Perfect Recipe

How would you feel if your girlfriend's ex was moving in with her into her cozy little apartment in a few hours? The ex who is still her friend and who has never had a bad word spoken against her. The tried and true ex from college who probably has more than one rowdy story to tell. The single ex. Exactly.

I was supposed to go to her apartment to meet her new roommate after they had settled a bit and we could all hang out. Fun times.

I finally raised my hand to knock after realizing the knocking I already heard was the army of butterflies in my stomach.

Despite my nerves, I couldn't help smiling back at my girlfriend as she opened the door and immediately folded me into a warm hug.

"Hi, baby".

"Hi." I leaned up and breathed in the slightly sweaty scent of her neck.

"I am so glad you're here."

"Not as glad as if I had come before all this was moved in, I'm sure." The living area was definitely more cramped as the furniture had been shifted to make room for the boxes that were on the opposite wall.

She threw her hands up in the air.

"Thank you." Based on the explosive sigh that accompanied, I'd say it was a busy afternoon.

"We've been arguing the whole afternoon. She thinks?"

"Kate, I swear to God, if I hear another word I won't be responsible for my actions." Well speak of the devil?I mean the ex. She walked to where Kate was leisurely propped against the back of the sofa and playfully shoved her. Either she hadn't done any work or she was one of those people who always looked put together, from her casual clothes to her stylishly-cut, short hair with not a hair out of place.

"I'm just saying and Jalyn would agree with me, wouldn't you, baby?" The ex turned beautiful brown doe eyes on me, and for a second I seriously considered changing my "no muss, no fuss" philosophy.

I just shrugged.

"Don't drag me into it." The ex turned a satisfied smirk back at Kate who rolled her eyes at my yellow-bellied answer.

"Yeah. Besides you didn't even introduce me to your friend before trying to turn her against me." Friend? What the?

"Fine. Deanna, this is my girlfriend Jalyn. Jay, this is my old college buddy Deanna."

"It's nice to finally meet you," I said while shaking her hand. It wasn't a complete lie. The fact that I was at that moment looking intently for some kind of flaw was irrelevant. That's what I told myself anyway. Besides, I didn't find one; she had an enviously smooth chocolate complexion.

A genuinely warm smile lit her up her face as she greeted me for the first time.

"You too. Just call me Dee. My friends do, although there might be one less person on that list soon." She shot a glance at Kate.

"Not likely. Don't forget you're staying in my apartment."

"I was just messing around, Kitty Kat." The resulting half moan, half wail that comment caused had me almost doubled over in laughter.

"Please don't call me that. It's bad enough when Uncle Charlie does it."

"You mean crazy Uncle Charlie." I was a bit jealous that I didn't know this story, but it was cracking me up too much to be mad.

"Where in the world did that name come from?"

"Well after one too many experiments with aluminum foil and electricity, 'crazy' just seemed to fit. As for my nickname, let's just say Uncle Charlie has an active imagination."

"Aw, come on. You've gotta tell her the story."

"Please and pretty please." Kate was trying not to look amused, but I caught a hint of a smirk.

"Okay. My uncle swears he had a black cat with blue eyes before I was born and that the cat led him to some treasure buried in his backyard."

"Wait a minute," I interrupted. "Treasure? As in pirates and buried treasure?"

Kate nodded. "Gold, jewels, the whole nine. We've never seen this treasure, mind you, but that's not the point of the story. One day the cat just mysteriously disappeared. Imagine his surprise when I was born a few months later." The sarcasm was dripping about as much as the tears from my and Dee's laughter.

"To this day my uncle thinks I'm his lucky cat reincarnated. Only I'm not as lucky anymore because I ran into some bad spirits during my time in the other world. But whenever he sees me he manages to rub me for luck?like he did with his cat." I could barely breathe through my convulsions, and Dee was nearly on the floor. Even Kate had a full-fledged smile by the end.

"Oh man, that story never gets old."

"I'm glad I could amuse you two."

"My stomach hurts now." That laugh was better than an actual workout.

"Yeah, mine too, but it's from hunger. How about we order a pizza." I didn't have a problem with that, and Dee agreed as she walked to the kitchen area. I had to admit that she didn't seem like a bad person. In fact, I was beginning to think bonding over pizza wouldn't be such a horrible ordeal.

"You got anything in here for dessert?"
"Yeah, there should be some ice cream left in the freezer."

"Ooh, what kind?" She immediately turned to rummage in the freezer, intent on finding the answer for herself. "Rocky road, that figures. You always did have a thing for chocolate," she chuckled. Was I wrong to read into that little innuendo? And dammit Kate chuckled, too. Just shoot me now and get it over with.
+++

"Em, I'm telling you she looked just like Halle Berry." Like an exaggerated fishing tale, my recollection of Deanna's beauty had grown considerably.

"Wow. Really? Did you ask for her autograph?" She laughed but I didn't see the humor. A day later and I was still sore from hurt feelings.

"This is serious. Sometimes I wonder why we're friends." Really, Emily always tried to get me to lighten up when I took things too seriously. That's why she's one of my best friends, but I couldn't appreciate it in the moment.

"Okay, okay I'm sorry. So she's pretty. Go on."

