Second Chances (13 page)

Allison looked away. “It’s…I’m not feeling very well.”

Not buying Allison’s excuse, Reagan gathered her courage. “Can we talk about your total Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde act from the party now?”

Allison’s features were stoical. “I don’t know what you mean,” she said with equal passivity.

“Don’t give me that. We were having such a good time, or so I thought,” Reagan said, exasperated.  “What happened to trigger High-School-Allison? I thought we were through with her.”

“I don’t know,” Allison said in a quiet voice.  The sidewalk was suddenly very interesting and her gaze remained downcast.

Reagan continued to stare at the uncomfortable girl before her.  Something Ashley had said at the party poked at her brain –
Are you
sure
you two hated each other in high school?

She repeated her original answer: “It’s complicated,” she whispered.

Allison looked back up, not having heard Reagan clearly. “What’d you say?”

“Don’t move,” Reagan husked.  She took a step forward.

“Huh?” Allison’s eyes widened in alarm as she followed the trajectory of Reagan’s mouth.  She watched her momentarily hesitate.  Reagan bit down on her lower lip before pressing her mouth fully against Allison’s own.

Allison’s eyes remained open for a second before she felt Reagan press harder against her.  Her eyes fluttered shut and she released an involuntary groan. She was startled by how soft and pliable Reagan’s mouth was.  Although she’d
often found herself staring at her thick, dimpled lips (although she’d always told herself that it wasn’t unusual for one girl to admire another pretty girl), she’d never imagined a kiss could feel so tender. It was a far cry from the chapped lips and rough stubble of a man’s kiss.

She felt something gnaw at the pit of her stomach.  At first she thought it was dread, but when Reagan’s teeth softly nipped at her bottom lip, she realized what the feeling truly was –
desire. 
With their lips moving freely against each other’s, Allison threw caution to the wind, shut her eyes, and threw herself eagerly into the embrace.

Pulling away from Reagan’s mouth, s
he scraped the tips of her top canines across her neck, inhaling her scent and relishing the feel of her soft skin, vulnerable against her mouth. She licked the side of Reagan’s neck, tasting the thin sheen of sweat that had accumulated there, and nearly swooned when she felt Reagan shudder beneath her touch. The movement made her remember herself, and she abruptly pulled away.

“I’m so sorry,” she gasped.  She touched her fingertips to her burning mouth.  “I don’t know why I did that.”

Reagan’s heart hammered in her chest and she desperately tried to regain control of her breathing.  “It’s okay.  Technically I kissed you first.”

“But I didn’t have to go all vampire on you.”

Reagan stared carefully at Allison, sensing her unease. “Am I the first girl you’ve ever kissed?”

Allison’s eyes darted around nervously.  Who knew how many people had seen them
kiss? “Can we talk about this inside?” she asked in a quiet, desperate voice.

Reagan nodded solemnly. “Of course.”

+++++

They rode up the elevator in silence.  When Reagan pulled out her keys to open the door, she
felt self-conscious.  She couldn’t understand from where the feeling originated, but she was pretty sure it had something to do with the fact that she had just kissed Allison in front of her residence hall.  And Allison had more than returned the kiss.

Reagan pushed into her room and instinctively shrugged out of her spring jacket to hang it up near the front door.  Allison silently entered the room behind her and closed the door.

Reagan cleared her throat and dislodged the lump that had taken residency there during the elevator ride. “So, uh, we should probably talk about this.”

“I’m suddenly very tired,” Allison announced in a voice much louder than was needed.  She averted her gaze and she too removed her jacket.  She made a beeline for her suitcase, grabbed clothes to sleep in, and before Reagan could stop her, was out the door again, no doubt in the direction of the community bathroom.

Reagan sat down heavily on the edge of her bed and sighed.  She rested her head in her hands and tried to not let her thoughts overwhelm her.  She only looked up again when she heard the door open.

Alli
son re-entered the room and Reagan allowed herself an indulgent appraisal.  She’d always known that Allison was beautiful in that Anglo-Saxon perfection kind of way.  There was nothing exotic-looking about her to make her stand out in a crowd, but she certainly wasn’t someone who didn’t draw second, and even third, glances from admirers.  But this Allison Hoge, the one standing in her dormitory bedroom in her pajamas, was a revelation.

Allison had
thrown her hair up in a high, loose ponytail and had changed into cotton shorts and a tank top.  In her hands were the clothes she’d worn that night.  Reagan took a moment to admire the strong, lean thighs that tapered into well-formed calves.  Allison’s sleeping shorts were cut high on her upper thigh, revealing enviable toned muscles that flexed when she walked.  Her breasts sat high on her chest despite not wearing a bra.  That warm, familiar feeling returned when Reagan noted the undeniable outline of two erect nipples poking through the cotton material.  When she realized Allison was staring back, she quickly averted her gaze.

“I should sleep on the floor.
”

Reagan looked back up.  “What? Why?”

“I just thought with what happened…” Allison trailed off, unwilling to finish her train of thought.

Reagan stood.  “Has anything changed between us? Are we not friends anymore?”

“No.  Nothing’s changed, I guess.”  Allison felt annoyed at how cavalier and comfortable Reagan appeared with this situation when she could hardly make eye contact.

Reagan blinked once. “And are you going to molest me in the middle of the night?”

“Of course not,” Allison snapped.  She blushed at the thought.

