by Nance Sparks
Riley kissed her inner thigh and then her hip and then that damp spot between her breasts before she pulled herself all the way up and was staring into Andrea’s eyes. She leaned down and kissed her with fierce passion, wrapping her arms around Andrea and holding her tightly. She managed to lift her arms up too and wrapped them around Riley’s back. She trailed one hand down to Riley’s hip and then pushed it between them. She needed to touch her, needed to feel her again. Riley gasped and then moaned when Andrea slid her hand between them and felt how wet she was for her. She brought her knees up and straddled Andrea’s hips. She looked up into Riley’s eyes and felt her hips thrust forward onto her hand. She twisted her wrist and pushed the palm of her hand up against Riley while gliding two fingers inside. Riley started rocking her hips with more urgency.
“Oh, yeah, that’s it, come for me, sweetheart. I want to feel you,” Andrea whispered.
She lifted her free hand and teased Riley’s breasts and nipples, switching from one to the other. Riley moaned and her pace picked up. She leaned forward and rolled over onto her side. She reached between Andrea’s legs and entered her again too. Their legs were tangled together and they were thrusting into each other while moaning and crying out. Andrea couldn’t believe she could climax again so soon after the last one, but all of a sudden, she was consumed with wave after wave of orgasm. Riley was right there with her, shuddering and quivering in her arms. It was such an incredible feeling. Why had she ever let this go? Why had she ever let Riley go? Why had she let so many years pass without trying to find her?
No one else had ever made her feel this incredible. She caressed Riley’s back, enjoying how soft her skin was. She had no idea how much she’d missed her all these years. She only had herself to blame. The reality of it all, especially after such a magical evening, hit her hard and tears started to spill over. She became completely overcome with emotion.
She curled up in Riley’s arms and sobbed. She couldn’t stop, couldn’t control the overwhelming feelings of guilt and loss that had been locked up for far too long. They were mixed with the beauty of what had just happened between them, a bittersweet reminder of all she’d given up. She didn’t fully understand why it was hitting her at this very moment; all she knew was that she couldn’t stop.
Chapter Thirteen
Riley stared at the ceiling, trying to settle the anxiety welling up from within. Andrea had cried for so long that she cried herself to sleep. She tried to comfort her, hoping she could collect herself and explain what had upset her, but words never came. Did she regret the evening they had shared? Had she simply been swept up in the roiling waves of romance and alcohol? She’d once dreamt about a life with Andi. Had the memories from her naive teenage days put too much romance into this unplanned reunion? What did she think was going to happen? Did she think that if they made love, it would heal all the old hurts and they’d live happily ever after? Like that would ever happen. No, it seemed there was too much water beneath that proverbial bridge. Riley blinked back the emotion that threatened to take over. The questions were coming much faster than acceptable answers.
The longer Riley lay there, the more her mind chattered, the more she felt like she shouldn’t be there. She carefully slid her arm out from around Andrea’s shoulder. Andrea shifted and rolled over on her side. Riley climbed out of the bed carefully and got dressed as quietly as she could. She looked over at Andrea one last time before grabbing her jacket and the handle of her rolling equipment tote. She held the door as it closed and was grateful for the almost silent click when it latched.
This was too much like a walk of shame. Lights flickered in the ceiling above her while she waited for a ride to the floor above. The elevator chimed out its arrival with such gusto in the stillness of the night that it caused her to jump. She stepped in and held the door for a second, hoping she’d hear Andrea call out for her once she realized her absence. Nothing. She let the doors close and made her way back to the loneliness of her own hotel room.
She looked at the bed, knowing she needed some sleep, but she was too keyed up. No, sleep wasn’t what she needed. She needed answers. She needed to understand. She shook her head. Was it worth it? Were those couple of hours of bliss worth this feeling of emptiness? At this very moment, she wasn’t so sure. Riley walked over to the desk and grabbed the unopened pint of Jack next to her laptop. The small water glasses were upside down on a tray by the coffee pot. She pulled the wrapping off of a glass and then twisted the cap off of the whiskey. She looked at the glass and then at the pint. Fuck it. The glass stayed on the tray and she simply tipped up the bottle. How could such an amazing evening turn into something so confusing so quickly?
She picked up her suit jacket off the back of the chair and caught a whiff of Andrea’s perfume. She held the coat close to her nose and inhaled deeply. This new fragrance was already a fixation. Her heart flip flopped in her chest. She hung up the jacket and took another strong swig of whiskey before replacing the cap. The liquid was warm as it slid down, but it did little to untie the knot in her stomach.
