| The Search Is Over By Ladybug |
| Chapter 2 Well the first thing I had to do once I got settled in was get a job. Tony offered to get me hired at the restaurant he worked at when he wasn’t filming. He said the employer was a great guy and was good at scheduling around events, like when Tony was busy with a part he got or in my case, class schedule. So I filled out an application and was hired on the spot. Mr. Banks told me that any friend of Tony’s was welcome. I thanked him kindly and told him that until school started in the fall, I could work whenever he needed me. This made Mr. Banks happy. He had a couple of people out and needed some extra hands to fill in. So I went to work pretty much right away. Made good tips too. Worked a lot of hours, but that was ok. The extra money helped and I was making enough that after paying my part of the rent and stuff, I had some to sock away for when I wasn’t making as much when school started. Things were going well for a while. Sandra decided not to come back. She told Tony she couldn’t handle him having a female roommate no matter how innocent it may be. Tony took it with a grain of salt. It amazed me how unfeeling he could be sometimes, cause he was never like that with me. He was always there for me when I needed him and he was always caring and sensitive. But I should have been used to it by now, cause he’d been like that with the girls he dated as long as I could remember. A month had passed when things began to change. I guess the two big events that were the beginnings of that change for us where when Tony landed a big part in a movie and Sam asked me out. Actually though, I guess you could say it started a few days before that, when Tony came home with the news that he had an audition lined up for a supporting role in a new movie. He had the part he was going to audition for and asked me if I could rehearse with him. It was something we used to do when we were in drama class together and we always worked well together. So after giving him a big hug, I ran down to the store and picked up a bottle of champagne. This called for a pre-celebration. I just knew he was going to get this part. So we drank and went over the lines until we had the scene pretty well worked out. A kiss was involved, and we talked it out and decided we could handle that. It was after all for a part in a movie and as an actor, he had to be able to kiss any woman, including his best friend. And besides, it wasn’t like he had never kissed me before. He had, they just weren’t involved kisses. If I had known what it was like to kiss Tony in that way, I may have forgone the pleasure, because I was never the same afterwards. The kiss was just supposed to be simple, just a pressing of the lips, like they teach you in drama class. But we’d both had just enough champagne that when we reached the part that involved the kiss, both of us threw caution to the wind. As the script called for, Tony brought his hands up to frame my face. He bent his head and pressed his lips to mine. The moment our lips met, I knew it had been a mistake to kiss him. I couldn’t define it at the time; my brain was slightly buzzed from the champagne. I think Tony had the same reaction though, because he suddenly pulled back and we looked at each other as if we’d been zapped with an electrical current. We both froze like that for about two seconds then suddenly I was in his arms, his mouth on mine, his tongue wrapping around mine in a fierce duel. My arms flew around his neck as his arms circled my waist. He crushed me against him so that I could feel his arousal against my belly. “Tessa-” I heard his groan as he tore his mouth from mine and left a wet trail across my jaw and down my throat. The warning bells were sounding in the back of my head, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what they meant. I was drowning in the feel of his mouth on me, his hands on me. I whimpered and rose up on my tiptoes so that his arousal was pressed where it would do the most good. I heard him growl as he suddenly lifted me up. I wrapped my legs around his hips and when he settled me against him again, his hard length was pressing through his jeans against my short clad femininity. I rocked against him as his mouth took mine again in a deep kiss. Dear God, I was on the verge of climaxing when there was a knock on the front door. The effect was like someone throwing ice cold water on both of us. Tony nearly dropped me in his rush to put me down. A string of harsh curses emitted from him as he sat me on my feet and nearly shoved me away. My legs were shaking so bad I nearly fell. I felt as if my heart were pounding in my throat. I was trying to make sense of what had just happened, but the combination of champagne fogged brain and unreleased sexual frustration left me a bit mystified. The knock sounded again causing us both to jump. “Wait here,” Tony snapped angrily and he turned to go answer the door. I stood there and gathered my wits about me. I didn’t understand his anger; he was acting as if I had done this on purpose. I went into the bathroom to splash some cold water on my face, hoping that it would help clear my thoughts. It did, but not to the way I had hoped. My heart was still racing and I could still feel his mouth on mine, and dear lord help me, I wanted Tony to kiss me again. What was I going to do? Somehow, deep inside me I knew that our friendship would never be the same. That nonsexual intimacy that we had was gone forever. I was sexually attracted to my best friend now and I was afraid it would destroy us. I nervously went back into the living room, knowing we needed to talk. I saw Tony’s friend Jack standing just inside the front door. “Hey, Tess.” “Hi, Jack,” I greeted him a little confused. Why was he here? I turned as Tony came out of his room. He was pulling his jacket on and shoving his keys into his pocket. “I’m going out with Jack.” He wouldn’t meet my eyes. