“Maybe we should just drop it for tonight,” Rose said.
“No. We need to get this out in the open.” She gave a deep sigh and reached for her beer. To her surprise it was already empty. “Wow. I haven’t downed one like that in a long time.”“Rose, you mean a great deal to me, you know that.” She forced herself to meet the young woman’s gaze, hoping her words did not sound as fake to Rose as they did to her own ears. “But I made a decision long ago that the business comes first.”“I can’t go back on that.”
“Chris hurt you that badly?”
“Yes she did.” Ronnie had been looking down at her lap and picked her head up in surprise at the gentle touch on her outstretched ankle. “It’s more complicated than that, but…”
“Your truck is parked in the garage and it isn’t going anywhere,” Rose offered. Her words earning her a heart-warming smile.
“Something like that. I need another beer. How about you?”
“I’m doing fine with this one.” She took another sip and watched Ronnie leave the room.
Now alone, Rose felt the nervousness she was trying to hold in check burst forth. Her sips became swallows and her glass was nearly empty by the time Ronnie returned. She watched the tall, lean body fold up onto the cushion and look expectantly at her.She took another swallow, the alcohol bolstering her courage. She looked up at gentle blue eyes. “I don’t know what I want,” she whispered. ” I’ve never felt this way about anyone else, Ronnie.” She looked away and finished her glass, her heart pounding painfully within her chest. Rose had no idea how they had started on this conversation but she knew they could not turn back from it now.
“So where do we go from here?” Ronnie’s voice wavered, betraying the strong emotions fighting inside her. “I don’t want to lose what we have.”
“I don’t know.” She looked longingly at her friend’s beer. Ronnie smiled and handed it over.
“Thanks.” Rose took several sips from the bottle before returning it. “I guess things can just stay the same. I mean, we’re still friends, right?”
“Best friends,” Ronnie corrected, passing the beer.
“Best friends.” The blonde woman smiled. “And best friends can sleep next to each other and it doesn’t have to mean anything.”
“Right, and best friends can still hug.”
“Absolutely.” Rose was encouraged by the direction of the conversation. “And sometimes…” The pink blush began to rise on her cheeks. “…if it’s a special occasion…they might even kiss.” Her ears burned bright red and she didn’t dare look up. If she had she would have seen the arched eyebrow and smirk directed at her.
“Yes, if there’s a special occasion I see no reason why best friends can’t kiss.” Ronnie’s mind went back to the blissful kiss under the mistletoe. She cursed herself for taking it down after the holidays.
“I’ll tell you a secret,” Rose still could not look at her. “Earlier, when you picked me up? I um…I thought…I mean I hoped….you would kiss me.” She said the last words so low Ronnie almost missed them. She upended the beer and handed the empty bottle back. “Sorry, I didn’t realize I was that thirsty.”
“Don’t worry about it. There’s plenty of beer. You want another one?”
“No…yes. Please.”
Ronnie rose from the couch and knelt down next to Rose. With one hand she reached out and turned the young woman’s face to her. “I’ll be right back.” Her thumb brushed against a far too soft lip. ” I wanted to kiss you too.” She stood up and pressed her lips to the crown of golden hair. “You want that eclair now?”
With her fear dissipating, Rose found that her hunger had returned. She nodded and watched Ronnie leave the room.She reached up and touched the spot where her friend’s lips had touched her hair. When Ronnie returned, Rose rewarded her with a beaming smile and fingers trailing over each other as the bottle was exchanged. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she said while returning to her seat. She knew she was treading a dangerous line but she could not stop herself. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Rose.” She held her bottle out, noting that the young woman had poured hers into the glass.
“Happy Valentine’s Day to you too, Ronnie.” The glass clinked together and they both took a healthy drink. “You remember in grade school when we used to give out valentines to everyone in class?”
“Yeah?”
“Well, back then we’d ask our friends to be our valentines, right?”
“Right, I remember that.” Ronnie smiled. “Rose Grayson, are you asking me to be your valentine?” She received a shy smile in reply. “I’ll be your valentine on one condition.” She set the beer down and moved closer. “You have to be mine, too.” She was kneeling on the cushion next to Rose, their faces less than a foot apart.
“Ronnie?”
“Mmm?” Her focus was solely on the young woman’s lips.
“Would Valentine’s Day…be considered…a special occasion?” Caution deadened by the beer, Rose reached up and curled her left hand around the back of Ronnie’s neck, the long dark strands sliding through her fingers. There was no answer, only a smile and the lowering of lips to hers.
Ronnie’s memory of the Christmas kiss paled in comparison to reality. The soft, gentle brushing of lips together made her hungry for more and she returned, nipping Rose’s lower lip with her own several times before slipping her tongue out to taste the softness. She pulled back and received a soft whimper of protest.“Happy Valentine’s Day.” Ronnie moved back to a ‘friendly’ distance and retrieved her beer. To her immense pleasure, it was another second before green eyes fluttered open and focused.
To Rose, all the stories about fireworks and bells going off were true. She felt absolutely dizzy and could not figure out if it was from Ronnie’s kisses or the amount of alcohol she had consumed. The tingling sensation on her lips screamed its choice and her heart pounded in agreement. “H-happy Valentine’s Day to you too.” She looked over and saw the Cheshire-cat grin on Ronnie’s face. “What?”
“I’ve never had my kisses leave someone breathless before.” She reached out and took the younger woman’s hand in her own.
Ronnie glanced at the clock, noting it was far too early to feign being tired. “You want to watch a movie?” Without waiting for an answer, she reached for the remotes. A second later the music had stopped, replaced by Chevy Chase bumbling through a Vacation movie. “There we go.”
Rose glanced at the television then back at the woman who had just kissed her senseless. Ronnie refused to look her way.She understood that her friend needed some space and Rose was willing to give it. The evening had answered many questions. She now knew that her feelings were reciprocated, at least partially. The kiss had been the proof. Her fear of going further had been assuaged by Ronnie’s declaration that she did not want to take their relationship to that stage, but right now Rose needed…something. “Ronnie? Can I lie down on your lap?”