Promise

by Sandra Barret

sbarret_fic@yahoo.com
Copyright - 2005

Shelly stared at her reflection in the apartment building's dark glass, trying to steady her nerves. Even
in the warped reflection, she could see the freckles that spread across her small nose and cheeks.
No one ever accused her of being anything but Irish, which was funny since her dad was off-the-boat
English and her mom French-Canadian. But people saw the short red hair and freckles, and
immediately thought Irish.

The feel of her own sweaty palms refocused Shelly's thoughts. This would be the first time in eight
years that she'd be seeing Kat again. Kat who really was Irish-American, a beautiful dark brunette
with blue eyes you could lose yourself in. At least that's how Shelly remembered her best friend
growing up. She'd managed to hide her secret crush on Kat for four years, until Kat's family moved
away in the ninth grade, and Shelly fell into the depths of despair that only a teenager can manage.
Shelly felt the presence of someone behind her, interrupting her reverie. She turned to see a stout,
white-haired woman staring up at her with a bemused smile.

"Do you need me to let you in?" the lady asked as she held her keys in petite, wrinkled hands.

"Um, no, that's okay. I'm waiting for someone," Shelly said. That wasn't entirely true. She was waiting
for the courage to ring Kat's doorbell. She watched as the woman entered the apartment building and
disappeared up the darkened staircase inside. Pushing down her fears and the remnants of a long
ago crush, Shelly reached out and pushed the button next to the nameplate that read Kathleen
Callahan.

A moment later, Kat's voice came over the intercom, just as warm and inviting as Shelly remembered
it. What little control she'd mustered over her old feelings fell apart, and Shelly knew she'd just have
to ride this one out. She'd hid her feelings from Kat for years, surely she could manage to hide them
for a few hours over an informal reunion dinner? The door buzzed, jolting Shelly into movement. She
pushed open the door and followed Kat's directions up two flights of stairs and down the corridor to
the left. She paused in front of the door marked 312 only long enough to wipe her hands on the back
of her loose-fitting denim jeans and then she knocked.

The door swung open, and in a blur of motion, Shelly found herself wrapped in a pair of strong arms,
her face buried briefly in long, black hair. She inhaled the scent of vanilla, bringing back a wave of
teenage memories.

"Oh my God, I can't believe you're here," Kat said as she pulled back and held Shelly at arms length.
Intense blue eyes roamed up and down Shelly, and she felt a flush of warmth under Kat's scrutiny.
Not being a fool, Shelly took the same opportunity to stare at Kat. Long, black hair cascaded over
narrow shoulders to rest just above the curve of Kat's breasts. Shelly felt her eyes widen, but she
couldn't help herself. By the ninth grade, neither of them had reached full maturity. And Shelly saw
that Kat had quite a bit more "maturing" going on for her than Shelly's own small chest.

Kat wore a tight, ivory sweater of an unknown material that looked soft to touch. A mid length black
skirt clung to Kat's curves leading to a pair of pale, shapely calves. As Shelly finished her overt
appraisal, she looked back up into deep blue eyes that returned her intense stare.

"Hey, Kat," she managed to say, before Kat pulled her inside the apartment and shut the door. She
barely had a chance to scan the apartment, before she was wrapped in another tight embrace. This
time, Shelly returned the hug, her arms slipping behind Kat and pulling her closer. Kat's warm cheek
rested against her own, and she felt her heartbeat quicken.

"I've missed you so much," Kat whispered, her lips just brushing Shelly's ear, sending a shiver
through Shelly's body. Shelly reluctantly let go of her before her arousal became obvious. Kat led her
to the worn, red sofa that dominated the front room to the apartment. Shelly sat down, and Kat sat
beside her, wrapping her bare legs under her. Kat's thighs rested against Shelly's, and Shelly
wondered if she'd ever recover the power of speech. Had Kat always been the touchy-feely kind? She
didn't think her heartbeat would return to a normal pace anytime soon.

Kat brushed back her black hair, resting her head in one hand against the back of the sofa. "You've
changed," she announced.

"Not really," Shelly said, not sure what Kat was referring to, but worried that her attraction showed.

"Your hair is so short," Kat said, reaching out to brush her fingers through Shelly's hair. Shelly's eyes
drifted shut for a moment as she fought the urge to lean into Kat's hand. When she opened her eyes,
she saw Kat's lips curl in a smile. Taking a gamble, she reached out and let strands of Kat's silky
black hair slip through her fingers.

"And yours is very long," she said.

Kat's eyes dilated as her cheeks turned crimson. A jolt of panic ran through Shelly as she thought
that she'd let too much of her feelings show. She tried to pull her hand back, but Kat reached up and
held it, pressed against her cheek. Her face felt warm to Shelly, who tried to control the trembling in
her hand. She watched Kat's eyes drift shut as Kat leaned into her hand. Shelly froze, unable to move
as a rush of heat filled her chest and then settled lower.

Kat opened her eyes, and Shelly saw the uncertainty there, a reflection of her own confusion. Neither
spoke for a moment, until Kat broke the uneasy silence. "Do you want something to drink? A soda or
coffee?"

