Putting It In

by Pamela Poundtown

  Sitting alone in her kitchen, sipping on a cup of strong coffee and desperately trying to ignore the box of cookies lying dangerously close to her, she thought back to the conversation she had with Rose the day before. Rose was Eva’s friend from college, the two of them eager to become famous writers. They shared most of their classes together and had developed a close friendship over the years.

  “So,” Rose had said, “What’s up with you and Davey?”

  “Davey?! What the heck Rose, he’s been out of my life for like six months already. How many times do I have to tell you that it’s over between us?”

  “But why?” She wined, “I liked Davey.”

  “Well you liking Davey doesn’t really help my cause much now does it? The whole point is that I need to like the guy, not you. Hey, I have an idea, why don’t you go out with him? That way you can like him as much as you want.”

  “Eva, come on. Don’t get all funny on me now. You know I’m not at all interested in Davey. It’s just you never seem to stay with a guy for longer than six months. As soon as it starts getting even slightly serious you break it off with him. And Davey seemed like such a nice guy. What was it this time? He wasn’t handsome enough? He put too much milk in his morning cereal? What?”

  “Yes, that’s the one. The milk one.”

  She laughed, “Okay fine, fine.You have your reasons I’m sure.”

  The thing was, Eva didn’t have any reasons. She just knew that she wasn’t in love with him. Just the same could be said for all the guys she had dated in the past. They always showed an interest in her and so she’d give the whole thing a try, figuring that maybe she simply needed to go out with them to find out if she liked them or not. Most of the time she would actually like these guys, but each time she’d find herself wishing she could just be their friend and not their girlfriend. She’d generally feel nothing when she kissed them and when they had sex she’d pretend to enjoy it the whole way through while never really feeling much at all. She had become the queen of pretence. These guys must think they were amazing in bed the way she would always go on about it afterwards. No wonder they didn’t want to leave her.

  “Seriously Rose, I did like him. But you know the story – I preferred him as a friend. There just wasn’t any spark.”

  “But that’s what you always say!”

  “Well then, find me a man with spark.”

  “Well it’s funny you say that, but we’re all going out to that new restaurant by the waterfront tomorrow night. The one that turns into a club from 10pm. Please come with. I need my partner in crime.”

  Eva laughed at that. She was barely anyone’s partner in crime. Even she admitted that she was a bit boring.

  “Yeah, okay, but only if there’s no more talk of Davey.”

  “Deal!”

  “Who’s going to be there?” Eva had no idea who ‘we’re all going out’ meant. Despite being good friends with Rose, she didn’t often hang around with any of her other friends.

  “Oh it’s going to be us, Jessica, Mary, Deidre… I’m not sure who else. A few guys from English Lit I think. Oh and some girl called Maggie. I think she’s friends with Jessica.”

  “Why do I have a feeling that the words ‘a few guys from English Lit’ is the part you’re most interested in?” Eva was well aware of Rose’s crush on a certain boy in their class.

  She laughed, “Busted!”

  But now, thinking about the evening ahead she felt overwhelmed at the prospect of making small talk with a bunch of mostly strangers. She barely knew the other girls and the guys were okay in the classroom but she never really had much in common with them socially. But that had always been her problem. Everyone assumed that just because she was pretty she was also going to be outgoing, and then they were surprised to find her so reserved. Her biggest dream was to become a writer, and to live somewhere far removed from the rest of the world where she would sit all day and write. In this dream was, of course, a handsome husband who doted on her and a couple of dogs by her side. She wasn’t yet sure if children were a part of this dream yet or not.

  Most of the time she went out simply because she knew that it was ‘the thing to do at her age.’ Even though the thought of a night in with her book sounded a whole lot better. Nevertheless, she busied herself for most of the day and then spent the rest of the afternoon getting ready. Everyone had been talking about this new restaurant and Eva had no idea how they’d even managed to book such a large table so quickly. Apparently the restaurant was huge – with a bottom and a top level. The bottom was open for the dinner period and then at 10pm those inside were allowed first entry into the club upstairs. After that there would be a huge queue outside for those wanting to get in. So if you got into the restaurant for dinner you at least knew you’d be guaranteed entrance into the club. Whoever came up with this idea was a genius because it generally meant a packed restaurant each night. Despite not being overly keen on the evening ahead even Eva had to admit she was excited to see what the big fuss was about. The chef was none other than Marco Mancelli Junior, who was one of the most sought after chefs in the world at the moment. He was brilliant in the kitchen but with his fiery temper he was known to change his staff members more often than he changed his underwear. Eva was hoping they’d at least catch a glimpse of him and she made a mental note to have her phone constantly at the ready.

