If Love was Fair

by Savannah Stewart

  “Yeah.”

  “That’ll make it hard to get them off of her.”

  I sighed, not even thinking about that.

  “Can you sit her here in the floor?”

  There was a good size area between the vanity and the toilet where she could easily sit with her legs straight out.

  “That’ll work.” He lowered her to that spot and leaned her head against the side of the vanity so she wouldn’t fall.

  “Thank you so much, Everett. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t showed up.”

  “No thanks needed. You do look nice, though. Even if you have puke on your dress and slightly in your hair.”

  “Ugh!” I gagged when I noticed it.

  He chuckled. “It’ll be fine. I’ll be in the living room. If you need me just holler.”

  I grabbed his hand and squeezed. “Thank you.”

  He smiled and left me to clean Emily up.

  Thankfully she had gone out in a pair of those elastic band shorts that look like the bottom of a flapper’s dress from back in the day and a tank top, so getting her undressed was an easy task. I already knew the girl didn’t wear panties, and removing a bra wasn’t like rocket science, even if she was dead weight. Once she was undressed, I lifted her to her feet and draped her arms over my shoulder.

  “Emily, if you can hear me wake up, please.”

  She groaned and tried to speak but what she was mumbling didn’t form words.

  “Can you hear me, Emily?”

  She nodded.

  “I need you to try and walk for me, okay?”

  Her eyes fluttered and she attempted to stand for a moment.

  “Good!” I helped her slowly across the bathroom until we were directly beside the bathtub.

  “Now I need you to lift one leg so I can get you in the warm water.”

  She opened and closed her eyes before pulling her leg up just enough for me to get it into the water. She inhaled sharply and I wondered if I had gotten the water too hot.

  “Now we need to do the other leg, sweetie. You can put all your weight on my shoulders and I’ll help you sit.”

  She nodded again.

  I slowly lowered her into the water and felt the temperature with my hand. It wasn’t hot, about a medium heat, which was fine. The one thing I used to make fun of her about was the fact that she had a suctioned pillow that connected to the back of her bathtub. She swore by it when she wanted a bath, claiming the rim of her tub bothered her neck. I was thankful for that little damn pillow now. I placed her head on it and stretched her legs out so she was a bit more comfortable. Not that her comfort mattered to her at the moment, she’d thank me later.

  She tried her best to stay awake as I washed away how her afternoon unfolded. I’d never seen her get so trashed day drinking. There had to be more going on than our argument. I needed to be a better friend and make sure she was okay. When she was back to herself again, I was going to do just that.

  I drained the tub and she actually stood on her own. Her robe hung on the back of the door so I pulled it down and helped her slip it on. She was slowly becoming a fraction of her normal self.

  “Thank you,” she managed to choke out.

  “No problem, Em.”

  We walked slowly to her bed and I pulled back the comforter so she could get in. She curled up on her side, still facing me, and gave me a weak, eyes half-closed smile.

  “I’m sorry for the mess I made.”

  “We’ve all been there.” I smoothed a hand through her hair and she closed her eyes. “I put a trashcan here by your bed if you feel like you’re going to get sick again. I’ll leave your door open in case you need me, okay?”

  “Okaaaay.”

  Her drowsy response made me giggle. That girl could withstand being hit by a bus probably. How she rallied and woke back up after passing out like she had surprised me. Hell, if I was down for the count there was no coming back until the next day when I was resurrected, and then I would still feel like death was knocking at my door.

  I’d almost forgotten Everett was in the living room from how quiet the house was. If it wasn’t for the sound of the kitchen sink running, I probably would have forgotten. The kitchen and living room were one giant open space, separated by the couch and one of those decorative tables butting up against it. I loved the floor plan.

  When I found him, he was washing his hands. The mop was sticking out of the mop bucket on the floor beside him, a box fan turned on to dry the freshly-cleaned area.

  “You really didn’t have to clean up that mess.” I leaned against the counter beside him.

  He grinned and dried his hands with the towel hanging on the handle directly below the sink.

