The Do Over

The sun was shining through her blinds. I definitely had to pick up something from Home Depot to block out that light. I didn't know how she could sleep with the brightness filling her room. She must be used to it. She looked so peaceful, sleeping very soundly. I loved waking up next to her, but I didn't like…okay, fine, I'd hated fighting with her. I didn't want to ever do that again. I knew all couples fought. I just didn't want to have the fight where she thought the door was an option. The truth was that she was deep under my skin.

The good thing about our fight was that we had gotten a lot of things out in the open, and it gave us a push forward. God, I love kissing her and touching her body. Last night, I'd constantly reminded myself that I'd wanted it to be about her. She'd needed to be cherished more than she'd needed my dick. My dick had disagreed. Honestly, I'd almost exploded in my pants a couple of times. Still, I'd known it wasn't about me. I hadn't made it about me either, even though at times I'd wanted it to be about me, especially when she'd moaned and moved against my hand. That had been out-of-this-world hot.

I shouldn't have thought about her naked body while she was lying next to me. Now, I had morning wood. I had to get dressed before I did what I really wanted to do. I kissed her lightly and rolled out of bed.

I took a quick shower. My choices were Japanese Cherry Blossom or Dream Angels Desire by Victoria's Secret. Damn. I was going to smell like a girl, but at least, I'd smell like my girl. After this, Chris would definitely put me in the chick category. I didn't give a shit. I'd woken up next to her, and that was all that mattered to me.

After my shower, I heard a knock at the front door. Dani was still sleeping, so I quickly got dressed and headed to answer the door. Standing on the other side was Macy. She was pacing around and texting wildly on her phone.

I opened the door. "Good morning, Macy. What are you doing here at, uh…eight on a Sunday morning?"

She stared at me with her mouth wide open. "Um, what are you doing here at eight in the morning…with wet hair?" she asked in a sly tone. She quickly began texting again, and then she started talking very fast. "I didn't know you were here. If I did, I wouldn't have knocked. Oh, that doesn't sound right. How was I supposed to know you were here?"

"Macy, slow down. It's okay. Dani's still sleeping. I'm sure she'll be up soon. And look right there…" I pointed at the car parked right next to Dani's. "That's my car."

"I thought it was Dani's rude neighbor who always parks in her space and pisses the crap out of her. You know she has a thing about boundaries, right?"

She came in and gave me the customary kiss on the cheek. As she hugged me, she placed her hand on my chest and left it lingering there a little longer than I felt comfortable with.

"Wow, Dani wasn't kidding. Do you work out? And, damn, you smell scrumptious."

"You're weirding me out, Mace." I stepped back.

She patted my chest. "Oh, please. Dani's my best friend, and I'm friends with your buddy. I just wanted a little close-up. Yes, it's true. Dani did not exaggerate at all."

Making herself at home, Macy dropped her things on the couch and walked into the kitchen. She pulled out a yogurt and sat on the bar stool near the counter, looking at me. She was freaking me out with the way she was staring.

I asked, "Do you always come over this early on a Sunday morning?"

She flipped her hair back and straightened up. "No, I just had a feeling when she didn't text me after she got home last night that she would need me today, so I came. That's what best friends do. I texted Candace. She has a family thing to attend, but she's on standby if I need her," Macy said. Then, mischievously, she asked, "I suppose it's a good thing that I have you here all to myself. We should discuss some matters. Did Dani tell you?"

"Tell me what? And whatever Dani tells me is between the two of us," I said, knowing that I was treading on very thin ice here.

Shit, I can't talk about Dani with her friend. That's crazy. Why do girls do this shit?

"She didn't tell you about her, um…condition?" Macy asked, looking almost disappointed. "I told her that she needed to. It's the right thing to do."

All I heard was condition. Holy shit, I hope Dani is okay. The thought of something being wrong with her concerned me. "What condition are you talking about? Is she okay? I mean, I should talk to her about this. Just tell me, please, she's okay, right?" I asked apprehensively.

"I can't believe her," she said, shaking her head. "Damn her. Did she at least take Advil? I can't believe how irresponsible she is."

"Macy, you're freaking me out again, and now, I'm getting f*cking worried here. What the hell are you talking about? What's wrong with Dani?" I was starting to panic.

She started opening the cabinets, and then she pulled out the Advil and a bottle of water. "Dani would totally kill me for telling you, but considering you're here this morning, I think her condition might be remedied." She winked.

At this point, I sat down on a bar stool near the counter. I was really falling hard for Dani. Shit, I can't even get her out of my mind. Macy was confusing the f*ck out of me, and I had no idea what the hell she was saying. My mouth was suddenly very dry, and I needed some water. I got up and opened the fridge, reaching for a bottle.

"Just tell me that she's okay or she's going to be okay," I pleaded with her. "What is going on?"

"Liam, you're completely confusing me with your line of questions," Macy said, shaking her head as she licked yogurt off her spoon. "Is she okay? She's on the path to recovery, and you are extremely good for her. I haven't seen her this happy in years. Wait, I've never seen her this happy with a man. By the way, what are your intentions with her anyhow?"

