The Bedtime Tales of Be287m

Friends and Benefits, Chapter Nineteen

I almost broke a wine glass in Sharon�s kitchen, slamming it down on the counter.� Fortunately, I pulled my punch, so to speak, at the last minute and it didn�t crack.� I stormed back into the living room and flopped on the couch.

She was getting off!� As I was kicked to the corner.� I fumed, thinking of things I could have said, but of course hadn�t.� She had as much invited me to join her, and then shut me down.� I couldn�t believe it!

I shook my head to get some of the frustration out, and The Kama Sutra caught my eye. Well, she certainly didn�t mind the thought of me getting off, or she wouldn�t have given me such a present.

She just didn�t want to see me naked, apparently.

But then, she�d walked in on me in Albuquerque and seen me naked, and hadn�t gotten upset.� Something had to be different this time.� I wracked my brain for a few minutes, and decided that it had to be the deliberateness.� Albuquerque had been purely accidental.� I analyzed it some more and didn�t come up with anything better.� It did calm me down, though.

With nothing much to do, I started thumbing through the book again.� I came to the blowjob picture, which Sharon had liked. �And then the doggie style one.

Yeah, I�d like to do Sharon doggie style.� Or leaning up against the shower wall like her last pose.

I closed my eyes to better visualize that pose.� The curve of her ass, the way her back bent.� My mental eye traced every inch that I could remember.� I definitely hoped the picture came out.

I realized I was hard.� I listened carefully�I could still hear the shower going.� So why not?� I slowly undid my pants and freed my cock.� I glanced at the picture in the book, but then closed my eyes and returned to my fantasies as I stroked my own erection.

I went slow, in part because I wanted to savor the memories.� I was also having trouble staying hard�I�d drunk just a little too much.

Fortunately, I regained my full erection shortly after I started fantasizing about standing behind Sharon, thrusting my cock into her.� I began breathing heavily, sliding my hand up and down�

�What the hell are you doing?�

I open my eyes.� Sharon stood a few feet away in a robe.� �Same thing you were in the shower.�

Her eyes flared and she scowled. ��I hope you�re not thinking about me!�

I tilted my head toward the open book at my side.� �Nope.�

Sharon�s eyes flicked from the picture to my now wilting cock to my face. �Fine.� Go ahead.�

She strode out of the room.� After watching her go, I glanced at the book.� At least it had been open to a photo page instead of one that was mostly text.� But I wasn�t in the mood anymore.� Particularly after the harshness in her voice.

* * *

�You�re kidding.�

I turned to look at Sherri, since we were now sitting side by side on the couch.� �No, I�m not.�

�That�s disgusting. Despicable.� That she would treat you like that.�

I shrugged.� �That�s Sharon.� Don�t get me wrong, though, she was a great friend.� She just didn�t like the idea of me getting turned on by her.� That�s why I knew she didn�t want me masturbating to her pictures.�

�Why not?� She was getting turned on by you.�

�By what I was saying.� Not by me.�

Sherri glared at me.

�Well�,� I struggled for a moment, trying to avoid her eyes.� �The distinction was important to her.�

�Did you talk about it?�

�Actually, this time we did.� Not until the next morning though�we exchanged a few curt words that night before Sharon pointed me to the linen closet that held some sheets and blankets.� I slept on the couch and awoke to the smell of coffee�.�

* * *

My head pounded and my mouth tasted like cotton.� I cracked my eyelids and looked over toward the kitchen.� Sharon sat at the table, her head in her hands, a steaming mug before her.� I slowly shifted to a sitting position, ignoring the screams in my head as I moved.

Sharon looked up.� She looked as bad as I felt.� �Good morning.�

�Nothing good about it.�

She slowly nodded.

�Aspirin?�

She pointed to a bottle on the table that I hadn�t seen before. �I slowly eased to my feet and shuffled over.� I got a glass of water from the sink, downed the aspirin, and sank into the chair across from Sharon.� I watched her for a couple of moments, but she didn�t raise her head.

�I� I�m sorry,� I said.� �Things got a little out of hand last night.�

Sharon looked up at me and grimaced.� �Yeah, we drank too much.�

�I was referring to the pictures.�

She made a dismissive motion with her hand.

I paused, not knowing what to say.� �Go out for breakfast?� I asked finally.

�I need the drugs to kick in first.�

I nodded.� I got myself some coffee and then returned to my chair, both of us sitting silently for some time.� I closed my eyes and tried not to think about Sharon.� Or about anything at all.� Finally, after an indeterminate time, she moved.

