Learning to Love Another Ch. 06

"I've had such a good time," she said as she gathered up her stuff. "I knew you were smart and fun, but without the protective atmosphere of work, there is so much more to you."

"What you see is what you get."

"Well I like who I see."

"And I really liked spending time with you too," I countered. "At least time spent not solving difficult problems on contract schedules. You are so much fun, and you get all the jokes."

"Nerds unite!" she said and began to take my clothes off.

I mean my clothes that she was wearing -- not my clothes that I was wearing. You know what I mean, either way clothes were coming off her. I stared a lot more than I should while she was standing her underwear and getting her jeans, t-shirt, and boots back on. God, she was gorgeous.

I followed her to the front door too few minutes later and opened it for her. It was still early in the evening, but I couldn't think of a plausible reason for her to stay. Her mind seemed to be in the same place, because she hesitated before stepping out onto the little porch.

On impulse, I hugged her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. I figured it was my turn.

"Thank you for dinner, sugar," I said with no intended condescension to her accent or mannerisms.

"You're welcome, Elain. Say... do you have a copy of Labyrinth?"

"Actually no, and for no good reason. I love that movie!"

"Got anything else planned for the rest of the evening?"

"Not a thing."

"Back in thirty-four minutes," she said and scurried off to her car.

*****

I felt like I was vibrating. I was all nerves and jittery now that she was gone, so I busied myself in small ways -- bathroom break, feed Fabby, check the mail, etc. I got around to bedroom and the small pile of folded clothes she had left on my bed when she took them off. I picked them up to toss them into the laundry basket, and they were still warm. For no conscious reason I hugged them to myself, and I could smell her on them. Tess had a sweet floral scent to her that I could smell even through the lingering smells of Italian restaurant. It made me giddy, and it made me horny, and it made me nervous.

This wasn't like me. I was a grown woman -- a highly respected professional, a sportbike girl, an experienced woman of the world who had traveled through several types of relationships from flings, to kinky models, to huge cocks... and I was crushing hard on Tess.

Thirty-four minutes on the dot, she knocked on the door.

"What is your name?" I rasped through the door.

"It is Arthur, King of the Britons," she replied as I opened it.

She came back in carrying a string shopping bag.

"Whatcha got there?" I asked.

She reached into the bag and produced a box of microwave popcorn, what looked like a set of blue flannel pajamas, and the DVD for Labyrinth.

"Pajama movie party?" she volunteered.

"I think that would be awesome, but there's a difficulty."

Tess looked honestly worried for a moment, like I had busted her doing something wrong.

"I don't actually own any pajamas," I explained. "I could put on some sweatpants or something though."

Tess brightened immediately, "Knowing me as you do and knowing the type of person I am, did you think I would bring a plan to the table without full resources?"

She handed me the bag, inside of which was an identical set of flannel pajamas in green. I did not miss that hers matched her eyes and mine matched my eyes. That was the kind of person she was - attention to detail in every plan.

"Ok," I said, "You're on."

"Can you put the popcorn in? I'll go start changing."

"Sure thing."

I had one of those super cheap microwaves that actually had a 'Popcorn' button, so I put a packet in and hit it. By the time I got to the bedroom, Tess was mostly into her blue flannel -- just finishing by pulling up the pants. I noticed that her bra was folded into the stack of her regular clothes on the bed. I don't miss details either. My eyes immediately went to her chest and took in the tell-tale wobble of a woman who has become more comfortable.

"Thank you for bringing me PJs," I said, and for what felt like the twentieth time that day, I undressed in front of Tess.

The microwave beeped. She ran to fetch the popcorn, so I also shed my bra while she was momentarily out of the room. My heart was beating fast again, and my nipples hardened against the soft fabric. The flannel smelled like her too, just like my clothes had. I felt definite tingles between my legs.

"All set?" she asked, and I jumped at the sound of her voice. "Oh sorry, didn't mean to startle you."

"I'm good," I said a little too hurriedly and thought I saw her eyes flicker across the peaks in the flannel caused by my nipples.

