Unicorn Ch. 03

This final chapter was written in past and present settings before I even had the idea of "Amber" in my head. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. It took me so long to post it because I had a hard time parting with it. As always please leave comments!

P.S. The scene with Kim's mom at the end is loosely based on my own personal story that occurred a couple of months ago.

XOXO SkylerLuv

**Present**

Everything was not fine.

I blew into my hot coffee and waited a moment before taking a sip. I stared at my laptop screen not really seeing anything. All I wanted to do was go home and sleep for the rest of my life. School was stressful, work was starting to become too much, and it had been almost three weeks since I talked to Her. I took another sip of the coffee and allowed myself a moment to think about her. How was she doing? Did she Ace her final exams? Does she still go on runs in the morning? Does she think about me? That was when I stopped myself and shook my head. I always say I won't think about her and then I always ended up with an ache in my chest.

I set the coffee down and began browsing for classes for next semester. Marketing seemed like it was going to be fun. It's Friday night and everyone was out and about enjoying their night. The Cafe was pretty busy but I sat in the corner facing the window so I would not get distracted. I did some extra research on professors and continued browsing.

I didn't know what made me look up but I did. I saw a group of girls walking across the street. They were all wearing fashionable fall clothing and seemed to be walking towards downtown. One of them looked out of place though. While the other girls had cute scarfs, new boots, and some form of knitted hat, one of them had on a plain blue hoodie and red pants with blue sneakers. My heart stopped.

It was She.

She was here, back in town. And she didn't tell me.

My throat tightened and I felt like I had been punched in the gut.

Just as I remembered to breath I felt a hand land on my shoulder. I turned to see who it was. My face probably looked like I had just seen a ghost and that was because I had.

**Past**

The first two months, after Mandy left to college, everything went by without any problems. We talked every night, alternated weekends on going down or coming up so we could be together, we even skipped a couple of classes to take small trips together. Everything was going perfect. My worries began to subside and I realized that we could make this work. It was all about putting in the effort.

Then little things began to happen. I got swamped with work and school and barely had time to reply to her text messages. She would get caught up with school assignments and couldn't meet every weekend like we planned. In the back of my mind I panicked but deep down I hoped this was just because we needed to get used to our new schedules. I was so tired all of the time that I began to get a little grumpy when she would beg me to stay up so we could talk. I became even more annoyed when she would mention how much time she spent with her new roommate. They would go to art shows, basketball games, and other events around school. I was glad Mandy was putting herself out there and enjoying her college life. I just wish she did not have to spend so much time with the girl who looked like a runway model.

Mandy also began to feel the tension in our relationship but she would make sure we never went to bed angry. We would talk things out and by the end of the night we would reassure each other everything was okay. As I began to work less, I would spend more hours at school. Community college was a piece of cake compared to the classes I was taking at my local university. Almost every class had group assignments so it took a lot of effort to get projects done.

There was a boy named Josh who I had in two of my classes. He was average looking but smart, so I made sure we were in the same group for any assignments. He didn't have a girlfriend but he also never let on that he was attracted to me in any way.

By the end of the third month I could tell that Mandy did not like the amount of time Josh and I spent working on projects. She understood that it was all for school but I think she was also annoyed my mom knew about Josh and even hinted that he was a nice boy I could date.

During one of our Skype sessions my mom was in the kitchen cooking and randomly brought up Josh, asking if I wanted to invite him to dinner. Mandy raised her eyebrows trying to laugh but I could tell she wasn't too happy. I ran to my room and tried to reassure Mandy that Josh and I were just group members. That led to small argument that escalated when Mandy asked why I haven't been honest with my mom about our relationship.

Mandy never pushed the subject because she knew that the moment I told my mom that her only daughter was into girls, everything would change between us. I was terrified to open that door. My mother loved me but she always made her opinion about gay people very clear. I tried to remind Mandy about my hesitation to be open with my mom but I could see she needed to have some reassurance about the seriousness of our relationship. Mandy was completely comfortable in her skin and would talk about me to anyone who would listen. I had yet to tell Josh about her. But that was because I was a private person. I liked keeping things that were important to myself.

