Destiny's End

Awkward Situation

         Lanae did think it over. She was happy that neither Sally nor Steve brought it up again, but she thought long and hard on it. A part of her really wanted to take them up on it, but that was a selfish part that wanted an easy job, a great boss, and a nice place without any risks. It would also mean she would be really close to her best friend and help anytime she needed it. This was the biggest reason she knew she had to stick with her first answer. No.
         She did agree with Sally on everything else, she did need to get her own place, her own job, and she had to learn to be responsible for herself, too. That she would not get a chance to do with Sally watching over her like a big sister and Steve protecting and providing for her like a big brother.
         So, Lanae realized it was time to move out and take control of her life again. She had been grateful that Gary had not caused any problems. Steve had talked to him at work and Gary seemed indifferent. "Glad to have her out of my hair, if she isn't happy with what I can give her, then fine. I can do better anyway." Steve repeated what Gary had told him at work.
         Steve also said that Gary had started bringing his new woman around and showing her off. "Not that she's any prize, mind you. He may think so, but she's not pretty at all, and she has a mean look to her. Maybe he will get his just rewards from her, and she will return to him what he dished out for you."
         Both Sally and Steve were ready for tears, ready to comfort her, but she didn't have any tears, and she didn't need any comfort. "I know this sounds cold, but I'm actually glad he found someone. I'm also relieved to know he will just let go without any fuss. I don't feel bad, just - relieved.
         Knowing this helped Lanae feel more relaxed and clear headed than she had been in a long time. She had some heavy duty thinking to do, and maybe now she could decide what direction she wanted to go. Time had passed by quickly since she had been staying here, and she knew that the longer she took, the more difficult it would be do choose what's best over what's more enjoyable. What was she thinking, it was already very difficult.
         She had helped Sally with breakfast and said goodbye as they headed out the door to their jobs. She quickly cleaned up the kitchen and decided to take a hot bath before doing up the few morning dishes. She ran the water, put in some bubble bath and turned on some music in the living room. Leaving the door open so she could hear the music, she took off her clothes and stepped into the big, deep tub. She slowly sat down, letting her body adjust to the heat of the water as she eased in further and further. She was soon submerged up to her neck, stretched out in the sudsy, hot water.
         She thought about a lot of things as she soaked, and then something startled her and she jumped. Sitting up, she realized she had almost fallen asleep and some noise, probably a loud car going by, had startled her out of her sleep. "Good thing, or you could have drowned in the tub," she told herself as she washed up. The water had begun to cool, so she didn't waste any time in cleaning up, then stepping out and drying off. She was still tired, "I think a nap sounds like a good idea."
         She reached down and picked up the pile of clothes off the floor. "It's a good thing no one is home, silly, you didn't bring any clean clothing, a robe, or nothing. What were you going to do, take a bath and put dirty cloths on?"
         Still holding the dirty clothes, she set out for her room at the end of the hall. She was lost in thought, or maybe half a sleep, maybe both. She didn't notice Steve coming out of his and Sally's room until it was too late; she plowed right into him even as he plowed into her. "Huh?"
         That was all she got out before they impacted. He was big and unmoving, but she toppled right over backwards, dropping her load of dirty clothes and losing her towel at the same time. Meanwhile, Steve was trying to right his own balance, even as he looked up and seen he had knocked her over. He couldn't stop his forward momentum, and before she had time to do anything more than grunt as she hit the floor, Steve was coming down on top of her.
         Another gasp escaped her as his weight crushed down on her. She couldn't get any air, he had knocked the wind out of her, and was sprawled out on top of her. He put out his hands and pushed himself up on his knees and then sat back on his haunches. "Are you alright, Lan...." His words trailed off as he took in her fully nude body splayed out on the carpeted floor.
         She tried, but could not speak. Again she tried and then a rush of air filled her lungs. "Yeah, I think so, just startled me and knocked the wind out of me."
         He was still looking at her lying there, "You kind of left me breathless, too. Wow! I mean," He got up hurriedly and looked the other way, "I'm sorry, I didn't know - I mean I thought."
         He didn't finish, and once again he was looking down at her. Then he forced his eyes back up to hers. "Are you sure you're OK? Let me give you a hand up."