"Not just pretty. She's gorgeous. I mean, her eyes are just brown, but I swear I've never seen brown look that color before."

"Maybe some of it's not natural. You can buy a lot of fake parts these days."

"I doubt it and I looked?hard. At everything." I could hear her stifling laughs in the background.

"Well what's she like? Maybe the ugly is on the inside."

I groaned. "She's funny, and she seems really nice?unless she's a really good actress." Emily did laugh then at my own irony. I chose to ignore it. "She an accountant so she's probably really smart. Anyway, I actually really liked her even though I tried hard not to." And that was the problem. If I could, why wouldn't Kate? She was fashionably well-kept and a professional. We were as different as black and?

Well that may not be the best analogy for the situation.

"Kate's obviously happy to have her around for a while."

"So what's the problem? Do you really think Kate would cheat on you?" Well, we sure hadn't done the horizontal mambo, so who's to say she wouldn't?never mind. I didn't really believe that. I honestly trusted her.

Emily sounded so incredulous. On the one hand, I was so glad that my best friend liked my girlfriend enough to have so much confidence in her. On the other, she was missing my point.

"No, no. It's just that?," I trailed off.

"You're afraid they might rekindle old feelings."

"Exactly. They broke up on good terms and still remain friends, so what's to say they won't realize they want to get back together?"

"Well being a couple isn't the next logical step just because they're still friends. They did break up for a reason." Logic? I didn't want logic at a time like this.

"I know." I hated that I sounded like I was five all of a sudden.

"Don't stress about it, sweetie, and if you don't think that you can deal, talk to Kate about it." I couldn't do that; I didn't want her to know I had turned into a five-year-old, too.
+++

It was only supposed to be a couple of months at most that Dee would stay with Kate until she could move into her new condo. I just decided that I would try to avoid spending extended amounts of time in their presence. Nevermind that I worked closer to Kate's apartment than my own and that during the week I usually spent at least a couple evenings there after work before going home. I hoped Kate wouldn't catch on to my not-so-clever avoidance but that wasn't the case. She caught on pretty quickly. I always said she was as sharp as a tack.

I shifted the strap of the messenger bag on my shoulder as Dee opened the door and welcomed me into the apartment. While we went to sit, I noticed that Kate seemed to be absent. I really hoped this wasn't some clever plan to get us to spend time together.

"So, uh, where's Kate?" She didn't appear to be offended that I was somewhat uncomfortable spending less than thirty seconds alone with her.

"Out getting popcorn and snacks." She rolled her eyes dramatically. "Apparently the microwave popcorn that I picked up on my way in, as a favor, I might add, wasn't good enough.
She insisted that you have to pop it yourself."

"Well, yeah. I mean, you can flavor it any way you want when you pop it yourself. You have a ton more options that way plus it's lots of fun." I said like it was the most natural thing in the world which caused Dee to laugh. That's the way we always did it for our movie nights.

"That's exactly what she said. Anyway, she should be back in a minute."

I swallowed the big lump in my throat. "You're welcome to stay if you want."

"Ouch." She clutched lightly at her chest.

"What's wrong?"

"All those daggers you shot at me hurt," she laughed. I thought I had done a good job of sounding genuine with my offer. Apparently I needed to learn to look the part when I lie.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"It's okay. I'm just kidding." She looked at the discarded magazine on the table for a second then looked up directly at me. "You don't like me much do you?"

Oh great. She seemed like a wonderful person during the few times we had interacted. Now the real she-devil would come out while Kate was away. Why didn't I go with my instinct to carry a tape recorder around with me?

She just waved it off when I didn't answer.

"I understand. I've given you the wrong impression, I guess. I don't blame you really."

Her head hadn't started spinning so I sort of felt bad for jumping to conclusions.

"It's not that I don't like you."

"You just feel like I'm taking Kate away from you, like we're picking up where we left off." I looked at my lap without answering, which was probably enough of an answer anyway. "I love

Kate and I always will, but we're best as really good friends. That's it."

"I'm sorry. I feel really stupid now."

"Don't be. Sometimes I forget how other people might take our relationship when they see us together, especially a girlfriend."

"For the record, I do like you. That was real problem. It's easy to see why Kate adores you."

She laughed and it didn't seem like she was laughing at me because I laughed, too.

"I'm so damn lovable it should be a crime."

"Wow. Did the room just get smaller or is it just me?" Now that I saw she wasn't the devil in disguise, it was easier to joke around.

"Maybe we could do something before I move out, you know, like go shopping or something."

"I don't think I'm in your league." I didn't mean income, I meant style. She was a poster child for what to wear for any occasion. I was more like the 'before' picture of a makeover.

"Well it's just a suggestion. We can talk about it if it's something you wanna do." She got up to grab her purse and put on her shoes. "And don't worry I'm not staying. You two crazy kids can make out on the couch all you want."

Movie night didn't turn out so bad after all.
+++

After clearing up the situation with Dee, I was actually kind of excited to meet her mother. Valerie Knight was apparently still very fond of her daughter's ex, which gave Dee endless ammunition to tease Kate, so we decided to have a 'family' dinner one evening. I was in charge of dessert, Kate handled the meal, and Dee relished playfully giving her instruction at every opportunity. It was pretty good entertainment.

