RINGO

It was late and I was just relaxing, listening to the radio playing softly. Suddenly, there was an obnoxiously loud knock on my door, so I got up to answer it. I opened the door to find a quite obviously inebriated girl.

"Mandy! What are yo-" She silenced me by shoving her hand over my mouth.

"Shhhhh... Don't. speak." She spoke haltingly, the liquor evident on her breath.

Mandy has been a friend of mine since our early teenage years. I consider her to be, really, one of my very best friends. She's my first choice when going out to a club or to the cinema. We can tell each other anything. We laugh and comfort each other with everything. As intimate our friendship is, it's always been platonic. There's been no action or intent on either side to move forward into a different kind of relationship.

"Kiss me, Ringo. Love me..." She wrapped her arms about my shoulders and leaned in to kiss me.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa... Hold on here." I removed her arms and stepped away.

"Oh, come on now," She said while undoing her long, knee-length jacket, "I'm not that bad, am I?"

"N-no, it's just that- you're very drunk, Mandy, and..." My words faltered as her jacket opened and fell to the ground. My eyes widened at the sight of her, scantily clad, in just some very provocative undergarments.

"Now that I've got your attention." She started walking towards me, shedding what little remained of her clothing, while I kept backing away.

"Mandy. I- you-" I fell back in the chair behind me as she kept approaching and proceeded to climb onto my lap... wearing absolutely nothing.

"You can't say you've never thought about this, Richie... " She bent down to whisper in my ear, "Don't bother lying to me. I know how you lie..."

If I said I hadn't thought about Mandy and I, together, in situations similar... I guess, I wouldn't be completely truthful. And she was right; she picks up when I'm lying every time. I honestly haven't ever actively thought about her in any romantic way, but there have been some periodic... dreams... These dreams vary in intensity from the simplest, innocent kiss to the raciest, sensual scenes. They don't occur too often, but they remain in my memory. Yet, these fantasy images of her hold nothing to her real, naked body grinding on me currently.

Then she started sloppily kissing and licking my neck, the alcohol clearly spurring her actions. After struggling and protesting to no avail to stop her advances and affection, I realized that I would have to try a different tactic to put her off.

I combed through her hair with one hand while gently stroking up and down her spine with another. This was what I'd do to comfort and soothe her when she's been upset or stressed or going through a hard time... although, usually she's always fully clothed. She soon caught on to what I was trying to do and slowed down her actions and eventually stopped, her head nuzzled in my neck.

"Why do you do this to me, Richie..." she murmured against my skin, defeated.

"It's for your own good, Dee..." I replied, wondering what she meant by her question. Was she speaking about just this situation or all the time?

If Mandy wasn't so hopelessly drunk tonight, I maybe wouldn't mind thinking about the state of our current relationship... and possibly starting something more... romantic-like... Mandy's definitely not bad looking. No- scratch that- Mandy's gorgeous... It's not that I've never noticed how she looked before, but we were just so good with our friendship and there was no pressure or tension that would push us to be more than friends. That's the one thing that would stop me from agreeing to a romantic relationship. I don't want to lose what we have currently in any way.

Here I was, with a now past out, completely nude Mandy, cradling her like a child.

I gently got up and carried her into my bedroom. I laid her on the bed and then thought that she might appreciate some clothing when she wakes up from her drunkenness in the morning. I grabbed a t-shirt of mine and carefully dressed her and tucked her into my bed.

Our friendship is really reaching new heights here...

I took a pillow and throw blanket for myself to sleep on the couch for tonight, and I heard another knock on my door.

"Hey Ringo! Ya still awake!" It was John, shouting, without a care to my neighbors, nor myself if I was asleep.

"Yeah, come on in!" I yelled down the hall. Then I suddenly realized that Mandy's undergarments were strewn all over my floor and I rushed out to my living room to find John holding up her bra to himself, acting like flirtatious gal, and George laughing at his antics.

"We were gonna ask you if you wanted to go out tonight, to a club or somethin'" George said when they noticed I entered the room.

"But I guess if you got a girl over..." John teased, waving the bra and throwing it at me. I caught it and began to collect the rest of Mandy's things.

"Guys, it's not what you think..." I started.

"Richie! Where'd ya go?" Mandy shouted from my bedroom, awake once more.

John laughed, ""Oh, I think it's exactly what we think."

"Wait a minute," George said with a confused look, "was that Mandy?"

"It's really not what you guys think!" I repeated, slightly frantic. Mandy then came into the room as if on cue.

"Oh! Hey, boys... didn't know you were here." She said walking up and wrapped her arms around me from behind, peeking out with her head on my shoulder.

"Don't mind us, we were just leaving," George replied, grabbing John and opening the door.

"Guys, wait, just let me explain-" I began.

"Oh, no... we'll just leave and let you guys carry on," John said with a wink, shutting the door behind him.

"She's-!" I shouted as the door shut and then finished, "drunk..." muttered at the closed door.

"Well, I say let's take their advice, hmm?" Mandy slurred, pulling me by my arm down the hallway.

"Dee... I really think that you just need a good night's sleep." I corrected, following her in order to get her settled in bed once more.

"Aww, you're no fun," she said, pouting, while I tucked her in.

"Goodnight, Dee," I said exiting the room.

She sat up abruptly, "Wait! At least... spend the night with me."

I reluctantly walked back into the room, shutting the door, "No funny business," I said getting into bed next to her.

She curled back into me, grabbing my arm to wrap around her waist, "Just hold me..."

"I can do that," I sighed, kissing her head and whispered again, "I can do that..."