         He reached out his hand, and she took firm hold on it. He pulled and stepped back, right into the pile of clothes she had dropped. Once again, he felt his feet getting tripped up, and instinctively pulled her even closer as he began to fall over backwards. Lanae also reacted instinctively and grabbed a hold of Steve with both hands, wrapping her arms around him to stop him from falling. Only she wasn't big enough to do more than slow him down a little as they both fell together, this time with her on top.
         They lay like that, for just a second or two, then Steve started laughing. This started Lanae laughing, and soon they were both lying there on the floor laughing. Lanae pushed off and to one side, then started getting up. As she looked down she realized with horror, she had lost her towel. The look of shock must have struck Steve as being even funnier, because now he was laughing so hard he was starting to turn blue. This fresh outbreak also got Lanae laughing again, as she struggled to get up and find something to wrap around herself.
         Steve grabbed her towel, which was partly under his legs, and turned to give it to her just as she reached past him to grab it. Him sitting, she bent down reaching, their faces touched, his lips brushed hers, and she kissed him. Not deeply, just a second and her lips were off his again. It was enough, he had stopped laughing and was looking into her eyes. She let go the towel and turned her head away, for fear she would kiss him again. Then she stood and ran down the hall to her room.
         She pushed the door shut and threw herself face down on the bed. She felt the tears forming, and then they just rolled out uncontrollable. She drew in a ragged breath, "Why? How could I do that?" She sobbed.
         She was sobbing and did not hear the slight click of the latch as Steve opened her door. She did not hear his soft footsteps across the thick carpet. She didn't not hear him approach her there on the bed, but she felt his fingers on her back and knew he had followed her. She rolled onto her side, "No, Steve we can't do this! What about..."
         She didn't finish, she had looked up at him, and seen him looking into the corner of the room, not at her. In his hand he had the towel and her dirty clothes. She took the towel and covered herself, as she rolled over and sat up on the edge of the bed. The towel was wet and cold, but she held it fast against her. "I'm sorry, Steve, I shouldn't have done that."
         He looked down at her, seen she was covered, and sat down on the bed next to her. He put his arm around her shoulders and smiled, "That's alright. Don't worry, it's just one of those awkward moments. It's actually still pretty funny. First I trip over you, and land right on you, then I trip over your clothes and pull you down on top of me, the whole time, your buck ass naked and don't know it." He started laughing, but not like before. Lanae knew it was forced.
         "But I kissed you, and you're my friend and Sally is my best friend?"
         "Yeah, that. I kind of noticed that" they sat in silence for a minute, "Why don't you tell me about it. Are you thinking that maybe we?" He didn't finish.
         "No, I mean - I don't know what I mean. It just kind of happened. I don't know" Lanae felt the heat in her cheeks and knew she was turning red.
         Steve turned a bit and took her hand. She looked up into his eyes and then looked down again. "Lanae, do you want to make love with me?"
         She pulled her hand but he did not let go.
         "Just answer honestly, please?" He continued to hold her hand and look into her eyes.
         "No, Steve, I don't. I don't know why I kissed you. Now please, don't do this."
         She seen him smile, first a little smile, but as she finished her statement, he was smiling from ear to ear. "Good, that's what I was hoping to hear. If you had said yes, well that would make things difficult."
         She turned her face to him, puzzled. "You mean you didn't come in here to, well, you know, do more?"
         "No, Lanae, I didn't. I love Sally, and I would not cheat on her. I just needed to know, because if this was going to be a problem, well we would have to find a solution."
         "But I kissed you, and then almost kissed you again. I wanted to, I wanted to kiss you again." She shook her head, "I don't know why I did, I don't anymore, but for a minute I did."
         "I know, I wanted to kiss you again, too. I think it was just response, you know. Once we thought about it, it passed, right? So it wasn't like we had been thinking we wanted to kiss each other. Can I ask you something, pretty personal?"
         "I guess so, what?"
         "When was the last time you made love? I mean really made love and enjoyed yourself, you know, kissing, making out and then an orgasm?"
         Lanae turned red all over, but held his gaze. "I don't know. I mean sometimes Gary would - well not very often, I guess it's been a month or so."
         "No, not like that, I mean romantic loving, caressing and you know finishing with a big orgasm that leaves you shaking and unable to walk."
         "I don't know. I guess, I don't think," Lanae looked down, "I don't think I ever did."
         "That's sad, but it explains a lot, Lanae." She looked back up at him. "I mean, if you never had that kind of romance and weren't satisfied when Gary and you made love, then it all makes sense. Doesn't it?"