�I�m going to throw on some sweats,� she said.� �Then we can go.�

I nodded.� After she left, I picked my way over to my shirt, put it on, and started looking for my shoes.� I found them just as Sharon returned.

�Dot�s Diner?� she asked.

�Sure.�

We drove in silence, though my head slowly began to feel better.� After coffee and juice at the diner, I even began to feel human.� Sharon was looking better too.� I decided to go ahead and order food, confident I could keep it down.

�So,� I said when our pancakes arrived, �about last night�.�

�The pictures really aren�t a problem, Joe.�

�That�s not what I was going to ask about.�� I paused to put my fork down.� �After, when you� caught me, you said you didn�t want me fantasizing about you.�

�I don�t.�

�Why?�

�We�re friends, Joe.� If you were thinking about me that way� it�d be creepy.� I mean, how could I confide in you?�

�Huh?�

�Well, I like talking with you about sex.� And I like knowing you won�t take advantage of what I tell you, to, you know, try to seduce me.�

I snorted.� It�s not like anything she�d told me was actually useful in a seduction.� I decided to say something about it.

�No, no seduction.� I just use what you tell me to pick out stories for you.�

�True.� But the stories are just friends helping each other out.� It�s not the same at all.�

�It�s not the same?� I asked, incredulous.� Of course, I knew it wasn�t as soon as I said it.

�No,� Sharon replied, curling her lip into a frown.� �That�s just like trading books you know the other person will like.� Except these are sexy.�

�You�re right,� I said, nodding.� Then I thought a little more.� �But that doesn�t explain the pictures.�

�Sure it does.� Same thing.�

I pushed a forkful of pancake into my mouth to buy myself time to think.� �So what are we trading?�

�I�m helping you get better at photography.�

�Yeah.� And you?�

Sharon bit her lip and blushed a little.� She didn�t say anything.� I thought back to our first sessions.

�It�s Allen, isn�t it?� I asked.� �You�re getting off thinking about Allen looking at the pictures.�

�Yeah,� she admitted, her eyes not meeting mine.

�I thought you said you were over him.�

�I am.�

�Uh huh.�

�I am over him,� Sharon huffed, �I just haven�t found anyone to replace him yet.�

I stuffed another bite of pancake in my mouth.

�And what do you care?� she continued, combative.� �It�s my camera.� My film. �I�m paying for the developing.�

I nodded and kept chewing.� Sharon looked away and sipped some coffee.

�Look,� I said after I�d swallowed, �I enjoy taking the pictures.� I�m glad you trust me to take them.� But if you don�t want to, that�s okay.�

Sharon looked back at me and nodded.� �We�ll see.�

I nodded again.� I couldn�t think of anything else to say, so I stabbed my breakfast for another forkful of food.� Sharon did the same, so we sat in silence for a while.� After I�d had as much food as my stomach declared it could handle, I set my fork down.

�Is Kim having another New Year�s party?� I asked.

Sharon nodded.� �Yeah.� You want to go?�

�It�s either that or stay home with my parents.�

�Okay.� Be at my place at seven.� I�ll drive from there.�

I nodded and then the check came.� Our conversation shifted to more mundane topics after that and on the drive back to her place.� Sharon told me a story about one of her professors I hadn�t yet heard and I talked a little about my upcoming job search.� We said goodbye at her door and she hugged me.� Apparently, all was forgiven.

When I got to my parents, I showered and changed into fresh clothes and then collapsed for a nap.� A couple of hours later, I awoke to a knock on the door.� My mother stuck her head in.

�Phone.� It�s Tina.�

I nodded groggily and pulled myself up.� Mom politely left the room when I got to the phone in the kitchen.

�Hi,� I said.

�Hi!� How are you?� Tina asked, her voice bouncy and happy.

�Okay.� What�s up?�

�Oh, my dad took my brothers out shopping.� It felt like a good time to call.� I wanted to hear your voice.�

�That�s nice,� I replied.� It was a lame answer, but I was tired.

�So, has your vacation continued to go well?�� I paused to think�we�d last talked the day after Christmas.