And that was nearly that. We watched the movie and ate popcorn. It was wonderful, and we shared memories of the first time we had seen the film and the effect it had on us when we were young. I say nearly, because about halfway through Tess asked if she could put her head in my lap. I agreed and by the time the movie got to the song Chilly Down, Tess murmured, "The Fireys always kind of scared me" and then fell gently asleep. I watched the rise and fall of her magnificent breasts more than the movie, steadily growing warmer and probably wetter beneath her head. Her face was relaxed, and her lips slightly parted. She really was a gorgeous woman. Then promptly at 13 o'clock, I also fell asleep.

*****

We woke up very early in the morning and laughed about being too old to stay up late. I also reminded her that we had been working sixty-hour weeks to finish the latest product certification, and maybe we were due a little more sleep.

Tess had some stuff to do later that day, and I had a group ride that morning; so, we hugged each other goodbye straightaway, and she left for home still in her pajamas with a piece of toast to get her there. I went straight into the shower and made myself cum thinking about the way Tess felt sleeping in my lap and the way she smelled.

Angel called that afternoon after I was back from my ride. Had she not called; I would have called her. I had a lot to say, but she also had news.

"Hi baby!"

"Hello, my Angel. How's the other half of my brain this afternoon?"

"I'm really good. Things are going really, really well with Eric. We had another date last night, and it's still storybook. He thinks the sun rises and sets in me, and still calls me on my bullshit, not that I have any, you understand... I feel like there's an actual relationship forming that might go somewhere."

"I'm so happy to hear that."

"He's an excellent kisser too, though clothes haven't started coming off... yet."

"Oh good."

"Hmmm... you sound distracted. What's on your mind."

"Well, I think I just had a first date. At least I hope it was, and as first dates go, it was pretty amazing."

"Ooooh! Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

To her credit as my best friend, Angel let me unpack every detail of the previous two days. Other than offering affirming sounds and 'go on' cues, she withheld any comments.

"And then she went home this morning, and I furiously masturbated in the shower... like I do, you know," I wrapped up.

"I have what might be a really dumb question," said Angel immediately.

"That's the thing!" I interjected, anticipating her question because, after all I was the other half of her brain as well. "We haven't even talked about sexuality. I have no idea if she's into girls or not. Heck, I don't even know if she's already seeing someone -- though that seems unlikely since she spent the pretty much all of Saturday with me."

"But you're fairly certain she picked up on your bisexuality from talking about the photographs of Ethan and Jessi-K?"

"Yes. Tess doesn't miss details, even if she doesn't mention then. She always knows more than she says."

"That's how you win at business and people. I like her already, and regardless, she didn't bat an eye at the evidence that you had previously been with a woman and a man. She's either non-straight herself or at least an ally."

"I honestly think you'd adore her. She's ridiculously brilliant but completely unpretentious. She's a huge nerd too and unabashedly herself at all times. She honestly reminds me a lot of you. She's wonderful in every way."

"You clearly have a huge crush, and it sounds like it's caught you by surprise."

"It has. We've worked together closely for quite a while now, and I would have considered her a real friend, but I learned more about her during dinner last night than I had in the previous year."

"And she fell asleep in your lap, in your home, and in pajamas."

"Yes?"

"She trusts you, Elain. I'd also hazard that she doesn't trust many people. I bet you haven't been inside her house yet, have you?"

"Actually no, come to think of it. Even when I dropped her off and picked her up. We met and parted in her driveway. I didn't think anything odd of it until now. All of our alone time was in my place."

"I'll tell you what Avó Angelina says, 'It's harder to hide a body than to leave one behind.'"

"I seriously doubt she thinks I'm a serial killer, Angel."

"I'm certain she doesn't, but the point is that she hasn't invited you 'inside' yet. Give it time. Just be honest with her and honest with yourself, and I bet it will turn into something wonderful. At the very least, you have a good friend to spend time with, so you won't be lonely."

"This is why I keep you around," I said after a few moments' contemplation. "You understand people. You're better at this than I'll ever be."

"And here I thought you kept me around for my incredible tits..."