When Kate ushered in our guest, it was easy to see where Dee got her looks. I only hoped I aged half as gracefully.

"You already know that knucklehead over there, but Ms. Knight-"

"Now, Kate, I know it hasn't been that long." Chastised in that universal mother language, she started again.

"Sorry. Val, I would like you to meet my girlfriend Jalyn. This is Dee's mother and one of my favorite people in the whole world."

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Knight."

"You may as well call me Val, too," she laughed. "You have a beautiful name, Jalyn."

"Thank you." I think we were all grinning like idiots. I know I was.

Between the good meal and the entertaining conversation, I was in heaven. Val told us tales about the up-to-no-good students she had to deal with on a daily basis, but you could sense that she truly loved teaching. I wished I had a teacher like her when I was in school.

"Kate, darlin', I think you've gotten even better since the last time we did this," she said before relishing another bite. I think Kate even blushed.

"Thanks but I doubt it. Jalyn's the real chef." Then it was my turn.

"Are you really?"

"Not technically. I'm just a baker." I had a knack for pastries and desserts, but I tended to shy away from the savory meals.

"Not 'just' a baker. She's like the best in the state at least," she boasted on my behalf. I just loved it when she looked at me like that. I loved her period. I had been trying to work up the nerve to actually tell her that.

"She co-owns Brick Oven cafe, Mom."

"Oh, I think I know where that is. I'll have to come by some time."

"Sure. I'm usually back in the kitchen, but just ask for me." As nice as all that attention was, I wanted to turn it back to them. "So you guys used to do this a lot when Dee and Kate dated?" I was proud that I said that without wincing, gagging or reacting in any adverse way. I gave myself a mental pat on the back.

Dee got that twinkle in her eye that usually meant trouble for Kate.

"We got together at least a couple times a month. I swear I think Mom used to like Kate more than she likes me."

"What do you mean 'used to'?" We laughed at Dee's sculpted frown.

"Very funny, Mom."

"I just thought you should know, honey. She's always been my favorite."

"I've been trying to tell her what a catch I am, Val."

"Oh, puh-leez." When these two get together it's a riot, and I could see that Val just liked to add fuel to the fire.

"She's a bit dull despite my best efforts," she told us sympathetically. "Otherwise she wouldn't have messed up my plans."
"Your plans?"

"Yes, I had dreams of the most beautiful blue-eyed grandchildren that I could spoil absolutely rotten." Dee and I looked at each other slightly wide-eyed, and Kate was doing her best fish-out-of-water impression.

"Mom, you do realize her girlfriend is sitting right there."

"Yes, I can see Jalyn just fine. I didn't mean any offense," she directed at me.

"No problem. I think it's kinda cute."

"Thank you. Besides, Dee, I could always be a godmother or an honorary aunt." Well if we ever have kids, she couldn't be any worse than Uncle Charlie.

Over dessert, a special cheesecake that Val loved, I might add, I got the chance to further embarrass Kate when they wanted to know how we met.

"It's a really funny story actually."

"Yep, we met at the caf�. Love at first sight and the rest, as they say, is history." Boy, she sure had a way of skimming the details of embarrassing stories.

"That's not exactly how it happened."

Dee rubbed her hands together diabolically. "Ooh, tell us the juicy details."

"Well, when we first opened Kate was one of our first customers. I used to work out front a lot back then, getting orders and stuff, and I would see her come in almost every morning the same way- wearing scrubs and with a newspaper tucked under one arm."

"I think Beth thought I was a rich doctor 'cause she was always very friendly."

"No, she had a crush on you. Plus you did leave her good tips. Anyway, we never really said much to each other besides 'hi' or talking about the menu, but I admit I had a crush, too."

"Why do you think I kept coming back?"

"You ate there because you thought I liked you?" She could have fooled me. Being shy as I am, I was always too flustered to initiate any flirting, but Kate never did either She smiled at me a lot, which always made me blush and smile back, but that sure didn't seem like flirting.

"No, because Beth liked me," she laughed.

"Funny."

"So how did she brainwash you into going out with her?"

"After a couple of months, she asked some questions about me to Beth, and I guess Beth gave her some hints that I would be interested because she kept gushing that she knew Kate would ask me out. So one day she comes up to the counter after she had already paid and eaten, and she puts on this charming little smile and says," lowering my voice and trying to sound sexy, "'That was really green?I mean good.'"

Dee burst into laughter, and I smiled affectionately at Kate's blush. That was the first time I realized that she was probably as big a dork as I was and that I had to get to know her better.

"You sure are a lady killer."

"I couldn't help it," she shrugged, "I thought she had really pretty eyes so it just came out."

"Her face was about as red as it is now, so she just kind of mumbled and backed away. A few days later she started to come up to the counter again after eating, but then she sort of went the other direction. I guess she built up her courage and changed her mind 'cause about halfway to the door she stopped and turned?right into a busboy."

Dee barked in laughter again, and Val slapped her arm in reprimand even though she had a smirk on her face.

"Two people flat on their butts, plates and cups everywhere on the floor. It was quite funny." I remember shaking with laughter, trying to hide behind my hand.

