How To Save A Life

They are headed into dangerous territory, Aly thinks. She’s had far too much Moscato and he hit drunk about two stops back. The logical part of her brain is telling her to put as much space between her and her best friend, but alcohol makes it all a little fuzzy. It’s been at least an hour since they curled up on the sofa together. Charlie Sheen has once again been roasted on the ’55 inch flat screen TV. Her best friend of fourteen years is currently stretched out on top on her with his head resting on her cleavage. Somehow, what started as a normal evening between two friends has turned into something decidedly more intimate.



  It occurs to her that she has to do something. So she lets the protective side of her take over and she shifts underneath him, a hint to move.



“ You really need to get to bed, Jess. You’re not a whole lot of fun in the mornings to start with and I’m afraid your hangover is going to make it worse, “ Aly cajoles him, in an effort to free herself.



Jess responds with a muffled ‘I’m fine’ againsts her breasts.  She rolls her eyes.



“ That’s all well and good, dear, except I want to go to sleep too and you’re making that difficult seeing as your taking up most of my bed.”



One eye glares up at her before he pushes himself up. When he manages to get himself standing up, he stumbles a little bit. Immediately, she raises herself off the couch to support him. Together, they slowly make it to the bedroom. All she has to do is get him in the bed and he’ll be out. Awkward situation averted. Aly perches him on the edge of the bed and then reaches down to unlace his shoes, one at a time. He clumsily pulls his shirt over his head. Once both shoes are off, she pushes him further onto the bed. She’s got a lot of experience in dealing with drunken men. After all, she was with her ex boyfriend for six years and he was a raging alcoholic. She knows as soon as his head hit’s the pillow, it’s lights out.



After making sure he’s tucked safely in his bed, she retreats to the kitchen for a glass of water and aspirin. If she can get it down him before he passes out, he’s going to be a lot less unpleasant in the morning. She nearly jumps out of her skin when she sees him standing in the doorway of the bedroom. Her eyes quickly avert. One thing she had forgotten about her best friend, was the fact he liked to sleep naked.



“ You coming to bed, “ Jess asks, like it’s the most perfectly normal question in the world. Like she climbs into bed with her naked best friend all the time.



“ I was just getting you some water, “ she replies quickly, attempting to duck the question.



He starts towards her, but she waves him off, insisting he get back in bed. At twenty seven years old, the sight of a naked man shouldn’t bother her. Except this naked man. This naked man shakes her nerves down to the very core of her. Probably because they have enough sexual tension between the two of them to raise the Titanic. When she crosses the threshold of the bedroom, she’s relieved to see he is tucked back under the blankets. Crisis averted.



Wordlessly, she passes him the water and aspirin, which he downs with ease. She holds her hand out to take the glass back to the kitchen. Except it appears he has other plans. Before she is aware of what has happened, he has used her outstretched hand to tug her down onto the bed with him. She quickly scoots away, successfully avoiding contact with any parts she most certainly does not want contact with.

“ Come lay with me, “ Jess requests, with a sweet smile on his face. She wonders if it’s possible to love and hate something at the same time. She loves that smile, but she has seen what it does. It robs women of their rational thinking. Yes, Jess is a man who knows how to get what he wants.



“ Yeah, I don’t think that is the best idea you’ve all had night, my friend, “ is her teasing response. His brow furrows for a second.



“ I’m not going to sleep until you do.”



In the battle of wills between who is more stubborn, it’s a close competition. Most days she believes he might be the only person on the planet more obtuse than she is. She can deny him, but he’s only going to keep bothering her until she gives in. Because she always gives in. This is the one man she can’t say no too. This fact hasn’t escaped her. Besides, she will do anything to keep him covered up under the blankets. She doesn’t need another remind of how perfectly sculpted his body is. No, she is very much aware of the hard muscles that make up the body of this man.



