AN: Okay, first of all, thanks to all you that have been reviewing my story...you guys are the best. Secondly, I just wanted to let you guys know that I've actually been done this chapter since earlier this week but my internet is really messed up and for some reason I can't access this site on the public comps at my library so I only get to catch up on stories little by little so if I haven't reviewed one of your stories yet, I'm getting there, LOL. So sorry about that, I'm trying to get it fixed soon. Anways, here's the new chapter, and I hope that you guys enjoy it. And remember to read and review...Love ya.
I Disclaim...
Stacy pulled out, yet another dress and held it up to the light.
"No..this one just won't do" she murmured to herself before throwing the dress onto the bed, adding to the already heaping pile that formed on her bed top.
"Why can't I find anything to wear?" she said allowed as she continued to rummage through her suitcase.
Her fretting was put to a halt when a certain tall figure entered the room and snuck his large, strong hands around her waist.
"Hey you….you're starting to worry. I've been listening to you talk to yourself for over a half an hour!" Randy smirked. Stacy turned in his arms and smacked his chest before letting out a giggle and leaning upwards to reach his lips for a sweet kiss. The kiss became stronger and their tongues ravaged each other until they could no longer breathe and were forced to pull apart.
"I have an idea…why don't we just stay in tonight?" Randy slyly suggested.
"I don't think so mister…we've got dinner plans and we can't miss it" Stacy said, shooting down the plans he was already making in his head.
"Well…why not? Just cancel our reservations" he said as he pulled her close and buried his face into her neck.
"Because we're meeting with friends…and I promised them we'd come…and come on time as well" she said, as she focused her attention on finding a dress to wear in the pile of clothes that she had already gone through. She wasn't in the mood to wear any of them, but being on the road, she had to make due with what she had…and it wasn't like she was short on options.
However, in Stacy's quest to find the best outfit to wear for tonight…Randy's mind couldn't quite stop mulling over her words.
"Who exactly are these friends?" he asked, as he pulled away from her and took a seat on the edge of the bed…the only place where her clothes weren't covering.
"Trish and Adam" she replied bluntly without looking up. Good thing she didn't because she would have seen the panic stricken look that came over her boyfriend's face.
"Is that a problem?" she asked suddenly as she looked up to eye her boyfriend. He quickly recovered in time to shake his head no.
"I didn't think so. I thought it would be nice for us to get together and have dinner than come back to the hotel and hang out for awhile. I know you and Adam are close enough…well the closest friend you have in the locker room besides Dave who isn't here anymore. I haven't gotten to talk to Trish in forever and you haven't been hanging out with her for over two months. I miss her and I figure that since I didn't get to see either of you at all for this week because of scheduling so I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone and have all of us just chill out with each other….Besides, Adam's been keeping Trish company for a while now so it wasn't hard to convince Trish after she hard that Adam was coming. She was afraid she would be the third wheel between the two of us" Stacy babbled on as she laughed to herself at Trish's absurd thought of ever being an intrusion.
Randy had barely heard a word she has said. His mind was mulling over the very fact that the woman he had worked so hard to avoid for the past two months was now going to be at the very same table as he was tonight and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. His words of his mother came back to him as he recalled the night he called his mother for advice. She had told him that leaving his problems unresolved would never make them go away; it would just delay the inevitable. Well here was the inevitable for Randy and like his mother said, it wasn't going to go away unless he faced it. He tried to convince himself that tonight would be easy and that his feelings for Trish were gone. In fact, twenty minutes of repeating that in on the couch while he waited for Stacy was enough to actually make him believe it. By the time Stacy came out, Randy was confident that he would be just fine. He was going to show Trish that he didn't need her…not her time, not her smile and not her love….he was better off without her because he had all he needed right here with him.
Stacy linked arms with him and they headed out to the restaurant. Randy gave Stacy one more look before smiling.