"No it wasn't."

"Yes, it was. It was cute."

"No wonder she agreed to go out with you," Dee joked, "it was pity."

"Actually she never even asked me. She practically ran out of the building after that and didn't come back for weeks."

"It wasn't that long," she pouted.

"It sure seemed like it. When she did finally come back, I decided to deliver her order myself along with my number, of course. We hung out a few times, and we've been together ever since." I gave her a light kiss and a syrup sweet smile to a chorus of "Awww."
After we finished eating dessert and swapping more embarrassing stories, the night ended on a high note. I hugged Val and we said our goodbyes. I was helping to clean up the kitchen when Kate asked me if I wanted to stay the night, which I eagerly agreed to do. A perfect ending to a wonderful day.
+++

Dozing off that night, I loved the feeling of Kate's warm presence pressed against my back and my arms covering hers as they wrapped around me. It almost made me laugh out loud to know that our positions wouldn't last through the night. Apparently I'm a bit of a restless sleeper. Kate would swear on a stack of Bibles that she woke up one night with one of my toes in her ear and the other foot under her shirt. I still say that's just an exaggeration.

"Thank you," she mumbled sleepily. She kissed me behind the ear, which always made me shiver.

"For what?"

"For being so great. For not being jealous and upset with the whole situation for no reason."
Should I confess that I was jealous in the beginning? Should I tell her everything I had felt and how I was too insecure to talk to her about it? That Dee was actually the one to make me feel better? Maybe tomorrow. Or another day. Nah.

"Good night." I love you.
+++

It makes me laugh to say this, but Dee and I really got to know each other quite well and became friends. It's not that the three of us suddenly became the Musketeers and did everything together. Kate and I still spent most of our time together without Dee since she had her own social life, but I found that Dee and I had a few common interests and that occasionally left out Kate, much to her chagrin, of course.

I took Dee up on her offer to go shopping together. Not being much more than a window shopper, I figured I could walk and eat junk food while she did all the shopping. Maybe if I was lucky I could find something to buy, most likely a book. Most of my wardrobe consisted of clothes that were comfortable, casual and stain-resistant. However, I was forced by my shopping partner to promise to look and?God help me, try something on if it caught my eye. I won't get into my intense dislike for all things related to dressing rooms.

About forty-five minutes into our excursion, I was pushing my limits. I had managed to buy one item. Unfortunately, it was a cinnamon pretzel. I can't really say 'unfortunately' though 'cause that treat was quite tasty.

"You know, if you drag your feet any more, you're gonna start a fire," Dee teased. She had several small bags of purchases and was actively looking for more.

"Sorry. I'm just waiting on my sugar high to kick in then I'll be good to go."

"Yeah, right. Let's go check that directory; maybe we can go directly to someplace you'll like rather than wandering."

Thank God. Did I tell you that I was really growing to like her?

She pointed out some store on the third level that I'd never heard of, but she assured me it was a laid-back type store where I could probably find something.

"Ooh, they have a new lingerie store. We have to go look," she gushed, smiling like a kid on Christmas morning. Yeah, well, if you haven't guessed, lingerie isn't my thing either. I guess my eyes rolling said as much. "Aw, come on. Every girl likes nice unmentionables."

"Having some scratchy piece of string riding up the crack of my ass is not my idea of nice." She laughed and even though I was completely serious, I laughed, too.

"I'm sure they sell more than just thongs. Come on," she coaxed, pulling me along beside her.

"I guess I'll look. I could always just wait outside for you?again." I was unconsciously rambling as we rode up the escalator. Maybe that sugar high really was kicking in. "I mean it's not like I have to buy something. Even if I do it's not like anyone's gonna see them. You know?" After my last comment, Dee turned and gave me this pointed look then turned around to continue listening-but-not-really. There was something behind that look. "What?"

She didn't answer for a few seconds as we moved to step onto the next escalator. Once settled, she leaned back against the hand wall and looked at me.

"It's nothing. None of my business."

"No, really. What is it?"

She cleared her throat and averted her eyes before looking back. "Don't you think?I mean Kate?"

Oh, right. We were definitely approaching boundaries now. Now I was shifting my eyes and shuffling my feet.

"No." That was all I could say, but at the same time, I wanted to maybe talk to her about it. I mean, Dee had experience with her.

"Oh?uh, okay. Nevermind."

"Is that weird? I mean, we've?" I trailed off. This was getting really awkward.

"It's not. You know, this really is none of my business." I could see the lingerie shop a few stores down, but we had sort of stalled near a small alcove.

"I know, I know. I'm not trying to?" What was I trying to say? "?but it's been about six months and we?you know, close but not?like all the way." With all my inept hand gesturing, Dee probably thought I was trying to mime what I was trying to say. "For all I know, she doesn't even like...you know," I trailed off in a whisper.

Dee looked at me with this combination of raised brows and pursed lips that told me my desperate conclusion was about as wrong as two left shoes. I rubbed my face with my hands, hoping it wasn't as red as it felt.

"I didn't say anything," she defended. "I'm not gonna say anything."

"Oh God. This was a really bad idea."

