Just Friends

by Sam Crescent

  When they got home at night, Leah was either late or spent most of it in her room. Their time together began to fade.

  He knew it was only a matter of time before she cancelled Friday’s movie night.

  The second week after their love-making, Leah phoned saying she had to work late that night and on Saturday. Chase knew she’d asked for the overtime. In the mornings she was leaving for work before either of them woke up.

  The friend he knew and loved with his whole heart was disappearing. He knew she was cutting herself off from them.

  He spent most of his nights on the chair. The thought of sleeping in the bed where he and Mitch had shared Leah cut him to the core. The bed was filled with so many loving memories. Sleeping in the bed without his two friends felt wrong.

  It had been days since he’d had a good night’s sleep.

  Their time was running out. Chase knew it. Mitch clearly knew it, and from the look of Leah, she was already prepared to move on.

  “We have to do something,” Mitch said on the third Friday night they were alone.

  “What do you think we should do? Confront her? Demand that she listen to us?”

  Chase stared at the clock watching the hands turn as the minutes passed.

  “I don’t know what we should do. Sitting around waiting for it all to end is a nightmare.”

  They both jumped as Leah walked through the door. It had been a week since he’d last seen her. She didn’t look healthy.

  In the few weeks it had been since that bloody Friday night, she looked like she’d lost weight. There were dark circles under her eyes. He noticed the way her shoulders slumped in defeat.

  “I didn’t pick up the movies,” she said, staring at them.

  “Are you all right?” Mitch asked.

  Leah nodded her head. From the red look of her eyes, it looked like she’d been crying.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m tired. I’m going to skip dinner. I don’t feel very hungry.”

  They nodded their heads. She moved toward the bathroom and closed the door.

  Chase frowned staring at Mitch.

  “She doesn’t look healthy.”

  He agreed with his friend’s assessment. She looked awful and tired. It looked like she’d caught several illnesses all in one.

  Chase made a note to try to talk to her. It was Friday, and if he was up in time he’d try to stop her from leaving. She shouldn’t be going to work looking that ill.

  Chapter Six

  Leah woke up the next day waiting for her body to settle down. For the past few weeks her body had been plotting against her. It was harder and harder to get out of bed. Everything she did felt like a chore. Her body didn’t feel like her own.

  She sat up slowly making sure she didn’t move too suddenly. Glancing at the clock, she saw she’d been dead to the world for the last twelve hours. There was no way she’d make it into work.

  A groan escaped her as her body protested the thought of going to work.

  The overtime she’d been taking was because she’d needed to catch up on the work she was falling behind on.

  The stress at home was not helping her illness. The thought of being home with Mitch and Chase had her nerves on end.

  They’re your best friends. They would never hurt you.

  But you slept with them. Things are different now.

  She whimpered as she climbed out of bed. Change, never before had she hated the word like she did now. Her mother had been right. They had all changed. Pretending nothing had happened was a big mistake.

  Leah stood and looked out of her bedroom window. The whole city was awash in rain. The weather looked cold and moody. Even the thought of going for a walk made her feel tired.

  Opening her door, she heard Chase and Mitch talking in the kitchen. She approached the sound of their voice.

  They both stopped talking when they saw her.

  “Morning,” she said.

  “I thought you were working.” Mitch spoke over his coffee cup. It was nearly lunch time.

  “No. I didn’t even set my alarm.” She folded her arms over her chest. The shirt she wore wouldn’t cover the effect these men had on her body.

  “It’s about time you stayed home.” Chase handed her a cup of coffee. Leah took the cup. The scent wafted up to her nose. The recoil inside her stomach was instant. She put the coffee down and ran to the bathroom.

  “What’s the matter?” Chase asked.

  She heard them following behind her. Leah got to the toilet, knelt down, and vomited the little food she’d managed to keep down over the last day. Everything she’d eaten and drunk came up and down the pan until she was dry heaving. Mitch held her hair up as Chase rubbed her back.

  Her head was pounding, and her body shook from the exertion.

  Chase handed her some water, which she took, swallowing it down.

  When she’d calmed down, brushed her teeth, and sat on the toilet she stared at her two friends.

  “Thank you,” she said, meaning the two words. Mitch stroked her face while Chase had his arms folded.

  “How long has this been going on?” Chase asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “The vomiting, tiredness, lack of energy, and all around sickness.”

  “The last few weeks.” Leah looked between the two men.

  “I think we need to take a trip down to the emergency room,” Mitch said.

  “What? Why? That will cost a lot of money. What do you think is wrong with me?” she asked, feeling scared. Did they know something she didn’t?

  Chase was pacing, and he’d gone pale.

  “You’re scaring me, guys. What is going on?”

  She rubbed her arms feeling the chill seep into her bones. Chase knelt down before her. Mitch was stroking her hair. She’d missed this, the comfort they offered and the ease. He took her hand in his. “I know we’ve been pretending nothing happened, Leah, but I need to ask.” He stopped, licking his lips and looking up into her eyes. “Are you taking birth control?”

  Her eyes opened wide as she shook her head.

  Mitch cursed.

