Girl On Girl Action
Alex Russo was lounging comfortably on the couch in front of the TV. She was lounging so comfortably, in fact, that she was almost horizontal; her feet up on the coffee table, her chin resting on her chest and a bowl of popcorn balanced precariously on her stomach. She had a feeling close to pride for just how inactive she was managing to be, her only movement coming when she stuffed a handful of popcorn into her mouth. She didn't even move at the noise of a knock on the door. She was much too comfortable to do that - plus she knew who it was.
"Harper, you can come in," she shouted, not bothering to take her eyes off the television.
In answer to her shouts the fiery red hair and round face of Harper Finkle appeared around the door frame. Alex didn't need to look up to know that a typical mix of nervousness and confusion would be etched across her best friend's face.
"How did you know it was me?" Harper asked from behind the door as if waiting for permission to enter.
Alex stuck another handful of popcorn into her mouth before replying, spitting crumbs as she spoke. "You were knocking on an inside door, Harper. Who else but you is going to knock once they're inside the house?" Knowing her friend well enough to tell that Harper was probably contemplating an answer to her rhetorical question, Alex continued her train of thought. "Why are you knocking, anyway? You've lived here two months. Relax, already."
It bothered Alex that Harper had been living in the Russo's basement for two months now, yet still acted like she was staying in a hotel. What really bothered her was that she was bothered. Alex worked hard not to care about things and having Harper tip-toeing about and knocking on every door wasn't making that easy. She smiled as she heard Harper closing the door behind her.
"I'm always scared I'm going to walk in on your dad in his underwear," the redhead offered by way of explanation, and both girls shuddered simultaneously at the mental image her words conjured up.
"Quickly moving to a different subject; popcorn?" Without removing her eyes from the television Alex grabbed a handful of the snack and threw it over her shoulder in the vague direction of her friend.
Harper watched the salted kernels scatter over the floor with a tut and made a mental note to sweep them up as soon as she'd seen what had her admittedly easily distracted friend was so distracted by on the TV.
"What are you...?" Harper stopped talking as her mouth fell open. For a moment she froze, her eyes growing wider as she observed the images filling the screen. Then she quickly turned away, hiding her face with her hand as her pale cheeks turned a deep red. Her mouth flapped open and closed a couple of times before she was finally able to make it form words. "Alex! What are you watching?"
Alex grabbed the DVD box that was lying next to her on the sofa and turned it towards her to check the title she hadn't bothered memorizing. "It's called... erm, 'Girl on Girl Action #4'." She threw the box back onto the cushion and stuck another handful of popcorn into her mouth.
Thrown by both the writhing female bodies on the screen and Alex's blase response, Harper could only stutter, hoping her voice would drown out the noises coming from the TV. "But... but... but... b..."
"I know, it's totally gross," Alex laughed, her voice muffled by the mouthful of half chewed corn.
"Then why are you watching it?" Harper demanded, still hiding her face from the x-rated images.
Alex shrugged. "It seemed pointless to steal it from Justin's room and then not bother watching it."
"That doesn't really make sense," Harper reasoned, but Alex simply shrugged again as she harvested the last few kernels from the bottom of the bowl.
Normally Harper avoided uncomfortable situations even if that meant running away from them screaming, and that was just what she felt like doing now. As she eyed the door in preparation of escape however, the comments Alex had been making since she moved in about being more relaxed came back to her. Harper was a girl who worried about what everyone thought of her, especially Alex, and this moment seemed the perfect chance to prove that she could be more relaxed to her cool, confident best friend... just as long as it was over as soon as possible. "I don't think you should be watching this," she said, hoping Alex would get the message and turn it off.
Unfortunately for Harper, Alex made no move to turn off 'Girl on Girl Action'. "I know, it's totally sick," she laughed. "I mean look what she's doing."
Harper turned to see what Alex was pointing out before she realized what she was doing. She quickly turned away cursing herself for being stupid enough to look, but not before she saw sights that caused the deep red in her cheeks to spread to the tips of her ears.
Both girls fell silent and Harper found she was very aware that the only noises in the room were the noises from the television, Alex's chewing and her own breathing which sounded frighteningly loud. The relief she felt when Alex broke the silence was short-lived.
"I suppose some of it doesn't look too bad..."
"Alex!" Harper couldn't believe she'd just heard. Sure, Alex would often say whatever came into her head without thinking about how it made her look, but that was a surprising statement even for her. Still keeping her eyes off the the intertwined bodies on the television she risked a look at her best friend, hoping for a clue as to what she was thinking.
