Two Lives, One Friendship, No Regrets - viv

"You seem like you're in a good mood today," Ara commented in the morning.
"I am," he gloated.
"Why?"
"I just am," he looked into his coffee. He missed having Georgia around. She made life seem so much lighter. Sure, it was a bit awkward when he spotted her alone outside City Hall. But then it all came back. They had both pushed whatever was bugging them aside and grasped onto their old friendship.

"Aren't you going to be late for work if you keep staring at your cold cup of coffee?"
He jerked upright in his chair, and slumped when he realized it was Saturday. He threw a piece of his cold toast at his kid sister and scowled.
"Easy there, Nix. Your face might freeze in all its ugliness," she laughed harder.
When he made the move to jump out of his chair and attack her, she rushed up the stairs, slammed and locked the bathroom door. She'd be in there for a while, he thought smugly, he was so sure of it.

His dinner date with Fresca was tonight. That evening was supposed to be a quiet evening out dinner and home time with some serious talk he had been dreading since yesterday. It didn't turn out to be as simple a night as promised.
During dinner one of their high school friends, Charlie called to invite Phoenix to his birthday bash at a club that was around the corner from the Italian restaurant he brought Fresca to; she had sworn by their menu and wanted him to try it out.

Once they got to the pub, a more than slightly intoxicated Charlie greeted him with a slap on the back and a slobbered kiss on the cheek for Fresca.
"Happy birthday!" Phoenix greeted him.
"Thanks, have a seat here. At this table...with George." He motioned towards the partially empty table Georgia was seated at and ordered a beer for him.
"Oh hey! You're here!" Phoenix exclaimed as he came face to face with Georgia.
"Yeah..." she said, taking a long sip of the bright colored martini in her hand.
"Hi Fresca, how are you?" She shouted. Her voice slightly croaking at the end of her question but was drowned out by the overpowering music and even louder conversations happening around them.
Fresca just smiled and mouthed "Ok". With a courteous smile and nod, Georgia looked towards Phoenix who was chatting with whoever about whatever and excused herself from the table. It was getting to be too warm in there.

She caught up with their bunch of friends who went outside for some "fresh air" in the parking lot and kept them company with some stories or rumors of this and that.

Meanwhile, Fresca asked Phoenix for one dance and he obliged. Taking her hand in the crook of his arm they walked to the dance floor, stopping on the way to request a slow song from the DJ. He would never, for the life of him dance to anything but a slow dance.

He was so comfortable with her now that he was sure, his swaying could pass as a dance with her. He put a hand at each side of her hips and she circled her hands around his neck and they swayed.

Halfway through the song Fresca lifted her eyes to his and quietly asked, "Do you know that you love her?"

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"What do you mean?"
"You're pretty stupid if you don't understand what and who I'm talking about."
"Who?"
"Her."
"Who?" He was trying to shake her question off by throwing one at her, but she wasn't going to give in easily. Confrontation. Was this his karma for doing it to Georgia?

"You love Georgia," she stated matter-of-factly.
He just chuckled, "What gives you that idea? We're just friends - if anything. I'm not ready for any commitments and I don't want any drama. Relationships would complicate everything."
"It doesn't make what I think it any less true, " she teased.
"You're crazy," he said as he scooped her into a bear hug. Maybe they weren't having this conversation and all the alcohol was getting to him.
"And you're in denial," she stated smugly.
Kissing the top of her head, he led her back to their table - not admitting or denying anything she said.

Interesting, she thought and tucked that revelation away for safe keeping.