Five Feet or Less

by Erik Schubach

  I caught myself happily humming as I put four glasses in my lap then pushed the shelves back up and closed the cupboard door. I wheeled back out to the table with a Cheshire cat grin on my face as I passed out the glasses. “Sarah, when did you do that? That is so cool! You've gotta stop doing stuff like that, it is expensive, you don't have the money for that!”

  She was giggling as Gwen and Marcie were shooting us “Huh?” looks. Sarah spoke slyly, “Well, I had them installing them on the day you ghosted. But don't blame me, well not too much. I'm pretty sure I'm competing with mom for your affection. She simply adores you and set it all up, like the ramp. She says it just adds resale value to the house.”

  As I passed by her I gave her a little peck on the lips before sliding into my spot. She rewarded me with a 'lets get Reese all hot and bothered' smile. I looked over at my confused roommates and cheerfully explained, “She put in handicap accessible upper cupboard pull-downs.”

  Marcie beat Gwen to the punch. “Reese, if you don't take her, I just might have to. That is so frigging sweet.”

  I grabbed the hand of the profusely blushing redheaded sprite and gave it a squeeze. I just cutely stated, “Mine.”

  Sarah playfully added. “I don't know Ree, I mean, have you seen her tonight?” I playfully slapped her arm.

  We all chatted and joked and laughed through our 'gourmet' Chinese diner. This was the most fun I had had with Marcie and Gwen since we were little. I was so happy to have them back the way we were meant to be. Sarah, was a sharp, witty, intelligent conversationalist who kept us all engaged during the meal.

  When we were done, I helped Sarah clean up the table while the girls went to the living room to sit. While we were in the kitchen Sarah looked out to the girls then leaned in and hovered her lips an inch away from mine. I caught her scent and could feel her hot breath on my face. OMG the tease! I closed the gap and gave her the tenderest of kisses.

  After a few seconds she broke the kiss with a satisfactorily dreamy look on her face. She whispered, “I've been wanting to do that all throughout dinner.”

  I grinned and nodded in emphatic agreement. “Me too!”

  She lit a match then lit the single candle on the the birthday cake and stated toward the living room with it. The girls turned and we started singing happy birthday to a sufficiently embarrassed and grinning Gwen.

  She closed her eyes for a second with excitement on her face then opened them and blew the candle out. “God. I feel ten again. You trying to fatten me up?” She chuckled looking at the cake as Sarah set it on the coffee table as I put paper plates and plastic forks beside it. Marci beat me to the cake knife and started slicing the pink and white frosted creation and hoisting pieces onto the plates.

  Sarah grabbed a little box, wrapped in green paper and handed it to Gwen. “Happy birthday, Gwen.”

  Gwen's eyes were sparkling as she carefully unwrapped the box half way then got silly and tore the wrapping away in one swoop. As she opened the box, I started thinking about how we had never celebrated anyone's birthday in our apartment since we moved in together, the exception being the girls getting massively smashed on their twenty first birthdays. Was... the accident the reason? Oh Gwen.

  She pulled out a gorgeous emerald green shirt with forest green lace holding one side together and a swoop of forest green sequins along the other side. It was simply phenomenal. Gwen pulled Sarah into a hug. “Thank you, it is beautiful.” Sarah just wiggled her eyebrows comically. Gawd I loved her expressive face.

  Marcie licked some frosting off her finger and handed over her present to Gwen. Gwen listened, I'm assuming for ticking. Then shot Marce a silly grin and opened the box and started laughing hard. Marcie was all grins as Gwen pulled out a designer bag that had a Hello Kitty bow on it.

  Wait! I remember that bag! At the beginning of the sixth grade, Gwen watched that Leather and Heels music video. You know, the one with Penny pretending to go to a catholic school, where she winds up getting them all to rebel? Well this is the same bag she had in that video and Gwen had raved about it back then.

  My roommates hugged it out. I was so happy they weren't fighting anymore. I know there is still a long road ahead of us to heal. And Gwen and I promised Sarah we would get professional help. But I couldn't help the warm feeling I got as I watched. Everything is really going to be OK, isn't it?