"Macy, goddamn it, just tell me," I snapped at her.

She looked at me with disapproving eyes.

"I'm sorry, Macy. I'm just worried out of my mind right now. My intentions with Dani are honorable. I really like her. I care about her. Okay? And the idea that something is wrong with her is scaring the living shit out of me. So, please…"

Macy started laughing. Women can be so cruel. I thought she was Dani's best friend. How can she be laughing at a time like this?

"You think something's wrong with her? Oh, that's so funny. No, there's nothing wrong with her…well, except for her condition, which I hope you took care of last night. Please tell me that you took care of her condition last night."

"Macy, what the f*ck are you talking about? Is Dani okay? She's not sick, right?" I asked, frustrated and relieved.

"Chill out. She's not sick. She's fine, except for the fact that she clearly didn't tell you about her condition," Macy said, rolling her eyes.

It was still early in the morning. I hadn't had any caffeine yet. Sitting in my girlfriend's kitchen while she was asleep, I was talking to her best friend who was making no sense at all.

"Macy, dear, I'm a guy. I don't speak chick. English, please. What on earth are you talking about? And is Dani going to be upset if she found out you were telling me this? If she will be, then I don't want to know. If she has something to tell me, then she can tell me," I said as calmly as I could.

"You're so damn cute," she said. She finished off her yogurt and threw the container in the trash. "Of course, we're talking about Daniela Ruiz. Hello? She would be pissed off as shit if she found out we were talking, so we won't talk about that anymore. Now that I have you here, and you said your intentions with her are honorable, we need to have another little talk."

I couldn't keep up with her. She talked fast and in riddles. I had no clue what she was saying. I'd zoned out after I'd heard "she's fine." I really hadn't heard anything else. "Again, is Dani going to be upset with you? Hell, will she be pissed at me for having this conversation?" I rubbed my face, hoping it would prepare me for the next round of speed talking with Macy. How the hell does Chris do it?

She sighed heavily. "Look, I don't know if Dani will be upset. I'm hoping she won't be. The bottom line is that I know you say your intentions with her are honorable, and I hope to God you're right. Dani is a great girl, and she's my best friend. At the end of the day, my loyalties will always be with her. Hurt her, and I will kill you."

Macy's attempt to instill fear in me was unnecessary and unsuccessful. She didn't strike me as the homicidal type. "Macy, I have no intentions of hurting Dani. You're a good friend. So, are you really violent?"

"I'm deadly. You should be very scared of me. I'm convinced her ex is still hiding from me. He knows if I saw him, I would cut off his dick for being the motherf*cker that he was, for the way he hurt her, and for the way he treated her horribly for an entire miserable year. Don't get me started on yesterday. If I would've been there, he would've known better than to go near her."

"Macy, we're going into a dangerous area here. This is Dani's stuff to share," I said. But I did want to know more about this prick. I knew about yesterday, but there seemed to be more to the story. What the hell did he do? I was getting a strong desire to kick some ass myself.

"Fine, Liam." She rolled her eyes. "I wanted to tell you the truth about the f*cker and the fact that he's responsible for her condition. He truly messed her up in the head and broke her heart. I just don't want to see her hurt like that again."

"Okay, now we're back to her condition. How is this a*shole responsible?" I asked, worried and frustrated.

"So, you agree he's an a*shole?" she asked. "Let's get back to your intentions with Dani. You should appreciate the fact that you get to explain them to me and not her dad. Have you ever dated a Cuban girl and dealt with a Cuban dad? You know it doesn't matter how old she is. She'll always be his baby girl," she said, raising her eyebrow.

Before I could say anything, she continued talking. Damn, she's a fast talker.

"On second thought, don't tell me. If you haven't told her about your dating past, then I'll be bound by the rules of sisterhood to tell her everything you tell me. If I know before she knows, she'll be hurt and upset, so don't tell me. I'll just ask Chris. Then, it's okay because it didn't come from you."

I just shook my head in disbelief. What the hell just happened?

"Okay, because I love Dani and I like you…and the fact that you haven't told me to shut up yet is really working in your favor…I know that I'm talking really fast, but Dani is going to wake up soon, and then I won't talk that much. Usually, Candace is the one that handles the confrontations. I just go along for support, so I'm new at this. We've never really intervened like this before, but after him, we feel it is our responsibility to be more involved and proactive in protecting Dani. So, please understand…maybe I should call for backup…Candace should really be the one to explain all of this." She paused and took a breath. "Oh, don't look at me like that. I'm nervous. What can I say? My best friend's hot-as-f*ck boyfriend is sitting in front of me. While I'm doing the whole confrontation thing, all I can do is envision the CPR demonstration with the deep, hard, and steady strokes that left her nearly at orgasm and me in heat."

My lips curled into a smile. "Near orgasm, huh?"

Macy rolled her eyes and started texting.