My Best Friend

(2) Current Life

Chapter 2

Present Day

It's currently 4:30 in the morning and I am wide awake. I can't sleep for the constancy of my mind flipping over and over again. Tomorrow, or well... today, was the first time I was going to go on a date since I'd ended things with Eve a year ago. Yes, one year ago exactly was Eve's 22nd birthday when she had slept with Sarah. It may be true that I was, and am, still a virgin, but that didn't mean to say I wouldn't have had sex with her ever... all she had to do was wait until the both of us were ready.

And before you think or say it, I know she was drunk and that she was probably out of her mind, and she has apologised to me many times and left me a million voice mails within the first day of her sleeping with her. I didn't forgive her though. I was convinced from a young age that a relationship with cheating wasn't even a relationship at all. I'd learnt that from my parents' experience, as they turned out to have no trust and it was awful, as when they separated they never even spoke, and it still stands that way. So I learned that my forgiveness for her cheating would not make the issue go away, it would deepen it, and I wasn't going to risk it. It was very difficult to let go of Eve after all those years we had together, but it was for the best.

Speaking of best, my best friend Sam has seemed to have a lot more luck with women in the past year than I have. He's dated one girl, who left to go to England for some sort of business, so isn't currently seeing anyone.

We've gained from this experience in a way, as Eve and Sarah's high school friend, Lucy has done everything from unfriend on Facebook to physically bitch-slap the cheating pair, and stands with us on that one totally. Which is amazing since she was friends with them for around 8 years, and Sarah was her best friend.

So, as I was saying, later today will be my first official date with a girl since Eve. Her name was Kate, and we were meeting at a restaurant by the water called 'L'eau de la vie', which was posh and French for 'the water of life'.

Oh, and did I mention I was currently living in a top floor apartment in San Francisco? A few weeks after Eve and I separated we decided it wasn't fair that she kept living in Sarah's and paying part of the bills for our house, so Sam and I decided to share an apartment across the country in San Francisco. Where better to move than my best friend's favourite city?

Back in Orlando; Sam sold his apartment, and Eve and I sold and split the money for our house, and after a few months we were ready to fly across to San Francisco.

So that's exactly what we did.

Now I'm laying here, contemplating my date tomorrow.

I stare over at the digital clock next to my bed and sigh at the time shown. 4:31am. I was meeting Kate for lunch at 1pm, which wasn't for another 8 hours and 29 minutes, so I'd have to go back to sleep.

Nope... I can't sleep again with this much worry in my head, so I decide to go and make myself a nice hot chocolate to calm my nerves.

I tiptoe through the landing past Sam's room and down the stairs, coming to the bottom of them before proceeding over the living room. I enter the kitchen and twist the light switch on to a dim setting, so I don't go blind.

I manage to be quiet for once, as I don't want to wake Sam like he does to me pretty much every day when he goes down the stairs. I don't think he could be quiet if he tried.

My hot chocolate is finally ready and I proceed with it through to the living room then back upstairs. When we first lived here 8 months ago I made the rule that we weren't allowed to take food or drink upstairs because of the very expensive cream carpets that were put down when we moved in, because Sam 'loved how the carpet felt between his toes when he walked'.

I pushed open my ajar bedroom door, and proceeded over to my bed before putting on the latest episode of Scream Queens. I'd already watched it, but it was too good to not repeat it.

"Grace?" I hear after what I thought had been 30 minutes. I'm surprised to notice that my eyes are closed and I am laying down.

"Hmm?" I mumble, then open my eyes slightly. The room is bright from the daylight. I look to who said that voice, and no doubt it is my best friend lingering above me, his brown eyes staring down at me. He's wearing jeans and a t-shirt already.

"It's 11:30, you might want to wake up?" He says, and I am shocked to hear that.

"Oh my god! It's what time? I'm late!" I scream, because I know that it takes me more than an hour and a half to even get ready.

Sam laughs as I stand up and scour the room for my slippers. "Don't worry Grace, you've got plenty of time."

"Yeah... have you met me? I take around 25 minutes to put on a shirt never mind get dressed and get to the L'eau de la vie café or whatever." I say, going through my underwear drawer and throwing a black one out, followed by a white one then a beige one, which all land next to Sam.

He walks up behind my holding all three of them in the tips of his fingers. "Now, can you please explain to me why you need three bras?" He asks, then pokes inside the cup of the black one, "And why does this one feel like it's got gel inside it?"

I turn around and grab them off him, "It does have gel in it, and I need to take 3 out to make sure that whatever I pick to wear I can match to the colour of my bra." I explain, then rush into another drawer where I keep my skirts.

"Oh okay," He says then puts the bras back on the bed for me. "But... why does it have gel?"

I turn to look at him staring at my black bra puzzling. I didn't realise that having a guy best friend would include explaining what a push up bra was.

I walk over to him and pick up the bra. I put on an accent as if I was talking to a child just learning how to do 1 add 1.

"This part," I point to the gel padding, "Is to keep a girls boobs elevated, and not looking flat," I explain. "For example, a girls boobs would normally be like this..." I hover my hands over my own boobs, as I'm currently wearing no bra under my pyjama t-shirt, "... to this," I push my boobs up with my own hands slightly, which gives the illusion of them being pushed up just above the rim of my shirt, then I drop them and he looks almost upset.

"But that's cheating!" He yells like a child would, "Then guys would think 'oh there's a girl, and huh, look, she has a pretty nice chest too' but what you've just told me has ruined my life..." He says, looking down sadly at that black bra again, then pushes it off the bed. "Stupid fake boobs bra..." he mumbles.

I can't help but laugh at him, "I have to admit it is kind of cheating, and I don't see the need for them if a girl actually has something to show off anyway, but in my case I don't, so that's the only reason I have one." I explain and still laugh a little, finding it weird to be talking to a guy about boobs and bras.

"Oh... I get it now!" He says but still looks confused, "I think..."

"It's okay," I say, "You don't have to get it!"

He laughs slightly, "I guess not," He says then smiles.

"Whatever," I say, finally going back over to my wardrobe and picking out the look I like.

"This?" I say, holding it up in front of me for my best friend's approval.

He nods, "I think that'd look great."

"Thank you," I say, and place it on the bed. "Now shoo!" I add, grinning and pushing my best friend out of the door.

"Don't wear the liar bra!"He shouts as I close the door, and I grin, picking up the 'liar bra' andputting it away in the drawer./