TIC TAC - (CC,AU,Adult) - Part 31 - 8/14/11
Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 9:51 pm
Earth2Mama: Yeah, we can imagine.
Isn’t it frustrating when anyone (esp. us) know the truth, but the main people are clueless? lol
begonia9508: Yeah, that would really be stressful.
Oh, we’re gonna find out. We’ll follow them through the blackout.
secretk: Nope, not at all.
People don’t realize how dependant they are on power until it’s taken away.
Lol, we’re pretty sure that while it bothers Kyle he just hasn’t figured out why yet.
Michael is intrigued by Courtney, but it’ll take her to be the catalyst to make him and Maria open their eyes to the possibilities.
There’s a very good chance that the weekend at the beach will somehow get everyone together.
Your dreamer mind might not be too far off track.
kismet: True, that would’ve been ideal. Unfortunately, they’re not all together. However, there’s a good chance that a lot of them will be meeting up.
Isabel and Kyle are very good friends
mary mary: We won’t leave Tess stranded by her lonesome for long. Ungh, heat wave with no A/C? Yeah, a dip would be the way to go, lol.
What direction will Max take… we’ll see soon.
Smac: Lol, they are good friends, first and foremost. Ah, we’re gonna spare you that for any further scenes. Nope, Maria can’t imagine it. And Kyle? Well, the thing with Tess and Max bugs him but he just can’t quite figure out why.
You just never know how things are gonna line up during the blackout.
Rodney: Lol, yes, but… we’re still gonna hear about the blackout.
Hmm… you did make that recommendation and we haven’t forgotten it. However, it just wasn’t to be in this scene.
keepsmiling7: He’s heading… well, he hasn’t said yet.
Think lockdown in the elevator is a good thing for Tess, huh?
Alien_Friend: Nope, Max hasn’t shared that with anyone.
Blackouts can make people insane and combined with the high temperatures of the heat wave, there’s just no telling what’ll happen.
Michael definitely knows what to do and how to handle people. Ah, yes, foreshadowing…
Kyle and Isabel are great friends and they have a good time together.
Eva: Hmm… some of them might run into each other and maybe learn that not all of their assumptions are correct.
sarammlover: We’ll get a little glimpse into Tess and Maria’s history in this part. Yeah, we want Candy too… if Michael and Maria would just cooperate we’d get there a lot faster, lol.
phyco352: Well, you’ve got some reading to do, lol! Enjoy!
Author’s Note: We’ll be taking a vacation break for a couple of weeks, so we’ll be back on September 4th with a new update!
Part 31
Somber
“HELLO???” Tess pounded against the closed door of the elevator. “Hello? Can anybody hear me?” She had been in the small dark car for more than ten minutes now. The security telephone didn’t work and the only light was coming from her cell right now, which had no signal of course.
“Fuck,” she hissed, trying to control her breathing. “Don’t panic, Tess, it’s probably just a power outage,” she told herself to calm her down, but she could already feel her pulse racing with every second that she was trapped.
She once again glanced at her cell, alarmed when the beeping sound told her that the battery was almost empty. “No,” she hissed, “don’t go out.” Her begging didn’t help though and a moment later she was surrounded by complete darkness again.
“Hello?” she tried one more time but didn’t get a reply. Slowly she slid down the small wall next to the doors of the elevator. She rested her forehead on her knees, while her hands wandered to the back of her neck.
“Focus, Tess,” she mumbled, trying to concentrate on her breathing to keep it regular. The last thing she needed was to start hyperventilating in here. What was happening outside? Was it really just a power outage or something worse?
Her thoughts immediately went to the day that had changed all of their lives. Had Matt known what was going on while he was trapped in that stupid elevator on 9/11? Was he all alone in that moment?
Her hands started to shake and she could feel the panic in her trying to escape. “I promise to make up for my mistakes in the past,” she whispered, “just let me outta here. I’ll go and tell Maria, I swear. Hell, I’ll tell Kyle too if it’s necessary.”
Sweat was running down her spine. The air conditioning was out and it was only a matter of time before the air would get really hot in this tiny space. Her rapid heartbeat didn’t help the situation either. “I should’ve come clear from the very first moment,” she babbled to herself for distraction as she slowly rocked back and forth. “I should’ve told Maria instead of leaving.” She was pretty sure she wouldn’t be where she was right now if the past had been different…
Tess’ hair fluttered slightly when she crossed a busy street in Manhattan. A bus passed on the street behind her in a rush, honking when she didn’t run fast enough. She frowned when she couldn’t hear her friend on her cell. “Maria? Sorry, damn traffic is way too loud to understand anything.”
“Where are you?” the other girl said again, louder this time.
“Almost there,” Tess answered. She and her best friend had planned a girl’s night only and she had already bought their favorite takeouts. This would be a special night, the blonde thought. Today she was finally planning to admit her biggest secret and she couldn’t wait until Maria finally knew. She was sick of keeping her crush on her older brother’s best friend a secret; it would be so much easier once she was able to talk to her buddy with it.
“Can you bring some beer as well?”