'Yes, tonight was going to a breeze….I'm finally moving on with my life' and with that, he breathed a sigh of relief and anticipated the night ahead of him.
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"Are you sure we're at the right restaurant?" Randy asked as he looked down at his watch.
"Yes…Randy I told you that we were early. It's not even eight o'clock yet" Stacy admonished him before going back admiring the beautiful and very elegant set up of the restaurant.
"Whatever you say….but just to let you know, I'm starving so just for making me wait, I'm ordering the most expensive thing on the menu" he smirked as he smugly sat back on his chair as though he had the last laugh.
"That's quite alright…because you're paying…in fact, I think I'm gonna order the most expensive thing on the menu as well" Stacy said mockingly before letting out a giggle.
"Hey guys, sorry we're late" Adam said as he smiled at Stacy and extended his hand to Randy. Randy firmly shook his hand before letting out a small chuckle.
"It's about time you showed up, I was beginning to think that we were being stood up" Randy said. Adam laughed before reassuring him that they got stuck in a bit of traffic on the way over.
"Where's Trish, Stacy asked as she leaned to the side to get a better peak of the restaurant so that she could spot her friend.
"Oh, she bumped into someone she knew so they were talking and she told me to go ahead and meet up with you guys before you guys thought we weren't gonna show". With that, Adam threw a playful look Randy's way.
"Looks like Trish knows what she's talking about" Adam said. Randy's smile faltered just a tad bit at the thought that Trish would really know him that well…even his sarcastic nature.
"Sorry I'm late" Randy's thoughts were interrupted by the petite blonde that looked breathtaking in a midnight blue satin dress that was embroidered with lace and hugged all the right places. It was a floor-length gown that added a bit of height to her 5 foot 4 stature. Randy could bet that she was sporting at least 5 inch heels.
Randy looked on as his girlfriend excitedly jumped out of her chair to embrace her best friend.
'I can handle this' he repeated to himself as a mantra. However, the moment his eyes met Trish's, all of those thoughts and all of his confidence was thrown out the window. When she smiled at him, he could tell that it was put on. There was sadness in her eyes that he was sure that most wouldn't be able to see. To anyone else, she was a picture of beauty with everything that her heart desires. But Randy knew better, she was beautiful but she was lonely and though he tried to convince himself that it wasn't because of him, he was sure that he was wrong. For a glorious while, he let her believe that she had her best friend back…one that was going to help her through her broken heart and one that was making its way back into her life….only to be disappointed that not only did that not happen, but Randy hadn't even called her or spoken to her since their day at the amusement park.
Trish made a quick glance between Stacy and Randy before taking the seat that Adam had pulled out for her. She plastered a smile on her face, which only managed to falter for half a second when she realized that Adam had put her between himself and Randy. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. She figured that Stacy was non the wiser about what happened, or for better words, what didn't happen between herself and Randy and as far as Trish was concerned, it was going to stay that way. Her thoughts were broken by a soft voice that was directed at her.
"Hey Trish…."
Trish's head shot up to be met with Randy's blue orbs. She didn't bother to look at him any longer. She fiddled with her napkin and murmured a 'Hello' back before jumping into conversation with Stacy so as to save herself from any further conversation with Randy. Randy couldn't help the frown that marred his features.
'So she's definitely hurt, but she's mad as a hell too' he thought to himself before replacing his frown with a smile and pretending to act interested in the conversation that was taking place.
'This is going to be a long night…..'
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Several hours later and Randy and Stacy were safe in their hotel room, lying on the bed, cuddled in each other's arms.
"Randy…." Stacy murmured.
"Hmmmm"
"Did you notice anything off about Trish?" She asked as she raised her head off of his chest and looked up at him. His eyes were shut but the moment the question left her lips, his eyes popped open and looked down to meet his girlfriend's stare.
"What do you mean?" he asked, pretending to be stupid.
