A/N: Really apreciate the feedback - thanx for the reviewage :-)
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 4 - Hitting A Home Run
PJ could not sleep. It didn't matter how many times she turned over, or fluffed her pillows or anything, her bed just refused to be comfortable and after several hours of tossing and turning she felt as if she were losing her mind! It was two in the morning and the thump of the front door being closed made her sit up fast. Either Debbie had just left, which seemed unlikely at this time in the morning, or somebody just came in.
Slipping out of bed, PJ moved quickly and carefully towards her bedroom door, mindful of what she might find beyond it. In the living room she saw a shadow, and picked up the nearest object with a view to whacking the supposed intruder on the head. She got the surprise of her life as she came out into the room, swinging a lamp over her head, only to have her arm caught by Brendan just before she got a chance to clock him.
"Brando" she breathed his name, feeling a little shaken by the whole experience, "What are you doing here?" she asked him, suddenly vary aware of the fact she was all but pressed up against him and wearing next to nothing.
He didn't say anything at first, but the intense look in his eyes as they met her own made PJ swallow hard and forget how to breathe all at once.
"Penelope Jane Franklin" he said then, "Look me in the eye and tell me you're not at least a little bit in love with me?" he challenged her.
Before she had a chance to even think of a response, nevermind open her mouth and say words, Brendan's lips were on hers, his arms around her body, pulling her in close, setting her skin on fire with every touch...
The thump of the front door being closed made PJ sit up fast. Maybe Debbie had just left, which seemed unlikely at this time in the morning, she considered, before checking the clock and realising it was now past eight. Perhaps it wouldn't be so very strange for her cousin to have headed back to the hotel, but it seemed weird she wouldn't say goodbye. All this ran quickly through PJ's head as she swung her legs out of the bed, getting the weirdest sense of deja vu as she headed for the door. She had dreamt this, hearing the door and thinking maybe she was being burgled or whatever. Out in the living room she had found...
"Brando?" she called, as if she half expected to find him there now.
Of course the apartment turned out to be empty, save for PJ herself and a note propped on the coffee table that bore her name. Sitting down on the edge of the couch, PJ read the few words her cousin had to say:
Peej,
Figured you'd need some alone time.
Call me when you've fixed things with Brando.
Debs.
'Like it's really that simple' she thought to herself as she stood up and felt the strangest sensation. Her mind replayed the events of her dream one more time and PJ's hand went subconsciously to her lips. It wasn't as if she didn't have a memory to refer to when it came to kissing Brendan. She had two very vivid recollections of his lips on hers, his hands on her body making her feel things no other man in her life ever had. Debbie made her think about it, but it was always true, she'd always been just a little in love with her best friend from college. Scratch that, not just a little, more than that...
Shaking her head, PJ headed back to her bedroom to get dressed. She had to go to work, no matter how screwed up her head felt, and tonight she had that family dinner party thing to attend with Bobby. Putting a hand to her forehead, PJ groaned at the very idea, but comforted herself with the knowledge that with a little luck she'd be able to catch a couple of hours nap time between one thing and the other. Of course, that only mattered if she managed not to dream about her best friend in quite such an erotic fashion as last night. That wasn't going to do her already mixed up head any good right now.
Later...
Debbie was feeling just a little guilty, she realised, as she lay in the tub at her hotel. She knew in her heart she was doing the right thing, helping her cousin PJ and her friend Brando realise their feelings for each other, and moreover finally confess them. Being sneaky and clever had its perks, but telling lies was not Debbie's favourite thing and that was kind of what she'd done this morning.
Before her cousin was out of bed, Debbie had crept out into the living room and found PJ's cell phone, sending a brief message to Brando, asking him to come over tonight so they could talk. The clock read 18:45 which meant that within the next fifteen minutes or so, Brando should be at PJs apartment and perhaps then this whole thing that had been years in the making would finally be figured out. Debbie's guilt subsided a little at that thought, as she realised she needed to be moving her butt right now, if the rest of the evening was going to go according to plan.
Minutes later, Brendan Dorff let himself into the apartment he often called home and glanced around, surprised to find that PJ was not there to greet him. She was the one that had sent him a message, inviting him to come over and talk. He had almost text back saying he couldn't make it, coming up with some lame excuse, but avoidance tactics and running away was for kids. He knew he'd been acting weird lately, and no doubt PJ had noticed too, but he couldn't help it. Ever since he got talking to Debbie the other night, he just couldn't look at Peej the same way. Now it seemed it was the day of reckoning, and it had the potential to be either a huge success or a huge disaster.
In her room, PJ woke to the sound of the front door closing. She had taken a bath and got really relaxed after work, planning to sleep a couple of hours and get up just in time to fix her hair and get dressed to go out with Bobby tonight. Opening her eyes and checking the clock, she realised her alarm wouldn't be going off for another fifteen minutes and her friend was not due to come pick her up for another hour or more, so who had just come in?
Getting up off the bed, she tied her robe tighter around her underwear-clad body and crept out into the hall, pushing her hair out of her face as she went. She was half expecting Debbie, and yet in the back of her mind last night's dream reared its head and came flooding back all the more clearly and vividly when she realised Brendan was standing there before her.
"Brando" she looked oddly surprised to see him, "What are you doing here?" she asked as they both moved in at the same moment almost colliding in front of the couch.
