by Kim Pritekel
Not possible. My perfect date was going on her date with a neurosurgeon named John Severaux.
I couldn’t think about that now. The plan was to have a great time, and I knew I would. I’d rock in the new year, and make it a New Year’s to remember.
Staring at myself in the mirror, I was shocked at what I saw. When we’d been 17, Haley had once told me she’d do anything to see me in a dress. Start thinking of something to do, my friend.
The dress was made of a dull satin, black. The straps were thin, though not spaghetti, the gown reaching near to the floor, covering the two-inch black heels I wore, The plunging neckline showed ample cleavage without looking in poor taste. I turned around, looking over my shoulder at the back, which exposed about half of my back. The gown was very fitted through the bust and waist, but flowing out more through the skirt for easy mobility.
Clasping my silver hoop earrings on, I gave myself one last look. My hair was gelled, giving it more volume and body than usual, the back curling up behind my ears.
Oh, yeah. I was looking good.
I had gone into work today, even though we had decided to close it down for the holiday, because our experiments that we had going were extremely touch and go right now. We were literally on the verge of a breakthrough, and no one wanted to risk that toppling into the abyss.
The party had started a half hour ago, and I had to hurry.
The parking lot of the Hilton was packed with Mercedes’, Beamers, even limos. I closed and locked my Jeep, holding my dress as I hurried toward the building. I could hear the music playing as soon as I opened the doors to the lobby of the beautiful hotel.
I found the ballroom quickly, and stood at the door, looking for Haley. I had no idea what her date looked like, nor mine, for that matter.
Conversation around me stopped as heads turned, eyes on me. I could hear the whispers as I walked through the room. I looked damn good, and I knew it. I felt a pride race through me, and a confidence that eluded me on a daily basis. Tonight was different, and they all knew it.
"Andi." I turned to my left, and my eyeballs nearly fell out of my head. Haley stood with two men, though they didn’t even register with me. Her dress was red, just one shade below bright red. Her shoulders were bare as the straps from the dress made their way up around her neck. I knew that dress was backless. Her breasts were well defined, and a bit of cleavage teased at the apex of the v-neckline. My eyes flowed down the length that stopped just shy of the floor, the slit along the left leg reaching to just above her knee.
Finally my eyes managed to find the face of the owner, and I saw that she wore a bit of make-up, a touch of dark on her lids to pronounce those electric eyes. Her hair was pulled up, loose tendrils falling around in a few places. Diamonds dangled from her ears, a matching necklace teasing to head between her breasts.
Finally shaking myself back into reality, I headed over to her. I watched her face as I walked toward her, surprised when her eyes were meeting mine. No, she was looking at me, taking in my dress, my hair, the small bit of jewelry I wore, all the way down to my shoes.
"Damn," I muttered to myself. Again, it’s just not legal to be as gorgeous as she was. At least it should be a crime. I know my thoughts could get me in a whole heap of trouble.
"Look at you." I looked up, seeing Haley smiling at me, but her eyes, dare I think they held a different message? I knew mine were hungry, though I was trying to hide it.
"Yes, look at me. I promised you some day." I smiled, indicating the dress.
"Yes, you did. It was well worth the wait." She whispered, then turned to the man she was standing with. "Andi, this is John, John, Andi."
"Yes, I’ve seen you around before. You certainly weren’t looking like this, however," he said. He was handsome enough; dark hair, nice, squared jaw with tanned skin. The kind of guy whose vanity could outlast any woman’s.
"Hello." I smiled politely.
"Andi, meet your date." I turned, my eyes bulging.
"You remember my old friend, Tommy?" He looked at me, a wide smile on his face. God, he hadn’t changed a bit.
"Uh, of course. Hi, Tommy. How are you?" I extended my hand, and he took it, kissing my knuckles. I glanced at Haley, who had a smirk on her face. What was going on?
"Tommy will be your date for a few hours. His loved one had to work tonight." I looked at him. Did she mean what I thought she meant?
"Your loved one?" I asked.
