You. Owe. Me. A Conclusion

Authors note: My apologies to rj228212, but you shouldn't have let such interesting characters dangling. I hope you approve of my version. If your out there Brittany and you like this, then its dedicated to you.

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Chris wandered into the darkened dinning room and sat at the table, his head in hands, he was lost, he had to make this right with Laura; but how?

Laura put on her sweater, but where were her jeans; Shit, they were out by the hot tub, and she really didn't want to face Chris right now, she just wanted to get away. Anywhere as long as it wasn't here; no....., home....., she wanted to go home. Gathering all her courage she opened the bathroom door and almost collided with Simon who had come down the stairs wearing only his jeans: "What the hell is going on down here?"

"I want to go home" Laura croaked.

"Where's Chris?" Simon yawned.

"I need to go home NOW!" Laura demanded.

Simon had known Laura for some time but he had never seen this Laura.

At that moment Becky came in from the deck carrying Laura's jeans. She handed them to Laura as a peace offering. Laura snatched the jeans from Becky without even acknowledging her; stepped into them and pulled them up. She fixed her glare on Simon and barked, "Either you drive me home now or I driving myself home!"

"OK, Ok just give me a minute to get a jacket and some shoes" Simon replied slipping into a pair of docksiders and grabbing his jacket from the closet. Laura was already headed out the door leading to the garage when Becky haltingly said "I'll go with ..."

"No" Laura shot back, cutting Becky off in mid-sentence, never slowing down as she headed for the car. Simon hurried after her, shooting a perplexed glance at Becky.

Chris heard the garage door open and the Maserati pull out. He came running into the hallway leading to the garage and found Becky still standing there looking at the open door.

"Who was that? " Chris demanded.

"Simon is driving Laura home" Becky said flatly still in shock at the anger in Laura's voice.

"Damn it; I've got to talk to her" Chris was frustrated; realizing that all the cars were gone. "Who lives in a house like this and doesn't have an extra fucking car" Simon's parents had taken both cars to the airport and Abby had Simon's car just letting the Maserati. He would have to wait for Simon to get back. Chris stalked out of the hallway leaving Becky still standing and staring at the open door.

Simon maneuvered the Maserati along the dark winding roads and after an extended silence: "Laura, what is going on?"

Laura in a halting voice answered,"I'm sorry, I yelled at you, I just ... just need to get home ...please." For the rest of the trip there was an uncomfortable silence between them.

Chris had found his way back to the den and flopped down on the couch. The couch that less than a half hour ago he had been sharing with Laura. He could still smell the jasmine.

His mind wandered until he heard Professor Holland saying "Actions and Consequences." That was the theme of that stupid medical ethics coarse all med students are now required to take. Boy, that sure seemed to sum up the last few hours of this day! How could he have been so stupid, those few minutes with Becky may have cost him Laura. He rested his elbows on his knees and buried his head in his hands.

Simon pulled into the driveway and Laura was relieved to see that the house was dark. Lisa and her dad had obviously already gone to bed. She hurried out of the car and into the house without uttering a word to Simon. As the car door slammed "Your welcome,... God,..... Women!!" Simon muttered.

"Can I talk to you?" Becky was standing in the doorway of the den.

Chris didn't move, didn't look up: "Look, Becky, there's nothing left to say. I really don't blame you. I fucked up. I could have stopped you; but, I didn't and that's it. So, please no more talking, I'm just worn out...." His voice trailing off.

She'd known him almost as long as Laura and never seen him like this; even after Shannon. She had to do something. Her two best friends were hurting and she had been partly responsible; but for now, she honored his request and sat silently in the overstuffed chair across from him.

Simon was tired and his head hurt. Pulling into the garage; the headlights illuminated Chris and Becky. They'd heard the car and come straight to the garage.

"Slide over I'm Driving!" Chris ordered.

"The Hell You Are!!!" Simon shot back. He was tired of being bossed around; especially with no explanations. What had started as a simple evening had turned into a really bad "Lifetime" movie. Simon rubbed at his throbbing head and shifted his gaze between Chris and Becky.

"Someone is going to tell me what the FUCK is going on ..... or this car's not moving!!!"

Chris was startled by Simon's outburst. Simon was always so laid back; or, as Becky put it, numb.