  Getting ready for the evening was pretty simple, because Eva didn’t own a huge amount of going out clothes. While this frustrated Rose who complained that she was always wearing the same clothes, it made life a heck of a lot easier for Eva. Tonight she chose simple tailored black trousers that hid her thighs with a tight white shirt that emphasised her breasts. She paired that with a pair of black high heels and nothing else. She’d made the mistake of going out before in a short tight dress but then spent the rest of the night feeling too uncomfortable to actually enjoy herself. She put on a small amount of make-up, just enough to make her feel as if she was at least making an effort, and she headed out. She looked at herself in the mirror and decided that this would have to do. Eva had always been told that she was pretty. She was blessed with big breasts and a small waist and hair that seemed to have a life of its own. That was one of the reasons why she barely wore any jewellery – her hair simply overpowered anything she ever wore. Her hair was an accessory all on its own. She didn’t find anything particularly amazing about herself, but she’d been told otherwise. She had decided to call a taxi because she had a sneaking suspicion this was going to be a late night.

  When she arrived at the restaurant she was surprised to see a huge queue already forming outside. Confused, she went to stand at the back but thankfully Rose walked past and saw her. “Eva, what are you doing here? We have a reservation you silly sod.”

  Eva looked around at the queue which was now even longer than before and frowned, “But then what are all these people waiting for?”

  Rose laughed, “For the club. I know, it’s crazy hey. The club only opens at 10pm but because they don’t have a dinner reservation they are making sure that they get the chance to go in tonight. I bet you half of these people won’t even be allowed in. And THAT, my friend, is why WE have a reservation. Now come on, let’s go inside. I’m starving. Actually, I lie – I really just want a glass of wine.” She linked arms with Eva and the two of them walked to the front, causing the people in the queue to throw daggers their way.

  Just as they were about to go in Rose turned to look at Eva, “Oh and I see you made another amazing attempt to dress in something new tonight.” Her voice was teasing and Eva punched her, “Hey, don’t hate on me. You know I hate dressing up. Plus most of these people haven’t seen me out of college or don’t even know me at all so they’ll all think I look fabulous.”

  Rose sighed, “That’s the annoying part. You really do look fabulous.”

  They walked into the restaurant together laughing and Eva pointed to the table at the end, “There they are. Oooh, and Bradley’s here
. Yes! Shotgun on sitting next to him.”

  “Ah ha! I knew that’s why you were so eager to come tonight. You can have him. Actually the two of you would look cute together.” We giggled all the way to the table.

  There were still quite a few empty chairs so Rose managed to position herself right next to Bradley. Eva sat at the end of the table, with Rose on one side of her. The other side was still empty so Eva had no idea who would be sitting next to her. She realized she hadn’t planned this well considering Rose would probably spend the whole night speaking to Bradley. Eva introduced herself to those that she didn’t know and said hello to those that she did. Then two more guys from their English Lit class walked in. As soon as Rose saw them she jumped up and told them to sit at the empty seats in front of her, which also happened to be right by Eva. Then she winked at Eva as if to say, ‘you’re welcome.’ James, a tall dark haired boy that she had barely spoken to before, took the seat next to her. He was tall, well-built and very handsome. And yet, Eva noticed with confusion, she had never really noticed him all that much before. They said hello and immediately started a conversation about college. Under the table she kicked Rose and saw her visibly jump. The last thing Eva had wanted was to be set up tonight. This was supposed to be a fun night out in the best new restaurant in town. Eva ordered a glass of wine and took a big gulp the moment it arrived.

  Last to arrive, about twenty minutes late which was just her style, was Jessica. A short and pretty blonde who loved nothing more than to talk your ear off. Eva breathed a sigh of relief that at least she wasn’t sitting next to her. She smiled to herself and then did a double take as she realized that Jessica was not alone. With her was the most striking woman that Eva had ever met. She walked around to say hello to everyone and Eva practically jumped when she came to shake her hand. “Hi, I’m Maggie.”

  ***

  Maggie

  Maggie had been dragged along to this dinner by Jessica, who was an old friend of hers. The two of them had been friends when they were young as they lived on the same road and they were the same age. When Maggie moved away the two of them didn’t really keep in touch. To be honest it was more a friendship of convenience because there weren’t a lot of other kids in that road. When Maggie bumped into her recently, Jessica had insisted they go for dinner to catch up. She wanted to hear all about Maggie’s new life as a lesbian – yes these were her words. Maggie had protested but eventually said yes. She only found out tonight that it was also going to be with a bunch of other people. In a way Maggie was glad though. She actually found Jessica a bit annoying so it was a relief that the two of them wouldn’t be alone. She also loved meeting new people and was eager for a night of full out fun. She’d been dying to get a chance to come to this restaurant but each time it had been fully booked. How they managed to get a booking for such a big table she had no idea but she certainly wasn’t complaining. She made her way around the table introducing herself to everyone and stopped when she saw the girl at the end. She was gorgeous. Eva. Pretty name. She wondered if the guy next to her was her boyfriend but the more she looked at them the more obvious it became that they actually barely knew each other. Poor Eva actually looked so uncomfortable next to him. Maybe it was a first date. If so it didn’t look like it was going all that well.

