offered, giving Michelle a quick smile. "When I saw you head over here I decided I had to say hello to both of you together."
"And I didn't know you two were friends," interjected Michelle.
"Oh, yes," said Heather. "Rose is the reason my parents disowned me, I lost my college fund, and had to take a job here to stay at school." She beamed and squeezed the blonde's shoulder. "And I love her for it. I'd better get back." She turned and strode back to the espresso machine.
"Well, that was something," Michelle said, then eyed Rose curiously.
Her companion shrugged. "Long story. You could say I helped her find herself."
Michelle smirked, eyebrows raised. "You and Heather? I'd never have guessed."
"Never did," the woman said, "but you're on the right green. Ask her about it. Unfortunately, her parents are bigots, so she went through a hard time along the way."
Michelle looked over to the counter. Heather caught her eye and smiled, coloring as she often did, before delivering a coffee to the next customer in line. Michelle had seen her with her partner at Gabby's and knew that whatever had happened in the meantime, Heather was happy with her status.
Michelle looked into the green eyes across from her. The woman was watching her with an expression of interest. Michelle swirled her coffee around in the paper cup, then took a sip. "You made a mess of my mirror, you know?" she said, with a grin.
"Well, sorr-ee," Rose retorted. "I wasn't going to wake you hunting down a piece of paper at four a.m. And I only had your friend Kayla's number until you texted me to meet here."
Michelle hoped that she was striking a balance between humor and sarcasm. "I don't usually trade numbers with overnight guests."
"Do most overnight guests show you such a good time?" Rose countered.
"Mmm. No way," Michelle said. "The last time one did, it led to my divorce."
Rose's eyes continued to hold hers as she shook her head, a smile on her lips. "So you said. But to answer the question you haven't asked, I wanted you to call, because I wanted to see you again."
Michelle tried to suppress a grimace. She didn't want to reject the chance for friendship. She just had to set ground rules, not drive Rose away. "You know I'm not looking for a relationship?"
"I get that," Rose said. "It was pretty clear that you weren't looking for anything at all, but especially not anything long-term. When your feelings emerge from hibernation, you'll have no problem finding casual hookups. That's the impression I get from you and your guitarist friend, but you don't want anything that gets close to commitment."
"Pretty much," Michelle agreed. "And without that, I'd be leading someone on if I saw her more than once or twice."
Rose beamed. "We're already getting somewhere with twice," she said. "But what if she
makes a commitment
to not wanting a commitment?" She grinned at her own joke. "I've no intention of staying with one person. Maybe forever." She shrugged. "Or maybe not. It can be good to have a partner for the mundane parts of life, but I'm not there right now. I already have a small number of friends I see from time to time. We're not exclusive, and if the arrangement isn't working for them they can walk away. Or I can."
Michelle frowned. "You're talking about fuck buddies?"
The golden-haired woman winced, but said, "Well, kinda. Except... not really. What we have goes beyond a casual fuck. Casual fuck buddies have to keep a careful handle on their feelings, or the relationship gets complicated. We don't. I
like
to have chemistry with a partner. I like to have feelings while I'm with them. But when I'm not with them, I don't demand anything of them. They can do what they want with who they want. I have other outlets, and so do they."
"Sounds like a recipe for jealousy and poly drama," Michelle said, allowing her deep skepticism to show in her voice.
Rose took a long sip of her coffee. "Can be," she said. "It isn't for everyone, and, not gonna lie, I've lost friends who thought they could handle the situation. But the ones that work, it's..." She shrugged. "It's good." The glow in her eyes made this a clear understatement. "I think you're someone who could. You seem to have no problems with fangirls. And you obviously had feelings for the girl who blew up your marriage. It's in your eyes when you talk about her. But you're not jealous now."
"Well, one, it was over a year ago," Michelle said. "I don't know
what
my feelings were at the time. And two, the outcome was a disaster."
"Right, because the whole situation you were living in was a disaster waiting to happen," Rose suggested. "You and I have chemistry that's off the charts. I felt it at the restaurant. I felt it when we talked at the pub where you were playing. And Jesus on a pogo stick did I feel it at your place." Her eyes went a little dreamy. "Especially your little game with the toy. That was... unexpected." She shook her head and focused on Michelle again. "Ignoring your rules and concerns for a moment, do you feel there could be something between us?"