That night no matter how much I tried to talk things out I could tell we were both going to go to bed upset. The next day neither one of us made tried to contact the other.

**Present**

"Kim! Hey!" Josh smiled when I turned to look at him.

I tried to fix my face but knew I was a few seconds away from crying.

"What is wrong?" He asked and leaned down to take a better look at my face.

I turned back to look across the street and saw that the girls were gone. She was gone.

Josh shook my shoulder one more time. "Kim are you alright? You look like death." The concerned tone made me snap back to reality.

I shook my head and abruptly got up. I gave him a quick hug and greeted him. I tried to even my breathing as I asked what he was doing in this part of town. Josh lived on campus. As he explained that he was meeting a couple of friends for drinks in an hour, I started to pack my stuff. I need to leave NOW.

I tried to stop my hands from shaking as I stuffed the laptop in my bag.

Josh put both of his hands on my shoulders and turned me towards him. His concerned eyes almost made me give in and cry. I bit my lip to stop it from trembling.

The bell on the front door rang and the same group of girls I saw walk across the street were now filing in the shop. The first one leading the pack was Mandy and she had a determined look on her face. As soon as she stepped through the doors she turned in my direction and caught my eyes. Josh's back was towards the door so he didn't see her coming. I took a step out of Josh's hold and had to plant my feet firmly on the ground. I had to leave, but I was afraid if I took another step I would faint. The blood rushed to my ears as she stepped closer to us. Josh turned to look behind him just as she reached us. Probably trying to gauge what was causing my irrational reaction.

Before I could process what she was doing Mandy placed both of her hands on both sides of my face and leaned in to kiss me. Hard. My hands automatically wrapped around her waist and I felt all those weeks of her absence melt away from this one kiss. Her soft lips assaulted mine but I could not get enough of her. I responded without restraint. My body leaned in on its own accord. The smell of lavender and warm vanilla filled my senses. I was so caught up in the kiss I nearly fell over when she pulled away to look at my face.

I looked at her through my heavy lids and a smug smile appeared on her face. She seemed to get the reaction she was looking for.

Josh cleared his throat. I found it hard to shift my gaze away from her hazel eyes but when I looked at Josh. I could see he was uncomfortable. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. A deep blush spread through my cheeks as I dropped my hands from around Mandy's waist. Before I could step away she grabbed my hand and turned to look at Josh.

I licked my lips before speaking. "Josh, this is Mandy. Mandy, Josh." I motioned between them.

Josh then had a small smile on his lips. He reached out to shake Mandy's hand. "So you are the famous Mandy." His tone was amused. Just last week I came clean to Josh and told him about Mandy. I didn't tell him we were dating but it did not take a genius to put the pieces together. It was a moment of weakness. I had gone so long without talking to her, I needed someone to talk to. My mom was out of the equation.

I gave him a confused look.

Mandy looked less than impressed. But she behaved and shook his hand. "Yes, I am Kim's girlfriend." She pulled me in a little closer.

I wish I could say that I was annoyed at her possessive demeanor but in reality I was glowing. She was here! She kissed me, she had her hand in mine me, she established that she was my girlfriend. I bit my lip to hide the big smile that tried to make itself known.

"I figured," He shrugged. When I looked at him sideways he continued "You were all that Kim could talk about."

It was my turn to feel uncomfortable. I looked at Mandy under my lashes. She looked at me with a knowing smile. It seemed Josh had said the right thing.

We talked for a couple of more seconds and he finally decided to go meet up with his friends. As soon as he walked out the door Mandy removed her hand from my mine and turned to face me. My stomach tightened. Was she only putting on a show because he was here? I panicked and wanted to hug her and have her hold me again. My body was screaming to touch her or have her touch me. It had been weeks.

"Hi." Mandy whispered, a small smile on her lips.