"Yes. You know how those doctors can be. Always on call, or at the hospital. Can be murder on a relationship."
"Indeed." I smiled.
"Would you care to dance?" I looked at Haley. She smiled, turning to John Severaux.
"Let’s all dance," he suggested.
Soon we were all on the dance floor, John and Haley next to us as we made our way around the crowded floor.
"So, what do you do now?" Tommy asked.
"I’m a researcher."
"Ah. I should have figured. I’m in pharmaceutical sales. That’s how Carl and I met."
"Carl?"
"Yes. My loved one." I grinned, then chuckled.
"I always knew it about you, Tommy." He grinned.
"I wasn’t so off about you, either, I hear. Haley filled me in on your predicament tonight, and since Carl will be out until later, why not help out an old friend."
He twirled me around twice. As I turned, I saw Haley and John, and I saw Haley’s eyes on me. I turned to face Tommy again.
"Well, I’m not one to expose my business to everyone, so I didn’t really bother looking for a woman."
"Is that why?" he asked, a knowing smile on his face." My brows drew.
"Excuse me?"
"Thirteen years couldn’t diminish it, I guess." Twirl, twirl. "You two still look at each other the way you did all the way back in high school."
"Me and who?" He laughed.
"Oh, come on, Andi. You’re not fooling anyone. Well, except maybe yourself. Or should I say, yourselves?"
"Haley and me?"
"Haley and you. I saw the sparks that were flying back and forth between you when you walked in. Poor John doesn’t have a chance."
"Well, I think there’s one small thing you’re missing, Tommy."
"What’s that?" He pulled me closer as the song ended, and a slow waltz started.
"Haley’s straight."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes. You know that whole rule number one crap."
"Never fall for a straight person? Yes, I know. But what if they’re not so straight? I had my doubts about Haley back in high school. She and I were very good friends. Still are."
"I think you’re wrong."
"I’m sorry to hear that."
The song came to an end, and we stopped dancing, applauding the small, twelve-piece orchestra set up near the back of the room.
"Come on. Let’s sit."
Dinner was served, and the four of us actually had a good time. Tommy was hilarious, and the three of us lost ourselves in stories of high school, and the people we knew, and Tommy regaling us with stories of what this person and that person is doing now. How on earth he knew all this, or why he cared, was beyond me.
While we had been dancing, I had seen Erin sitting at a table with a woman, obviously her girlfriend.
"I’ll be right back."
I left our table, where four other people were also sat. Haley and Tommy talked while Haley’s date talked with the woman sitting next to him.
Making my way through the busy room, I quickly found Erin and her lady friend. I watched for a moment, and smiled. She looked utterly radiant.
"Happy New Year," I said, stepping up beside their table. Both women looked up at me, and Erin smiled.
"Happy New Year, Andi. Are you here alone?"
"No, my table’s over there. I just thought I’d say hi." I looked at the other woman who I didn’t recognize from the hospital. She was eyeing me, boy. I had to laugh inside. Honey, I am no threat, believe me. "Hello," I fina
lly said.
"Oh, honey, this is Andi Littman. Andi, Susan Stein."
"Nice to meet you," I said with a smile. She just smiled back. "Well, I don’t want to interrupt your dinner. You two crazy gals have fun." I grinned, and walked away, feeling good about it. Erin was happy. That was all I ever wanted for her.
The night passed quickly, and I was really ready to get out of there. Tommy’s cell phone rang at eleven-thirty, and he told us he had to go. Carl had gotten off work, and they wanted to see the new year in together.
I walked him to the door, glad to meet up with him again. I think I had found a friend.
"Listen, Andi," he said, turning to me at the door. "You need to stop thinking with this," he tapped my forehead with his finger. "And start using this." He tapped where my heart would be. Surprising me with a kiss to the forehead, he left. I turned, nearly running smack into Haley.
"Want to get out of here, too?" she asked.
"Please?"
"Let’s go. John decided he wanted to stay and talk to that woman he’s been chatting it up with all night." We both chuckled. "Saves me the time of dropping his ass."
