"Hurry up," she begged through the door.

After a quick beat, I pulled open the door and let her in.

"Finally," she pushed past me and shut the door.

"I was in there for a minute...tops," I said from the hallway.

"I had to pee. It felt like a lifetime," she exclaimed.

"Fine. I'm gonna go get snacks. You want anything?"

"Um, Twizzlers?"

"You got it."

"And, uh, could you get me one of those Frappuccinco's? Mocha. I'll pay you back in the car."

"Okay."

"Thanks."

I walked away from the gas station restroom and headed down the candy aisle. I grabbed a few things, an individual bag of chips, Catherine's requested snack, my own choice of a beverage, and a drink I noticed Catherine seemed to like.

Catherine joined me in line as I'd reached the register and looked over the goodies we'd have for the rest of the trip.

"Thanks," she said as the cashier ran up the last of the snacks. We were back on the road in no time, five hours into our drive.

"So...is there anything I should know about your friends, the wedding...why you asked me to accompany you instead of Gil?"

"I already told you he's part of an entomologist panel."

"The same day as the wedding? That doesn't seem likely. What's the real reason?"

I blew out a sigh, worried about her reaction to the truth I was about to reveal.

"My friends...most of them...are gay. In fact...the weddings is between two women."

"Okay...that answers my question about your friends and the wedding. What about me?"

"I would owe you big if you could pretend you're my girlfriend for the week."

"What?"

I cringed.

"Yeah...when I lived in San Francisco, I made my way through a handful of women and...okay, long story short? I described you to a T to one of my ex-girlfriends."

"How did that happen?"

"She and I are really good friends and she kept asking who I was bringing. I caved and started naming your attributes. All my friends were expecting me to bring a hot female date because they know me as a ladies' man, so to speak, and when I said she has red hair and she's also my supervisor, what was I supposed to do?"

"Wow. Aren't you lucky I said yes."

"Whatever. You still needed this trip to avoid becoming a nympho. I guess that makes us both weak."

There was a pause.

"We need each other," she said as she took her eyes ff the road for a moment to look at me.

I stared at her for a while before I spoke up.

"Next time we stop, I'm driving."

"Who said we were going to stop again," she grinned.

"You're gonna get tired. Just wait. Besides, don't forget which one of us actually knows the city."

"Shut up," she tried not to sound defeated.

I smiled and shook my head as I turned forward to enjoy the scenery.

Once we got closer to the city, we stopped for more drinks and switched drivers. Twenty minutes later, we passed cable cars and uphill housing. Of course, we wouldn't be in San Francisco too long. A few days tops and we'd be gone for the weekend in Napa. But I planned to enjoy the smell of salt water from the pier, the view of the Golden Gate Bridge, and the friendly company I knew where to find.

"Wow. This place is not at all what I expected," Catherine said as she stared out the window to get a better look at the city.

"What were you expecting," I asked as I occasionally looked over at her to see her reaction.

"I don't know... a bunch of pride flags waving round? ...I've seen pictures and heard a few things about it, but I guess it's a place you really have to see fore you make any judgments."

"Wait...were you serious about that flag thing?"

She snapped out of her state of awe to answer.

"No," her tone indicated she couldn't believe I didn't know she was joking.

I smiled as she turned to stare out the window again. After a beat, though, she spoke up again.

"So where are we staying?"

"I know someone that said we could stay with him until the wedding...free of charge."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He's sweet and he said he misses me so it'd be great to have me close. It's a win-win."

"Nice," she nodded in approval. Is that where we're headed?"

"Yep. He's even cooking dinner for us."

"Is he...gonna be at the wedding?"

"No. He doesn't know any of them...just me. And he knows we're not really a couple."

Other than our occasional conversations, the car ride was uneventful, but sure enough, within the next ten minutes, we were parked in my friend's driveway. I got out of the car and grabbed my things from the trunk. There was no rush, but I didn't want to go out to the Mazda at a later hour. Catherine joined me at the back of the SUV and grabbed her things as well. We shut the trunk and headed to the door.

Before I rang the doorbell, I took a deep breath.

"Okay, so...he's a little enthusiastic. I thought I'd warn you."

She chuckled.

"Thanks. I think I can handle anything you can throw at me on this trip."

"Fine," I said after a beat and the rang the doorbell. "We'll see how well you can handle my friends."

I started to grin, knowing my friends could be a bit much for people that didn't know them, especially not as long as I have.