  After the restaurant everyone made their way to the club. It was time to dance off all the food that they had just eaten. Maggie had been hoping to see the chef all night as he had been known to come out and say thank you some nights, but sadly he hadn’t shown himself at all. The club was massive and despite just opening it was already packed. After walking around to get her bearings Maggie found a spot at the bar and ordered a drink. Truthfully she was just glad to get away from Jessica who had pretty much talked her ear off all night. She spotted Eva standing alone and waved her over. “Hey, I’m Maggie, in case you don’t remember,” she yelled over the noise. “Of course I remember. I’m Eva.”

  “Eva. Pretty name. My actual name is Margaret but when I was younger I thought that made me sound like an old lady so I insisted that my parents call me Maggie.” Eva laughed, “No ways. I’m Evelyn and I did the exact same thing. I often feel bad about it though, I mean my parents actually named me because they must’ve loved the name at one time. And there I was telling them it was awful.”

  Maggie looked at Eva and grinned, “Which is why I will never have kids.” The two of them clinked glasses to that.

  For the rest of the night the two of them were inseparable. Maggie noticed James checking out Eva and trying to get her attention but Eva didn’t even seem to notice him. Which was weird, because James was obviously a good looking man. And she wasn’t being nasty or anything. You could just see that she simply wasn’t interested. “Hey Eva, that James guy keeps checking you out.” Eva rolled her eyes, “Oh no. I think Rose tried to set me up with him tonight. But I’m really not interested in him. He’s not my type. Come let’s go dance again.”

  Maggie looked at her, curious, “So what is your type then?”

  “I have absolutely no idea!” They both laughed and went back onto the dance floor. Eva knew how to move and she noticed that it wasn’t just James that was staring at her. Also her hair seemed to have a life of its own and she was impossible to miss as she moved to the music. She was certainly a very shy girl but as soon as she came onto the dance floor she just let the music take her. Maggie liked that about her, it meant that she had the ability to completely let go in a moment if she really wanted to. This excited her somewhat and she tried to keep her thoughts away from where they were going. It was hard though, Eva was stunning.

  Maggie was fascinated by this girl. There was just something about her that she liked and she knew immediately that she wanted to take her home. The problem was, as it often was, she had no idea whether Eva knew that she was interested in girls. Maggie had a sneaking suspicion that Eva was better suited to girls than to boys but it was obviously a thought that hadn’t crossed her mind. At the end of the night she went up to Maggie and whispered, “Hey looks like everyone is leaving. Why don’t you come back to my place? We can carry on the party. I have plenty of wine that needs finishing.” Eva’s eyes lit up and she agreed. She didn’t seem to notice or care that Maggie had not invited anyone else but her.

  When they got back to her apartment Eva looked suddenly shy and Maggie went to open up a bottle of wine so that the two of them didn’t have any awkward silences. They made their way to the living room and sat on the couch together drinking their wine. “Rose is going to kill me,” Eva said and Maggie lifted an eyebrow to ask why. “I paid absolutely no attention to James tonight. But honestly I hate that she tried to set me up when I so clearly asked her not to get involved. I may have a terrible reputation when it comes to relationships but that doesn’t mean I need to be pushed straight into another one.”

  “Oh don’t worry,” Maggie said to her, “To be honest I don’t think Rose even noticed. She was all gaga over Bradley. I saw the two of them walk out together. Don’t worry, I’m sure the last thing she was thinking about was you. As awful as that sounds.”

  Eva laughed and reached out to grab Maggie’s hand. “Ah I am SO glad we met. To think, I didn’t even want to come out tonight. I ended up having the best night I’ve had in a long time.”

  Maggie noticed that Eva’s hand was still touching hers. She took it and caressed it while the two of them were talking. It seemed to make Eva nervous but she never once took her hand away. There was something so incredibly intimate about this moment and in one single touch they both knew what was going to happen. It was easy for Maggie, she’d been with plenty of women before, but she knew how frightening this must be for Eva right now. “Uh, Eva, I want to tell you something.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m a lesbian. I knew when I was fourteen years old and I came out to my family and friends when I was sixteen. I’ve always been very in tune with my feelings and I had a sneaking suspicion when I didn’t want to talk about al
l the cute boys in school like everyone else. But I only knew for certain when I actually kissed a girl. That’s when I knew it was for real and not just a phase.”

  Eva looked shocked but still she didn’t move her hand away, “Oh wow. That’s so brave of you. I don’t know if I would’ve had the guts to tell anyone at such a young age. Uh.. um.. can I ask you a question? Uh, how did it feel?”

  “How did it feel?” Maggie wasn’t sure that she understood the question.

  “Yeah. Um… the kiss. How did it feel? You know, the first time.”