Part Seven: Ice Cream

Ami woke up to the sound of someone ringing her bell. It was early afternoon, because she'd been up late finishing the dishes with Zoicite and didn't have work that morning. She stood up and rubbed her eyes, stretching lazily before stumbling to the door in her blue pajamas and fuzzy slippers. Glancing out the peep hole, she sighed and chuckled at the same time, opening the door with a tolerant look on her face.

"Hi Ami!" Usagi piped up as she nudged her way in the door, a sack in her hands and bag slung over her shoulder. Makoto, following Usagi in, smiled and echoed the greeting, toting a gallon bucket of ice cream. It was Sunday, so they weren't at work and Ami had been trying to catch up on her sleep. Zoicite had stayed late to help her wash the dishes – a process that went considerably slower than usual because Zoicite used every excuse he could think of to stop working and kiss her. But she made him work until the dishes were done, despite the interruptions, and managed, laboriously, to shove him out her front door afterwards.
"Hi guys." Ami watched Makoto put the ice cream in her freezer and Usagi plop her sack by the TV, tossing the gym bag onto the couch.
"Cute bear," Makoto commented as Usagi picked the plush toy up.
"Squishy," she agreed. "Who gave it to you?"
"Zoicite," Ami replied. She kept from blushing, but couldn't meet their eyes.
The two girls looked at each other and smiled. Usagi turned back and faced Ami squarely. "This is the deal," she said, the picture of seriousness. "We're having an all-girl sleep over, with movies and ice cream. And you, dear, are going to catch us up on all the details of your relationship that you've skimped on."
So a short while later, after Ami had taken her shower and was in a fresh set of pajamas and pair of fuzzy slippers, bear clutched in her arms, the girls lounged around her living room, curtains closed for the effect of almost-night. While they ate ice cream and the prepped videos for watching, Ami filled the girls in on some general details.
"Is he a good kisser?" Makoto wanted to know.
Ami blushed and laughed, not sure if she was going to answer or not. After looking at Makoto, she said, "I'll tell you if you tell me. Is Nephrite?"
Makoto's lips slid into a sly grin. "Of course."
"Then Zoicite is too," she said calmly.
"Oh, come on, Ami, dish!" Usagi cried, her bunny-slippered feet kicking daintily in the air.
Ami laughed and blushed again. "What am I supposed to say? That he ate dinner with me and my mom last night?"
"That's a start," Usagi said, eyebrows raised. "What happened?"
She shrugged. "He came, we talked, we ate, it was fine."
"Ami!" Usagi protested.
"Okay, why the bear?" Makoto piped up. "Why did he give you that?" She paused a moment for effect, allowing her devilish smile to sink in. "You must have done something really good for it."
Ami stared at her and blushed harder than she thought was possible, eyes widening.
There was silence.
And as Ami didn't respond, the eyes of her friends got wider and wider.
"You didn't," Makoto breathed, eyes glowing in disbelief and a smile playing around the corners of her mouth.
"What?" Usagi asked, realizing something was going on, but not quite catching on. Her brow was furrowed as she looked from one woman to the other.
Makoto still stared at Ami, who had ducked her head in embarrassment and smiled apologetically. "You slept with him!"
"What?!" Usagi exclaimed, covering her mouth with one slim white hand. "Ami! I work with you every day and I didn't even know?!" She sighed and fell back. "I am getting so old!" She sat up and blinked. "You had sex before I did. I can't believe it . . . Innocent little Ami–"
"–Gettin' her groove on," Makoto cried, hugging Ami and grinning.
"Guys!" she protested, blushing. It really was embarrassing and she wished they would stop being so proud of her. She still had reservations about her relationship with Zoicite – still had things she was uncertain about.
Was he just using her? If it came down to it, would he choose her over his job? Would he put her in danger? He had already let them turn her against her own mother.
And what about that red-headed woman? Why did she keep popping up when she didn't expect anyone? What was her relationship with Zoicite? Had they dated? Had they been lovers?
How many women had Zoicite been with? This was a particularly disturbing thought. He was a very good-looking man and even though he had a child, women were probably very attracted to him.
"What is it?" Makoto inquired while Usagi dipped them more ice cream. "You look unhappy."
Ami shook her head, but relented when pressed. "I was just wondering about Zoicite's other girlfriends."
