Michael laid completely still as the phone rang once, twice, three times. Leslie was afraid to move a fraction of an inch. As if moving would make the phone continue to ring. If she stayed very still, it might stop...
"Are you going to get it?" Michael finally asked.
"Oh... yeah...I'll be right back." Leslie took her time getting out of bed and putting on her bra and panties, still self conscious about Michael seeing her nudity, which was ridiculous... they'd made love! But she felt his eyes on her, and that caused her bashfulness to surface. She was also stalling, hoping the phone would stop ringing. But it didn't.
When she picked it up it had rung nearly a dozen times.
"Oh thank goodness. I thought something might be wrong," it was Peter's voice.
"I'm sorry, but you must have the wrong number," Leslie laid the phone back in it's cradle. Her words would let Peter would know Michael was there, as they'd discussed this possible scenario before. Nevertheless, she still felt terribly guilty and almost sick when she hung the phone up. Peter knew she was seeing Michael tonight-she wondered why he'd called. Had he forgotten? Or could something be wrong?
"Wrong number," she said as she climbed back into bed with Michael.
"Bad timing too," quipped Michael. "I was just starting to get into the afterglow."
Leslie smiled. Michael casually unhooked her bra in one second flat. Well, that spoke volumes for his level of experience. "No bras allowed," he drawled lazily. They lay together for another three quarters of an hour, until Michael stirred, kissed her cheek, then sat up on the edge of the bed and began to dress.
"You aren't going to spend the night?" Leslie felt a pang of disappointment.
"No, I have to retain some of my mystery, or you'll tire of me," he said lightly, but Leslie sensed he was more serious than he sounded. Well... he would have to decide when he felt secure enough with her to spend the night, she thought.
As it turned out, it was a good thing Michael left when he did, which was about ten minutes later, because no sooner had he gone out the door that the phone was ringing again. Locking the door to make sure Michael couldn't gain entry should he come back for any reason, thus giving her time to get off the phone, she picked it up.
She knew it was Peter again. No one but he would be calling at this time of the night. His voice sounded shaky, unsure.
"If he's there, just say wrong number again... but I do need to talk to you, soon, if you can manage it... maybe you can say I'm a neighbor calling?"
She knew Peter absolutely would not be calling if he even had a suspicion Michael were there, so something was up.
"It's okay, Peter. He just left."
"Oh, good. I hope he wasn't suspicious when I called the first time."
"I don't think so... Peter, you sound funny. What's wrong?"
"Breezy was out. I happened to be on the beach... well, I mean, I thought there might be a chance you were alone tonight. I was hoping you might not be seeing... him tonight... and I was walking out there, on the chance you might be out there. But then Breezy came running up to me."
"Breezy's out? Oh my God, I didn't even know she was gone!" Leslie's voice went up an octave.
"That's not all though. I'm sure she's going to be fine... but, Leslie, I think she got hit by a car."
Leslie's blood ran cold. She felt all her senses drain from her head, and had to grip the edge of the couch to steady herself.
"Oh no, Peter! How bad is she?"
"I've got her here, at the emergency vet clinic. They're x-raying her right now. I never would have called you tonight... if this hadn't happened."
"Oh my God, Peter!" She got directions from him and rushed out to her car after hurriedly getting dressed. By the time she arrived, the vet was talking to Peter about the x-ray. The vet smiled when Peter introduced her to him.
"It's alright... miss... er..."
"Parsons." Leslie realized Peter hadn't known her last name to give to the staff.
"Miss Parsons, your dog is very lucky. She did indeed get struck by a car as your friend suspected. She's a little scraped up, and some mild contusions and a broken toenail, but for all intents and purposes, we see nothing broken. The car probably barely clipped her, and that explains the scrapes and contusions... the asphalt that she probably slid on."
Leslie was so relieved that she fell into Peter's arms. "Oh... thank you so much," she said to both Peter and the vet at once. "She means so much to me. I can't figure out how she got out..."