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” “What?” I blinked in shock. I couldn’t believe he was going out. “Tony, we need to talk!” His dark eyes did meet mine then and he glared at me. “There is nothing to discuss, Roo. We were rehearsing a part and it got a little out of hand. Get over it.” With that he followed Jack out the door. To say I was shocked beyond all reason was putting it mildly. I never expected Tony to treat me like that. But then how was I to know that he was struggling with the same thoughts and emotions that I was? How was I supposed to know that he was struggling with finding himself attracted to his best friend and not knowing how to handle it? How was I supposed to know that Tony’s way of dealing with this was to get angry and deny anything happened? I should have known, after all I was his best friend and had seen him do it many times to other people. Tony managed to avoid me over the next several days. He went for his audition and nailed it on the spot. By then, though, I was struggling with being angry about his refusal to face me, and my own desire to keep our friendship as it was. It was late when he got home. I had worked a double shift at the restaurant that day so I had pretty much gone to bed when I got home. I heard my bedroom door open then moments later felt his weight on the bed as he crawled up next to me. “Tess?” “Go away, Tony.” My feelings still smarted and I wasn’t going to let him get away with it. “Ah come on, Roo.” I ignored him. I felt him shift, then suddenly his body was pressing against mine as he leaned over to switch on the bedside lamp. I squeezed my eyes shut and bit my bottom lip as I fought the wave of desire that rushed through me at the feel of his weight against me. He settled back down next to me and I turned over and glared at him. “Go to hell!” I snapped in defense of my raging hormones. His head rested on his hand as he lay on his side next to me. He just smiled that megawatt smile at me and announced, “I got the part, Tessa.” I opened my mouth to say something derogatory and it sunk in what he’d just said. “You got it?” He nodded happily. His eyes twinkled at me. Suddenly things were as they had been before the kiss. My best friend was back. “I nailed it, Tess. I nailed it because of you and I’m an ass and I have no idea how I’m going to ever make this up to you.” His hand came up to brush a stray hair out of my face. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am for the fool I made of myself the other night. What I did was completely out of line and I know I hurt you. It won’t happen again, Roo. I promise, next time you help me rehearse a part and there is a kissing scene, we will just skip it. I won’t put our friendship at risk again like that.” Truthfully, I didn’t know whether to be relieved or upset at that announcement. But I decided it was probably for the best. It was obvious to me now that Tony did not feel the same as I did. So I would just have to shelve these new feelings and shift back into best friend mode. Little did I know that he was struggling with the same issues and was not willing to risk our friendship to explore something further between us, nor was he willing to bring up the topic for fear of being rejected. It’s funny how signals can get so crossed. Whoever said love was blind wasn’t kidding! “You were in more trouble from the way you treated me after the kiss, Tony, than you ever were from the kiss itself,” I informed him. Tony had the good grace to look ashamed. “I regret that more than anything, Roo.” He grabbed my hand and raised it to his lips and kissed my fingers. “I’m sorry. I’m an asshole, what can I say?” He gave me a little lopsided smile and I couldn’t stay mad at him. “Jerk,” I smiled back. “Don’t do it again.” “Yes ma’am.” He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. “So when does filming start?” “Next week.” I could tell there was something he wasn’t telling me. He wouldn’t quite meet my eyes. “Tony?” “It’s gonna take a couple of months.” He fidgeted with my hair while I waited patiently for him to spill it. “We are filming in Europe.” For a second I couldn’t breathe, then I sucked in air and gasped loudly, “You’ll be gone for several months to Europe?” He nodded. “Don’t worry though, they are giving me an advance on what they are paying me and I’ll leave enough with you to help with the rent and stuff.” I waved off his concern. I was not upset about that. I knew Tony would not leave me in a bind. I was upset that I wouldn’t see him for several months, but it wasn’t exactly something I could say to him. Not now at least, not after what had happened. “I guess I just wasn’t expecting that,” I explained. He smiled. “I’ll be back before you know it. Besides I’ll call you when I can,” he answered. I let out a big yawn and covered it with my hand. Tony chuckled softly and moved to switch off the light crushing me into the bed again with his body. I thought he would leave, but he didn’t. He settled back down next to me and relaxed. “Good night, Tony,” I said softly. He moved and I felt the warmth of his lips against mine in a brief friendly kiss. “Good night, Roo.” |
| The Search Is Over - Chapter 3 |