"Please Simon, I've got to get to Laura now."

This was new for Simon in all the years he'd known Chris he had never seen him this shaken. Chris had always been the alpha dog of their friendship, confident and self assured. To be perfectly honest, Simon had always felt a slight tinge of envy toward Chris, yes, Simon had money, but people always seemed to gravitate toward Chris.

This was part of why Simon had taken the "timeout" from Becky. He had fallen hard for her and his insecurities had conspired to make him feel vulnerable. In every relationship, he was always plagued by doubts, was it for him or what he had. Every relationship that is, except his friendship for Chris. Chris liked all the toys Simon's life provided but Simon was sure they would have been friends with or without the perks of his lifestyle. Despite this, Simon thought he saw things between Becky and Chris. She would hug Chris a little too long, flirt just a little too hard and he thought he could see her stealing glances at Chris. He wasn't sure, so he had told her he wanted some time to himself. When she said OK, he was crushed. Typical for Simon, he hadn't thought that far ahead. He wasn't really a planner, he just sort of moved from day to day reacting as he went.

"Well?" Chris broke Simon's thought.

"OK, get in but I'm driving."

Becky scrambled into the back seat and Chris pushed the seat back and climbed in. For the second time this evening the Maserati backed out of the garage and headed for Chris's house. Simon looked in the rearview mirror at Becky; she was staring out the window, as was Chris. Simon was getting used to this drive, so his mind returned to what had happened this evening, given that his passengers didn't seem likely to share any information.

What had happened, his old suspicions about Becky and Chris once again surfaced, but how, Becky had surprised him by climbing into his bed totally naked and proceeding to give him one of the most intense blow jobs of his life. None of it made any sense.

As he turned into the driveway, Chris got out, while the car was still rolling and bolted for the house.

Becky started to push the seat forward when Simon leaned across and pull the passenger door shut with a thud. "Beck, no more stalling, did Laura walk in on you and Chris? Is that what set her off?"

He could see a look of surprise appear on Becky's face, "What? No if you remember I was with you! Wait a minute,... you think me and Chris?"

"You can't deny you've always had a thing for him."

Becky's face went from surprise to revelation: "You silly stupid boy, is that what this whole needing to take a break thing has been all about? Sure I like Chris, he's a stud no doubt about it, but I wasn't sucking his brains out through his cock tonight was I?" Well, Becky thought,... actually I was, but sometimes boys really don't need all the facts, it just confuses them.

"No, ....but what happened?"

Becky leaned up from behind the seat and ran her hand down to Simon's crotch finding his cock as she nibbled his ear: "Go home and get some rest, you're going to need it" she gave his cock a squeeze for emphasis, "I'll call you later and explain everything." With that she let herself out of the car and went home to plan her next move.

Chris entered the house trying not to make any noise, he gently tried the hallway door to Laura's room, it was locked. Making his way to his room he crossed to the bathroom and tried Laura's bathroom door, also locked. "Laura, please we need to talk." He spoke in a whisper as loud as he dared, trying not to make to much noise. Again, nothing but silence. Returning to his bedroom he decided that he had no choice but to wait till morning, shit they lived in the same house she'd have to face him sometime.

He kicked off his shoes and socks, pulled off his T-shirt and climbed out of his jeans, the cold air on his now naked body reminded him he had gone commando, so he grabbed a pair of boxers and climbed into bed. He was fairly certain that he wouldn't be getting much sleep given the size of the knot in his stomach.

Chris opened his eyes, blinking; the room was bathed in brilliant sunlight. His senses began to clear and he recognized that now familiar feeling in the pit of his stomach. He must have dozed off, but for how long. A quick glance at the clock; 10:42 am. He nearly tripped over his shoes as he leapt off the bed and hurried through the bathroom to Laura's door. The handle wouldn't budge, still locked. Rapping quietly, "Laura, please we need to talk" again nothing but silence.

He went back through the bathroom to his bedroom, pulled a pair of jeans over his boxers and slipped on the T-shirt from last night. He hurried out the door and down the hallway to Laura's room. The door was ajar, he slowly pushed it open. Her bed was made and he noticed her camera was missing from the desk. He looked for her cell phone, it was tossed on the bed, she was again off-grid.

