[pt. 1 “Dinner”](https://www.reddit.com/r/Erotica/comments/12of1g5/sara_alice_more_than_friends_pt_1_dinner_27ff/) | [pt. 3 “Before”](https://www.reddit.com/r/Erotica/comments/12qphih/sara_alice_more_than_friends_pt_3_before_27ff/)
I could still feel her lips on my cheek when James asked for a picture with just her, no doubt hoping for the same treatment. Alice agreed, but all he got was his arm around her waist.
Elijah asked for a picture with me, and I happily obliged. I didn’t have to force a smile as his hand rested above my hip.
Back at our seats, we talked about some auditions Elijah had coming up. “I’m trying to decide if I want to do grad school or teaching. But there just aren’t enough full-time orchestra jobs for me to realistically think I’ll do that after I graduate. Maybe I can find gig work or something. How about you? What are your post-graduation plans?”
“Well, I’ve got two years left, but then I’m thinking law school.” I always got nervous when I told people my plans, like they knew more about it than I did and could see I wasn’t smart or driven enough.
He beamed. “Good for you! Wow, so I can call you if I ever get arrested, right?”
I laughed and smiled back at him.
The lights went down again, and the curtain rose. I had a harder time focusing, as my mind wandered towards the two people directly on my right and left. During the slow parts of the second act, melancholy thoughts drifted through my head of how much I’d miss Alice while she was away. My freshman year had been rough until I met her, and I depended on her so much for my emotional well being and for whatever amounted to the little social life I had. At the same time, though, there was a constant electricity in the air, and the night felt monumental, though I didn’t know why. I knew, without being able to explain the reason, that I’d remember every detail of this evening for the rest of my life. The night’s excitement both blunted and sharpened my sadness.
The opera ended triumphantly for the lovers, and after standing and applauding, we wandered out into the warm night.
“So, drinks back at my place?” James asked.
“I still have to finish packing for tomorrow,” Alice said. We said our goodbyes, James hugged Alice, and Elijah texted me his number so we could stay in touch.
“You know. For when the cops pick me up,” he said with a grin. “You’ll be the one I call.”
Alice and I rode the subway together back to my place. “Well, you certainly captured Elijah’s attention,” she said, standing next to me on the train.
“You think so?”
Alice smiled in a way that let me know she knew I knew. “He’s really nice. I like him,” she said.
I blush and try to change the subject. “I saw James try to make a move on you.”
She rolled her eyes. “I promise he’s not so annoying when he isn’t trying to impress.”
“It seems like he’s *always* trying to impress,” I grumbled.
Alice laughed.
“So are you two…?” I asked.
She shook her head.
Back at my place, we both undid the glamor of the evening. I settled into sweatpants, and she wore boxers and a t-shirt.
“Thanks for letting me crash here tonight,” she said. “I brought a little thank you.”
She pulled out a bottle of red wine.
“Oh, you really didn’t have to.”
Alice pulled out a corkscrew from her key chain and opened the wine as she sat next to me on my bed. “I know. But I wanted to share it with you.”
The bottle looked expensive, clearly not the cheap “elixir” from the opera we just saw. “I’m sorry I don’t have any wine glasses. This looks to fancy too drink from a mug.”
Alice drank directly from the bottle and winked at me. “Not a problem.” She handed it to me. I drank, and I instantly felt warm inside. It was fruity and sweet and tangy.
“That’s delicious,” I said, handing it back.
We talked about professors and Elijah and James and what her plans were once she got to Rome, how she was actually more excited for Florence.
About two-thirds of the way through the bottle I felt a profound sadness sink into my bones. It fell on me like a weight.
“You’re crying,” she said softly as she wiped a tear from my cheek. “Hey, I’ll be back soon.”
I felt her arm around me, and I rested my head on her chest. She took off my glasses and played with my hair. “You should come and visit me. Over Fall Break. I’ll be back in Texas for Christmas, but you should come Fall Break for sure. And Spring Break too! We could have so much fun.”
“I could never afford that.”
“I can cover you. Or *Ralph* can cover you. I’m sure he’d be thrilled to pay for my responsible friend to check up on me. Make sure I haven’t succumbed to drunken debauchery.”
I laughed, but I didn’t know what to say. Of course I would have loved to see Italy with her, but I felt self-conscious doing it on her dad’s dime.
I didn’t say anything. I just nuzzled deeper into her chest. She kissed the top of my head, and I looked up at her. I remembered that kiss on my cheek at the opera. I could almost feel her lips again on my skin. I looked into her cool, gray eyes and felt a thirst that no wine can quench.
I closed my eyes and pressed my lips to hers. She kissed me back, and I shuddered and sighed. Her lips were so soft. My tongue had to taste them.
She pulled me in, and I ran my fingers through her luscious hair. I felt her hand under my shirt, on the skin of my back. I thought of how adroit those fingers were and how I might sound if she played me. My guts tightened, and I felt an aching need for her all over my body.
My hand wandered up her t-shirt. She wasn’t wearing a bra, and I felt her soft, full breasts.
I realized in that moment, that I was at a turning point. I could still back out now, but if I went any further, I was going to make love to my friend, and things might never be the same.
It hurt to pull back, but I did.
“Sorry, I think the wine is getting to my head.”
Alice looked sad. “It’s strong stuff.”
“Yeah. I think we should go to bed.”
“Ok.”
“You’ve got a long flight tomorrow.”
“Hey, think about what I said. Coming out to visit.”
“Ok.”
“Well, good night, Sara.”
“Good night.”
We slept in the same twin bed, but we couldn’t have been farther apart. All that night and for years later, I wondered whether I’d made the wrong decision.
I woke around 2:00 a.m. to see her soundly asleep, facing me. I had never seen her with her beautiful eyes closed like this. I already missed seeing them.
I kissed her forehead and tried to sleep.
Source: reddit.com/r/Erotica/comments/12r26ga/sara_alice_more_than_friends_pt_4_elixir_27ff