He smiled before his lips were back to mine, ensuring I couldn't say anything else. I grabbed his shirt and slowly lifted it over his head, revealing his toned chest and stomach. I rolled him onto his back, positioning myself on top. Smiling, his arms wrapped around my waist as he watched me remove my tank top. For a moment we stared, taking each other in, and then our bodies tangled; moulding until it was unclear where one body stopped and the other began. But none of that mattered because I understood now.
Everything I had been hoping for had always been right under my nose. Shane was what I had been looking for, he always had been.
I thought I had been happy with Bradley, but that was nothing compared to how I felt waking up next to Shane the next morning. I just lay there, my head resting upon his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, and feeling the rise and fall as he took each breath. Then and there was when I finally felt whole and there was no doubt in my mind that this was right.
Our night together had completed my life and I could have died at that moment and been happy. I had expected it to be weird at first-you know, kissing my best friend-but it wasn't like that at all, in fact it felt as though we had been doing it for years. And the sex? Just mind-blowing!
I kissed his forehead and gently got up from his bed, being careful not to wake him. I grabbed some sweats from his dresser, threw them on, and headed down stairs towards the kitchen to assess the breakfast situation.
As I turned the corner I saw Rob and Tyler sitting on the couch watching ESPN and as silly as it sounds, for a short while I had completely forgotten that we had roommates. My heart skipped a beat as I remembered how paper-thin the walls in our condo were. I had heard a thing or two in all the years living here with the guys and I wondered how much they had been privy to. I decided it would be best to play coy.
"Hey guys," I said while opening the fridge. "What do we have for breakfast?"
"There's some shredded wheat in the cupboard," Tyler spoke without taking his gaze from television, "but check the milk, it might have gone bad."
I found a clean bowl, fixed myself some cereal, and plopped down on the floor next to the futon. I pretended to be interested in the latest sports news, but all I could think about was Shane, and last night. I felt my cheeks flush with heat as flashes of our night together invaded my thoughts.
"Hey Em..."
I turned to face Rob and his eyes met mine, Tyler turned his attention to me as well. Crap. They had obviously had heard us last night and I was mortified. Oh well, we were going to have to eventually tell them anyway.
"He really does love you," Rob spoke softly.
I fumbled with my spoon, trying to keep calm. I knew Tyler had known it all, but Rob too?
"You knew too?" I asked nervously.
They both nodded their heads. "Yeah, he was planning to tell you when you got home from Maine. But you put a dampener on that, and he never really had a chance after you know?"
I felt dizzy, yet again.
"He didn't know what to do," Rob continued, "so he decided he'd just let you be happy and live your life because he didn't want to interfere. You know, we've been friends for a long time Emma, and I've never seen him so broken up before. He was a fucking mess. The worst part, was that we knew somewhere in there, you felt the same way about him."
"I just couldn't see it." I finished.
"Yeah," Rob said.
"You guys talking about me?"
I turned and there he was leaning on the hallway wall wearing some old basketball shorts. He looked like a Greek God with no shirt on.
He smiled as he strode across the room and bent down to kiss my forehead. It felt just as good as it had last night, but I felt awkward knowing that Rob and Tyler had seen it. However, they had already redirected their attention to ESPN acting like it was nothing short of normal. Which I suppose to them it was, since they had had months to get used to the idea of Shane and I.
"I told you I was crazy about you," he said.
"I believed you, I just..."
"Had to hear it from someone else?" he asked.
"Yeah I guess. I sort of feel stupid though."
I scrambled to my feet and rushed into the kitchen to take care of my bowl, and give us a little more privacy. Shane followed closely behind.
"I knew you'd say that."
I placed my bowl in the sink and filled it up with water. "You did?"
He grabbed my wrist and spun me around, taking me into his arms. "I did. And I don't care. It doesn't matter to me and it shouldn't matter to you." He pulled me closer to him as he quickly put his lips to mine. He stopped and rested his forehead on mine, locking his eyes with me. "Last night was by far the best night of my life. I think I've been waiting for that for… well, forever. Everything happens for a reason right?"
I felt a smile emerge on my face. He knew me so well. "Right."
A month later life couldn't get much better.
My birthday had arrived and just like I had hoped, my life was different, in the best way imaginable. It was funny how things worked out. I had thought things had gone terribly wrong for me, but they all led me here. Without those bad moments, I wouldn't be where I was; and I most certainly wouldn't have been in the passenger seat of Shane's car, holding his hand, listening to Rob and Tyler bicker about who was going to get the window seat on the plane. I had everything I had been craving. I had someone to love me for me, all while being able to keep my important friendships. It was perfection.
The guys were taking me to Las Vegas for my birthday. It was long overdue, and I was beyond excited.
They had gone years ago, whilst we were still in college. Unfortunately for me, I had to stay behind in New York and work at my internship. They had such an amazing time and came back with epic stories that continued to be told to this day. I had been whining for years that I wanted to go. I wanted to go for various reasons, but mostly I just wanted to make new memories to replace those tales I had heard millions of times.
We hadn't even checked in at the airport when they started in with the stories.
