Tia andCasey

The sky’s brilliant colors were changing as the sun set behind the tall trees that lined the edge of property. Tia sat on her front porch, a glass of cold ice tea in her hand with a pink straw poking out of the top, watching the sun set. She watched the sky turn from pale blue to bright orange to light pink to a deep purple. The birds were beginning to chirp from the top of one of the trees, and the crickets were starting to chirp in freshly cut grass. Tia ran her hand throw her hair, pulling her bangs away from her face, and then took a long sip from the pink straw in her iced tea.  She leaned back in her lounge chair, propping her feet up on the railing, looking out across the lawn, watching the dog run across the yard. She wiped the condensation from her glass, and flicked the water at her friend Casey.

Casey had been her best friend for almost ten years now, and in those ten years she only had they had only had one fight. It was one of those facts that she took pride in. She could sit with him, on her grandmother’s porch, and not have to talk. There was comfortable silence with him, and she was perfectly happy with that. He flinched as the water she flicked hit his face. He smiled at her slyly, dipped his fingers into his own tea, and flicked it at her. She giggled and then looked back across the lawn. She could see Casey out of the corner of her eye, and she took in his features before he noticed her doing it. His blonde hair was short and still growing back from him shaving it. His hazel eyes sparkled slightly in the glow of the setting sun. She turned her head all the way towards him, noticing how his eyes squinted in the sun, how his brow furrowed as he tried to watch the dog, and the muscle that twitched just behind his jaw. She smiled at him, and looked back across the lawn.  The dog was now chasing the cat around the yard, trying to play with it. Tia whistled, her dog stopped in her tracks, and then looked at her. When Tia didn’t whistle for her again, the dog took off chasing after her again.

Tia rubbed her legs in an attempt at warming them up as the temperature dropped with the sun. She looked sideways at Casey again; he was leaning back in his lounge chair, playing with a whole that had formed on the thigh part of his jeans. She tapped his arm and gave him the look; he winked at her and stopped playing with the hole in his jeans. Casey stood up, stretches his arms high above his head, and lets out a loud groan. He looked over at Tia and pulled her up by her hand, and she’s standing in front of him. He wrapped his thin muscular arms around her and pulled her close. She wrapped her arms around him, and buried her head into his chest. She breathed in deep and she can smell all the scents that made up Casey. She loved how he always smelt like fresh cut grass after a rainy day mixed with the smell of his cigarettes. It was a smell she had always found comforting, especially after her dad died, and she had snuck out of her house to find herself standing outside of his bedroom window. He let her in, and held onto her while she cried herself to sleep. He had been good a friend before that, and her best friend afterwards.

Tia pulled back from him and looked up, “What was that for?”

“Because I felt like it. Got a problem with that?” he winked at her again.

“No not at all.” She smiled at him and leaned back into the hug.  He started walking backwards, still holding onto her, and dragging her into the house.  He whistled for the dog, and she came running up the steps into the house through her doggy door. He opened the door for her and pushed her through it. He let her go and went to the stove, turning the front two burners on, placing a skillet over one and a pot over the other. She left the kitchen, letting him cook in peace, knowing that it relaxed him. She went into the living room, and sat on the couch, pulling her legs in close to her, and stared out the window. The sky had taken on a dark blue, and the stars were beginning to twinkle to life. She reached behind her, turned on the lamp, and started reading her book.

Tia could barely concentrate on the words sprawled out across the page before her. She didn’t feel like reading the book, it simply wasn’t capturing her interest at the moment. She had too many things running through her mind; the images of the previous night continued to flood her mind.

Casey had stumbled home after a night of drinking with his friends. His face was flushed from the alcohol, his eyelids taking on a slight pink color. He wasn’t completely wasted, but enough to make him stumble a little. When he came home Tia was in her red plaid pajamas, sitting on the couch, her face buried in her book. She had barely noticed him come in until he plopped down on the couch. She looked up from her back and smiled at him, he winked in return, and she went back to reading her book.

He pulled her legs onto his lap and started massaging and caressing her feet. She welcomed the attention without a second thought. His hand slowly glided up her leg, rubbing and caressing lightly. Tia finally glanced up from her book, looking at Casey curiously, but he was concentrating on rubbing her legs and feet. Tia didn’t know what to do, her heart was racing and her face flushed as he touched her. She looked down at her book, trying not to take notice of him or the feelings he was stirring up inside her.

Tia was doing well ignoring him until he snatched her book from her, dog-eared the corner of the page, and closed it, setting it on the coffee table in front of him. She looked at him; his eyes were already searching hers. She had thought about this moment many times. She had dreamed, even fantasized, and now that dream was coming true. All she needed to do was give him a sign that it was okay. She had waited so many years to give this sign, now that she was about to have her chance her confidence was faulting. Both her head and her heart were screaming at her to give him the sign. She turned her head away from him, thinking that if she broke eye contact he would change his mind, but when she looked back his hazel eyes were still boring into her, still waiting for that sign.

Without further thought or hesitation Tia gave Casey a slight nod. He pulled her closer to him, sliding one hand around her waist and the other up her back resting on her neck. His lips touched hers with a softness she had never experienced before. His kiss was gentle and welcoming. She moved her hand up the back of his neck and over his short hair. Her other arm wrapped itself around his shoulders, holstering herself further on to his lap. Casey eased his hands down her back sending chills up her spine, moving his kisses from her mouth to her jaw then down the side of her neck. She tilted her neck to the side allowing him better access. He moved as low as her collar bone before returning to her mouth. He pulled back slightly, his hazel eyes searching her green hues. A smile spread across his face lighting up his eyes and when she returned his smile he continued kissing her.

Casey placed an arm under Tia’s knees and the other one across her back as he stood lifting her into his arms. Tia placed her arms around his neck, their lips locked in a kiss. He took her upstairs into her bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him. Casey laid her down gently on the bed then climbed in next to her. He took Tia into his arms, his hands roaming her body freely. His lips kissed every part of her. A swell of emotions welled up inside her. She hugged him tight and fell asleep in his arms.

When she woke up in the morning Casey’s arms were wrapped around her, keeping her as close to him as possible. When he awoke shortly after her, she pretended to still be sleeping and making soft snoring noises. He kissed the back of her head before he eased out of bed as quietly as possible. He gathered his clothes and left, shutting the door behind him as softly as he could.
Tia laid there for many hours afterwards, savoring the moment.

The previous night’s memories flooding her mind. Even now, almost a full day later, the thoughts still flooded her mind.

“Hey, Tia?” Casey called from the kitchen, but she was still lost in thought. “Tia?” Casey walked into the living room, a towel draped over his shoulder. He walked up to her, still calling her name. “Tia,” but it wasn’t until he grabbed her book that she noticed him.

Her green eyes looked into his and she smiled, “Hi.”

Casey cocked his head and his right eye brow before smiling back, “Hi. You okay?”

She nodded at him, “Yep. Just thinking about stuff.” Her nose sniffed the air, “Is dinner done?”

“Yeah,” he said. “I was just going to ask you if you wanted to test the rice.” He walked back towards the kitchen and she stood up and followed him. Her stomach had been growling for some time, but she was trying to ignore it. “Is there anything you would like to talk about?”

She stopped shortly behind him, her heart racing, her mind whirling. “This is my chance,” she thought. “I can discuss last night with him. I ask him what it meant. Where do we go from here?” When she started walking again she found him holding a spoon with a little bit of rice on the end for her to try. He eased it into her mouth, laughing when a few pieces escaped and had set up home on her chin. She wiped her chin off as she chewed, nodding to herself.

“I say it’s done.”