Miranda's Men
The Morning
I woke up the next morning to the sound of my phone buzzing on my night table. As sunlight shone in through my window, I reached over and swung my arm around blindly, searching for my phone. When I finally curled my fingers around it, I checked the time. It was 10:30. I had a text from Miranda that read, “Stayed over at Grey’s ;)”
I groggily set my phone down. I rolled over and smiled uncontrollably when I saw Dave asleep next to me. He was on his side, facing me, his mouth slightly open. His breathing was deep and rhythmic, with a faint hint of a snore in the back of his throat. He looked even more adorable asleep than awake. Even though I had gently rolled over, his arm was still draped over my waist. I giggled when his snore caught gently in his throat, and his eyes slowly opened. “Good morning,” I whispered.
He smiled sleepily, closing his eyes gently, and collected my body in his arms, pulling me closer to him. “Good morning,” he replied into the pillow, his fingers gently stroking the small of my back. He turned his head towards me and kissed the tip of my nose, and I bent my head upwards to bring my lips to his. He exhaled gently through his nose in elation, bringing one of his hands to my delicate cheek. “What time is it?” he asked through a kiss, his thin lips grazing mine as he whispered.
“10:30.”
“SHIT!”
He flew out of the bed and I giggled at his bare body struggling to pull on the various pieces of clothing he had scattered across the bedroom in passion the night before. “Where do you need to be?”
“Practice at 11:30. Have to catch breakfast, make it across town,” he replied, his voice muffled as he pulled his t-shirt over his head. I watched in amusement as he stumbled around trying to extend his long, thin legs through his pant legs. I pulled on my tshirt and padded into the kitchen in my underwear, my bare feet cool against the tile. I popped two pieces of brown bread into the toaster, and I heard Dave scurry out of my room.
As he quickly fixed himself up in the washroom, I propped my elbows up on the marble counter, waiting for the toaster. I began to think about the night before, and all the wonderful events that had took place. I was still trying to convince myself that Dave was really in my washroom, fixing himself up after the night we had had. I’d never felt so much lust for someone in my entire life, and I’d never felt so lusted after either. There had been so much tension built up between us building up to that night that I should have expected the release of that tension to be as fiery as it was. I had been so caught off guard that everything felt like it was happening so fast, but Dave was so caring and loving, that everything felt slow and gentle.
As I reveled in the memory, new thoughts were beginning to form. So we had had sex; where exactly was this going? Now what? Were we dating? Was I his girlfriend? How would Miranda feel about the whole thing? What felt like hundreds of questions swirled through my head, which in turn made my stomach begin to feel empty and churning. I couldn’t tell if it was hunger or uneasiness. At that moment, the toaster popped, jolting me out of my stupor. Dave emerged from the washroom, his hair parted in a perfect disarray. He smiled in excitement when he saw the freshly-cooked toast waiting for him in the toaster, bolting towards me. I grabbed the toast and popped it in his mouth once he had come over, and he smiled goofily with the bread hanging from his teeth. It reminded me of an adorable puppy dog. I was waiting for a tail to start wagging behind him. He took a bite and removed the slice from his mouth, kissing me on the cheek and grabbing his coat. “I’ll call you later, okay?”
I nodded. He was at the door in his coast in a flash, but took a moment from his rush and smiled at me placidly. He leaned against the wall and combing a hand through his hair. After studying me for a moment or two, he finally looked down at the tile. “God, am I ever lucky to have you.” I couldn’t tell if he had meant for me to hear, or if he was saying it to himself. Either way, my heart felt like it was going to burst. Ditto, I thought. He winked at me, taking another bite of toast, and was out the door.
* * *
“You had SEX?!” Miranda practically screamed in the middle of the diner down the street from our apartment.
A couple of heads turned, and my cheeks were ablaze. “Randa! Not so loud!”
She shook her head, her smile brighter than the afternoon sun shining in my eyes through the window. “You dog! So how was it? He’s great, eh?” she asked, smiling shrewdly, her eyes creased.
My cheeks were getting redder by the second. “Cut it out!” We both giggled, and the waitress set our mugs of coffee down in front of us. “So you’re not mad?”
She shook her head as she sipped her coffee. “I can’t be mad. If anything, you should be mad at me. You were clearly the one he wanted, and he and I were both kidding ourselves trying to deny the truth. I was the one keeping you from jumping his bones for so long,” she added with a wink. “I just hope you know we were both trying to do the right thing, holding out for so long.”
I nodded. She wanted to give Dave a chance, and convince herself that she could truly have a long-term relationship with a man. Dave, of course, didn’t want to dump his girlfriend for her best friend. I was glad they both realized the truth that was staring them in the eyes, and I couldn’t believe the way this was turning out. I was so glad that I never compromised my friendship with her, even for a guy like Dave. Any other girl would be angry, or jealous, or upset, or feel lonely, but not Miranda. She was as laidback as they came. It had, however, definitely helped that she had found Grey.
“So was your night with your lover last night?” I asked playfully.
She smiled dreamily, and I could tell by the look in her brown doe eyes that she was picturing the events from the night before. “Fantastic. Just...fantastic.” She planted her chin in her palm and continued to dream.