We grabbed our coats and headed out.
"Man, you think Craig was a narcissist? This guy puts him to sad shame. I feel sorry for her." Haley indicated the ballroom with her thumb.
"Maybe she’s into that sort of thing." She grinned.
The drive home took about twenty minutes, but finally we reached Haley’s house. I parked in the driveway, turning the car off. We sat in silence for a moment, then she turned to me.
"Tired?" she asked. I shook my head.
"Not really."
"Me, neither." She glanced down at the small, white gold watch she wore, her eyes getting huge. "Oh, Andi! The ball’s going to drop in less than a minute!"
We threw the doors of the Jeep open, and ran toward the house, Haley finally getting the lock undone, and we ran to the living room, flicking the TV on to NBC. Dick Clark was on the screen, talking about the massive crowds behind him in New York, a clock at the bottom right corner of the screen ticking away the seconds.
We stood there in front of the TV, watching.
"I wonder if Holden is there," she said.
"Maybe."
"I think it would be kind of fun." She glanced at me.
"Me, too."
We were standing shoulder to shoulder, watching as the year slipped away.
10...
I became very aware of Haley bare skin next to me...
9...
The body heat, matching my own...
8...
I could smell her perfume, the smell of her shampoo, and the spray she’d used to keep her hair in place...
7...
I squeezed my eyes shut, my body reacting to the closeness, the smell, the sensations running through me...
6...
God, did she feel it to?...
5...
My stomach was filled with butterflies, each one beating its wings in a different path, trying to get out...
4...
I could feel my body temperature rise, my palms getting sweaty. God, could she smell my nervousness? What was I so nervous about? It was only Haley. God, it was Haley...
3...
I felt, more than saw, Haley turn toward me, and I felt my body betray me, and turn, too. She was looking into my face...
2...
Her hand raised, coming up to my forehead, using the softest of touches to brush a stray piece of hair off my forehead. My hand came up to rest on her arm.
Time stopped, my breath stopped, my heart stopped. Slowly she came toward me, and I felt myself falling toward her, my eyes closing of their own accord as I felt the softness against my lips, could taste the lipstick she wore, our lips parting just enough so that our lips fit perfectly together.
Somewhere in my mind I heard Dick Clark yell "Happy New Year!", but it didn’t matter. The world could end right now, and it wouldn’t matter.
We stayed as we were, locked for what felt like all time, frozen.
Finally I could hear the blood pounding in my head as I came alive again, my heart pounding, my breathing slow but sure. I slowly pulled away from her, my eyes opening to see that hers were still closed, her lips still slightly parted, her lipstick smudged just the tiniest bit near the corner.
Blue eyes opened, and met mine.
"Happy New Year," I whispered. She stared at me for a moment, as if the words hadn’t quiet penetrated.
"Happy New Year, Andi," she said, her voice low, breathy. She dropped her hand from my face, but didn’t take a step back. "I don’t understand," she finally said. I said nothing, letting her talk, though I think I knew what she meant. "It’s never been like that for me. I," she took a breath, and it quickly became apparent she would say no more.
"I think we need to talk," I said. She nodded. "But, not in a gown." She gave me a weak smile.
"I’ll get you something to wear." She took a shaky breath, and stepped back, closing her eyes for a moment, then headed up the stairs. I watched her for a moment, then turned away. I heard the squeaking of the stairs stop, and felt eyes on me. I turned, looked up to see her halfway up, looking at me. We just looked for a moment, trying to read the other’s mind. She gave me the sweetest smile, and smiled back. Quickly, she hurried up the rest of the stairs.
Within moments, a changed Haley came back downstairs, tossing a pair of sweats and a sweat shirt my way. Happily I ran to the bathroom on the main level, and changed, washing my face free of the small bit of makeup I had worn, and removing my jewelry.
When I came out, Haley sat on the couch, feet tucked under her, with a glass of orange juice in her hand, and a can of Dr Pepper on the table waiting for me. I smiled, and joined her.