“Already got that, girlfriend,” Tess laughed, knowing exactly what her friend needed for a good girl’s night. Junk food, beer, more junk food, and a good old movie. “Gimme another two minutes,” she yelled into the cell when the traffic got too loud again. She closed her phone and pushed it back into her pants pocket, greeting the doorman with a nod when he held the big front door open for her to go inside.
Maria was sitting on the couch, staring at the television and wondering why they bothered to subscribe to the cable service. There was never anything on and it seemed like they played the same boring things over and over again anymore. She tipped her head back when she heard the noise in the hallway and knew that meant Tess was there. She got up to go open the door so she wouldn’t have to fight with the multitude of locks just to get inside. She was grinning as she hurried to beat her best friend to the door. Besides, she had some interesting news to share. Last night she had found a solution, albeit temporary, for her sucky love life here lately.
“Wow, how’d you know I was here,” Tess wondered aloud as she stepped inside weighed down with food, her bag, beer, and some shopping bags.
“I heard you soon as you hit our floor,” she answered, reaching out to take some of the bags. “Jeez, you look like you’ve been on a shopping spree.”
“You know how hard it is for me to resist.” Tess sighed when she could finally walk around without any heavy bags in her hands or on her shoulders.
That was true, Maria mused. The only person she knew who could out-shop Tess was her older sister Isabel. Although she could give them both a run for their money if she had access to credit cards with no limits like they did. She started nosing through the bags, grinning when she saw the tags with marked-down prices. She had shared her knowledge of sales with Tess and it looked like she was finally getting the hang of it. “Looks like you hit the jackpot with the sales.” She shifted a couple more bags around. “What’d you bring for dinner?”
“Your favorites of course.”
“Beef and cheese enchiladas with extra Spanish rice? Oooh, tell me you got the fried ice cream too!”
Tess snorted. “You’d give me hell if not, so yeah.”
“Awesome! Spanish food is perfect with beer. The only thing that goes with it even better is pizza.” She dug through the sacks, grabbing the ice cream and putting it in the freezer for later. She pulled the lid off of one of the containers and grabbed a warm tortilla chip, dipping it in the salsa and taking a bite. “Mmm, that’s good. You’re sooo my favorite person.”
“Ya can’t even wait until we’re settled, huh?” the other girl asked in amusement and took everything over in front of the TV where Maria had already spread a blanket so they could picnic on the ground.
“Are you kiddin’? I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast. I didn’t have time to grab anything for lunch. I know it’s just a temp job, but they want like a million and one things done… and they want me to do all of them.”
“If you’d just let me pay more of the rent you wouldn’t have to work so much,” Tess said, rolling her eyes and covering her friend’s mouth. “Yeah, yeah, don’t gimme the speech about how ya don’t wanna take money from anyone. Not again.”
“Mu mo my,” she mumbled against Tess’ hand and then shrugged when she got an annoyed look in response.
“You’re just too stubborn.”
Maria rolled her eyes when Tess lowered her hand. “Yeah, well, ya love me anyway.”
“Sit,” the curly blonde ordered. “I’m starving.”
She shrugged and dropped down to sit on the floor without another word.
“Soooo, girl,” Tess said excitedly as she reached for a Taco. “What’s the great news, huh?”
Maria reached for one of the takeout plates and popped the top off. “So, I get to go first?” she teased since she knew Tess had mentioned having something to tell her when they had talked earlier.
“Yep, I’m that generous.”
“Whatever,” she snorted as she cut into one of the cheese enchiladas and bit into it. “Oh, my God, these are soooo good!” She pointed at Tess with her fork. “You’re never that generous.” She narrowed her eyes at her best friend. “That means whatever it is will be good... spill!”
Tess laughed, but shook her head. She knew once she had shared her crush with Maria they would talk about it all night.
“No way, girl... you have to go first now.”
“Nope. Age before beauty.”
“Ungh, you sooo did not go there!” Maria muttered, throwing a chip at Tess.
“Hey! Don’t waste the food.”
“Yeah, way to try an’ change the subject, Guerin.” She shook her head. “You know you wanna share, so let’s have it.”
“Ya know what? We’re gonna do a little game,” Tess grabbed the boxed full of Mexican food. “The one who can get more Tacos in her mouth at once wins and can choose who starts.”
“Yeah, I’m gonna choke on a taco just so I can make you go first.”
“Either that or ya give in.”
Maria made a face at her. “Fine, I’ll go first if it means saving myself from death by taco.”
Tess grinned. “Guerin’s get always what they want, you should know that by now.”
“You’d think I’d know that, wouldn’t you? Fine, I’ll go first, but then you’re tellin’ me everything.”
“Of course,” the other girl promised.
“Okay, well, it’s not like my news is anything earth-shattering, it’s just kind of a temporary fix to my crappy love life. Ya know how recently it’s just been kinda... well, it’s just sucked here lately.”
“Your own fault. You can get any man with your looks.”
“Then why do I seem to be attracting losers and assholes? I mean, what is it, some sort of sign visible only to them or something?”
“Guess ya just attracted to the wrong kinda guy… But anyway, ya found a solution. What is it?”
“God, you are in such a hurry... are you sure you don’t wanna go first?”
Tess groaned and threw her head back against the couch, where she was resting her back. “You are so frustrating, girl!”
“Kyle.”
