Anything He wants

Amy hugged her arms tighter to ward off the chill as they waited for someone to answer the door. They didn’t have to wait long. A bouncy blond in a black dress answered and welcomed them with open arms. The house was filled with loud music but not the sort of overbearing music that would make it difficult to have a conversation. She followed Kate and the blonde into the main living room area where a small group chatted excitedly. Their greeter, whose name was Marie, offered Amy and Kate a drink, which Amy attempted to politely refuse until Kate accepted on her behalf. As soon as Marie disappeared, Amy caught Kate’s arm before she could mingle.

“I told you I wasn’t drinking tonight,” she whispered.

“It’s only one drink to help you relax and enjoy the evening,” Kate said, “It’s a party. You’re supposed to have fun. Lighten up a bit for once.” “I am but need I remind you again that I have to be at the airport early tomorrow?”

“Blah, blah, blah, yes, honey, you have mentioned that about a dozen times already. I haven’t forgotten. You’ll never see these people again in your life. Hell, I’ll be lucky to ever see you again at this rate, so for goodness’ sake, just get over yourself and have some fun.”

“I’m sorry, Kate. I didn’t mean it like that. You know I want you to visit me once I’m settled in, right?”

“And you’ll come visit me. I know, you’ve said that too, and I know you mean well. It’s just, well, Seattle is a long way away and I don’t have a lot of money for airfare and neither do you. This might be the last chance we get to have fun together for a very long time.”

“I know, you’re right.”

Amy sighed as Kate hugged her close. She hated being smacked with the reality of how much everything was already changing in her life. It didn’t seem fair somehow. Kate was right. She may not see her friend again for a long time and after all they’d been through together, she felt as though she owed it to her friend to enjoy one last party together. When Marie returned with the mixed drinks, she took it gratefully and sipped the sweet liquid wondering just how many of these it would take before she could forget about tomorrow altogether.

She followed Kate into the roomful of people and made herself comfortable on a couch where she was introduced to two of Kate’s good friends, Sandy, and Allan, and started talking to a woman that she’d known almost as long as Kate, Cassie. The conversation flowed and she was glad that she’d let Kate talk her into coming. It was exactly what she needed to get out of her head for a while. When her glass was empty, she even volunteered to refill the drinks, which Kate and Allan gratefully accepted.

She found her way to the kitchen and was so busy trying to follow Dean’s demonstration on how to mix the drinks that she didn’t even notice Frank until he nudged her arm. She jumped slightly and managed to regain her composure before spilling half the drink down her dress.

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Frank said.

“I didn’t expect to be here,” Amy said, “Kate talked me into it.”

“I thought you were moving to where was it? Oregon?”

“Seattle. Yes, I leave tomorrow morning.” “Oh, so soon?”

“Well, yes, I’ve been planning it for several weeks now, I guess, but the time did seem to fly by.”

“What are you going to do out there?”

“I was offered a job for a pretty good company so I guess I will do that for a while and see how it goes,” Amy said feeling a bit uncomfortable.

Frank had never gone out of his way to make conversation with her in the past and she would have given anything to decipher the thoughts inside his head as he looked at her. Her arms tingled when he accidentally brushed lightly against her but that didn’t compare to the stirrings inside her every time she looked into his eyes. Despite everything he’d put her through, she still wanted him and it killed her that she couldn’t muster up more dignity.

“Oh hey,” Frank said motioning for another person to join their conversation, “This is my girlfriend Melissa.”Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

“Hi,” Amy said with a heavy tongue as she took the woman’s hand offered to her and shook it briefly.

“Hi,” Melissa said entirely too perky. Amy let her eyes trail discreetly down the woman’s slender figure and cursed under her breath. Melissa may have been light in the breast department but she was model slim and perfect in every other way. Her long dark hair was pulled back with an elegant clip and she wore a form-hugging dress to accent her waist.

“I’m going to grab us a couple of drinks. I’ll meet you in the living room,” Melissa said, “Isn’t he just so adorable?” Melissa pinched Frank’s cheek and Amy stifled a laugh when Frank grimaced.

“She seems nice,” Amy managed to say, and then with the drinks finished, she gathered them up and excused herself so she could get away from Frank as quickly as possible. She pretended not to notice that his eyes followed her out of the room.

When she made her way back to the small group, shaky and breathless, Kate eyed her warily.

“Is everything alright?” Kate asked taking her drink and passing the other one to Allan. Amy drank her own down very quickly before answering.

“I saw Frank,” she said putting down the empty glass and slumping into the couch between Kate and Allan.

“Let me guess,” Kate said, “he brought that Melissa with him.”

“That Melissa who just so happens to be his girlfriend,” Amy said angrily. “Why couldn’t you warn me that he’d bring her? I never should have come here tonight.”

“I had no idea,” Kate protested, “But it’s not like you two were ever an item. I mean, not really,” she said carefully.

“That’s beside the point, Kate. You knew how I felt about him, how I have always felt about him. Hell, he’s half the reason that I decided to take this job and pick up and move across the country to begin with.”

“You’re moving to get away from a man that you were never even dating?” Sally said leaning forward as though she were suddenly very interested in Amy’s love life dramas.

“Well, sort of, but it’s not that simple.”

“That’s pretty serious.”

“You need a real man to set you straight,” Allan suggested with a laugh, “That Frank isn’t worth losing your head over.” “Easy for you to say,” Amy said.

“No, Allan is right,” Kate agreed, “You need a distraction. For the past six months, I’ve seen you sink deeper and deeper into depression over a man thatfromy, never deserved half the attention you gave him. You need to get over him once and for all. When was the last time that you had a man

that made you feel alive? I mean, alive?”

“Frank made me feel alive.”