"Calm down, Jalyn. Calm down, okay?" she tried to soothe me. "It's not a bad thing. You know Kate, so you know she doesn't like to rush into things. Right?" I nodded. With the way we liked order, we were both bound to become a couple of boring old maids. "You know, it probably just hasn't been the right time for both of you. I'm sure soon you'll both be?on the same page and want to?you know, be?"

"Yeah, yeah," I jumped in, "you're right. I'm sure it'll all work out." We both sighed and tried to act cool and collected again.

"You still want to??" Dee questioned, jerking her head in the direction of our forgotten destination.

"Sure. Why not? I can't go home empty-handed."

"Good. I promise to stay on the opposite side of the store at all times," she smiled.
+++

"Wow. I knew The Glamorous One would buy out the place, but I didn't think you'd give in," Kate teased after we'd come back from our outing. It was only two bags, but I must say, I got some good stuff. Really good stuff.

"Hey, Kate?" Dee threw out from her room.

"Yeah?"

"Shut it," she said, walking back into the living area with a sassy smirk. Kate just rolled her eyes and made a face at me, making me laugh.

"So let me see what you got." She tossed the magazine she'd been reading onto the low table and sprawled on the couch looking at me expectantly.

I had remained near the doorway, planning to say hello and then leave.

"Maybe some other time. I had fun, Dee. Later, guys."

"Wait a minute." Kate threw her jeans-clad legs off the sofa and looked at me curiously.

"What is it?" I tried to subtly shift my bags behind my legs.

"Why are you leaving so??" Her eyes looked me over before focusing intently for a moment.
When Kate looked back to meet my eyes a slow, sexy grin formed on her face. "Is that a pink bag?"

My eyes shifted to Dee for a second then went back to my girlfriend. She looked like she wanted to attack me until I revealed my secret.

"Maybe," I teased. I had visions of pouncing and certain other activities but now certainly wasn't the time. "I'll see you later."

"Wait. I wanna?"

"Kate, give it up. She's leaving," Dee supplied, pushing Kate back to the sofa as she flopped down. She looked at me with a conspiratorial smile. "'Bye, Jalyn."

"'Bye," I threw out over my shoulder as I opened the door. Hearing Kate's pouty complaints, I laughed and quickly left.
+++

"Hey, Dee, we're going out for a while." Kate and I walked out from her bedroom where we had just finalized our game plan. We didn't have a particular destination, and like many other aimless summer days, we decided to walk around and make decisions as we went along. Of course, we mostly just wanted to spend time together, especially considering we hadn't had many dates or alone time in the past couple of weeks.

"No problem. I'll let you know how the game turns out, Jalyn. They probably won't go into extra innings."

I looked towards the TV screen and mentally slapped myself for almost forgetting about the baseball game. With the All-Star break coming in a few weeks every team was trying a make a final push in their division before taking a few much-appreciated days off. With my team having a chance to win the pennant in the American League this year, what better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than watching their division's leader lose a game and possibly the series.
Plus Dee would be there to hypothesize and talk smack with me.

"Aw, come on, baby," Kate whined. "It's just one game. This isn't even the team you pull for." She threw up a hand uselessly when I abruptly turned to the screen. The announcer had gotten excited over a hit that sailed high and long before falling harmlessly into the left fielder's glove on the warning track. I saw Kate's perturbed look, but what was I supposed to do? That could have been a big play.

"They're the leaders of our division right now. We could gain some serious ground if they lose."

"Oh boy, they just hit a double," Dee announced from the couch. One out. One on first and second. Oh, the drama.

"Just watch the highlights on ESPN or something," Kate tried again to persuade me.

Watching highlights came nowhere to close to the thrill and suspense of watching a game in live action. But how could I make my girlfriend see that? She thought the sole purpose of going to a baseball game was to eat hot dogs. Maybe we could compromise.

"How about we stay for-"

"Pitcher's looking sluggish." I turned just in time to watch an instant replay of the batter fouling off a lazy pitch that could have easily been a big hit.

"Dee, would you shut up with the play-by-play?"

"I really want to watch the game," I pleaded apologetically. I knew puppy dog eyes and sweet smiles wouldn't work, so I just talked honestly from my baseball-loving heart. Kate sighed and stared the ceiling in annoyance and defeat. "Stay and watch it with me." Now I brought out the puppy dog eyes.

"Fine." I leaned up and kissed her solidly on the lips before excitedly dragging her over to sit in front of the TV. Dee slid to one end, I immediately sat in the middle and crossed my legs, and Kate plopped down on the other side of me and rested her head on my shoulder. Never taking my eyes from the screen as Kate flung off her shoes and propped her feet on the coffee table, I put my arm around her shoulder and gave a light squeeze before running my fingers through her hair.

"Maybe you should buy TiVo," Dee snickered. I was vaguely aware off Kate's head shifting on my shoulder, most likely turning to shoot her friend a nasty glare. I couldn't be sure though-there were two outs at the top of the seventh with a slugger coming to the plate and a conference going on at the pitcher's mound. Baseball, my drug of choice.
+++

Kate didn't hold my negligent behavior against me?well, not for long anyway. A day for just the two of us, starting at my apartment, was just what the doctor ordered.