“Huh? What about Kyle?”
“Kyle. He’s my solution.”
Tess’ heart suddenly started to race. “Kyle Valenti?”
“Do you know another Kyle?”
“Well, no, but maybe you do,” Tess babbled, still hoping this didn’t mean what she thought it meant.
Maria snorted and leaned over to grab a bowl of hot sauce. “I don’t think so, but that’s neither here nor there. I’m talkin’ about Kyle Valenti, your brother’s best guy friend.”
Breathe, Tess reminded herself. “So um, what exactly does this mean?”
“It means I hooked up with Kyle last night.”
Oh my god, I think I’m gonna be sick! “Oh. Wow….”
“Yes.” Maria nodded matter-of-factly. “Neither of us was expecting it, believe me. I mean it’s not like we’re talkin’ soulmates or anything but...” she shrugged.
“How?” Tess asked stupidly. “I mean, how did it happen at all?” Did she really want to know?
Maria snorted. “It just sorta happened, I don’t know. We were just talkin’ about things an’ how all guys/girls either wanted too much or not enough an’ we eventually ended up discussing what the perfect solution would be.” She wrinkled her nose. “Okay, that discussion might’ve happened over tequila shooters, but neither of us was drunk when it happened.”
She really slept with HIM, was all Tess could think in that moment. How could that happen? What had she done wrong that someone would punish her with something like this? “Do you think it’ll happen again?”
“Well, that’s kind of the great thing about this deal... there’re no strings, so when one of us does find someone else we’re interested in we can go for it. If it doesn’t work out, well, we’ve got each other to fall back on. It’s perfect.”
“Perfect,” Tess muttered.
“Um-hmm, it is.” She chewed on a mouthful of rice for a moment. “Okay, so, what’s your news?”
“Oh…” Tess said, trying to come up with something. She couldn’t tell her the truth now, how embarrassing would that be? How uncomfortable for both of them. “It’s not as big news as yours.”
“Oh, c’mon, it’s gotta be big. And besides, me an’ Kyle, it’s not like some fairytale romance or anything, it’s just...” she wrinkled her nose. “You’re sidetracking me... share!”
“Think Michael will be okay with it?” Tess asked to distract Maria. She still wasn’t sure what to tell her.
“Michael... why would he care? I mean the three of us are all great friends and he doesn’t care who I sleep with.” She made a face. “And I don’t care who he sleeps with, although sometimes I think he could be a little more discriminating.” She grinned. “But that just gives me ammunition against his dumb ass for some of his choices.”
“Well, if that’s what ya want…”
“Why not? It’s not forever but don’t you ever just get sick of bein’ alone?”
“You were never alone, Maria.”
“Not lacking for company maybe, but one-night stands suck ass.”
“What’s the difference? I mean, it’s just sex with Kyle as well, isn’t it?”
“Well, yeah, but he’s a good friend so it’s not like it’s just wham, bam, thank you, ma’am, ya know?”
“So you guys… snuggle and stuff as well?”
“What, like after sex?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, not really. But he doesn’t just grab his shit and take off either.”
Tess glanced at the food in front of her, suddenly feeling not the slightest bit hungry anymore. “Hope it works out for ya then.” Liar!
Maria snorted and nearly choked on a chip.
“I gotta pee,” the other girl said and got up to practically flee to the bathroom. She needed a few moments alone the get her thoughts straight again.
*****
“Let’s get outta here,” Michael said to Courtney after the club had cleared out and the power didn’t seem like it was coming back on anytime soon. “Where d’you live? I’m gonna take you home.”
Courtney glanced outside. “Looks like a parking lot out there. I live about eight blocks from here.”
“We’ll have to walk,” he told her as they stepped out on the street. “Which direction?”
She pointed to the right. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“I’m not gonna leave you alone in this chaos,” he told her. What the hell did she think he was? “I’d say we could go to my place since that’s closer, but chances are good I’ll be getting called in for work.”
She nodded but inside she was doing a happy dance. “So, you work with the fire department, right? Paramedic?” she asked as they started walking.
“EMT right now. I’m taking classes during the summer to be a paramedic.”
“You must work a lot then,” she said, wondering how he managed to have a social life. “No wonder you don’t have a girlfriend.”
He chuckled. “My job isn’t responsible for that.”
“So, what’s your aversion to steady dating?”
“Just all the relationship things, ya know? Having to remember anniversaries and dates...”
She snorted. “I’ve never really understood why people get so upset over someone not remembering anniversaries, ya know? I mean, as long as you remember important dates like birthdays or holidays, isn’t that enough?”
Was she just saying that to impress him? he wondered. “Right,” he answered and pulled his cell out. “Gonna make a few calls.”
She nodded. “Alright.” She motioned to the left as they approached the end of the block and he nodded.
Michael grabbed his cell phone and scrolled down to Maria’s number and hit the call button. “Hey,” he said when she answered the phone. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’ve been tryin’ to get through to the hospital but the lines are crazy busy.” She paused. “What about you?”
“Fine. Got stuck at the club, but s’all good. Hey, Cody’s fine. The hospitals are prepared for this type of thing.”
“I know. I’d just feel better if I could reach my mom.”
