Guys are like roses...
Emma’s nose scrunched against the cool, damp wind as she and Lola walked along the shoreline. The petite witches were arm and arm and comfortable together, but the excited chatter that usually accompanied the pair was absent and a thoughtful quietude had settled over them. Walking and listening to the surf was good for thoughty times. The precipitation had begun after they started, but it was only a light mist - not enough to send them scurrying back to Lola’s cozy cottage.
Except for stopping by his shop to do a little Christmas shopping, she hadn’t seen Michael since the night they went out with his friend Reilly and her boyfriend. Emma missed him, but she hadn’t been able to shake the questions that arose that night. Did Michael see other women? Did he like them as much as he liked her? Why did she care so much?
A frustrated huff had a steam cloud floating from her lips. “Boys are so frustrating.”
“They’re fucking more trouble than they’re worth.” It wasn’t true, but Lola was irritated about the fact that she was irritated that Graham hadn’t been available the night before. It wasn’t as if she couldn’t have gone to have her needs taken care of elsewhere. But she hadn’t. And she was irritated that she didn’t really want to.
In fact, Lola had been disgruntled about it for some time now. She didn’t want to think about Graham in the ways she did sometimes.
Pushing him and his irritating self from her thoughts, Lola’s slid her gaze over to her friend. “The pretty man is worth the trouble though. It’s the pretty,” she explained. Lola hoped her nudge would get Emma to spill. Her best friend had been entirely too thoughtful and serious of late and it didn’t suite her.
She could feel her best friend’s eyes on her, but Emma didn’t look over. Continuing to stare into the space ahead of them, she sighed. “I’m not sure he thinks I’m worth the effort, though, and I don’t even know when I started caring about that kind of thing. Ever since we went out with Reilly and Blake, I’ve wondered if I’m really as special to him as I feel when we’re together or if he’s got other girls he makes feel the same way.” Finally green eyes turned to meet Lola’s. “It’s not even that I wonder if Michael has sex with other girls. We’re not a couple like that. I just can’t stand thinking he likes someone as much as he likes me.”
Lola nodded slowly. She didn’t have a lot of experience with relationships. Neither of them did. They’d both dated a bit in school, but since graduation Lola had indulged in whatever struck her fancy for the most part, and Emma had only indulged in fun kisses and teases. That is, until she met Michael Corner. He was the only man her best friend had been with, and the only man she’d seen with any regularity for years now. Kind of like how Lola had somehow found herself only seeing Graham.
The dark haired woman frowned. “Do you want to be with anyone else?” She flicked her gaze over to Emma.
“I met a really cute Hit Wizard at the Ministry a little while ago,” Emma admitted, her expression sheepish. “I made him take me out for coffee and we flirted and he kind of asked me out.”
“And you kind of turned him down, didn’t you?” Lola inquired. The very fact that she hadn’t heard about this Hit Wizard earlier was enough an answer to her question.
“He would’ve been a really fun playmate, too,” the blonde pouted. “So fit and very willing to go with the flow, but I like Michael. I like him so much I haven’t been able to play with him in months.”
“Months?” Lola raised her brows at her friend. “And that’s all your decision.” Kind of like, somehow, it was all Lola’s decision last night not to try and find someone else besides Graham who was available to do some playing. And her decision all the times before that.
“You’re not a couple and you’ve never wanted that, and you didn’t worry about other girls before, but now you are, and you’re not seeing him for fun anymore because of those thoughts. It’s like you do want to be with him. You know, like a couple. Otherwise it wouldn’t matter what he was doing with other girls.” An uncomfortable realization started to slither it’s way into Lola’s mind and it made her frown. This all seemed awfully familiar.
Emma’s face mirrored her best friend’s, her lips turned down and a stubborn set to her jaw. She couldn’t deny most of what Lola said. Tempting as Ryan had been, he wasn’t Michael and Michael was the only one who made her insides warm and fluttery. “It isn’t all my decision,” she insisted, arguing the only point she could. “Michael hasn’t come to see me either. If he wanted to be with me, he knows where I live and where I work.” The more she talked about it, the more peevish she became. Emma crossed her arms over her chest. “He’s probably too busy liking someone else. Probably doesn’t even miss me.”
“And Graham could have come to see me last night,” Lola added, her own voice turning pouty and indignant to match Emma’s. “But no, he wasn’t even home. He was probably off with some fucking idiot bint. Not that I care at all. Graham’s not even worth me being arsed over it, and Michael’s not worth it either,” she declared. “Fucking men.”
“Fucking men,” Emma agreed. “They don’t think about our needs at all. They’re off being all sexy and not even wondering what we’re doing. Probably smiling at other girls who aren’t half as cute as us. So not worth it!”
She didn’t think she could feel any more sorry for herself, but just then the heavens opened up and the misty damp became a downpour. Squealing, Emma and Lola sprinted up the beach and back down the road to Lola’s thatched roof cottage. They collapsed in a soggy heap onto the sofa, sulking and catching their breath. After a few minutes the little blonde turned to her friend, wiping drippy locks of hair away from Lola’s face.
“Lols?”
“Ems?”
“They’re a little bit worth it.”
Lola huffed and hugged a throw pillow to her chest. She was still put out, features still dark with a scowl, and she wriggled irritably further into the couch cushions. After a long silence, however, she sighed.
“A little bit,” she allowed.
She just wanted Graham and Emma just wanted Michael. They both wanted monogamy. What had happened to them?
