3 Crushes and a Wedding Ch. 05

Author's note: We're back with the fifth installment of Zoe's interesting weekend with her three past crushes. If you haven't read the first four chapters, you won't understand much of what is happening here, so go on, read that first, then come back. I'll be waiting.

In this fifth part, Zoe and Meg have to face the consequences of their admission in the light of day. Good things are brewing, but trouble is still around the corner.

Reminder: All of my stories leave something for the imagination. I don't want you to delve into a multi-chapter story expecting sex scenes in the traditional sense only to be disappointed. But if you appreciate the journey towards sex, with all its naughtiness and explicit moments, then I hope you'll enjoy the characters and their evolution here.

Disclaimer: Although not stated explicitly, all characters engaging in any sexual activity are above 18.

******

A firm knock on the door startled me. I had woken up a few minutes earlier and was groggily getting ready for the day. With no time or energy to question the identity of my early visitor, I headed toward the door, opened it, and took a slap on my face. Figuratively.

Megan was standing in front of me, looking radiant with her hair cascading smoothly down to her shoulders, her face as fresh as if she'd slept at least 12 hours, and her lithe body covered by a pristine sleeveless white shirt and knee-length blue skirt. That level of perfection was a crime against all other women, and humanity in general.

But it was her eyes, those big pools of green, that enchanted me and grabbed my attention. They were full of life again, laughing and playful and smoldering, all in one heart-stopping combination. The cobwebs instantly dissipated from my mind and my whole body jolted awake.

"Not a morning person?" She winked.

I frowned. Had I known she'd be here this early, I'd have made some, well, a lot of effort. But here I was in my PJs, the same Minnie ones she'd poked fun at the previous night, looking as frumpy and disheveled as I could be. The contrast between us couldn't have been any more obvious.

She swallowed a giggle and switched into a soul-wrangling look. "Hey."

I clutched my heart and managed a hoarse, "Hey," in return.

"Can I come in?" The insecurity she'd asked that same question with the night before was gone, now replaced by a more confident tone and direct approach. I needed to catch up to her.

"No wine or chocolates this time? And I thought you were here to woo me!" I raised an eyebrow and smirked. Good start.

"It's 9:30 AM," she grinned, "and I thought this was enough to woo you." She gestured toward herself, head to toe.

I took the opportunity to drink in her full body again. Woo, indeed. I came back up to her eyes and found them smiling at my reaction, those gorgeous dimples finally back below them. My heart bounced in my chest, but I tried to remain casual.

"Well, I'm hungry and I was planning to go get some of those delicious mini omelets and pancakes at breakfast, so you better be offering something... uhm... better."

Uhm... whatever happened to remaining casual?

Her demeanor instantly changed, as if I'd flipped a switch and awoken something dormant in her. She leaned against the door frame in a come-hither stance that made my pussy clench. Her eyes fixed me as she slid her tongue out, slowly and very suggestively licked her lips, then raised her hands and languidly reached for the top button of her blouse and unbuttoned it. She let the fabric hang loose, not revealing too much, but enough to show me the start of the valley between her breasts. As the highlight of the show, she bit her bottom lip then let it pop back into place.

"Oh, I think I can top breakfast." Her raspy voice perfectly punctuated the moment.

Dear God! Had the temperature suddenly risen by 20 degrees? And who stole the oxygen from the world?

My hands felt sweaty while my mouth dried up. I opened it for a breath of air, but it quickly caught on my parched throat. I closed my lips and gulped awkwardly.

I wasn't used to this side of Megan; I didn't even know that side of her existed. It's not that she wasn't sexy — lord knows she was — but she never flaunted it. Her seductive looks and tones and actions were always... cute, like her. I know the adjective shouldn't fit, but in her case, it always did. Until now. This was different.

Again, without warning, she seamlessly switched out of her seduction mode, got off the doorframe, and walked in while laughing heartily. Back to cute we were.

"I ordered breakfast to your room before coming up. Something told me you needed coffee in your system before we could talk."

Talk? Now? I thought she needed time to process things. What kind of 'processing' only takes a few hours of sleep?

