𝙵𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚆𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛 || 𝙰𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗 𝙱𝚞𝚝𝚕𝚎𝚛

10 - Thanksgiving Pt. 2

𝚆𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚏𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍

𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚞𝚙

𝙳𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚗

Song Suggestion: Dancing In The Kitchen – LANY

AUSTIN

The skin across my knuckles paled from gripping the countertop. A sharp pain surged up my index finger from the freshly bandaged cut.

I hated the way she talked about him, what he did to her mind. I hated hearing his name in her mouth. I hated how helpless it made me feel. I hated everything about him.

He deserved to be alone today.

Guilt spread through me remembering how I spoke at her. I don't know why I did that. I just felt so angry. It just took control over my body.

What I did know was that I needed to calm the fuck down. I wasn't about to ruin thanksgiving over this.

She's here, she's staying, it's fine.

Holidays were always difficult for me, especially after my dad. But Elsie loved them. She made them enjoyable, special even. The few holidays I spent without her were gruesome, and I couldn't risk making today one of them.

I set down the wooden spoon caked in sweet potatoes and slowly paced towards my room, wooden flats creaking with my steps. With a gentle knock at the cracked door, I heard the shower still running. I slipped in silently making my way to the mahogany bedside table and drew open the top drawer.

Clusters of white caps filled the space, leaving only room for a tv remote or two. Hastily I plucked through them trying to find the one I needed. I had already taken something earlier to help keep me awake, now I needed something to calm me down.

"Ahem."

I instantly snapped up and my heart rate spiking. Like I had been caught with my hand in a cookie jar.

Before I could think of an excuse, I took in Elsie in the doorway. A towel lazily wrapped around beneath her arms and landed just below her hips. Another towel swirled in her hair, adding about 4 inches to her short stature.

The steam from the shower leaked into the bedroom. Making the air suddenly warm, damp, suffocating.

"Oh um—I'm sorry I just—" I stuttered, both because she was distracting but mostly because I had no idea what I was going to say.

"I just forgot to take my meds." I lied. "I thought you'd be in the shower longer."

"It's fine. At least I came out in a towel." She chuckled. "I'm glad you're taking your meds though."

Flipping her head over to unravel the towel from her curls. My eyes followed down her collarbones to where her tightly wrapped towel pushed her full chest together. And the way the sage green towel parted slightly across her thighs, just below her–

A sharp alarm rang from the kitchen. Thank god. Saved by the bell, literally.

-

Evening approached and dinner was close to completion. We made the mistake of thinking the turkey was done about 3 times now, so we were really banking on this 4th try.

Elsie wore a short flowy dress she'd just bought from the city. I drank up the sight of her dancing in it. The ruched top tight around her chest, the straps taut on her shoulders, the rest flowed around her curves, landing midthigh. It looked more like a summer dress than winter, but I wasn't complaining.

The rest of the feast was done and being kept warm, so we passed the time by blasting our guilty pleasure.

The guilty pleasure?

Cher.

I know. Humiliating. Thankfully no one – ever knew about this.

In time with the music she spun, "If I could turn back time!"

I stepped forward grasping her hand to roll out her spin. I hadn't seen her smile this much in days. It was like a breath of fresh air. Like the first sunny day of spring.

"If I could reach the stars!" She giggled.

The faint aroma of my body wash and her sweet body spray fresh on her skin. The mix was oddly complimentary. The scent filled the air between us.

I held my arm up to let her ballerina twirl. The flowy black dress lifted around her as she spun and her chocolate waves followed suit.

In an abrupt misstep she fell and rolled into me. My arms wrapped around her body as if we had tango-ed.

"— I'd give 'em all to you." She breathlessly finished the lyric, her jade green eyes flickered as they held my gaze.

Her lips but inches from mine. The beating in my chest slowly but surely sped up. My eyes watched hers but fell to her glossed lips. God, she was stunning. It felt like a privilege just to hold her.

Instinctually, like on front porch steps after a date, I felt my lips lean closer then halting myself before actually landing.

This wasn't porch step jitters and this wasn't a date.

This was Thanksgiving, with my best friend.

Every intersection of our skin sparked, shooting lightning bolts through my veins. Arms molded around her, as if they were sculpted just for her.

I didn't want to let go. I couldn't be the one to let go.

I was frozen, paralyzed.

Just like the stupid Cher song, if I could turn back time. Maybe things would've been different. All the opportunities I had at the beginning, I should've taken.

But it was too late and it had gone on too long.

I wanted more than I could handle.

This needed to end. It had to stop.