~~ Chapter Five: Friday ~~
(Inspired by a Daniel Bedingfield song)

~~

Greg sat in the lab, and watched Cecilia roll layers of lip-gloss over her lips, and shook his head. "How can women wear that crap?" he asked, the sweet smell of fruit-punch filling the room. "And smell themselves afterward?"

"This crap, as you call it," she rubbed her lips together, then grinned slightly. "Was on my lips when you kissed me last night."

"That was the sweet taste?" he asked, sliding the chair toward hers, and smiling wide. "I liked it…can I kiss you again?"

Cecilia grinned, and crossed her arms. "Why should I let you? You just made fun of the sweet taste you love so much…"

Greg pouted and slid up beside her in his chair. "Because you enjoyed the kiss just as much as I did, and it would pain you to have to wait much longer for another one. That's why…"

"What makes you so sure?" Cecilia laughed at Greg's sudden presumptuousness. It was cute, very cute. She slid over to the other side of the table. "You're so adorable, maybe I'll make you wait…no matter how much it pains me!"

Greg scoffed, and pouted. "You wouldn't do that to me, would you Cecy? I'm too sweet and charming, and…you like me too much!"

Cecilia chuckled. "Would that be a boost of confidence, or arrogance?" she asked, as Emma stood in the doorway, watching the whole scene. "Sure, last night's kiss was nice, but what if it was a momentary increase in skill!"

"Whoa…Cecy, you kissed Greg?" Emma walked through the door, a smile crossing her lips. "When and where was this?"

Cecilia sighed and looked up at Emma. "Figures…every time I have a private conversation, either Emerald or Lizard enters the room. No, actually, Em, Greg kissed me last night at his house, as though it's any of your business. I feel like I'm giving the gossip report for a high-school newspaper…"

Emma grinned, and shoved Cecilia's shoulder. "Did I not tell you that he liked you? Finally, Greg takes some initiative…"

Greg sighed, and moved his chair over to the other side of the room. "Far be it for me to interrupt girl talk, man…" he stuck his tongue out at the girls. "I suppose I'll go get Lizzie, so this convention can be complete, then I'll go talk to Arch and Nick…"

"Nick's out on the field with Warrick right now, so it'll just be you and Arch today…" Emma explained, as Greg left the room. Then she turned back to Cecilia. "So, was it like you expected?"

"You act like I've never been kissed before. It was a kiss…and only a lip, 'mwah' kiss type thing…" Cecilia laughed at Emma, and leaned back in her chair. "And even if it wasn't, I wouldn't tell you. I don't kiss-and-tell, man!"

Emma glanced sideways at her friend. Whenever she kissed, or even talked to a guy she liked, either Emma or Lizzie was the first to know. It was quite funny, really. "You know, that's the funniest lie I've ever heard in my life! You tell Lizzie and I more than we usually prefer to know, right Lizzie?" she asked, as Lizzie entered the room.

"Right…" Lizzie was putting on her front, as usual. "What am I saying right to?" she asked, sitting on the table.

"That Emma is an intrusive, nosey moron," Cecilia began, before Emma could even open her mouth. "Who doesn't know how to leave Cecilia's business to Cecilia…" she explained to Lizzie, who was nearly keeled over with laughter.

"Ok, Cec-Elmo…" Lizzie shook her head, then looked at Emma. "What did I really say 'right' to, though?" she asked, knowing that Cecilia had lied to her. "It better not have been anything to make me look stupid."

"As if that's hard…" Emma grinned, then shook her head. "You walked right into that…but yeah…you just said that Cecilia kisses-and-tells more than anyone else we know."

"Oh, yeah…so?" Lizzie asked, sitting down. "Hold up…did you kiss Greg?" a smile formed on Lizzie's face, as the turned from Emma to Cecilia, and the smile grew as Cecilia nodded a yes. "Oh my God! You did?" she asked, her mouth hanging open. "When? Last night at his house?"

"Yeah…" Cecilia grinned wryly. "I probably would have done more…but I don't get down on the first night, as you all know," she shrugged her shoulders, and pushed her hair back into a ponytail. "Plus, I was afraid he'd collect my DNA or something…"

Lizzie laughed, then crossed her legs on the table. "So, tell me…what did you guys do last night at his house? Was it freaky?"

"No, Lizzie…" Cecilia shook her head. "It was a normal house…and he had a huge CD and DVD collection…" she explained, the image still vividly pasted onto her brain. "He tried to pawn off delivery pizza as his own…"

Lizzie shook her head. "Meaning he has no idea how to cook. But then again, he is a man. Oh my God…did I just call Greg a man?" she reached to her right and picked up a beaker. "Emma, take this and hit me over the head…"

Emma shook her head, and grabbed the beaker from Lizzie's hand. "You just remember when you come at me with your big bad lawsuit that you asked me to."

"There will be none of that in here, you understand me?" Cecilia grabbed the beaker from Emma's hand and sat down. "Plus, Greg is far more of a man that Archie is…at least he made an effort…"

Lizzie looked up at Cecilia, a look of pure hurt in her eyes. "How did you find out that I…and how the hell could you say that even if you do know?" she asked, tears filling her eyes. "You're my damn friend, Cecilia!"

Cecilia looked at Emma, whose face held the same shocked look as her own did. "I didn't know anything…it was meant as a joke…" she explained to her friend, who now had a tear falling down her cheek. "Lizzie, I didn't mean to say anything bad, I really didn't!" she defended her intent.

