"I hate Carver." Lor mumbled. Looking over her self in the mirror, she spoke again. "If this doesn't work, he's going to die!" She was dressed in a short black dress that she had to run out to get. She drew the line at warring heals and make up. Growing up she compared herself to Tish. Tish had a very nice shapely body and Lor considered her the very definition of femininity. Lor didn't like her own body. She always thought that she was too tall, her breasts too big, her legs too muscular. Men have often told her that she had a killer body, but she knew they were only trying to get in her pants. The only guy whose opinion she respected was Thomson. He told her she was beautiful, and she believed him. Only him. "Never mind if this works or not, Carver is still dead. Hate wearing dresses!"
Nearly a mile away Tish was looking herself in the mirror. Little as three months ago she wouldn't be caught dead wearing this dress again. She was in the same blue dress she wore for senior prom. She grew a little more since then. The dress a little tighter, and shorter revealing more leg then before. This was the dress she was wearing when he said he started noticing her as a woman. "I can't wait to see Tino's reaction." She winked at her refection and walked out of her room.
Lastly not that far away Carver and Tino were dressed similarly. Black shirts with black pants and matching shoes. "We look good!" Carver stated as he looked him self over in the mirror. "You need to loosen up Tino, you're going with your girlfriend. It's not like you going with a complete stranger."
"You know I don't dance well. I mean I can slow dance OK, but anything else…" Tino looked down. "Tish loves to dance. She's been hinting that we should go dancing. I love her so much, I don't want to disappoint her."
"I don't think she'll be disa….Wait, did you say you love her?" Carver asked his mouth agape.
Tino's head snapped up and he looked at his best male friend with wide eyes. "Don't tell her! I want it to be perfect, otherwise she'll think I'm telling her because I want sex!"
Carver opened his mouth to tell him the secret Lor spilled earlier. Then he shut it. He knew Lor was pissed for telling her she needed to wear a short skirt and if he told Tino about what Lor knew. He didn't want to find out what she'll do to him. His friend was starting him at so he had to say something. "Wow, when did this happen?"
Tino looked down embarrassed. "I think it happened on our last movie night, when she feel asleep on me. It just felt so right to hold her in my arms and have her wake up looking at me. If nothing else happens between us, I'll always remember the feeling of her in my arms that night."
"You should tell her. I think she might feel the same." I know she does thanks to Lor.
"You don't understand Carver. We agreed not to get intimate again until we were sure we loved each other. Unless it's perfect, she'll think I'm just telling her in order to sleep with her."
"What can be more perfect then to tell her during a slow song? You said she likes dancing right?" Tino nodded. "Then towards the end of the night, during a slow song hold her close. Look her in the eyes then pull her into a kiss. Right before you make contact you whisper against her lips that you love her."
Tino thought about this. "She'll like that. I really want to tell her. I might do it, if nothing else then to get it off my chest."
Before anything else was said between them the door opened and Lor and Tish walked in. "O.K., let's get this shit over with." Lor stated. Carver and Tino looked at both of them, their mouths hanging open. "What, do I have something on my face?"
"WOW!" Carver said. "You two look HOT!"
Tish blush, while Lor replied "Knock it off, I don't need to be checked out by my brother-in-law."
"Just be because Kurt and Penny got back together after high school, then got married. That doesn't make Carver your brother-in-law." Tish answered.
Lor rolled her eyes. "Close enough for me. So if you two could pick up your jaws we can go."
Grabbing his keys Carver walked up to Lor and offered his arm. "I'm ready if you are super lady."
She gave him a death glare. "I will break you." She then walked out of the room, Carver behind her.
Tish walked over to Tino who had his eyes glued to her since she arrived. "Like what you see?" She asked while using her index finger of her left hand to push his jaw back up.
He looked her in the eyes and whispered. "I always like what I see. You're beautiful Tish."
She pulled him in for a quick kiss. "You look great too Tino, let's go." I want to tell him so bad.