“Keep tryin’ and I’ll see if I can get someone over at dispatch to check on them if they get a second. Someone’ll be in contact with the hospitals.”
“Alright, thanks, Michael. Go on now, I know you’ve got others to check on.”
“Check on ya again in a bit.” He hung up and called Tess but only got a busy signal. He tried two more times before he switched over to call Isabel.
*****
Isabel narrowed her eyes at Loco when he discovered the power button on the side of the small flashlight Kyle had left on the coffee table. She was still holding the other one while she waited for Michael to call. She glanced down when her phone buzzed and she answered it without checking the caller ID. “Yes, I’m perfectly fine, little brother.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m still at your place.” She rolled her eyes when Loco started pushing the button and chattering maniacally as the light came on and went off repeatedly.
“Is Kyle with you? An’ Tess?”
“What? No, I thought she was with you and Max, and Kyle got called in. Which reminds me, the department’s looking for you. They want you to come in as soon as possible.”
“Damn it,” Michael muttered. “Tess and Evans left the club earlier, no clue where they went.”
“Well, if she’s with Max at least we know she’s safe. He won’t let anything happen to her.”
“Yeah, try to get her on the phone, will ya?”
“Yeah, I’ll try to get her. I think I’ve got Max’s number, so I can check with him too, make sure things are okay.”
“Alright,” he nodded even if she couldn’t see it. “Better hurry. Stay where ya are, Iz.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ll tell you what I told Kyle: I’ll stay until your psychotic pet drives me out of the apartment. And then I’m making my way home.”
“I don’t want you goin’ home alone when it’s dark out like this, Iz.” Michael reached out to tug Courtney closer when he saw a few guys walking towards them.
“Michael, I love you dearly but I’m not spending the night in the dark with your rodent.”
“Rather spend it outside with the trash on the street, huh,” he grumbled.
Isabel sighed. “Look, I’ll stay here as long as possible, okay? If I leave I’ll call and let you know when I leave and when I get home... alright?”
“Can I stop you?” he sighed. “Take care, Iz, I need to hurry.”
“Alright, and Michael? No unnecessary risks tonight.”
He snorted as he hung up the phone. “Sorry, I need to get to the station so we’re gonna need to hurry,” he told Courtney.
“No problem. My building’s right on the corner up ahead.”
“Thank God ya live near the department. Makes it a lot easier for me tonight.”
“Guess you’re in for a busy night, huh?” she asked as they neared the corner.
“Bet I won’t be home before dawn,” he agreed.
“At least it’ll be light out again.”
“Yeah.” He wasn’t really looking forward to this shift.
She knew he didn’t really have time to stand around and talk so as they stepped up on the sidewalk in front of her building she glanced at him. “Well, I guess we’ll catch up again...”
Damn, he’d really had different plans for tonight. “Ya got a flashlight in your apartment?”
“No, but I’ve got candles.” She shrugged. “Serves the same purpose.”
He smirked. “Just don’t burn it down.”
She smiled flirtatiously at him. “If I did could I expect you to show up at my door?”
“Most likely you’d see Kyle first, but I’d be waiting downstairs,” he winked at her.
“I’ll keep that information handy.” She looked around at the streets that were overcrowded for this time of the night. “Be careful, the natives are restless.”
“And you lock the door behind ya,” he said. He glanced down at her face that he could barely see in the dark. “See ya sooner or later,” he finally said and lowered his head to brush a kiss against her lips without taking his hands out of his pockets.
Courtney was pleasantly surprised when he leaned in to kiss her. It wasn’t as heated as she would have liked but she knew he was in a hurry and had other things on his mind so she would give him a pass this one time. She thought about grabbing his collar and really laying one on him, but she knew he had to go.
Michael smirked at the hunger in her eyes that he could easily see even in the dark, before he turned to walk down to the street again. “Get inside and lock the door,” he called over his shoulder.
Courtney paused at the entrance to the building to watch him walk away, chuckling to herself when he turned and motioned to the doors. She nodded and waved before disappearing inside.
*****
Isabel glanced at her watch. The power had been out for almost an hour now. She had tried to call Tess, but she couldn’t get through to her. Nervously she dialed Max’s number for the sixth time now and waited to see if she would get a signal.
Loco ran across the room blindly, passing her feet now and then. “Ungh, you little rat, would you please just die.”
“What?”
“Uh, Max. Sorry, I was talking to Loco,” she said, surprised when he answered his cell. “Is Tess with you?”
He frowned. “No, I took her home shortly before the power went out in almost the whole fuckin’ city.”
“She’s not picking up her phone so I’m a little worried here.”
“I saw her walk in, Isabel. It’s all good.”
“Yeah, I guess if she made it inside before the power went out she should be fine. What’re you doin’?” she asked, hearing a lot of noise in the background.
“Headin’ back to my place,” he muttered, cursing at some guy who plowed into him and kept going without so much as an ‘excuse me’. God, he hated people sometimes. “What about you?”
“I’m at Michael’s place.”
“You should probably stay there.”
“Um-hmm, that seems to be the general consensus of every male in my life. Get home safe, Max, an’ I’ll talk to ya later.” She disconnected the call and jerked her foot back when Loco ran over it. Ungh, no, she was not staying here any longer. She was going home where there were no furry critters roaming around her apartment.