Lola shifted her gaze over to her blonde friend. The small woman was just as pathetically damp as she surely looked. “Graham’s going to be so smug.”
Summary: Emma and Lola have a heart to heart and discover, much to their annoyance, that they want boyfriends. Very specific boyfriends.
Except for stopping by his shop to do a little Christmas shopping, she hadn’t seen Michael since the night they went out with his friend Reilly and her boyfriend. Emma missed him, but she hadn’t been able to shake the questions that arose that night. Did Michael see other women? Did he like them as much as he liked her? Why did she care so much?
A frustrated huff had a steam cloud floating from her lips. “Boys are so frustrating.”
“They’re fucking more trouble than they’re worth.” It wasn’t true, but Lola was irritated about the fact that she was irritated that Graham hadn’t been available the night before. It wasn’t as if she couldn’t have gone to have her needs taken care of elsewhere. But she hadn’t. And she was irritated that she didn’t really want to.
In fact, Lola had been disgruntled about it for some time now. She didn’t want to think about Graham in the ways she did sometimes.
Pushing him and his irritating self from her thoughts, Lola’s slid her gaze over to her friend. “The pretty man is worth the trouble though. It’s the pretty,” she explained. Lola hoped her nudge would get Emma to spill. Her best friend had been entirely too thoughtful and serious of late and it didn’t suite her.
She could feel her best friend’s eyes on her, but Emma didn’t look over. Continuing to stare into the space ahead of them, she sighed. “I’m not sure he thinks I’m worth the effort, though, and I don’t even know when I started caring about that kind of thing. Ever since we went out with Reilly and Blake, I’ve wondered if I’m really as special to him as I feel when we’re together or if he’s got other girls he makes feel the same way.” Finally green eyes turned to meet Lola’s. “It’s not even that I wonder if Michael has sex with other girls. We’re not a couple like that. I just can’t stand thinking he likes someone as much as he likes me.”
Lola nodded slowly. She didn’t have a lot of experience with relationships. Neither of them did. They’d both dated a bit in school, but since graduation Lola had indulged in whatever struck her fancy for the most part, and Emma had only indulged in fun kisses and teases. That is, until she met Michael Corner. He was the only man her best friend had been with, and the only man she’d seen with any regularity for years now. Kind of like how Lola had somehow found herself only seeing Graham.
The dark haired woman frowned. “Do you want to be with anyone else?” She flicked her gaze over to Emma.
“I met a really cute Hit Wizard at the Ministry a little while ago,” Emma admitted, her expression sheepish. “I made him take me out for coffee and we flirted and he kind of asked me out.”
“And you kind of turned him down, didn’t you?” Lola inquired. The very fact that she hadn’t heard about this Hit Wizard earlier was enough an answer to her question.
“He would’ve been a really fun playmate, too,” the blonde pouted. “So fit and very willing to go with the flow, but I like Michael. I like him so much I haven’t been able to play with him in months.”
“Months?” Lola raised her brows at her friend. “And that’s all your decision.” Kind of like, somehow, it was all Lola’s decision last night not to try and find someone else besides Graham who was available to do some playing. And her decision all the times before that.
“You’re not a couple and you’ve never wanted that, and you didn’t worry about other girls before, but now you are, and you’re not seeing him for fun anymore because of those thoughts. It’s like you do want to be with him. You know, like a couple. Otherwise it wouldn’t matter what he was doing with other girls.” An uncomfortable realization started to slither it’s way into Lola’s mind and it made her frown. This all seemed awfully familiar.
Emma’s face mirrored her best friend’s, her lips turned down and a stubborn set to her jaw. She couldn’t deny most of what Lola said. Tempting as Ryan had been, he wasn’t Michael and Michael was the only one who made her insides warm and fluttery. “It isn’t all my decision,” she insisted, arguing the only point she could. “Michael hasn’t come to see me either. If he wanted to be with me, he knows where I live and where I work.” The more she talked about it, the more peevish she became. Emma crossed her arms over her chest. “He’s probably too busy liking someone else. Probably doesn’t even miss me.”
“And Graham could have come to see me last night,” Lola added, her own voice turning pouty and indignant to match Emma’s. “But no, he wasn’t even home. He was probably off with some fucking idiot bint. Not that I care at all. Graham’s not even worth me being arsed over it, and Michael’s not worth it either,” she declared. “Fucking men.”
“Fucking men,” Emma agreed. “They don’t think about our needs at all. They’re off being all sexy and not even wondering what we’re doing. Probably smiling at other girls who aren’t half as cute as us. So not worth it!”
She didn’t think she could feel any more sorry for herself, but just then the heavens opened up and the misty damp became a downpour. Squealing, Emma and Lola sprinted up the beach and back down the road to Lola’s thatched roof cottage. They collapsed in a soggy heap onto the sofa, sulking and catching their breath. After a few minutes the little blonde turned to her friend, wiping drippy locks of hair away from Lola’s face.
“Lols?”
“Ems?”
“They’re a little bit worth it.”
Lola huffed and hugged a throw pillow to her chest. She was still put out, features still dark with a scowl, and she wriggled irritably further into the couch cushions. After a long silence, however, she sighed.
“A little bit,” she allowed.
She just wanted Graham and Emma just wanted Michael. They both wanted monogamy. What had happened to them?
Lola shifted her gaze over to her blonde friend. The small woman was just as pathetically damp as she surely looked. “Graham’s going to be so smug.”
Summary: Emma and Lola have a heart to heart and discover, much to their annoyance, that they want boyfriends. Very specific boyfriends.