He saw her there, across the room. She threw her head back in laughter like she did so often. Some people said her laugh was obnoxious. He admitted that it was on the boisterous side, but he never tired from hearing it. The laugh was contagious really. Just hearing it made people smile and chuckle, not from amusement at her expense but because those who heard it couldn’t help but share in her laughter.
He watched her over his drink as she leaned into the shoulder of the man standing next to her. She tilted her chin up just enough to whisper into his ear. Her soft, pink lips broke into a clever grin, like she had just stumped him with the riddle of the century. She touched the man’s arm gently, then slid off the bar stool and sauntered back toward their table. She looked up at him and he quickly turned his head in the other direction.
“Isn’t this club amazing?” she shouted as she took her seat next to him. “I can’t believe how many people are here!”
He nodded and took another drink of his beer to quickly recollect his cool demeanor. He had always been careful to act cool around her, never letting her see how consciously aware he was of her every giggle, the tilt of her head, or, like tonight, the hem of her very short skirt. Luckily the loud band and flashing lights provided enough of a distraction for her not to notice his minor slip.
“Was that Jeff over there at the bar?” he asked casually. She didn’t really need to answer. He knew that it was Jeff—he had been the one to introduce them.
“Oh, you saw us? Yeah, he actually came out tonight. It was really good to see him,” she answered, cool as ever. Her smile grew and her eyes sparkled just a touch more. He noticed her head turn to look at Jeff one more time, then she turned her back to him fully and faced her friend at the table. “He’s still single isn’t he?”
The question was meant to be a whisper but came out quite loudly. It had to, or it would be lost in the bass of the band playing just across the room. Despite this, the question seemed to echo doubly loud in his ear.
“Jeff? Oh, yeah, yeah. Last I heard anyway.” He drained the remainder of his beer, which was still half-full. “Are you interested?”
“Maybe,” she said. A quick glance over her shoulder told him that she was more than interested. “We’re going out to dinner tomorrow night.”
“Waiter! Another?” He raised his empty bottle to signify his want—no, his need—for another drink. Unable to compete with the noise in the room, a passing waiter nodded his head to acknowledge his request
“You’re really throwing ‘em back tonight,” she observed. “Everything okay?”
Besides the fact that one of my friends is taking you out, yeah, sure, everything is fine. He pushed the thought out of his head.
“What? Yeah, yeah I’m fine. Jeff’s a really good guy, you two should have a fun time together.” He didn’t want them to go out together, yet at the same time he was endorsing their date.
“He is a good guy.” She paused and looked at him somewhat quizzically. “You know, I was once told that I’m a really cool girl, too. Maybe it’ll be a good match?”
He smiled wryly at this and said, “Hmmm, I’m not sure who would ever tell you that….” She hit his shoulder playfully, then said she was going to order another drink at the bar. The screech of the chair across the wooden floor was lost in the noise of the club. She stopped to say hi to some friends, then found her way back to the same bar stool she so gracefully left only a few moments before.
* * *
They had been walking for some time now and still hadn’t come across the trail. Thankfully, it was a gorgeous day outside. The sun was shining bright over the mountains, making it a cool 35 degrees. Sunlight seemed to reflect across the snow into every corner of the forest, and the cloudless sky was welcoming after the week of snowstorms.
He looked at her as they made their way half-hazardously through the woods. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have met her. Her dark fair fell gracefully over her shoulder as she clambered over a fallen tree. She stopped then, and her hazel eyes met his.
“I’m sorry, we’re lost,” she admitted. “I thought I went this way once but that was before the snow, and, well, I’m sorry.” She looked truly apologetic, as if getting lost in the woods with her wasn’t the best thing that had happened to him all week.
“Well, maybe we should just wait,” he suggested. He sat down on the tree that she had just conquered and she sat down next to him, facing the other direction. She sighed heavily and shrugged her shoulders.
“Wait for what?” she asked.
“I think if we wait long enough something will show us which way to go.” They sat in silence for a few minutes. He was suddenly aware that she was staring at him. He turned and met her gaze. They smiled at each other, somewhat knowingly. A thousand thoughts raced through his head.