She looked at me when I sat on the couch, a cushion away.
"Come here." She patted the cushion that was between us, so I scooted over, grateful for the invitation. She took a deep breath, setting her juice on the table. "I guess we have a lot to talk about. Past and present."
"I guess we do." I smiled, grabbing the can of soda, and popping the top, taking a nervous drink, then setting the can next to her glass.
"Where do we start?"
"How about thirteen years ago," I offered. She nodded agreement. "What happened to us, Haley?" She took a deep breath, shaking her head.
"I don’t know."
"What did you think of that weekend?" She looked down at her hands the were fidgeting in her lap, then finally looked up at me.
"Well, to be honest, at the time I thought I was seeing it as some sort of an experiment. It wasn’t until later that I realized it was more than that. Why didn’t you talk to me after, Andi?" I could see the pain from so long ago in her eyes.
"I thought you’d reject me, Haley. I guess I still didn’t trust you completely. You were one of them, still. The enemy. I really thought, hell, I don’t know. I guess I thought that you had had your time of slumming, for lack of a better term, and was done with it. With me."
"How can you say that? Never did I once give you that vibe. At least I never meant to. I never thought that, Andi. Not for a second."
"I was seventeen. That’s the best answer I can give you."
"Do you know how many times I tried to talk to you? Up until the last day before my graduation. Remember that? We were all being fitted in the gym one last time?" I nodded, remembering it well.
"I blew you off."
"Yes, you did. I never understood that. God, that haunted me. I thought you hated me, hated what we had done."
I smiled.
"Did you know that I had had a crush on you since the ninth grade?" She looked at me, taken aback.
"I had no idea."
"Of course not. Neither did I. I didn’t have a word for it, but I knew I wanted to be around you, see you, hear you speak. Oh, I loved your voice." I smiled at he memories. "Still do, really." She put her hand on my knee. "I remember when I saw you that first day, when I was
waiting in the library, and saw that it was you, the Haley, shit, I almost freaked! I was so damn intimidated by you."
"You? By me?" She put her hand on her chest, shocked. "God, Andi, you were like this cute, scarily smart girl, who was a complete mystery to everybody. I mean, no one knew a thing about you, except that when you entered into any sort of brain bowl, everyone headed for the hills." I laughed, so did she. "You scared the hell out of me."
"Really?"
"God, yes."
"What happened?"
"I got to know you, the real you, and not that crap persona that you gave to the rest of the world. Soon I became addicted to it, to you, your personality. You were so different than anyone I had ever met. Before or since. I mean, I was about to be tutored by the future Valedictorian."
I smiled, the memories flooding in.
"Did you ever think about me, after you left Winston?" I began to play with a string that was hanging off the sweats I wore.
"I really liked your speech at your graduation."
I looked up, my eyes instantly stinging as the words penetrated, and the lump that seemed to be there at the drop of a hat lately, was right on cue.
"What? You were there?" I asked, my voice a whisper. She nodded.
"I saw the whole thing. I was so proud of you up there, finally getting the recognition you deserved." She smiled, her hand squeezing my knee. "I was so proud, Andi."
I looked down, trying to get my emotions under control, taking several deep breaths, I could finally speak without fear of my voice cracking.
"Why didn’t you call?" I looked at her, feeing so much pain, all that I had held in for so long.
"I didn’t think you wanted me to."
"You know, I allowed myself to think about you, to think about what we had done, that weekend, for that last year in Winston, then I promised myself that after that, once I left, I left it all behind." She nodded understanding.
"That bad, huh?" She looked down, her voice quiet.
"Haley, I was a young girl who was so confused, anyway. There’s no blame, here. We both played our parts, and handled it the best way we could at the time. I chose not to deal with it. Did you know that I had completely allowed myself to throw everything out of my mind for over a decade? It wasn’t until last summer, when you’d already come back, that I had a dream. It woke me up in a serious sweat." I chuckled. "Then I realized it was no dream. That had been you and me back in my mother’s bedroom. It all came back to me."
