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New Beginnings
Nearly three months had passed since my breakup with Edge. I was lonely without him, especially at night, but I was coping pretty well. With each passing day, it was getting easier and easier.
Trish and Randy were trying to cope as well, but in a far different way. They were seeing a sex therapist who was trying to help them in their bedroom matters. It seemed Mr. Orton was still unable to go long enough so as to seal the deal, so to speak. I could only imagine my friend's frustration, but Trish was such a sweet and patient girl. When I compared her to someone like Lisa Marie or even Candice, I thought she was a rare find - because it wasn't every woman who would stick by their spouse when the physical part of their relationship was nonexistent or close to it.
Speaking of Candice, it seemed that she and AJ just couldn't stay away from one another. One evening, as she was on her way home from work, she bumped into him on the street. They were walking in opposite directions, saw each other and stopped to make the usual obligated small talk.
"Candice," AJ said, smiling. He hadn't seen her in a few months, so this was quite a surprise.
"AJ... Hello," the brunette replied with a nervous, somewhat awkward smile. She couldn't help but think of why they'd broken up in the first place, and to this day, it still upset her. However, seeing him there and then took some of the bite off of it. "How are you?"
"Good, good," the dark-haired man said with a nod. "Still working at The Red Saloon and all that." He gazed at her and there was a brief silence between the two of them. Then, he said, "You really look great."
"Oh," Candice said with a smile, this one genuine, and she reached up to touch her long dark hair, which she'd worn in an upsweep. "Thanks, so do you."
After a beat, AJ asked, "Hey, would you like to grab a bite to eat?"
"Um, no, I don't think so."
"Oh, come on," the young man said, "just as friends - no strings."
Candice met his gaze and couldn't help but grin. She considered it for a moment and was unable to resist the old AJ boyish charm, not to mention those blue eyes of his. She nodded.
"Okay... Sure, why not?"
They walked off together to the nearest pizza parlor, Candice in her tailored business suit and AJ in his worn Levis and T-shirt. And it was the best time the brunette had had with a man in months. They stayed there a long time, even after they finished their dinner, just talking and catching up. And AJ walked Candice back to her apartment afterward, since it was by then dark.
"See, this is nice," he said as the brunette was unlocking her door. "We can be friends, and that's cool."
Candice smiled at him and nodded.
"I know, isn't it?" she said. By then, she had the door open. "Do you want to come in just for awhile?"
AJ glanced at the door, then back into her brown eyes. He smiled.
"Yeah, okay."
They entered the apartment, and the lawyer let the door close behind her. She eyed her former boyfriend as he surveyed the place.
"Everything's the same, I see."
"Yeah," she said, "I haven't done any redecorating in the last few months or anything." She dropped her briefcase on a nearby chair and placed her purse strap over the back of it. Quickly, she follwed AJ as he walked through the apartment. She found him in her bedroom.
"Nothing's changed here, either, huh?" he asked.
"Nah."
There was a brief moment of silence as they stood there, gazing at one another. Then, AJ cleared his throat and spoke again.
"Well, this is great. I'm gonna love us being friends," he said. "But I gotta go... I gotta get ready for my shift in a couple of hours."
"Okay."
The dark-haired man suddenly leaned in closer to her, and Candice's eyes widened just a bit as she pulled back. He'd been about to kiss her!
"What are you doing?" she questioned. "I mean, we're friends, right?"
AJ appeared a bit embarrassed. He held his hands up in surrender.
"Right... sorry." He gave a small laugh and kissed her on the cheek instead. But he was still so close to her... He could feel her soft breaath on his face, and the sweet yet subtle fragrance of her cologne was driving him wild.
The next thing Candice knew, she and AJ were locked in a deeply passionate kiss. She let out a muffled moan as she felt his tongue spiraling around hers, her hands coming up to cup his head as they continued it. She let her head tilt back as he moved his lips to her neck, covering the base of her throat with moist, hot kisses. God, she had missed him, in every sense of the word. And, as much as she wanted to deny it to herself, she still loved Allen Jones.
An hour later, the two of them were sitting up in her bed with not very much on. Candice had thrown on an oversized T-shirt after their lovemaking, while AJ had pulled his boxers back on. They sat there pretty awkwardly, not cuddling like they used to do as a couple, but that had been her choice.
"Well," the brunette said, "I guess we can be friends... friends who go out to dinner on occasion, friends who... sleep together." She turned her head, gazing at him.
"Yeah," the man agreed. "We definitely can. I think this is totally healthy for us."
"Definitely," Candice said, nodding. A lock of her chestnut hair fell over one eye as her upsweep had come
asunder during their encounter. AJ noticed and caressed that lock... and he did it in a fashon that had her melting
inside... Not that she let him know, though. After all, they were 'friends.'