Maybe this will be the day, he thought.
She began tracing the outline of his hand, and that was all it took. He interlaced his fingers with hers. They sat there for what seemed like an eternity, holding hands, facing opposite directions.
Suddenly, she jumped and let out a small shriek as a large branch snapped thirty yards away. She squeezed his hand tighter and he turned to see a 7-foot moose clambering its way in their direction.
“Don’t make any sudden movements,” he whispered in her ear. She leaned against his arm and nestled her head into his shoulder.
“That’s the biggest one I think I’ve seen!” she whispered back, but without any trace of fear. Instead, there was a tinge of excitement in her voice.
The moose stopped moving and lifted its head to look at them. There the three of them sat, staring, no one willing to avert their eyes.
Then, after only a few minutes, the moose continued on its path, moving away from the two. They both let out sighs of relief, and she loosened her death grip on his hand.
“I think we should go this way,” he said, pointing to a spot in the distance.
“Why that way?”
“Because he went that way,” he explained, nodding in the direction of the disappearing moose.
“Hmmm, excellent point.” She laughed and swung her legs over their tree-bench, still holding his hand. “He was so close, I can’t believe it! And it seemed like an eternity that he was just standing there, gaping at us.”
“I was ready to throw you in for bait and make a run for it,” he joked. At that she let out a boisterous laugh, tilting her head back and running her free hand through her hair.
“You would do something like that. Is that the trail over there?”
It was. They made their way back towards civilization. As they did so, he realized there was still a hand in his own. It had happened, he realized. They had just made the transition into that grey area. That space between “friend” and “girlfriend” that made him nauseous. That area that had given him many headaches before, and had caused him to lose too many great friends. He looked at her. He couldn’t let that happen again.
“Hey look, a penny!” he fibbed and reached to pick up the invisible coin with his occupied hand, instantly freeing it from its previous grasp. He clasped his fingers around the fake object and instantly jammed his hand into his coat pocket. He stole a side-ways glance and saw the quick glimmer of confusion cross her face. Just as instantly it was gone, and she smiled at him.
“I hope it was heads up, otherwise that’s bad luck,” she said, looking over her shoulder, checking to see if the moose had followed them.
It’s probably even worse luck if the damn thing doesn’t exist, he thought. They continued on the path, then onto the street and back to her apartment. They talked for a while, then fell into silence. He was still comfortable walking with her, even when they didn’t say anything. Time with her was never forced or awkward.
They stopped at the door to her apartment. She turned to face him, and he felt she was expecting him to say something significant. He looked at her for a moment, gathering the courage to be the ass he knew she would think he was.
“You’re a good hang-out buddy, you know,” he started. He could tell this wasn’t what she was expecting to hear, but her face gave no sign of discontent either.
“Good to know,” was all she said, but with a smile.
“Yeah, good to know,” he echoed dumbly. He had put girls in the “friend zone” a few times before, and this was going surprisingly well.
“Alright, well, we’re still on for tomorrow night, right?” she asked.
“Right. I’ll give you a call.” She smiled and took a step towards him, but only for a hug. The embrace was brief. Very friendly. Then she was on her heels and unlocking her door. She didn’t look back and the door closed with a gentle “click” behind her.
* * *
“Want to dance?”
The question catapulted him back to the present. He looked up to see those hazel eyes looking back at him, a curious glint in them that he hadn’t seen for some time. That walk in the woods was nearly a year ago.
Electric Avenue was playing in the background.
“Hell yeah I do!” He jumped to his feet and grabbed her hand, leading her to the center of the dance floor. He wasn’t a very a good dancer, but neither was much of the crowd in the club that night. Really, when they danced together, it was always more about having fun than looking good.
“My signature move!” she shouted, and started doing the sprinkler. He reciprocated with “the shopping cart,” and they both laughed and continued moving and grooving to one of their favorite songs. He took a few steps back from her and made a move like a fisherman casting his line. She caught on, like always, and pretended to be reeled in by the imaginary hook. Once she was close enough, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close to him.
“I always did like fishing, although I don’t think I’ve ever really caught anything good,” he said.
