Author's Note: I am on a writing spree, for lack of better words. Brief and implied slash ahead, so turn around now if this sort of stuff is not your thing.
Julie Cooper exhales sharply as she steps off of her treadmill. She has been running for fifteen minutes and in her mind, that is ten minutes too long. The instructor at the fitness center had insisted that fifteen minutes was a great way to start, and Julie had finally given in. Now exhausted and thirsty, the brunette looked around in search of a water fountain but doesn't see one. Instead, she sees that everyone else in the gym, about ten people, is still running which confused her.
"Hell no," Julie sighs. The slightly panting woman runs her hand across her face, hoping that the burning sensation in her cheeks would disappear. "I did my fifteen minutes. I'm not stepping back on that treadmill until next week."
Next to her, Julie hears a soft chuckle. She looks over and much to her surprise finds herself face to face with Kirsten Cohen. The blonde's hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, her normal button up shirt replaced by a grey sports bra and track shorts adorning her thin legs.
"It's not that bad, Julie," Kirsten smiles. She wasn't walking, but it could not be considered jogging. Her fluid movement was sort of in between the two, and Julie didn't even know if that sort of motion even had a name.
The brunette places her right hand on her hip, a classic display that conveyed nothing short of annoyance. Another sigh escapes Julie's lips as she watches Kirsten. No, sure it wasn't bad for the blond. She excelled at everything. But Julie wasn't quite so talented. She had to work twice at hard as Kirsten to even come close to matching the accomplishments of her rival-turned-best-friend.
"Kirsten, do me a favor." Julie let her arm fall to her side, realizing that it was just too much effort to keep her tired limbs in that position. "Shut up."
The blond laughs, her cross between a walk and a jog never changing as she giggled. Julie rolls her eyes but allows a smile to show. "What's taking you so long?" Julie inquires, tapping her foot impatiently. She wanted to go home and take a shower but couldn't until Kirsten was finished with her run. The two had arrived at the gym together and had to leave the same way.
"I'm going slower than you were!" Kirsten answers. Her cheeks begin to flush, the heat from the exercise starting to catch up with the blond woman. "Not all of us can run as fast as you."
Julie smirks triumphantly. Perhaps she has beat Kirsten at something after all. "I grew up in Riverside . You have to be able to speed things up a little when needed."
Kirsten nods absent-mindedly. Julie, picking Kirsten's purse up from the floor and snatching a hair tie from the small bag, quickly pulls her hair into a pony tail. She knew that Kirsten wouldn't mind. They were best friends, practically inseparable, and a sharing a hair tie was not a big deal. She watches Kirsten's movements, the swaying of her arms to her gently bouncing chest. The brunette forces herself to look away before anyone noticed her discreet observations.
It was not long after that and Kirsten has finished her run and the two women are happily leaving the gym. "How about a round at the pier? My treat," Julie grins, knowing that Kirsten cannot resist an offer for alcoholic drinks. Especially when that offer comes from her best friend.
Kirsten nods as she gets into the driver's seat of the car and puts the key into the ignition. Julie slides into the passenger seat, her fingers quickly finding the button for the air conditioner and she cranks it up to the highest setting. The brunette's t-shirt is killing her, the blue fabric stretched across her sore torso. She pulls it up and over her head, not caring who saw her black lace bra. Tossing the unwanted shirt into the back seat, Julie relaxes into the comfort of her seat as the air conditioner graces her glistening figure with ice cold air. Kirsten however, was instantly shocked.
"Put your shirt back on!" The blond orders, jerking the steering wheel to the left in order to stay on the road.
Julie, the ever stubborn one, shakes her head. "No! It's too hot outside for a shirt!"
Keeping her eyes on the road, Kirsten reaches into the back seat and grabbed the shirt. She throws it at Julie, who in turn, flings to back to the blond. Kirsten shrieks, grabs the shirt from her shoulder and pushes it toward Julie. Entirely by accident, the blonde's hand brushes against Julie's breast and although the contact was on the outside of the brunette's bra, both women gasp but for different reasons. Kirsten's gasp was caused by the fact that she had touched Julie so intimately. Of course it had been a mishap, but she felt bad that it had happened. Julie's sharp breath was the effect of feelings Kirsten's skin upon her own.
"Sorry," Kirsten mumbles quickly. She firmly places both hands on the steering wheel and focuses on the road.
Julie, who has her eyes closed in an attempt to keep her brief arousal from turning into something bigger, quietly replies, "It's okay."
The rest of the drive to the pier is silent. Julie puts her shirt back on even though she would much rather leave the damned thing off. Kirsten's cheeks are red and she's embarrassed by what happened. While Julie doesn't mind, the blond is a bit more conservative.
When they arrive at the pier, it pleases both women to see that the parking lot of their destination is empty. The little restaurant they have been going to after the gym every day really isn't ever very busy, and they like it that way. Julie gets out of the car first and waits for Kirsten to follow suit. The blond finds her purse, leaves her cell phone on the seat, and exits the car.
"How are you feeling today? Are you in one of those moods where you want to get completely wasted and have to call a cab?" Julie jokes; or attempts to joke, that is.
Kirsten grins at her friend, feeling a little better about their accidental contact. "Let's just see where the afternoon takes us," The blond grins, and Julie swears that the comment is laced with a certain flirtatious nature that Kirsten doesn't show very often.
As they stride into the bar, unconsciously walking closer than they ever have before, Julie is happier than she has been in a long time. Kirsten has a way of making Julie happy, a way that Julie really can't explain. Something about the blond radiates a sense of happiness that Julie has never witnessed in any other person. Watching as Kirsten tells the waiter they need a table for two, Julie cannot help but to smile. It's too bad Kirsten is married. Julie is positive that the two of them would make a great pair.