"You asked me to come over" he told her, finding it very strange that she didn't seem to recall it and that she was so underdressed if she knew he was coming around to talk, "You sent me a text" he reminded her, when she continued to frown.
"No, I..." she began, actually having to think about what she was saying, partly because lack of sleep was fogging her brain, and moreover because she and Brendan were standing just exactly as they had been in the dream she had last night, "I don't..." she shook her head a little and only found it made her more woozy.
As she seemed to wobble a little without meaning to, her friend reached out to steady her. He'd touched her a million times, most of which he had done without thinking and she had barely noticed the contact. Today was so different, like electric between the two of them, and immediately they felt it both PJ and Brando pulled away.
"This is crazy" she said to herself as she turned her back on him a moment, "Debbie is so dead when I catch up with her" she declared moving to walk away.
"You talked to Debbie?" said Brando behind her, "About me? About us?" he checked.
PJ felt so embarrassed as she was forced to admit the truth and turn to face her best friend once again.
"Yeah, kinda" she nodded, "She just has this idea..."
"That we belong together" Brando finished for her with a smile, "She told me the same thing, and... PJ, I know we talked about this before and we said it was best if we just stayed friends but stuff keeps happening, like that kiss a few weeks back, and..."
"And it makes you wonder" she continued his sentence this time, sure they were both thinking the same thing by now.
If that were the case then there was a chance her cousin had been right all along. Maybe being outside the situation gave Debbie a better perspective on the relationship PJ and Brando had. They stuck to best friends because it was easier, not because it was what either of them really wanted. Jumping into a romance meant risking not just their friendship but the dynamics of their whole group. It was like changing the positions two fielders played and hoping that nobody else would mind, and that you could still win the game.
"Peej, talk to me" her friend urged her, his hand at her shoulder making her snap out of her thoughts and focus on the here and now, "You think this could work? Because the more I think about it, as scary as it feels to just dive in, I really wanna do it. There's nobody I'd rather take a risk with than you"
PJs smile mirrored his own as they stood close together, contemplating their future a moment. With an overwhelming need inside her to just kiss this guy already, she allowed her fears of what might come to slide away as she slowly nodded her head.
"Okay" she agreed, "I'm in, if you are" she agreed, not getting a chance to say another word or even process what was happening before Brando swept her up in his arms and kissed her.
It was such an exhilarating feeling, one PJ was sure she would never tire of. Somehow it didn't feel weird kissing her best friend, it felt like the most natural thing in the world, as she revelled in the feeling of Brando's arms around her and his lips on hers. Maybe later they'd talk some more, and yeah, it might get awkward and embarrassing and all, but it'd be worth it. This time they were going to make this happen.
* * * * *
Bobby raised his fist to knock on PJs apartment door, only to stop just short of actually completing the action when he heard his name called behind him.
"Hey, Bobby!" it was Mike that come bounding up the stairs to greet him, Kenny just a step or two behind, "Look at you, Mr Fancy Pants" he joked at the sight of his buddy in a smart suit and holding a red rose in his hand.
"What are you guys doing here?" he asked, a little confused since Poker night was yesterday, and surely the guys remembered he was taking PJ out tonight.
"We went over to Crowleys to ask Debbie for a decision on whether she would rather go out with me, or my less than sensitive friend here?" Kenny explained with an amused smile at his own words.
"Yeah, but the beautiful Ms MacIntyre isn't working tonight, and we don't actually know which hotel she's staying at" Mike went on to explain, "So we came over to ask PJ, since she's not so much answering her cell"
"I might know the reason for that" said a voice, causing all three guys to look around and see a beautiful blonde appearing up the stairs in a long flowing red dress.
All jaws dropped at the sight of her, not least because they had by now realised that it was Debbie they were staring at. Sure, she was a hottie before, but dressed up to the nines like this, she was looking so out of their league it was untrue, except maybe Bobby, she could look good on his arm. Of course, that was the point they were soon to realise.
"Debbie, what's going on?" asked Bobby as she cleared the top step, grateful for the hand he offered her given the awkward climb she'd just had in her stiletto heels.
"More important questions first!" Mike cut in, practically shoving his friend aside and filling Debbie's line of sight with himself and Kenny both, "Debbie, question for you, which one of us do you wanna go out with tonight?" he asked with an enormous grin.
The poor girl looked flummoxed a moment, forcing an awkward smile as she glanced between the two of them, and finally over at Bobby.
"Um, hate to break this to you guys but... I'm here for him" she said, pointing his way and making Mike and Kenny stare in comic fashion, "PJ can't make it tonight" she explained, before her supposed date had a chance to ask what was going on for a second time in as many minutes, "I was hoping it'd be okay if I was your date instead?" she said, an almost shy and nervous look on her face as she faced him now.
"Well... you certainly look the part" he admitted with a smile, unable to deny she was a beautiful woman, and besides if PJ was now otherwise engaged it wasn't like he couldn't accept Debbie's offer, "Okay, let's go" he said, offering her his arm which she gratefully accepted, "but you are going to have to tell me exactly what happened tonight with PJ and everything" he said as they descended the stairs.
Mike and Kenny were left to stare as their friend disappeared with the girl they had honestly expected would be on the arm of one of them tonight. Sometimes life was just unfair.
"So... Crowleys to get wasted?" Mike suggested, seemingly decidedly chipper despite the turn of events, as he slapped his friend on the shoulder.
"Oh, yeah" Kenny eagerly responded, as they made for the stairs.
To Be Continued...