Isn’t it frustrating when anyone (esp. us) know the truth, but the main people are clueless? lol
begonia9508: Yeah, that would really be stressful.
Oh, we’re gonna find out. We’ll follow them through the blackout.
secretk: Nope, not at all.
People don’t realize how dependant they are on power until it’s taken away.
Lol, we’re pretty sure that while it bothers Kyle he just hasn’t figured out why yet.
Michael is intrigued by Courtney, but it’ll take her to be the catalyst to make him and Maria open their eyes to the possibilities.
There’s a very good chance that the weekend at the beach will somehow get everyone together.
Your dreamer mind might not be too far off track.
kismet: True, that would’ve been ideal. Unfortunately, they’re not all together. However, there’s a good chance that a lot of them will be meeting up.
Isabel and Kyle are very good friends
mary mary: We won’t leave Tess stranded by her lonesome for long. Ungh, heat wave with no A/C? Yeah, a dip would be the way to go, lol.
What direction will Max take… we’ll see soon.
Smac: Lol, they are good friends, first and foremost. Ah, we’re gonna spare you that for any further scenes. Nope, Maria can’t imagine it. And Kyle? Well, the thing with Tess and Max bugs him but he just can’t quite figure out why.
You just never know how things are gonna line up during the blackout.
Rodney: Lol, yes, but… we’re still gonna hear about the blackout.
Hmm… you did make that recommendation and we haven’t forgotten it. However, it just wasn’t to be in this scene.
keepsmiling7: He’s heading… well, he hasn’t said yet.
Think lockdown in the elevator is a good thing for Tess, huh?
Alien_Friend: Nope, Max hasn’t shared that with anyone.
Blackouts can make people insane and combined with the high temperatures of the heat wave, there’s just no telling what’ll happen.
Michael definitely knows what to do and how to handle people. Ah, yes, foreshadowing…
Kyle and Isabel are great friends and they have a good time together.
Eva: Hmm… some of them might run into each other and maybe learn that not all of their assumptions are correct.
sarammlover: We’ll get a little glimpse into Tess and Maria’s history in this part. Yeah, we want Candy too… if Michael and Maria would just cooperate we’d get there a lot faster, lol.
phyco352: Well, you’ve got some reading to do, lol! Enjoy!
Author’s Note: We’ll be taking a vacation break for a couple of weeks, so we’ll be back on September 4th with a new update!
Part 31
Somber
“HELLO???” Tess pounded against the closed door of the elevator. “Hello? Can anybody hear me?” She had been in the small dark car for more than ten minutes now. The security telephone didn’t work and the only light was coming from her cell right now, which had no signal of course.
“Fuck,” she hissed, trying to control her breathing. “Don’t panic, Tess, it’s probably just a power outage,” she told herself to calm her down, but she could already feel her pulse racing with every second that she was trapped.
She once again glanced at her cell, alarmed when the beeping sound told her that the battery was almost empty. “No,” she hissed, “don’t go out.” Her begging didn’t help though and a moment later she was surrounded by complete darkness again.
“Hello?” she tried one more time but didn’t get a reply. Slowly she slid down the small wall next to the doors of the elevator. She rested her forehead on her knees, while her hands wandered to the back of her neck.
“Focus, Tess,” she mumbled, trying to concentrate on her breathing to keep it regular. The last thing she needed was to start hyperventilating in here. What was happening outside? Was it really just a power outage or something worse?
Her thoughts immediately went to the day that had changed all of their lives. Had Matt known what was going on while he was trapped in that stupid elevator on 9/11? Was he all alone in that moment?
Her hands started to shake and she could feel the panic in her trying to escape. “I promise to make up for my mistakes in the past,” she whispered, “just let me outta here. I’ll go and tell Maria, I swear. Hell, I’ll tell Kyle too if it’s necessary.”
Sweat was running down her spine. The air conditioning was out and it was only a matter of time before the air would get really hot in this tiny space. Her rapid heartbeat didn’t help the situation either. “I should’ve come clear from the very first moment,” she babbled to herself for distraction as she slowly rocked back and forth. “I should’ve told Maria instead of leaving.” She was pretty sure she wouldn’t be where she was right now if the past had been different…
Tess’ hair fluttered slightly when she crossed a busy street in Manhattan. A bus passed on the street behind her in a rush, honking when she didn’t run fast enough. She frowned when she couldn’t hear her friend on her cell. “Maria? Sorry, damn traffic is way too loud to understand anything.”
“Where are you?” the other girl said again, louder this time.
“Almost there,” Tess answered. She and her best friend had planned a girl’s night only and she had already bought their favorite takeouts. This would be a special night, the blonde thought. Today she was finally planning to admit her biggest secret and she couldn’t wait until Maria finally knew. She was sick of keeping her crush on her older brother’s best friend a secret; it would be so much easier once she was able to talk to her buddy with it.
“Can you bring some beer as well?”
“Already got that, girlfriend,” Tess laughed, knowing exactly what her friend needed for a good girl’s night. Junk food, beer, more junk food, and a good old movie. “Gimme another two minutes,” she yelled into the cell when the traffic got too loud again. She closed her phone and pushed it back into her pants pocket, greeting the doorman with a nod when he held the big front door open for her to go inside.
