Casual Affair

“No argument here. What time will Gwen be home? She told me she was running errands today.” Gwen had become their third roommate as of a few weeks ago, due to a tangle of personal circumstances. She’d needed a place to stay for a while, so Bea and Felicity had offered their extra room.

“The debate airs at seven, so she’ll probably be home by six thirty.”

Bea groaned, her head falling back. “That stupid political debate’s going to totally ruin my buzz.”

“She’s our best friend, and it’s her boyfriend’s election debate,” Felicity chided. “I think you can handle your hate of politics for an hour or two.”

“God, I hope it’s not two hours.”

Gwen’s new boyfriend, Clay Masterson, was a candidate in this year’s DC mayoral election. And he was running against Gwen’s ex-fiancé, William Callahan. Yeah, it was a little complicated. And a lot messed up. Yet another reason for margaritas.

“She seems to be doing better,” Bea commented.

Felicity nodded. “She seems really happy now. She has this…glow in her eyes that was never there before.”

Bea had noticed it, too. “It’s nice to see.”

“I’ve seen that same glow in your eyes too, you know,” Felicity remarked.

Bea looked up to see her sister smiling knowingly. “What?”

Felicity raised a challenging eyebrow, daring her to deny it. “You are so completely smitten with Zane, there’s no point in trying to hide it anymore. Gwen’s even commented on it. So when are you going to invite your boyfriend over for dinner so we can get to know him better?”

At the word “boyfriend,” Bea’s heart did a little jump from both pleasure and panic. “He’s not my boyfriend. We’re just…casually seeing each other. There’s a difference.”

Felicity rolled her eyes, her expression one of doubt. “Come on, Bea. You might as well move in with the guy. You’re at his house almost every night. Either you two have sex drives that surpass normal human limits, or you actually like spending time with the man.” She tipped her head with a grin. “Or maybe both.”

“Well, think again,” Bea retorted sharply. “It’s just sex, and we just happen to like a lot of it. A boyfriend would have to be my type, and Zane is definitely not. He’s infuriating and cocky and way too take charge for me.”

Her sister snorted, shaking her head. “Please. You need someone to take charge with you, and you know it.” Bea started to argue, but Felicity pushed ahead. “You two are practically the same person, and that’s what infuriates you. You’re just as high-handed as he is.”

“I am not!” Bea protested, slightly offended.

Felicity continued, unfazed by Bea’s outburst. “You always walk all over any guy that you get even slightly involved with, but Zane’s the first person to not put up with that crap. When you push, he pushes back even harder. You may not realize it, but you respect him for that. For taking you down a peg when you need it. I know you won’t admit it, but you love that he’s man enough for you.”

Bea was speechless.

She couldn’t decide if the woman was talking out of her ass, or if what she was saying might actually have some truth in it.

Felicity’s eyes widened as she took in Bea’s reaction. “Seriously? Did you really not know any of that?”

Bea swallowed, her heart pounding. “However much of that might be true, we’re not dating,” she insisted. “We both knew before we started this that neither of us is looking for a relationship. He’s leaving for London soon, remember? Once he’s gone, we’ll make a clean break.” She swallowed at the lack of emotion in her words. “We’re on the same page.”

“How do you know? Have you guys talked about it?”

“We don’t need to,” Bea snapped. She was starting to get annoyed at her sister’s nosiness. “We’re just having fun. You should try it sometime.”

Felicity’s eyes narrowed. “Meaning?”

“Gabe.”

Her sister’s focus shifted, suddenly fascinated by the bookshelf.