  “You had your hands full with her. It’s the least I could do.”

  Everett had put his shirt back on, but didn’t bother tucking it back into his pants. His hair was a bit messy, most likely from cleaning up Emily’s mess, but he still looked as attractive as ever.

  “I appreciate it so much.”

  He looked me up and down before chuckling.

  “You need to go change and wash your hair.”

  I glanced down at my dress and groaned. I’d forgotten that I had Emily’s barf on my clothes and even in my hair.

  “Ugh…give me twenty minutes and I’ll be back.”

  “No rush.” He was still chuckling as I headed back down the hallway to my room this time.

  I made it a point not to touch anything with my dress as I collected some leggings and one of my extra long tank tops to change in to after I showered. Knowing Everett was a few rooms over waiting for me had my thoughts wildly racing. But getting out of my dress without getting vomit on any more of me was my main goal, being it wasn’t one with a zipper. My arms were the first to slip through their holes, and I slowly shimmed it upward so I could hopefully slip my head through its hole and toss it into the laundry basket with ease. Thankfully it unraveled exactly how I’d hoped.

  My reflection in the mirror caught my attention. My cheeks were flushed, my once perfectly-curled hair had loosened and a few barf-covered strands were matted together. I gagged as I debated on removing my hair clip, but I knew most likely it would cause those matted strands to move and the last thing I wanted was to risk smearing that shit on my face.

  The shower in my bathroom was quite a bit different than Emily’s. I didn’t have a tub to relax in; I had a walk-in shower with stone and a glass door. Yeah, I missed taking baths every now and then, but when I wanted one I’d sneak into her bathroom and use hers. Most of the time I didn’t miss not having a tub, though. My showerheads were top of the line and if I wanted to sit, I had a good size slab installed where I could enjoy the steam or shave my legs a bit easier. It was my own little oasis.

  “Arbor?”

  “Oh my God!” I nearly jumped out of my skin as I dropped my bra to the floor.

  Everett stood in the doorway of my bathroom and I was clothed in nothing but a skimpy pair of panties. His eyes quickly skimmed down my body as I tried to cover my chest.

  “I should’ve knocked! I’m sorry! I didn’t hear the water running so I thought you might not have gotten in yet.”

  “What are you doing in here?”

  He turned his back to me and cleared his throat. “Emily was groaning. It sounded like she was going to get sick again. I didn’t want to go help her and she think I’m some random dude trying to attack her or something.”

  I grabbed my robe from its hanger beside my shower and slipped it on.

  “Let me go check on her.” I slipped by him.

  There weren’t any noises coming from her room when I reached her. She was sound asleep with no vomit anywhere to be seen so I crossed back into my room and found Everett still standing in the same position in the bathroom doorway.

  “My guess is she was having a dream or something. She's out cold and still clean.”

  He looked at me through hooded eyes. I could tell something intense was runni
ng through his mind by the look on his face. It momentarily took my breath away. When I reached where he was standing, I placed a hand on his chest.

  “Are you okay?”

  His laugh was clipped and he shook his head. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, my heart rate spiked when he reopened them and stared directly into mine.

  “I shouldn’t be here, Arbor. My reserve with you is extremely thin after seeing you almost naked.”

  His words were like a jolt to my libido. I took the belt on my robe in one hand and slowly pulled it until it was no longer tied. Everett’s eyes dropped from mine to my hands undoing my robe. It fell open just enough to exposed the center of my body.

  He took a step closer to me and slipped a hand around my waist beneath the robe. The warmth of his hand caressing my skin was intoxicating. With one gentle pull of his hand, our bodies were almost touching and my breathing was audible for the both of us. His lips connected with mine and his other hand slipped beneath my robe, pushing it off my shoulders and exposing my chest. I dropped my arms to my side and shook the robe completely off.

  “Jesus Christ.” He took in my body before dropping to his knees and taking my breast into his mouth.

  A long moan rolled up my throat and I went to put my hand in my hair when the thought of the matted vomit in it came to mind.

