A/N: Thank you all for your incredible receptiveness and support of the previous chapter. I dedicate this chapter to my dear SpaceSisters whom I love dearly and miss a lot.
I would also like to thank blossom-of-snow for her excellent editing of this story.
Andrea pulled her car into a gravel driveway shaded by a big, leafy tree. She and Sharon had left Los Angeles in the early morning hours and drove north for close to six hours, with several short stops on the way. Sharon had tried convincing Andrea to let her drive once it became clear that their destination was a few hours away from LA, but Andrea wouldn't have it. A few hours up the road, Sharon realized that they were heading in the direction of Big Sur. She had been there only once with Jack, a couple of months before she gave birth to Emily. They did not make particularly good memories during that trip.
Regardless of what bad memories she associated with Big Sur, Sharon had a feeling this time was going to be very different. Since this trip was a girls' retreat Andrea arranged in lieu of a bachelorette party, Sharon knew very little about the particulars of their trip. Nevertheless, Sharon trusted her friend to arrange a tasteful and enjoyable vacation.
Andrea left the car to go check-in and returned a few minutes later. She backed the car towards the road they came from. After a few minutes of driving through what Sharon now recognized as a resort, they arrived at their lodge.
They unloaded their luggage and dragged it towards their lodge. As they walked closer to the front door, Sharon could see it was a cabin.
Andrea unlocked the door and pushed it open. As soon as they walked in, Sharon could tell that this was not a little woodland cabin but a luxurious house.
"Oh my God, Andrea! This is incredible!" Sharon gasped as she took in her surroundings. The house was warm and cozy, and the coastline was visible from every window.
"Check out the balcony," Andrea said and steering her friend towards the private circular sundeck. It had two lounge chairs, a hot tub, and a dreamy panorama.
After exploring the house and appreciating the luxuries it offered, they settled in their rooms and then reconvened in the living room.
"So, during the day, the resort has an infinity pool, a sauna, yoga classes, and meditation sessions. What do you wanna do?" Andrea offered.
"I think a visit to the sauna would be great. Are you up for it, or do you wanna rest after driving for so many hours?" Sharon asked.
"Oh, don't worry about me. Sitting in a sauna is right up my alley right now," Andrea said.
They changed into their robes and walked down to the spa center, where they spent the next hour relaxing before returning to their cabin to shower and rest before dinner.
"I probably should have said this earlier, but I'm so glad we get to spend this time together outside of work," Sharon said as they sat in the resort's restaurant and looked through the menu.
"Me too, Sharon. Things seemed to be calming down recently on your end, and I thought it would be a good chance for us to do something fun."
"Oh, Andrea. This is more than something fun. This is amazing." It suddenly occurred to Sharon that this trip should not only be at Andrea's expense. "I hope that Andy gave you my credit card before you booked this vacation."
"Don't worry, he did, and by now, everything is prepaid, so you don't have to worry about any of that," Andrea said.
"I feel so lucky," Sharon said. "Two years ago, I didn't dream I'll be engaged to a man who's this caring and loving. And he has been there for me through thick and thin, like no one before him. I'm just so –" Sharon paused, tears forming in her eyes and her voice faltering.
"You know, as a perpetual bachelorette, even I have to admit that what you and Andy have is extraordinary. I'm happy for you, Sharon." Andrea smiled at her and lifted her wineglass. "To you and Andy!"
They toasted, and Andrea topped off their drinks.
After dinner, they returned to their cabin, where Andrea suggested they take advantage of the hot tub. After they changed into their bathing suits and sank into the tub, Andrea uncorked a bottle of Moscato and filled up two flutes.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're trying to get me drunk," Sharon said as she accepted the glass from Andrea.
"Who said I'm not?" The blonde winked, earning a laugh from Sharon. "When did you ever get drunk? And I don't mean tipsy, but completely wasted?"
"Believe it or not, I did a lot of stupid things when I was in college," Sharon said.
"So not since college?"
"Yeah, coming from an addict's family, I quickly realized that getting drunk was not a good idea. I didn't want to become like my father."
"Fair enough," Andrea said. "The last time I got drunk, I found myself at a pet store, buying an aquarium full of shrimps."
