3 1/2 weeks to go
Tina sat at her dining table opposite her fiance, her head propped up by her hand as she stared down at the piece of paper in front of her. The issue of the guest list had been a bone of contention ever since they started planning the wedding, and this evening as they tried to finalise the list, they found themselves at odds once again.
"Tina, will you at least try and be reasonable about this?" Henry asked, leaning forwards with his forearms resting on the table.
Leaning back in her chair, the blonde stared her fiance down "You want to explain to me exactly how I'm being UNreasonable?"
"You know how my family is. There's a lot of us and I can't very well not have my own family at my wedding. And I have to invite the guys from the office else I stand no chance of getting the promotion at the end of the year"
"So your promotion is more important than me having my friends at my wedding?"
"This promotion is important for both of us"
"And you should be able to get it without needing to kiss ass and invite people you barely speak to to our wedding"
"Tina, please be reasonable…" Henry started.
"If being reasonable is letting you decide 75% of the guest list to OUR wedding, then no Henry, I won't be reasonable. A marriage is about a partnership of equals and that should damn well start with the wedding itself!"
Henry pulled the piece of paper across the table to examine the list "Come on Tina, I mean do you really need to invite all these lesbians. It's not like a church wedding is exactly their scene"
"These lesbians, as you put it, are like my family" Tina seethed "and your ignorance really does never fail to astound me"
"I'm not being ignorant, I'm just being realistic. They can't get married themselves so why are they gonna want to be there watching you get married?"
"This may seem like a bizarre concept to you Henry, but some people actually put my happiness above their own and are willing to set aside their own issues with the laws of this country and help me with what's meant to be the most important day of my life!"
"But Tina, my promotion…"
"Fuck your promotion Henry. If you were good enough, you'd get it anyway. And anyway, what are you asking me to do…uninvite my bridesmaids? Or perhaps you'd like Bette to perform her maid of honour duties from the comfort of her own home?" Tina was yelling by this point, getting to her feet in frustration.
"Now you're just being ridiculous"
"Well I'm gonna go and be ridiculous somewhere else for the evening. You can do whatever the fuck you like with your half of the guest list, but mine is staying as it is"
"Where are you going?" Henry called after the retreating figure of his fiancee.
"To see the lesbians!" Tina shouted back as she picked up her purse and headed out of the house.
The blonde was still seething when she pulled up outside her best friend's house, relieved to see that the Saab was parked in it's regular spot. She rang the doorbell and couldn't help but break into what was the first smile in what felt like hours when she saw the brunette answer the door.
"Hey T, what are you doing here?"
"Can I come in?"
"Of course" Bette stepped aside with a smile to let her friend in, closing the door behind her.
"Sorry to turn up unannounced" the blonde apologised, making herself at home on the brunettes sofa.
"Nonsense T, you know you're welcome here anytime. So to what do I owe the pleasure of your company this evening?" the brunette asked, taking a seat at the opposite end of the sofa from her friend with her feet up so that she was facing her.
The blonde let out a deep breath "Yet another row about the guest list. I had to get out before I said something I regretted"
"Who's he trying to get you to agree to add this time?"
"More people from the office and some long lost relatives that he hasn't seen since he was a kid. He actually had the cheek to suggest that we should invite them over, and I quote 'these lesbians' because people who can't get married themselves would have no reason to want to be at my wedding"
"T…" Bette started, biting her tongue to hold back the stream of abuse that was threatening to emerge against her best friend's fiance.
"I know, I know" the blonde rolled her eyes, stretching her legs out so that her feet were in the brunettes lap.
"So how did you leave it?" the brunette asked, her anger remaining beneath the surface for the time being as she distracted herself by rubbing the feet that had appeared in her lap.
"I walked out telling him that he can sort out his own half of the list, and that mine is staying as it is"
"Good for you T" Bette smiled, applying pressure to the balls of the blondes feet.
"Mmm Bette, that feels so good" the blonde moaned, closing her eyes.
"All part of the maid of honour service"
"Does that service extend to a back massage too? I feel like the world is literally pressing down on my shoulders"
The brunette swallowed, glad that her friend's eyes were closed so that she couldn't see the blush spread across her face "Err sure T…come over here"
A grin spread over the blonde's face as she turned and shuffled backwards so that she was sat between the brunette's legs. She pulled her top off and placed it in front of her, leaving Bette gaping at the close proximity of her bra clad back.
"Work your magic B"
With shaking hands, the brunette reached out and made contact with Tina's skin. Her hands rested atop the blondes shoulders, her thumbs pressing just above her shoulder blades and moving in circles. She heard Tina let out a moan and had to bite her lip to prevent one from slipping out of her own mouth.