“Until tonight, that is,” she added. They both laughed uncontrollably and she moved to take a step back. He didn’t let go. She slowly turned to look at him, and he held on a moment longer. This embrace was more than friendly. Then he dropped his arms, put one hand on the back of his neck and checked his other for the time.
“Whoo, it’s late. Think we should call it a night?”
She looked at him a moment longer, trying to read his face. He hoped she didn’t see anything there.
“Sure, let me grab my jacket.” She turned and began walking away, looking back once with a quizzical look on her face.
* * *
At this point they had known each other only a couple of months. They had been out on a few dates and had a moment or two where he really thought they could have something special. Their latest encounter with a moose had left both of them wondering where things were going. He knew he had feelings for her, but at what cost was he willing to find out where things would go? At the expense of a friendship?
The party was casual. A good-sized group of about 20 just socializing and playing some drinking games. Very much the college scene, in between the keggers and the frat parties. He hadn’t been to something like this in a while, but was happy she had invited him.
It wasn’t long before they were both buzzed, sitting on the couch together chatting with some people about their summer plans. The two of them appeared to be simply friends most of the night. She was chatting with several guys on the basketball team, being borderline flirtatious. He didn’t like it, he decided, but thought it would be better to simply deal with it. He had, after all, called her a “buddy.” Did he really expect anything different?
No, he decided. It was better this way. He got to keep his friendship and not worry about that gray area anymore. But maybe there doesn’t have to be the gray area, he thought. Maybe we could just, be together.
The thought had crossed his mind. Several times. But he knew better. She was here for school, probably leaving in a couple of years once she graduated. He wasn’t willing to get into a complicated relationship.
But she does look great tonight. She was in heals and a dark pair of jeans. Her black blouse dipped dangerously low, and her dark hair was pulled back at the nape of her neck, spiraling down around her collarbone. As if she was reading his mind, she looked up and saw him watching her. She politely excused herself from the two six-foot ball players and walked back to join him on the couch.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hi,” he replied.
“Having a good time?”
“I am. I’ve decided that you and your friends are a lot cooler than the basketball team, though.” She laughed her laugh, maybe not so much because what he said was funny but because she was drunk. Her face was flushed and her eyes sparkling. Her smile never left her face.
“That’s because we are!” she concluded. Then, as if by instinct, she reached for his hand. He was acutely aware of her leaning in close to him, and in his best effort to be casual he took his hand back into his own possession. On a sober night, this would have been a clear signal that that was not okay; but she was persistent, and finally he just looked at her.
“We talked about this,” he said.
“No, we didn’t,” she retorted. She looked at him expectantly and reached for his hand again. He let her hold it this time, but continued talking.
“Yes, we did. I just like the way things are.” She stuck out her lower lip in a pout at this comment. He chuckled and looked down. She wasn’t going to make this easy. She laughed as well.
“So I’m officially being put in the friend zone then?” she asked. This caught him off-guard. He’d never had a girl simply ask that before.
“Does that officially put me in the ass zone?” he asked. She looked at him for a second, hesitating, and he swore that she was going to say yes.
“No,” she finally answered. “No, it doesn’t.”
“You’re a really cool girl. I like hanging out with you.”
“I know I am!” she exclaimed with a huge grin. She let go of his hand and reached for another beer.
“So we’re cool, then?” he asked, somewhat shocked. If this was really how she was reacting, then she really was a cool girl, or she wasn’t really that into him to begin with.
“Yeah, definitely.” She grinned, and got up to join her friends in the kitchen. He watched her walk away, wondering what she was really thinking at that moment.
* * *
“Hey! Sorry, I know you’re ready to go but Jeff just asked if I wanted to dance.” He snapped back to reality. He had always wondered how things could have been different that night. Maybe, just maybe if he had been honest with her, things would be different.
“Wait, what?” he started.
