More than Friends: Ch. 04

Janice opted not to join Dara and Yvonne in a game of volleyball against some of the local teens at the beach that morning saying that she was too tired and wanted to take a nap.

"This damn suit- useless. Friggin' jiggling all over the place- I'd probably end up poking my eyes out if I jumped around." she muttered under her breath as she walked to where Edward appeared to be napping on the sand. She was annoyed with the lack of support her swimsuit offered her breasts and was pretty self-conscious of the attention she was drawing from some of the men.

She stopped before Edward's prone form, rolled out her towel and pitched an umbrella in the sand before lying down on her stomach for a quick nap. As she turned her head towards Edward she noticed that he wasn't asleep.

Edward saw she looked upset and didn't say anything immediately thinking it wiser to give her a few minutes to compose herself. When she finally chose to face him, he spoke up.

"They look like they're having fun."

Janice looked in the direction he was nodding and sighed. She would've loved to join them if she was wearing something more suited to the activity.

"Yeah."

Edward heard Janice sigh and saw the way she looked at Dara and Yvonne.

"So, you and Dara... how serious is that?"

She looked up at him and wondered where the question had come from. "I don't know."

"I'm asking you how serious about him because I want to know how invested you really are in your relationship with him."

"What are you saying Eddie?" she asked sitting up.

She watched Edward staring at Dara while he chased Yvonne- both of them were giggling and looked like they were having fun.

"That man has a roving eye- he's no better than an addict. Someone like that can't be happy unless they get their fix- they'll try to get it anyhow and anywhere they can. I'm saying you should think about that. I'm saying, you should do something about it."

He couldn't come out and say that he thought Dara was a womanizing scumbag and that she should break-up with him so he let his words hang out there unaware they could be construed any other way.

"First of all what's happening there is just some innocent fun. Secondly," she said standing up and barely containing her fury, "I'm not going to sleep with someone because you think he may be seducing your girlfriend."

Janice stomped off to the house leaving behind a completely confused Edward.

While Edward tried to process what Janice said, she was busy packing her stuff and leaving. He was still sitting in a daze wondering what just happened when Yvonne came up to him.

"I think, I did something really stupid, Yves."

As Edward rushed to the house looking to apologize to Janice, Yvonne raised a brow, wondering what her always play-it-by-the-book boyfriend could have possibly done wrong.

"I know I asked you not to meddle in Janice's life and then I went and did just that."

Edward told Yvonne when she finally caught up with him at the beach house. He had looked for Janice all over and knew she was gone when he noticed her bags were missing.

"I said something- I was only trying to help- I think she misunderstood. Anyway, it was really stupid, but she's gone and I think she may be angry with me."

"Honey, you're making very little sense. Slow down and tell me everything from the start."

Edward shared his observations on Janice and Dara's behavior the last two days as well as his conversation with Janice just before she took off. By the time he was done talking Yvonne was finding it really hard not to laugh out loud.

Looks like I'm not the only one clueless about people's feelings.

She was certain that Edward's observations were incorrect as it was obvious that Dara had it bad for Janice from the way he kept stealing glances at her. As far as Janice getting upset was concerned, Yvonne knew Janice well enough to know there had to be more to it than Edward realized.

"You must've really hit a nerve. In all these years I must've pushed her buttons a million different ways but she's never taken off on me."

Edward couldn't believe that the woman who came across as so perceptive in her mails could be this clueless in person. He was tempted to point out that Janice would've taken off when they reached the beach house if not for his timely intervention but bit back his words as he didn't wish to be spiteful.

"Let's head back home." suggested Yvonne. She could tell that Edward was feeling awful about how things had turned out. This trip was supposed to be a fun way for them to relax instead all they'd done was upset each other since they got there, she thought sighing.

"I'll ask her to come over and we'll try and smooth things out with her."

"Wouldn't it be better to let her just cool off?" asked Edward. "She may realize on her own that she over-reacted."

"Did she over-react?"