Trying to put her arousal aside, the brunette let her hands move down the blonde's back, working out the knots as she went. She resisted the urge to unclasp her bra and continued to work her way down to her lower back. She smoothed her hands over the soft skin, leaning in with her body to add the much needed pressure. Hearing little moans escaping the blondes mouth, she was getting lost in the moment. As her hands rubbed the small of Tina's back, she found herself leaning in to place a kiss between her shoulder blades.
"What was that?" the blonde asked quietly.
"Err…T…I'm sorry…I just…" Bette stammered, pulling back from her friend.
"No" Tina reassured, reaching behind her to place the brunette's hands back on her "it felt…nice"
The brunette leant her forehead against the top of the blonde's back, her hands working their magic once again "Are you sure?"
"Yeah" the blonde replied with a blush "it's really relaxing"
She knew that she was only causing herself further frustration, but Bette couldn't help herself. In a matter of weeks her best friend was going to be married, and despite the regular reassurances, she knew that things were going to change. So if this was her last chance to be this close to the blonde, she wasn't going to let it go without showing her friend what she was missing.
As her hands worked their way back up the blonde's muscular back, she kept her head rested against her shoulder and left a slow, open mouthed kiss in the spot that she had kissed earlier. Sensing no resistance, she kissed her again, this time her tongue flicking out to graze the hot skin. Hearing the blonde gasp, she lifted her head so that her mouth was by the side of her ear.
"Does that feel good?" she asked huskily, knowing that she was crossing a line but not caring in that moment.
"Uhh…yeah…" the blonde breathed "I can see why…you get women…fighting over you"
The brunette closed her eyes. If only you knew she thought the only woman they all have to fight is you.
"I always save the best for you" she whispered, her breath tingling against the blonde's ear.
"Mmm…what would I do without you?"
"Luckily for you you'll never have to find out"
The blonde smiled, her eyes firmly shut as she enjoyed the close attention that Bette's hands were paying her tightened muscles. She wasn't kidding earlier, with a touch like that it was easy to see why her best friend had a seemingly endless line of women queuing up to seek her attentions. But she'd always loved the fact that no matter who came along, Bette always put her first.
The brunette's hands stilled and rested flat against Tina's back "How does that feel?"
"Sooooo much better" the blonde smiled, leaning back so that she was lying against her friend "you really are the best"
Bette looked down and couldn't help but stare at her friend's cleavage. She wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist, a position they had laid in many a time before.
"Well someone has to take care of you, don't they?" she said, a hint of sadness in her voice.
"Promise you'll still take care of me when I'm married?" the blonde asked, her hands covering the brunette's that rested on her stomach.
"You just try and stop me"
"I mean it B" the blonde lifted her head to look at her friend "I don't want anything to change"
The brunette kissed the top of her best friend's head, knowing that she could never make a promise about something she wasn't convinced of herself. She spoke softly, saying the only words that she knew to be true in that moment "I'm not going anywhere"
There were a few moments of silence between the two in which Bette rested her chin on the top of the blonde's head.
"Do you think I could stay here tonight?" Tina asked quietly.
"Of course you can T"
"Like old times?"
The brunette swallowed and thought back to the old times that the blonde was referring to.
It was one in the morning and Bette couldn't sleep, a regular occurrance with all the pressures that university entailed. Her father, wanting her to have as little distractions from her studies as possible, had forked out the extra for her to have a private room. But the peace and quiet did nothing to ease the worries that so often tormented her, particularly at night when there was noone there to distract her.
She heard a key turn in the lock and smiled to herself. There was only one person that could be. Ignoring the rules and regulations that came with university residences, she and her best friend had both got copies of one another's room keys cut, mainly for moments like this. She turned over to look at the blonde who had become visible in the faint moonlight that passed through the gap in the curtains.
"Bette?" came a quiet voice, breaking through the silence.
"Yeah?" she asked, resting up on her elbow.
"Can I get in with you?"
"Course you can" the brunette replied, shifting over to make room for her friend.
Tina got into the bed quickly, seeking the warmth and comfort that she needed in that moment. She snuggled up to her friend, her feet tangling with the brunettes as they faced each other.
"T your feet are freezing!" Bette yelped.
The blonde giggled "They turned the heat off on the landing"
The brunette tried to untangle her feet from the blonde's, but in all honesty, she didn't put up much of a fight.
"If you wore more to bed, you wouldn't feel the cold so much" Tina pointed out.
It was true, Bette did wear very little to bed. She was dressed in only her underwear, caring little that her bra was uncomfortable to sleep in when she knew that there was a chance that her best friend might come and join her in bed.
"Well I have to be ready in case an attractive woman comes calling in the night"
"Oh, so I'm not the only one who sneaks into your room in the middle of the night then?" the blonde teased, her fingernails scratching lightly up and down the exposed skin of the brunette's side.
"Nope, I get plenty of late night callers" the brunette joked.