“Jeff,” she said a bit louder. “He wants to dance. It’ll just be a few more minutes, then we can go, I promise. Unless you really want to go, I could probably have Jeff—“
“No, no, I can wait,” he interrupted. If he had told the truth that night, another guy wouldn’t be asking her to dance right now. Then again, maybe they wouldn’t even be speaking. Regardless, Jeff taking her home was the last thing he wanted at that moment. She flashed her brilliant smile and turned to meet Jeff on the dance floor. Much to his irritation, Jeff was a much better dancer than he was. Watching him with her sent a burning hole through his stomach. Every time he touched her he wanted to storm over to the pair and, quite frankly, punch Jeff squarely in the jaw. Instead, he turned his back on them and once again turned to his drink.
* * *
She leaned back on the couch and rested her head on his shoulder. He didn’t mind. He finally felt as if they were in a place where their friendship could really take hold, and he didn’t have to worry about crossing any lines anymore. There was no gray area. They were friends. Period.
He interlaced his fingers with hers just then. He felt her body relax into his. He felt an inner comfort. With her, he could reach a peaceful place where it seemed nothing could go wrong. He closed his eyes for a few minutes, then looked down at her. Her soft brown hair fell across her face. The curve of her cheek rested softly on his shoulder, as if they were made to be next to each other. Her lips. She had the most amazing lips…
Stop it, he told himself. You’re buzzed, that’s it. Stop.
“I think its time for bed,” he said. He looked down to see if she was still awake. Her eyes stayed closed, but he stood up anyway.
“Aw, no, one more beer!” she said. He recognized the agitation in her voice but passed it off as her being drunk more than her being upset that he had moved from their comfortable position.
“You’ve had enough, I think,” he laughed. He stretched as he stood, a giant yawn consuming his face. “Are you crashing here tonight?”
She stood, mimicking his stretching arms and reaching for his hands. They locked together and he caught her as she stumbled to the side. She was still drunk, he realized. Probably the only reason she’s being so flirty, he thought.
“You’re not driving, that’s for sure.”
“Well, am I staying here,” she gestured to the couch, “or here?” She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. This was exactly what he didn’t want to happen. He slowly saw the gray trickling in around their seemingly perfect friendship. The problem was, he was having a hard time letting it be that way.
“I think you know the answer to that question,” he simply replied. He waited then, anticipating her reaction. In all reality, he didn’t know what she would do. He wanted to take her to bed with him, but he knew better. He had set the ground rules a long time ago and didn’t want to cross those lines.
She stayed where she was for what seemed like an eternity. In reality, it was a fraction of a second. Then she suddenly pushed him away and turned, walking into the kitchen.
“I’m going home,” she said. He was caught off-guard—this was the reaction he would have expected after he initially told her he only wanted to be friends a few months before. Bewildered, he stared after her as she walked away. He cautiously followed her.
“Well, okay. Let me call you a cab then,” he said, much more quietly. He saw her at the kitchen counter, fumbling in her purse. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. You can’t drive, babe.” He walked briskly to her side once he saw her keys in her hands. He tried to take them from her. He touched her hand and to his surprise, she pulled away.
“Don’t” was all she said. He tried to look at her, but she was staring at the floor. He saw her eyes watering and a tear fell onto her cheek. No, please don’t cry. This is exactly what I didn’t want to do. I don’t want to hurt you.
“Hey,” he whispered. “What’s wrong? I thought we had a good time tonight?”
“We did,” she whispered back. “I just really want to go home now.” He looked at her then. Really looked. He finally saw what he had been missing this entire time. As strong and steady as she made herself appear, she was still fragile. She could still be hurt. He felt an overpowering urge to make her pain go away. He never had intended for this to happen, his reasoning for only being friends with her from the beginning. The exact thing he tried to prevent had happened anyway. And now, he wanted nothing more than to hold her and make everything better. He drew her in for a hug, but she jerked free from his arms.
“Stop it! Just stop it! You can’t keep doing this to me!” she yelled as she walked away from him. “I can’t do this anymore. You know how I feel about you and you can’t…you can’t just decide, you know, when it’s convenient for you, to keep me around! You can’t!”
“What the hell are you talking about?” he asked, instinctively becoming defensive at her attack. “I haven’t done a damn thing to you! We went out tonight and had a good time, what’s so wrong about that?” As the words left his mouth he could taste the sour lie.