Lizzie shook her head, and started to cry. "I like him, guys. I really, really like him. There's nothing I wouldn't do to be able to tell him, but I can't, and it's killing me. Every time I look at him, I'm overcome with an urge to either cry my eyes out, or smile wider than I ever have in my life. It's like when I'm around him, the better half of me comes out, you know, and all I can do is smile…" she explained. "Or, if you mean lately, when I'm around him, my worst half comes out, and all I wanna do is cry."

Emma looked at Lizzie, who was resting her head in her hands, and crying. She got up, and walked up to her, hugged her and let her cry. "Lizzie, you need to tell Archie this, not us…" she explained.

"Seriously, you can't just hide these things, because if you try to, eventually it'll get too hard to keep it all inside, and then you'll blurt it all out one day at the worst time…" Cecilia explained. "He cares about you, and even if he doesn't feel the same, I'm sure he'll remain your friend no matter what!"

Lizzie glared at Cecilia. "That's not the most comforting thing you could have said, is it?" she asked, forcing out a quick laugh.

Cecilia shook her head. "It was the only thing that came to mind…I'm sorry Lizzie…" she joined the hug.

~~

Archie shook his head and leaned back in the chair. "You're weird, man…why did you compare Cecilia to cherry lip gloss?" he asked. "And why are you talking about lip gloss to begin with? Isn't that a woman's topic?" he grinned at his friend. "Has Cecy turned you into a girly man?"

"Because she was wearing cherry lip gloss last night when I kissed her…" Greg smiled from ear to ear. "Arch…maybe if you had someone like her you'd understand…I mean, sure, I don't exactly have her yet, but I'm pretty close."

Archie shrugged, his mind immediately going to Lizzie. He imagined how she must have kissed, and peered out the door hoping she'd walk by. "What's it like to actually feel like you belong with someone? Is that how you feel, I mean?" he asked, turning his head back to Greg.

"I don't think I'm exactly committed to her yet…" Greg asked, sensing Archie's problem. Archie wanted a commitment. He didn't know how a simple kiss, though, led to all of this talk of commitment. Maybe, because he did feel that Cecilia was the one he was supposed to commit to? That had to be it, because every bone in his body was telling him so. "I mean, I'd love to commit to her more than anything, but I don't think she's quite ready to commit after one kiss…"

"Maybe she is…women are suckers for men who are into commitment, you know?" Archie told Greg, leaning back in his chair. "I bet if you asked Cecilia to be yours, you'd get the biggest, most romantic kiss you'll ever dream of getting."

Greg shrugged, and grinned a little. "I still think it's too soon to be presuming things like that, you know? I mean, I love Cecy, yes…but I really do think it's too soon. But onto the REAL problem…" he looked straight at Archie. "Why don't you ask Lizzie out? I surprised myself by asking Cecy, I think you could surprise yourself…"

Archie shook his head. "Dating at work, no offense, man, but it's not professional. I mean, what if something were to go on to cause she and I to break up? I don't think I'd be able to face her every day…" he explained, each word he said paining him more.

"You're too cautious…" Greg shook his head. "This woman is perfect for you, Archie! You and she get along better than practically anyone I know…and you always have fun together. So what's the problem?"

"I don't think I could handle the thought of ever losing her…" Archie explained to his friend. "Imagine how you'd feel if you ever lost Cecilia…Lizzie is-…"

Greg sat up straight. "I don't think you could lose Lizzie. That girl, if she finds the right man, will be like one of those cheesy, romantic love songs she and Cecilia listen to. She'd be almost as perfect with you as Cecilia will be with me, when I get the nerve to ask," he explained, smiling.

Archie picked his Pepsi up from the table and took a drink. "I don't know, Greg. Seriously, I feel like such an idiot for even feeling this way. I mean, not for feeling it about Lizzie, because there's no one more deserving of someone's heart…" he explained. "But for feeling this way all together. You know how romances always end up…"

"Not all of them!" Greg shook his head in disagreement. "Some romances, like Nick and Emma's, will never end. I can see those two together when they're old and wrinkled. Scary sight, yes, but I see it."

"Yeah, that's not too hard to envision. She loves him almost as much as he loves her…" Archie sighed, looking out the door. It was a very slow day. Too bad for that, too, because if it wasn't, someone would come into the room and end this conversation, or ambush, rather.

"You love that woman…what makes you so nervous? It's deeper than what you're saying, and I know it…" Greg closed the door, getting Archie's attention immediately. "Fear of failure?"

"You're not going to give up until I tell you, are you?" Archie shook his head, and took another drink of soda. "It's a touch of that, yes, but it's also a little bit of nervousness…I feel like I'm in high-school again whenever I'm around her…" he laughed at how stupid that sounded to him.

"I feel the exact same way around Cecilia, but you just need to suck it up, man," Greg explained as sensitively as he could. "It sounds a lot harder than it is, really, and once I got it out in the open, I felt so much better…" he sat back in the chair, and put his feet on the table.

"You're the most persistent person I know, do you know that?" Archie sighed. "I don't know, Greg. If she turns me down, I'll feel like driving my car into a wall…"

"If she says no, Arch, I'll get into the passengers seat…" Greg reassured his friend. "Just ask her…what can it hurt?"

A lot…Archie thought, but instead of saying it, he just nodded. He was about to ask his dream girl to dinner, and he had no idea if it was a great idea, or a huge mistake.

~~

My head is a hurricane, my heart is a touch insane.
And my body can't sleep to dream, and my eyes open up to scream.
And my mouth is a thin straight line, as I'm struggling to pass the time.
And my crime is that I'm living without her.
And the morning soon will come, and the day's only almost done.
And the clock says it's half-past five, but the sun is still in the sky.
Disorientated, insatiated, how long I've waited…
~~ 'Friday' – Daniel Bedingfield ~~