"Remember that huge group of cougars," Rob began, "Shane spent the entire evening trying to hook up with one of them."
"Hey, she was the best looking thirty seven year old I ever laid eyes on," he rebutted.
I rolled my eyes knowing full well that I was going to spend the next eight hours of my life listening to repeated accounts of long ago escapades. But once Shane put his arm around my neck and kissed my forehead, I didn't care.
Turns out, I wasn't exaggerating when I predicted I would spend those next eight hours listening to the boys talk about their last trip to Vegas. If anything I underestimated. I forgot to include the time it took us to get our rental car and check into the hotel. I had had enough of it by the time we walked into our suite at the Bellagio.
The guys had gone all out and reserved the Grand Lakeview Suite. The pure beauty of the room struck me as I walked in. Everything was pristine and immaculate. I had never seen a hotel room like it in my life, and my eyes were darting from one thing to the next, having trouble focusing on just one thing. I was admiring the marbled floor when Tyler and Rob began talking about how trashy their room had been the last time they came to Vegas.
"Ok, that's it," I threw my bags down onto the ground, "I don't want to hear another story from your last trip! We are here to make new memories damn it!"
"Sheesh Em," Tyler whimpered, "don't get your panties in a twist."
"It's my party and I'll cry if I want to," I mocked back.
I felt Shane's calming presence behind me. His arms slid around my waist squeezing me tight as he nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck.
"Don't worry, we'll make plenty of new memories this weekend," he mumbled.
Tyler and Rob rolled their eyes before turning away to walk down the hall.
I turned my body around in his arms allowing myself to face him. "So," I began throwing my arms around his neck, "what are we going to do first?"
"It's a surprise. We have the first 24 hours to ourselves. Today is just about you and me," he paused to kiss my forehead, "Tyler and Rob will hook up with us again tomorrow."
"So can we lock ourselves in our room for 24 hours," I teased as I kissed his chin.
His arms fell from my waist, "Nope, save that for later. We've got someplace to be."
I grabbed my bags from the floor, walking towards our room. "So what should I wear?" I shouted over my shoulder.
"Dress comfy."
It only took me twenty minutes to get dressed. I took a quick shower to wash the airplane grime off me and threw on some jean shorts and a tunic tank top. It was June so it was scorching hot under the Nevada sun.
I was thrilled at the prospect of spending the entire day alone with Shane. Since we had crossed the line from friendship to relationship, we hadn't had much time to ourselves. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing and I loved that I was able to be with him and my friends, but the thought of some alone time excited me.
Not much had changed. I cared for Shane just like I always had, and he would always be my best friend; nothing would ever change that. But now when I thought of him my skin became electrified and eager for his touch. My heart would skip a beat when he kissed me. When his skin pressed against mine, it was all I could do to keep myself from melting into a puddle. I finally saw him as a 'man' as opposed to my friend, and I could definitely see why he had all the girls swooning over him. How I hadn't noticed before was beyond me.
All of it made it hard for me to focus when I was around him, because all I could ever think about was getting him into the sack. I had had my fair share of sex through the years, but never anything like I experienced with Shane. I attributed it to the years of pent up sexual frustration between us. That, and the fact that he was flat out the best lover I had ever been with; he seemed to know what I wanted before I did. We were totally in sync with each other, and it was flawless.
So you can see why the idea of being alone, and not having to worry about making other people uncomfortable, was tempting.
I walked back out into the living area of the suite to find Shane sprawled out on the couch, his attention directed at the television. He hadn't noticed that I was there. I took the moment to admire the lines of his face, but as I gazed at him I was overcome with the urge to be next to him. I was able to slide onto the couch before he noticed.
"Hey you," he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer.
I pressed my forehead to his, looking into his baby blue eyes. "So did the guys already leave?" I questioned, lifting the hem of his shirt slowly revealing his chiseled stomach. My eyes fell to the thin line of hair that fell beneath his belly button and ran down to the waist of his shorts. I prayed to God that the guys were gone.
"Yeah, they left about 15 minutes ago."
"Are they gone for the day?" I pressed my lips to his cheek.
"Yes, but..." he broke our embrace and sat up next to me, "we have plans."
I sat up and threw my arms together in front of my chest and pouted.
"You can make that stupid face all you want, but we have to go." He stood up and offered his hand. "Trust me, you're going to love it."
"I'd also love nothing more than a good roll in the hay with you," I threw my hand into his and he pulled me up from the couch, "so this better be good."
We walked down the strip past the fake Eifel Tower and around to the backside of the MGM Grand. As we approached the entrance I saw a sign for the Rainforest Café.
"I hope this isn't your big plan," I muttered, "because I hate to break it to you but I have eaten at one of these before."
"Would you relax?! We have 24 hours of privacy ahead of us," he pulled me close and kissed my forehead. "Trust me. This is just where the shuttle is going to pick us up."
And as if on cue, a white van pulled up to the curb. Shane shot me a smile and took my hand as he helped me get in. I was curious as we drove. It was the longest, and most cryptic, fifteen minutes of my life. The driver turned on his blinker in preparation for a left hand turn and I saw a sign for Jean Airport.