My lower body began to feel warm. She lifted her hand to my chin and ran her thumb across my lower lip. I took a deep breath. She looked over her shoulder towards the group of girls that were all staring at us from across the room. They all seemed to be shocked by her public display of affection. When she turned back to look at me her eyes were serious

"Want to get out of here?" she asked.

**Past**

The last time I talked to Mandy was right before we took our finals.

I was at home studying and texting Josh. He wanted to meet up at the school library to start putting the final touches on one of our projects. I was trying to coordinate with my mom on who was going to pick Luis up. She had to work and wouldn't be able to watch him for the rest of the night. I was just about to call Josh and cancel our plans for the afternoon when my mom replied to my last text:

*Why don't you invite Josh over? ;) *

I rolled my eyes. My mom could sometimes forget she was the parental figure in this duo. I thought about it for a second though. If Josh came over I could pick up Luis after school and I could watch him as I worked on my project. It was a sound proof plan...except I had a nagging feeling in my gut. Mandy wouldn't be too happy about it.

Lately we talked less and less on the phone and only texted back and forth a handful of times throughout the day. I knew that it was a two way street and it was both of our faults but I was so tired all the time. If I wasn't worrying about one thing it was another. Not to mention Mandy's roommate, who should be called her best friend, was not my favorite person. Denise never did anything to me personally but I could not get over the amount of time they spent together. It reminded me of how inseparable Mandy and I were when we first met.

I sighed and decided to give Mandy a call.

Whether I was mad at her or not I always wanted to talk to her. She was the one who I thought about when I went to sleep and who I couldn't help but think about when I woke up. I missed her terribly. Her soft hands when they cupped my face or played with my hair. Her dazzling smile that always left me weak at the knees. And her playful personality that always got a laugh out of me even when I was upset.

Lately though, her personality had become more reserved. She was also caught up with a lot of schoolwork and different organizations. After the one big argument, about Josh and me coming out to my mom, we never brought it up again. Which meant we never got over it and it started to form a wall between us. I wish she would just come back so we could kiss and make up. I needed to see her. Needed her to tell me everything would be okay.

"Hi there," She sounded like she had just woken up from a nap.

"Hi." I said shyly. "I miss you."

I could hear the smile in her voice. "I always miss you," My heart fluttered. "I haven't met anyone that I wanted to spend every waking moment with, until I met you." She was probably still somewhat sleeping because she hadn't talked to me like that in weeks. In her defense, neither had I. I was still trying to get used to the idea of having a serious relationship with a girl.

"I wish you were here." I whispered. A rush of emotions made my throat tighten up. "You're the only one that gets me."

While I had new friends that I made in school, there was no one who could replace Mandy. I had so many questions and concerns and only she would be able to pick up on that. Our lack of communication was making it hard though.

I almost felt like the way I felt that night we first kissed. I was crying because Derek and I were becoming distant. Almost as distant as Mandy and I were becoming now.

"Kimmy Bear," Her tone was sad. "Are we okay?"

I sniffled and tried not to cry. Panic settled deep in my gut. It was happening, we were now so distant and my biggest fears were becoming true. I didn't realize I let our relationship slip so far from my fingers that she had to ask if we were okay. I wiped a tear away. If Mandy didn't know if we were okay or not, how would I?

"Mandy, I-" My phone started to beep, Josh was calling on the other line.

"Who's calling?" She sounded awake now.

I shook my head and debated lying. But I didn't want to lie to Mandy. She was my favorite person in the whole world. "Josh wants to meet up later. We have to finish a project." I held my breath as I waited for her response. She didn't say anything.

I tried to change the subject. "Why are you sleeping in so late? Don't you have class." I failed to make my tone sound light. The emotions were still there in my gut.

She paused. "Denise and I went out last night. It was the grand opening for a new club downtown."

My body went tense. So she gets to go out clubbing with her super hot roommate while I stay in worried about having Josh over? How was any of that fair?

I felt myself getting upset. I wanted to let it go and move on but I felt hurt. On impulse I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind. "Josh is coming over tonight." I bit my lip and stood up with my phone still glued to my ear. I wanted to slap my forehead.

