After landing her dream job in the heart of Seattle, Kelly Garner feels she's finally found her spot in life ... until a layoff renders her unemployed. With a monumental amount of student loan debt, Kelly is forced to act fast. Her mother offers to let her stay in her childhood room, and Kelly finds a job in her field with a remote option.
Everything seems to settle, until a familiar face ignites an old blaze of feelings within Kelly.
The object of her affection is her high school crush and estranged friend, Reese Garret. The strong ardor Kelly felt for her is still vivacious, and whenever she sees Reese, her heart nearly seizes. The two haven’t spoken in years and she still holds tight to the guilt surrounding the situation that ended their friendship.
Will Kelly let this guilt muddle the potential rekindling of their old romance?
The small space was dark but the large crack beneath the door emitted just enough light that I could make out Reese's face. She was chuckling and running a hand through her short hair before sitting on the floor. I followed, easing down onto the carpet and wrapping my arms around my legs.
Mimi's parents were supposed to be spending the evening in the city, their routine weekly date night, so a visit from them was unexpected. This combined with Mimi being explicitly directed not to have guests, and us barely legal adults and three years short of being allowed to drink, wasn’t good. Suffice to say, she had to hide us. Even with that in mind, I couldn't stop giggling when I heard Mimi and her mother bickering about laundry in the hall. It sounded as though Mimi was winning.
My eyes had finally adjusted to the darkness and I stared at Reese, who in turn stared back, my laughter stifled by the piercing gaze. A tension settled in the air between us, making it feel as if the particles crackled with electricity. The mingling of alcohol and the close proximity clouded my judgment as I reached out and touched her cheek, my fingers barely grazing her soft skin. I couldn't have moved my eyes if I'd wanted to, Reese's capturing mine in an iron grip.
And then I did something really, really stupid. I leaned forward and pressed my lips to hers with such fierceness, I startled even myself. What truly shocked me, though, was that she kissed me back, her lips parting and her tongue demanding entrance. Her fingers were in my hair, her tongue probing my lips and I heard her sigh softly as I opened my mouth, granting her access to kiss me deeper. I moaned into her warm mouth, gladly allowing her to take control of what I initiated. I felt myself falling back against the tangle of clothing, pulling her with me on to the floor.
She pulled back, looking down at me, her eyes half-lidded, and her lips parted, breath coming fast.
“Kelly. I ...” she whispered, her voice raspy and deep, and my heart thundered against my chest. She shook her head and met my lips again with renewed urgency. I raked my hands up her sides, wanting more contact, my clothes suddenly too heavy and obstructing. I wanted to feel her everywhere, her skin on mine. Her knee insinuated itself between my legs, causing me to take a sharp inhale of breath from the pressure. I slipped a hand into the back of her jeans, grasping her ass, forcing her knee harder against me. She groaned into my mouth and I bit her lip, being taken over by an animalistic need to claim her. Then, the door opened.
“Okay, guys, the coast is clear. God, my mom is so ...” Mimi began, a gasp coming from her mouth when she took in the sight of the situation in her closet. Reese looked at her and then to me. I scrambled out from under Reese and off the floor, shame darkening my face with red as I stood. I swiped my hands over my rumpled clothes with sweaty palms. Mimi cleared her throat, placing a hand on her hip as she inspected the two of us, her face contorted with what I could only assume was anger and betrayal.
