9: Between Friends

     I jump a little because he startled me. I try to hide my bashfulness with a small smile as I get my hair out of my eyes. "Hi, Jesse." a.k.a Mufasa.

     He looks at me with a slightly concerned expression and asks, "Everything okay? Sorry if I took you by surprise. I'd thought for sure Martha's noisiness would let you know someone was here."

     "Who?"

     He grins widely and points to his car. "Martha!" he joyfully exclaims like he's proud of the car.

     I reach up to put my glasses back on my nose properly. They'd gotten slightly out of place while I'd gotten my mail which I now hold in my hand. Why is he here?

     "So, what's up?" I ask bravely.

     He shakes his head like he's trying to clear it before he smiles a charming smile and says, "Well, I was wandering around the shop today and I remembered that you'd just moved here, so I figured I'd get you a housewarming gift."

      Overkill maybe? "Um, okay. Where is it?" I ask, noticing his hands are empty.

     "Oh yeah! I left it in Martha. Hang on." He jogs back over to the beetle and pulls out a small painting. Then he looks guiltily at me and says, "Okay, well I admit it. I let an employee tell me what would be a good idea." He looks at my confused expression, and his shoulders slump a little. "You don't like it. That's okay. You don't have to." He really looks down.

     I try to put on a kind smile and say, "No. It's great. I don't have a thing on my walls except in my room. I'm sure I can find the perfect place for it."

     "I'll help," he says, and I don't know how to tell him that that won't be necessary. I can't figure out what to say, so he just follows me into the house.

     We decide on a good place for it before I realize I don't have anything with which to hang it. He merely props it up against the wall and berates himself for not bringing something to make it so it can be hung.

     He turns around, looks out my big windows, and says, "This house is tiny, but I suppose it doesn't matter when it feels like the whole lagoon is your house with that view."

      I smile a little and say, "That's what sold me on the house. That, and I needed something fast." My smile fades a little as I think about what I said and the fact that he's staring at me.

     "How come?" he asks, wondering why I needed something fast.

     "It's... personal," I say.

      He nods his head a little. "No problem. Still it's a great view." He walks towards me and points out different things we can see from my windows.

     After he's pointed out everything he can think of, his hand is suddenly on my shoulder as he says, "For whatever reason, I'm glad you moved here."

      Hello! I think as his hand doesn't move off me but instead his thumb starts massaging the back of my shoulder. You'd better think of something quick.

     "I'm glad there's a place like this for me to move to. The whole place is gorgeous, and I've met so many nice people already. I even have a boyfriend as of this morning." I don't know if I worked that in as smoothly as I'd wanted, I think as his thumb stops.

     "Oh?" he asks before he clears his throat because his voice had taken a gravely tone to it. "I can only assume you mean Bryce," he says, his hand still on my shoulder now like a lead weight.

     "Yes," I answer simply, wishing he would back off a little.

     He turns to look at me and say, "Of course, he's my best friend, but why him?"

     Augh! Rude! "Why not?" I answer, starting to get angry. That sounds an awful lot like 'why not me?' Best friends do not treat each other this way. I'd hoped I'd imagined all that last night at the party.

      "Okay, well, you see Erin, I feel cheated that he saw you first and I never even got a chance," he says. I glance over at him to see if he's for real and see that he actually looks a little mad. "It's not fair," he mumbles.

      I round on him, and he drops his arm. "What's not fair?" I ask a little snippishly.

      He answers me evenly, "That he snatched you out from under everyone's nose."

     "Everyone? Or just you?" I ask, getting madder by the second.

     "Well, what if it is me right now? What if I wish I'd been the one to see you first? I can guarantee you that if the situation were reversed, he'd feel the same way."

      "He would." I state the question.

      "Yes." He dares to reach up and tuck a few strands of my hair behind my ear. Then he runs his fingers down my jaw as he says, "He'd be mad that he'd never been given a chance," he says as his fingers stop on my chin. Warning bells sound in my head as I jerk my chin out of his grasp. He takes a step towards me, closing the distance, before he asks the question I thought a minute ago, "Why not me, Erin?" 