I pulled her into a hug and a kiss as soon as I greeted her at the door. We spent a minute exchanging gentle kisses as I stroked her back and she caressed my hips and waist. I pulled back, flushed and breathing quickly.

"It's good to see you, too," I teased as I laced my fingers behind her neck. Her hands rubbed my sides for a moment more before she pulled back slightly and examined my clothing. Apparently my sweatpants and faded t-shirt didn't meet approval because her brows drew together when she looked back up at me.

"I thought we were going out."

"Well, we've got the whole day. I didn't think we made a decision about one thing already. We've got time to just see-"
"Please tell me there's no baseball game today." I laughed at her pleading, which was made that much funnier by its honesty.

"No, no game." She still looked at me skeptically. "No game. I promise." I held up both my hands as we parted. "We can come up with something. You want something to eat?" I questioned as I backed into the kitchen.

"I'm fine." She followed me into the kitchen and leaned back against the breakfast bar. Her light eyes stayed locked on my movements, and it made me feel giddy. "You're hiding something."

"No, I'm not. You want something to drink?" Luckily standing inside the open refrigerator door was keeping my face cool.

"Yes, you are and no, I don't." I grabbed a bottle of water and kicked the door closed as I turned around. Kate was still staring at me, and I met her gaze directly as I took a drink.

"What makes you think I'm hiding something?" I questioned with a small smirk. I really liked this being-coy-and-mysterious routine.

She pointed at me. "That evil little smirk for one. And the fact that you called me with your idea to come over and spend the entire day together, yet you don't have one idea about what we should do." I wouldn't say that last part was true.

I put down my bottle and slowly walked to stand in front of her. I reached out and took one of Kate's hands in my own, playing with her warm fingers.

I lowered my voice. "So what am I hiding?"

Kate stepped away from the bar and brought her body inches from mine, our still entwined fingers lowering between us.

"I don't know," she murmured.

"If I were hiding something," I brought her fingers to lightly caress my lower belly before holding her fingers to me beneath my shirt, "where would I be hiding it?" Her fingers automatically clenched against my skin, and she placed her unoccupied hand on my hip. The tips of her fingers held still only a second before moving back and forth gently. I kept her one hand in place while I placed my other at the base of her neck and drew her in until our bodies pressed together.

Kate leaned down, nuzzling her face in my neck. "I don't know," she whispered before placing feather-light kisses along the column of my throat. Her tongue snaked out and licked random patterns on my sensitive skin.

"Why don't you find out?" I husked, grasping her face and bringing her lips to mine. The kiss started slow but the passion was there. As our tongues dueled, I couldn't help but revel in the fact that my seduction had worked perfectly. Hands now free to roam, Kate caressed my bare back and stomach as our kiss deepened.

I moaned as her firm touch traveled further up my body but stopped short of where I wanted it, aching breasts wanting to be squeezed, my nipples straining against sensuous fabric. I aggressively tried to take control of the kiss, hoping to increase our passion even further. Kate bit my lower lip gently. I bit back then sucked on her questing tongue.

As our hips melded intimately together, I covered Kate's hands and guided them slowly to where I wanted her touch. She tore her mouth away in an effort to breathe and kissed along my jaw down to my neck as her hands instinctively grasped me.

"Baby, you feel so good." I threw my head back and whimpered as her thumbs gently massaged the swollen tips through the covering of the bra. "This is new," she managed to get out. I knew what she meant. She'd seen my underwear drawer, and she could remember there wasn't anything like this inside.

Kate moved back up and took my lips in another searing kiss. Not wanting to miss the exquisite sensation of her fingers teasing my breast but wanting to move things further, I guided one of her hands along my back and barely inside the waistband of my sweats. She took the lead, sliding down and feeling the shorts tantalizingly covering my behind. She grabbed me, bringing us closer together as her thigh slid tightly between my legs and mine into hers. My hips automatically rocked against her, and I groaned at the white-hot sensation that shot through me.
I continued scraping up and down her back as I once again tore my lips away to breathe.

"For a special?occasion," I panted. With effort Kate stilled her movements and pulled a millimeter away. She rested her forehead against mine before looking at me intensely. I could see the heated passion, her dilated pupils and darkened eyes, and knew she could see the same need in me.

"Are you sure?"

I leaned in closer, mesmerized by the way she licked her swollen lips. I slowly edged forward but pulled back slightly. When we went back into it, I don't think either of us would be able to stop.

"Positive. You?" I dragged my sight away from her soft lips to look into hooded eyes. Her hands twitched where she cupped my ass.

"Oh, God?absolutely." Needing no more discussion, I attacked her mouth. I slid my eager tongue inside and whimpered as she caressed it with her own. Kate backed up against the bar, bringing me to rest more firmly against her leg. I moved my own thigh tighter against her to help her feel more pressure.

"I can't?stand."

"We need?"

"?Bed?"

"Yeah?"

"Now."
+++

Oh, we spent a glorious few hours in bed working up a hot sweat. No thoughts of friends, food or even baseball. It was all about Kate and me exploring each other's bodies and bringing each other to deliciously torturous heights of pleasure?multiple times. By the time we had rested for a while and I had awakened back into blissful consciousness, I was feeling tingly feelings once again. Lying there in the semi-darkness of the room listening to even breaths coming from Kate's slightly parted lips, tempted by the silky lock of hair that had fallen into her face, I just wanted to touch her all the time.

