Page 35 of Not Your Enemy

“Thank you, Jade.” I leaned in to kiss her plump lips and then kissed both her cheeks.

“No need to thank me.” She kissed my forehead before giving me one last tight squeeze. “So, for lunch I was thinking I could go grab something since we are already out of bread for sandwiches again.” I sniffled one last time and wiped the remaining wetness from my face as we separated.

After agreeing to her lunch plan, I got back to work on my laptop while I waited for her to return. It was hard to concentrate on anything but what had transpired. And beyond that, it was hard not to think of how good a friend Jana had been all these years. I was the bigger girl who felt trapped inside her skin, the one no one wanted to give a chance. She taught me to have confidence, to love myself before I could expect others to. Like her sister, she was bold and kind; their parents must have done something right because they both turned into amazing, strong-willed people. Jana never cared that I was gay. She loved trying to help me get dates and encouraged me to go for who I wanted, never letting my self-doubt stop me.

When we moved to Hale, even when she had a million things going on with her job, she always made time for me. Listened to my problems, my doubts, never turned me away. And how do I repay the favor? I hook up with her enemy. It was so fucked, and it was even more fucked that I couldn’t think of Jade as the bad guy. She was special to me. She was becoming important to me in a way that I still didn’t understand the magnitude of. What could I live with? What would things be like when I drove away from this house for the last time? AllI knew was that no matter what move I made, someone was going to get hurt.

Who could I live with hurting?

Chapter 22

Despite Clark being a small town, people showed up for the garage sale in droves. It blew my mind a bit before I remembered there was literally nothing else to do around here. Jade and I sat in front of the storage building in two wooden rocking chairs we snagged from the front porch. We’d already sold quite a ton of stuff, and it was barely midmorning. Jade did most of the talking and bargaining, and I was more there for moral support. I did my best to help make things easier for her, grabbing her a drink or snack even when she had a free moment.

I was checking my email when my phone screen lit up with a call from Jana. Giving Jade a quick hand signal, I walked toward the house as I answered.

“Hey Jana,” I said cheerfully.

I was truly happy to hear from her. I’d been terrified of where things stood between us since our fight a few days ago. We’d texted some, but hadn’t talked on the phone since. Which sucked, but it also made it easier to pretend that I could stay away from the world with Jade forever.

“Hey Lib!” she replied in her normal singsong voice. It sent a wave of relief through me. “I’m sorry I haven’t called lately, just been busy with work and…well, I needed to cool down, honestly.”

“I completely get it, no problem at all, and I'm sorry for everything. That was totally not my place.” I emphasized my rambling words, hoping she could hear their weight through the phone.

“It’s okay. Let’s just go back to normal, yeah?” she asked, and I eagerly agreed.

We talked about her job, how the sale was going, and I filled her in on what our current timeline looked like. The moving truck was scheduled for Monday, and the appraiser helped us find a few local collectors who would be coming by over the next week to pick up some of their mom’s art.

“So, before next weekend, you’ll be home? Oh my God, I can’t fucking wait, Lib! Your new dress is already at my place, and we are going to celebrate for days! I may even convince my boss to leave me alone for a while. I have missed you terribly!”

She was so happy, and I was too, at the thought of spending time with her again. Despite my sadness regarding leaving Jade, I was truly excited to see my best friend. And I missed the city, not specifically Hale but people in general. Working from home already made you feel isolated sometimes, but out here it was so much worse.

Even though Jade kind of made up for all that.

By the time we wrapped up the sale, we had only a fraction of the items left that both Jana and Jade had agreed to donate. We’d call someone on Monday to come pick them up. Jade and I had showered, eaten dinner, and were currently cuddling on the couch. I genuinely couldn’t stand the thought that this was our last weekend here. There was relief in talking to Jana, but it also made me realize how little time we had left.

“Ready for bed?” I asked Jade, with a hand running through her long, straight hair.

Sitting up without replying, she switched off the TV and dragged me up the stairs to our bedroom. I watched her change out of her sweats and into her band tee like a creep. But I couldn’t help it; I was obsessed not only with her, but with the comfort of our routine. It was like we were an old married couple in the best way possible.

Jade cuddled into my side under her downy white comforter and took a deep inhale against my neck.

“I don’t know how I’m going to fall asleep without you.” Her words made my heart skip a beat. It was both achingly sweet and devastatingly sad. Of course, I too was unsure how I’d sleep without her embrace, her scent, her everything.

“We still have time.” I’d said the statement a few times now, reminding both of us it wasn’t over yet.

Again, there were parts of my life I was excited to get back to, but I also wished Jade was at least in the same town. The hours between us made it seem like we’d be worlds apart. Remembering again how little time we had left, I needed her desperately. Sliding a hand down her back, I found the hem of her shirt and pushed underneath it. My fingers caressed her smooth, warm skin. I drew her closer, and she lifted her head to kiss my lips.

Her woodsy amber scent was already all over me thanks to our bedsheets. It only fueled my fire for her. The hand that wasn’t under her shirt cradled the back of her neck. I stroked my thumb down the side of it, and after a few too-brief moments of licking inside her mouth, I moved my lips to the trail my thumb had followed.

“Princess,” she mumbled out my pet name in just a whisper. It sent a chill down my spine and had me releasing a slight moan that vibrated against her.

Before she could take over, as she loved to do, I pushed her gently until she was lying on her back. Her arms wrapped around myneck and drew me deep into another kiss. Her plump, wet lips parted mine eagerly. Pulling away, I made my way down the bed before kneeling between her thighs. I removed her cotton panties, gliding my hands down her legs on my way to her ankles. Grabbing her left foot, I kissed the arch before working my way back up her smooth leg, placing one last kiss just above her center.

Jade let out a deep sigh, turning her head to the side and closing her pretty green eyes. I pushed her shirt up until I could see her flat stomach. Dropping a few kisses there, I licked my way back down to her clit. I circled it with my tongue, letting saliva drip from my mouth onto her sensitive skin. She was already crying out for me, praising me for bringing her pleasure.

“Mm, baby girl, I need to taste you.”

My pussy squeezed at her erotic words, but no way was I going to stop pleasuring her until she came, maybe more than once.