“It’s not just tonight and you know it. The flirting, then shutting me out. The ‘friendship’ thing. ‘I like the way things are.’ It’s all bullshit and you know it! God, just admit it already.”
“I do like things the way they are. We have fun together and sorry I don’t want to ruin that!” He walked towards her. If she wanted to fight, he wasn’t going to stand down. She stood her ground. “Dammit, don’t make things complicated.” She took a step towards him, and fought to control her voice. She was inches from his face.
“Make things complicated?” she said as evenly as possible, lowering her voice to just above a whisper. “Make things complicated? What the hell do you call it when you hold my hand? When you call me ‘babe’? When you kiss me on the forehead? Who’s the one making things complicated? Who’s the one afraid of how they really feel?” Her eyes pierced his, and he knew that she saw him then. He couldn’t hide the way he felt anymore. He saw the flicker in her eye as she saw the realization in his. She knew she was right.
“My cab is here,” she said, glancing over his shoulder and seeing the bright taxi sign out the window. She slipped between him and the kitchen wall, grabbing her purse from the counter as she gracefully made her exit.
“Why can’t you just stay here?” he grumbled as she walked away. He saw her stop and for a moment thought she was going to unravel into another yelling spree. Instead, she turned around and calmly walked back to him. She took his hand and his heart began to beat faster. He was terrified. Here she was, ready to risk everything. She leaned towards him, and his lips yearned for hers. But his mind spoke louder than his heart. He turned his head. He watched her as she closed her eyes for a moment, and then looked into his. He knew she saw his fearful eyes staring back at her, despite his efforts to hide them.
“That’s why. Goodnight.” He watched her leave his living room, careful to shut the door behind her. The door gave a gentle click. He heard her heels clack across the pavement. The cab door shut with a gentle thud. He stared at the door for a minute, and then walked up the stairs to his room.
* * *
The drive home went quickly. She talked most of the way, and he only caught bits and pieces. Not that what she was saying wasn’t important—he simply couldn’t help but let his mind wander to that night. He remembered thinking he would never see her again. He had never felt so terrible in his entire life. He pulled up in her driveway and put the car in park.
“Thanks for coming out with me tonight,” she said. “It was really nice, hanging out like we used to.”
“It was. Let me walk you to your door?”
“Um…sure.” She was caught off-guard by the request and didn’t hide it. He realized suddenly that he wasn’t exactly sure what he was doing. She hadn’t talked to him for a month after that fight. It was one of his loneliest months ever. She had finally returned one of his calls and they met for lunch. She insisted that she was fine, but he had still felt as if she was hurting. They both felt a slight awkwardness between them, even now.
“It was a great club,” he said to fill the void, something he had never had to do with her before.
“It was,” she said. They stopped at her front door and she slid the key in the lock, but didn’t turn it. She sighed and turned around.
“Do you think Jeff will like me?” she asked.
Oh, that’s what she’s thinking about. Of course…
“I don’t see why not. Besides, I’ve heard that you’re a pretty cool girl,” he chided.
“Yeah, I remember hearing that once.” She took a step towards him and looked up at him. “Do you think, you know, the person that said that, still feels the same way?” He put his fingers under his chin and pretended to think long and hard. She recognized his joke and kicked him in the shoe.
“Oh stop it!” she said, laughing. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. She stopped laughing and stood, waiting for an answer.
“Yes, I think it’s safe to say that he still feels the same now,” he said, “as he did then.”
Then he saw it. It was the expression he must have missed that night at the party. It was only there for a moment, even less, but it was there. The fleeting look of disappointment. Just as quickly as it had appeared a smile replaced it, and she stepped in to give him a friendly hug goodnight. When she went to pull away, he held her tighter. His fear had allowed her to walk out his door that night they fought. He wasn’t going to let her walk away through another door for the same reason.
“Except this time,” he whispered into her ear, “I’m not going to be afraid to feel that way.”
She pushed him back and for a moment he thought she was going to hit him for being an idiot for the past year. Then, she melted into his arms and looked at him with that glint in her beautiful hazel eyes.
He tilted her chin up with the tip of his fingers, and kissed her.
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