Then she remembered Michael coming over and just walking right in. They'd been concentrating so much on each other that they'd probably left the door open again. Not enough for them to notice, but enough, probably, for Breezy to stick her nose into the crack and slip out.
When they brought Breezy out, she was nothing short of delirious to see Leslie. Although sore and moving a bit more slowly than normal, and her foot being bandaged because of her broken nail, she was looking a lot better than Leslie had expected. Guilt wracked her. How could she have been so caught up in Michael that she had forgotten about her own dog?
Well, she hadn't forgotten her, just didn't notice the door hadn't gotten closed. Still, Leslie felt as if she'd abandoned poor Breezy, who had obviously wanted to go for their nightly walk, then Michael had shown up and completely swept Leslie away.
"Just take the bandage off in a couple of days, and keep it clean. It'll heal and the nail will grow back. It's broken about halfway down. If it looks bad or gets infected, bring her back," said the vet.
Leslie paid the bill, then she and Peter led Breezy outside.
"What exactly happened, Peter?" Leslie asked him once they were outside the clinic.
"I'm not sure. I would have thought she'd stay on the beach... but she must have gone into the parking lot. That's my theory, anyway," said Peter. "In the dark, she'd be hard to see if she darted in front of a car. In the parking lot they drive a lot slower-which is probably what saved her life."
"Oh Peter, I feel so bad!" Leslie was clearly distraught, and Peter didn't know what to do for her.
"It wasn't your fault. She just must have slipped out somehow."
"Thank you so much for bringing her here," Leslie felt as if she were going to break down.
Her face was burning up, remembering how wrapped up in Michael she'd been. Breezy hadn't even entered her mind. She'd have to be sure that door was closed in the future. They sat on the chairs on the little patio area outside of the clinic for a little while, the night breeze just enough to feel invigorating on their skin. Peter had suggested this so that Leslie could calm down enough to drive home safely.
Peter pushed their chairs close to each other. The clinic was quiet tonight, so no one else was about. They both leaned over at the same time to pet Breezy and almost knocked their heads together. Giggling, they started to straighten up again in their seats, and Leslie suddenly noticed how close Peter's face was to hers.
It wasn't planned. It just happened. They paused there, still slightly bent forward, neither one straightening up all the way. They looked into each other's eyes, and then... their lips came together. It wasn't Leslie, and it wasn't Peter who initiated it. They simply both surrendered to the feeling at the exact same moment. It was so sudden, yet so natural.
The kiss was hot, passionate. All the pent up desire Peter had been harboring for Leslie came gushing forth. Leslie, not even knowing until now that she had these kinds of feelings for Peter, was stunned, yet she eagerly kissed him. Eager was actually much too mild of a word for it-she practically devoured him. She was so voracious that she shocked herself. She had to have been denying her feelings for him! There was no other explanation. Stupified, Leslie refused to let him go. Peter wasn't about to resist. Leslie scooted her chair closer, until their chairs touched. They continued to kiss as if they were the only man and woman left on earth. They were mad for each other.
Peter wasn't well versed in kissing. He didn't really have to be though. Kissing, like making love, came naturally, to a point. So he just followed Leslie's lead-did what she did, adding his own considerable zest. He relaxed his mouth and kissed her deeply, his hands on her shoulders, unconsciously pulling her toward him. After the first couple of minutes, Leslie allowed her fingers to work through the back of his hair as they kissed. It was just as soft as it looked. Like silk, it slid through her fingers. She never wanted to stop kissing him. If they'd stayed like this forever, she would have been in perpetual bliss. There was ceaseless wonder in the feel of his lips. The way they moved…
They kissed for God knows how long, with only small pauses, when they would lay their cheeks together.