Alex's face was expressionless. She was apparently absorbed in sucking the popcorn salt from her fingers. She wasn't the only distracted one, as Harper found herself unable to take her eyes off her friend's full lips and the slight glisten of the saliva that they left on her slim fingers. For some reason it reminded Harper of a dress she'd once made. A dress decorated with boiled sweets and caramelized fruit. She suddenly realized that she wasn't breathing and turned away, the blood beating in her ears.
She was glad that she had a moment to catch her breath, as Alex's next statement took it away completely.
"Would you ever do anything like that?"
The question was so out of the blue and unexpected Harper hadn't the first idea how to respond, so her body took the initiative and decided to have a coughing fit.
Alex stopped the DVD with the remote and, leaving the empty bowl on the sofa, forced herself onto her feet with a groan. She also left the disc in the player and the case on the sofa, looking forward to her parents finding them as they would naturally blame Justin. She walked round the couch to where Harper was bent over coughing and spluttering and, in a rare moment of affection, rubbed her gently on the back in an attempt to lessen her convulsions. "Calm down Harper. I was kidding."
The words seemed to stop the coughs but something about the way her friend's hand was moving over her back, occasionally touching the bare flesh above her dress, made it difficult to relax.
Alex waited until her friend straightened up before removing her hand. It was the first time since Harper had entered the room that she'd looked her in the face, and it amused her to see how flushed the redhead was. Her usually pale cheeks were deep red and her eyes were wide and wet, sparkling in the daylight coming through from the balcony. Harper never really got much attention from boys but she really was quite pretty, Alex thought to herself as she studied her friend's face. Alex always did her best to hide her emotions but for Harper that was impossible; her face was just so open and expressive. Plus her white skin was flawless and soft and her red hair so silky and vibrant. No, she really was very pretty, Alex thought to herself... not that she'd bother telling her that.
"Oh... of course you're joking. I was like 'Why is she saying that?' I thought you were like... Well, it doesn't matter what I thought. Not that there'd be anything wrong with that... It's just..." Harper had apparently regained her voice for she began to babble uncontrollably.
"Yeah, who'd want to do that with a girl?" Alex cut Harper's tirade short. "When you haven't even kissed one." The last sentence was delivered thoughtfully, not a quality Harper was used to hearing in Alex's voice.
Harper hadn't realized quite how close Alex was standing to her until the brunette reached out and grabbed her by the shoulders. Of course they were best friends; there had been hugs but those had always been initiated by Harper, usually against Alex's wishes. She wasn't used to her cool, distant best friend choosing to stand so close that she could feel her hot breath on her face. And this wasn't any normal closeness - there was an electric charge in the air between the two best friends; an unspoken tension. Harper was suddenly aware that her mouth was dry and her cheeks seemed to be burning.
She glanced down at her shoulder where she was being held and felt her eyes drawn to the sweatband around Alex's wrist. There was something peeking out from underneath – pieces of intertwining colored string. It was familiar but it took Harper a second to realize what it was. The friendship bracelet! The one Harper had made Alex when they were just seven years old. Even then Alex hadn't liked showing emotion. She'd simply said "Thanks," and stuck it in her pocket. Harper had no idea that Alex still had the keepsake, never mind that she still wore it.
Harper looked up, her brain full of words she didn't quite know how to say, but before she could speak Alex's lips were on hers. They were so soft she could only just feel them, yet at that moment it was the only thing she was aware of as they planted light kisses over her own lips while never losing contact. She could taste the salt of the popcorn. Finally she responded, too inexperienced to know how what to do but desperate to reciprocate the feeling of closeness. She pressed her lips against her Alex's trying to follow her lead and slowly her clumsiness faded away and she was kissing her best friend like it was second nature. She let Alex's lips guide hers apart and just for a second she felt the tip of Alex's tongue, wet and alive, touch against her own...
And then she was gone, and Harper was left pressing her lips against thin air!
"Yeah, that was pretty cool," Alex remarked noncommittally, and then, as if nothing had happened, "Do you want a soda?"
Without waiting for a reply she walked out the door, heading for her parent's sandwich shop downstairs where there was a drinks fridge waiting to be raided, leaving her friend standing alone. Harper fiddled with her bracelet, waiting for her racing heart-rate to return to normal and trying to figure out how she should react to her first kiss. Her head was a jumble of conflicting emotions and half-finished thoughts, but one thing was certain; Alex was right. It had been "pretty cool."
THE END?