Maria was sitting on the couch, staring at the television and wondering why they bothered to subscribe to the cable service. There was never anything on and it seemed like they played the same boring things over and over again anymore. She tipped her head back when she heard the noise in the hallway and knew that meant Tess was there. She got up to go open the door so she wouldn’t have to fight with the multitude of locks just to get inside. She was grinning as she hurried to beat her best friend to the door. Besides, she had some interesting news to share. Last night she had found a solution, albeit temporary, for her sucky love life here lately.
“Wow, how’d you know I was here,” Tess wondered aloud as she stepped inside weighed down with food, her bag, beer, and some shopping bags.
“I heard you soon as you hit our floor,” she answered, reaching out to take some of the bags. “Jeez, you look like you’ve been on a shopping spree.”
“You know how hard it is for me to resist.” Tess sighed when she could finally walk around without any heavy bags in her hands or on her shoulders.
That was true, Maria mused. The only person she knew who could out-shop Tess was her older sister Isabel. Although she could give them both a run for their money if she had access to credit cards with no limits like they did. She started nosing through the bags, grinning when she saw the tags with marked-down prices. She had shared her knowledge of sales with Tess and it looked like she was finally getting the hang of it. “Looks like you hit the jackpot with the sales.” She shifted a couple more bags around. “What’d you bring for dinner?”
“Your favorites of course.”
“Beef and cheese enchiladas with extra Spanish rice? Oooh, tell me you got the fried ice cream too!”
Tess snorted. “You’d give me hell if not, so yeah.”
“Awesome! Spanish food is perfect with beer. The only thing that goes with it even better is pizza.” She dug through the sacks, grabbing the ice cream and putting it in the freezer for later. She pulled the lid off of one of the containers and grabbed a warm tortilla chip, dipping it in the salsa and taking a bite. “Mmm, that’s good. You’re sooo my favorite person.”
“Ya can’t even wait until we’re settled, huh?” the other girl asked in amusement and took everything over in front of the TV where Maria had already spread a blanket so they could picnic on the ground.
“Are you kiddin’? I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast. I didn’t have time to grab anything for lunch. I know it’s just a temp job, but they want like a million and one things done… and they want me to do all of them.”
“If you’d just let me pay more of the rent you wouldn’t have to work so much,” Tess said, rolling her eyes and covering her friend’s mouth. “Yeah, yeah, don’t gimme the speech about how ya don’t wanna take money from anyone. Not again.”
“Mu mo my,” she mumbled against Tess’ hand and then shrugged when she got an annoyed look in response.
“You’re just too stubborn.”
Maria rolled her eyes when Tess lowered her hand. “Yeah, well, ya love me anyway.”
“Sit,” the curly blonde ordered. “I’m starving.”
She shrugged and dropped down to sit on the floor without another word.
“Soooo, girl,” Tess said excitedly as she reached for a Taco. “What’s the great news, huh?”
Maria reached for one of the takeout plates and popped the top off. “So, I get to go first?” she teased since she knew Tess had mentioned having something to tell her when they had talked earlier.
“Yep, I’m that generous.”
“Whatever,” she snorted as she cut into one of the cheese enchiladas and bit into it. “Oh, my God, these are soooo good!” She pointed at Tess with her fork. “You’re never that generous.” She narrowed her eyes at her best friend. “That means whatever it is will be good... spill!”
Tess laughed, but shook her head. She knew once she had shared her crush with Maria they would talk about it all night.
“No way, girl... you have to go first now.”
“Nope. Age before beauty.”
“Ungh, you sooo did not go there!” Maria muttered, throwing a chip at Tess.
“Hey! Don’t waste the food.”
“Yeah, way to try an’ change the subject, Guerin.” She shook her head. “You know you wanna share, so let’s have it.”
“Ya know what? We’re gonna do a little game,” Tess grabbed the boxed full of Mexican food. “The one who can get more Tacos in her mouth at once wins and can choose who starts.”
“Yeah, I’m gonna choke on a taco just so I can make you go first.”
“Either that or ya give in.”
Maria made a face at her. “Fine, I’ll go first if it means saving myself from death by taco.”
Tess grinned. “Guerin’s get always what they want, you should know that by now.”
“You’d think I’d know that, wouldn’t you? Fine, I’ll go first, but then you’re tellin’ me everything.”
“Of course,” the other girl promised.
“Okay, well, it’s not like my news is anything earth-shattering, it’s just kind of a temporary fix to my crappy love life. Ya know how recently it’s just been kinda... well, it’s just sucked here lately.”
“Your own fault. You can get any man with your looks.”
“Then why do I seem to be attracting losers and assholes? I mean, what is it, some sort of sign visible only to them or something?”
“Guess ya just attracted to the wrong kinda guy… But anyway, ya found a solution. What is it?”
“God, you are in such a hurry... are you sure you don’t wanna go first?”
Tess groaned and threw her head back against the couch, where she was resting her back. “You are so frustrating, girl!”
“Kyle.”
“Huh? What about Kyle?”
“Kyle. He’s my solution.”