"I don't know... More like misunderstood, I think."

"So how is she going to know that unless you explain it to her?"

"Okay, I'll start packing up. You should let Dara know the change in plans."

They headed back to their home in the city. On the way Yvonne called up Janice and asked her to come over for dinner. She persuaded Janice telling her that she was returning to the city alone after hearing about what transpired at the beach between her and Edward and was only looking to help her blow some steam.

*****

"I'm sorry I lied to you, but I had to get you here somehow." Yvonne explained to Janice when Edward entered the room to join them at the dinner table.

Edward wasn't certain if Janice would speak as freely, with him present, about whatever in his statement had upset her, as she would alone with Yvonne. So when she arrived he stayed out of sight till he heard them move on to dinner.

"Eddie, I think you need to quickly explain what you meant because she thinks you were implying that Dara was making the moves on me because she wasn't giving it up and you wanted her to take care of her man."

"What?!? I wouldn't. I didn't. I only meant-" he sputtered in shock.

"Calm down baby. I told her that's not what you meant. Just tell her what you told me."

"Janice, I am sorry" Edward started, the tone of his voice made her look up at him from across the table which she had so far avoided, "that you thought I meant... what you thought I did. I was only trying to tell you that based on what I've seen of Dara in the past, he isn't the kind of guy who sticks around after the chase. When I asked you to do something, I meant to say you should stop seeing him."

"For fucks sake!" Janice exclaimed before she burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation. Within a span of two days she had fought with both her friends and in the middle of it all was Dara, for completely different reasons.

"One of you thinks I need to go all the way with this guy and the other thinks I should dump him. How about I just keep seeing him till I figure out what I want and you two just can mind your own business?"

"Janice I'm truly sorry for acting like a dick," said Edward running his fingers through his hair. He was genuinely apologetic, not for what he said but for all the inappropriate thoughts he'd had about her, "I am going to be what a good friend should always be- supportive of any choice you make."

"Okay you drama lamas. Can we finally eat before dinner's completely cold and ruined?" asked Yvonne trying to alleviate the tension in the room.

Janice knew Yvonne too well to expect her to agree not to poke her nose in her affairs and in this case she was glad for Yvonne's intervention as it helped clear the air between Edward and her. It had hurt Janice to think that Edward thought she wasn't woman enough to hold the attention of a man because that was already something she bitterly experienced when she lost him to Yvonne.

"Yeah, let's eat."

*****

During dinner the conversation naturally steered towards the thing that formed the bond between them- their time together as kids.

"Snyder Madison- he had the bluest eyes. I fell in love with him when I was eight and decided we were going to be married some day. But the asshole broke my heart when I was nine by marrying someone else."

They laughed at Yvonne's description of her first childhood crush.

"I was instantly attracted to Yvonne. She was," Edward looked at Yvonne and corrected himself, "she is so free-spirited, and... animated- that's how she always appeared to be- full of life. And the prettiest girl I'd ever seen."

"Why, thank you! If it helps, I think you have a hotter body than Snyder ever did. And the last time I saw him he looked like he was going bald."

"That is a great consolation to me. What about you, Jan? Who was your first?"

Yvonne burst out laughing.

Janice glared at her before answering, "I've never had a crush on anyone."

Yvonne continued to titter.

Edward ignored her and turned to Janice, "That's highly unlikely. We've all had a crush of some sort when we were kids."

"She's embarrassed to tell you."

"Why?" he asked Yvonne.

"Shut up, Yves."

"What are you two not telling me?" Edward asked looking at Janice, then Yvonne and finally Janice again.

"There's nothing to tell." explained Janice trying to sound calm. "I think Yvonne's just had a bit too much."

She pointed at the near empty bottle in front of her, as evidence.

"Pfft. Tell him. I dare you."

"Tell me what?" Edward looked back and forth between Yvonne and Janice hoping one of them would clear this mystery soon.

