Chapter 7
River’s night with Tiff had been meant to be a time to reconnect. She had wanted to remember what it was about Tiff she’d been drawn to. Instead, it had showed her more reasons to doubt her relationship.
“How’s your week going?” River asked.
She sat on the couch waiting for Tiff to pick a bottle of wine for them to open. Tiff was meticulously inspecting each bottle of wine. River watched as she pulled out one of Brianna’s red wines, examined the label then shake her head in dissatisfaction.
“Busy, as usual. Pretty good though. I brought in a new client.”
Tiff finally found a bottle of wine that was up to her standards and poured two glasses.
“Oh wow. A new client, huh? Tell me about them.”
River was digging deep, trying desperately to find common ground. She and Tiff seemed further apart now than ever before.
“Well, she’s a bit of a real estate tycoon. She owns several properties in New York. She’s here to buy up some locations to use as short-term rentals. She wants a local to help manage her investments here long-term.”
“That’s great. Have you had many meetings with her?”
Tiff’s face scrunched for a moment, her expression unreadable.
“Not too many. We mostly communicate over the phone. She texts quite a bit,” Tiff laughed. River took the glass of wine that Tiff extended to her. She took a sip and forced herself not to make a face. The wine wasn’t her preferred taste, though Tiff seemed to love it.
“How about you? What’s new in your world?” Tiff asked.
River got the distinct impression that Tiff was feigning interest. Maybe that was fair. River’s life was vastly more streamlined since the accident.
“Well, Brianna and I worked from home the first part of the day. Then we took our lunch break, and she pushed my wheelchair around the park.”
Tiff didn’t even pretend to be entertained. Instead, she took another sip of wine and changed the show playing on the television.
“You must be really looking forward to being able to go back to normal activities,” Tiff smiled.
River glanced away then down at the floor. She wished she could come up with the best response. But nothing sprang to mind.
“I am. Slowing down a bit hasn’t been as awful as I imagined it would be though.”
“Whatever you have to keep telling yourself. I couldn’t do what you’ve had to do over the last month,” Tiff said matter of factly.
Her response hurt River more than she was willing to let on. River meant every word of her statement. Initially she’d been scared and frustrated by the notion that she’d have to slow down her life. How would she keep up with work and her friends? But her boss had been more than reasonable. And her friends had been happy to make time for her. The only exception to the rule was Tiff. Since she’d been unable to drive and get out as much, her relationship with Tiff had all but halted. Should she say something to Tiff about what she was feeling? Or should she focus on making tonight the best it could be. As if she could read River’s dissatisfaction Tiff pushed a strand of dark hair behind River’s ear.
“Tiff,” River began tentatively.
“Yeah, babe,” Tiff answered.
“I can’t help but notice that we’ve been spending less and less time together as I’m recovering.”
River decided to leave her thought open-ended. She didn’t have anything to accuse Tiff of. She was merely making an observation. Tiff straightened on the couch and pinned her with a stare. River forced herself to meet Tiff’s gaze.
“Are we really doing this on the one night I have to come over here?” Tiff asked.
The words stung. River had wanted Tiff to console her, maybe even tell her that she’d missed spending time with her, too. That was clearly not the route that Tiff was going to take.
“I’m not trying to do anything. I’m just noticing that I haven’t seen as much of you lately. And I’m saying that I miss you.”
Tiff halted for a moment considering her words. Her stern face vanished, replaced by something unreadable. Her expression wasn’t comforting, but her tone lost its note of accusation, and her eyes softened.
“I know it’s been a hard few weeks. I don’t have the schedule to drop everything and come over here multiple times a week. Brianna is a saint for helping out as much as she has. But I feel unproductive if I’m just sitting on a couch watching the world go by. I like to be out and about.
River knew instantly that what Tiff said was true. A month ago, River might have even said the same thing. The difference was that if Tiff had been hurt River would have made the sacrifice. It was a big difference, and never more glaring than in that moment. Tiff’s phone buzzed several times in a row. She mouthed an apology before checking her phone. She scrunched her face up.
“I’m sorry, babe. Logan is taking my client out and showing her the town tonight. I’m afraid if I don’t go, she might decide to put her account in with Logan instead.”
Tiff had the decency to wait for River to respond.
“Yeah, it sounds important. You better go catch up with them.”
River forced a smile. Tiff leaned in and gave her a kiss on the forehead as she stood.
“Thanks, babe. Don’t worry things will get back to normal before you know it.”
River nodded her head. She wasn’t sure she wanted things to go back to normal. Tiff had been given the chance to rise to the occasion of being her girlfriend. Quite frankly, she’d failed miserably. Meanwhile Brianna was her roommate and her friend, and she’d been more than willing to go out of her way for River.
The door closed behind Tiff, signaling the end to whatever romantic notions River had been holding onto. She allowed herself to get reinvested into her show.
An hour later the door swung open. River checked the time, it was still relatively early. River sat alone on the couch. Her eyes met Brianna’s and they both laughed.
“How was your date?” River asked.
“Complete failure,” Brianna answered.
“How about your date with Tiff?”
