Broken Heart and Busted Stereos

Mika sighed restlessly as she flipped through the channels. Ted had called a 1/2 hour ago and was on his way. Eyes moved to the clock, it would be at least another 3 hours before Janey was expected back. She could always use the excuse of playing dumb, but Janey knew Ted would know where he was. This was far too complicated. The ringing doorbell brought her to her feet before moving towards the front door and swinging it open. G-d, he was cuter than she remembered. He half smiled, ruffling a hand through his hair.

"So, this is a little bit awkward." Mika giggled. He could have fallen in love with her right then if she wasn't standing in Janey Abramowitz's doorway.

"Um, come on in." She stepped out of the way, letting him through. He walked through this place with such sureity. It was almost creepy to think of the way she hung in the inbetween space of lives. That past present and future were meshing as he walked through that door. She took a deep breath, if he were here, it meant something. This wasn't her usual style, getting all caught up, but there was something about him. The sheer honesty. The transparency his eyes lent themselves to.

"Sooo, umm.." He stopped in the kitchen, scratching at his head.

"Do you wanna take a dip in the pool?" She seemed so at ease compared to the bundle of nerves he was. All that needed to happen was for Janey to walk in early and see him, he'd be screwed, But those chocolate brown eyes were hard to say no to.

"Yeah, sure." He followed her through the surrealy familiar house, they had gotten new couches, and pictures of the family had been added, sans Janey's step mother. His brother's had mentioned her departure in passing, but the facts hadn't struck him fully. It was so odd, he stopped by the mantle, where the pictures of Janey's prom sat, she and Matt looked so proper together, even if they had only gone as friends. And there he was, smiling beside her. He remembered she had insisted that he be in the last one.

He looked at the grin on her face, sandwiched in between the two boys, Matt in his tux and Ted in his usual jeans and t-shirt, her arms extended far up above her head so they could hang around their necks. He could even remember the way she had smelled, like jasmine and vanilla. They had taken several, he had kept copies of a few before he had thrown everything left of her away. He couldn't help but remember the one where she gazed up into Matt's face so adoringly. It had never really struck him, that the two of them had lasted this long without any official commitment.

"Are you coming?" Mika's voice disrupted his pattern of thought, forcing him to turn. The look on his face was so bittersweet. Eyes fell on the picture diagnolly behind him. Well, there was no taking back her impatience now.

"Uh, yeah, sorry. Just kind of weird, I used to practically live here." She nodded understandingly and walked out to the pool. Ted followed and watched in awe as she shed the tom boyish board shorts and t-shirt that hung on her frame to reveal a black bikini. Her muscles were just barely toned, her skin a deep golden brown. He wondered what it would feel like to run his fingertips along her sides. He laughed as she entered the pool slowly and squeamishly, hands raised above the water as she winced.

Ted quickly discarded his clothes, moving to the deep end and getting a running start on a cannonball. When he resurfaced at the far end of the pool Mika simply rolled her eyes at him. "Is it some sort of Jersey thing to act like a 2 year old in a pool?"

"I don't know, is it some sort of Vermont thing to get in like you're in a porno?" She growled, taking the comment as a challenge and dunking herself beneath the water. When she resurfaced Ted was shooting a tiny basketball at a small hoop that was sitting at the edge of the pool.

"One on one?" he turned and grinned, passing her the ball.

"Sounds good." She took a shot from the far end of the pool, he watched, a bit surprised as it sailed through the hoop. "I got myself in trouble, didn't I?" Mika simply nodded, swimming to the ball with a devilish grin.

15 points later, and not a single on for Ted. Mika was both a strong swimmer and a strong basketball player, and it probably didn't hurt that she took the game far more seriously than Ted did. It was time to make his move. He dove as Mika swam past him, wrapping an arm firmly around her waist as he reached to grab the ball. It was good that he had several inches on her, since her could barely reach it. He ran then, dunking the ball through the hoop and grinning at the pouting girl.

"Cheater." She stuck her tongue out at him as he shrugged. He swam back to the edge of the shallow end with the ball, smiling at Mika. He ran forwards for another shot, caught offguard as she pounced on him, trying to block him. He attempted to throw her off and was unsuccesful, instead deciding to continue trudging towards the basket. She was small to begin with, and with the added buoyancy, she was simply a minor inconvenience.

It wasn't until the ball was through the hoop that Ted realized how close Mika was, and how slick and wet she felt against his frame as she squirmed. He couldn't help but turn quickly to press his lips against hers, hungrily seeking out her mouth with his tongue. She squeaked but didn't protest, the small sound turning to a groan as he pressed her body up against the edge of the pool.

Mika sighed, the warm breath pushing past her nostrils and brushing against his cheek as her arms encircled his neck. This kiss felt far too right, far too comfortable. It was because Janey had told her so much about Ted. That was it, it was like she knew him already, nothing more. And oh G-d did his mouth feel good against hers. She gently pulled her lips from his, mouth hanging up in her surprise and uncertainty as she looked up into his face. He looked equally surprised. "Maybe I should go." She seemed upset by the though.

"Maybe.. maybe the pool's just a bad idea... I'll go take a shower and we should probably go elsewhere.. cause Janey should be home in like an hour or so." Ted nodded, following Mika's lead and wrapping himself in a towel. He followed her all the way upstairs, all the way into the bathroom, closing the door behind him before grabbing her and kissing her again. "Mmmm.." She sighed against him, returning his kiss before he let his lips sink to her neck. She giggled, whispering, "If you don't leave now, I can't take a shower now, and I'll still be in the shower when Janey gets back, and then the shit will hit the fan."

He spoke inbetween mouthfuls of flesh, teasing her as she breathed increasingly quickly. "mmm.. Or we could just take a shower together." She pushed him off with a giggle and out the bathroom door as he muttered something stupid about making sure he didn't miss a spot, and then it came. Janey's voice taunting him, and a shocked Mika, and the blur of shit hitting the fan.