~*~Tracie~*~
I’m in some sort of a daze. I’m not sure what just happened. Ok, I’m sure what happened, but not how or why or what it means. I need help. I picked up the phone and instinctively dialed Kevin’s number. Hung up when I realized that wouldn’t help. Lee. I’ll call Lee. It’s only four. She’ll be up soon. She answered on the second ring, she must be up, "We kissed."
"Who kissed?" She sounded sleepy.
"Me. Kevin."
~*~Lee~*~
Ok, now I’m awake. Sitting bolt upright. Doing a happy dance in the bad. "Girl, give me details, now!"
I noticed that her voice was flat, sounded kind of in shock, "We went and bought him a new car, then drove to the beach for dinner, walked on the beach and talked for a long time, watched the sunset, then drove home. Somehow we wound up kissing. We always kiss goodbye, but this was very very different. I have no idea how this happened."
I was crying. I was so happy, "So, you went out on a date and kissed goodnight?"
She stuttered, "No, it wasn’t . . . oh . . . god. Do you think so? We don’t go out on dates. He’s my best friend. We don’t kiss like that. Never. Never ever."
"But was it a good kiss?" Let’s get back to focusing on the good stuff.
"I don’t know, I can’t remember. It freaked me out." She laughed, "Oh god, yes, it was good. Lee! Kevin and I are friends. We do not kiss like that."
"You said that. However, it seems to me that you and Kevin DO kiss like that."
"I don’t think of Kevin like that. He’s my best friend."
"You said that too." I remembered something AJ had told me he told Kevin, "Trace, maybe you should think of Kevin like that."
I heard her gasp, "Lee, oh fuck, I don’t want to lose him."
"I know you don’t, sweetie. Who says you’re going too. Maybe it was just a kiss, a good kiss, but just a kiss. Or maybe it was the beginning of a new phase to your friendship. Maybe you two are supposed to be more than just friends." I truly believed that. They were the perfect couple. Neither of them anywhere near perfect, but perfect for each other. They were a couple. They just didn’t have the physical part, until now. I expected her to freak out when they finally crossed that line.
"Shit, Lee. What the fuck do I do now?"
"Go to bed and get some sleep. See where you are in the morning. You know you two will talk this to death. It’s your way."
"You’re right. Night."
Now, where will Kevin go to freak out?
~*~AJ~*~
Banging. Banging on my door at four in the fucking morning. Who the hell is this? I looked out my window and saw a sweet ride. That was worth checking into. I stumbled down the stairs and checked the security camera, Kevin. I opened the door, "That is a gorgeous car." I walked toward it, "Damn, this is almost worth you waking my ass up. ALMOST." I finally looked at him. He looked like shit, "What’s wrong?"
"You’re naked in your driveway can we go inside, please?" He headed in.
I followed him and grabbed a pair of shorts out of the downstairs closet, "Jessica?"
He looked at me like I was crazy, "No. Tracie."
"Did you two have a fight?"
"Not exactly. She went with me to buy the car. Then I took her to dinner, for all the favors I’ve asked of her lately. We went to Clearwater. Did you know she’d never been to the beach?"
"No, keep going." I was saying a little prayer about where this story was going.
"We ate then walked on the beach. It was beautiful and she got the whole beach thing, the karma beach thing. Then we drove back. Oh fuck . . . we kissed."
I smiled and raised an eyebrow, "And . . ."
He glared at me, "That’s enough."
"Was it good?"
"AJ, I kissed my best friend. That doesn’t happen."
"Apparently it does. Sounds like you and Tracie went out on a date and kissed goodnight. That’s the way dates work in case you don’t remember." I was still smiling. I was fighting the urge to cackle.
"We did not go out on a . . . we don’t . . ." He dropped his head to his hands and laughed, "Oh shit!" He looked up, "Anyone else who would tell me what we did tonight and I’d tell them it was a date."
I patted his back, "Exactly."
"I didn’t mean for it to be. It just turned into a date somewhere. Fuck AJ, I can’t date Tracie. She’s my best friend."
"Why does that mean you can’t date her? The best lovers started out as friends. I told you months ago that you needed to start thinking of her that way. Before you married Jessica. And for the record, you two go on dates all the damn time. You just don’t call them dates. You hold hands, you hug and kiss, you talk every day. Friends, yes, but there’s more there. Get your head out of your ass and see it." Too much?
"I . . . um . . umph . . . AARRGGHH! Fuck! I don’t want to lose her. I need her too much."
"Who said anything about losing her. You just kissed, you didn’t fuck. Did you?" Thought it was best to check.
"NO! I don’t . . . shit . . . I just did think of her like that. Oh fuck!"
"Kevin, this is you and Tracie. You’ll go over there, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk. Wait till the middle of the night if it makes it more normal. Figure it out. You never answered . . . good?"
His eyes cut up to me, "I think so. I don’t remember too much. Didn’t plan on that happening."
"Kev, you need to think about when you’re happiest. Who makes you happiest. Then go with it."
We talked a bit longer then he left.
~*~Kevin~*~
I drove right back to Tracie’s house. No time like the present.
~*~Tracie~*~
I just fall asleep and someone is knocking on my door. Something better be on fire. Kevin? I opened the door, "What’s wrong?"
He walked in, "We need to talk."
"What about?" I was half asleep.
Kevin turned and looked at me strangely then walked back a step toward me. He put his hand on the back of my head and pulled me toward him. Next thing I know his tongue is in my mouth again. Then just as quick it’s gone, "That. We need to talk about that."
Wide awake now.