At that moment, I got a text from Dave. It read, “Practice is over. Not playing for the next couple of games. Have a surprise for you tonight. Be there at 6.” I felt giddy as I read the text message, imagining the surprise he had in store for me. Miranda and I were sitting there, smiling into space life buffoons, acting like we were fourteen-year-old girls again. Our romantic lives had hit a standstill, and they were back in motion once again. I couldn’t wait to see what the future held.
* * *
It was 8 PM, and I was anxiously awaiting Dave’s arrival. I didn’t know if we were going out, and if we were going out, if we were going somewhere fancy. In anticipation of the evening’s festivities, I tried to combine the best of both worlds, with a baby blue tank, a floral high-waisted skirt, and my favourite pair of wedges. Miranda was sitting in the living room, her raven hair tied in a messy bun, her black rectangular glasses perched on her nose as she studied for midterms. “I really do not miss school anymore,” I called into the living room as I applied blush to my cheeks in my room.
“Really? Shit, ‘cause I was just about to ask you if you wanted to write my four midterms for me. I was kind of hoping you’d go for the whole nostalgia thing but I guess you won’t really go for that, will you?”
Just as she finished her sentence, there was a knock at the door. “I’ll get it!” I called, sprinting out of my room, hoping she wouldn’t answer it. When I was within view of the door, Miranda was there, and had already opened it. Dave’s face went blank in a pang of shock when he saw Miranda at the door. “Hey,” she said coolly, motioning for him to come in. He entered cautiously, confused by her unaffected appearance. She trudged back to the couch in her Lululemon yoga pants and flopped back on the couch, landing between seas of textbooks. They said nothing to each other for the twenty seconds they were alone in the living room together.
As I walked towards him, his face lit up. He held a folded up sweater in his hands, and wore a nice brown wool peacoat over an expensive-looking suit. He said something briefly to me in Swedish, and I turned my head, puzzled.
“It means, hello beautiful!” He gave me a bashful smile, and I rolled my eyes at him. He chuckled, and I couldn’t help but break into a goofy smile at the sound of his laugh. It was as contagious as that signature carefree smile of his. “You look absolutely lovely, but a little too lovely for what we’re doing tonight.”
“...What’s that?”
He tossed me the sweater, and I caught it in my hands, unfolding it and smirking as I realized what it was. It was the new heritage jersey the Ottawa Senators had just released, with the classic O stitched in the center. When I turned it over, it was a Rundblad jersey, number 7. It was just my size. My eyes slid up from the jersey to meet his, and I cocked an eyebrow at him.
“Put that on! You’ll need it for tonight.”
“What are we doing?”
“Going to the game, of course!”
I groggily set my phone down. I rolled over and smiled uncontrollably when I saw Dave asleep next to me. He was on his side, facing me, his mouth slightly open. His breathing was deep and rhythmic, with a faint hint of a snore in the back of his throat. He looked even more adorable asleep than awake. Even though I had gently rolled over, his arm was still draped over my waist. I giggled when his snore caught gently in his throat, and his eyes slowly opened. “Good morning,” I whispered.
He smiled sleepily, closing his eyes gently, and collected my body in his arms, pulling me closer to him. “Good morning,” he replied into the pillow, his fingers gently stroking the small of my back. He turned his head towards me and kissed the tip of my nose, and I bent my head upwards to bring my lips to his. He exhaled gently through his nose in elation, bringing one of his hands to my delicate cheek. “What time is it?” he asked through a kiss, his thin lips grazing mine as he whispered.
“10:30.”
“SHIT!”
He flew out of the bed and I giggled at his bare body struggling to pull on the various pieces of clothing he had scattered across the bedroom in passion the night before. “Where do you need to be?”
“Practice at 11:30. Have to catch breakfast, make it across town,” he replied, his voice muffled as he pulled his t-shirt over his head. I watched in amusement as he stumbled around trying to extend his long, thin legs through his pant legs. I pulled on my tshirt and padded into the kitchen in my underwear, my bare feet cool against the tile. I popped two pieces of brown bread into the toaster, and I heard Dave scurry out of my room.
As he quickly fixed himself up in the washroom, I propped my elbows up on the marble counter, waiting for the toaster. I began to think about the night before, and all the wonderful events that had took place. I was still trying to convince myself that Dave was really in my washroom, fixing himself up after the night we had had. I’d never felt so much lust for someone in my entire life, and I’d never felt so lusted after either. There had been so much tension built up between us building up to that night that I should have expected the release of that tension to be as fiery as it was. I had been so caught off guard that everything felt like it was happening so fast, but Dave was so caring and loving, that everything felt slow and gentle.