      Then he kisses me, shocking the hell out of me. He takes advantage of my shock and puts a hand on either side of my face before moving one hand to the back of my neck. Everything feels like it's happening to someone else, not me, my shock runs so deep. No. His hand leaves my face so he can wrap his arm around my waist as he continues to try to coax a response out of me. For the briefest of seconds, I want to kiss him back. Then I'm horrified at myself.

     My anger finally breaks through my shock as I get my wits about me and shove him off me.

      It's my turn to shock him as I scream at him, "How dare you! And right after I told you I'm dating your best friend! This is not how you treat your best friend!"

     "I'm sorry! Look! I wanted to try, Erin! Bryce and I have gone after the same girl before in the past. Admittedly, they're usually, well always, tourists, but still..."

      I make an extremely furious, high pitched sound and start shoving him towards the door. "I'm not some damn tourist, Jesse! I'm," I walk up to shove him some more as I say, "Bryce's girlfriend! Your best friend!" His back hits against the doorjamb. 

      I'm screaming now. "Get out!!!" He fumbles for the doorknob behind him and finally gets the door to open. Then he quickly backs down the stairs, and for a moment, I want him to trip. Suddenly, something occurs to me. I take a few steps back into the house and pick up the painting. "And take this with you!!!" I scream as I walk back out onto my porch and throw the painting at him. The glass breaks as it hits the dirt at his feet.

     He quickly picks up the painting, puts the now-broken frame in his car, gets in, and drives off.

     I walk back into my house, shaking with fury. The sky is falling.

     I immediately get out my phone and call Bryce to tell him the short story of what happened. I tell him I'm freaking out. "Just stay right there," he tells me. I decide not to move from this exact spot.

Bryce

     I get to work and things run pretty great. We've been busy for most of the day, and it looks like we're going to be the same tonight. I love Saturday nights. For many, it's their last hoorah before they have to go home, so they're usually willing to spend a little more. Even Bernadette is willing to smile while she waits tables. It's... a little strange not to flirt while I'm working, but I also just don't want to.
     I keep trying to call Jesse to tell him about me and Erin. His phone keeps going to voicemail. Either he's not hearing it ring, he's lost it, or it's broken again. I'll just have to go by his shop sometime in the morning. Still, I feel a little anxious he doesn't know. I'd almost told Erin before we went to eat at the diner about that discussion last night, but I didn't want her to know he likes her since nothing is going to happen anyway. I don't want things to be weird. He is still my friend after all.
     My phone rings. Erin?

     "Hey Erin, what's up?" I ask. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy she called, but I'm surprised she did.
     "The sky is falling," she says quickly.
     I immediately switch hands and put my finger in my other ear so I can hear her better as I ask, "What's going on?" She sounds like she's cracking up.
     "Jesse was just here." Oh shit. Then she starts screaming, "What kind of friendship do you two have anyway!!!?" She then starts talking really, really fast. I'm not able to catch it all, but I do catch her saying 'best friends don't do this' and 'I'm not a damn tourist.' I curse under my breath. "I'm not Sean!!!" she screams and starts crying. Who's Sean? Oh. Is that the bastard's name?
     I can see the whole thing from her point of view now. Best friends. Oh. Crap.
     "No, of course you're not Sean," I say, lamely trying to reassure her.
     "He said you'd do the same thing in his shoes," she accuses with a sniff.
     Damn you, Jesse. "Just stay right there. I'll be there in a few."
     "Huh," she says and hangs up.
     I stare at my phone for a few seconds like I'm accusing it of not getting a hold of Jesse before any of this could happen. Then I tell Bernadette and Jones I have to leave for a while and I'll be back as soon as I can. Bernadette looks at me like she's disgusted. Jones, who's working the bar, merely shrugs and says they can hold the place down no sweat. If my assistant manager ever quits on me, Jones has the job no contest. I'm just glad I had three, including myself, working tonight. I hate leaving them, but I'm not about to lose Erin to Jesse's idiocy.