  Then I timidly pulled my gift out of the black bag hanging off my chair and handed it to the birthday blondie. I realized that I had rolled back to hide behind Sarah a bit and she looked down at me and dragged me back beside her. Traitor!

  Gwen started to unwrap the box then hesitated and looked at me. She got a look of determination on her face then opened it up and slid the gift out. An engraved silver frame that said “Gwen, Marcie and Reese. BFF.” in it was the only photo I had of the three of us. We must have been nine or ten at the time, playing on that swing set in the park. We all looked so happy in it. I kept this photo hiding in my nightstand drawer and would look at it whenever I was missing my friends or things got tough.

  This started the tear-fest again. Gawd we were all such girls. Hugs were handed out like lifelines all around. Then through happy tears Gwen whispered, “It's perfect Reese.”

  We devoured our cake and kicked back on the couch and loveseat to watch a video. Gwen and Marcie taking the loveseat and letting me lay down on the couch with my head in Sarah's lap with our fingers laced.

  I found her much more fascinating than the chick flick we were watching. I memorized every line of her face, the curve of her neck. Gawd I wanted to kiss that neck. I could see a smile slowly forming on her lips as she tried hard to watch the show and not notice me watching her. Epic fail my red headed sprite!

  She scrunched up her face with a grin and looked at me and motioned her eyes to the TV, I whispered, “Fine you party pooper.” She snickered quietly and we tried to pay attention to the movie. 'Tried' being the operative word. Impossible with her fingers lightly tracing my side.

  As the movie ended, Gwen and Marce looked at us then each other. Then with acting worthy of an Academy Award Marcie awkwardly yawned and stretched. “It's getting late and I'm tired and have work in the morning.”

  Gwen mimicked her. “Me too. Umm... Sarah, can you give Reese a ride home when you two are done ummm... talking?”

  Sarah was nodding but stopped at the frown suddenly on Marcie's face. “Uh. Never mind. Neither of us can drive Bessie.”

  I seriously believe that I snorted at the speed in which Sarah snagged her purse off the coffee table and was tossing the keys to her car at Marcie. Everyone chuckled as the girls said their good nights.

  We waved in the doorway as they pulled away in Sarah's car. I turned and my breath caught at the look of pure lust and hunger in Sarah's eyes. She shut the front door then pushed my chair backwards into the wall and straddled my lap and laid such an erotically delicious kiss on me that I almost orgasmed right there on the spot. She certainly had the full attention of all the interesting parts of my body at that moment.

  She grinned at me and stood, grabbing both of my hands and dragging me and my chair to the couch. After transferring to the couch, we had a heated make out session. The more of her I got the more I wanted. Our hands were exploring each others bodies. I was in heaven, but then she stopped as her hand was moving down from my stomach.

  She looked down at her hand then into my eyes. She timidly spoke, “Umm... you've never spoke about the extent of your injuries, and I never pried. Can you feel... uh... does everything... can you...” I shut her up with a desperate kiss. Why is she talking? We need to be kissing! Our tongues did the waltzed in the battle for dominance. I lost. Yay!

  When we pulled apart to gasp for air I whispered, “Everything works.” This was apparently the right thing to say as she redoubled her efforts with her magical hands. She brought me to climax just from her ministrations over my clothing.

  As I tried to reciprocate, she stood and urgently coaxed me to my chair.
Once I transferred she was quickly pushing me to her bedroom.

  I looked at the goddess standing in front of the bed an nervously reached out and grabbed the hem of her shirt and started to lift, she bent to assist the removal of the garment blocking me from access to her creamy soft skin. I gasped at the black lace bra that could barely hold the treasure contained within them in. I bit my lower lip. I'm so gay! I was almost drooling.

  I unbuttoned her pants and slid them down her legs. She stepped out of them, now only in her bra and matching black satin panties. She was magnificent! I could smell her arousal mixing with her chocolate scent.

  Before I could do anything, she was forcing me out of my chair and onto the bed, where she quickly had me in a similar state of undress. I tried to focus, as she started kissing down my neck toward her goal.