As I reveled in the memory, new thoughts were beginning to form. So we had had sex; where exactly was this going? Now what? Were we dating? Was I his girlfriend? How would Miranda feel about the whole thing? What felt like hundreds of questions swirled through my head, which in turn made my stomach begin to feel empty and churning. I couldn’t tell if it was hunger or uneasiness. At that moment, the toaster popped, jolting me out of my stupor. Dave emerged from the washroom, his hair parted in a perfect disarray. He smiled in excitement when he saw the freshly-cooked toast waiting for him in the toaster, bolting towards me. I grabbed the toast and popped it in his mouth once he had come over, and he smiled goofily with the bread hanging from his teeth. It reminded me of an adorable puppy dog. I was waiting for a tail to start wagging behind him. He took a bite and removed the slice from his mouth, kissing me on the cheek and grabbing his coat. “I’ll call you later, okay?”
I nodded. He was at the door in his coast in a flash, but took a moment from his rush and smiled at me placidly. He leaned against the wall and combing a hand through his hair. After studying me for a moment or two, he finally looked down at the tile. “God, am I ever lucky to have you.” I couldn’t tell if he had meant for me to hear, or if he was saying it to himself. Either way, my heart felt like it was going to burst. Ditto, I thought. He winked at me, taking another bite of toast, and was out the door.
* * *
“You had SEX?!” Miranda practically screamed in the middle of the diner down the street from our apartment.
A couple of heads turned, and my cheeks were ablaze. “Randa! Not so loud!”
She shook her head, her smile brighter than the afternoon sun shining in my eyes through the window. “You dog! So how was it? He’s great, eh?” she asked, smiling shrewdly, her eyes creased.
My cheeks were getting redder by the second. “Cut it out!” We both giggled, and the waitress set our mugs of coffee down in front of us. “So you’re not mad?”
She shook her head as she sipped her coffee. “I can’t be mad. If anything, you should be mad at me. You were clearly the one he wanted, and he and I were both kidding ourselves trying to deny the truth. I was the one keeping you from jumping his bones for so long,” she added with a wink. “I just hope you know we were both trying to do the right thing, holding out for so long.”
I nodded. She wanted to give Dave a chance, and convince herself that she could truly have a long-term relationship with a man. Dave, of course, didn’t want to dump his girlfriend for her best friend. I was glad they both realized the truth that was staring them in the eyes, and I couldn’t believe the way this was turning out. I was so glad that I never compromised my friendship with her, even for a guy like Dave. Any other girl would be angry, or jealous, or upset, or feel lonely, but not Miranda. She was as laidback as they came. It had, however, definitely helped that she had found Grey.
“So was your night with your lover last night?” I asked playfully.
She smiled dreamily, and I could tell by the look in her brown doe eyes that she was picturing the events from the night before. “Fantastic. Just...fantastic.” She planted her chin in her palm and continued to dream.
At that moment, I got a text from Dave. It read, “Practice is over. Not playing for the next couple of games. Have a surprise for you tonight. Be there at 6.” I felt giddy as I read the text message, imagining the surprise he had in store for me. Miranda and I were sitting there, smiling into space life buffoons, acting like we were fourteen-year-old girls again. Our romantic lives had hit a standstill, and they were back in motion once again. I couldn’t wait to see what the future held.
* * *
It was 8 PM, and I was anxiously awaiting Dave’s arrival. I didn’t know if we were going out, and if we were going out, if we were going somewhere fancy. In anticipation of the evening’s festivities, I tried to combine the best of both worlds, with a baby blue tank, a floral high-waisted skirt, and my favourite pair of wedges. Miranda was sitting in the living room, her raven hair tied in a messy bun, her black rectangular glasses perched on her nose as she studied for midterms. “I really do not miss school anymore,” I called into the living room as I applied blush to my cheeks in my room.
“Really? Shit, ‘cause I was just about to ask you if you wanted to write my four midterms for me. I was kind of hoping you’d go for the whole nostalgia thing but I guess you won’t really go for that, will you?”
Just as she finished her sentence, there was a knock at the door. “I’ll get it!” I called, sprinting out of my room, hoping she wouldn’t answer it. When I was within view of the door, Miranda was there, and had already opened it. Dave’s face went blank in a pang of shock when he saw Miranda at the door. “Hey,” she said coolly, motioning for him to come in. He entered cautiously, confused by her unaffected appearance. She trudged back to the couch in her Lululemon yoga pants and flopped back on the couch, landing between seas of textbooks. They said nothing to each other for the twenty seconds they were alone in the living room together.
As I walked towards him, his face lit up. He held a folded up sweater in his hands, and wore a nice brown wool peacoat over an expensive-looking suit. He said something briefly to me in Swedish, and I turned my head, puzzled.
“It means, hello beautiful!” He gave me a bashful smile, and I rolled my eyes at him. He chuckled, and I couldn’t help but break into a goofy smile at the sound of his laugh. It was as contagious as that signature carefree smile of his. “You look absolutely lovely, but a little too lovely for what we’re doing tonight.”
“...What’s that?”
He tossed me the sweater, and I caught it in my hands, unfolding it and smirking as I realized what it was. It was the new heritage jersey the Ottawa Senators had just released, with the classic O stitched in the center. When I turned it over, it was a Rundblad jersey, number 7. It was just my size. My eyes slid up from the jersey to meet his, and I cocked an eyebrow at him.
“Put that on! You’ll need it for tonight.”
“What are we doing?”
“Going to the game, of course!”
Love it so happy I found it
12/6/14