She made this incredibly cute whimper, and her hand twitched where it rested on my side. I reached up and smoothed back the wayward strands in her face, my fingers lingering softly on her face as I ran my thumb along her brow.

Kate's eyes opened slowly, the last remnants of sleep dissipating slowly. She's always so adorable and innocent when she first wakes up.

"Bad dream?" I leaned over and gave her a soft, lingering kiss.

"No," she hummed. A lazy smile played across her face. "A very good one actually. There was you, me, strawberries?," she kissed me again, "?and chocolate."

"Oooh, sounds dirty."

"It was. Very." Her teasing fingers traveled slowly down my belly, punctuating each lowly drawled word. "But it was so good to clean you up."
+++

"I don't think we can make up for six months of no sex in one day, but it sure is fun to try," I laughed. Later that afternoon, snuggled together and propped up against pillows, we were too amorous to get out of bed but too hungry to continue our sexy activities.

"How about we eat in bed?"

"Sounds good to me." Neither one of us moved an inch, not even so much as to pick up the phone to order take-out. "One of us has got to get up, though."

"I know but I don't wanna."

"Well," I sighed dramatically, "I guess we'll starve but at least we'll die happy."

"Being in love will do that." I looked into her eyes, seeing the twinkling in her baby blues despite the seriousness of her words. "And I am definitely in love." Those words that I had wanted to hear just as much as I had been fighting to find courage to say them myself sounded so casual yet so firm and sure, like there was no mistaking this feeling that we both obviously felt. I smiled.

"Is that so?" She nodded, a smile playing on her lips. "I'd say it's a good thing I love you, too."

"Yeah, I'd say it is."
+++

We did finally get out of bed to order take-out, and since we decided we would probably be spending a good number of hours in the bed later, we ate in the kitchen for a change of scenery. Not that I couldn't look at Kate naked 24/7. But what would that accomplish? Other than the obvious, of course.

Later that evening and into the night we just lounged in bed and talked. That was one of my favorite parts of our relationship; we could talk about anything under the sun. Ironic how I when I most needed to talk to Kate- about my insecurity, expressing my love for the first time- I hid my feelings away.

I guess recent declarations helped boost my courage somewhat because I found the courage to ask why we had waited so long. Or maybe curiosity just ran away with my tongue faster than it should. I agreed that we hadn't specifically planned to make love and that we hadn't consciously tried not to, either. Now was just finally the right time. And then she gave me the answer straight out of a sappy, romantic movie: she felt there was no rush because we would have a lifetime to share ourselves with each other.

I kissed her for all I was worth then. I heard the violins in the background, and I'm sure if things had been moving around us it would have been in slow motion.

"So when did you adopt this I'll-only-have-sex-with-the-love-of-my-life philosophy?"

"I haven't."

"Oh, so you plan to give out favors to other women then," I teased.

"Beth and I have gotten pretty close since I've been coming to the shop." She was smiling when I looked up at her and gave her a narrow-eyed glare, but I didn't even take myself seriously. I kissed her on the nose then got comfortable again.

"But you have sort of changed you philosophy. With me versus your other girlfriends, I mean." For some reason, I had taken up this cause, and now I was in a zone.

"What do you mean?"

"I know you didn't wait to see if each of them was "The One" first. Like, with Dee." I wasn't accusing. I was just curious. Kate pulled back and looked at me for a moment.

"How do you know what our sex life was or wasn't?"

"I don't. It's not like we talked about it. Nevermind, just forget I said anything." I intended to just drop the conversation altogether, but with raised brows and some prodding words from Kate, I just jumped into what was on my mind.

"It just kind of came up," I defended. "She already knew I was sort of insecure, and then when we were going to the lingerie store she gave me this look, you know, and I had, like, a minor breakdown. Then-"

"Whoa, wait a minute. You were insecure? About us?" Kate had that frown that she got whenever she was confused or upset. I had a feeling it was a bit of both this time.

"A little. Everything's fine now, babe," I tried to soothe. "Dee figured it out, so we just aired it out one day. But then at the mall I just sort of rambled on to how we hadn't slept together, and then she gave this look. I had a feeling that it was different with you guys. Like I said, everything is fine now." Kate was shaking her head.

"No, it's not. This is effin' unbelievable," she muttered under her breath. She was still close enough for me to hear her clearly, obviously, but there was considerably more distance between us than had been just a few precious minutes ago. Literally and figuratively. "Why couldn't you talk to me about this?"

"What was I supposed to say?"

"Oh, I don't know. How about 'Hey, Kate, I'm jealous of Dee.'" Those words sure sounded nasty coming from her, the sarcasm making them cut me especially hard. So I turned the tables.

"Right. Well, when should I have told you? In between all the times you talked about how great Dee was and how much fun you guys always have. Or maybe I should have told you after she already moved in, huh?"

"Oh, so this is my fault now?" There was silence as she waited for an answer, but I think my expression said it clearly: I wasn't taking full blame for this. "You never said anything. I specifically asked you," she said, her voice taking on a harder edge, "if you had a problem with her moving in with me for a while, and you said 'no.'"