�It has.� Yours?�

Tina laughed.� �Other than being teased by my sisters about you, it�s pretty good.� Sometimes I forget how much I miss my family when I�m at school.�

�You never mention it.�

�Yeah.� I think I was so eager to get away my first year, I didn�t want to admit that I missed them.�

�But now it�s different.�

�Yeah,� she said.� �It is.� My father announced at dinner the first night I was home that I wasn�t a kid anymore, and I�m not being treated like one.� It�s really nice.�

I let out a deep breath and then chuckled at my own relief.

�What?�

�I�m glad to hear that your father said that.�

�Me too.�

�So,� Tina continued, �did Sharon like her present?�

�She loved it.� She�s going to hang it in the bathroom, opposite the shower.� It�ll look good there.�

�Cool.� I�m glad she liked it.� What did she get you?�

I glanced over at the doorway.� I couldn�t hear my parents, which meant they probably weren�t close by.

�A Stephen King novel that involves bondage,� I said in low tones, �and The Illustrated Kama Sutra.�

�Really?�� Tina�s words almost turned into a chuckle.

�Really.� She said we might like trying out some of the positions.�

Tina laughed.� �I knew I liked Sharon.�

�Yeah, she wants to help us enjoy ourselves.�

Tina laughed again.� �Good for her.�

�Good for us.�

�That too.�

�So�,� I drawled, �anything exciting happening in Arizona?�

�Not much,� Tina said.� �Some shopping with my sisters for after-Christmas bargains.�

She proceeded to tell me the details of her family�s New Year�s celebration and her last couple of days.� I sank onto a kitchen stool and we talked for another half an hour before she had to go.� Saying goodbye took a couple of rounds, but eventually we hung up.� I continued to sit there after I�d returned the phone to the cradle, thinking about Tina.

Then the thought hit me.� I hadn�t told her about taking pictures with Sharon.

My gut went tight.� Tina had been unhappy that I hadn�t told her about the previous photo sessions.� And those had taken place before we�d become a couple.� I realized I was holding my breath and let it out in a ragged exhale.

The photos had been a mistake.� I knew that, and I was sure Sharon agreed.� Maybe we could just pretend it�d never happened.

But I was wrong.� When I arrived to pick Sharon up for Kim�s New Year�s party, the familiar three stacks of prints sat on her table.

�You�re getting better,� Sharon said, indicating the table after greeting me at the front door.

�Really?�

�Yeah.� We probably should have shot a couple of rolls.�

I wandered over to the prints.� The stacks were slim, since we�d only taken about twenty pictures.� However, only three were in the �bad� pile.� Most were in the �good� pile to the left.

�I�ve gotta finish my hair,� Sharon said.� After I nodded, she headed for the hall.

I thumbed through the prints.� The final shot, with Sharon leaning up against the shower wall, had made the good pile.� The lust in her eyes was evident, making it a really hot photo.� In another shot, one of her breasts looked almost artistic, with the water rivulet trailing down and just missing her areola.� The one of Sharon�s back�the one that was supposed to mimic the poster�was in the middle pile� It really didn�t look like the print.� The shower head really was all wrong�not high enough and not broad enough.

Sharon returned, looking great.� This time I could tell what she�d done�or at least I thought so.� Her hair had a little more curl to it, as it cascaded past her shoulders.

�By the way,� she said, �those are your copies.� Mine are in the bedroom.�

�You�re going to let me keep these?�

�Why not?�

�Because they�re nudes.�

�So?� she said, gathering her coat and purse.

I shrugged and gathered the pictures up.� I wasn�t foolish enough to object.

Kim�s party was smaller than the year before, but this time there were a few singles.� Fairly early in the evening, Sharon started flirting with a blond guy I didn�t know.� I talked to Trish and Kim and a few others, but mostly just faded into the d�cor.� I nursed my wine�memories of last year�s foolishness kept sliding through my head at inconvenient times and I knew I didn�t want a repeat.� Getting drunk and making a pass at Sharon again was likely to seriously damage our friendship.

Sharon didn�t feel the same way about drinking, though.� She�d started on margaritas and switched to rum and Coke when the blond guy brought her one.� She was still so deep in conversation with this guy, laughing and smiling, that I decided to just mingle and stay out of her way.

About ten o�clock, Kim called for a Trivial Pursuit game.� Sharon teamed up with the blond guy and so I joined Trish and her boyfriend. �We ended up finishing third, because none of us could get any sports questions.� Sharon and her new guy came in just ahead of us and then disappeared to the kitchen to refresh their drinks.� I decided a little more wine couldn�t hurt and followed about five minutes later.

