Collapsing onto the bed together, we clung to one another, enjoying the high of the orgasm we’d experienced.
I love him, I love him so much.
Chapter 10
Heather and I had been discussing a double date for awhile, but our schedules didn’t mesh, or we just kept putting it off. We finally set aside a weekend to make it work. We tossed around ideas, mentioning going to the movies or a wine tasting, but then finally settled on something none of us had done in a long time – bowling!
We decided we’d spend an afternoon bowling, and then head to lunch at the local tavern. It would be nice to hang out together. We usually did our own thing, but we were all friends, so it seemed like a perfect opportunity for an afternoon of fun.
I was excited to go out with everyone. Austin and I said we’d meet Heather and Scott at the bowling alley, and then we’d follow them to the pub. It was a gorgeous sunny day, and I couldn’t stop smiling. I was curious to hear what Heather thought of us as a couple, how we interacted together. Not that it mattered, but it was just another layer of fodder for us to dissect and enjoy discussing - girl talk and nothing more.
Standing at the counter, we stood waiting to get our shoes, as we sorted out our sizes. Everybody made jokes about our fashionable bowling shoes with two tone colors, as each got sprayed out with Lysol before being handed over to us.
After being directed to our lane, we were relieved there was automatic scoring, because none of us had been in a bowling alley in quite a long time. My scoring skills were almost non-existent. Let’s face it, my bowling skills weren’t any better than my scoring, and I was in trouble.
Popping on my stiff shoes and lacing them up, I groaned while looking down at my feet. How can they not make more fashionable shoes after all these years? I wondered how old the shoes were and how many pairs of feet had been in them before mine. I shuddered and quickly thought of something more pleasant.
Walking along the racks of bowling balls, we went through the process of dipping our fingers into them, trying to find a good fit and weight for each of us. Heather and I went off in our own direction as the boys went another.
“So, how are you guys doing?” Heather asked, smiling.
“As if you don’t know,” I laughed. “I talk to you almost daily.”
“I know, but you were really stressed about his deployment orders, and I’ve been thinking about you a lot.”
“He told me he loved me the other night,” I smiled.
“He did!”
“Yes, and he asked me not to let go,” I finished.
“Aww, that’s so sweet. So the two of you are going to make a go of it?”
“I think so,” I said. “I’m not exactly sure what to expect, but I can’t imagine being with anybody else. I adore him, Heather.”
“I’m so happy for you,” she said. “Oh, I found a fit! This one should be good.” She picked up a black bowling ball with blue swirls through it. “It’s a ten pounder, more than this and I’d be in trouble!”
We finally all made our way back to our lane and placed the balls in the ball holder. We had a great time watching everyone have a go at it. A few gutter balls later, a couple of lucky strikes and spares, and we were wrapping up. None of us were especially good at bowling, but Scott won the first match regardless, and then Heather took the rest. Somebody had to win.
It was a fun afternoon, but what was relaxing and silly, soon turned awkward. As we were returning our shoes, Emily walked up to the counter with a friend. Talk about timing! She was oblivious at first, as our backs were turned facing the counter. They were behind us, and as we went to turn around, we almost bumped into them. The look, the silence, the stare…
“Hey,” Austin said flatly.
“Not going to introduce me to your new friend?” She asked, sarcasm dripping in her voice.
“We’re on our way out, see you,” he said, taking my hand and walking past.
“Whatever,” she snipped as we walked away.
“Who was that?” I whispered, pretending like I didn’t know.
“My past,” he simply said. Heather and Scott were decidedly quiet during this exchange.
“Oh is that…” I stopped. I knew I was playing dumb, and was damn well familiar with who it was. I’d seen Emily’s picture before on the internet. My stomach rumbled with knots seeing her in person. It was stupid, but suddenly I was worried he’d remember how pretty she was, or miss her, or want her back, or a combination of other things. The end result in my mind was that he’d linger on seeing her today, and choose her over me. It was stupid, my own insecurities, but I couldn’t slow down the thought process.