  “I don’t understand.” She couldn’t think. What was wrong with her?

  “I’ll go down to the pharmacy and buy one,” Mitch said, leaving the bathroom.

  “Buy what?” She watched his retreating back with tears in her eyes.

  This was easy logic, and she couldn’t fathom what was going on. Chase held her hands in his firm grip.

  “Mitch is going to go and buy you a pregnancy test.”

  The colour left her.

  “A pregnancy test?”

  The door to the apartment closed behind Mitch.

  “Yes.”

  “That night, you didn’t wear condoms?” she asked.

  Chase caught her face between his palms. He looked intently at her. “Leah, you begged us not to.”

  “I begged you not to?”

  He hung his head, not saying anything.

  “Tell me, Chase.”

  “We put on the condoms, and you pulled them off, Leah. You told us that you’d waited a lifetime for us and there was no way anything was going to be between us when we took you.”

  Leah closed her eyes, slapping her palm to her head. “I never even gave pregnancy a thought,” she said.

  “Not even with your other lovers?”

  She looked at him. “I’ve not had sex in over a year, Chase. There was no need for birth control.”

  Leah stared past his shoulder feeling like a complete and utter fool. What was she going to tell her parents? Her mother had warned her about making choices. She’d never thought the choice would be taken out of her hands.

  “I’m taking you into the sitting room.” Chase leaned around her, pulling her up into his arms. “You’ve lost too much weight.”

  She chuckled. “I never thought being pregnant would make weight loss so easy.” The chuckle died on her lips. Pregnancy was a big deal. It wasn’t something she could brush und
er the carpet. “I don’t think I can handle this.”

  “It doesn’t matter what you can handle anymore. You’ve got us, and I know I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

  Chase sat down next to her. The television played to itself. She put her hand over her stomach wondering if there was a little Chase or Mitch inside her.

  “This is going to be a nightmare,” she said.

  “How is it?” He covered her hand with his own. His warmth helped to calm her.

  “I don’t know who the father is.”

  “Does knowing matter?” he asked.

  “It would be a good idea to know who put a life inside me.”

  “We don’t even know if you’re pregnant, Leah. I think we should do the test that Mitch will bring and make our decisions after that.”

  She nodded her head. Chase pulled her into his lap. They sat watching the television together. He stroked her hair as she closed her eyes relishing every touch he gave.

  “I’ve missed this,” she said.

  “It was never gone. You were the one who started to distance yourself.”

  “I didn’t know how to handle it. I knew everything was going to change. Pretending doesn’t change the fact something happened.” She looked into his eyes, seeing the old sparkle back.

  “Leah Jones, it doesn’t matter if the grass turned blue or the sky green. No matter what changes happen, nothing will be different between us.”

  “How do you know? I begged you to have sex with me,” she said. He pressed a finger against her lips, silencing her.

  “Until you remember what happened between us, I don’t think you should speak. Leah, we’ve survived kindergarten and the move to high-school. Not to mention puberty and the first day you got your period. Do you remember that?” he asked.

  She chuckled, recalling the screaming from his parents’ back garden. Leah had thought she was dying. Her mother collected her and told her everything. Chase and Mitch didn’t tease her about it. They came and played some video games while she was feeling sorry for herself cooped up in bed.

  “So, we have puberty and your woman’s bits developing. Then from high-school exams to college, we survived it all. We also survived the boyfriends and girlfriends we’ve all had. Nothing would ever put our friendship in jeopardy, Leah. We’ve missed you.”

  Tears were spilling from her eyes at his words. Mitch walked through the door carrying a bag. He tipped the contents onto the coffee table. “They have too many to choose from. I didn’t know which one would work, and I figured if she used all of them, then we’d feel better.”

  Leah reached toward the selection and pulled her hand back.

  “You need to do this, Leah,” Mitch said.

  She nodded her head, picking up the nearest ones, and taking them into the bathroom with her. Mitch followed with the rest. Both men stared at her in the bathroom.

  “I’d like to be alone, please,” she said.

  They moved away from the bathroom. Her hands were shaking so much.

  ****

  Mitch sat at the kitchen counter drinking his fourth cup of coffee. The only sound coming from the bathroom was the occasional flush of the toilet. He was on edge and wanted to know how it was going for Leah. His hands were shaking with nerves. Chase sat with his back against the wall next to the bathroom door.

  From the moment he had looked at the shelf filled with all the different brands of pregnancy tests, Mitch had been overcome by what it actually meant. If any of those tests came out positive either he or Chase had gotten her pregnant. He wasn’t scared. Mitch felt excited. The more he sat and thought about Leah pregnant the happier he got.

  He rather liked the thought of a little baby. They’d been friends for so long that a baby would be a piece of cake among the three of them. Splitting up was not the answer. Mitch loved her too damn much to give up now.

  Draining his last cup of coffee, he placed his cup in the sink and took his place on the opposite side of the door.

  “How are you doing?” Chase asked.

  “I wish I was in there with her. It doesn’t feel right being out here while she’s inside.”

  Chase nodded his head in agreement. Mitch rested his arms on his thighs, dangling his hands between his legs. Another flush came through the bathroom door.

