Leaden legs that trembled as would a seismic anomaly made the rounds through the living room so that Sara could mumble a few uncomfortable words to the men watching the hockey game before escaping to the easy solace of the kitchen. An exchange of words with friends shouldn’t have been a chore, not in a perfect world, but this was far from a perfect world. In a perfect world, some random blonde wouldn’t have been planted on Lincoln’s lap, nibbling on his neck, while Paul and Michael tossed around player stats. She even found herself ill at ease while leaning over the back of the couch to give Paul a quick kiss while Michael’s eyes were on her.
The girls were in tense conversation around the island in the kitchen. Wordless, Sara pulled out a stool and helped herself to a chip from the bowl, taking a hearty scoop of salsa before popping it into her mouth. The question she saw reflected in the sympathetic blue eyes and regret-filled green eyes of her friends had no need to be asked.
Nika was first to break the silence, manicured red fingers tapping against her iced tea glass. “Her name is Jane. We don’t know where he found her, but we hate her.”
“Okay.” Shifting her gaze, “I didn’t know he was bringing her, Roni.”
“I know. Don’t worry about it.” Veronica swirled a chip around in the salsa without aim. “Really. I’ll be fine.” The chip broke and she growled out her frustration before snatching another chip with which to fish out the broken pieces. When it also met the same fate she slammed her fist down on the counter. “Damn chips!”
“Well, it’s real obvious that you’re so fine with everything…and great timing, too. Now we don’t have to bother filling Sara in on why exactly we hate the flavor of the week.”
Sara quirked an eyebrow. “There’s a reason beyond her being the flavor of the week?”
Seconds ticked by on the wall clock while loaded glances were exchanged. Veronica cleared her throat. “She tossed her coat at me when they first got here and told me she’d like a diet coke.”
“What?” Sara started choking on the chip she’d been eating and Nika poured a glass of iced tea for her while Veronica smacked her on the back. Taking a few gulps, “Thanks.”
“Sara…she thought I was the maid.”
Hazel eyes went wide. “Huh?”
“Apparently, I’m only good enough to be here if I’m pouring drinks and changing sheets.”
“That’s just crap, Roni, and everyone but the hookerfied hussy in the next room knows it. I mean, hello? When you get out of law school you are so going to rock it at mergers and requisitions.”
“Acquisitions.”
Nika nodded. “Those too. You’ll rock ‘em all, chick!”
Sara cleared the last of the chip fragments from her throat. “What I think Nika is trying to say is that you have as much right to be here as anyone else. This wasn’t supposed to be couple’s weekend; it was supposed to be my friends.”
“I know.”
“And you are going to be an amazing lawyer when you finish school.”
“I know, Sara. I just…”
“You miss him. I know.” And she really did…more than she cared to admit.
“Okay, okay, okay, okay. Enough of the way depressing talk. Super tramp will just stay attached to Lincoln all weekend and we’ll do our thing. It’s whatever and it’s all good. What I want to know is who you’ve been doing the dirty deed with, Miss Thing.”
“Wha? I…we…no…huh?”
Nika gave Sara’s shoulder a playful smack from across the island. “Not you, goof. If Paul was working you over then you wouldn’t be so tense and stressed-looking right now.” Mischief played at the corners of her full lips. “I’m talking about the lovely lady lawyer-to-be.”
All eyes shot to Veronica with the same quickness as rosy hues moved over her features. “I don’t have time for a boyfriend with all my coursework.”
“Since when do you need a steady man for a good roll in the hay?”
“I’m not like that. I’m not…”
“Human?” Nika finished for her. “It’s the perfect stress relief, Roni. After a hard day of hitting the books there’s nothing to take the edge off quite like a hard night of hitting the sheets.” She wrinkled her nose and bit her lip. “But you aren’t the random guy in a bar kind of woman so you’ve probably got a man on stand-by. Am I right?”
“I’m not talking about this, Nika.”
“Okay. So I’m right. What’s his name?”
“What’s whose name?” Lincoln asked, moving passed Nika to retrieve three beers and a diet coke from the refrigerator.
“The guy warming Roni’s bed these days.”
Lincoln gave his head a stoic nod. “I don’t think you ladies need me for that conversation so I’ll just head back in there.”