After closing the door behind him Tino took her hand. I'm going to tell her.
In there youth the building they were about to enter was called Funville. Five years ago it closed, due to many factors. It took a year before the building was sold, then two years for the new owners to remodel it into a nightclub called Club Epic. Yeah, the new owners had no imagination. There was no line for the club; but there was a cover charge.
"Are you sure?" Tino asked as Tish paid for him and herself. Carver and Lor already paid for themselves.
"You don't have to pay for everything Tino. I got some extra hours at work in, I got it." She smiled and took his hand. "You can buy us a drink."
The inside wasn't packed despite it being Saturday night. There were around fifty or so people, mostly couples. Nor was it too noisy. The current music that was playing was from Chum Bucket's last album before the group slip up. Tino noticed that Carver went over to a dark haired woman, most likely his date. Lor went to the bar, most likely to get drunk. As they walked to get a drink a blond woman walked towards them. "Tino, is that you?"
He had to look at her for a moment before he recognized her. "Dot?"
She smiled. "Wow, I haven't seen you since high school. How have you been?" She then looked at his hand that was holding Tish's. "Who is your friend?"
"Don't you remember me Dot? Tish Katsufrakis?"
"I'm sorry you look so different but you're looking good Tish. Are you two….Dating?" Dot asked. There seemed to be some jealousy in her voice.
Tish gave a sly smile. This will teach her for hurting Tino's feelings in high school. "We're lovers."
Dot's eyes went wide. "Uh, wow….Really?"
"Oh yes. Tino is a fantastic lover. The best I've ever had. Just goes to show that with a little patience he can be a man. It was nice seeing you again Dot, let's get a drink Tino."
As they walked away from the flustered Dot, Tino asked, "What was that about?"
Tish gave his hand a squeeze. "She hurt your feelings in high school when you wouldn't kiss her. Nobody hurts my pumpkin pie."
"Thanks...Pumpkin pie?"
"I've been thinking of a pet name for you, it's the best I got at the moment."
They arrived at the bar and Tino spoke the bartender. "Sam Adams for me, and a Cosmopolitan for my peas-blossom."
"I like it." She smiled.
Meanwhile at the other end of the bar, Carver walked up next to Lor and got the bartenders attention. "A vodka martini shaken not stirred, and a captain and coke." The bar tendered nodded and walked to make the drinks Carver turned to Lor. "Vodka and Red Bull?"
"It's what I like."
"I got some good news."
She turned to him. "If you tell me that she puts out on the first date. I'll break it off, I swear I will!"
He took a steep back and waved his hands back and forth. "No, that would be great news." She gave him a nasty look. "Tino told me before we left that he's in love with Tish."
"You didn't tell him did you!"
"Hell no, I don't even want to know what you'll do to me if I did. He said he's been in love with her for a while now; he just wants it to be perfect when he tells her. That way she won't think he's just trying to get laid. I think I might of convinced him to tell her tonight during a slow dance."
"Good." She then finished her drink. "Then you don't need me here." She got up; Carver put his hand on her shoulder.
"Lor you need to loosen up."
She looked at him as if he grew a second head. "Me? Loosen up? Who do I look like, Tino?"
"You know what I mean, when was the last time you danced with a guy?"
She looked away from him. "This isn't my place. I much rather be somewhere were I can shoot some pool. Not dressed up like…"
"A woman." He finished for her. "You look great, you're turning some heads."
"They just want to screw me."
"Well duh, they're guys! I'm not saying go home with anybody, just enjoy yourself. Besides, I might need your help with Tino and Tish if my plan fails."
Lor looked out to the dance floor. Tino indeed looked like a drowning cat. Tish didn't seem to mind and looked like she was enjoying herself. "How can she dance in heels?"
The bartender came back with Carver's drinks. After he paid for them, and took them from the bar he turned his attention back to Lor. "Just stay for a while OK. If you see them leave together after a slow song, then you know it worked and you can go home if you want. In the mean time, just relax." With that he was gone.