"Jan is embarrassed to say who she had a crush on because that guy -"

"Okay, I'm not listening to this because clearly you're drunk. So I'm just gonna leave now." Janice said as she got up to leave.

"- was you." finished Yvonne, pointing to Edward.

"Me?!! You did?" he asked smiling at Janice.

Janice stood dumbly, rooted to the spot like a deer caught in headlights.

"Yup for years."

"I was a kid. No big deal." Janice spoke softly, looking down at the table.

"I think it started that day you made that bracelet for her. She still carries that everywhere- in her purse I think."

"It reminds me of my mother!" Janice spoke defensively.

"It's why she'd always follow you around like a puppy- a little love sick puppy. She'd draw little hearts with the words Eddie loves Jan written on them in her books."

Yvonne was a little drunk so she failed to notice that the more she revealed, the more it upset Janice. But Edward noticed and didn't want Janice to take off once more that day.

"Hey, if you're done with dinner, why don't I drop you home?" he offered Janice.

Yvonne wasn't paying attention as she continued to ramble on about Janice's crush. Edward helped walk her to the bedroom and then left to drop Janice home.

*****

Alone in the car with Janice, the silence couldn't be more awkward. Edward decided that work should be a safe enough topic for discussion.

"How's work? Yves, mentioned that you're working at a site near my office."

"No, it's an upcoming project. And she was right the site location is a few minutes from your place of work. I'm really thrilled about this project. The Beast's, I mean Turner's design could revolutionize the industry norms for energy efficient buildings."

At first Janice looked relieved and then excited as she spoke about her work. Before they knew it they were inside Janice's apartment.

"I'm so sorry Jan." he said finally, while lingering near the door.

She sighed, her shoulders drooping in a defeated manner. "Yves should just know better."

"I never knew. Really, I didn't." He kept looking at her but she refused to make eye contact with him.

"I know." Her voice was almost inaudible as she said, "You've always only had eyes for Yvonne."

He pondered about the inaccuracy of her statement; he was not in a position to set her straight on that.

She removed the bracelet from her purse and felt each shell between her fingers as she leaned against the wall with a faraway look in her eyes.

"You were nice to me Eddie. You'd watch out for me so I didn't get hurt. You'd stick a band-aid on if I scraped my knee. You'd carry me along if I was too tired instead of just leaving me behind... You'd even tell off Yves if you thought she was bullying me into doing something I didn't want to... I carry the bracelet because it reminds me of mom but it also reminds me of how good you were to me."

He smiled as he thought back to those simpler times.

She looked at him but gaze seemed focused on some distant object. She suspected he was filled with nostalgia like her.

"You probably don't remember it but you were my first kiss."

He looked at her with a start.

"That's not possible."

She nodded heartily and smiled.

"I'm sure I would've remembered."

He wracked his brain trying to recall what event she may have been referring to.

"It was my mother's death anniversary and I was feeling sad, especially because Suzie-Mae and Rick had chased me around calling me 'Orphan Janie'. You sat with me, spoke to me and hugged me. And then you bend down to kiss me on the cheek. Only I didn't know what you were trying to do and moved- so you ended up accidentally kissing me on the lips instead."

She ran her fingers across her lips as if she could still feel it there.

"It was perfectly innocent, but there it was- my first kiss."

Edward remembered the incident she was referring to. He watched her- lips parted slightly with a dreamy look in her eyes- hungrily. He knew that if she let him kiss her now there would be nothing innocent about it.

Here she is being all sweet and open while you can't stop thinking with your dick. He chastised himself.

"I'm sorry that Yvonne's teasing upset you, but, you should know that you have no reason to feel embarrassed about anything. I'm glad I learnt about it. I think it's a sweet story but I won't talk about it again if it makes you feel uncomfortable. I should go now as it's really late." he said before he rushed out.

*****

Dear Readers,

Hope you're still here and I haven't confused/ bored/ frustrated you completely. Don't forget to vote and comments are always welcome.

Subdued_Passion