I froze in the doorway.� Sharon and the blond guy were locked in an embrace, kissing passionately.

�Ahem,� I said.

The both pulled back and turned.� Sharon�s eyes widened in surprise and she blushed a little.� The blond guy stared at me, eyes narrow.� Sharon stepped back from him and beckoned to me.

�Justin, this is my good friend Joe,� she said.� �Joe, this is Justin.� He�s a junior at Boston University, home for the holidays.�

I walked over and extended my hand.� �We met briefly earlier when we came in.� But good to meet you again.�

�Yeah,� he said, taking my hand and giving me a firm shake.

�So how do you know Kim?� I asked.

�Our parents are friends,� he said.� �We ran into each other at the mall last week and she invited me to this.�

�Cool.�

�Yeah.�� He slid his arm around Sharon again, pulling her into his body.� He never broke eye contact with me as he did so.� I glanced away�I really didn�t want to play alpha male games.

�Justin�s a pre-med,� Sharon said.� �And he�s on the track team.�

�Good for you.�

Justin just gave me a curt nod.

�Well, look,� I said, �I�ll just get my wine and get back to the party.�

�We should probably get back to the party too,� Sharon said to Justin.

�Sure,� he said.� He snagged both of their drinks while I refilled my glass.

�Talk to you later,� he called over his shoulder as they left the room.

I just shook my head and sipped my wine.

When I returned to the living room, the TV was on and we weren�t too far from the countdown to midnight.� I joked around with Trish some more and watched Sharon and Justin, arms wrapped around each other.� Our countdown was loud, but not too raucous, and I just drank my wine while the couples kissed around me, Sharon and Justin among them.� Not too long after, Trish announced she had to leave.� I decided to interrupt Sharon.

�Uh, sorry to break in,� I said once I�d pulled her away from Justin.� �but Trish is leaving.� I don�t know what your plans are,�� I nodded in Justin�s direction, �but I either need to ride back with her or with you.�

�I just met him.� I�ll take you home.�

�We don�t have to go right away,� I said.

Sharon shook her head.� �No.� If we stay, I�ll just drink more and then I won�t be able to drive.�

I looked at her carefully.� I wasn�t sure she could drive now.

�I can drive,� I said.� �I haven�t had much wine.�

�It�s okay,� she said with a small smile.� �Let me go say goodbye to him.�

I nodded and wandered over to say goodbye to Kim and Trish.� About ten minutes later, Sharon joined us and then we headed back to her place.

�Looks like you had a good evening,� I teased while Sharon drove.

A sappy grin spread across her face.� �Yeah.� I�m not sure it�s going anywhere, with him in Boston, but it was still nice.�

I chuckled.� �Well, I do hope you exchanged phone numbers.�

�Oh, we did.�� She couldn�t stop grinning and I had to stifle my own laughter.

Well, good,� I said.� �Maybe you�ll see him later this week.�

�Maybe.� I know I�d like to.�

This time I did laugh at her cat-ate-the-canary expression.� �I look forward to hearing about it.�

�I look forward to telling you.�

We arrived at her house, said our goodbyes, and I headed back to my parents� house.� I carefully tucked the new pictures into my suitcase so no one else would find them and then collapsed on the bed and fell immediately asleep.

* * *

�You weren�t jealous?� Sherri asked.

I shook my head.� �No.� Amused, a little.� I would have been annoyed if she�d abandoned me, but she didn�t.� Definitely not jealous.�

�Even though this guy might get into her pants?�

�Well, actually� that happened a few days later.� After some other phone calls�.�

* * *

I�d mailed some resum�s just before the holidays.� The first week of January, I made follow-up calls.� The Denver area aerospace companies all gave me polite brush-offs.� Yes, they�d received and filed my resum�.� They�d call me if one of the managers wanted to bring me in for an interview.� No, there was no need for me to make follow-up calls.� No, they weren�t hiring in general.� It was the post-Cold War reduction in military spending.� Yes, they still would hire exceptional candidates.� One company called them �strategic hires.�� Somehow I suspected that a guy fresh out of school wouldn�t qualify as �strategic.�

The astronomy institutes associated with the local universities weren�t much better.� They wanted post-docs.� I didn�t have the doctorate.� Frustrated, I started looking for advice.� Sharon didn�t have any to offer, nor did my parents.� I couldn�t go to Career Services, since it was still school vacation.� Two days before I was due to head back to Arizona, I decided to call Allen.� I knew he�d decided to stay in New Mexico for the holidays with Jenna.