"I'm sure you're the best one he's ever had," Makoto said, and Usagi smiled her support.
"Figuratively and literally?" Ami muttered, her thoughts taking on painful connotations again.
"Ami!" Usagi tackled her, pinning her to the ground and sitting on top of her. "No sad thoughts. I demand that you be happy!" She grinned and her eyes lit up like sapphires. "Let's watch a movie! I brought a whole bunch of romances!" She scurried to her sack of videotapes and dug through it.
"Have . . . have you ever been with a man, Makoto?" Ami asked quietly, not looking at the other woman.
Makoto was thoughtful for a while. "No, actually. I . . . I've kind of been waiting for marriage. Saving myself, you know?"
"Oh," Ami whispered, feeling bad. Makoto was saving herself and Ami, prudent, decent little Ami, had thrown herself headfirst into lust.
How she despised herself right then.
Makoto eagerly tried to reassure her, though it was too late. "But that's what I consider right for me. You're a completely different person."
"Yeah," Ami agreed quietly, and they turned their attention to Usagi's movie.
It was, beginning to end, a load of sap, but Ami felt inexplicably better after laughing and crying over it with her friends, huddled up on the couch in a tangle of feminine arms and legs. Makoto threw popcorn kernels at the screen when the heroine made a bad decision and Ami laughed and told her she would have to pick it up later. Makoto ignored her and started cheering for the dog as it brought the two lovers together, kicking her feet and disrupting the other two women on the couch, whose calves were comfortably intertwined with hers.
Usagi shrieked as Makoto's foot hit her bowl of popcorn and it went flying across the carpet. Makoto stared at it in consternation, the movie temporarily forgotten, and then both of them looked at Ami, whose eyes were wide and startled.
And then Ami laughed, giggling wildly, and the other two soon joined her, young girlish laughter filling the room. When one of them calmed down enough to speak, she would look at the others and peal off into shrieks of mirth again. It wasn't necessarily just the popcorn, either -- it was the comradery and the closeness of bonding women.
The movie had ended while they laughed and Makoto got up to replace it with another. Ami took the moment to glance over at Usagi.
"So how's Mamoru?"
Usagi grinned and her gaze turned dreamy. "He's still really busy with school, but we find time to do things together. Just the other night, we went to that restaurant down on--"
There was a knock at the door and she stopped. Makoto looked up from the VCR.
"Did you guys call for reinforcements?" Ami joked, going to the door. The girls behind her shared a surprised look and replied in the negative.
Ami looked out the peep hole and then unlocked the door, opening it just enough to look out.
"I like your outfit," Zoicite smiled.
"I have friends over," she rebuked him gently.
"Sorry," he grimaced. "I just wanted to know if you wanted to come to dinner at my mom's with me tomorrow."
She blinked and frowned. "You could have called about that."
"I did," he was a bit defensive, "but you never answered the phone."
Her eyes widened. "The phone?" she repeated louder, glancing behind her. She saw Usagi duck her head and blush.
"I turned the ringer off," she called back, sheepish. "Didn't want it to interrupt the movie."
Ami smiled and sighed, leaning her head against the doorframe. "Okay. What time?"
"Seven," he replied, thinking how very cute she looked. The air was thick and sparkling and charged. Their eyes were locked. "Do you want to meet me there, or should I pick you up?"
"I'll meet you," she whispered, smiling a little as he leaned in closer.
"Great." His eyes closed and his lips met hers – she leaned into the kiss and lost herself, knees weakening and pressing against his chest, so that he was supporting her against the doorframe.
"Mwah mwah mwah!" someone mimicked, and Ami pulled away slightly to start at the sight of a teddy bear right beside her face. Zoicite stared at it, but didn't let go of her.
Usagi lowered the bear and grinned at them. Makoto, behind her, was looking dreamy.
"You two make such a cute couple," she smiled.
Ami turned bright red. "I'll see you tomorrow," she said, pushing him gently away. He took the hint and nodded, stepping back and saying goodbye to the girls.
When the door was closed, Ami had to face two smiling lunatics.
Usagi smirked and said, "So. You two really have gotten freaky, haven't you?"
Both of the other women stared at her, taken aback, and cried "What?!"
Usagi's smirk was replaced by a wide-eyed innocent look. "What? They have."
"Usagi!" Ami screeched, and from that, somehow, a pillow fight started.
It was a long, fun night.