She growled and sat down and ordered another drink. "I wonder if Tish would teach me how to make a tactical thermal nuclear weapon?" She mumbled to herself.
The song ended and Tino took a breath. "That was embarrassing."
"You did fine Tino. Just move to the beat of the music." Tish reassured him.
"Easy for you to say. I think by eating my mom's cooking growing up. My right foot mutated into a left one."
"Your mom's cooking isn't that bad. The meal we ate last week tasted good."
"Should I tell you what it was?"
She bit her bottom lip. "I don't think I want to know." Another song started up, and much to her pleasure it was a slow song. "Think you can handle having a hot woman in your arms?"
Taking her into his arms he replied. "As long as you don't bite me. You do have all your shots right?"
She laughed and relaxed into his arms. Placing her head on his shoulder. "You are a good dancer."
"The slow dances I can handle." He answered. He took a deep breath. Tell her! "Tish." She pulled back to look at him. He leaned in to kiss her and right before he did his whispered. "I love you."
Shocked all she could do was accept his kiss. When it was over, and the song ended she asked him the first question on her mind. "How can you know, I'm the only woman you seriously dated?"
He looked her dead in her eyes. "I just know. When we are together, I feel happy. Even after our arguments, I know in my heart everything will be O.K. When I wake up in the morning the first thing on my mind is you. When I go to bed, the last image I see is your face. We've been friends for so long, we know what we like and what we don't like. While we have our differences, we share many interests. I just know, in my heart, that I love you."
She looked back into his eyes. She knew that he was genuine in his revelation, and wasn't saying it because of what they promised to do once they fell in love for certain. "I love you Tino! I truly do, I wanted to tell you for a while now." They kissed each other. Deeply, full of the new emotion they felt.
When they pulled away they both said to each other at the same time. "Make love to me." Kissing once more, they then took each others hand and left the club.
As Tino and Tish walked out of the club, Carver pointed to them and leaned over so his date could hear him better. "I told you it work, I am the master at romance."
His date turned to him. "You really did all of this for them?"
"There isn't anything I wouldn't do for my friends….Or my girlfriend if I had one at the moment."
"I have to admit I heard wrong about you."
He was taken back. "What did you hear about me?"
"That you were a player. A love them leave them type who never had a long-term relationship with a woman. I'm sorry, but I lied about tonight."
"Lied?"
"I'm really a reporter for the campus news paper. I was going to write a story about how you are a player. After which you'd never get a date in this town again. Now that I'd seen the truth. That you are wonderful and caring guy, I need to rewrite my article."
He blinked twice before replying. "I have a rep?"
"Yeah, a bad one. I'm not sure how though, after seeing how you are with your friends and what you did for them. I need to go and start rewriting; the story is due Monday morning. Thanks for the drink and dance Carver." With that she was gone.
Stunned he looked in the direction she went. "I have a bad rep? No wonder I couldn't get a date in the last six months. Man, I probably should slow down." Just as the lesson he learned was about to take hold, he spotted a woman walk into the club alone. "Then again, the night is young."
Lor watch as Tino and Tish left with their arms around each other. Finishing her third drink she got up to leave. Only to run into someone, "It would be a shame if the best looking woman left without dancing at least once."
Lor had to look up at the taller brown haired man. He was impeccably dressed in a very expensive suit. He was very good looking, and Lor found herself blushing. "Garwf." Was the only thing she could choke out.
The next song to play was another slow song. "May I have this dance?" She took his arm, not knowing what she was doing. He led her into the dance, respecting her at all times. He was quite the gentleman. "Thank you. I would hope you would stay a while and have a drink with me. If you have to leave, I understand."
Lor with filled with emotions she hadn't felt in a very long time. She knew she should leave before she did something she would regret. "I'm sorry, I do need to go."
"I understand. I hope to see you here again."
She didn't know why, but she nodded. Then she left. She needed a cold shower.