The Other Earth

by Amber LaShell

  I tried not to show any emotion as I waited for another drink to come around and watched as Stacey pulled Vickie into a slow dance. Stacey's face was lit up and she was smiling in a way I couldn't ever remember her smiling before. She looked truly happy, and I hoped that Vickie would be as good to her as she deserved.

  "Here you go" Brandon said next to me sliding the glass of vodka the waitress had just sat down in front of him.

  I smiled as I pulled it toward me, determined to drink this one a little slower. "Thanks!" I yelled to him over the loud music.

  Two hours and about four drinks later, I felt myself start to relax and enjoy myself. The awkwardness forgotten, I had already beaten Brandon in a grueling game of pool, which I had suspicions that he threw. I looked around the room to check on Stacey and saw her and Vickie sitting in a dark corner kissing as though nobody else was around.

  I smiled as I turned my head to give them privacy, "Dance with me" Brandon yelled to me, holding his hand out.

  At this point I was relaxed enough to agree, thinking that we would do one of our silly dances we had invented together over the years. Once he pulled me out to the dance floor and pulled me to him, I for the first time noticed that the song playing was a slow love song.

  I didn't know how to get out of the dance without looking like an idiot, so I let him pull me close and started to sway with the music. He wrapped his arms around my waist, and I tucked my arms under his, leaning my head onto his broad chest. My stomach flopped as I realized how comfortable the position was to me, and how he held me tighter than he ever had before.

  He leaned in, and with his mouth right next to my right ear whispered, "By the way. I forgot to tell you how great you look tonight" he said.

  I stiffened my body, not completely hating the shivers that ran down my body as his lips grazed my ear. "Um. Thanks" I replied.

  I had worn my new dress that Stacey had picked out for me during our shopping trip, and I was slowly regretting that decision. I wanted to tell Brandon that he was my friend and that nothing else would ever happen, especially since he had now been with my other best friend, but a part of me wanted to just enjoy the moment.

  "Hey, are you guys ready to head home?" Stacey said to me.

  I quickly jumped away from Brandon, feeling like the kid that got caught with her hand in the cookie jar. I looked up at Brandon and saw that he was looking at me with a confused look in his eyes.

  "Yeah sure." I said, untangling myself from Brandon's arms.

  "You're going to crash over at our place okay? There is no way you're driving home tonight, even if it's not very far. We can just walk across the street and you can sleep on the couch" Stacey said to Brandon. She looked over at me and smiled, "Or wherever" she said.

  I felt my face go red as I realized she thought I would let him sleep with me. I didn't say a word as I grabbed my coat and headed toward the door.

  Once we were back over at my apartment, I quickly said good night and headed to my room, softly closing the door behind me and quickly getting into my pajamas, letting Stacey deal with Brandon since she had been the one to invite him to stay.

  I sighed as I crawled into bed and turned my light off, feeling the alcohol started to take effect as I become drowsy. I had only been laying there for a few minutes, picturing Brandon lying on my lumpy couch when I heard my door squeak open.

  I looked over and saw Brandon come into my room and close the door behind him, "Randi are you still awake?" he whispered.

  "Yes, what's wrong?" I whispered back, my heart pounding in my throat.

  "Look your couch is really uncomfortable, can I crash in here with you?" he asked, standing over my bed.

  I sighed and slid over, patting the bed next to me. "Come on you big baby" I told him, trying to sound nonchalant, as though the idea didn't make me want to run away screaming, and rip all of his clothes off at the same time.

  He slid into bed next to me and it was at this point that I realized how small my bed actually was, even though it was actually quite large.

  "Good night Randi" he whispered into my ear.

  "Night" I managed to choke out, shivers rolling through my body.

  Chapter Six

  I opened my eyes and looked over at the sun streaming through my windows, for a second wondering where I was. After a few seconds, I remembered what day it was, and what had happened the night before.

  I quickly turned over and saw that the other side of the bed was empty. I sighed in relief, not knowing how I would have handled having to wake up next to him.

  My door squeaked and I looked up quickly, "Oh good, you are awake" Brandon said, walking in with two large mugs of coffee. At the sight of the steaming hot coffee all awkwardness was forgotten and I held my hands out like a toddler wanting her mommy to pick her up.

  Brandon laughed, "Here you go, fresh from the pot" he said, handing the coffee to me.

  I sighed as the warm mug touched my hands, not hesitating to take a quick sip. "Oh, it's so good" I couldn't help but say as the hot liquid rolled down my throat.

  "Hey, if there is one thing I know I'm good at, it's coffee." He said, sitting down on the bed next to me and setting his mug on the small bedside table next to me.

  I looked up and saw that he had a strained look on his face, "What's the matter?" I asked him.

  "We need to talk about something. I got a call this morning from Jessica. They have now finished testing all but about three people and she let me know that I am on the short list to be chosen to go" he said, not needing to explain further.

  I took another large gulp of coffee before setting it down on the table next to his; "Oh" was all I could manage to say.

  "Well, say something" he said, looking at my face closely.

  "I am of course happy for you" I told him.

  "Now don't get too ahead of yourself though, I haven't been officially chosen yet. I just thought we needed to talk about the possibility that I could leave." He said.