"They are certainly not a deterrent, my Angel."

"Speaking of which... Tess?"

"Yes, in fact. She has 'huuuge tracts of land'," I said, throwing in a Monty Python and the Holy Grail reference out of habit.

"Oh, we like that then. Keep me updated, and I can't wait to meet her."

"I will. You keep me updated on Eric, especially if clothes start coming off."

"I will, baby. I love you, and I'll talk to you later."

"Hey," I interrupted. "Thank you for listening and supporting me."

"Of course! I love you, you know?"

*****

'Give it time,' Angel has said, so I did. Tess and I treated each other normally at work the following day. In fact, I barely saw her due to Monday morning status meetings, she with her direct reports, and me with mine and with Kevin. We waved to each other and smiled from opposite ends of the main corridor once and high-fived in the lab once we got word our latest certification submittal had been accepted.

I sent her a quick email on Wednesday:

Want to continue our Henson/Froud trend and watch The Dark Crystal on Saturday? I'll pay for dinner this time.

To which she replied:

I would love to, but I will be visiting my parents this weekend. There's nothing wrong there. I just haven't seen them in a bit. How about next weekend?

I took it harder than I thought I would, but I responded positively. On the bright side, at least she was the type of person who visited her parents when it wasn't a holiday or an emergency. On another bright point, she hadn't said 'no'; she had only said 'later'. I could give it time.

As it was, I spent the weekend bike shopping. There was nothing wrong with Rocket, but motorcycle shopping is rarely about necessity. I was looking ahead at trading up to a 600 or a 750, and I honestly kind of enjoyed the attention I received in bike shops once they figured out I was on my own, was a rider, and actually knew what I was talking about. I was an engineer after all.

The reason I mention this at all is because it factors into Tess and Angel meeting each other, but we'll get to that shortly. You'll see.

The following weekend we went to Macaroni Grill and then back to my place for popcorn and The Dark Crystal. Tess brought her blue pajamas, and I still had the green ones she had loaned me. She stayed awake through the whole film but fell asleep with her head in my lap again during the extra features documentary. I took a chance and stroked her hair for a while as she was falling asleep before dropping off myself. She remained relaxed, and it was innocently intended and innocently done. She smelled so good, and the movement of her breathing was mesmerizing. The warmth of her closeness was the most exquisite tease.

We awoke early like the last time, and she was embarrassed to have fallen asleep and remained so again. I assured her that it was fine and meant it.

"I'm a terribly boring friend," she said over breakfast toast at my table.

"Hardly," I answered. "You are one of most interesting and delightful people I know. I really enjoy spending time with you, and I take the fact that you feel safe relaxing around me to be a very high compliment."

"Thank you, Elain," was all she said.

*****

We were kicking off a new contract the following week at work, and things were about to get really real on development deadlines. This particular development involved Tess's group much less and was a much smaller design group, so I wouldn't be working directly with her or her people for the foreseeable future. I also would be leading the design and would be the principle engineer on it, i.e. I was going to be busy as hell for about three months. We call it hit-squad work. It was a surprising ache not to see her, even in work conditions.

She sent me a quick email on Wednesday:

Dinner and an unplanned nap on Saturday? It's my turn to pay, and I'll bring Legend.

To which I replied:

I would love to, but on one condition.

Her reply:

Yes?

Mine:

I want to kill the unicorn.

Hers:

Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! (deep thunderous laugh font) Got me. I didn't see that one coming. See you Saturday afternoon.

PS -- I don't think black lipstick would be your look.

*****

She bought us Old Spaghetti Factory, and I fell asleep at the end of the movie with my head in her lap that time because work was kicking my ass to new levels of fatigue. Loved by the Sun knocked me out, and it was kind of amazing to wake up and her face was the first thing I saw. We hugged each other goodbye that morning and I kissed her on the cheek again.

"Thanks for taking care of me last night."

"What do you mean?"

"I was completely ragged from work, and you fed me and took care of me."

"Of course," was all she said.