The door flew open and my friend smiled when he saw me.

"Sara!"

He walked onto the porch and gave me a long hug.

"Dave," I smiled as I embraced him.

"Oh, you look so grown up."

I laughed.

"Thanks."

He let me go and backed away to take a better look at me when he saw Catherine.

"Well, well, well. What foxy woman is this you brought?"

"My date. The one I told you about."

"Hi," he smiled at her. "I'm Dave."

"I'm Catherine," she smiled.

"Well, come in," he backed into his house and stepped aside so we could join him.

Catherine and I grabbed our stuff and followed him inside.

"You remodeled," I said as I took in the new surroundings.

"Finally," another man, a man I recognized, walked in and smiled.

"Hey, Steve," I smiled back as I headed toward him for a hug.

We embraced and for some reason I felt safe and at home, completely comfortable. When we pulled away from each other, he looked behind me at Catherine.

"Hi, I'm Steve," he politely introduced himself.

"Steve is Dave's husband," I said to help with Catherine's possible confusion.

"Oh," she smiled.

"Let's not waste any more time," Dave said as he reached for my bag. "We only have one guest room so I hope you two don't mind sharing a bed."

We looked at each other for a moment, both expecting to hear what he'd just said, but unsure of the other's reaction.

"Yeah," Catherine started before she took her yes off me. "We're close. It shouldn't matter."

"Really? It took me two months to convince Dave to even cuddle with me," Steve said.

"That's because you have a way of seducing me. I couldn't rust myself in he same bed as you."

I smiled.

"Relax. I doubt we'll be spooning," I said after a beat as I patted Dave's shoulder on the way toward the room.

"Let me get it," I heard Steve say.

"Oh, thanks," Catherine replied.

I turned into the room and saw an amazing, queen size bed that invited me to lay on it. I accepted the invitation and turned so I faced the doorway and collapsed onto it.

"Unh," I moaned in ecstasy as my back hit the sheets.

I'd never been so relaxed and at pace. Not even my new place could compare to that very guest bed.

"I see you're already enjoying yourself," I could hear Dave smiling as he entered the room.

"Where did you get this mattress? Don't tell me you stole Cloud Nine."

"Dinner's almost ready," Steve said with a him t of a smile.

"You did steal it,didn't you," I asked with wide eyes as I sat up, joking of course.

Catherine smiled along with the boys.

"Dinner," Dave said as his smile stayed splayed on his face.

I stood up and rolled my eyes with a smile as I walked toward the door.

Steve took the meal out of the oven and Dave helped him serve Catherine and I, my vegetarianism in mind when they prepared the food. After we had filled our plates, ready to dig in, the boys started a conversation.

"So...Catherine," Dave smiled. "We know plenty about Sara. Tell us about you. What's your story?"

"My story?"

"Yeah. How long you've known Sara, where you grew up, your popularity in high school. That stuff."

"Oh...well, I've known Sara nearly twelve years, I've lived in Vegas for as long as I can remember, but I've got some family in the mid-west, where my mom's from. I was a cheerleader and part stripper in high school, and...I have a nineteen year old daughter."

""Wow," Dave said as his eyes grew wide. "I was not expecting that. ...Where do you find these women?"

"Dave," Steve aid through gritted teeth.

I shot him a dirty look as a warning to watch what he said. Catherine's hand came to erst on my thigh.

"Sara?"

I relaxed my expression and looked at her.

"It's okay. I'm not ashamed of my past."

"I know that, but it's till rude."

She furrowed her brow as if I'd said something strange. Dave and Steve looked at each other, both cocked an eyebrow, and grinned.

"What," I asked, feeling as though I missed something.

Dave and Steve, still with grins on their faces, looked back at me and shook their heads.

"Nothing," they sad in unison before they dug into their food.

I shook my head and started to eat. Catherine slowly removed her hand from my thigh and ate as well.

"So...Sara tells us you're her boss. ...What's that like,"Steve asked.

"Being her boss?"

"Yeah. I never got the chance to ask the last girlfriend she had who happened to be her boss so I have to ask you."

I squinted my eyes shut and wished he hadn't told her that..

"That ex you said you were still close to? ...She was your boss?"

"Ooh, I thought she knew," Steve cringed as he addressed me.

"Would you look at that. We need more wine," Dave said as he slapped Steve on his forearm.