"Oh, no!" Sharon laughed. "When was that?"
"The night I found out that I passed the bar exam," Andrea said.
"Did you eat the shrimps?"
"No, I grew attached to them. I even gave them names," Andrea said.
Sharon giggled and took a sip of her wine.
"What's the craziest thing you've ever done while drunk?" Andrea asked.
"That's embarrassing," Sharon said. Her face became red and warm, and she wasn't sure whether it was the alcohol or the incident she recalled.
"Come on. I don't think anything can beat my shrimp aquarium."
"Alright," Sharon said. "I got into a fight with a tree. And then I got so mad at it that I climbed it and howled at the moon."
"I can't picture you doing any of that," Andrea admitted.
Sharon toasted Andrea before taking another sip. "I told you my story was weirder."
"Well, I promise not to tell anyone if you howl at the moon tonight," Andrea said and pointed towards the full moon that illuminated the night sky.
Sharon jokingly thanked her and emptied her glass, which Andrea quickly refilled. They sat in silence for a moment, only hearing the trickling of the water in the hot tub and the chirping of the crickets outside.
"At least your most embarrassing drunk story doesn't include sex." Andrea reignited the conversation.
"Hey, I almost saved myself for marriage." Sharon shrugged.
"Almost?"
"I told Jack I was a virgin, so… yeah."
"Why?" Andrea asked.
"Because he was a virgin, and I didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable by saying that I wasn't," Sharon said.
"Didn't you guys date for a few years before you got married?" Andrea asked.
"We dated for three years, and we didn't actually stay celibate the entire time. We did some things, but not the thing until our wedding night."
"You know that's cheating, don't you?" Andrea teased her.
"At the time, we didn't think that doing those things meant we were having sex. We thought sex meant penetration. Come on, Andrea. You know what it was like back then."
Andrea nodded and took a sip of her wine. "I hope you didn't tell Andy that you're a virgin."
Sharon snorted.
"So, how early did you start?" Andrea asked.
"Sixteen. You?"
"Twenty-three," Andrea replied.
"Really?" Sharon arched her eyebrows. Andrea had such a sexual aura about her that it seemed quite unbelievable.
"I had a fantasy of how romantic it was going to be when I find the knight in shining armor until I realized that I liked the bard far better than the knight. And then I realized that I also liked the damsel in distress, so that was a confusing time."
"I didn't realize you're bisexual," Sharon said.
"I mostly date men, but yes, there's the occasional woman here and there," Andrea explained. "What can I say? Diversity in the bedroom is important to me."
"I'll drink to that!" Sharon said and raised her glass.
"I think you're as close to drunk as I've ever seen you," Andrea said. "Maybe we should go inside?"
"I haven't howled at the moon yet," Sharon joked.
"Yeah, for some reason, that's something I'm not looking forward to seeing. It might have been cute when you were eighteen, but I'm pretty sure at sixty, it's considered lunacy," Andrea said.
Sharon burst into laughter. "Lunacy!"
It took Andrea a moment to understand the joke before she also started laughing.
Sharon wrapped her arm around Andrea's neck. "I love you. You're a perfect friend."
"Okay, this is getting weird. Let's get you inside," Andrea said, embarrassed by the sudden display of affection.
They dried off before going into the house. Each of them took a quick shower before heading to their rooms. A few minutes later, Sharon heard a knock on her door.
"Come in," she said, and Andrea walked into the room.
"Before you fall asleep, you should probably drink some water to avoid waking up with a hangover," she said and handed Sharon a bottle of water.
Sharon uncapped the bottle and took a couple of sips. "Just so you know, I meant what I said earlier."
"About howling at the moon?" Andrea joked, trying to deflect the expression of emotion that she knew was about to come.
"That I love you. It's been a while since I had a female friend I could trust. I really appreciate your friendship, Andrea," Sharon said.
"I appreciate yours as well," Andrea said. "Now, drink the whole bottle, or you're going to wake with a killer headache tomorrow." She watched Sharon finish the water before wishing her goodnight and going to her room.
"Nighty night!" Sharon called out after her and jokingly howled. From the other room, she could hear Andrea's laughter.
-TBC-