“Also, a big failure. Though at least she showed up.”
Brianna got them each a beer out of the fridge. She handed one to River as she slumped down on the couch. Brianna looked at River’s unfinished glass of wine and laughed.
“It was Tiff’s idea. She thinks beer is too simple for a date,” River laughed.
“Good thing we’re not on a date then,” Brianna chuckled. River could be wrong, but she thought there might be a note of regret in Brianna’s voice.
“Here’s to starting the night with failure and ending with good friends.”
Brianna’s words washed River’s doubts away.
“I’ll drink to that,” River took a giant swig of beer. Brianna turned towards the TV checking to see what was already on. She looked over at River and met her eyes. River could feel her heart quicken. There were certainly worse ways to end a night.
“So why was the date with Tiff a big failure?” Brianna asked.
“She just kept getting distracted from texts on her phone. And she admitted that staying in makes her feel unproductive. So having a girlfriend that needs to take a break from the night life isn’t high on her list.”
“Did she say that?” Brianna’s tone was indignant, and River had to appreciate how quick she was to stand up for her.
“Not in so many words. I’m definitely editorializing. But her meaning was pretty clear.”
“I’m sorry. You deserve better than that,” Brianna stated.
“The night ended when she said she needed to go entertain a client who was going out on the town.”
“I’m sorry your date didn’t go as planned.” Brianna leaned her head against River’s shoulder.
“Me, too. What happened with your date?”
“Well, she was younger than I realized. Which is fine, though in general we didn’t seem well suited. We tried the first half of the night. But she was more drawn to her friends than she was to me.”
Brianna shrugged her shoulders and gave a good-hearted chuckle.
“Whatever is meant to be will happen,” Brianna sighed.
“That still sucks,” River acknowledged.
At least they still had one another. River smiled at the thought. She could be surrounded by twenty-one-year-olds, listening to loud music. Or she could be listening to Tiff drone on about her latest business deal. Instead, she was home on her comfy couch sitting beside her good friend. She couldn’t help thinking she’d come out ahead of the game.
“You want another beer?” Brianna asked.
River glanced down at her now empty bottle. She was usually a one and done type of girl. Tonight, she was enjoying her time sitting on the couch watching TV with Brianna.
“You know what? Sure, I’d love one.”
Brianna rubbed her hands across her thighs before standing. River’s eyes travelled up Brianna’s body then back down before resting on Brianna’s ass. She forced herself to look away and breathed in a deep sigh. When Brianna handed her another beer, River took a sizable gulp.
“Take it easy, buddy. We have all night,” Brianna laughed. River’s face grew hot, and she knew she was blushing.
“Do you ever feel like we’re wasting our time?” River asked.
“Doing what?”
“I don’t know, dating? Does going out with people ever just seem like such a waste of time?”
“Sometimes. But how else would we meet anyone?” Brianna laughed.
“I don’t know,” River admitted.
“There has to be a better way than what we’re doing,” River added with a laugh. She turned her face and found Brianna staring at her. She had forgotten how intense Brianna’s gaze could be. Her deep eyes pulled her into them. Brianna’s lips were curved and full. They begged for River to kiss them. She could feel the magnetic pull towards Brianna. River pulled in a quick breath before diving in, headfirst.
“I have a problem,” River said, her words barely above a whisper.
Brianna leaned in closer. River had known she would. Brianna always leaned in close when she was listening.
“What’s your problem, friend?”
Brianna’s question was so filled with genuineness. River knew that whatever she said to Brianna, the woman would stay and listen to her talk.
“I really want to kiss you.”
The surprise that registered on Brianna’s face was apparent. River forced herself to to keep going.
“I’ve been thinking about you a lot since the accident. I always assumed if the worst happened, it would be my partner who stepped up for me. But Tiff has been a no-show, and here you are.”
“Here I am,” Brianna reaffirmed.
“It has been so confusing. Because I love Tiff. When things between us are good, they’re amazing. I’m not ready to let her go. But I can’t deny the feelings I’m beginning to have for you.”
River sighed. She forced herself to break eye contact with Brianna. Instead, she leaned her head against the couch and stared at the ceiling. When she glanced back Brianna was staring at her quizzically. Her face was unreadable.
“I feel the same way. But if you still want to see where things go with Tiff, it doesn’t leave me much room.”
Brianna’s words hit River in the gut. In her mind her feelings towards Brianna had always been unreciprocated. It was clear that she hadn’t given enough thought to what she would do if Brianna had developed feelings for her as well. River’s mind went blank. She tried desperately to find the words she wanted to say, but there was no connection between her head and her mouth. Brianna rubbed her face in her hands.
“I should get to bed,” Brianna said apologetically. She rose before River could speak.
“Good night,” Brianna said behind her as walked towards the bedrooms.
“Good night.” River called after her, but Brianna was gone. The room to her door closed behind her. Shit. River muttered to herself in disappointment. What the fuck had she just done? Had she made Brianna feel uncomfortable? She was sure that Brianna had meant what she said. Brianna liked her back. One thing was certain, this was going to change everything. There was no way to forget about the words they had spoken to one another.