"Please come with me, I swear they won't mind." Celeste's voice was pleading, and I was already about to give in when she struck the final blow. "I need you there with me."
"Alright, fine. What are the details?" I said the words with a smile, her pleased sounds at my acquiescence enough to calm my nervousness at the prospect of officially meeting her friends.
"Yay! Okay, so we're going to meet downtown at this cool new restaurant that Anthony got us reservations for. Since Luke is leaving town for a job in a couple weeks, we wanted to throw a going away party for him."
"And when is it?"
"Tomorrow night. And don't forget, I have that meeting with the insurance adjuster in the afternoon so I'll be home late."
"Right, you sure you don't want me to go with you to that?" I sat back at my desk, cradling my phone between my ear and my shoulder as I relaxed. Hearing her call our place home had that effect on me every time.
I was currently the last one at the office, needing to finish somethings I hadn't gotten to the last couple days since I'd been completely preoccupied with Celeste's confession.
I want you to take my virginity.
I started to harden in my pants again, just like I did every time I replayed the words, the way she'd looked when she said them.
"I'm sure, but thank you again for the offer." I could tell she was smiling, even over the phone. I heard some pans banging together in the background, and my stomach growled at the thought of her cooking. She'd proven to be an excellent chef during the couple of weeks that she'd been with me, and I could tell she liked doing it.
"What are you making?"
"Bacon jalapeno mac and cheese bake."
My mouth watered, and I immediately began to shut everything down. "I'm on my way home."
She laughed, and the sound lit me up like it always did. "See you in a bit."
-----
"...And THEN he was like 'Well miss, it looks like you're shit out of luck because we're only going to cover about 50% of the damages and loss'. I mean, obviously he didn't say it like that, but that was his tone!"
Celeste was incredibly adorable when she was frustrated. I would never tell her that, but it was all I could do not to smile as I watched her rant out of the corner of my eye, arms flailing all over the place as she spoke. We were on our way to meet up with her friends, and she was updating me on the meeting she'd had with the insurance agent at her place. Which apparently didn't go well.
"What a dick," I supplied helpfully when it seemed like she was waiting for a response.
"YES. What a dick!" She sighed, head falling back against the passenger seat and rubbed her forehead. "I mean, 50% is better than nothing, but it's still going to cost a pretty good chunk of money to get my place habitable again."
I reached over and slipped my hand in hers. "Don't worry babe. We'll figure it out."
"We?" She raised an eyebrow at me, and I nodded.
"Yes, we. You don't think I'd let you handle this alone, did you?"
"I dunno. I just figured it was my house, so it was my responsibility."
"Maybe, but you're not alone in this. Now, let's change the subject. Where the fuck am I going?"
The question brought forth the giggle I wanted to hear, and I squeezed her hand while she guided me to the parking lot. We walked in together still holding hands, and Celeste immediately spotted her friends. She dragged me behind her, waving and grinning as we made our way over. I started to get nervous all over again, wondering if I would pass this test. I had already met them, but I hadn't stayed long that night at the bar. I'd been too wound up with the memories and needed to escape before I had said or done something completely stupid.
"Hey man, it's good to see you again." Anthony was the first to speak up, stretching across the table to clasp my hand in his.
"Likewise," I responded with a smile. I turned to Luke and we exchanged greetings, then Madison who surprised me by pulling me in for a hug.
"Thanks for taking care of my girl," she whispered quickly into my ear.
"It's nothing," I whispered back. "I'd do it for anyone."
She pulled back and gave me a look that said she didn't quite believe the little white lie. We all sat down, and immediately the three of them started asking Celeste questions about her house, offering help and advice. I could see the struggle she fought inside to accept the help. Obviously her friends new her well, because they didn't push her about anything, instead just offering up their services.
"Okay, that's enough about me! We're here for Luke, who has a very exciting opportunity!"
Everyone took the topic change in stride, and I figured now was a good time to jump into the conversation. "Celeste was saying that you're going to be out of town for a few months for a work thing?"
"Yep," Luke said. "Four months to be exact. I'm going to help train some people in a new office we're expanding to."
"What is it you do?"
"I'm a senior app developer. Lots of technical stuff, but basically I help build and fix apps as well as discover and bring in new developers."
"So, what he's saying is that under the pressed clothes and mocha skin, he's a giant nerd," Celeste added in a teasing voice.
Luke sniffed. "We prefer the term geek, thank you very much."
Anthony and Madison began to argue with him about whether there was even a difference between the two, and I could tell this wasn't a new discussion. I looked over at Celeste who was just shaking her head with a smile. She looked over at me, and I could see a tinge of sadness there that I couldn't place the reason behind.
"They have this argument every time he says that," she stage whispered.
"And I'm guessing you instigate it every time?"
"YES!" The three others obviously heard my question amidst their won conversation, as they were the ones who responded before picking up where they left off. Celeste and I looked at each other and both started laughing.
By the time Celeste and I left, I felt like I'd been friends with them for years. They welcomed me without hesitation, and I'd never felt so accepted other than when Travis and I had become friends. I knew he'd fit right in with the group, and something about the rightness of blending mine and Celeste's lives made me excited for the future.
"I had a great time Celeste, thank you for making me come with you." I said the words to Celeste as I parked at my house, and turned to see a devilish smirk on her lips. Those tempting, pouty lips. Her aqua eyes were a tad hazy from the drinks she'd had at dinner, but she seemed to be carrying herself well despite that.
"I know a few other ways to make you come with me," she purred.
I groaned, knowing that I wouldn't be doing anything with her while she was this close to drunk. "None of that, minx. Let's get you inside and to bed."
"Hmm, inside. I like the sound of that."
"Dammit Celeste, I'm not fucking you while you've been drinking."
"Party pooper," she grumbled but thankfully relented for the moment. I got out and helped her inside, directing her towards the rooms upstairs.
"Can you get me a glass of water?" Her polite request was simple enough, and I watched her make her way up the stairs safely before heading to the kitchen.
I got the water and brought it to her, knocking on her ajar door before stepping inside. I froze in the doorway, taking in the glimpse of completely naked skin I caught before she slipped a large t-shirt over her body.
No bra. No panties. My mouth went dry, and I almost took a drink of the water I was holding.
"Oh, thank you. I hope you don't mind if I go paint." She took the glass and gulped it down quickly.
"Of course not." The words were a croak, so I cleared my throat before continuing. "You know you're welcome to use that room whenever you want."
I'd cleared out a room in the basement of my house that had a big window that was perfect for ventilating any fumes that resulted from her work, and told her to go crazy. She had agreed on the condition that I wouldn't go in there without permission, something I had readily agreed to. I was dying to take a peek, but I wanted her to know she could trust me.
"Okay. And I promise that even if I'm not sober now, this water and the smell of paint will clear my head more than enough."
"Sounds good." I swallowed hard, unable to stop myself from asking the next question. "Do you... Are you going to put underwear on?"
"Hmm? Oh, no, I usually paint naked. Makes me feel freer."
I cursed under my breath and started backing out of the room, already picturing her in nothing but swipes and splotches of paint.
"Okay. Have fun. Goodnight." I turned and bolted, pretending like I didn't hear her husky laugh trail me all the way to my shower where I took my frustration in my own hands.