Chapter 11

Jason

To say that I flew through the day on cloud nine would be an absolute understatement. As I pulled away from the apartment complex, I watched Jana standing in my shorts and sweatshirt, wanting to run back and bury myself in her bed, hiding out from the world around us. But, alas, I had to keep up my momentum, and when I was done with today, Ryan and I were going to meet the girls for a double date. Ryan and Megan had been go, go, go ever since they got engaged and it was going to be nice for all of us to just sit around and relax.

Our morning was full of meetings, but I texted Jana a quick note during lunch, making sure she was surviving the afternoon slump after not getting any sleep. She texted me back a picture of her wrapped up in her bed. Apparently, she had raced through her work, and the boss gave her the rest of the day off. She was lucky. I could barely keep the yawns contained, and Ryan kept throwing me the evil eye every time my head slipped from my hand. Still, after that amazing sex, and that amazing conversation, I’d do it all over again if I had the chance.

The rest of the day seemed to go in that normal slow Friday drag but fortunately, Ryan had decided there would be no late night at the office for us. When the clock hit five, Ryan wrapped up the meeting and sent everyone off for a much-deserved relaxing weekend. We sat around the conference room for just a minute before grabbing our things and heading down to the car. The girls were already in the lounge waiting, so we hurried over to join the fun.

When we walked in, I spotted Jana immediately. Her cheeks were flushed, and she was smiling and laughing, rejuvenated from her afternoon nap. The dim lights and candles flickering above her casted shadows that danced around her face. She looked over laughing at something Megan said, meeting my eyes and giving me a warm smile. She stood as I approached and I kissed her lips gently, plopping down on the cushioned booth seat next to her. I smiled at her and grabbed her hand from her lap, holding it in mine.

Through the evening, as we ate and drank, the four of us finally relaxed. Ryan told stories of us from college while the girls giggled and laughed to themselves. We tried to get some tales of the girls out of them, but they kept their lips sealed in true friendship. After dinner, we moved outside to a patio table and ordered another bottle of wine for the girls and some beers for Ryan and me. Knowing we didn’t need to get up the next day was comforting, and I finally was able to kick out my feet and feel comfortable. I watched Jana in the string of lights on the patio as she whispered and giggled with Megan. It was almost like the first time I had met her, except now she really knew who I was.

“Okay, I am going to excuse myself to the ladies room,” Megan said standing up.

“I think I’ll join you,” Jana said, winking over at me.

“Yep,” I said, starting to stand up. “I think I’ll go along.”

Jana laughed and pushed me back in my chair before leaning over and kissing me on the lips. I could taste her cherry lip gloss and chills ran up my neck. She looked at me longingly before joining Megan and sauntering off toward the bathrooms.

“So,” I said leaning back in my chair and looking at Ryan. “You ready to get married?”

“You don’t even know the half of it,” Ryan replied looking up at the stars. “I don’t know how I got that lucky, man. She is pretty much the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“Besides me, of course,” I replied jokingly.

“Yeah, of course,” Ryan said rolling his eyes. “But in all seriousness, she keeps me on my toes, doesn’t let me give up, and makes me want to be a better man. It’s everything I wanted in a woman but didn’t think actually existed. It’s been crazy, man.”

“Dude I’m really happy for you,” I replied. “It takes a special kind of woman to deal with you. I was starting to think I was the only one who could do it.”

“Ha ha,” he said, throwing a bottle cap at me. “You would make a hideous woman.”

“Whatever, I got legs for days,” I laughed.

“So I saw you guys went public with your relationship,” Ryan said glancing over at me. “How does it feel to no longer be the most eligible bachelor in the city?”

“I tell you, man it feels really good,” I said looking toward the bathrooms. “It really took this amazing woman to knock some damn sense into me but here I am, and I don’t want to go back. I feel really good about this.”

“Good man, it’s about time,” Ryan said sitting up in his chair as the girls exited the bathrooms and made their way back outside to the table.

“What were you two whispering about?” Megan teased Ryan, leaning down and kissing him. Jana looked over at me and smiled, propping her legs up on my lap.

“Oh, you know. Man stuff. Cars, muscles, man caves,” Ryan said clearing his throat.

“Boobs…,” I added, wincing as Jana kicked me in the chest. “How about you two?”

“Oh, you know, women stuff like knitting, makeup, baking,” Jana replied sarcastically.

“Boobs…,” Megan added, laughing.

“I like where this is going,” Ryan said sitting up.

The rest of the evening was spent on the patio, feeling the warmth from the heaters but enjoying the cold breeze. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt so comfortable and relaxed, laughing constantly and being surrounded by the people I cared the most for. It was definitely an eye opening experience for me, one that I wanted to repeat on a regular basis. By the time midnight rolled around the girls were definitely three sheets to the wind and I could barely keep my eyes open after not sleeping the night before. Ryan covered the tab as he always did, despite my constant arguments and we collected the girls, who were standing around laughing at each other.

Ryan and Megan offered to drop us at the apartment but I thought a little fresh air would be good, so Jana and I took a stroll in the cold night air. She leaned into me, carrying her heels in her hands, and tiptoeing through the streets. Finally, when the ground got a little too New York gross for my taste, I picked her up in my arms and carried her along the walk. She wrapped her arms around my neck, mumbling something wrapped in three bottles of wine. I could feel the warmth of her body around me, and I snuggled her close to keep the wind off of her back. Finally, I stopped and hailed a cab, gently setting her inside and scooting in close.

When we arrived back at my apartment, I paid the cabbie and helped her out of the car. She was wobbly but smiling and giggling as we strolled hand and hand toward the lobby. Jana smiled and waved at the desk clerk who chuckled under his breath. Once inside the apartment, she dropped her shoes to the floor and made a beeline for the bedroom. I laughed as I heard her plop down on the bed and talk to herself about how comfortable it was. I cleaned off my hands and washed my face before getting ready for bed.

When I walked into the dimly lit bedroom, I took off my suit and hung it up to drop it at the dry cleaners. I turned around and stifled a laugh as I looked at Jana who was sprawled out on the bed, completely passed out in the pillow. I slowly peeled the jacket from her shoulders and slipped her feet under the covers. As I pulled up the blanket, she smiled, rubbing her hand against mine. I stared at her for a moment before kissing her forehead and heading out to the living room. I wasn’t quite tired enough for sleep yet, so I grabbed a beer and propped myself up on the couch, overlooking the view from my floor to ceiling windows.

The night was absolutely perfect, and I couldn’t help but be high on life at that moment. Knowing Jana was safely asleep in my bed, and having some amazing friends felt like nothing could be better. I leaned back in the chair taking a sip of my beer, wondering what would come next.