"I don't think I've ever seen Jack's face turn that color before," Sharon said while brushing an errant lock of hair behind Brenda's ears.
"Well, he's been shootin' me some death glares all night," Brenda replied, trying to keep her breathing even as Sharon's hand continued to dance around her hair. It's an act, Brenda. It's an act She was here as Sharon's friend, pretending to be her date, and the sole purpose of her presence tonight was to make Jack jealous. It had even been her idea.
"What's the big deal?" she had asked after her third glass of wine at their last happy hour. "We've been friends for a couple of years now. Emily already thinks we'd make a great couple. Nobody will be for the wiser." Sharon couldn't believe she had given into the scheme, but she had been plowed with wine, and with Brenda nearly vibrating with excitement at the possibility of irritating Jack, she couldn't help but give in.
"Come on, let's dance," Brenda said, standing up and tugging on Sharon's hands. Sharon merely quirked an eyebrow in response.
"If you want to really sell this, Sharon, we gotta go all the way. Come on now," she said, dragging Sharon onto the dance floor. Van Morrison's "Have I Told You Lately," was playing, and Emily was dancing with her groom, surrounded by other couples who were swaying slowly to the rhythm.
Brenda wrapped her left arm around Sharon's waist, pulling her close. Sharon usually giggled nervously whenever they were in such close contact, but when Brenda brought her cheek against hers and she felt Brenda's right hand reach for her left, Sharon just forced herself to breathe in slowly as she followed the sway of Brenda's hips, touching her own ever so slightly and guiding her slowly across the dance floor. She clutched at Brenda's hand even tighter, bringing their joined hands to rest between them as they swayed, silently.
It's just an act Sharon futilely repeated to herself, as she breathed in again, noting the hint of jasmine that came from Brenda's hair. Did Brenda get a new perfume? Her right hand, which was clutching at Brenda's shoulder from behind, began to tingle as she felt Brenda's skin warm underneath her fingers. Sharon had mentioned a couple of weeks ago that she loved the smell of jasmine, and Brenda had perked up with curiosity – she had never tried jasmine perfume before.
"Fill my heart with gladness, take away all my sadness, ease my troubles that's what you do," Morrison continued to croon, and Brenda felt a tiny smile start to creep into the edges of her lips. It certainly was true. Sharon was the one person who always made her feel at ease, even if at this moment, the normally steady strum of her heartbeat had turned into an angry, incessant thumping that sped up each time she felt Sharon's breath exhale against her ear.
Sharon was wearing a simple satin black dress, and Brenda's hand on her lower back felt every flex of her muscles. The thoughts of Sharon, the sinfully delightful thoughts that clouded her focus whenever she was with Sharon, especially as of late, filled Brenda's mind. What would it feel like to run her hand up and down her back? Would Sharon's skin be as smooth as she imagined it to be? Would it taste like the clean flowery scent that she had come to smell so often on Sharon she imagined that was just her natural scent?
When Brenda's hand on her lower back twitched, Sharon felt a moan beginning to rumble in her throat, and she caught before it escaped her. They had been running towards this moment, to each other, for years. All of the fights, the late night calls, the happy hours, the drunken flirting, they had been fighting the inevitable. As Morrison started the final chorus of the song, Sharon pulled back, looking into Brenda's eyes, and seeing Brenda for the first time. She had watched her from afar for years, admired her beauty and her bravery, but she had never dared to allow herself to really see Brenda. Brenda had been married. She had still been legally tied to Jack. She was not a cheater. Neither was Brenda, at least not anymore. But Brenda was now free, and Brenda was here. So Sharon allowed herself to look, to drink in all of Brenda without guilt.
She released Brenda's hand, and ran her own hand slowly up Brenda's shoulder, slowly tracing the line of the collarbone with her thumb. Brenda closed her eyes and hummed, and when Sharon's thumb slowly made its way up her neck, she took in a sharp breath before opening her eyes, meeting Sharon's own, and perhaps really allowing herself to see Sharon for the first time as well.
Sharon leaned forward and gently kissed Brenda's lips, meeting nothing but softness. Brenda met her kiss with her own tenderness, pursing her lips and kissing back. Sharon tasted the slightest hint of the Merlot on Brenda's lips, and then she pulled back, the kiss lasting just few seconds. They touched her foreheads together and giggled like schoolgirls. They didn't need to talk. They didn't need to say that the pretense of being in a relationship to make Jack jealous was a pretense in it of itself. They had been running towards this for years.