"I don't know…she just seems sad. I know you guys talk a lot…though I haven't seen you guys hang out in a while, but I figured you guys must talk on the phone. Has she mentioned anything to you…possibly about something bothering her? I know she probably has Dave on her mind but I know Adam's been keeping her lots of company so…." Stacy trailed off as she mentally finished her thought.
"Sweetie, I think you read too much into things…maybe she's just having a bad day…people are allowed to have one of those every now and then" he responded a bit annoyed. He wanted her to drop the topic already but if there was anything he had learned early on about Stacy, it was that she loved to talk and when she started she couldn't be stopped.
However, Randy's annoyance didn't go unnoticed by Stacy. She frowned and rolled over and put her head on the pillow beside him.
"Forget I said anything then" she said softly before turning on her side and closing her eyes.
"Baby…come on, I didn't mean to sound annoyed, it's just that you worry too much about people…" Randy offered as a way of an explanation.
"No Randy…" she turned around to face him.
"I think my problem is that I don't worry enough. Trish is my friend. She's been there for me in times when no one else wanted to stick around and let me cry on their shoulders. She's been there to listen to me rant and rave about my problems and even the little things. That's what friends do Randy…they're there for each other no matter what…." Stacy let out a breath before relaxing herself.
"I'm sorry for going off on you, but it's just upsetting to know that one of my best friends is hurting and I don't know why…and I know how to find out since she's stubborn and insists that she handles things by herself…"
"Stace…it's okay. I understand."
He planted a soft kiss on her lips before drawing her close.
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Two Hours Later….
Randy sat in the hotel bar, downing his fourth shot of tequila. He could recall Stacy falling asleep in his arms and as tired as he thought he was…he couldn't get her words about friendship out of his head.
So he was foolish to think that he could just ignore her and his feelings would go away. It wasn't one of his brightest ideas but he was lost when it came to his situation with Trish. He now knew that he couldn't escape his feelings, but how could he just abandon those feelings and just be her friend when all the things he wanted to do to her were more than just friendly? His mind debated whether he should tell her or not. As of right now, they weren't exactly friends so there wasn't anything to lose. Randy sat there and continued the debated for another fifteen minutes until he reached his conclusion. He was going to tell her, but not before he took another shot. He was going to need plenty of alcohol if he wanted to finally confess his feelings to Trish. So with a wave to the bartender, he quickly received his tequila and downed it. He slammed the glass on to the counter and just pulled out a wad of money and threw it down before heading for Trish's hotel room.
Luckily for him, Adam had mentioned that he and Trish were rooming next to each other, so Randy only had to figure out whether she was on the left or right hand side of Adam. In his drunken state, he wouldn't be too embarrassed to knock on the wrong door asking for Trish.
Several minutes later and he stood in front of Adam's room door and looked to his left and to his right.
'Which one do I choose first?' he asked himself. With no intelligent answer, he began…
"Eenie, meanie, mino moe…." He continued on until the end of the song and luck pointed him to the door on the right. With a deep breath, he raised his hand and hand knocked loudly. He heard shuffling from inside and the door was open to reveal Trish. Randy mentally breathed a sigh of relief until he realized that he didn't think about how he would start the conversation.
"Randy…what are you doing here?" Trish asked in shock. She looked back into her hotel room and then back at Randy before arching her eyebrows as a way of challenging him to justify his presence at her room door.
"I uh….I came to tell you that….that uh….umm…" he Randy stopped and ran his hands through his hair while tapping his foot softly in the carpeted hallway of the hotel.
"Tell me what….you haven't spoken to me in two months and now you have something to tell me…how about you tell me why you enjoy playing cat and mouse with our friendship…if you can even call it that." Trish crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Randy. He sheepishly ducked his head and stared at the ground for several seconds before looking back up at her.
"You want the truth?"
"It would be nice….for a change" she scoffed sarcastically.
Randy took a deep breath before beginning. In his nervousness, small talk was out of the question.