  It all just blurred together after that into a haze of animalistic passion. She exceeded each and every fantasy I had ever had, tenfold. It was sexy, fun and completely erotic. But I couldn't leave it at that, I wanted her. All of her. And I wanted to show her the extent of my love. I proved it over and over again until we both collapsed in exhaustion in each others arms. If there was any doubt that I was hers before, I'm now completely one hundred percent hers now.

  I smiled at her as we let sleep claim us, our faced inches apart.

  Epilogue

  “Hey Ree! Get your cute ass rolling, we're going to be late!” Sarah yelled from the living room.

  I snickered as I replied, “We wouldn't be running late if you hadn't joined me in the shower woman! Gawd I'm still buzzing.” I touched up my light makeup and grabbed my purse and keys and wheeled out of our bedroom.

  I got the reaction I was looking for as I wheeled past Sarah and reached up to lightly close her mouth as I passed to stop her from drooling. I stopped at the door. “You coming woman?”

  She mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like “Just about” as she joined me as we exited onto the porch. The porch swing was lazily swinging in the wind. I took a moment to look at the familiar professional black dress Sarah was wearing. It really got my motor running every time she had one of these gigs.

  I especially loved busy days like today where she didn't have time to return home to change for the gig so she was forced to wear that detectible shimmering garment that just draped off her curves in all the right places all day. She slapped my arm playfully to knock me out of my reverie. “Hey, none of that now. I can barely keep my hands off of you as it is without you adding in 'the look'.”

  I smiled at her genuinely and the words came unbidden from my lips. “I love you so much Sarah.”

  She matched my grin. “Well you better, you married me after all!”

  I started wheeling down the ramp to Bessie as I called over my shoulder. “I didn't know what I was doing. You kept kissing me to keep me from forming coherent thoughts. One 'I do' later and your trap was sprung.”

  My chair stopped all forward motion as she spun me around and kissed me so softly it left me wondering if we had kissed at all. But the tingling in my body told me we had. She whispered, “Was that a complaint?”

  I got lost in her eyes. And there was that comical expression on her face I couldn't get enough of. “No. Not at all. Just an observation... a happy observation.”

  She giggled and grabbed my keys from my hand and hit the button. The drivers slider opened and the ramp folded down as I snagged the keys from her hand and gave her a quick retaliatory peck on the lips before I wheelied off the curb in my new red, low profile chair and around the van and up the ramp into Bessie.

  Sarah was buckling into the passenger seat as I transferred into the driver's seat. She was already folding my new chair which she had comically nicknamed 'Wheels' (to the hysterical laughing of Gwen and Marcie) as the ramp was swinging back up and the door closed itself.

  I could tell Bessie was proud of her bling. After a quick check of the hand controls we were off to get the girls.

  When the Browns Building went condo last year, I had bought the old apartment for Gwen and Marcie to live in as long as they desired. I just let my wife know it was a good future investment and she readily agreed.

  I still remember Sarah's shock when I logged into my... ummm... 'our' online bank for her to see after our honeymoon. I made extremely good money with my tech consulting business, but I never went anywhere or bought anything more than movies or games after high school. I had amassed a little over one point six million and that was now growing exponentially as I expanded into online sales of my fully functional templated eCommerce software.

  We pulled up and the girls were waiting for us, with Mark. My old roommates looked hot in their dresses!

  I still don't know why Gwen hasn't street-ed Mark yet. He's not too smart and is always doing annoying things. But then again, she's not really looking for anyone she can really bond with, so maybe he's a good distraction for her.

  They started piling in the passenger slider and the bickering began. I tried hard not to laugh at them. Marcie was trying to sit behind me next to the folded ramp but Gwen wanted to sit there so Mark could sit next to her instead of in the cramped, far back bench.

  Marcie folded her arms defiantly. “Then sit in the back with him.”

  Gwen shot back a rapid fire reply, “It's too cramped back there!”

  Marcie rolled her eyes. “So you want me to sit back there? Reese, can you talk to her? She's impossible.”

  I chuckled as I turned back. “Gwen, girls before squirrels. Or whatever the female translation of bros before hos is.”

