Chapter 30: Wedding Plans (I)

If you asked Alyssa Childers what she remembered about living in the California hill country, she’d have to think for a minute. Because right at this moment, as she lay across the bed entangled with Ashley, her mocha-colored lover, she couldn’t remember a damn thing.

With Ashley still snoring softly, she slipped slowly out of bed and pulled on a pair what she thought were her panties. The timer on the coffee-maker had worked perfectly, and a steaming cup was at her disposal in moments. Without bothering to cover herself further, she stepped out onto the balcony and noticed that the tide was out on their Caribbean beach. A couple strolling on the beach noticed her nudity, but her she was in her element and did not have a care.

“Fix me a cup,” she heard Ashley call from the bed.

“It’s ready, get it yourself,” she called back over her shoulder. She heard the sound of her lover fighting to free herself of the covers, then that of her padding barefoot to the kitchen.

“Are those my panties?” Ashley said as she joined Alyssa on the balcony.

“I don’t know,” she replied. “Sniff them and find out.”

To her surprise, that’s exactly what Ashley did, and confirmed her suspicion.

“I thought so,” she said triumphantly. “Give ‘em up, bitch.”

Alyssa sighed, pulled them down and handed them to her lover. Ashley held them to her nose and inhaled deeply, then made a show of sucking them on a damp spot Alyssa created.

“I’m sorry. These must be yours,” Ashley said, pulling at them with her teeth.

“Well, then, give ‘em back!” Alyssa said, reaching out only to have Ashley pull them back ... Alyssa grabbed at them again, then followed with the foolproof approach of tickling her roommate, rendering her helpless. But Ashley had one last play – she flung the panties over the rail, three stories above the condo’s pool. But the morning breeze caught them and they fluttered over into a nearby palm tree, where they landed to stay.

Moments later, other articles of clothing fell to the deck and into the pool. Bikini tops, sandals, cutoff jeans, mesh tops and another pair of panties all began accumulating, and the morning sunbathers began staring up, attempting to locate the source of all the laundry.

But there was nothing to see. Ashley and Alyssa were both back in bed, kissing passionately.

They were still clinging to one another when Alyssa’s phone rang. She rolled her eyes at the roommate, as she had no doubt this was the management looking for blood for the disruption of the morning routine.

“I’m sorry about that,” she said without even looking at the number.

“I wish that constituted an apology,” I said as evenly as I could, hearing her voice live for the first time in ages. “How you doing, beautiful?”

“Lawrence!” she exclaimed as a means to tipping off her lover, I was sure. “What a surprise!”

“You don’t know the half of it,” I said with my best fake smile plastered on my face. “I called on behalf of your daughter. She wants me to invite you to my wedding.”

“Lawrence! Wedding? That’s wonderful!” she explained in what I was sure was her best fake voice. “When?” i

“Just a few months from now. Mid-June,” I said, shaking my head at how I was talked into that one.”It’s awfully short notice. I understand if you can’t reschedule.”

“Are you kidding? I’ll drop everything!” she said in a little girl voice that began breaking my heart all over again. “Of course, Ashley will be with me.”