  “What do you want her to say when she comes out?”

  Mitch stared at his friend. “I want her to say she’s pregnant.”

  “I do, too. Do you think we’re selfish?”

  He thought about Chase’s words. Maybe they were a bit selfish, but Mitch knew he’d never abandon Leah.

  “We’ve been a family for some time, Chase. I think we’re a bit selfish, but I’d do anything for her. A baby will not change my feelings for her.”

  They both let out a sigh and waited in silence.

  Mitch rested his head against the back of the wall. The silence in the apartment was deafening to him.

  The door opened. He and Chase both got to their feet. Leah stared at them with tears in her eyes. She didn’t speak a word.

  “What’s the matter?” he asked.

  “They all say positive. Not one of them has read negative,” she said. Without another word, Mitch and Chase went to her. Their arms surrounded her. Mitch stared at his friend past her shoulder. She wasn’t crying. The despair inside her was tangible.

  “I don’t know what to do,” she said.

  Her voice was vacant.

  “I think we need to get you an appointment with the doctor to make sure you’re safe and healthy,” Chase said.

  “And you need to stop doing the long hours. Maybe I can talk to work about that.”

  “I don’t care about that. What do we tell our parents? I’m pregnant by one of you, and I don’t know which one,” she said. The tears began falling then.

  Mitch helped Chase walk her over to the sofa. He didn’t like her lack of weight. Leah had always been a full woman. Her curves were part of who she was. This woman was not normal to him. She felt ill in his arms. He wanted to get the meat back on her bones in no time.

  “I think you’re worrying unnecessarily. Our parents will be happy for us,” Mitch said. His cousins back in LawCastle had made their relationship work. He didn’t see the problem with making their relationship work. They were best friends and had no secrets among them. All of their secrets included each other.

  “They accept our friendship, Mitch. I don’t think they’ll accept us in a relationship. What about you two? One of you knocked me up. Don’t you want to know who the father is?” she asked.

  Mitch looked at Chase, who shrugged his shoulders.

  “Nope, we don’t care.”

  Chase took her hands. “Leah, this is not bad news.”

  “We didn’t plan for this.”

  “No, but Mitch and I sure planned on Friday night happening.”

  She gasped. “What?”

  “Well, we didn’t actually count on your forgetting about it or you being totally drunk. We love you, Leah. Always have and always will.”

  Mitch saw the bewildered look on her face. She really had no idea how they felt.

  “That’s because we’re friends,” she said.

  “Guess again.” Mitch spoke up. “We’re friends, but we’ve discussed our feelings for you. When we were younger, he and I, we fought over you.”

  “What? When?” She looked at both of them in turn. “I don’t believe this.”

  Chase chuckled. “Believe it, baby. We fought over you several times. We both were crazy about you. Mitch’s dad and mine said you should be the one to choose. Only you never did. You went out with other guys instead.”

  “Were these the days when you had bruises all over your face?” she asked.

  Mitch laughed then. They’d told Leah at the time that they’d walked into lampposts on the way to park. “Yes.”

  “I can’t believe you kept something like this from me.”

  “That Friday night you confessed to being in
love with both us. You told us you didn’t want to carry on being friends. You wanted more. Was any of that true, or were the cocktails talking?” Mitch asked. He watched as she stared at her hands locked in her lap.

  His heart pounded as he waited for her answer. He was more nervous about this answer than he was about finding out if she was pregnant.

  “Please, say something.”

  “I’ve been in love with both of you for as long as I can remember. I didn’t know you felt the same way. I thought I had to beg you to sleep with me, and you didn’t want to make me feel bad,” she said.

  Mitch reached out, stroking her soft cheek. “How can you even think that? I’m crazy about you, Leah. Always have been. Living with you and not being able to touch or love you has been a nightmare. You’re my everything.”

  Chase pulled her attention to him. “He’s always in there first, and I never get the chance to say pretty words to you.” He sighed, stroking her bottom lip. “I fucking love you.”

  She burst out laughing. “Are you sure?” She nibbled her lips.

  “Do you want us to get on our hands and knees and beg?”

  Leah shook her head. “I never thought you’d feel the same way about me. I always thought it was one-sided. I mean, look at you compared to me.”

  Mitch tensed. “What exactly is that supposed to mean?”

  She blushed and stammered. “You are both hot while I’m … erm … not.”

  “I should spank that gorgeous ass of yours, but I think that can wait in your condition,” Chase said.

  Chapter Seven

  Leah felt the blush creep into her cheeks at Chase’s words. The thought of him spanking her made her hotter than hell. Her stomach rumbled, and her blush deepened.

  “I think we’re on food duty. You’ll stay here, and we’ll fix you some breakfast.” Mitch kissed her cheek and turned to leave. Chase did the same. She grabbed the remote flicking through the channels. None of the programs registered in her mind. She was too busy thinking about the life growing inside her.

  She rubbed her stomach wondering if it was a boy or a girl. There were so many decisions to make. Staring at the cartoons she’d left on, she heard her two men making noise around the kitchen. They were in love with her. They had even fought over her. It was too surreal to contemplate.