�Joe!� he said, �I�m glad you called!� I was going to call you.�

�You were?�

�I asked Jenna to marry me New Year�s Day.� She said yes!�

I leaned back in my chair, stunned.� �Well, congratulations.�

�I wasn�t sure she was going to,� Allen continued, �because we�ve been together only a year and a half, but she didn�t hesitate.� It was yes right away!�

�I�m happy for you,� I said, having regained my composure.� At 24, I felt too young to get married, but Allen was going ahead. �Where did you pop the question?�

�On a dawn bike ride, at one of our favorite stops.�

�Dawn?� On New Year�s?�

�We didn�t stay up late.� Jenna said it would be more fun to watch the sun rise on the first day of the new year than to watch some ball drop at midnight.� So we rode to one of our favorite spots outside of town.�

�Well, okay.�

�So we�re sitting there, watching the sun rise, and Jenna asks what I want for the new year.� I figure with an opening line like that�.�

�Did you have a ring?�

�No,� he said.� �It was more spur of the moment.� We�ve been looking at rings this week.�

�Well, I�m still happy for you.�

�Thanks.�� He paused.� �And I was wondering�would you be willing to stand up with me?�

I blinked twice, but recovered quickly.� �I�d be honored.� When are you thinking?�

�September.� It�s going to be a small wedding.� I suggested eloping, but Jenna wants her family there.�

�September it is,� I said.� �I wouldn�t miss it.�

�Cool.� So how are you?�

�Overall, okay.� I called to ask for some job advice.�

�Shoot.�

I told Allen about my job hunting failure in detail, and the walls I was banging into.� He made go-on noises a couple of times and I just plowed ahead.� Finally, I�d run out of details.

�Anyway,� I said, �since you�ve been out in the real world a bit, �I figured I�d ask your opinion.�

�You need to look outside of Colorado, bud.�

I sighed. ��I really want to be back here.�

�But you gotta get a job.� And I don�t recommend bartending.�

I snorted.� �Yeah, I�d like something at least close to my degree.�

�The economy sucks right now, man.� The news is talking about a recession.� You need to get the job first.� You can always figure out how to get back to Colorado once you�ve got more experience for your resum�.�

�I supposed you�re right.�

�I�m always right, Joe.� Except when I�m wrong.�

I barked a laugh and smiled.� I�d missed Allen.� Not always right, but never lacking confidence.

�So tell me more about your wedding plans.� And what you and Jenna have planned after that.�

�Well, we haven�t gotten far on the wedding plans yet.� And after, we�ll keep living here.� We both still have some more school to finish, and Jenna�s already been offered a job in one of the local athletic clubs.�

�Really?�

�Really.�� He proceeded to tell me how the owner of one of the local country clubs had been referred to her for a massage and then become a regular client.� When he�d heard about her pending sports medicine degree, he�d offered to hire her as a physical therapist for his club.� Apparently, some of the local hoi polloi wanted to keep coming back to the club regularly, even though they�d injured themselves on earlier visits.

�It�s the social aspect,� I said. �They want to come back to hang out with their friends.�

�Yeah,� Allen said.� �That�s important.�� He proceeded to tell me about a mountain biking group they�d joined, and how he and Jenna had started having some of their biking friends over for dinner regularly.� They�d also become regulars on the local art gallery circuit, at the encouragement of the gallery owner that had hung Jenna�s paintings.� They were forming new friends there too.

�So, what about you?� I asked.� �How are your classes going?�

�Really well,� he said.� �I like �em.� And I�m acing them.� I should have gone into forensic science back at CU.�

�Better late than never.�

�Yeah.� Speaking of which, what�s up with you?� Besides the job hunt?�

I filled him in on classes and life with Tina.� He was sympathetic to my disappointment at not graduating in the fall, but didn�t comment further.� In the end, we talked for over an hour before my dad kicked me off so he could use the phone.

After my dad got off, Tina called.� We hadn�t talked since before New Year�s, so we spent most of the conversation catching up on recent news.� She giggled when I told her about Sharon and Justin and was thrilled to hear about Allen and Jenna�s wedding. �She�d mostly been doing family things, but had managed to spend a day with some of her old high school friends.� She caught me up on all their news and stories, even though I�d never met them.� Eventually, my mother came through the room and glanced at the clock when she saw I was still on the phone.� It had been quite a while, so Tina and I said our goodbyes.� She said she missed me and I reminded her I�d see her soon.