“ Alright, but only until you fall sleep, “ Aly relents as she quickly climbs over him to the other side of the bed.  Her body scoots as close to the edge as she can get. She wants as much space between the two of them as possible. She feels the blanket fall over her shoulders and breathes a sigh of relief. Except she has done so too soon. She’s pulled back by a strong arm and it’s hard to breathe when her back meets his chest . His head nuzzles affectionately in the crook of her shoulder and she discreetly scoots her lower body as far as away as she can. Jess isn’t having any of it.



All the air expels from her lungs when she feels the hard muscle pressing against her backside. She wills herself to relax and ignore it. She’s almost succeeded when he rocks against her.



“ Knock it off, Jess, “ Her voice is a warning and doesn’t betray the battle going on inside of her.



They’ve discussed this to death. Why sleeping with each other is bad idea. They’ve been best friends since high school. Adding sex to that equation will only screw things up. The problem is, right now, she’s the only one who seems to remember that. His lower body stills, but his lips find her neck. They are soft and light against her skin. Right now, she wants to be anywhere but here. Anywhere but in the arms of the man who has been her rock, who years ago, she had fallen in love with. It’s taken a lot of time and effort to forget those feelings.



“ Seriously. Quit it, “ Aly once again reprimands. She can feel his laughter against her back.



“ What? I’m not doing anything, “ Jess whispers against her neck, voice filled with innocence.



“ You know damn well what you’re doing. Stop it.”



Fingers gently tuck her hair behind her ear. His mouth moves from her neck to the soft spot of skin right beneath her jaw. She can feel his breath tickling against the shell of her ear.



“ I told you, I’m not doing anything.”



The downfall of their weird friendship is this man knows every intimate detail of her sex life. Including what turns her on. It seems he is going to use this knowledge to his advantage. He nips softly at her ear lobe. Try as she might, she can’t supress the moan that falls from her lips.

“ Really? You think it’s a good idea to tease the woman who hasn’t had sex in six months?”  Aly doesn’t recognize her own voice as it comes out. It sounds like one of those girls from a nine hundred number. She attributes this to the fact that she isn’t thinking straight because he is once again rocking against her backside.



“ I think it’s one of my better ideas, “ is his response as he continues to nip and nuzzle against her ear.  She moves to scoot away, but his hand falls to her hip and holds her there.



“ You’re drunk. Get over it, “ Aly tells him, praying that he listens, for her own sanity. Jess is an attractive man. Always has been. Not too short and not too tall, with light blonde hair and strikingly gorgeous eyes. He’s been told on more than one occasion that she can’t take him anywhere, because women fall at his feet. Mostly because of the charm he exudes. She has always found it amusing, but at this moment, it’s not so funny.



Her head turns so that he can see she’s not kidding, but it was apparently the opportunity he was looking for. His mouth lands on hers easily and swallows whatever protests she was about to make. She breaks it off once she comes to her senses.



“No. We need to stop. You need to stop, “ Aly struggles to get the words out, but it’s difficult when the pad of his thumb is rubbing circles on the bare skin of her hip. Wet kisses trail down the column of her neck. Her hand lands atop his to still his movements, but his fingers intertwine with hers. He uses the opportunity to roll her onto her back and she’s relieved because it makes it a little easier to think without the evidence of his arousal pressed so firmly against her. When his head descends towards her, she turns away slightly.



“ You can’t tell me you’ve never once thought about it, “ His voice is husky against her ears and she shivers.



“ We both have. We also both agreed it would end badly, “



“ But it doesn’t have too, we’re two consenting adults. I know you want me.”



“ Do I want you? Yes. However, sleeping with my best friend who I was once in love with is only going to end up hurting me.”



“ I’m not going to hurt you, “ He tells her firmly and she wants nothing more to believe him. Except she can’t, because this is only temporary and alcohol induced.



“You’ll hate me in the morning, “ comes out a lot more vulnerable than she’d like.



“I’m never going to hate you, “ he responds firmly as he presses her closer to him.



“ You say that now…”



“ Aly, you should know by now, I could never hate you, “ There’s so much resolve in his tone that she lets her guard down. It’s clearly the opening he was waiting for because this time when he kisses her, she offers no resistance.



It’s in that moment she has damned them both.