"That's not fair." I heard Mandy say quietly. "You know how I feel about Josh and you're trying to hurt me."

Dating Mandy had me feeling a whole new array of emotions. Jealousy was one of them, my least favorite one. I was still trying to figure out how to deal with it without hurting her. I obviously wasn't doing a good job.

"I am not trying to hurt you, I am being honest. More than you have. When were you going to tell me you went out clubbing with hot your roommate?" Heated tears rolled down my face. This conversation was not going the way I wanted it to. I couldn't stop myself from talking either. I was going to regret all of this later. I was already regretting some of it now.

"Oh come on!" Though Mandy never raised her voice, she did add some annoyance to it. "She's just my roommate. She knows about you and would never try anything. Unlike your mom who knows nothing about me and wants you and Josh to have babies together. I have told everyone, even my mom who loves the idea of us by the way, and you have yet to mention me to anyone. How do I know this is real for you if you don't admit it to others?" I could tell her tone was rising a bit.

This conversation was exactly like the last one we had that ended up with us not talking for a whole day. I knew we shouldn't have let it fester. But I wasn't good at expressing myself when I let my emotions get in the way. What was Mandy doing to me? I questioned our relationship again. Was it normal to have all of these feelings?

"You know why I haven't told my mom. And it is real to me." I tried to keep my voice calm. Inside I felt everything going haywire.

I paced in front of my bed. My free hand kept rubbing the excess sweat on my jeans.

I wanted to yell at Mandy and yell at myself for starting this stupid argument. I also wanted to hug Mandy and kiss her and make her cum all over my fingers. Like I said, all of these emotions were new to me. I didn't know how much more I was able to take. I couldn't deal with not being able to keep them under control.

When none of us said anything else I took a deep breath and did something I would regret for days to come. "I think...we should take some time off." I sat at the edge of my bed and bit my lip. I placed my trembling hand on my lap.

"A break? That's your solution?" Her tone was incredulous and hurt.

I was exhausted. If I wasn't working or going to school I was thinking about Mandy and worrying about all of our troubles. When everything was going good, it was great. But I knew it would just be a matter of time before it would be ruined again. I hated living with that uncertainty. And I would be lying if I didn't admit that my grades were not the best due to our arguments. I was a problem solver, but this was just becoming too much for me to deal with.

"Finals are coming up and I need to focus on that. Then when you come back for winter break we can talk in person and move on from there." I also hated how our arguments changed Mandy's mood. When we were best friends I never saw her upset and she was all smiles. Now there were times when she didn't joke or laugh over the phone. I truly ruined something that was so perfect.

"Please don't do this Kimmy Bear," Her tone sounded really upset. I cried and threw myself on the bed. Who was I to make her feel like this? I was hurting her again just like I did the first time.

"We're not over, just taking some time off. I'm sorry Mandy. I wish I would have never ruined our friendship." I hung up and continued to cry in silence.

**Present**

We were in Mandy's room.

Her mom was out for the night so it was just us two. I was sitting on her bed, uncomfortable, while she was in the bathroom. Her luggage was by the door she hadn't finished unpacking. The desk in the corner had a ton of books stacked. Most were about economics, her chosen major. There were also a couple of new pictures scattered throughout her mirror on top of her drawer. There were a couple of Denise and herself and then other people I guess she met at college. There were also pictures of us. Playing in the pool in her backyard, eating ice cream on the sidewalk, there was even one of me she took while I was sleeping next to her.

Her bathroom door opened and she walked out. A light pink t-shirt with one of her school organization's logo replaced her blue hoodie. Guess she did join that club she talked about. She walked over to me and sat down next to me. Her eyes settled on my face. There was uncertainty in them. Who could blame her? Here I was, back at her place just like the first time, about to apologize and ask her to take me back, AGAIN.

"How are you Kim?" She slightly crossed her arms.

I wanted to sit on her lap but fought against it. "I'm good. How are you?"