The next night, the phone rang around 5:30.� It was Sharon.

�Hey,� she said, �I wanted to see if you wanted to come up for dinner.�

�Uh... I promised my folks I�d spend time with them, since I�m leaving tomorrow.

�You sure?� I thought I�d make it up to you for New Year�s.�

�Yeah, but the last night is always reserved for family time.�

�Well,� she said, �I tried calling you last night, but the line was pretty busy.�

�Yeah, I was talking to Tina.�

�For three hours?�

�Well, the first part of that was Allen.� And then in the middle, my dad was on the line.�

�Oh.�� There was a long pause.� �So how�s Allen?�

I took a deep breath.� The heck with it.� I�d tell her.

�He�s fine,� I said.� �In fact, he�s doing great.� He�s getting married in September.�

�Oh.�

I counted a dozen heartbeats, waiting for Sharon to say more.

�Yeah,� I said.� �He wants me to be his best man.�

�Well, give him my congratulations.�

�I�ll do that,� I said.� I wasn�t sure Allen would care.

�So are you sure you can�t come up tonight?�

I paused and listened to the house.� I could hear mom in the kitchen, making my favorite dish�pork fried rice�like she did every visit just before I left.� �To tide me over until I came home again,� she�d say.

�I�m sure,� I said.

�I could make it worth your while�.�

I sighed.� I could think of a dozen ways she could really tempt me, but I was sure none of them were on the table.

�How about if I come up tomorrow?� I suggested.� �If I get packed early enough, I�ll have a few hours.�

Sharon sighed.� �I�d really rather you were here tonight.�

�Tomorrow.� I promise.� I�ll call as soon as I�m done packing.�

Sharon sighed again.� �Okay,� she said at last.

My mother called dinner from the other room.

�I have to go.� See you tomorrow, okay?�

�Sure.�

We said our goodbyes and I headed for the dining room.� Mom had also made her lemon chicken and had a chocolate marzipan cake ready for dessert.� I�m not sure it would actually tide me over until I came home again, but it�d certainly help me remember what was waiting for me when I did.

Afterward, I thought about the call with Sharon.� I�d had to tell her about Allen�s wedding.� And if she was really over him, like she claimed, then she�d be fine.� Her silences had been disturbing, though.� I decided I�d try to get up to Boulder early so we could spend some meaningful time together.

Unfortunately, the next morning the universe decided to not cooperate.� First, I overslept.� Then, in an attempt to be helpful, my mother threw my dirty clothes in the wash while I was eating breakfast.� I couldn�t finish packing until they were done.� Then my disk with my resum� went missing.� I spent over an hour searching the area around my parent�s computer before I found it.� It had fallen off the side of the desk and gotten caught on some molding halfway down.� To top it off, we got three inches of snow overnight and it was cold, which promised a slower than normal drive.

I called Sharon around eleven.� I explained about the morning and said that I wouldn�t be able to stay much longer than an hour, but I�d still be happy to come up.� She said sure, so after some serious ice scraping on the car, I was on the road.

When I arrived, Sharon was in sweats, though she�d obviously showered.

�I thought we�d just order a pizza and stay in.�

�Sure,� I said, surprised.� �You doing okay?�

�Yeah,� she said, though her frown belied her words.� She flopped onto the couch and indicated the chair for me.

�I�m not surprised, you know,� she said.� �About Allen.�

�Well, I did tell you about his girlfriend.� They�re a good match.�

�Good for him.�

�Yes.� Good for him.�

Sharon sighed and tossed her head.� �I know I should be happy for him, and I am.� The news just brought up all these memories.�

�I know.�� I sagged back in the chair.� �It�s like when we ran into Alicia and her boyfriend.�

�Yeah.�� She crossed her arms.� �It�s the shock more than anything.�

�Well, you at least had a little warning,� I said.� �I did tell you about her.�

Sharon nodded but didn�t say anything.

�So, are you going to be all right?�

Sharon closed her eyes for a moment, and then let out a long breath.

�Yeah,� she said.� �I�m going to be okay.�

�So, should we order the pizza then?�

�Already did,� she said.� �Assuming pepperoni is fine.� It should be here any minute.�

�It�s fine with me.�

Sharon turned out to be prescient, because the doorbell rang just then.� I dug in my wallet for my half while she opened the door.� We moved to the kitchen table and broke out some Cokes.� During the meal, she talked mostly about the memories that had come up, both bad and good.� Then she talked about being surprised, but that she was okay with it.� Then she talked about more memories.