"Well so long as they know they have to get out when I come knocking, you can have as many women here as you like"
"You know you always have first dibs on my bed T"
The brunette could sense the grin spreading across her best friend's face. She felt the blonde turning over, pressing her back up against her. There were no words needed to explain what Tina wanted, and the brunette instinctively wrapped an arm over her protectively. Their bodies fitted together naturally and immediately both women felt more at ease than they had done when they were in their respective beds alone.
"Do you want to talk?" Bette asked softly.
The blonde shook her head "I just want to sleep if that's ok?"
"You know it is" the brunette responded, leaning over to plant a kiss on her friend's shoulder.
"Night B. Love you"
"Love you too. Sweet dreams"
And that was how it had been any night that Tina had had a row with a boyfriend, or a falling out with her family, or was just overcome by the stress that her studies entailed. When she had broken up with her most serious boyfriend at university, Eric, the blonde had spent an entire week sleeping in her best friend's bed. Bette was always there to make her feel safe, and it was a bond that even the rest of their closest friends couldn't come near to replicating. And much as it was agony for the brunette to watch her best friend so upset over the wastes of space that she chose to date, she wouldn't dream of letting anyone else be the one to comfort her.
She looked down to find the blonde staring at her, and realised that she was waiting for a response.
"Just like old times T"
The brunette couldn't help but smile at the fact that her best friend had chosen not to put her top back on after the massage. Her hands were resting comfortably on the blonde's stomach and she was enjoying the fact that her nose was filled with the sweet scent of her shampoo.
"What do you think Henry would say if he knew you were sat here half naked with one of 'those lesbians'?" Bette asked teasingly.
"Ha! I can't work out if he'd be disgusted or turned on"
The brunette pulled a face "Good job he doesn't know about you skinny dipping with a whole bunch of lesbians at Spring Break then"
"He can go fuck himself. If I want to get naked with my friends then I will do"
"I'll tell Alice you said that"
Tina sat up and turned to face her friend, pointing a finger at her "You dare! I've warned you about this bachelorette party"
"You never said no nudity" the brunette teased, holding her hands up.
"I am NOT getting naked…"
"Ok, so maybe YOU don't have to get naked…"
"…and there is no way that I'm letting Alice be the stripper"
"Eww god no" Bette wrinkled her nose "I'd be the stripper myself if it meant avoiding seeing Alice naked"
"The girls would love that"
"Oh I wouldn't be stripping for them, I'd never hear the end of it"
"Oh, so it'd be a private show huh?"
"Obviously" the brunette wiggled her eyes suggestively, a grin plastered across her face.
The blonde just rolled her eyes and chuckled, getting up from the sofa "Come on then Dita von Teese, you can show me your skills while you get ready for bed"
Bette had to laugh at her best friend, trying to remind herself that this conversation was still light hearted.
They made their way through to the bedroom and Tina went straight to the chest of drawers, pulling out a tank top and boxers without needing to ask for permission. The brunette couldn't help but smile at the fact that her best friend felt so at home in her house. However, the expression on her face soon turned to one of lust as she watched the blonde reach behind her to unhook her bra. Her hands clenched into fists as she pictured the view from the front of the blonde, feeling disappointed as she watched her friend pull on the tank top.
She was frozen to the spot and could do nothing but stare as the blonde unfastened her jeans and slid them down her legs, bending slightly as she pulled them from her ankles. The brunettes eyes widened as they focused on her friend's lace covered arse. She knew that she should look away, that she shouldn't stare so openly, but the sight before her was just too tempting.
Once Tina had pulled on the boxers she turned and found her friend standing in the exact spot that she had been minutes earlier. She raised an eyebrow, shaking her head and laughing at the brunette.
"Perv" she scolded jokingly.
"I plead the fifth"
The blonde got into the bed and waited for her friend to join her. The brunette moved to the chest of drawers, searching for something appropriate to wear.
"Don't tell me Bette Porter's gonna wear clothes to bed?"
"Well, I don't get so many women knocking on my door in the middle of the night these days" the brunette retorted, sticking her tongue out.
She unbuttoned her shirt and threw it in the washing basket, quickly followed by her slacks. Unable to find anything that took her fancy in her drawers (and having not looked very hard), she made her way to the bed, getting in beside a smirking blonde.
"I don't think the professionals need to be worried"
"What?" the brunette wrinkled her forehead.
"Your stripping skills"
"Oh" Bette blushed "I'd better get some practise in before the bachelorette party then"
Giggling, the blonde turned on her side, inviting the brunette to hold her which she did willingly. Even though the brunette now had a king size bed, they still met in the middle the same way they had in her single university bed.
"I'm glad you decided against pyjamas"
Bette could feel her heart begin to race "Why's that?"
"'Cause now it's like old times"
"Oh yeah…" the brunette responded disappointedly "old times"
"Thanks for being there for me Bette"
"Anytime"
"Love you"
"Love you too"