I closed the door and turned around, frowning and still not caught up on what was happening. Something about her demeanor had entirely changed after we'd said our goodnights a few hours earlier. She was more playful, certainly, but she also seemed lighter and more confident.

"Sure, I just need a minute to wash my face."

A few minutes later, I was brushing my teeth — preparedness! — when I heard a knock on the room's door followed by her talking to the room service attendant, then the sound of things being carried and moved. Apparently, 'talking' required prior room staging.

I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror and cursed again; I should've grabbed proper clothes before coming in. Then again, my PJs wouldn't change what she was going to say, would they?

I combed my hair with my fingers as best I could, put my hand on the knob, and braced myself. I didn't know what to expect out of this conversation, and honestly, I was getting tired of overthinking everything. She'd already admitted she liked me, that's all that mattered. So I opened the bathroom's door and hoped for the best.

She was now sitting barefoot and cross-legged on the bed, her skirt wide enough to handle that position without revealing anything substantial. On the bedside table next to her were two steaming coffee mugs. The armchair had been moved up to be closer to her. The light was streaming in through the now open blinds, illuminating her face and accentuating the whiteness of her shirt and her golden tanned arms. Outside, a full tray of food, including the delicious mini omelets and pancakes I'd been salivating about, sat on the table.

She followed my eyes. "Talk here first, then food there."

I shrugged at the differentiation, but didn't make any remark despite staunch opposition from my growling tummy. I sat down on the armchair near her and grabbed a cup of coffee. She eyed me expectantly as she mirrored my movement.

After a minute of glances and coffee sips, she wiggled her feet on the bed a little, while a wide, childish smile spread across her lips. I could get used to that sight.

"Don't you just love the feeling of cold sheets on your legs when they're hot?" She grinned further.

I did my best not to think of her hot legs rubbing on anything. I gulped and sipped more of my coffee. The heat of the liquid felt tame compared to the burning sensation in my core.

Her smile died down a little. She blushed as she put her cup on the nightstand and cleared her throat. Her eyes stayed on the cup. Here we go.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking this weekend, ever since I saw you at the welcome party." She paused to raise her eyes and see if she had my attention. Of course she had it. I rested my cup next to hers and gave a brief nod. "But then yesterday happened and it accelerated a lot of things."

"I'm sor..."

"Please, stop apologizing for pushing me. I needed that."

A new kind of strength and resolve was slowly taking over her face.

"I never allowed myself to feel anything for you." She rushed the words out in one go and paused.

Huh?

"When we met, I wasn't sure about my sexuality. You were a girl, and I was still trying to convince myself I was just straight, and denying my feelings towards women. But you were also an underage girl, not by much," she quickly added, "but underage nonetheless. So I never allowed myself to like you like that."

How could I have not seen it before? I'd been so entangled in my own mess I hadn't looked at things from her perspective.

"Any time I'd begin to start to consider to feel something," she staggered, "my brain would kick in and scream at me that it was all wrong. I did my best to never, ever let the thought of you cross my mind, and when it threatened to do that, I admonished myself, I hated myself, and I spent a lot of time shutting down all my emotions just so I wouldn't feel anything for you."

A clearer picture was starting to form in my head. All the ramifications of her state of mind popped in, one by one, drawing a logical path between past and present, and every action and reaction she'd made along the way.

"The only time I let my guard down was that night at your apartment. You looked so cute but so flustered when you saw me, and for once, I thought that maybe you felt something too. I didn't fight my instincts and I let myself go as far as leaning in to kiss you. But you quickly withdrew and the spell was broken."

"I didn'..."

"Please, let me finish. I hated myself that night, for losing control. Plus, I couldn't lie to myself anymore and pretend I didn't like you. But I hated you more."

She took a brief pause. It took all my self-control to remain silent and wait for her to explain... hating me.

"How could you not see that I liked you? Why did you not like me back? And how could I put myself in that situation because of you?" She exhaled loudly and avoided my eyes. "Those destructive thoughts took over and I quickly made a decision. I had to leave, go as far away from you as possible. You were clearly a bad influence and I had to stay away."

