Him and Her

There’s a moment in every friendship between a guy and a girl when hormones take over and you want to pull them closer. This idea lingers in both party’s mind, don’t worry, it’s true even if they deny.

My heroes lived in two different countries and were born in a third one. They met in college, were good friends, then graduated and their ways parted. They met up every year. It was fun, they loved those rare rouge nights with shots and meaningful night-long discussions. They were never involved. They never thought about seeing each other.

One day, he had his heart broken. He went on a sex-spree and fucked every woman. He tried to have her too. Set his mind on this like a mission, and on a fun-filled rouge night he talked her legs apart. “Think about our friendship as a garden full of flowers” said her boozed up mind. His naked hands were caressing her thighs. He kissed her gently, and pulled her up tight. “We spent years keeping it beautiful. And now you stormed in and want them all to die.” He was inside her by the time she finished her sentence. Her body was excited, but her mind knew different. She stopped talking, he kept trusting. All reasons faded as she gave herself up to desire… Then he stopped. “I hate that you’re always so calm and collected. You’re right and reason so fucking well.” He rolled off of her. They laid in bed in silence for a while. “Our friendship worth more to me than this night” he said. “You’re my friend and I respect you as a woman. I know what you’re thinking. But this doesn’t count. It wasn’t good for anyone.”

They didn’t speak for two years.

“Are you coming home for the holidays?” he asked one day, after her 30th birthday. “We should hang out. And invite the others.” All their friends were excited. They were talking about dinner, but someone couldn’t make it. They planned drinks then. She was excited. So many things happened in the past two years. She wanted to catch up, she wanted to see him. She missed him. But something came up and he cancelled last minute. So they settled on both, and she waited. Dinner came, but no one else showed. Was it a date? Was it fate? He was cocky in his messages. “One should finish what one started” he said. “I want to see your room” he said. And she was conflicted.

On one hand, she wanted him to touch her. Even if for just a night, to love her. The last time she let someone in her bed was two years ago. It was thin ice where they danced their crazy tango. She didn’t know what to say. She knew she should reject even the idea of a night like that, but she didn’t. She didn’t say yes either. “Diplomat” he called her. And now he was standing there, 6 feet tall, in a long coat, handsome as ever, in the middle of the great hotel, right in front of her.

“Hello” he smiled.

They walked to a cute restaurant. It wasn’t fancy. It wasn’t nice. But it was cute and cozy. They talked. “I’m driving” he said. She ordered a double whiskey. Damn, he thought it was sexy. “How’s your love life?” he asked. “Non existent” was her response. They talked about the past two years, their jobs, their new friends, politics. The difference between their countries. She was cute. He was happy. It was easy, talking was easy. Like nothing happened, like that two years never happened. Like that night didn’t happen. “How’s your love life?” he asked again. “Non existent” her response was more confident. They laughed. She sipped her whiskey. She knew he wanted her, could see it in his eyes. She looked away. “I’m going on a hike tomorrow morning” he said. “But I want to bail.” She caught his eyes. So brown, so conflicted, so sweet. “I think you should” her voice was confident. But this time, he was thorn. Hesitant.

“If we sleep together, we create a precedent” he said. “You visit me, and we’ll fool around. I visit you and we’ll fool around. Soon I’ll feel awful and think you want more. I might want more. From you or from someone else. You’ll meet someone and I’ll be upset. Clinging on something that has never existed, I’ll feel cheated. ‘We’re not in a relationship’ you will point out and I’ll hate you for being so damn right. We’ll stop talking. Years will pass and I won’t hear from you. Soon, I’ll forget about you. I’ll get married, have kids and you will too. But in my life I won’t have you. I don’t want that. I want what we have now.” He didn’t say this. But she knew he thought it because she was thinking the same thing. “Just come up and we’ll hang out” she said. “That would end the same way” he said. “But I’ll walk you back. There’s no harm in that.”

“How’s your love life?” he asked. “Still non existent” she said. “How are the ladies out there?” she asked. “Ugly” he said. They walked back to her hotel and he stopped at the elevators. “Good-bye.” And only then did she understand. “I’ll show you my balcony!” she said and grabbed his arm. They rode up. She had to prove him that this was right. His eyes were thorn. “I won’t even take my coat off” she said calmly. The night was cold, the view mediocre. They talked about old friends. How they changed. How some disappeared. How it hurt then, but now it’s okay. “Are you talking about yourself?” he asked. “Yes. But they are not in my life anymore.” He walked back to the door. “How’s your love life?” he asked. She just smiled. He hugged her gently. “I think I just grew up” he said. “Yes, yes you did. And I’m very proud of you” she said. He kissed her on the cheeks and they said good night. “Have a safe trip back home” he said. She waved and closed the door behind him.

“It just got better” she smiled.