It was tender, it was sweet, yet sensual all in one fell swoop. Peter was so gentle-so like Michael, yet so unlike him. Leslie was so blown away by her irrational behavior that she refused to even allow it into her mind but for a few seconds. This was too good to even bother trying to think about anything else. As the kissing continued, Peter's confidence grew and before he knew it, they had both straightened all the way up, his arms engulfing her, and she could hardly believe the earthy sounds he was making. Peter was so natural in his responses-it were as if he'd been doing this on a regular basis. But she knew better, because it took him a few minutes to learn to kiss without awkwardness. But he was intuitive and picked up on it, and then there was no stopping him. And passion had her firmly in its clutches, a slave to the lust of his lips, his palpable yearning that he couldn't have hidden had his life depended on it. So she continued on, lost and drifting aimlessly under his spell.
An innocent spell, as while Peter felt yearnings he wasn't sure how to handle, he also felt all encompassing tenderness and the need to hold her close and protect her. He didn't know how to proceed except to just follow his instincts.
Someone came out of the door of the clinic-a technician finishing her shift. She smiled at them as she passed to get into her car in the parking lot. She thinks we're lovers, thought Leslie.
It broke the spell. Peter could have gone on kissing her all night, but they both knew it had to end sometime, and they had to come back to reality sooner or later, like it or not. I hate reality, thought Peter.
Leslie cleared her throat uneasily and glanced at the technician getting into her car, and that's when she saw it. The Monkeemobile. What? At first, realization refused to dawn on her. Her first reaction was to think, why is the Monkeemobile here? Her car and the Monkeemobile were the only ones in the parking lot. There was no one in the driver's seat-she could see that from here. There was only one explanation.
"The Monkeemobile..." she said, almost to herself.
How did she know they called it the Monkeemobile? Only the words The Monkees apeared on the logo. "Yeah, it belongs to me and my roommates." Oh well, she'd find out he was in a band now. But there was nothing he could do about it.
"But the Monkeemobile... it belongs to Michael," she stared incredulously at Peter now, the impact of the situation slowly hitting her. "My boyfriend, Michael. He drives the Monkeemobile." Her eyes glazed over. What the hell? Holy shit!
Peter's mouth dropped, his breath hitched in horror. For a moment he just couldn't speak, and then he said, "Oh my God." As the truth hit him, he struggled to recover. "Michael is your boyfriend? Oh my God, oh my God."
"Yes, and you're driving the car, so that means... you're Michael's roommate and bandmate?" she could scarcely believe what was unfolding right here, before her eyes. In fact, they were both in quite a state of shock.
"God, I wish it weren't true, but… yes. I didn't tell you... about my roommates, or the fact that I'm a musician... because I didn't want them to take your attention away from me..."
"Peter! You're a musician-I had no idea. But... you're also Michael's friend and roommate!" Leslie was filled with horror at the immensity of everything hitting her at once. Breezy being hit, Peter kissing her, and now... this!
"I had no idea Leslie... I swear to you. I knew your boyfriend's name was Michael... but it's a common name. When you told me he was in a band, well... I'm sure there are a lot of Michaels in bands. I never thought..." he was stunned, Leslie could see that. And of course she believed he was telling her the truth.
"I had no idea whatsoever... not even a clue... that you two could be roommates... and bandmates. Michael was afraid to have me meet you guys for the same reason you were afraid for me to meet them. He told me so. So this explains... why you've been so mysterious about your private life!"
"Yeah... now you know why I hid it from you." Peter was practically swaying on his feet. Why did it have to be Michael? Of all people?
"Oh Peter... this is terrible!"
Peter felt such loyalty to Mike, but likewise, he felt such yearning for Leslie. And they were both his friends. The feelings warred within him. He wanted to combust, scream, run for the hills. But he didn't do any of those things. He just sat there beside Leslie, watching her try to come to terms with all that had happened tonight.
"God, Peter! I want to... kiss you again. What is wrong with me?" She avoided his eyes. Passion for Peter was just sweeping her away. She just could not seem to restrain herself. She had to get out of here.
"Look, I can drive now," Leslie was shaking.
"I'll follow you. And Leslie, I suppose this is the last time I'll get to see you?" Peter's face was cloaked in hurt and misery.
