The Plan

“I still think Simone seeing the Empire State Building for the first time will always be the best.”

It had been before things went crazy with the boys of The Devil Wears Prada. I already knew that I’d be leaving New York permanently, but hadn’t been sure of the exact date. Andy had been looking for a roommate in Chicago so it had only made sense for me to move in. I’d convinced Simone to come out to Manhattan before I left and while we were there, convinced her to move to Chicago.

We’d stepped off the train and I’d led her down a few blocks, pointing upwards when we hit the middle of 30th Street. The look of awe and wonder on my blonde best friend’s face had given me a feeling of warmth and pride. I loved the city, even if I could no longer be in it.

“I loved that so much,” she commented, picking at the salad she’d ordered from room service. We were all perched around the room, eating and talking. “I was there for your going away party, remember? That was nuts.”

“That was crazy,” I agreed, laughing, “We destroyed Ryan’s house. I was wasted, I remember drinking…what? A shot of vodka, rum, and then tequila straight from the bottle, one after the other?”

“Yes!” she squealed, “And then you jumped over the railing and downstairs onto that couch because Joey was making out with some girl!”

“Thank god I’m not that crazy anymore,” I said, the smile hurting my cheeks. I used to be a wild child in almost every sense of the term. Back then, drinking meant getting plastered. “That was a great party though. I miss those kinds of things.”

“You were a nut Kell,” Mike piped up, “None of us did anything like that.”

Andy snickered under his breath and leaned his head on my shoulder. I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and grinned. Across the room at the small table, Simone shook her head and tried to suppress a smile.

“Okay, alright I’ll give you that,” I agreed. I’d definitely mellowed out over the years. Mike was someone my parents appreciated greatly. He was largely responsible for smoothing out my rough parts. “I was reckless.”

Simone started telling a story about some party I must have told her about. I didn’t remember the details like she did, though it seemed like something I would do. I watched Mike laugh at her jokes. He was seated on the floor while Andy and I sat on the bed, so he had to stare up at her.

The plan was back in action, thanks to my profound boyfriend speaking with Simone. My best friend had talked to Mike about her doubts and, of course, he’d understood. She even told me he’d agreed. It was amazing to see how crazy he was about her. It made my stomach flip and a smile appear on my face.

“What’re you smiling about baby?” Andy asked, his whisper sending chills down my spine. His lips brushed against my ear with a delightful sensuality. I tore my eyes from my two friends and stared into Andy’s eyes. He pressed a quick kiss to my lips.

“I was looking at how cute they are,” I whispered back. He smiled and rolled his eyes, pressing a kiss to my nose and forehead. I smiled and played with his fingers, ignoring the other two in the room completely.

“Well, I was looking at how cute you are.”

I laced our fingers together and kept my eyes on our hands. There were some moments when Andy made me blush so intensely that I felt like I was in high school again. With some ounce of bravery, I leaned forward and brushed my lips over his jaw. He let out a sigh of contentment.

“Oh my gosh, if you guys wanted the room to yourselves you could have told us!” Simone exclaimed. I turned to look at her slowly and shook my head.

“What are you talking about?”

“You two are so sickening,” Mike rumbled, standing up from the floor and wiping at his butt as though the carpet were dirty. He placed his dirty dishes with Simone’s and held out his hand to her. “Let’s ditch ‘em.”

Simone giggled and took his hand. A rosy blush covered her pale cheeks and she looked at the floor as she stood. I rolled my eyes as they crossed the room, hand in hand. Mike managed to open the door and step into the hallway without taking his eyes off of her. The door slammed shut without a goodbye.

“How rude,” Andy said, turning from the door to look at me with an incredulous look on his face. My face mirrored his and we laughed, shaking our heads. We were the sickening ones, yet they weren’t even dating and managed to make my stomach turn. “They didn’t even put their plates out in the hall.”

“How inconsiderate,” I scoffed playfully. He wrapped his arms around my waist and slowly pushed me from my upright position so I was lying on my back. I smiled up at him, giggling as he hovered over me.

“I’m really sorry about earlier,” he said seriously. His hands gripped my hips like a vice, his thumbs ran circles into my exposed skin. My wide smile faded into a small, understanding one. I reached up and cupped his face in my hand.

“It’s really fine. Mike said something that made me realize how much I care about you though,” I said quietly. “He was saying that you’re terrified of me…”

“You scare the shit out of me Kell,” he said, laughing quietly. He relinquished his grip on my hip to run his hand through my hair. “It’s exhilarating.”

“I love you Andy,” I sighed, pulling him closer to me. Our lips brushed over each other’s lightly. “I love you so much.”

“I love you more,” he replied immediately, pressing a kiss to my lips. It was slow and intense, filled with meaning I never thought could be present in a kiss. I was breathless when it was over. I searched his eyes with mine and ran my fingers gently over his jaw and cheek bones.

“How are they gonna get back together?” I worried aloud. He pressed another kiss to my lips and chuckled.

“Don’t worry baby, I have a plan.”