"And that's why you disappeared, almost without a goodbye."

"Yeah. That last time we saw each other, when you were helping me pack, there were so many words stuck in my throat and I nearly spilled them all a hundred times. I saw it in your eyes too, but I knew it wasn't the right time or place. So I avoided a proper goodbye and left when you weren't around."

"It hurt. A lot." The words were whispers out of my mouth.

"Yeah."

She lowered her eyes and toyed with the hem of her skirt for a few seconds. I wanted to say something, but didn't know what exactly, and I sensed she still needed to get more of her own thoughts and feelings out. So I drank a bit of coffee and waited until she cleared her throat again and continued.

"Can't change that now. What I was trying to say, though, is that to me, you've always been synonymous with forbidden, and heartache, so when you asked me yesterday if I liked you, it all came rushing back. The fear, the self-oppression, the denial, the rejection, all of it." She raised her eyes to meet mine, probably anticipating another apology, but I didn't interrupt her. "This is why I'm glad you pushed through, because I couldn't look into your eyes and lie. I finally let myself admit it."

We shared a weak smile. She went on, "This whole weekend I've been trying to reconcile with the idea that you're not a teenager anymore, and that did it. You're, clearly," she gestured toward me, "not the shy girl sitting on my sofa, giggling at Jeff and Buttons' antics, unsure of what to do with her life and struggling with all her feelings and thoughts. You're older, way smarter, more confident, more mature, and you know who you are and what you want."

I felt myself blush a little. I was finally getting my long-awaited confession from Megan, and I wasn't really ready for all of it. Plus, how could I top that? My feeble attempt the previous night was clumsy and rushed, and nowhere near her eloquence.

She lowered her tone while her eyes swept over me. She bit her lip. "And you look stunningly sexy too." My minor blush had probably turned into a beet red shade by now. "I can finally say aloud I'm attracted to you, on so many different levels, and there's nothing wrong with that." She beamed.

I don't know what I'd anticipated before she'd started talking, but it certainly wasn't this detailed, introspective account, nor this open-book approach. All of it explained her brighter, more confident attitude.

She reached for her coffee cup and took a big chug then rested it in her lap. Her smile had faded, though, and she still seemed a bit shaky.

"This is the part where you come in."

What could I possibly add after all of that? She'd had time to put her thoughts together, but I was still trying to piece the incoherent mess that mine were. For once, though, I felt I could just say them as they came. No more dressing up my feelings, honesty was the best option.

"You know I like you, I always have. There was never a question about it, but I was too shy and insecure to say or do anything back then. I'm also sorry because I didn't consider what things were like for you. I just convinced myself I'd imagined this chemistry between us or maybe that I'd inflated it into more than it was. If we'd just talked once... but I guess we were both a little immature. Can't blame our past selves."

She acquiesced. "The time and circumstances were definitely not right."

I saw this as my opportunity to ask, "And now...?"

"We've both grown up a lot, obviously. I don't know about you, but everything is inherently familiar yet different between us," she tilted her head at an adorable angle and looked at me hopefully.

"Oh yes. I feel like I've known you for ages, but I have to keep reminding myself that I really don't know who you are now. So it's both awkward and also comfortable in a way, but not as confusing as before. At least for me."

"Nor me." Her eyes shone with the emotions stirred by our talk, but there was more left unsaid, more secret hopes ready to blossom.

She shifted her eyes toward the outdoor lanai. For a brief moment, it seemed like she was about to end our talk and let us get some breakfast, but she hesitated and, after a few seconds, she turned to me with a more serious look on her face.

"I'm still scared of the consequences of this... chat. I told you about my relationship hang-ups yesterday," she winced. "The last thing I want is to say we have something to work with, get your hopes up, but end up dragging you with me on a rollercoaster when I have no idea how long my interest will last."

"More than a decade, apparently." I winked, trying to lighten her mood.

Although those concerns were valid, and obviously at the forefront of my mind as well, I had to get her out of that negative spirit. If things were to progress freely between us, it wouldn't help to have her stuck in her own head, rehashing those same insecurities and spelling out the doom of our relationship before it even began.