Tess’ heart suddenly started to race. “Kyle Valenti?”
“Do you know another Kyle?”
“Well, no, but maybe you do,” Tess babbled, still hoping this didn’t mean what she thought it meant.
Maria snorted and leaned over to grab a bowl of hot sauce. “I don’t think so, but that’s neither here nor there. I’m talkin’ about Kyle Valenti, your brother’s best guy friend.”
Breathe, Tess reminded herself. “So um, what exactly does this mean?”
“It means I hooked up with Kyle last night.”
Oh my god, I think I’m gonna be sick! “Oh. Wow….”
“Yes.” Maria nodded matter-of-factly. “Neither of us was expecting it, believe me. I mean it’s not like we’re talkin’ soulmates or anything but...” she shrugged.
“How?” Tess asked stupidly. “I mean, how did it happen at all?” Did she really want to know?
Maria snorted. “It just sorta happened, I don’t know. We were just talkin’ about things an’ how all guys/girls either wanted too much or not enough an’ we eventually ended up discussing what the perfect solution would be.” She wrinkled her nose. “Okay, that discussion might’ve happened over tequila shooters, but neither of us was drunk when it happened.”
She really slept with HIM, was all Tess could think in that moment. How could that happen? What had she done wrong that someone would punish her with something like this? “Do you think it’ll happen again?”
“Well, that’s kind of the great thing about this deal... there’re no strings, so when one of us does find someone else we’re interested in we can go for it. If it doesn’t work out, well, we’ve got each other to fall back on. It’s perfect.”
“Perfect,” Tess muttered.
“Um-hmm, it is.” She chewed on a mouthful of rice for a moment. “Okay, so, what’s your news?”
“Oh…” Tess said, trying to come up with something. She couldn’t tell her the truth now, how embarrassing would that be? How uncomfortable for both of them. “It’s not as big news as yours.”
“Oh, c’mon, it’s gotta be big. And besides, me an’ Kyle, it’s not like some fairytale romance or anything, it’s just...” she wrinkled her nose. “You’re sidetracking me... share!”
“Think Michael will be okay with it?” Tess asked to distract Maria. She still wasn’t sure what to tell her.
“Michael... why would he care? I mean the three of us are all great friends and he doesn’t care who I sleep with.” She made a face. “And I don’t care who he sleeps with, although sometimes I think he could be a little more discriminating.” She grinned. “But that just gives me ammunition against his dumb ass for some of his choices.”
“Well, if that’s what ya want…”
“Why not? It’s not forever but don’t you ever just get sick of bein’ alone?”
“You were never alone, Maria.”
“Not lacking for company maybe, but one-night stands suck ass.”
“What’s the difference? I mean, it’s just sex with Kyle as well, isn’t it?”
“Well, yeah, but he’s a good friend so it’s not like it’s just wham, bam, thank you, ma’am, ya know?”
“So you guys… snuggle and stuff as well?”
“What, like after sex?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, not really. But he doesn’t just grab his shit and take off either.”
Tess glanced at the food in front of her, suddenly feeling not the slightest bit hungry anymore. “Hope it works out for ya then.” Liar!
Maria snorted and nearly choked on a chip.
“I gotta pee,” the other girl said and got up to practically flee to the bathroom. She needed a few moments alone the get her thoughts straight again.
*****
“Let’s get outta here,” Michael said to Courtney after the club had cleared out and the power didn’t seem like it was coming back on anytime soon. “Where d’you live? I’m gonna take you home.”
Courtney glanced outside. “Looks like a parking lot out there. I live about eight blocks from here.”
“We’ll have to walk,” he told her as they stepped out on the street. “Which direction?”
She pointed to the right. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“I’m not gonna leave you alone in this chaos,” he told her. What the hell did she think he was? “I’d say we could go to my place since that’s closer, but chances are good I’ll be getting called in for work.”
She nodded but inside she was doing a happy dance. “So, you work with the fire department, right? Paramedic?” she asked as they started walking.
“EMT right now. I’m taking classes during the summer to be a paramedic.”
“You must work a lot then,” she said, wondering how he managed to have a social life. “No wonder you don’t have a girlfriend.”
He chuckled. “My job isn’t responsible for that.”
“So, what’s your aversion to steady dating?”
“Just all the relationship things, ya know? Having to remember anniversaries and dates...”
She snorted. “I’ve never really understood why people get so upset over someone not remembering anniversaries, ya know? I mean, as long as you remember important dates like birthdays or holidays, isn’t that enough?”
Was she just saying that to impress him? he wondered. “Right,” he answered and pulled his cell out. “Gonna make a few calls.”
She nodded. “Alright.” She motioned to the left as they approached the end of the block and he nodded.
Michael grabbed his cell phone and scrolled down to Maria’s number and hit the call button. “Hey,” he said when she answered the phone. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’ve been tryin’ to get through to the hospital but the lines are crazy busy.” She paused. “What about you?”
“Fine. Got stuck at the club, but s’all good. Hey, Cody’s fine. The hospitals are prepared for this type of thing.”
“I know. I’d just feel better if I could reach my mom.”
“Keep tryin’ and I’ll see if I can get someone over at dispatch to check on them if they get a second. Someone’ll be in contact with the hospitals.”