“I might not mind if you did.
”

Allison’s eyes widened.  She almost looked
afraid
.  “Oh, uh, I don’t…I don’t know if I’m, uh,” she stammered.

“I’m jus
t teasing.  Sorry. You know I say stupid stuff when I’m nervous.” Reagan worried her bottom lip.

“
So you’re okay with us sleeping together?”  As soon as the words spilled out, Allison pressed her lips together.  She was mildly horrified she’d phrased her question like that. Her mouth was betraying her tonight in all kinds of new and unexpected ways. “I mean, not like
that
,” she quickly tried to clarify. “I just mean in the same bed.”

“I knew what you meant,”
Reagan smiled.  “I’m going to get ready for bed.  Don’t, uh, don’t leave, okay?”

Allison looked down at her sleeping attire.  “Where would I go?”

“I don’t know.  Just.  Don’t go,” Reagan said.  She grabbed her sleeping things and rushed out of the room as if she really worried Allison would bolt if left alone for too long.

When Reagan returned, the room was
plunged in darkness.  She used the light spilling in from the hallway to orient herself before shutting the door and committing the room to darkness again.  Her eyes weren’t yet adjusted to the dim lighting, but it was her room, so she had little problem finding her way to the bed. 

When her knees brushed against the fabric of her down comforter, she experimentally patted the bed to avoid sitting on top of Allison. 
Things had been awkward enough between them that night without her unintentionally crawling on top of her.  She lifted the corner of the blanket and slid between the sheets; but since it was only a twin mattress, she quickly found Allison’s body.

“Sorry,” she mumbled when her shoulder knocked into an unidentified body part.

Allison held her body rigid until she felt Reagan relax beside her.  “It’s okay,” she reflexively whispered back. 

It wasn’t really okay, though
.  It was the kind of response you give when someone runs into you or walks into the bathroom stall you’re occupying.  You say it because it’s the polite thing to say, not because it’s actually fine.  The truth was Allison felt completely rattled, and even the simplest, unintentional touch made her want to lean in for more.

The silence eventually became too much for Reagan – a girl who never dealt well with unresolved tension.  “Are we really not going to talk about this?”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Allison said to the black space above her head.

Reagan sighed dramatically.  “Allison,” she sighed.  “We can’t just…It’s not healthy to…”

“
Please
, Reagan,” Allison cut her off.  The desperate plea was obvious in her tone. “I-I can’t do this,” she breathed.  “Not right now at least.”

Reagan was silent, but only momentarily.  “In the morning then?”

Allison bit her lower lip and hesitated before giving her response.  “In the morning,” she reluctantly agreed.

+++++

CHAPTER EIGHT

Allison woke up to the muffled sound of doors slamming and the high-pitched chatter of excited co-eds.  It took her a moment to remember where she was.  New York City.  In Reagan Murphy’s bed.

  The woman
in question was currently curled on her side with an arm and leg thrown over Allison’s midsection and hipbone.  Her bangs were slightly matted to her forehead, the sheets thrown off, and her tank top had crept up during the night to reveal a patch of lightly bronzed skin.  Her eyes were lightly lidded and her mouth slightly agape.  Allison could hear the sound of light breathing and she watched the gentle rise and fall of her chest with each deep breath.

She couldn’t remember if she’d ever woken up to find herself being so thoroughly cuddled.  She’d serial dated in high school, but never had sleepovers with the boys she’d been in relationships with.  Early in college she’d experimented with her new independence from her parents and conservative community, but none of those scattered one-night
-stands had amounted to anything significant – just a series of Walk of Shames across the campus green.  Her flirtation with sexual fluidity had never extended to the university sorority houses, however.  Waking up with another girl draped over her was new territory.  The question was, how did she feel about this new set of events?

Before she could really contemplate that unsettling question, she felt Reagan begin to stir.  First, the arm across her torso tightened.  Small, feminine fingers curled around her bicep.  Next, a small nose nuzzled its way into the crook of her neck.  Finally, a low, sleepy hum of approval rattled in her ears.

Allison quietly sighed.  She allowed herself this one moment to enjoy Reagan’s closeness and early morning intimacy.  The arm draped over her suddenly flew up in the air, however, and Reagan abruptly sat up like a marionette whose strings had been jerked. 

From her reclined position, Allison looked quizzically at
Reagan.  “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, um, sorry about that,” Reagan mumbled, looking away.  Her voice was thick with sleep.  “I’m not used to sleepovers.”

“It’s okay.”  This time, Allison found herself actually meaning the words.  And that was a realization too disturbing on which to dwell.

“Morning,” Reagan greeted. She wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand, self-conscious that she might have been drooling in her sleep.  She hazarded a glance at Allison’s tank top and felt a mild reprieve from her embarrassment when she saw no visible evidence that she’d drooled on
Allison during the night.

“Good morning,” Allison returned.  She made no effort to get up.

Reagan, still embarrassed to have woken up only to discover she’d been using Allison as a pillow, scooted over in bed to afford her more room.  It wasn’t much though, considering the size of the mattress.

“Did your roommate come home last night?” Allison asked. “I didn’t hear her come in.”

Reagan craned her head to peak in the direction of Ashley’s bed.  It was empty and the blankets disheveled, but that didn’t mean she’d slept there the previous night.  She hardly ever made her bed.  Reagan tried to remember if she’d heard Ashley come in, but failed.  She was an infamous heavy sleeper; Ashley always teased her that she could die in the middle of the night and Reagan would sleep right thought it.