Page 61 of Just Friends

While he’d stopped drinking well before midnight and barely had any champagne, the same wasn’t true of Rebecca. By the time they left Huntington Farms, he was as sober as a teetotaler on Sunday morning. He told their friends that he’d get Rebecca home safe; he would, his home. But no one asked for clarification on that. Dan had pulled him aside with a stern, “You know she’s drunk. You can’t touch her.”

“Yeah, thanks for the confidence, man.” He slapped Dan on the shoulder and started to walk away.

“That’s not what I meant…”

“Look,” he turned back to Dan. “Go have a good night with your wife. I’m not going to take advantage of Rebecca. I’d never hurt her.” Dan studied him for a beat and nodded, deciding that Weasel wasn’t bullshitting him.

Inside his SUV, she slid down in the seat and slipped her shoes off, wiggled her toes, and shivered. He cranked the heat. She leaned back and grimaced, then sat up and pulled a clip from her hair allowing the beautiful dark waves to flow over her shoulders. Putting her head back, she closed her eyes and sighed. She still held the flowers in her lap that Autumn had thrown at her. When the flowers came at her, he thought she would have a panic attack right then and there. But she’d recovered and even laughed it off. But that her first response to the silly tradition was sheer terror, he found disconcerting.

She hadn’t spoken since they’d gotten in the car. That didn’t worry him. She’d had a long day and little sleep. He took his time on the dark, quiet streets, staying on the lookout for any new year’s revelers that maybe shouldn’t be on the road. Winding his way up the plateau, he took the turnoff to his cabin.

Weasel carried her bag from the car and opened the door for her and she stumbled into the foyer. He reached for her, but she’d righted herself before he could help.

“You still want to see me in only these heels?” she asked.

Christ, yes. “Of course, but another time.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m tired, and you’re beyond exhausted babe… How about a shower?”

She nodded; then reached around and untied the bow resting on one hip, and then unfastened another string on the inside and the dress unwrapped and slid from her shoulders. She stood there in her black lace bra, matching panties, and those high heels. A real-life fantasy. He may have swallowed his tongue.

She shrugged. “Yeah, a shower sounds good.” The angel who brought devilish thoughts to his head strolled away from him through the living room, and as she went, reached behind her and unfastened her bra which she dropped behind her, disappearing into his room.

The next morning, he slid out of bed without waking her and ran the four-mile trail loop surrounding his property. He had four acres of land to call his own. Most of it was wooded and too steep to build on, but a quarter of an acre was flat enough to build his cabin which he did with the thought of maybe having a family in it one day. He’d install a fence around the flat yard and the house if he had a child. The trail was bumpy and slightly treacherous with a steep descent to a creek and the incline back up to the cabin; even though the distance was nothing, running up that incline was more than a workout.

The morning was cold with bare trees and underbrush dusted in silver. The twigs and frozen mulch crunched under his feet, hitting the ground in rhythm. He made it up the incline without stopping, which was always his goal. He needed the clear air in his lungs, and the time to think about how he’d bring up why they couldn’t just tell their friends they were together. She’d said it was a one-time thing the first night they were together, but they’d gone so far beyond that at this point, he thought it was obvious this wasn’t a short-term thing for him. Maybe it is for her? He needed to talk to her, but he didn’t know exactly how hung over he would find her.

He unlocked his door and Rebecca looked up at him from the couch over a mug of steaming coffee.

“Thought you might have gotten called in,” she said.

He shook his head. “Hey, babe. How are you feeling?”

“Not too bad. Were you out running in the cold?”

“Great weather for it.”

“Not even close.” She smiled. “I’ll take my coffee and this fuzzy blanket.”

“Stay as comfy as you want.” He planted a kiss on the top of her head as he passed.

Weasel exited the bathroom after his shower to his cell phone buzzing on the counter, Dan’s name on the screen. “You’re not doing something right if you’re calling me this early the day after your wedding.”

“For the love of god, please, tell me you did not take Rebecca to your place last night.”

“What if I did?”

Dan let out a stream of grumbled curses. “When you said you were taking her home, I assumed you meant her home.”

“I’m sorry, but when Autumn got drunk at The Bar, where did you take her, again?”

“That’s not the point— “

“Dude, you got married last night, your son is with your mom. You should be passed out from screwing each other silly right now.”

“Well, maybe I’d be getting some if Rebecca had answered her phone and told Autumn she was fine. But it goes to voicemail, and now I’ve been sent out to make sure she’s at home.”

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