"An airport, what the hell..." confusion spread across my face as I turned to Shane for clarification, "we just got here and you're sending me home?" I teased for emphasis.
"Don't be ridiculous! Think about it Em, what is the one thing you have always said you wanted to do, more than anything else in the world?" he paused, raising his eyebrows as he waited for it to click with me. "What would we be doing at an airport?"
Suddenly I knew exactly what he was talking about. When I was a little girl I was obsessed with flying. I wanted to be a bird. Tyler, Shane, and I had spent countless hours trying to figure out a good way to create wings. Obviously there was no safe way of doing this, so we gave up and I was saved a few broken bones. But my obsession with flight never went away.
In high school I had the school's ropes course to satisfy my craving, but once I turned eighteen I wanted nothing more than to go skydiving. I had done the research time and time again, but I never seemed to be able to actually go through with it.
"Oh my god!" I shouted, "you're taking me skydiving!"
Shane smiled as the driver threw the van into park. I threw my arms around his neck, mumbling a quick thank you before jumping out and practically running towards the building.
Inside I was greeted by a couple of guys about our age.
"Welcome to Extreme Skydiving," said the first.
"You must be Emma," the second spoke as he shook my hand, "I'm Steve and this is Charlie, and we'll be your instructors today."
Shane had finally caught up to me at this point and he introduced himself, "She's pretty pumped," he added. "She's wanted to fly ever since I've known her."
"Well get ready for your dreams to come true," Steve smiled, "because there is nothing like jumping from a plane three miles above ground."
Shane and I only had to endure an hour's worth of training-plus fifteen minutes of quite literally signing our lives away-before we were in our jumpsuits, holding hands, walking on the runway towards the plane.
"I love you so much for this," I said.
"I know you do."
"Alright guys," Steve shouted, "we're going to pair up once we get loaded in the plane. So hop in there and we'll get started."
I clapped my hands in excitement while stepping up into the small aircraft. Shane leaned over and gave me a quick kiss as Steve and Charlie took their positions behind us and started tightening their carabineers to our harnesses. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt the airplane engine kick on.
"You guys ready?" Charlie asked.
"Hell yeah!" I called out over the roar of the engine.
It was so noisy on the airplane that we couldn't pass the time with conversation, so for the next fifteen minutes while we reached altitude, I was left with only my thoughts. I thought about Shane, and how truly lucky I was to have realized how much I loved him. The thing I was most thankful for was that he loved me back because you can love anybody, but in order for it to be true love it should be reciprocated; and it was.
I felt Steve tap my shoulder. That was my cue. Shane had said he wanted me to jump first. He claimed it was because he knew it was important to me, but I think he may have been freaking out. He would have never admitted to it, but I knew deep down he wasn't all that crazy about the idea of launching himself from an airplane. Steve and I worked together to stand and walk towards the door. I looked out over the edge of the plane and saw nothing but clear sky. I had no worries, not a care in the world, as I gave Steve the thumbs up.
I felt myself catapult from the plane and was surprised by how it felt. I had expected to feel as though I was free falling, but it was peaceful and exhilarating, like I was floating on air. I couldn't help but think how perfect the feeling was, because everyday I was with Shane I felt the same thing.
I jerked backwards as Steve pulled the parachute and we began to slowly drift towards the desert groun
d below.
"How was that?" he asked.
"It was everything I could have ever imagined," I sighed, sad that it was over but thankful that it happened, "it was perfect."
The ground came closer with each second and before I knew it we were sliding through the hot Nevada sand. Steve and I had just about stood up and separated when Shane and Charlie skidded to a halt a few hundred feet from us. I ran towards Shane and jumped into his arms just as Charlie unhooked him.
"Thank you so much," I sighed as he squeezed my waist.
"You're welcome."
I wrapped my legs around his waist as he held me, and pressed my lips to his. At that moment I didn't care that we weren't alone, because all I wanted was to show him exactly how much I loved him.
He pulled back from my kiss and placed his forehead on mine. "Now that we've got that out of the way, what do you think about spending the next eighteen hours locked up in our hotel room?"
"I think that's the best idea you've had yet," I smirked.
"Someone's pounding on the door," I jammed my elbow into Shane's side in an effort to rouse him.
"What time is it?" he groaned, obviously worn out from the hours we spent shacked up in our room. We had returned to the hotel around noon, skipped lunch and went straight to the good stuff. Stopping only for catnaps and calling for dinner around eight at night.
I glanced at the clock, "4 am."
"We just fell asleep," he got up from the bed and pulled his pants up over his hips. "I'm sure it's the guys. They can never keep track of a hotel key."
I listened as Shane went and opened the door and Tyler and Rob stumbled into the suite.
"Where's Emma!" Rob yelled.
"In bed, where you should be," Shane spat.
"Screw that, we're in Vegas!"
I heard footsteps approaching the room as Shane pleaded for them to leave me alone and go to bed. They both slurred as they argued back with him, and I just shook my head. Some things just never change.
The light snapped on and I squinted as my eyes adjusted to the brightness.
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