  I nodded, "From the moment we both signed up I knew there was that possibility" I told him.

  He looked at me with a serious expression, "If I go, would you miss me?" he asked quietly.

  I smiled, "How could I not? You have been a part of my life since we were eight."

  We looked at each other for a few long seconds before he spoke again, "Okay, look. There are some things that I need to take care of. I need to go and see my parents for one, and that will be just super fun" he said, rolling his eyes.

  I nodded, "Yeah okay. I would go into work, but Jessica has forbidden it" I told him.

  He nodded, "I know, and I'm happy for that. You work too damn hard. Well, I had fun last night, and I'm sure I'll see you later on or something, maybe we can order take out and watch movies or something?" he asked.

  I shrugged, "Yeah maybe, call me later" I told him, eager for him to leave so that I could change out of the small tank top I was wearing.

  Brandon leaned over to reach beside me and grabbed the coffee that he had left there before he sat down. His face was so close to mine that I could see a small light splattering of freckles just under his eyes that I had somehow never noticed before.

  I held my breath as he inched even closer, the smell of his spicy cologne engulfing my senses, making my head swim and my heart skip a beat. I quickly jumped back as his mouth came incredibly close to my left ear. He looked over at me with an amused expression on his face.

  "Do I make you nervous?" he asked me quietly, keeping his face close to mine.

  "No" I squeaked a little too fast, trying to cover up the fact that he did actually make me very nervous.

  "I don't believe you" he said as he put his hands on the wall behind me and pushed me backward up against the headboard of my bed. He slowly inched his face close to mine until his lips were only centimeters from touching mine.

  "Brandon" I whispered, trying to convey to him both my longing and wish for him to stop.

  "Why are you so scared of touching me?" he
asked me, his warm breath gliding along my lips, making me shiver.

  "I'm not. It's just that you are Brandon, my best friend since forever and it's wrong" I finally said, trying not to sound like an idiot.

  Brandon stared at me for a few seconds before leaning in further and whispering into my ear, making my breath hitch in my chest, "I'll forget it, for now" he said as his lips grazed my ear. I could fell the prickly hairs of his five o'clock shadow against my cheek, making my face burn.

  He pulled away and stood back up straight, taking his hands off the wall and took his coffee, giving me a smile and a wink that made me question my decision to not rip his clothes off right there in my room.

  He turned to leave and I let out a breath, happy that he didn't try to push me further. I just couldn't do that to Stacey, she had gotten him first and I had to respect that. Men just didn't understand the girl code and I wasn't going to let my stupid hormones get in the way of either of our friendships.

  Brandon stopped and turned back around and looked at me for a few seconds, "No I'm not going to forget it" he said walking toward me again, setting his coffee down on the dresser.

  I held my breath as he leaned down and softly grabbed my face. His lips touched mine, lightly at first, then slowly with more pressure. My heart was beating way too fast to stay in my chest and I felt my palms go wet as I gripped the mattress beneath me, trying to keep myself from grabbing him, wrapping my legs around him and pulling him on top of me.

  I moaned slightly as his mouth opened just an inch and our tongues touched, sending shivers of electricity down my body. After what was surely just a few seconds, but felt like a lifetime, he pulled away from me. I looked up at him as he stood back up, feeling my cheeks burning with embarrassment and desire.

  I quickly grabbed his shirt and pulled him back, kissing him with ever fiber in my body. He leaned onto the bed, putting his knees beside me as he continued to kiss me. He leaned me sideways until I was completely lying underneath him with his weight slightly pressing onto me. It was then that my mind went beyond his prefect lips and reminded me that I shouldn't be doing this. I gently pressed against his chest, enough for him to pull away from me and look down at me.

  I sat there trying to figure out what to say after a kiss like that to convey to him that nothing could go further than that, but before I could say anything he stood up and walked away without a word. I pulled my covers up over my head, hoping that my body hadn't betrayed me and sent him loud and clear how much I wanted him, when I needed him to think differently. I decided right then and there that I needed to talk to Stacey about it and clear the air.

  ***

  I ran into the living room, hoping that Brandon was already gone. I looked around and saw that it appeared everyone was gone. I could not see anyone in the living room or kitchen. I looked over at Stacey's door and saw that her door was closed. Taking a deep breath and hoping that I didn't interrupt something I really didn't want to see I quietly walked over to her door and knocked. In my head the knock was loud enough to wake the dead, but in reality it was barely audible.

  "Yes?" I heard Stacey ask from her room.

  "Hey it's me, can I come in?" I yelled back through the door.

  "Yeah come on in" she yelled back.

  I slowly opened the door and saw her and Vickie sitting on her bed next to each other, both with a book in their hands. I release the breath I hadn't realized until that point that I was holding and closed her door behind me.

  "What's the matter Randi?" Stacey asked me, seeing from my expression that something was wrong.

  "I need to talk to you about Brandon" I said, looking over at Vickie, whose head was still down looking at her book. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting anything."

  "No, we were just reading. We joined a lesbian book club and they gave us this trash to read" she said, throwing her book down onto the table next to her bed.