  “Everett…” I breathlessly managed to say. “I still need to wash my hair.”

  He hummed against my breast and quickly stood, lifting me as he went. I squealed as he carried me into the shower and sat me on the seat. I watched in awe as he stripped his clothes off and ran a hand down his length. I lifted from the seat and slipped my panties off as he turned the faucet on. We both stood there staring at one another as the water turned from cool to warm. Steam began to fill the shower stall and I made the first move. I slowly closed the distance between us and smoothed my hands up his abs, his chest, and around his neck. His erection pushing against my stomach between us. Before I could take his mouth with my own, he spun me around. I anticipated what he was going to do next, as the sound of a bottle popped open and a few seconds later his hands began massaging shampoo into my hair.

  One thing I loved was having my hair played with, and I loved having my hair stylist wash my hair even more, so Everett cleaning my hair for me was one of the best things he could’ve done. The fact that he didn’t try to shove me against the wall and fuck me senseless surprised me. It made me realize he wasn’t just about getting me beneath him, he cared.

  As he began to wash the shampoo from my hair, he pressed his lips against the top of my shoulder. I turned and faced him. No one had ever looked so sexy with water running down their face and chest as he did. I smiled and gave him a gentle kiss. His hands smoothed down my back, resting just above my tailbone. We stood there, embraced in one another as we slowly kissed. No fondling or overly passionate kissing, just slow and sexy enjoyment of the feel of each other.

  His hands left my back and I heard the sound of another bottle pop open. He pulled back enough to remove his lips from mine and squeezed conditioner into his palm. He made a turning motion with his free hand and I did as he asked. He began massaging it into my hair and against my scalp and I closed my eyes, taking in the sensation. Our entire shower was spent in silence, and I was okay with that. Once my hair was nice and lathered, he began to rinse the conditioner out just like he had the shampoo. His hands moved from my hair to my shoulders and began kneading the muscles there. I groaned with enjoyment and rolled my neck from side to side. Everett was making it very hard to want to shower by myself ever again.

  Fourteen

  Waking up to breakfast in bed would’ve been nice, but instead I woke up to the sound of Emily barfing her guts out across the hall. Both of our bedroom doors were left open throughout the night, which only happens on special occasions. Like one of us over-indulging the spirits or the flu bug hit our casa.

  The clock on my nightstand surprisingly read a quarter after ten. Which not only meant we had gotten more sleep than I’d anticipated, but we were both hellaciously late for work.

  I padded across the hall and found Emily sitting up in bed with her head stuck in the trashcan in her lap. A silent prayer went up that she was able to use the trashcan and not make another gross ass mess. I wasn’t sure I could clean any more puke up in the near future, maybe only if it was life or death.

  “Do you need anything?” I quietly asked as I sat in the bed beside her.

  “I think I’m going to die.” She groaned.

  “Water?”

  “No, a Pedialyte popsicle, please.”

  She was the only person I knew that would buy those damn things, but they were great for hangovers. I went and got her favorite flavor, grape, and brought it back to her.

  “Here, I already cut the end off.”

  “Thank you.” She pulled her head out of the trashcan and took the popsicle.

  I took the trashcan into her bathroom and cleaned it out. This time I dried the inside and lined it with a trash bag knowing it would make it easier to get rid of sickness next time. Even thought I hoped there wouldn’t be a next time. She looked terrible. Her eyes were bloodshot and her skin was paler than usual. She wasn’t her full energy self, I hated that so much.

  Placing the trashcan back beside the bed, I slipped in beside her. She didn’t smell like vomit, thank the Lord, but she did feel warm.

  “You’re burning up, Emily.”

  “It always happens after I tie one on.”

  I pulled her into my arms as we laid there staring up at the ceiling.

  “Why did you tie one on?”

  She sighed. “I let you down, Arbor. That entire situation shouldn’t have happened like it did. We should’ve talked it out and then made a decision whether or not I should take Evergreen. I shouldn’t have only listened to Everett. Your opinion matters and I screwed up.”