"We'll get that," Steve aid as they both made a bee line to the kitchen.

"I didn't mention that,": I asked.

"No."

"Oh, well, I thought I mentioned that."

"Wow. I can't believe you have a thing for people with authority."

"That's not what attracts me to my bosses."

"then what is it because you certainly have a pattern."

"Maybe if we were actually sleeping together, you'd know...but we're not. Gil gets it."

"Hey, I'm not trying to pick a fight with you. I think it's funny," she smiled.

"I'm going to bed early," I said with a hint of anger as I threw my napkin on the table.

"Sara," she pleaded as her light laughter subsided and her smile faded.

I didn't look back and shut the room door to give me privacy to calm down. I couldn't understand why it made me angry to hear the truth from her, but I knew something else was happening with me and my emotions.

I went straight to my bag and pulled out one of the books I'd packed, a favorite book that always kept me grounded. I relaxed on the bed, on top of the sheets, legs crossed at the ankles, and picked up where I last left off.

I made it through one paragraph before I heard a knock on the door. There was a moment of silence before the door opened and Catherine carefully stepped into the room.

"Did I hit a nerve?"

"No," I tried to stay clam, reserved.

She slowly approached the bed.

"I'm sorry if I said something to hurt you. I was only entertaining myself with the fact that I finally got to learn something about you."

"That I'm attracted to my bossed? Yeah, that's something to know," I sarcastically said as I continued to stare at my book.

"Maybe if we talked more that wouldn't be the only thing I know," she said as he sat on the edge of the bed next to me.

"Well, that's too bad because I don't feel like sharing."

"Ugh," she exclaimed after a beat and stood. "is is why we always got into fights. You wouldn't let me in so I could at least understand where you're coming from, but you just wanted to me me the bad guy of every argument. You can't keep blaming me for things I didn't cause."

"Here's what I will tell you... My friends are different than the team. There are certain things that are similar about the two groups, but I know plenty of gays and they love to see my dates because I apparently know how to pick them. So...you're going to to have to act like my girlfriend and act like you actually like me."

"I do like you! Maybe not in thee way that I'm supposed to display for your friends, but I've never hated you."

"Fine, but I've got a lot on my mind right now. I don't feel like playing nice."

"God...I don't know how Gil puts up with you."

I clenched my jaw and tried to stay focused on my book. I didn't want to think about him, especially not while I tried to prove I ave a fruitful life.

"Are you sleeping on that side," she asked as she attempted to cool off.

"Yeah," I continued to stare down at my book.

She walked to the other side of the bed and curled up on top of the sheets. She fluffed the pillow in an effort to get comfortable and appeared tense as she remained balled up and exhausted.

I couldn't help but stare at her. I remembered what she said about needing a break from herself and from Lou. I realized I'd done nothing, bot a single thing, to help. When I saw her body shake, I knitted my brow and tried to see over her shoulder to tell what that precious face expressed. It was then that I realized she was crying and it was then that I realized I'd been selfish.

I closed my book and placed it on the nightstand before I rolled over and touched her arm.

"Catherine," I softly started. "I'm sorry. I haven't made this any easier on you and it's not fair for me to demand so much from a friend who didn't have to agree to come."

She took a deep breath and rolled slightly onto her back to see me better.

"If you're apologizing because yo think you're the one that made me cry, save it."

"That's not what I thought. And that's not why I'm apologizing. I'm admitting my faults and...I'm promising, as of right now, to keep the angst level at a minimum."

She smiled as she wiped away the few tears shat had escaped, a laugh buried in her next statement.

"Thank you. Now, I'm gonna finish my dinner and I'll see you in about twenty minutes."

My jaw dropped.

"All of that way just an act?"

she smirked as she headed toward the door and looked at me over her shoulder.

"It always worked on Eddie, too."

"You bitch," I shook my head and smiled as a way of silently giving her props.

She looked over her shoulder again and winked.

"I got you to make a promise, which means I got my way...yet again," she said without looked back at me and carried on toward the dining room.

I rolled my eyes with a smile. If she wanted to make this trip about games, I'd play along, but I could throw a wicked curve ball..and I intended to.

"Catherine Willows! Let the games begin," I said loud enough for the entire house to hear.

...

Thanks for reading. I know it's shorter than the others, but I've got more in store...once I get the chance to finish the next chapter and post.

PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! I love my reviews. They make my day so much better and motivate me to finish chapters faster. :)