PREPARING FOR A GUEST
Poor Jeremy, Kristen thought as she pulled the freshly laundered sheets from the dryer. She walked down the hall with them bundled in her arms toward the guest room. With the kids away at camp she was taking advantage of the uninterrupted days to get caught up on housework and projects. That was, until, her husband's best friend had called and said he'd like to come down to visit for a couple days.
Her husband Brandon, and Jeremy had been friends since childhood. Until recently, Jeremy had been married to Lori and the two couples had been close. They vacationed together and their children were friends, closer really, more like cousins. Jeremy had said that Lori had the kids this week and the he just needed to get away for a while. So instead of cleaning out the hall closet Kristen began making up the guest room for their friend. She went down the list: clean sheets-check, vacuumed-check, clean towels in the closet-check, beer in the fridge and coffee in the cabinet-check.
Just after six Brandon arrived home from work and he and Kristen began preparing dinner together. Kristen, having very little desire to or experience with cooking usually didn't stray farther than chopping vegetables and setting the table. Brandon on the other hand both enjoyed cooking and worked his way around the kitchen easily. He prepared the steaks for the grill, started the couscous salad, and began preparing the blackberry cobbler for dessert all at once it seemed. They moved together comfortably in the kitchen together. Which, after nearly 20 years together was as it should be, Kristen thought.
"How much time do we have until Jeremy gets here? I don't want to put the steaks on too early," Brandon asked. At a breaking point, he stopped, leaned back against the counter and took a pull from his beer bottle. He liked to watch Kristen in the kitchen. Well, he liked to watch Kristen anywhere. The summery skirt she wore today reminded him of sunflowers. All these years together and he thought she was more beautiful now than when they first met. He felt a pang of sadness as he thought of his friend. Jeremy and Lori had been married nearly as long as he and Kristen had been. He didn't understand how they had let their relationship fall apart like they did. Over the past few years it was getting less and less fun to hang out with them as they fought more and more often. Well, the hard part was over for Jeremy and Lori. Now they both were getting their lives back in order, just this time without each other. Brandon was glad his friend was coming. It had been a long while since they had hung out.
"Any minute now, I think. But I would wait on the steaks. Jeremy said he was leaving work early, around two o'clock," Kristen answered. "If he left at two, which is doubtful, he should be arriving about six-thirty." She swiped the last of the cut zucchini into the bowl then turned to face her husband.
"If we have a few minutes, I can think of a few ways to spend them," he said with a grin spreading across his face. Kristen crossed to him and he folded her into his arms and kissed her sweetly. He took her left hand, their wedding rings made that soft clink sound she loved, and he twirled her around so that her back was to him and his arms wrapped around her waist. His erection pressed firmly into her low back.
She smiled and lifted her chin to his neck and laughed, "I think walking in and finding us fucking over his uncooked dinner is not the welcome Jeremy would be expecting."
Brandon leaned down to kiss her again and, as if on cue, truck tires could be heard pulling onto the gravel driveway. "Jeremy's here!" they said together.
When Jeremy swooped in through the door, larger than life as usual, Kristen thought she detected a shadow behind the smile. He stepped into the kitchen extending a hand to Brandon who pulled Jeremy into a hug and, like men do, pounded each other on the back. Then Jeremy turned to Kristen, scooped her into a hug, dipped her just like in an old movie and planted a kiss on her cheek. When he'd stood her on her feet again she'd forgotten about the sad shadow she thought she'd seen.
BETWEEN FRIENDS
They ate on the patio, enjoying the warm summer evening. They talked mostly of work, movies, friends and a little politics. Brandon thought Jeremy sounded sad still when they spoke of Lori or about the arrangement with their kids. He misses them. All of them, he thought sadly. But all in all, the discussions were relaxing and comfortable and gave them the excuse to sit and drink wine until the sun sank low in the purpling sky.
"The stars are amazing here," Jeremy offered as they lay on the blanket Kristen had brought out and spread in the middle of the grass. Kristen laid with her head on Brandon's lap and her feet on Jeremy's legs so that they made a lopsided H on the ground.
Brandon pointed up to the sky above them, "There's a satellite. Heading north, kinda dim, going by that bright star there. It is a wonder that spotting satellites never loses its appeal. They just look like little stars gliding through the sky but I never get bored looking for them."
"I see it," Jeremy said.
"I'd look but I can't keep my eyes open. I was on my feet so much today just getting stuff done around the house. It feels good to close my eyes for a bit," Kristen replied, her voice muddled a little with drink and sleep.