"Over-confident much?" She forced a laugh but her heart was clearly not in it. "Seriously, I can't promise anything tangible, and that terrifies me. It should scare you off too," she shrugged.

"It doesn't. I can't promise you anything either, but you don't see me sweating over that." I leaned in toward the bed and grabbed her hand. She had to feel my next words, not just hear them. "Meg, if you expect me to calm all your doubts and fears and insecurities in a second, I can't do that. I don't know what will happen later, neither of us knows. But there's nothing I want more, now, than to give this," I pointed at our joined hands, "a chance. Can we just agree to that? Just a fair chance. No promises, no expectations. Let's not overthink things and get stuck on obstacles that haven't showed up yet."

She squeezed my hand and caressed it with her thumb. "A chance," she whispered as if trying to convince herself, "I can agree to that." Her posture relaxed and she blushed. "Feels like we leapfrogged a few steps. We haven't even kissed yet."

I saw her blush just as the heat started rising in my own cheeks. Then the absurdity of the situation hit us at the same time and we started laughing, the tension of this serious talk draining out of us in a bizarre symphony of giggles.

A minute or two later, as our chuckles slowed down, I squeezed the hand I was still holding. "The steps aren't set in stone. We'll kiss when it's right."

"And you'll have to earn it. I'm not making the mistake of coming after you while you're wearing a Minnie PJ again!"

She pointed at my chest and started giggling again. I joined her, even though part of me felt like I'd just been punched in the gut. How had I missed the fact that I'd hurt her in the past? She was playing it cool now, but she understandably feared a repeat of that same rejection.

Throughout my life, I'd considered myself the victim at almost every stage, but I was now realizing that I'd partly played the villain in Megan's story, even if inadvertently. Based on what she'd told me, that near-kiss with me was likely her first attempt at telling a girl she liked her. She didn't know I'd been as scared as she was, and interpreted it as rejection on my end.

"Meg," I whispered as I regained my composure, "I promise you I'm not yanking away next time." Or ever, I thought. She instantly stopped laughing and focused on me.

The pull of her green eyes was too strong. I found myself moving without even thinking about it. One second I was sitting still on the armchair, the next I was climbing onto the bed and getting closer to her. She didn't even wince as I gradually and confidently invaded her personal space until I was right in front of her, my knees wrapped around her thighs. She only raised an eyebrow after the whole display was done and smiled.

Did she know I was forever a prisoner of that smile? Did she realize she could turn my world around by just stretching her lips for a few seconds? Maybe not, but I planned on telling her that, repeatedly, until she believed me.

I lowered myself and let my butt rest against her knees. My head was nearly level with hers, and only a few inches away.

"I do plan on earning my kiss, but in the meantime, here's a little appetizer."

I steadied myself by holding her arm, aimed for the side of her neck and dove in. Right before my mouth made contact with her skin, I stopped and inhaled. Her aqua perfume and some remnants of her citrus shampoo danced together in my nostrils, fresh and light like her. I exhaled on her skin and felt a shiver course all the way to her arm.

If the previous night's embrace had been a good indicator of how well our relaxed bodies molded together, I wanted this to be a foretaste of everything they could do when you added up all the sexual tension between them.

I reached out with the tip of my tongue and touched her neck; her arm twitched a little in my grasp. I repeated the motion a few times, licking a bit more of her sweet skin with every expedition.

"You're delicious," I whispered against her neck as I took a brief break to calm my headiness. My words bounced against her and spread between us, filling the tiny distance with anticipation.

I couldn't resist her magnetic pull for long, so my tongue went back to her, accompanied by my whole mouth. As my lips wrapped around her skin, she gasped audibly and stretched her other hand around me, grabbing my back and pushing us against each other.

I grinned then slipped in a few words without breaking my mouth's contact with her, "You like this."

"Shut up and continue." Her hoarse voice went straight into my ear, deep and rumbling like never before. The reverberations flew through me, making me slam my chest further into hers.

I looked down and found the pulsating vein in her neck. My lips traced tiny kisses to reach it, and then quickly opened wide and formed a suction cup right where I knew she'd be most sensitive.