The house was still as he made his way downstairs to the kitchen. There was a note on the counter by the key plaque; it was in his mother's handwriting:

Kids,

We didn't want to wake you. We are dropping my car at the garage and both going into work for a few hours. We should be home by 6 pm.

Laura, I'm sorry dear, but if you could see to dinner again, maybe order in a pizza, whatever you guys feel like.

See you at 6.

Love

Lisa

His cell phone rang, he recognized the number.

"Hey, Shannon, what's up?"

"Are you up?"

"Yep"

"Good, get dressed, we've got a reservation in your name at "The Stanley" for noon. Don't forget you need a jacket."

"Shannon, I don't ..."

"I'm not taking no for an answer. See you in an hour, Bye."

Click and the call was over. That was just like Shannon, no stopping her when she wanted something. It would serve her right if I stood her up, Chris thought, but then, the prospect of sitting around the house all day waiting for Laura to come home, ...if she came home, wasn't all that appealing, either. What the hell, it had been a year since he'd seen Shannon, maybe a lunch date would help get rid of this sick feeling he'd had since last night.

He headed back upstairs for a quick shower. The hot water felt good but that pain in the pit of his stomach just wouldn't wash away. Stepping out of the shower he began toweling off .... just 24 hours ago I was with Laura right here..... Stop It Chris! He chided himself, God; I'm such a girl sometimes!!

He put on a white on white dress shirt, a nice pair of gray slacks and his favorite blue jacket, actually his only jacket. This was the outfit he had worn to the Dean's mixer, held for all second year med students. This should be OK for "The Stanley", he thought, checking himself in the mirror; not bad for 3 hours sleep. He headed downstairs and as he passed through the kitchen, stopped and added a PS to the note his mother had left;

Gone to lunch with Shannon be back soon, Chris

And he was out the door.

"The Stanley" was a restored Victorian home in what used to be millionaires' row downtown. It had been converted to a five star restaurant, with 10 intimate rooms each holding only 4 or 5 tables. The owners had maintained much of the original building and each room had its own fireplace; which were in constant use during the fall and winter seasons. They also spared no expense in decorating the entire building in a Victorian Christmas motif. "The Stanley" had been one of Shannon's favorite spots when they were dating; but that was for dinner when the lighting was mainly the glow from the fireplace and the candles on the tables.

Chris was pulling into the small parking lot at the rear of "The Stanley" when it occurred to him that letting a note about being at lunch with Shannon was probably not the smartest idea, especially, if Laura got home first. He hadn't given it a second thought at the time; this was just something he and his mother had done for the past 15 years since his father had left them. Well, he thought, how much worse can things be with Laura? To late to change it now anyway.

Hitting the arm button for the car alarm he headed for the front door. He was surprised the restaurant wasn't really crowded, usually at the holidays the Sunday Brunch at "The Stanley" was packed. Pausing for a moment at the maitre d station he scanned the room for Shannon. The hostess appeared from the adjoining room. She was a cute, slender blond about 5'9" with one of those covergirl faces. She stole a quick up and down glance at him and he thought he noticed her smile widen

"May I help you?"

"Yes, my name is Payton, I believe you have a reservation in my name?"

"Yes, Mr. Payton, your guest has already arrived and been seated. Please follow me."

With pleasure, Chris thought as he followed her, watching her cute butt sway as she made her way through the different rooms. Arriving at one of the more secluded rooms Chris noticed there were no other guests except Shannon sitting at the corner table by the fireplace. Your memory has a way of making things better, a little more perfect than the reality, but Shannon was as beautiful as ever; if possible, even lovelier.

Shannon had a sultry Adriatic complexion with deep soft hazel eyes and dark auburn hair that fell in gentle natural curls to her shoulders. If Helen of Troy had caused the launching of a thousand ships, Chris thought, Shannon could easily be responsible for two thousand.

She had on a white blouse with the top three buttons tastefully undone, exposing just a hint of cleavage, with a tweed jacket and tartan skirt that ended just below her knees. The skirt had a modest slit that teased with an occasional glimpse of her thigh, finished off with calf high leather boots. God, he thought, she's stunning.