"I initially broke off our friendship because I was in love with you and I couldn't bare telling you. Then you got together with Dave and he was my best friend so I didn't want to make the situation awkward between us so I thought it best to back out. I didn't have any explanation besides the fact that my feelings for you had changed and I had fallen in love with you…and I couldn't tell you that. Fast forward to Dave leaving and he left me a note saying that he wasn't sure why the friendship between me and you fell apart but he trusted me to take care of you. So I did…or at least I tried to…but then those damn feelings started getting in the way again and I was becoming even more confused then before because Dave wasn't around. So I decided to break it off again. And again, I couldn't tell you anything because I didn't have an explanation besides the truth and I couldn't tell you that…." Randy blew out a large breath and took a step back. He never thought he'd be able to ever say that to her and no matter what happened at least she knew.
He reminded himself that he had nothing to lose, but he knew that was a lie. If she rejected him, then he could no longer put the blame on Trish for not knowing his feelings. Randy watched as she opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. He wasn't shocked by her surprise nature; in fact, he hoped that she didn't speak for awhile…if only to give himself time to prepare for heartbreak.
"Randy…."
"Trish…."
They both said at the same time. Trish nervously laughed and with much protest, she convinced Randy to finish his thoughts before she spoke.
The truth was, Randy didn't know what he wanted to say, he was just afraid of what she should say. He looked her straight in the eyes before moving towards her. With quiet and quick prayer, he leaned down and connected his lips to hers. The moment he felt her, he felt himself melt. He could feel a bit of resistance in her, but within seconds she eased into the kiss and allowed her arms to snake around his neck while he grabbed her hips and pulled her flush against his hard body. After a minute or two, Randy pulled away and leaned back to look at her. Her face was flush and without make-up, she looked even more beautiful.
"I realize now that I will always love you Trish…no amount of time or people can change that…I know that much….and whatever happens, I want you to know the truth. I want you to know that my abandoning you wasn't because I didn't care enough; it was because I cared too much. It may be selfish…"
Randy stopped his mumbling and looked at Trish. By now, he had moved back to his original place outside in the hall while he looked on at a flabbergasted Trish. Before she could answer, Randy could hear shuffling from inside the hotel room. For the first time, he trained his attention to inside the hotel room. He let his eyes scan the room before settling his gaze back on Trish. It was then that he realized that her hair was hanging out wet and wavy and she was dressed in an oversized dress shirt….a man's dress shirt.
His thoughts were running rampant at the thought that she was in there with another man. His eyes widen at the thought that it was Adam that was keeping Trish company in bed but the voice he heard next wasn't what he was expecting.
"Randy…?"
Randy blinked a couple of times before stuttering out a reply.
"Dave?"
"Yeah man….what are you doing here so late?" Dave questioned with a smirk.
Randy let out a nervous chuckle before looking back at Trish who immediately bowed her head to avoid his gaze. Dave came up from behind and put his arms around Trish's small waist and pulled her close.
"When did you get back?" Randy asked as he rubbed his temples. He was assuming that judging by Dave's nice reception to him being at his girlfriend's hotel room door at 1:30 in the morning, that he didn't suspect anything or hear any of Randy's confession.
"I got back earlier this evening…I wanted to surprise Trish…." Dave looked at him inquisitively.
"Dude…are you drunk?" Dave questioned him.
Trish's head shot up at the mention and she looked at Randy. It quickly dawned on Randy to play it off.
"No…maybe….just a little…I had a bit too much to drink downstairs, but I'll be fine" Randy reassured him.
"Look, I've gotta get going now, I'll catch up with ya later Dave" and with one last look between his best friend and the love his life, Randy walked away and returned to his hotel room.
"Hopefully, I've drunk enough tonight that I won't remember all of this in the morning" he mumbled to himself. But Randy knew that he wouldn't be that lucky. He knew that he would remember all of it when he woke up. If his memory wouldn't allow his to remember the events of tonight, he was sure that the remnants of his broken heart wouldn't let him forget.