"No, you didn't. You told me that one of your best friends needed a place to stay for a while. You guys had already made plans. Then you asked me if I was okay after the fact." I remember her being so excited about it that I thought if I said anything negative, or even just asked some questions, I would be being unreasonably jealous.

"We never discussed??"

"No. You threw out a 'You don't mind, do you, baby,' and I didn't want to cause a problem."

"Great." Kate got up and walked out of the bedroom, absently slapping the doorframe as she passed. I sat for a moment more, thinking about this mess as I ran my fingers through my hair and took some calming, deep breaths.

When I got to the kitchen, I silently sat at the bar and watched Kate twirl a bottle of water, lost in her own thoughts. She was most likely being extremely hard on herself even though we both had a part in this current situation. I just hoped we could save our wonderful time together and repair this unexpected hole in our relationship.

"I just should have listened to Emily in the first place and talked to you." I kept my voice quiet and calm, hoping not to disturb the fragile space surrounding us and our moods.

"So you talked to two people about this, but you couldn't talk to me?" she asked gently. I could sense the hurt in her voice. I just nodded in response.

"Don't be mad, Kate."

"I'm not mad." I made a pouty face, and she gave me a half-hearted smile in return. "I promise I'm not. I just wish?," she sighed, "I should have asked you how you felt, and we should have discussed it instead of me just dictating. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too. For not speaking up in the first place and for not saying something later." She nodded, and we both relaxed a bit. At least we were on the same page now. Lesson number one: communication is key in a relationship. I could just picture my father standing in the corner of the kitchen nodding his head in approval of my revelation. Hopefully, he wasn't around in the bedroom, too.

"Come here." She walked around the counter, and I gratefully enveloped her in a hug that she returned just as wholeheartedly. I rubbed my hands up and down her back trying to dispel some of the tension that still lingered there. Somehow our romantic adventure had taken an awful detour- practically went completely off course- but now we were back on track, and it felt good to have everything out in the open.

"Okay, from now on we need to really work on being open with each other." She pulled back enough to look into my eyes. "I trust you with my life, and I want to be able to share it with you. The good and the bad and everything in between. And I want you to feel that way, too." Did Hollywood put out a book that I was unaware of with all these sappy lines? Still, I did agree with her, and I wanted our relationship to be that way. Partially.

"Baby, there are some things that I'm just never gonna discuss or share with you."

"Such as?"
"Well, certain bodily functions, for one." She made this disgusted face that I took to mean she agreed with me. "And definitely not baseball." This time she made a disgusted face that wasn't quite as adorable.

"You're right. A few things we can keep to ourselves."
+++

"So now that you officially know where I live, Katherine, don't be a stranger." As was becoming a custom between these two, Kate just rolled her eyes while Dee smiled sweetly. They ended their embrace as we stood outside and said our goodbyes. Dee finally had her condo, and we all spent a Saturday evening together to christen it and have a good time. After all the heavy lifting, of course.

"Or at least return my e-mails once in a while."

"Yes, ma'am, I promise."

Dee and I shared a firm hug, and I found that I almost didn't want her to go. Almost. In a weird and twisted way, she was the reason Kate and I grew up a bit. Without her we may have discovered too late that we needed to really communicate our feelings.

"Good. My new buddy's gonna make sure we keep in touch." She smirked at me with an arm around my shoulder, and I just smiled back. Why not? Maybe we all could double date.

"Perfect. Two against one."

Dee stood for a moment and looked at us both. She smiled, one not of laughter or teasing but of genuine love.

"Seriously. Thank you for everything."

Kate hugged me to her as Dee prepared to walk back to her building. What should we say? No problem? That was a lie. Anytime? No thank you.

"It was worth it," I said, genuinely glad to have gone through something to make my relationship with Kate stronger. And glad to have a new friend.
+++

"What are you doing awake?" Kate husked in my ear, nearly startling me off my stool. I didn't have a clue what time it was, other than being too-early-in-the-morning, but I had come to the kitchen to work so I wouldn't wake her.

"Nothing much," I murmured, as she snaked her arms around my waist and began nuzzling my neck. I could feel the warmth from our bed against my back as she pressed against me. "I had this recipe in my head, and I didn't want to wake you up." She hummed as she briefly glanced over my shoulder to look at the pad I was scribbling on before she molded herself to me once again.

"I had another dream."

"Really?" She was quite frisky, so I had a feeling that I knew what this one was about. And I wasn't complaining. Not one damn bit.

"Mm-hmm. I was naked, and all you had on was an apron." She paused to run her hands up my shirt, feeling my skin respond to her touch. "And you were doing very erotic things to me," she licked my earlobe, "with cream."

I wanted to say something clever or sexy, but when I turned around our lips fused together so quickly and tightly my words were lost. We slowly made our way to the bedroom, only breaking from our kiss to breathe and never taking our hands off each other. Playing out that particular fantasy would have to come some other time, but I was positive this spontaneous interlude wouldn't be disappointing. Kate plus me and a whole lotta love. Unlike my previous train of thought, this recipe was foolproof.

End