Shannon had deliberately arrived 15 minutes early to set the stage for her plan. This lunch had not been an impulsive act, she had been thinking about it for weeks. She wasn't here for catching up on the news, she was here for Chris! This past year she'd come to realize that breaking off their relationship had been a huge mistake. She'd thought being in a relationship would be a distraction from law school. Boy, was she wrong, for this last year all she thought about was Chris; and now, she was going to do something, to correct that mistake. The hostess had been thrilled when Shannon asked for her help and found them a secluded table in an empty room.

"Your server today will be Michelle, she'll be with you shortly, enjoy your meal." The hostess gave Shannon a knowing smile and a nod from behind Chris; then she exited leaving them alone.

"Chris, you look great" she came to her feet to give him a hug and a peck on the check.

"Shannon, you're stunning as usual." He held her chair and she lightly ran her hand down his sleeve as she settled in the chair.

Chris unbuttoned his jacket as he sat, glancing at Shannon he saw the wide smile on her face quickly replaced by a concerned frown.

She leaned forward and in a whisper: "Chris is that what I think it is?" She was looking at his shirt pocket.

Looking down he saw the end of the plastic bag sticking up. "Christ, I forgot I had this."

When he had gone to take his shower he'd found the pot in his jeans. He had planned on leaving it at Simon's but things had gotten just a little crazy last night and he'd forgotten it was in his pocket. Having found it this morning, he didn't want to leave it at the house, Lisa and Jack had an unspoken, don't ask don't tell policy, but he knew they didn't approve, and he'd always tried to respect their views, particularly with his mother being a lawyer. His plan was to keep it in his car till he saw Simon, but he hadn't been thinking too clearly for the last 12 hours and forgot to put it in the trunk.

"I thought you quit?" she was still whispering even though they were alone.

"I meant to leave this with Simon." He quickly pulled the bag out and tucked it into his inside jacket pocket.

Shannon's face darkened at the mention of Simon's name. She had never really liked Simon, she thought he was just another over indulged rich kid, who out of boredom wandered aimlessly through life. Chris, on the other hand, had a bright future as a doctor and she had often chided him about the difficulty of applying for an internship or residency with a possession conviction as part of his resume. She was by no means a prude; in fact she had experimented herself, but Simon was so caviler, she knew he was eventually headed for trouble and might take Chris with him.

She had been so focused on her plan that she hadn't noticed how distracted and weary Chris seemed: "Are you alright?"

He needed to tell someone about Laura and he heard himself starting to tell her the story of the last three days. He did have the good sense to edit the story of certain details: like, the girl he had met was his step-sister, the mind bending sex they'd shared and that the way he had hurt her was by getting a blowjob from her best friend. Not that these details weren't important, but they'd probably require too much explanation.

Shannon had been knocked off her game plan and as she listened to the story certain phrases, like "when I realized I loved her" finished off any chance this day would end as she had planned. She watched his face as he spoke of this girl and she recognized that look. She'd seen it in her mirror when she thought about Chris.

When he had finished she reached across the table and took both his hands in hers: "I have only one question for you. Do you really love her?"

"Yes" his answer now was firm and without doubt.

She got up still holding his hands and lightly tugging him to his feet: "Let's go."

She led him out of the room and toward the entrance with a firm grip on his right hand. They passed the hostess on the way.

"Is everything alright?" she shot a questioning look to Shannon

"Yes, everything is fine." Shannon nodded: "Thank you so much for everything."

They both shivered slightly as they emerged from the restaurant. It was one of those crystal clear early winter days, when the chill is sharp but still pleasant. She led him to the parking lot and straight to his car, never once letting go of his hand. Reaching his car, she turned him around so they were facing and moved her hands to both his arms, she stepped into him and kissed him for the last time.

With only three hours sleep, Chris was caught off guard; by the time he could react she had broken the kiss and still holding his arms pushed herself back.

"Now, go and find her and make this right. Don't waste any time, because these feelings don't come along every day." She released his arms and opened his car door.

Chris had been trying to decide what he should do for the last 12 hours, since Laura had left him in the hot tub; but, when Shannon had said it, he knew what he needed to do. He got in, closed the door, started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. Turning right onto the street he looked over at Shannon, she smiled and waved to him, he tooted the horn and headed for home and Laura.