A Friendship Lost

06 - Sleepover

Jennifer's POV

Five weeks have passend since the night we broke up. Alex has moved out while me and Marc remain what we are. Ex-partners with benefits.

But something else has happened. Three weeks after our split, shortly after we released a statement about our breakup, Ben wrote an email. Which is not too weird, since we check on one another from time to time, but he's being flirty ever since and we switched from writing mails to messaging.

Meanwhile Leah is still miserable and nothing changed for her, except she is thinking through whether she should get divorced or sit it out and wait for Angelo to get back to his senses. But, for how long?

She's at my house quite often, sometimes she brings Sofia with her, since she and Cy get along great. And that's the other thing that happened in those weeks. Emme, formerly, told me she feels neither like a girl nor a boy and she picked a new name for them, Cypher. I support her all the way and I'm getting used to her new name. I'm gonna miss calling them Emme though, but that's okay. I'll get used to it and they're not mad if I accidentally call them by their given name.

Marc struggles a little more with it, but he's the supportive and loving father, he always is.

„Max!", I yell out of the kitchen.
„What ma?", he yells back from the living room.
„Get your sis.. sibling.. Cy! Get Cy so we can have dinner, please."
„Okay."

„Dios mío.", I mumble.
See.. I'm trying.

„You're doing great.", Leah smiles at me. She and Sofia are having dinner with us.
„I try, I really do.", I reply and grab two bottles of water.
„Come on.", I say to her and walk into the dining room.

We have dinner and the kids rush back to their rooms right after. You don't see much of them, lately. But this gives Leah and me time to talk.

„How are you, baby?", I ask her and hand her a glass of wine while I stay with water. I don't feel like drinking wine today.

We sit on the couch and she sighs.
„There's basically nothing new I could tell you."
„But you can't go on like this.", I say and put one hand on her thigh.
„I know.", she sighs again.
„What about getting it from somebody else?", I suggest.
„Are you suggesting an affair?", Leah frowns at me.

„I know it's not the best advice in the world but baby, you crave touch."
She's looking down on her thighs, where my hand is. She had put her's on top of mine as soon as I had touched her and is now caressing it softly.

„Oh.", she says and pulls away.
„Not that Leah, that's fine.", I laugh.
„I can't see you like that much longer.", I add.

„Mom!", we hear Sofia's voice, then she appears on the stairs. „Can I sleep over?", she asks.

Leah looks at me.
„I'm fine with that.", I say and smile at her, then at Sofia.
„Sure darling.", Leah says.
„Yes mom, thank you!!", she says and runs back upstairs.

„You can too, if you like.", I say to her.
„If that's so, fill up my glass, please.", she says and hands me her glass.
„As if you don't know where everything is, you lazy ass.", I sass.

„Pleaseee. I don't have nobody to maintain it for, while you..."
I roll my eyes, take her glass and get up.
„Keep that ass in shape, mama.", Leah shouts and I laugh.

Leah's POV

I'm on my third glass of wine. I'm not drunk, but a little tipsy.
„How do you do it?", I ask her.
„Do what?"
„Make men fall at your feet. How do you seduce 'em?"
Jennifer laughs.
„How I seduce 'em?"
„Yeah!"

„I just ask nicely, I guess."
„You ask nicely?", I raise my brows.
„It works wonders just straight up asking for what you want, trust me.", she tilts her head and nods.

„But how?"
„Mh..", she hums and giggles.
„Come on!"
„Okay, but if you wanna fuck me, that's your problem."
„Trust me I can hold back.", I scoff.

Jennifer scoops closer and brings her lips to my ears. Her breathing causes a trail of goosebumps to appear on the side of my body. The warmth of her body is radiating and I can feel her on my skin, even though she's not touching me.

„Please, fuck me, papi.", she whispers slow and seductive next to my ear, her lips touch my earlobe slightly. „I want you deep inside. Make me scream and.."
„Okay!", I say. „I get it."

She leans back with a victorious smile on her face, and bites her bottom lip. My heart pounds and I'm throbbing. I gulp.

She giggles. „See? It's that easy, even with you." She tilts her head to the side and drinks water out of her straw.

I clear my throat.
„I'm easy prey.", I defend myself and we both laugh.
But that really was hot. Lucky Marc.

Jennifer stretches and yawns.
„I'm kinda tired.", she says.
„Me too. Let's go to bed.", I say.

We go upstairs and hear giggles out of Cy's room.
„Girls, time to sleep!", Jennifer knocks and shouts inside.
They scream, because they probably got scared.
„Damn it. I said ‚girls'.", she looks sad.
„Oh baby, you're so used to it, it's okay. Cy understands.", I rub her back.

Inside her bedroom she gives me some of her clothes to sleep in. It's a silky white shirt with spaghetti straps and matching pants. She wears an oversized shirt. We decide that I'll sleep in her bed, since we both miss cuddles. She's an amazing friend. She's the one that'll do everything she can to make you feel better.

„Turn around, I'll spoon you.", she says and smiles.
I do and she presses her body against mine and holds me really tight, wrapping her arm around me, pulling me even closer. I put my hand on her's.
„You're amazing. I love you."
„I love you too.", she mumbles and yawns again, then we both fall asleep.

I wake up the next morning, because I hear her giggle. Then there's silence and then more giggles.
I turn around and see her on her phone.
„Sorry, did I wake you up?", she pouts but her face is somehow glowing and even though she doesn't smile, she does.
„It's okay.", I mumble. „Why all the giggles?"

Jennifer puts her thumb to her mouth and gently bites her nail, then she smiles.

I rub my eyes. „Ben texted.", she says.
„Ben who? AFFLECK?!" My eyes widen. Luckily it's not very bright in here and there's only little light peeking through the curtains.

„Yes!", she laughs and then she tells me about how they're texting for weeks and how he's flirting and everything.

„And you didn't tell me??"
„I'm sorry I kinda wanted to keep it to myself."
„But what's this about?"
Jennifer shrugs her shoulders and puts her phone away.
„I don't know yet. We'll see I guess."
„What about Marc?"
„What do you mean, what about Marc?"
I clear my throat. „Oh I don't know what I mean, I mean, what could there possibly be.. hmm.. oh well yeah! You fuck your ex several times a week."

She rolls her eyes. „So?"
„And you're flirting with Ben?"
„We're flirting, we're not getting married, so relax. See? That's why I didn't tell."
„Oh because then you'd have someone telling you that if this thing with Ben is going somewhere, then what you're doing is wrong."

„I don't know if this is going somewhere, Leah."
Her voice suddenly sounds sad and I know exactly why.
I lie on my back and open my arm. „C'mere."
She rests her head on my shoulder and starts drawing little circles on my other shoulder with her index finger.

„I'm not sure I can let him anywhere close to my heart, Leah. It felt like dying the last time and I can't.. I don't wanna go through it again."

„I know.", I say and kiss her on top of her head.