Veronica shot daggers from her eyes at Nika as soon as he was out of earshot. “Thank you for that. This weekend wasn’t awkward enough as it was without that?”
“I thought I was helping.”
“By embarrassing me in front of my ex? You’ve auditioned for one too many soap operas if you really think that works outside of Bimbo Land.”
Sara cleared her throat. “Okay. Why don’t we just drop it and talk about something else for a while?”
“That’s a good idea, Sara.”
“I agree.” Nika leaned forward. “So…what’s the hold up with you and Paul?”
Sara blinked a few times while trying to absorb the question. “Why are you sure we haven’t done anything yet?”
“Because if you had then you’d have a smile from ear to ear 24/7 and you would still be trying to uncurl your toes, chick.”
Veronica rolled her eyes. “Again, using soap operas as a frame of reference isn’t…”
“I’m not,” Nika interrupted. “I just know, okay?”
“Um…Nika, should I be concerned here?”
“Sara! No! I would never…” She let out a defeated sigh. “Paul and I used to have sort of a regular thing. Nothing serious. Just sex.”
How was she supposed to respond to the news that her best friend who was about to marry one man she cared a great deal for had also slept with the man she wanted to care a great deal for? “Wow.”
“That’s low, Neek.”
Nika swished her head to face Veronica. “What? It’s not like he was even thinking about being with Sara at the time and I wasn’t with Michael yet. We were free agents on the dating scene and we were too busy to deal with the hassle that comes with having a serious relationship. Just needed someone to take the edge off.” She lifted an eyebrow. “Don’t get all sanctimonious on me when you’re scratching the same itch, girlie girl.”
“Touché.”
Sara took a slow sip of her tea. “It might have been nice if you’d told me about this when I started dating Paul.”
“Why? So you could use it as a reason to push him away within four or five months like you have everyone else you’ve dated?”
Yes. “No. I would have liked to avoid a conversation like this when I least expected it.”
“If it matters to you so much who all your boyfriend has slept with then why haven’t you had this conversation with him already?”
The shouting of Michael and Paul from the living room over a missed goal reminded Sara to keep her voice down. “It’s not that I need a rundown on each and every woman he’s ever been with…” She rubbed her temples while trying to make sense of her feelings on the matter. “It just would have been nice to know that one of my best friends had slept with my boyfriend.”
“You make it sound like I’ve slept with him since you were with him. Sara, I would never do that to you.” Nika tapped her hand to make sure she had her full attention. “You have to know that Paul wouldn’t do that to you either.”
“No. I know all that.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
Sara looked to Veronica for help, but she merely shrugged. “I’m at loss on this one, too. Sorry.”
Letting out another sigh, “Look at you, Nika. You’re gorgeous and I’m just me.”
“Come off it. You’re fully hot, Sara.”
“Now I’m going to be wondering how I measure up when I am finally with Paul.”
“I really think you’re making too big a deal of this.”
“Well…how am I supposed to feel now that I know you’ve slept with him? How am I supposed to react when he touches me, knowing that he touched you first? How do I manage to act normal now?”
Nika took a deliberate drink from her tea and then set the glass back on the island. “I don’t know, Sara. Probably the same way I managed with Michael, knowing that you’d slept with him first.”
© 2009, Sydney Katt. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use of content will result in dragon attacks.
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So, figured out one of your writer’s trademarks that is really good. Your contradictory inner dialogue to verbal dialogue.
Yes. “No…”
I think you’ve done that in Agents of Deceit, Alliance and now LWLU. Very effectively too. I think it’s a great character trait and true-normal. We all think one thing and say the opposite. I like that there isn’t a pause either. The character thinks the actual response but immediately verbalizes the counter. I like how quick it is. bam.bam. go.
awesomeness. And i like your new words – “hookerfied” haha. awesome.
Yep. I pretty much do that with everything I write…typically when a character’s still lying to themselves about something. If they’re actually contemplating how to respond or how they feel, it’s not bam-bam, just a pause.
I do too. It’s fun to write characters where I can create a new vocabulary. I’ve got one manuscript about a third of the way complete where the main character is like that the whole way through. I always wish I had time to get back to her. I like getting to laugh while I write.