"No, Peter! I can't give you up-I even told Mrs. Marston that. Neither one of you. I know Michael's a good friend of yours. But if it's up to me, I won't let either of you go."
He kissed her then. She felt the desolation. Tasting his mouth, feeling the fever in him, his hands on either of her cheeks, kissing her as if it were his last chance.
"I have to go, Peter." She twisted out of his arms, the effort of it not very effective. He didn't want to let go. It would be so much easier to just stay here with him, kissing him, and let the world just go on by itself.
"We have to talk, though. We have to figure out what to do about ... Michael," at least he had enough sense about him to speak reason.
"I know... oh my God! You and Michael, roommates! When do you guys plan on practicing... tomorrow?
"Ten in the morning. I can get away by about 3 if you want."
"Okay, tomorrow I won't be seeing him, so that'll work. Where do you want to meet? My house?"
He nodded. "I'll make sure Michael doesn't see me, even if I have to wait for him to take a nap. I'll get there as soon as I can."
As Leslie helped Breezy out of the Monkeemobile, Peter handed her two bottles. Here's antibiotics and pain pills for Breezy. The vet gave them to me. Give them until they're all gone. There's directions on the bottles."
"Thank you so much, Peter. And again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking care of Breezy like you did."
"Anything for you and Breezy, Leslie. I mean that." They shared another short kiss, and Leslie and Breezy drove home, watching the Monkeemobile follow them in her rearview mirror, and then turn before reaching the parking lot. Leslie realized Peter was delaying his return so there was no chance Michael would see them both drive up at the same time. Bless Peter…
As she and Breezy entered her house, she heard the Monkeemobile pull into the parking lot.
After feeding Breezy and giving her the medications, and as she petted the sleepy dog's head as Breezy nodded off into sleep, Leslie thought back on things, and realized Peter was the one Mike had distinctly described as shy with girls. That was certainly true. It was so strange to imagine the two of them good friends, roommates and bandmates, as they'd been so separate in her mind, and she couldn't believe she hadn't had a clue while seeing them both for months. Somehow her mind had difficulty grasping the concept. It was understandable though. There were a lot of people in the beach area. The chances had been so slim…
Mrs. Marston had been right! Leslie should have known… Mrs. Marston picked up on everything. She did indeed feel more than friendship for Peter. After a very restless night, Leslie grabbed her purse to head over to the homeless shelter about the same time the Monkees would be leaving for practice. She had to talk to Mrs. Marston. That's when she saw something barely sticking out of her purse. She pulled it out. A check…for the entire amount of Breezy's vet visit! And signed by one Peter Tork.
Leslie handed Mrs. Marston some candy and tangerines (Veronica's favorite) as they sat down to talk.
"Thank you, Leslie. Veronica is spending some time with a new girl who checked in two days ago, and they're out on the grounds, so we can talk freely about… whatever." Mrs. Marston had sensed Leslie's urgency as soon as she'd arrived. And she could almost bet she knew what it would be about.
Leslie wasted no time. "Mrs. Marston, something has happened." Mrs. Marston just nodded and waited. "It's a long story, but…" and Leslie proceeded to tell the woman about Michael coming over, and the phone call, Breezy's incident, meeting Peter at the clinic, and finally to the kiss.
Leslie was puzzled when Mrs. Marston didn't look very surprised.
"I knew this was coming. But at least it's not as bad as… it could have been," she said. "At least Michael didn't catch you… with Peter. I mean… kissing him." She added quickly.
"But, how did you know it was coming?"
"Leslie, I saw how bright your eyes were when Peter was here. It was the same… kind of wonder I saw in you when Michael was here. I knew you felt something for Peter besides friendship just from your face—it's very expressive, you know."
Oh no… could everyone read her by the look on her face? No… Michael hadn't guessed about another man. It was just that Mrs. Marston had that woman's intuition in a very hefty dose.
Leslie was clearly agitated. "Calm down, Leslie. All you did was kiss Peter… and you aren't married to Michael, or even engaged to him. You two haven't even discussed seeing each other exclusively."