  Sarah was rolling her eyes now with a cute grin, mocking and whispering, “Girls before squirrels? Really Ree? That doesn’t even make sense.”

  I really had to try hard not to fall into a hysterical giggle fit. This happened every time Mark went anywhere with us. I was about to say something when Gwen shot me a pouty look then tilted her head and smiled and said sweetly, “Reese?”

  I blushed and started looking down shyly, nodding. Sarah was suddenly laughing. “We talked about this Ree. Remember, be strong.”

  I nodded then looked back at Gwen and almost said something then looked back at Sarah with a pleading look, “But... she's so cute!”

  Sarah squished up her face comically and crinkled her nose as she crossed her arms across her chest with a cute reprimand sparkling around in her eyes.

  I sighed in defeat and turned back to Gwen. “Ummm... no?? Uhhh... sorry Gwen, Sarah's cuter.” Woohoo! I said no to Gwen! Well, sort of.

  Gwen grinned ear to ear then turned to Mark. “You heard her, back seat buckko!”

  Marcie victory pumped her fist in the air. “Yes!”

  I shook my head at the comical drama of just getting people in their seats then smiled as I pulled away from the curb.

  A few minutes later we hit our first stop. Mark wandered off down to the Starbucks down the street as us girls went into the medical building. Marcie gave Gwen's hand a little squeeze as she went into her therapist’s office for her half hour session. Marcie sat in the waiting room as Sarah and I made it to the end of the hall. I checked in and my therapist saw me right away for my session.

  I kissed Sarah as she sat in the waiting room chairs and I was wheelie-ing all the way into “Doc's” office. I heard laughter behind me as I entered the office saying, “What's up, doc?” Dr. Amanda Sharpe reeeealy hates it when I call her Doc, just like I hate it when she types on her damn iPad when we are talking without letting me see what she is writing. Mutually assured destruction! I giggled at myself.

  It was literally the day after the dinner at Sarah's... well our place now, that she reminded Gwen and I of our promise to get professional help. She sat by us at the apartment when we set up our first sessions. We had agreed to use separate therapists. I tried to get out of it, but it is hard to think when your girlfriend is making you so aroused you can't think when she hands you the phone.

  Things have gone really well and over the past two years. I have learned
to accept the things I can't change, and to forgive and live with myself. Gwen stopped cutting and has been such a joy to have around as she has slowly had to relearn to be herself instead of the bitch she pretended to be for so long that she forgot who she was. I think she has her happiness back.

  I spend more time trading services with Doc now that actual therapy as I have upgraded her wireless and computer systems in her office. We had just got done arguing about discussing my sex life when time was up. In my most professional demeanor, I stuck my tongue out at her as the timer softly chimed. “Sorry Doc, you lose, time's up.”

  She rolled her eyes and responded, “How many times do I have to tell you to call me Amanda, not Doc?”

  I grinned at her as I rolled out to meet my wife. We joined the girls and went back out to Bessie. Mark was there drinking his coffee, waiting for us.

  Gwen was shouting “Shotgun!”

  Sarah, wiggled her eyebrows humorously at me. I grinned and said, “Unless you are married to me and can withhold sex if I don't let you sit next to me, then sorry Gwen, Sarah get's shotgun in perpetuity.”

  Gwen laughed as we all mounted up and said, “I can withhold sex from you.”

  I glanced over at Sarah who rescued me, pointing at her ring finger as she looked back at Gwen. “Wedding ring. I win.”

  Stop two, the cemetery. We all piled out. Mark again stayed behind. We got up to the beautiful, large headstone with it's carved flowers and gorgeous engraving. What better use for mom's life insurance money? I spoke as the girls tidied up the grave-site a bit, picking up twigs and leaves. “Hi, mom. I wish I could stay longer today but Sarah has another gig tonight! You'd love to hear her music, she is getting quite a following now. I just wanted to let you know. I love you and I'll see you next week.”

  We all shared smiles then made our way back to the van. We had just enough time for dinner then we had to get Sarah to the Steam Plant Club for her set. I still can't believe she got booked on a Friday night! She just keeps getting better and better! In more ways than one.