Getting There Ch. 01

Gemma fumbled with the bunch of keys in the darkness. Eventually she found the right one, and let herself in. She shuffled over to the open-plan kitchen, opened the freezer and took out some Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream. The cure for everything. She grabbed a spoon and shovelled some into her mouth as she pulled out a glass and headed over to the bar in the living room, pouring herself the strongest liquor she could find. As the liquid seared down her throat she brought the bottle with her back to the kitchen, where she sat on the floor and had an impromptu picnic at three in the morning. Once the alcohol had set in she found the tears rolling down her face as she came to terms with the end of her six month relationship.

Ryan shut off the shower and heard his front door slam shut. He looked at the time and decided to ignore it, putting it down to exhaustion. He pulled on his pyjamas and a plain black T-shirt and sunk into his double bed. He reached for the remote for his big screen TV, one of his many presents to himself after closing a multi-million pound deal for the website he had started straight out of university. He was mindlessly flicking through channels when he heard more noises coming from his kitchen. He jumped out of bed and down the stairs, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. He turned the corner and stopped in his tracks.

For a second he stood watching her in silence. She looked like she'd been crying, and her usually immaculate brown hair looked slightly disheveled. She was sitting on his kitchen floor in a tight black dress along with the five inch heels, drinking his vodka and eating his ice cream. He observed this exotic, olive-skinned creature and, just as he was about to say something, she looked up at him with her big green eyes.

"We broke up" she sighed, pouring herself another drink.

"I thought that was what you wanted, Gem..." Ryan responded, sitting on the floor with her.

"He didn't even fight for me, he just said that he understood where I was coming from!" She began on a drunken rant. Ryan sat there and listened for about half an hour while she rattled off reasons she hated James, her now ex-boyfriend. She stood up and felt a little unsteady on her feet, no surprise given the heels she was wearing, and attempted to pace up and down the living room. Soon, she curled up on the hardwood floor and fell asleep.

Ryan threw the empty ice cream tub away, washed the glass and spoon and then made his way over to Gemma. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to his bed.

Gemma wasn't sure what woke her up- the steady throb of her headache or the dress that was squeezing the life out her. Sunlight flooded the room and she rolled over to face the other way. She tossed and turned for a moment but didn't want to disturb Ryan who was still asleep on the other side of the bed. She slipped out of bed and into the bathroom, almost tripping over the heels she had been wearing the night before. As she looked at her reflection she laughed, and then cursed herself for getting so upset over a guy who just wasn't worth it. Then she found a way to get out of her dress, and stood there examining herself in the mirror. Gemma was slim and petite, one of those women who was so effortlessly comfortable in her skin that nobody could help but be taken in by her grace and confidence. Her hands slid over her flat stomach, and down to the black thong, which she quickly stepped out of. Her hands reached back as she unclasped her bra and let it fall to the floor, unleashing her perfect round breasts. She searched the cabinets under the his and her sinks and found an unopened toothbrush. She brushed her teeth, jumped into the shower and washed all her troubles away. She smiled contentedly at the bathroom she was standing in. Ryan's house had been the first project she'd undertaken as an interior designer, and it had taken her a year to plan every single detail of it. It had been hard work but well worth it, after all, they had been best friends since the tender age of thirteen.

After slipping into Ryan's favourite old T-shirts, which hit her mid-thigh and was therefore, she reasoned, decent, she began cooking breakfast. The smell of a fry up reached the bedroom door, which she'd left slightly open and Ryan woke up with a big smile on his face. Saturday mornings had always been the highlight of his week. He and Gemma would meet for breakfast to discuss antics from the night before and plans for the evening ahead, and then go for a run or hit his gym at home.

"I thought I'd bring you breakfast in bed, to say sorry for being such a mess last night..." Gemma said when she heard him walk in.

Ryan swallowed hard noticing the way she never really 'said' anything; she purred it. Noticing how incredible her body looked covered only by the thin layer of white material. It never ceased to him how someone so slim could have such a womanly figure. He shook his head at himself. It was first thing in the morning, and his cock was in control of his brain.

"Don't mention it. Do I have time for a quick shower?" Ryan asked, hoping she hadn't noticed the growing erection tucked away in his pyjamas.

"Your house, your rules" she teased as he ran up the stairs.

By the time he came down fully dressed, she'd prepared fried eggs, bacon, sausages, toast and baked beans. Ryan threw the towel over the back of the bar stool next to him, as they sat at the island in the kitchen. "You know, it's not good for the wood if you leave a wet towel on it all day." She said, picking it up and throwing it at him.

"What happened to my house, my rules?"

They laughed as they ate breakfast in a comfortable silence. Ryan cautiously asked how she was doing, and she smiled back at him and told him she felt surprisingly good. And she did. James hadn't been right for her, he was too serious. He barely had time for himself let alone for her, and things had grown dull.

"Let's get everyone together and go out for a drink or five tonight. You can bring that girl from the conference! We're dying to meet the little slut!" Gemma grabbed her blackberry and sent a message with the time and place to the group saved as "THE USUAL SUSPECTS" in her phonebook.

Ryan's blackberry started flashing with the message and Gemma passed it to him, "Call her. Come on."

Moments later he was on the phone to her. "Rose... hey. Fine thanks and you? Oh, good... Not really, no. I was actually calling to ask if you were free to maybe go for a drink tonight?"

"Well??" Gemma mouthed at him. He rolled his eyes in response.

"It's not like that at all...I didn't mean to treat you like a cheap date. Yes, of course I'll buy you dinner. No, I'm not trying to keep this casual. Well, if you'd let me explain you'd know I wanted to introduce you to my friends tonight over drinks... that's right."

Gemma was starting to understand what Ryan had meant by Rose being high maintenance. She rolled her eyes back and mimed for him to hang up.

"You know what Rose, on second thoughts, don't bother coming for drinks. No, not for dinner either. Yes, that's exactly what I mean. Have a good weekend." He disconnected the call.

"Oops."

They both erupted in laughter.