“Alright, thanks, Michael. Go on now, I know you’ve got others to check on.”
“Check on ya again in a bit.” He hung up and called Tess but only got a busy signal. He tried two more times before he switched over to call Isabel.
*****
Isabel narrowed her eyes at Loco when he discovered the power button on the side of the small flashlight Kyle had left on the coffee table. She was still holding the other one while she waited for Michael to call. She glanced down when her phone buzzed and she answered it without checking the caller ID. “Yes, I’m perfectly fine, little brother.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m still at your place.” She rolled her eyes when Loco started pushing the button and chattering maniacally as the light came on and went off repeatedly.
“Is Kyle with you? An’ Tess?”
“What? No, I thought she was with you and Max, and Kyle got called in. Which reminds me, the department’s looking for you. They want you to come in as soon as possible.”
“Damn it,” Michael muttered. “Tess and Evans left the club earlier, no clue where they went.”
“Well, if she’s with Max at least we know she’s safe. He won’t let anything happen to her.”
“Yeah, try to get her on the phone, will ya?”
“Yeah, I’ll try to get her. I think I’ve got Max’s number, so I can check with him too, make sure things are okay.”
“Alright,” he nodded even if she couldn’t see it. “Better hurry. Stay where ya are, Iz.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ll tell you what I told Kyle: I’ll stay until your psychotic pet drives me out of the apartment. And then I’m making my way home.”
“I don’t want you goin’ home alone when it’s dark out like this, Iz.” Michael reached out to tug Courtney closer when he saw a few guys walking towards them.
“Michael, I love you dearly but I’m not spending the night in the dark with your rodent.”
“Rather spend it outside with the trash on the street, huh,” he grumbled.
Isabel sighed. “Look, I’ll stay here as long as possible, okay? If I leave I’ll call and let you know when I leave and when I get home... alright?”
“Can I stop you?” he sighed. “Take care, Iz, I need to hurry.”
“Alright, and Michael? No unnecessary risks tonight.”
He snorted as he hung up the phone. “Sorry, I need to get to the station so we’re gonna need to hurry,” he told Courtney.
“No problem. My building’s right on the corner up ahead.”
“Thank God ya live near the department. Makes it a lot easier for me tonight.”
“Guess you’re in for a busy night, huh?” she asked as they neared the corner.
“Bet I won’t be home before dawn,” he agreed.
“At least it’ll be light out again.”
“Yeah.” He wasn’t really looking forward to this shift.
She knew he didn’t really have time to stand around and talk so as they stepped up on the sidewalk in front of her building she glanced at him. “Well, I guess we’ll catch up again...”
Damn, he’d really had different plans for tonight. “Ya got a flashlight in your apartment?”
“No, but I’ve got candles.” She shrugged. “Serves the same purpose.”
He smirked. “Just don’t burn it down.”
She smiled flirtatiously at him. “If I did could I expect you to show up at my door?”
“Most likely you’d see Kyle first, but I’d be waiting downstairs,” he winked at her.
“I’ll keep that information handy.” She looked around at the streets that were overcrowded for this time of the night. “Be careful, the natives are restless.”
“And you lock the door behind ya,” he said. He glanced down at her face that he could barely see in the dark. “See ya sooner or later,” he finally said and lowered his head to brush a kiss against her lips without taking his hands out of his pockets.
Courtney was pleasantly surprised when he leaned in to kiss her. It wasn’t as heated as she would have liked but she knew he was in a hurry and had other things on his mind so she would give him a pass this one time. She thought about grabbing his collar and really laying one on him, but she knew he had to go.
Michael smirked at the hunger in her eyes that he could easily see even in the dark, before he turned to walk down to the street again. “Get inside and lock the door,” he called over his shoulder.
Courtney paused at the entrance to the building to watch him walk away, chuckling to herself when he turned and motioned to the doors. She nodded and waved before disappearing inside.
*****
Isabel glanced at her watch. The power had been out for almost an hour now. She had tried to call Tess, but she couldn’t get through to her. Nervously she dialed Max’s number for the sixth time now and waited to see if she would get a signal.
Loco ran across the room blindly, passing her feet now and then. “Ungh, you little rat, would you please just die.”
“What?”
“Uh, Max. Sorry, I was talking to Loco,” she said, surprised when he answered his cell. “Is Tess with you?”
He frowned. “No, I took her home shortly before the power went out in almost the whole fuckin’ city.”
“She’s not picking up her phone so I’m a little worried here.”
“I saw her walk in, Isabel. It’s all good.”
“Yeah, I guess if she made it inside before the power went out she should be fine. What’re you doin’?” she asked, hearing a lot of noise in the background.
“Headin’ back to my place,” he muttered, cursing at some guy who plowed into him and kept going without so much as an ‘excuse me’. God, he hated people sometimes. “What about you?”
“I’m at Michael’s place.”
“You should probably stay there.”
“Um-hmm, that seems to be the general consensus of every male in my life. Get home safe, Max, an’ I’ll talk to ya later.” She disconnected the call and jerked her foot back when Loco ran over it. Ungh, no, she was not staying here any longer. She was going home where there were no furry critters roaming around her apartment.