The sun was starting to peek above the horizon. Riley sat in the chair at the small table and watched the day come to life. Birds started to flutter about, and squirrels came out of nests located high up in the treetops. She sat there replaying the entire evening in her mind over and over again. She was completely baffled. One moment they were tangled up in the sheets climaxing together and the next Andrea just broke down. Riley thought she’d heard her say she was sorry a couple of times, but sorry for what? Sorry for inviting her in? Sorry for starting something that had no future? It was true, their lives were so incredibly different. Why did she lower that camera? Riley rolled her eyes, knowing damn well there was no way she wouldn’t have lowered that camera, allowing Andi to see her without her buffer. The issue was that she’d let her guard down and felt the fool for doing so. The hurt from all those years ago was creeping back into her heart. Andi had pushed her away. They were supposed to go to college together, start their own life away from Andi’s parents. They were so close to their goal, too, but then came Scott and the pregnancy. Everything was ruined. Andi had picked everyone and everything except her. Back then it had all been so devastating and it had taken a long time to recover. Which was precisely why she remained single, why she never let anyone close. This kind of hurt was all-consuming. Opening up and letting her guard down hurt more than she remembered.
It was almost seven thirty in the morning, too late or too early to try to sleep. Riley took a steaming hot shower and then made a small pot of coffee. She pulled out her laptop and the container of disks from the events over the last couple of days. She sat down with a cup of coffee and allowed herself to get lost in the project of downloading and organizing the photographs, something she always loved to do. There were so many shots of Andi. Candid moments that captured the very essence of her being. She wasn’t ready to deal with them but couldn’t delete them either. She created a special folder on the desktop and copied the Andi shots to that location. Once the welcome party photos were downloaded and saved into the folder, Riley looked for the series at the bar. That first moment they had spotted each other was magical. The photographs were everything she’d hoped for, the emotions of the moment shining through. Maybe she was overreacting. Maybe there was an explanation. She couldn’t just give up, could she? She added the final thirty-three shots into the Andi folder and then made sure to back up all of the files to her cloud account. Lost in thought, she sipped on her coffee while waiting for the entire wedding project to upload. Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she opened the text message.
OMG, New Mexico shoot is one for the books. Shit you not, a huge rattlesnake made a surprise appearance and then one of the bridesmaids tripped on her own dress on the way up the aisle. Total belly flop! Tits popped out! No pasties! Check it out!
A three-photo series arrived a few seconds later. Sure enough, the bridesmaid landed her swan dive dire
ctly on her small bouquet. Riley’s heart ached for the woman given the shocked horror on her face. Her breasts had popped free from the top of the dress in the last shot and the expression of everyone around her was the most powerful photo of the series. Hopefully, she hadn’t hurt herself and could someday laugh at the memory, because these photos would never be shared beyond this text. Riley had a hard rule on that one. But that wasn’t to say photos from people who’d been taking their own shots wouldn’t make it into the cybersphere. Sometimes, she wasn’t so sure that social media was a positive invention.
Her phone buzzed again. Beat that one, Chumly!
Riley browsed to the cloud account and downloaded the shot of Andrea in her maid of honor gown. The slight tilt of her head and the way the makeup made her eyes sparkle. It was a breathtaking shot, simply incredible, definitely one for the wall. Andrea’s hair was up, but she knew Jodie would recognize her.
I see your falling bridesmaid, exposed breasts and all, and raise you a one in a million chance encounter with the maid of honor. I have a few new photos for the wall. She hit send with the photo attached.
Silence. Silence for what seemed like an eternity. The last of the files uploaded from her laptop before a response finally buzzed in.
Is that who I think it is?
You stared at her on my wall all through college. It’s exactly who you think it is.
Silence again. Riley kept the camera disks from the two days of events as additional backup and carefully slid them back into the protective case. She labeled it and put the sealed case in her laptop bag before refilling her cup of coffee. Her phone started ringing on the table.
“Got tired of texting, eh?” Riley leaned back in the chair.
“I know I begged to take the New Mexico job, but I would have given anything to see your face when you first saw her. So, Andi’s there? In Alaska?”
“Yup, she’s here.” Riley could only imagine what her face must have looked like when she first spotted her.
“Holy shit! Have you two talked? Is she still with what’s-his-face?”
“No, they’re divorced. Get this, she has two kids, both girls.”
“It had to be weird seeing her again after all this time, especially given how things ended. How are you doing?”
Riley took a deep breath. How was she doing? Completely consumed in a whirlwind of emotion, that’s how. No doubt, it was weird to see her out of the blue like that. It was also incredible to be with Andi again, in every sense of the word, but then she needed to understand what had happened last night. What had she been thinking? Why had she been so foolish? Her arguments to pursue the evening made more sense when staring into those seductive hazel eyes. And it was absolutely wonderful, all of it, until it wasn’t. She was spinning out.
“Umm, hello—”
“Sorry, Jodes, it’s too much to explain over the phone. I’ll be okay.”
“Yeah, sure. If you say so. You forget that I know you. The tone of your voice says otherwise. What happened?”
“We reconnected and it was fun and unbelievable and then something happened. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m not sure I want to get into it right now.” Riley swallowed the emotion. She wasn’t ready for Jodie to know everything, but somehow, she knew that Jodie already had a good grasp on the bulk of it.
“Ah, Chumly, I’ve heard this record before and if I remember, it skips…a lot. Remind me, how does it go again? She’s the one your heart can’t let go of and all that shit? It took a lot to pull you out of that hole and what, two days for you to jump right back in with both feet?” The disappointment in Jodie’s voice could be felt across the miles.
