Scowl

"God, I love you," Tom said, squeezing Kayla to his side as they hung out on her bed. "You're the best thing that's happened to me since Eric peed his pants in that carnival ride last year."

Kayla laughed because Tom's best friend, Eric, often held himself as if he were above everyone else. And Kayla had gone on that ride. She hadn't peed her pants.

Tom kissed her forehead, his fingers running over her ribs through her T-shirt. An excited shiver teased her back. She bolted upright. "I think i'm going to check my mail. Cheyenne said she left it on my desk." She went to her desk and picked up the stack of envelopes.

Tom sat on the corner of her desk. He was wearing his usual tight-fitting jeans and Deep Purple T-shirt. The only skin Kayla could see was his arms, but her brain filled in the rest using last night as reference.

"Kayla? What are you doing?"

A blush spread across her cheeks, and she looked back at the envelopes. "I'm checking my mail."

"Except you've been staring at the envelopes for five minutes."

She shook her head, barely cracked a smile.

"What is it, Kay?"

"Nothing."

He leaned over, put his finger beneath her chin and kissed her. "I love you, Kay."

She nodded, butterflies flapping satisfied wings in her belly.

♥♥♥

Later that night, after Tom left, Kayla called Cheyenne. Kayla wanted to talk to one of her friends about the sex thing because she needed to tell someone, and Cheyenne seemed the obvious choice. Kayla and Cheyenne had always been closer than the other girls.

When she got no answer from Eric's apartment, she decided to drive over.

Pulling up to the curb, she noticed a shadow standing in front of the window. The figure was not Cheyenne's nor one of a woman. It's shoulders were broad, hair short.

Kayla leaned forward,  trying to focus her tired eyes on the figure. When she blinked, the figure slowly passed the window, disappearing.

♥♥♥

"Hey," Kayla said, waving from the door.

"Greetings and salutations." A man said, nodding his head just once. He waved her in. "Come in. You're looking for Cheyenne, right?"

Kayla went quiet, the smile having left her lips.

"Yeah... is she here?"

Kayla walked in, tugging up her blouse.

"Of course."

♥♥♥

"What's up?" Cheyenne asked, crossing her arms defensively over her chest.

"Well." Kayla swallowed, licked her lips. Suddenly her problems vanished, and she said, "Are you cheating on Eric with that guy?" She gestured toward the room where she watched him disappear when Cheyenne entered the kitchen.

Cheyenne widened her eyes, hung her mouth open in disbelief. "No. How could you ask me that?"

Kayla shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "It just seems... I don't know...like you're over here a lot when Eric is at band practice and i thought maybe you'd decided you like this guy better. I know how you are, Cheyenne. You're never satisfied."

Brow furrowed, Cheyenne straightened, putting herself an inch closer to Kayla.

Kayla lowered her voice. "I just don't want to see Eric get hurt and then have you coming to me because you're upset you screwed up the relationship. You love Eric. Don't you, Cheyenne?"

"Yeah. I know." Cheyenne's shoulders went rigid. "And i'm not cheating on him, so why don't you butt out of my business and go psychoanalyze someone else."

Cheyenne stomped across the kitchen to the living room, opened the front door and slammed it shut behind her.

Kayla stood frozen by the pantry, wondering what had just happened.

Her face was hot, her throat felt ready to close.

She glanced up at Eric's apartment. The man's face was peering out from the doorway. Kayla quickly looked away then shot him a scowl before leaving.