"Well, yes. But I kind of got the feeling it was implied."
"No… there's nothing wrong with seeing two men at the same time, provided it's handled properly—and honestly."
"But I've been… intimate with Michael."
"Yes, but you know, we do have to be certain the man we choose is the right one. And sometimes this is the only way to find out."
Mrs. Marston was so matter-of-fact, and her calm demeanor soothed Leslie's tension. She no longer felt quite as dirty and sneaky as she had the night before.
"What should I do then?"
"Only you can answer that question, Leslie. But I do know one thing for sure… Michael needs to be told."
"Oh yes, and of course I was planning on telling him. Peter and I will be discussing it later today, and we'll have to decide how to go about it then."
Mrs. Marston drew her brows together in an earnest look that was almost a scowl—she was concentrating that deeply.
"Leslie, promise me something… that you'll be very careful with Michael and break it to him as gently as possible," her voice almost sounded like a plea. Mrs. Marston, the observant one, had somehow seen inside Michael, had seen how cautious he was with matters of the heart, how vulnerable he was. She knew he'd been hurt because Leslie had told her, but, once again, she hoped Leslie realized how fragile he was on the inside—no matter how he might appear on the outside.
"I'll be back in a few days to tell you what happened," Leslie said as she got ready to leave.
"Oh, one more thing. I found a check in my purse for Breezy's vet bill. Peter's check."
"For the entire amount?"
"Yes."
"Oh my… that young man has it as bad for you as Michael does! What will you do?"
"Give it back, of course."
"Good choice. Give Breezy a kiss and hug for me. And a get well wish."
"Oh, I will." Leslie had left Breezy home by herself today because Leslie didn't want her walking too much on her broken toenail, as it had to be painful. She'd only taken her out on the beach for as long as necessary.
When the knock came, Leslie felt like she was going to jump out of her skin. Peter…
He hadn't called first because there had been no reason to. Of course he'd been with Michael for practice, and afterward Mike had taken a book and gone to his room. Peter couldn't help studying him as the tall Texan strolled down the hall. The man had slept with Leslie! Lucky bastard! For a moment, he'd pictured it in his mind, then stopped that train of thought immediately. It made him insanely jealous… and envious.
Peter hugged Leslie then immediately went to Breezy, who was dozing by the couch, her pain medication having made her sleepy. "Poor baby," he murmured into her ear. Her tail wagged weakly, and she went right back to sleep.
Leslie silently handed Peter his check then. "No, I wouldn't have given it to you if I didn't want to do it."
"Don't be silly, Peter! She's my dog. You didn't even have anything to do with her accident!"
"No, but I don't know if you can afford it or not… and I can. The Monkees, as I'm sure you know from Michael, are becoming in demand. We're being paid very well."
"Still, I don't feel right—here," she tried to give him the check, and he pushed her hand away. On the third try, he finally took it. "Don't think this is the last of it though," he said cryptically.
"You didn't know my last name… how did you register Breezy?"
Peter paused and his face was soon as red as a tomato. "Mr. and Mrs. Peter Tork." He looked like he was going to keel over from embarrassment.
Wow.
When Leslie found her voice again, she said, "What if Michael should go there with me for any reason, and they couldn't find the chart, then found it under Tork?"
"He'd have a cow. I'd love to see the look on his face. On second thought, no… I wouldn't."
"Does he anger easily?"
"Actually no, not really. It takes quite a bit, but when he finally erupts, you better watch out. Oh, he'd never… hit a girl or one of us guys, but he's a force to be reckoned with. Let's just say I wouldn't want to run across him in a dark alley if he were mad."
Peter sat down on the couch next to her. "I've thought of little else than what happened last night since I saw you last."
Leslie nodded. "Me too. I even discussed it with Mrs. Marston this morning."
"You did?" Peter looked engrossed. "What'd she say?" He imagined Mrs. Marston would be horrified.