“Trumps the hell out of your rattlesnake. I win.” Riley looked out the window.
“It doesn’t sound like you won anything. Sounds like you’re neck deep in quicksand. Do you want to talk?”
“I don’t know what to say. I don’t even know what happened. I think I just need some sleep.” Riley leaned back in the chair and ran her fingers through her hair.
“I’m headed to the airport soon. Do you want me to change my flight and head your way?” Jodie asked. “I could be your backbone if you need one. I’d need to borrow a coat, but we’d figure it out.”
“Ha ha, very funny.” Riley shook her head.
“Seriously, I’m there if you need me.”
“You were so excited to get out of this trip and that’s when you were just going to be here for the two-day event. Now, you’re offering to hang out and rough it with me in the Alaskan landscape? Did you forget that you hate it when nature gets all over you?” Riley laughed. “Thank you for the offer. I’m good.”
“I call bullshit, but I’m here if you need anything. Be cautious, okay? It’s probably already too late. Please try to remember how it ended last time around. I know you’ve known her for a lifetime and all that, but it was also a lifetime ago. She might not be the same person you remember.”
“She’s still my sweet Andi. I doubt her parents are going to ban me from her life again. I also doubt that she’ll go out with Scott and end up pregnant.” Riley closed her eyes and shook her head at the insanity of it all. She definitely needed a good night’s sleep. It would all make more sense then. “Shit, Jodes, you’re right. Same record and it still skips. I don’t even know how it could possibly work. I don’t do relationships. I don’t do kids, and our lives are so completely different.”
“Finally, some reason and logic!”
Riley sat there looking out the window. She had no idea what to say to that one.
“Gotta go, Jodes. I’ll catch up with you later. Thanks for…well, just thanks.”
“Watch out for the bears. See ya on the flip side, Chumly.”
Riley disconnected the call and picked up her coffee cup. It hadn’t always been like this with Andi. It hadn’t always been complicated. The complications had only really happened at the same time as the grand finale. What she treasured was the lifetime of memories that were amazing and wonderful, until they weren’t, and everything changed. Was there too much history between them to get past the past? Even if they could, it didn’t mean there was any hope of a future.
Chapter Fourteen
Andrea rolled over and reached across the bed. She explored the mattress for the warmth of Riley’s body but found nothing more than cold sheets. She opened her eyes as much as she could against the harsh daylight. The pillow had a dent in it but no Riley. Her head was pounding from either the whiskey or the sobbing, probably a little of both. She slowly sat up and looked around her hotel room then leaned to the side and looked down at the floor. Riley’s clothes were gone. Disappointment washed over her. She climbed out of bed and walked into the bathroom. Her hair was a tangled mess, half pinned up and sticking out in every direction. Makeup was smeared and streaked all over her face. She was still wearing the choker necklace and only one of the two earrings. Well, aren’t you a glorious sight.
Her phone started ringing and she ran for it, hoping it was Riley. The caller ID dashed her hopes.
“Good morning to you, Mrs. Kay Martin,” Andrea said, hoping her voice didn’t sound as disappointed as she felt.
“Good morning to you, Andi. Don’t think I didn’t catch that the photographer calls you Andi and the way you two danced together, whoa, totally smokin’ hot. So, details are needed. Did you do the nasty?”
“Aren’t you supposed to be on your honeymoon consuming large volumes of both Kay and alcohol? Why on earth are you calling me?” Andrea pulled her robe on and flopped down onto the bed.
“Kay’s driving Jack and Mel to the airport and I have to meet my family before they take off, too, but I just had to call you quick. Come on, don’t keep me in suspense.”
“We enjoyed a lovely evening together,” Andrea said.
“Sweetie, I don’t have much time, spill it! Did you fuck the photographer?”<
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“Sometimes you can be so crude. She came back to my room and—”
“And you tipped off the top rail and finally came! Yahoo! Did you get the orgasm of your dreams? Ya know, the one your parents never let you finish? Is my best friend a lesbian now? Are you going to see her again?” Sara asked.
“Sara, it was everything I remembered and so much more, magical even and then—”
“And then what? Do I need to seek and destroy a certain photographer? I will forsake my wedding photos and kick her ass if she—”
“God no, you’re so overprotective!” Andrea looked out the window. “Besides, it’s my ass you need to kick, not hers. She was kind and gentle and amazing. I don’t know what came over me but afterward, while we were lying there in amazing afterglow bliss, I lost it. I broke down like a blubbering idiot and couldn’t get a grip. Seriously, like eyes leaking, snot dripping, big time sobbing. I think I cried myself to sleep.”
“What on earth was that about? Did something upset you?” Sara asked.
“Nothing specific, nothing that I can put my finger on, other than the fact that it’s all so overwhelming. I flew out to a remote corner of Alaska to watch my best friend get married and then bumped into the one person that I used to daydream about marrying someday! I mean, who does that happen to? You know I’ve been wrestling lately, feeling like I’m so busy being a mom and a nurse that I forgot what it was like to be Andrea.”