         Lanae looked at him but did not say anything. "I mean, if you have never enjoyed making love the way it's meant to be, and then you move in here and see me and Sally playing and fooling around; well of course it's going to make you want some of the same thing. I mean not with me, but you know, with some guy who will romance you and treat you right. Does that make sense?"
         Lanae smiled and nodded, "Yes, it does. Thank you for, you know; you could have taken advantage and maybe we would have, or maybe could have ... you know."
         "It just means your human, you're a woman, and you have desires. It also means I need to be more careful, too. What if you would have smacked your head? Hell, what if I had broken your ribs or hurt you when I fell on you?"
         He took her hand, "Don't worry about it, it's going to be fine, everything always works out fine."
         Steve stood and left the room, pulling the door shut behind him. She wasn't tired anymore, but still felt uncomfortable so she stayed in her room for a while. She stretched out on the bed and tried to clear her mind. It didn't work, but eventually she did doze off. She woke to a light knock on the door.
         "Lanae, are you feeling all right?" Sally inquired from the other side of the door.
         Lanae sat up and went to the door and opened it, "Yeah, I was just tired after my bath so I took a nap."
"Well it's not surprising you were tired, Steve told me how he knocked you down and then fell on you. I'm surprised the big galoot didn't knock you right out. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know it's time to eat. I brought pizza home, I hope you like pizza."
         "Steve told you what happened? Um, yeah I like pizza."
         Sally looked at her friend, "Yeah he told me, we don't keep secrets, they have a way of surfacing anyway. He said you had come out of the bathroom and he knocked you down and out of your towel, then fell on you." Sally kind of chuckled, "Sorry, I can just about picture the scene. I know, not funny form your position there on the floor. Anyway, yeah he said he got up then tripped over the clothes you dripped and tangled in your towel and went down again, backwards, pulling you down on him this time."
         Sally laughed out then put her hand over her mouth, "I'm sorry, Lanae, but I can't help picturing the whole things. He's terribly clumsy, especially when he's embarrassed, and I'm sure he was very embarrassed when your towel dropped."
         Lanae asked, "You're not upset or mad at me?"
         "Heaven's no, girl, why would I be mad at you?"
         "Because I kissed Steve!" Lanae looked down as she confessed to her friend.
         "You kissed him?" Sally gently lifted Lanae's chin and looked into her eyes, "Yes, he told me that too, and then you ran to your room. Then he brought you your towel and talked to you. Again, why would I be mad. Now, if you had ripped his clothes off and taken him right there on the carpet in the hall, then I'd be mad, I just had the carpets steamed."
         One second of silence then Lanae cracked up laughing. "That's all your concerned with is the carpets?"
         Then they both broke out in laughter. "I don't want you kissing on Steve, but I understand how it happened, and I trust you, Lanae. I also think we gals need to have us a down and out conversation about getting you laid; I wonder if they have man hooker's around here. Steve," Sally yelled down the hall.
         "What you need?" he called back.
         "Where can we get a couple of man hookers around here?"
         Steve appeared at the end of the hall, "Man hookers?"
         "Yeah, where can we find a couple of man hookers so Lanae can get laid?" Sally inquired with a smile and some difficulty in holding back from laughing.
         Lanae was watching her, and almost broke out laughing herself. "Yeah Steve, where we can find man hookers?"
         "I think they are called gigolos, and I don't have any idea where you would find them. Two? You think she needs two of them?" Now he was starting to laugh, too.
         "No, she only needs one, but I'm not just going to sit here and watch." Sally now was laughing out loud.
         "Honey, I'll help you out while she and her man hooker do the wild thing." Steve offered.
         "I never knew your was interested in a bi threesome with another guy, Steve, but if you want to join me and a man hooker, go ahead, I won't complain." Sally barely got the last word out, then her and Lanae both broke out in hysterical laughter.
         Steve stepped back, "Huh? That's not what I meant, Sally."
         He turned red, then joined in laughing.
         Together they all three went to the kitchen and prepared their plates, piling them high with pizza, then it was off to the living room to watch a movie. Sally sat down on the arm rest of the couch and leaned over, whispering in Lanae's ear, "Tomorrow I don't have to work, we can have a nice talk, a serious one. Don't you worry about earlier, OK?"
         Lanae had taken a big bite out of her slice of pizza, and was still chewing. She looked up at Sally and nodded, then gulped and replied, "I'd like that, I have some stuff I want to talk to you about, too."

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