Time for the mid-adventure 'time passes' action training montage! Insert catchy tune of your choice --

Tess was gone for the following three weeks out to the west coast for a federal working group activity, and I was still getting my ass kicked by work. On the upside, I was getting a tremendous amount done working twelve-hour days and weekends in order to keep myself busy and focused on not missing her. She emailed a couple of times a week just to check on me, which was really a boost.

About the time Tess got back, Dick and I traveled to a qualification lab out of state to hammer through a solid week of testing. That week turned into two, which was actually good because it meant that we were able to continue qualification testing further than we expected and actually finish it without having to re-book the lab. Fabby was boarding at the vet, so she was taken care of, but that meant being away from Tess longer. Our couple-of-times-a-week emails ramped up to nearly every day.

Why didn't we just call like regular people? That's a valid question that deserves an aside. I was in a magnetically sealed lab in a different time zone working fourteen to sixteen-hour days is the short answer. Lab time is ridiculously expensive, so if you're in, you stay in as long as you can make progress. It's not like you really have anything else to do at or near these facilities anyway. But back at the point, if you could get any sort of cellular signal past all the shielding in the lab, it was too loud to hear anyway. Email was the easiest way to communicate assuming I could connect via VPN to work. The embarrassing secondary answer is that I'm usually really awkward on the phone, and so is Tess. You probably know people like that, too. Angel and my mom were really my only exceptions to this awkwardness, just because of my level of intimacy with them.

Of note -- I did get a text from Angel during this time: "OMG he has the *best* cock. More details when I can talk to you." You know how that all turned out from my other work, Marrying Angel.

I got back from testing two days after Tess flew to corporate for quarterly meetings, so that was five weeks without seeing her, and she was going to be gone for a whole week. For fuck's sake, this was unreasonable. By the end of that time, we were emailing a couple of times a day and were starting to end messages (which I initiated) with "I miss you."

Six weeks after Legend, we were finally able to get together. She flew back on a Friday afternoon and didn't come into the office at all that day. I was still working twelve-hour days, but since returning from testing I had not worked weekends. I saw her login status was 'Online' logged in from home at about seven o'clock Friday night as I was shutting down the lab, so I sent her the following:

Can I take you to Maggiano's tomorrow night and then a movie about fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, miracles...

To which she replied only three words: As you wish.

*****

Tess picked me up in her Audi, and we hugged fiercely before stepping back and both blushing. In retrospect, we were such reality denying goofballs.

"It has been a while," I said.

"Too long," she replied.

Dinner was fabulous -- not because the food was exceptional, but because of the company. Then it was back to my place for braless pajamas and The Princess Bride. We both love that movie so much that we managed to stay awake through the whole thing. That was helped in part by Fabulous purring like thunderstorm in the space on the sofa between us. She had missed Tess (almost) as much as I had and was making a damn nuisance of herself.

After the movie had ended, Tess asked if she could lie down with her head in my lap like she likes to do, so we lifted Fabby out of the way with much complaining and deposited her on the back of the sofa. Tess lay back, closed her eyes, and let out a sigh so deep that it drowned out the purring.

I gently stroked her hair away from her face so that it framed her features. She looked up at me through her eyelashes for a moment and then smiled and closed her eyes. We had already talked the last six weeks of work to death over email and over dinner. Now that the movie was over, it seemed like there was nothing left to say. The silence was -- as they say -- golden.

I just looked at her and continued to stroke her hair, memorizing every detail of her face. I was nearly thirty years old, a career engineer, and a team lead. Tess is almost five years older than I am, a highly respected professional in her field, called upon at the federal rulemaking level, and a director at a sensitive branch of a multinational conglomerate. We could have been teenagers on our first date. The energy felt just like that.

I began tracing the outline of her eyebrows and the contours of her cheekbones with my fingertips. She was so genuinely beautiful. Angel is beautiful. Kim was beautiful. Sarah was beautiful. Jessika was marketably beautiful at a professional level. But Tess had something -- some inner light that I had only seen before in Angel. There was an effortless grace to her that spoke to her greatest quality -- that she was unapologetically herself.