     When I get to Erin's, I knock on the door, and nobody answers. I peek in the window and see her curled up on the floor of her kitchen. I try the doorknob. It's unlocked. I walk in and kneel on the floor behind her.
     "Erin?" I ask as I reach out to pet the back of her head. The way she's curled up scares me a little. It's like she's shut down. Damn, what did Jesse do? Though I don't think this is all his doing. I think it has more to do with the best friend thing. Shit.
     "Meredith and I became best friends in first grade," she says randomly, yet almost confirming my suspicions.
     I'm trying to follow as I say, "Jesse and I have been friends for about six years."
     "Some friend," she says in almost a monotone. Then her voice takes on a little more emotion as she accuses, "So, you guys often go after the same girl?"
     Shit. How on earth am I going to explain this so that she understands? I'm just going to tell her the truth. "Yes, about a dozen or so times," I guesstimate. "But I wasn't serious about any of it."
     "Was he?" she asks as I sit and think about how different things are with her.
     "I don't know actually. He never stayed mad at me for long if he was." I've started running my fingers through the hair of her ponytail.
     "So you never bothered to find out, and you're saying you won most of the time," she accuses, and I worry I'm walking right into a trap.
     "Well, actually, most of the time, I'd let him have his dibs."
     "Dibs?" she asks, her voice and whole demeanor taking on a shrewish aspect.

     Oh crap.
     "Dibs, Bryce!?" Her voice raises in volume. She rigidly freezes where she lies. "Is that what you did with me? Did you call dibs?!!!"
     Several cuss words work their way through my head as I try to dig myself out of the hole I created. I sigh, "You want the truth? Okay. Yes. I did." I let out a huff. "Look. We had to come up with some way to keep us from getting into a fight every week. Most of the time it worked."
     "Every week?"
     Uh oh. "Well, not every week." Crap, now I sound like some player or something. Um... well, I guess I was.

     She tries to brush my hands off her angrily. I stubbornly refuse to stop trying to comfort her.
     "Just answer me one thing, Bryce," she requests stiffly. "If Jesse had asked me out first, would you try to take me from him?"
     Would you have agreed to go out with him to begin with? I think, but I decide not to ask that right now. I debate my answer for a minute, continuing to run my fingers through her hair, as I think about what I really would do in that situation.
      I sigh and answer truthfully again. "Yes."
     "Get out," she snarls in a cruel tone, and I feel like my heart just ripped in two. "I refuse to come between best friends."
      "Erin, no!" I gasp and turn her slightly as I lift her up into my arms. She tries to push away as I tell her, "I was just telling you the truth! I'm only saying I'm positive my reaction would've been the same. I would've stopped at nothing."
     "Not even your supposed best friend?" she glares up at me.
     "Okay, let me clarify," I say, and she stops struggling for a second. "If I thought that Jesse really loved you then I wouldn't do a thing. That has happened a handful of times."
      "Jesse falls in love that easily huh?"
      "Yes, actually, he does." I love her. "I, however, don't. Usually." I look down at her and hope that she can read from my expression that that isn't the case now. I'm shocked at my own internal admission. I'd almost reached that conclusion today on my couch when she'd kissed me. Something happened to me when I'd watched her talking with Adele. "Do you still want me to leave?" I ask as I look sadly down at her. I realize I love her after she asks me to leave. Figures. I'm mental.

      She starts sobbing, and I pull her close. At least she didn't tell me to leave. What will I do if she tells me to get out again?
      Her head shakes back and forth against my neck as she mumbles, "No. Don't leave."
      Then you can bet your ass I'm staying, I think as I tighten my hold on her.
     "I'm sorry," she says.
     "For what?" I ask.
    "For telling you to get out. I didn't really want you to. I just... can't... won't... come between friends. I'm better than Sean. I'm better than that."
     "I think mine and Jesse's friendship can survive this," I say simply, running my fingers through her hair again.
      "I threw a picture frame at him. It was a housewarming present. It broke," she tells me in a child-like voice.
      I press my lips together and work very hard to keep from laughing. I can easily picture the scene. Poor Jesse. The idiot had no idea. I feel so relieved that she doesn't want me to leave anymore. My leg starts to cramp up from how we're sitting.
     "I have to stand up," I tell her.
     "Mkay."