"Soda would be nice," Shelly said, her voice sounding ragged in her ears. She berated herself for a
nervous fool as she watched Kat rise and walk into the small, tidy kitchen. Unable to stay on her own,
Shelly followed her into the kitchen. "Can I help?" she asked.

"Can you grab two glasses? They're up on the top shelf behind you," Kat said, pointing to her left as
she ducked into the fridge to pull out the soda.

Shelly opened the beechwood cabinet door and glanced up. She found tall, blue glasses on the top
shelf and reached up to take one down. Even stretching on her toes, she could only finger the
glasses. Then she felt Kat behind her and lowered herself back to the balls of her feet.

Kat reached up from behind her. "I'll get that," she said over Shelly's shoulder. Her body pressed
lightly against Shelly as she grasped one glass at a time and placed them on the Formica counter.
Shelly couldn't breathe. Kat didn't move after she put the second glass down. Instead, she stood
behind Shelly, one hand resting on either side of the counter, and her chest pressed against Shelly's
back. "Do you remember what we promised each other?" Kat asked softly. "Back in high school?"

Shelly's throat constricted. She remembered how devastated she was, how much they'd cried
together when Kat's family announced that they were moving. "We promised that we'd always be
friends, no matter what."

Kat's voice sounded hesitant as she continued. "Do you still hold to that promise, Shell?"

Shelly nodded, not trusting her voice anymore as long ago memories flooded back to her, battling for
attention while her body felt every slight shift in Kat's position as a fiery trail of arousal burning inside
her. She expected Kat to say something else and jumped when she felt warm, moist lips trailing
along the neck line of her shirt. A shudder ran through her body as a long, unsteady sigh escaped
her lips. She leaned into Kat, feeling Kat's arms wrap around her. Kat's hands traced circles over her
stomach, and Shelly let her head fall back onto Kat's shoulders as her friend nibbled her earlobe.
When Kat's hand slipped under her shirt, Shelly felt flesh on heated flesh, and a slow throbbing
began between her thighs.

Shelly didn't think she could stand passively through it all. The only other woman she'd ever been
with was a pillow queen, and Shelly was used to being in control. Letting someone else take charge
was a new experience for her, but she didn't turn around and face Kat. She was afraid that she'd
break whatever magical spell had fallen on them. Instead, she traced her hand along Kat's arm,
feeling its softness as she urged Kat's hand higher. Kat cradled her breast through the bra, stroking
a finger across Shelly's hardened nipple. Shelly moaned, and she felt her panties dampen. How
much more of this could she handle without turning around? She wanted to feel Kat in her arms,
taker her breast in her mouth, but when she tried to move, Kat held her firm.

Without a word, Kat slipped her other hand down to Shelly's waist and fingered the buckle of Shelly's
belt. Wanting to remove all hindrances, Shelly gently pushed Kat's hand to the side and tried to focus
on unbuckling and unzipping her pants while Kat lifted Shelly's sports bra out of the way and teased
each breast in turn, raking her nails over the nipples until Shelly's knees felt weak. Shelly managed to
loosen her jeans, and she took Kat's free hand and guided it into her panties, unable to contain her
need any longer.

Kat's hand covered her damp mound, pressing in as her body pressed Shelly from behind. Shelly felt
the first wave of orgasm building insider her and tried to contain it. She didn't want to come too fast.
She wanted to feel Kat's touch on her. Kat seemed to sense her need and drew one slow finger
between her wet folds. Shelly held onto the end of the kitchen counter as Kat stroked her. Her legs
trembled. She couldn't hold back much longer. Kat separated Shelly's folds. When Kat slid one wet
finger deep insider her, Shelly came. Wave crashed over wave of climax as Kat thrust in and out,
pushing herself against Shelly's backside each time.

Shelly's legs gave out, but Kat held her up. Her breath came in ragged gasps. She felt Kat's arms
trembling and forced herself to stand on her own before Kat's strength gave out. She sighed as Kat
slipped out of her pants and wrapped her arm around Shelly's waist. Shelly never realized it could be
so arousing to let someone else dominate her. Finally, as steady as she would be for the moment,
Shelly turned and faced Kat. She was surprised to see a look of uncertainty in her friend's eyes.
"What's wrong?" she asked, studying Kat's pale face.

"You promised, right? We'd still be friends, even after all this?" Kat's voice shook as she spoke.

Could she really not know how much Shelly wanted this, wanted to be with her, make love to her?
Shelly held Kat's face and lowered it to her own until their lips touched. She kissed her best friend,
softly at first, and then when Kat's lips opened to her, she let her tongue roam freely for a time. When
the need to breathe demanded attention, she leaned back and studied Kat's beautiful face once
more. "Can we be more than friends, after this?" she asked.

Kat's face flushed as a slow, languorous smile spread across her lips. "It's what I've wanted since
before eighth grade."

Shelly laughed. "I've got you beat then. I've wanted you since fifth grade, for sure."

"Fifth grade?" Kat repeated. "You were all over Deb Bethany in fifth grade. I remember," she said with
a scowl.

"No way," Shelly said. "Deb was all over me! There's a difference."

"Uhuh."

Shelly pulled Kat into her arms and kissed her again. Her hands brushed over Kat's soft sweater.
"Deb's got nothing over you," she whispered.

"Promise?" Kat asked.

"Promise."