  "Okay. So, I have something to tell you and I don't want you to get angry at me" I told her, bracing myself for her anger.

  "What would I possibly be mad at you for that has to do with Brandon?" she asked, sitting up straighter.

  I looked over to Vickie, "Um, well he sort of kissed me this morning before he left" I said, wincing at having to say the words out loud.

  Stacey's eyes went dark, "Did he make you do something you didn't want to do? I will kick his ass Randi, no matter how long you guys have been friends. Did he rape you? You better tell me the truth" she said, her voice starting to rise.

  It was at this point that Vickie's head finally lifted up from her book, a concerned frown on her face.

  "No, nothing like that Stace, jeez. He kissed me, but not forcefully. I might have actually kissed him back" I said.

  She nodded slowly, "Okay so you just kissed him, that's all?" she asked.

  "Yes, and I feel horrible about it, I'm so sorry" I said, getting down onto my knees next to her bed and put my head into her lap.

  Stacey was silent for a moment and when I looked up at her, I saw that she was staring at me with an odd look on her face. "Please say something" I told her.

  "What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you freaking out about this?" she asked.

  "Look, I know that you are with Vickie now, and I respect that and I love that you are so happy. But, you were with Brandon first and I could never break the girl code" I told her, tears starting to stream down my face.

  Stacey laughed, "Is that what you are so worked up about?" she asked.

  I looked up at her and nodded, "Yes, please forgive me. I will never touch him again" I said.

  "Wait, you slept with Brandon?" Vickie asked.

  Stacey put her hands out, "Okay let me explain everything to both of you. This is all a misunderstanding" she said.

  "What do you mean?" I asked her.

  "Okay first, Vickie do you remember when we first met and I had told you that I was hung-over from partying with my roommate and her friend the night before?" she asked, looking over at Vickie.

  Vickie nodded, "Yes, I remember that" she said.

  "Okay, well that is the night Brandon came back home with me. But, Randi, you have it all wrong. I didn't sleep with Brandon that night" she said.

  "What do you mean? You guys invited me in to, you know, join you" I said.

  Vickie's mouth opened wide, "What the hell Stacey" she said, obviously shocked.

  Stacey lifted her hand, "Okay so let me tell you the story. Okay?" she asked looking from me back to Vickie. We both nodded.

  "Okay, so I was in a weird mood that night and did actually want to take some random guy into my bed. Well, there was nothing but dorks from Randi's work there that night. No offense Randi" she said.

  "None taken" I said quickly.

  "Anyway, the only even remotely cute guy was Brandon. I didn't really want to have sex with him because I know you have been in love with him since forever" she began.

  "What? You knew" I interrupted her.

  "Oh honey, everyone but him knew it. So, I wasn't going to ask him, but after I had downed a few drinks, I started to think, what the hell, so I asked him to come home with me. Well, like a gentleman he said no, but then I saw the way he looked over at you so I made him a proposition" she said.

  "Like a prostitute?" Vickie asked, a half smile on her face.

  Stacey rolled her eyes, "No. I told him that I could see that he was into Randi and if he wanted I could pretend to invite him back and then try to invite you to a threesome and once you guys got started just sort of leave you two alone" she explained.

  I pulled back from her, "You tried to trick me into having sex with him?" I asked, somewhat upset that I didn't do it.

  She nodded, "Yes, okay I was trying to trick you. You have been in love with this dude since you were at least in college when I met you, and I'm sorry to tell you this, but you really need to get laid. I figured if you would have sex with anyone it would be him" she said.

  I sighed, "Ninth grade" I said quietly.

&n
bsp; "What?" she asked, confused about what I was saying, since it seemed completely off topic.

  "I've had a thing for him since the fucking ninth grade!" I yelled.

  "So then why are you so afraid to be with him, he is obviously into you? After you turned us down, we went back to my room and all he did was talk about you until I passed out from sheer boredom" she said.

  "He talked about me?" I asked quietly, wondering what they had talked about but too afraid to ask for details.

  "Yes, he talked about you. So why are you so scared to touch him?" she asked.

  I looked away, "I don't know. There is such a huge part of me that wants to rip off his clothes and slurp juice out of his stomach muscles" I said.

  "Eww" Vickie said from next to me.

  I smiled, "But another, larger part of me knows that we have been friends since we were eight and I know if something happens, it will get awkward and I couldn't handle losing him as a friend."

  "What if it doesn't get awkward though? What if he is your happily ever after?" Vickie asked, her book completely forgotten at this point.

  I sighed, "There is a problem with that theory" I said.

  "What is that?" she asked.

  "Well, I don't believe in happily ever after."

  Chapter Seven

  I walked into the work, going straight to my desk for once, rather than stopping and getting a coffee, and as I started the journey down the long hallway, I noticed that there were more people than normal whispering in the corner. I continued to walk over to my office, but as I saw a couple of women I had been to lunch with a few times whispering, I had to stop and ask.

  "Hey guys, what's going on? Everyone is standing around whispering." I asked them.

  The tallest woman whose name was Sophie leaned in to answer me, "Well, everyone is talking about Brandon being chosen to go to the new planet. You guys are best friends right? How did he get picked?" she asked me.