     As soon as we're standing, she throws her arms around my neck. That's just perfect by me. I have a slight pins and needles sensation in my feet that I ignore. The smell of her hair is enough of a distraction to help me forget about it. I want... to kiss her down her neck and work my way down after undoing a couple of those buttons. Shit. She feels... so damn good up against me like this that I run my hands down her back before I try and hold her even closer. I try to tell my body that what it wants is definitely too fast for her. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop me from wanting it.
     "I'm tired," she says. "I was going to stay up and write, but I think I'll just go to bed instead." She picks her head up to look at me as she says, "Don't leave yet, okay?"
     I mentally whimper. She pulls me behind her into her... bedroom. Once in there, I watch in a sort of daze as she takes off her earrings, bracelet, shoes, glasses, and lets her hair down. Why stop there? I think as she then curls up on the bed.

     I stand here debating what I should do. If I were smart, I'd simply kiss her goodnight real fast and head back to work. That's not what I want to do, though. I keep trying to tell myself that my way of making it all better probably isn't what she needs right now.
     "Bryce?" she asks and turns around a little to look at me questioningly. "What are you doing?"
     Trying not to go insane and losing. "I probably should head back to work."
      Her face looks horrified as she begs, "No! Please stay just a little longer!" Damn it. "At least until I fall asleep?" She actually reaches out and gets hold of my hand to pull me towards her. Her fantastic eyes pull me in better than her pulling on my hand does. I decide right now that it's probably a good thing they're hidden behind those glasses most of the time.

     So, of course, I find myself in bed next to her. I've created my own hell. Her hair feels like silk against my arm, and I'm hyper-aware of everywhere her body touches mine.
      "Thank you," she breathes. I take in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
      "No problem," I lie. Go to sleep, Erin.
      "Do you have to leave when I fall asleep? Can you just stay?" she asks, and I want to scream.
      I close my eyes real tight so that I can't see her eyes looking up at me as I answer, "I can't. I'll at least need to go back home to Adele so Pamela can go home."
      "Your sister is really great for helping you."
      "Yes she is." Go to sleep!
      "I wish you could stay," she says quietly.

      "Erin, if I stay for very long I am going to seduce you." That shirt really does only have a few buttons. I have no idea how she reacts to what I said because she gets very quiet. I reassuringly, well I hope anyway, run my hand up and down her arm.
      "Oh," she says in a small voice. "I'm sorry, Bryce. I wasn't thinking. You don't have to stay any longer if you're uncomfortable." She makes to move away from me.
     Damn it. "I don't want to leave yet," I say as I quickly pull her back to me. "I'm fine," I lie again.
     I feel her hair move on my arm as she tilts her face up to look at me. I make the mistake of looking back at her. Beautiful, I think just before I claim her lips. I am teetering on the edge of total insanity. She acts surprised for a few seconds before she balls her fists in the fabric of my shirt. I can't get enough of the inside of her mouth. Then I wrap my leg around hers as I'm only half-aware of what my hands are up to. When she suddenly gasps, I realize my right hand has naturally made its way to her breast. And she's shocked. I quickly move my wayward hand to instead wrap my arm around her again.
     I decide to give her mouth a break and go exploring. When did these buttons get undone? I think as I vaguely remember undoing them a minute or so ago. Is it really that automatic? I stop kissing her for a second to look down at her with a sort of confused expression. What sort of creature have I become?
     "I'd better go now," I say quietly. If she so much as hints she wants me to stay...
     "Okay," she whispers.
     I take a deep breath and lean in to kiss her once again, forcing myself to keep it simple. I have this sudden, desperate urge to tell her how I feel, but I stop myself before I can let the words out.
      "I'll see you tomorrow?" I ask.
     "Sure. Whenever is good with me," she says simply, and I have to close my eyes before I get trapped in hers again. I imagine that she has some kind of power like Cyclops in X-men that she needs those glasses or she could hurt people with those eyes. It's lucky for all of us that she wears the glasses.

     As I walk down her front porch steps, I have to shake my head to clear it. Damn, Bryce. What has come over you?
     I think I love her. This is dangerously stupid. Still... well damn.