"She was really calm and casual about it. She said she didn't see much wrong with it… since I'm not really committed to Michael. Her main concern was that Michael should know."
"Yeah, I think so too. It's only right. You know, it's weird how it's all starting to make sense now. The late night walks Michael was taking. He said he was walking on the beach. He was seeing you, wasn't he?"
Leslie nodded.
"And then I started to take walks, thinking it seemed to be therapeutic for Mike, so decided I'd try it too. And then I met you…"
"He never told you guys about me at all?"
"In a roundabout way, and only when pushed. He never said much more than he'd met a girl when he was out and about. He was mysterious about it."
"I met you both in the same way. That's the strangest part."
"Really? You actually met Mike on the beach at night too?" Peter felt prickles of irritation. He was annoyed that Mike had had the privilege of meeting her first, and in the same way.
"And he told me about his roommates. When he spoke of Peter, well… Peter isn't that uncommon of a name either. I never even dreamed it could be you he was talking about!" All the little details were piecing the puzzle together.
"He speaks highly of you, Peter. Thinks a lot of you… I can tell."
"He does?" Peter's annoyance dissolved a bit.
"Bottom line is, you didn't know I was seeing the same Michael. So there's no need for anyone to be upset with anyone… except me. I'm the one who hasn't been honest here."
But Leslie, you had every intention of telling him. You just hadn't done it yet. And then Breezy's accident happened… and everything changed."
"Yeah, you aren't kidding." It had been bad enough having to sneak around with Peter when they were just friends. But now…everything had changed in an instant. The instant their lips had touched.
"So when do we talk to Michael? And, for the love of God, what are we going to say?"
"I guess we just tell him the truth. The truth is always best." Wasn't that just like Peter? His mother had given him sage advice, and he was still following it. Leslie hoped, that if she ever had kids, they would heed her advice like Peter did.
"Peter, how did this… happen?"
"It didn't just happen. I've had feelings for quite a while."
"You have? More than friends feelings?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"You had a boyfriend, remember?" he smiled. "If I told you about my feelings, I thought you would dump me, right then and there. So I accepted you as a friend only, even though… man, it was hard."
Yes, of course that's what Peter would think, and that's exactly what she would have done—if Peter wasn't such a good person, and they weren't already close friends.
"Oh my God," Leslie said out loud when she hadn't meant to.
"What?"
"I just remembered something Michael said, but I really shouldn't tell you…"
"Come on, Leslie. With all we've been through in the last twelve hours, please don't be keeping any more secrets." Begging her to tell him, Peter looked so irresistibly cute, his bottom lip almost sticking out.
"I shouldn't even mention this… but for some reason it came to mind… don't you ever tell Michael I told you this, but… he said one time you guys were rough housing and you licked his neck."
Peter laughed. "Yeah, I remember that. He got mad and left the room."
Leslie left it at that. No way was she going to tell Peter that that the neck lick had turned Michael on. It had been said to her in confidence.
"One night when Michael came home seemingly frustrated and in a pissy mood, David said he must have blue balls." Peter immediately covered his mouth. "Oh, sorry. For a minute there I forgot I wasn't talking to a guy."
Leslie tried not to laugh, but didn't have any luck. "Peter, you crack me up!"
"Well, when do you want to tell Michael… and how?" asked Peter.
That was a good question. How to break it to Michael? Not only that she had a friend that she'd kept a secret, but that it was Peter? And not only that, but that she and Peter had feelings for each other? Just the thought of telling him gave Leslie goose bumps. She had no idea how he'd react.
"Now Peter, you live with Michael, so in some ways you know him better than me. How is he going… to take this?"
Peter was silent for a couple of minutes, and Leslie knew he was going over the scenario in his mind.
"Well, he's going to be very unhappy for one thing… and for another, he might be ready to kill me."
"Why? You didn't know about him, so how could he hold it against you? The kiss happened before I even saw the Monkeemobile."
