My stomach churned as I heard a solid knocking on the door. Each thump from the wood created another somersault in the pit of my gut. Needless to say, I was nervous. It was my oldest friend, from elementary to our final year in highschool. Like most friendships ours fell out after we went to separate colleges and talked less and less. I hadn't seen her for the better parts of two years, and yet now here she is knocking on my front door.
I guess I should begin with introductions. My name is Tahlia Kimura, my father is Japanese and Mother Portuguese. When they married in America they opened a restaurant that very quickly grew into a successful chain and now I'm their only child born into a millionaire's life. I lived most my life pampered in mansions, and vacation homes around the world. I had to fight my parents to go to public school, where I met her. Hannah Mayfield. We met in third grade and had been best friends ever since.
She was the opposite of me. An adventurous, poor, all-American tomboy, who's idea of fun was playing in the mud, compared to, me, the millionaire's shopaholic daughter. I'd always cared for her and spent as much time with her, but it wasn't till high school before I realized I have stronger feelings for her. Or at least had, I don't anymore. I'd never want to jeopardize our relationship with something as dumb as a crush. Although I remember how cute she was in school, Her brown hair cut short, freckles, and a pair of buck teeth that were somehow adorable. I shake my head pushing out the feelings as I take a deep breath in and pull open the door. My jaw dropped as I looked at my old friend.
"Tally!" She called out in her southern accent, throwing down her luggage and her arms around me. She was just so...different. Her hair was longer and curly, she kept the freckles, but her body had grown out so much more attractively. She let go of me and took a step back with a beaming smile. Her bright blue eyes were piercing as she blew a lock of her brown hair out of her face.
"Hannah, you look so." I paused looking for a word as she broke off our embrace. "Different." I said truthfully.
She gave me a half cocked smile and snorted a bit with her laugh.
"And is that a bad thing?" she asked putting her hand on her hips sarcastically.
"You're gorgeous!" I said without thinking. I realized what I said and was hoping my face wasn't red.
"Awwww" she said playfully pushing my shoulder back. "Well ain't you gonna show me around?"
"Huh? What, oh, uh yeah." I tried to laugh and play it off. "Yeah c'mon in" I stepped out of the way as she stepped inside, setting her luggage against the wall in the entrance she continued walking in as I noticed she wore the same thing she always used to wear. A flannel with jeans tucked into her cowgirl boots. She let out a soft whistle as she looked around the house I was in.
"So this is the famous L.A. vacation home?" She said as she held out her arms twirling about until she collapsed on a couch.
"Yeah you're finally here!" I said smiling at her. This was always my vacation home on summer breaks, whilst Hannah stayed back in North Carolina for her summers. Her single mother relying on her help to raise money back at our hometown. "It only took, what? about 15 years?"
"Give or take." She said leaning her head back over the couch to look at me upside-down. I shut the door and walked towards and then around the couch and sat next to her pulling my feet up and tucking them behind me.
"How can you not be hot in those jeans?" I asked surprised. The L.A. heat always got to me, as I wore a cropped tank top and denim shorts.
"Yeah I was thinking of changin' but I figured we ought to talk first." we both laughed at her statement. "I'm gonna grab some shorts, tell me all about college!" She said as she began walking towards her things.
"Well I'm still going for physical therapy. It's going good, I think I'm going to begin an internship soon and hopefully that'll go well. But you know school is school. What um." I stopped as she walked back towards me pulling up a pair of her own denim shorts. I watched as they slid up her deliciously thick thighs. "Um, what about you?" I asked trying not to stutter. "You probably want a drink or something!" I said quickly getting to my feet. "I am a terrible host!" I said rushing to behing the bar into the kitchen area.
Hannah laughed at me sitting back down kicking her now bare feet up on the coffee table. "Tally please, you're fine. I drank a bit on the plane ride here I wanna hear all about your fun college stories. Yah know? The crazy parties, prankin' the dean, sleepin' with other girls, the weekends of binge drinkin'." she said her half cocked smile returning. I blinked rapidly, there was no way she had heard I had tried doing, things, with other girls. Right?
"Uh haha, no that's not really what college is like." I took two beer bottles out of my fridge, I remembered it was her favorite kind from when we were younger and had to sneak it. "I mean there's been some parties here and there. You know some nice night clubs around town, but nothing to crazy." She shrugged her shoulders as she heard my response.
"Always was a shut in." she stuck her tongue out at me. I was now back to her and handed her a bottle. She smiled happily at it, twisting the top off and drinking it back. "So while I'm here we're gonna have to live it up alright?" she pointed a finger at me. "Clubbing, binge drinkin', all that crap." She took another swig. "But for now, I guess I should get all my crap out of your front entrance and into my room right?"
"Oh, right!" I say standing back up again, setting down the beer. Hannah laughed as she stood up too, taking a swig of her drink. We walked together to her luggage and I used the wheels on her suitcase to the guest room down the hall. Hannah followed me telling me about her life, how her mother's art career was beginning to take off, how her little brother had ran away for almost a week, and how she had saved up enough to buy herself her own truck. I learned from a young age offering the Mayfield family money was a touchy subject.
I opened the door to her room. The room was simple, a large king sized bed, a desk with a computer, a bookshelf, its own closet, and a connecting bathroom. Hannah looked over the room with a look of surprise.
"Wait this is all mine?" She asked looking at the large guest room.
I laughed at her shocked expression. "Yeah, I thought you could handle it." I joked.
"Well I guess." She grinned back poking my stomach. "Which side of the bed is yours? Or do I get to pick?"