  “We all make mistakes, but I overreacted. I shouldn’t have stormed out of here without talking things out with you. That was my fault. I even made a fool out of myself at Everett’s office.” The flash of what happened made me laugh. “It was horrible.”

  She looked up at me smiling. “Couldn’t have been too horrible since he was here last night.”

  “You do remember.”

  “Oh believe me, I remember quite a bit and heard more than you probably hoped I heard.”

  I covered my face and laughed.

  “We didn’t sleep together. Only showered.”

  “Who does that?” She scoffed. “If I was in the shower with a man that looked like that.” She purred. “I would have done any and everything he allowed.”

  “I honestly thought it was leading there, but he pumped the brakes. It was obvious he wanted to, if you know what I mean, but we spent the time silently enjoying one another and he washed your puke out of my hair.”

  Emily erupted with laughter before cringing. “I shouldn’t laugh, it makes my ribs hurt.” She clenched her sides. “So you’ve seen the man naked but haven’t ridden his pony yet. How very odd…”

  “Well, I can tell you’re beginning to feel better.”

  “Tell me more.”

  “I think you’ve heard enough.” I got out of her bed and started toward the door.

  “No, come back! Don’t leave me here to die on my own.”

  I narrowed my eyes at her. “You’re over dramatic. I have to go to work. We’re both already late as hell.”

  “I took care of it already.” She sat up. “Left Dan a voicemail saying we both had food poisoning. He texted me a little while ago and said he hoped we felt better. Especially you since you’re leaving for your trip in a few days.”

  My head dropped back against my neck. With everything that had transpired over the night I’d totally forgotten about the trip back home for Libby’s wedding. I needed a break, a peaceful retreat from all the stress and bullshit life was tossing my way.

  “Don’t remind me.” I groaned. “It would be so nice to run away
and unplug from everything for a couple weeks. But noooo…life has a giant middle finger it is waving at me.”

  “We could do that once you get back.” Emily smiled brightly.

  “I doubt Dan will let me take a month and a half off in a row. I’m pretty sure I’d be jobless if that was the case.”

  “You have a point.”

  “You want some food?”

  “Chicken noodle soup if it’s on the menu.”

  “I’ll call some in and see if Jones Diner will deliver out here. Then we can Netflix and literally chill all day.”

  “Sounds like the best idea ever.” She slouched back beneath her covers while I went to call Jones Diner.

  Lazy days didn’t happen very often for either of us, so taking advantage of them when they did happen was the only way to go. Even if Emily’s massive hangover was the culprit. We’d spent the entire day laying in her bed eating just about everything in the house, and binge watching different shows on Netflix. You couldn’t beat that kind of day in the middle of the work week. At least I couldn’t.

  “We really need to get up and move a bit or rigor mortis might set in.”

  “I think mine already has.” Emily stretched her arms above her head and arched her back, groaning while doing so.

  “I don’t think either of us has moved much in four hours.”

  “I’m okay with that as long as neither of us have peed the bed.”

  We both erupted with laughter.

  “Only you would say that.”

  “So, you wanna talk about anything?” She dove right into the heavy stuff. “Your upcoming trip, the situation with Everett, or something completely opposite?”

  I contemplated for a minute. “Do you have anything going on we need to talk about? I know our argument wasn’t what fully sparked what happened yesterday, and I want you to know I’m here for support no matter what’s going on. You know that, right?”

  She sighed so heavily I was afraid she’d completely deflated herself.

  “That bad?”

  Tears welled in her eyes and I knew I was charting territory Emily usually didn’t divulge very often.

  “I’m just unhappy.” She sniffled, trying to hold back her emotions. “After that night with Lonnie and seeing how Everett would do just about anything to have you, it made me realize that I’ve been living life wrong. I keep picking the guys that just want one thing from me, nothing more. I keep pretending that it’s enough, when it’s not. I want; no, I need to feel like I mean something to someone.”