�I�m sorry I couldn�t come up last night,� I said, when she�d started to repeat herself for the third time.

Sharon shrugged.� �It�s okay.� You couldn�t get away.�

�Were you okay?�

�Well, after you called� well, I didn�t want to be alone.� I called Justin and asked him to come over.�

�Oh?� Really?�

�Yeah.� He listened for a while, but then I realized I didn�t want to spill my guts to him.� I didn�t want to scare him off.�

I snorted.� �Makes sense.�

�So we talked about other things.�

�Like?�

�This and that.� It was nice to not be alone.�

�Well, I�m glad he was here.� Though I hope you didn�t keep him too late,� I said.� �The roads looked pretty treacherous this morning.� It would have been a nasty drive home.�

�Well�.�

I snorted.� �He didn�t leave until this morning, did he?�� I put my elbows on the table, my chin in my hands, to avoid shaking my head in disbelief.

Sharon half-heartedly nodded.

�You slept with him.�

�Yeah.�

�Any good?�

Sharon made an ambivalent shrug.� �He was pretty good.� I just couldn�t keep my mind off of Allen.�

�Ouch.� Did you tell him?�

She shook her head.� �No.� What guy wants to hear you�re fantasizing about another guy while you�re in bed with him?�

�Not me,� I said, my stomach tightening.� She was hitting a little too close to home here, given our mutual past.

�It�s not like it matters,� she continued.� �Justin�s going back to Boston tomorrow.� I�ll probably never see him again.�

�You never know,� I said.� �He might want to see you on his next trip back.�

She shrugged.� �He said he did.� But guys�ll say anything when you�re about to get naked.�

I couldn�t dispute that, so I let it go.

�Did it help?�

�Some.� It was nice to feel wanted.�� She paused.� �And, frankly, it was better than getting drunk.�

I nodded, remembering the hangovers I�d had over Alicia.� �I�ll keep that in mind.�

I started wondering what would have happened if I�d come up last night after all.� Would Sharon just have gotten drunk with me?� Probably.� Though she had offered to make it worth my while.� For the first time, I felt jealous of Justin.

As I pondered, Sharon sat quietly, watching me.� Eventually she leaned back, capturing my attention once again.

�I�ve been thinking,� she said, and then paused.� �Would you do me a favor?�

�Depends on what it is.�

�I want to write a letter to Allen.� Will you give me his address?�

My back tensed and my breath caught.

�I�d have to ask him if that�s okay,� I said, as slowly and as measured as I could. �I�m not sure he�ll say yes.�

Sharon frowned and stared ahead for a few minutes.

�Well, would you deliver it then?�

�I� I don�t know.�

�Please.�

I felt trapped.� I knew Allen didn�t want to hear from Sharon, but I didn�t know how to say so without hurting her further.

�I�ll owe you,� she said.� �Big time.� One big favor if you�ll deliver it.�

I snorted.� �How big?�

�Real big.� Almost anything.�

I snorted again and looked at her. My mind was already racing to figure out what �almost anything� might include.

�Please?�

�Okay,� I said with a small shake of my head.� �I�m not sure this is a good idea, and I�m not sure he�s going to do anything once he gets it, but I�ll do it.� And you�ll owe me.�

�Great.� Sharon stood up.� �I�ll send it to you in Tucson when I get it done writing it.�

I nodded and stood up too.� A quick check of my watch confirmed that I needed to get going.

Sharon stepped forward and threw her arms around me in a hug.� �You are the best friend, Joe.�

�Yeah.�� Maybe to Sharon.� I wasn�t so sure I was to Allen, though.

Sharon squeezed me again and then stepped back.

�You need to get going,� she said.� �Thanks for stopping by.� I really appreciate it.�

�What are friends for?�

Sharon smiled and stepped forward to hug me again.� �Thanks.� I owe you one.�

I didn�t know what to say, so I said nothing.� After a moment, Sharon pulled back.

�Have a safe flight,� she said.

�I�ll do my best.�

I checked my watch again and realized that if the roads were bad, �I really did have to go.� We said our goodbyes and I drove back to my parents.� The entire way to the airport, I� wondered what would happen when I saw Sharon next.

--Fin--

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Read the next chapter in this story: Chapter Twenty

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