"I know, but Michael hasn't been very fortunate with girls. Something always seems to go wrong… kind of like with me."
Well, Peter had just confirmed what Michael had already told her. "That's precisely why I've put it off for so long. I didn't want him to get hurt yet again."
"Can't we just tell him we're good friends, and leave it at that?" Poor Peter looked miserable. Leslie suspected strongly that he was a little afraid of Michael losing his temper. He wondered if Michael would beat Peter up, or at least hit him? But Peter had already said that it wouldn't happen.
"If this is going to put you in danger, I'd rather just carry on as we have," she said. "If this can't be done peaceably, I'd just as soon keep things as they are."
"Yeah, but sooner or later… Mike would find out. He's no slouch in the brains department. I respect him a lot—the others do too. We've been friends for years. We read each other all the time. He's more or less been the executive around the Pad. Keeps everyone in line. This wouldn't go over well with him."
"I respect him too. He's a calming influence. A lot like you, Peter. Considerate, tender and gentle."
There Peter went, wanting to plug his ears again. He didn't want to be compared to Michael , even though Mike was a good friend. He just wanted to stand on his own.
Leslie reached out and smoothed the hair away from Peter's eyes. "I've wanted to do that on more occasion." It sounded like a come-on to her ears, but he affected her that way. He made her want to touch him. His fascinating hazel eyes turned dark with desire. The drapes were pulled and it seemed to be much later than 4pm. Leslie felt drunk on Peter's nearness. That undertone of innocence he carried along with the intelligent mind was a powerful aphrodisiac.
"Will you play for me sometime?"
"Bass? Guitar?"
"Whichever. I'd watch you play anything."
Their conversation was so low, so intimate sounding that it seemed as if they were talking about something erotic, when in fact they weren't.
Leslie wanted Peter to kiss her again. She knew it was wrong, even though Mrs. Marston wasn't of that opinion. Well, really, it was wrong because Leslie hadn't told Michael about Peter. If Michael had been totally aware of Peter and their situation, she wouldn't feel quite as guilty.
Peter picked up on her vibrations, but was afraid she'd reject him. They were so close… yet neither one would make the first move.
"Will you play me a love song sometime?" she asked as she continued to play with his hair. He was so filled with desire that he merely nodded. He didn't trust his voice not to crack, or even worse, sound like a girl, as a result of his strong emotions. Peter had a low voice, but when he got especially emotional, it sometimes rose to a higher register, and he wasn't going to chance it.
Was she going to continue on as friends, or was she wanting things to progress forward from last night? He was unclear on this, as she hadn't clarified anything. Did she want to wait until after they told Michael to kiss him again, or was she going to tell Michael it had been a one-time thing, and then follow up on that?
Peter reluctantly went back to the Pad at dinner time, since he'd told the others he'd been home for the evening meal. He would have stayed longer, and called to tell them he wouldn't be home for dinner, but she didn't ask him to stay longer. They hadn't kissed, or even sat especially close together. Peter was confused and perplexed as he left. He wanted to ask Leslie where he stood with her now, but just didn't have enough nerve to actually do it. They hugged at the door, and he was gone. Neither one had said a word about when, exactly, they were going to talk to Michael.
Sitting on the couch after he'd left, things were slowly coming back to Leslie as she pondered things Mike had brought up in the past. When she'd asked about his roommates, hadn't he said something about Peter being his favorite roommate? A rare, gentle soul….honest, sensitive? Something like that. And the rainy night when there'd been a spider in her room—Michael had released it outside, claiming that Peter always did that, and insisted the others do the same. Yep, sounded exactly like Peter. She smiled.
Sometime after he'd left, Leslie felt very lonely as she went to the kitchen to fix herself some soup for dinner. She'd wanted his touch so desperately. Yet, he was clearly feeling too much loyalty to his good friend Michael to step over any more boundaries. She admired, respected him for that, and wished she had such good control over her own emotions. He was clearly yielding to Michael.
That was when she saw that he'd left the check on the counter… Oh, Peter…