Chapter 4
A full week had come and gone since the last time Laura-Kathrine had talked to her brother online. Today was an extremely hectic day for her.After getting off her volunteer job at the community hospital (which could wear anyone out because of the hours and requirements as well as the mental aspect) she was worn out but had still gone to dinner with her boyfriend Travis.They had gotten halfway through dinner before he complained about her multiple jobs and the hours she took with the hospital as a volunteer which took time that she could be spending with him.
The night ended with her storming out on him because he would not allow her to defend herself and explain herself to him and she didn’t feel that she should have to. All in all the day had been long and not very fun…but that’s life. After changing into her pajamas and washing her face she pulled her hair into a pony tail and slid into the computer chair, turning it on.
‘Time to relax’ she thought as she leaned her head back against the head board while she waited for her computer to boot up and sign her into the web.
NiceGuy25: Good you’re on!
PrincessKay21: So are you, and waiting for me I see.
She smiled. After a day like today it was nice to come home to a conversation with her ‘long lost’ brother.
NiceGuy25: Actually I was =)
PrincessKay21: Well that’s nice but it means you want something from me? =P
NiceGuy25: Lol…just the pleasure of talking to you
PrincessKay21: uh huh Not buying it man:-P spill
NiceGuy25: Lol okay fine…What do you think of me talking to Amber?
PrincessKay21: WHAT!?
PrincessKay21: You’re taking a risk with me you know how much worse it’d be if you were to talk to her!?
NiceGuy25: ha-ha I take it you don’t think it’s a good idea, but let me explain. You didn’t know this name either when I first I'm’d you. She won’t know this I'm name. I mean im not stupid enough to IM her using my old screenname and it’s not like I’m going to reveal myself to her, I’ll pretend to be a friend of yours or something who has heard a lot about her by talking to you. She won’t know it’s me I just want to talk to her…understand?
PrincessKay21: Umm…yeah I think so…so then what’s the problem?
NiceGuy25: I need you to ask her permission for a friend of yours to IM her…if it’s okay for you to give her IM to a guy who wants to talk to her
PrincessKay21: In other words you want me to act as middle man?
NiceGuy25: Lol if you want to think of it that way then yea
PrincessKay21: *sigh* the things I do for you man!
NiceGuy25: So you’ll do it then?
PrincessKay21: Yes. I’m meeting with Amber for a picnic on the lake on Sunday afternoon. I’ll broach the topic to her then for you.
NiceGuy25: Awesome! I knew I could count on you girl!
PrincessKay21: Yea, yea, well I’ve had a long day so I think I’m going to go pass out. Goodnight
***********************************************
The days seemed to inch slowly by and Amber couldn’t be more relieved when the weekend arrived. Friday night she treated herself to a nice night at home with Lance; drinking hot cocoa and doing a Ravensburger jigsaw puzzle of an African Animal Safari. She completed the edges while he found her pieces and worked on the middle.It was 2 am when they finished the puzzle…of course throw in a few make out sessions and teasing banter resulting in her being tickled till she cried ‘Uncle’ and you’ll realize it takes a lot longer to finish a puzzle than working straight through it.
On Saturday She walked along the beach; barefoot as the waves lapped against her ankles and she gave her mind wings to soar through the past, the present and the future, through dreams both new and old, old memories and new ones, and time to analyze the present; how things have changed, for the good and bad.
She skated through the harbor licking a Rocky Road Ice cream cone or sipping a Mocha Valencia, enjoying the feel of the ocean breeze lightly against her face, and the feel of her hair whipping in the wind.
It was these simple carefree days that she loved; Time to think and just let herself relax from a hectic schedule of fighting kids, staying up late every night planning the next day’s lesson. (So she doesn’t have to spend her weekends preparing the whole week’s lesson and not getting time for herself she developed this routine.) Saturday night she curled up on her couch under a warm flannel blanket with a cup of peppermint tea and a Mystery/Romance novel that she couldn’t put down and was up half the night trying to finish it.
Sunday finally rolled around and Amber was grateful for another day to just relax and time to spend with Laura-Kathrine but she also dreaded the return to school the following day. She hadn’t had a weekend like this in what seemed like forever and it was very refreshing, she wished it didn’t need to end.
Around 3:30 on Sunday, after enjoying the opportunity to sleep in late and treat herself to a nice breakfast with Lance, Amber headed down to the lake for a picnic with Laura-Kathrine .
She arrived a little before Laura-Kathrine and laid out a blanket on a grassy knoll overlooking the lake. While she waited for Laura-Kathrine to arrive she decided to start book two in the same series of the novel she had finished the night before.
“I’m exhausted!”
Amber glanced up from her book with a smile as Laura-Kathrine fell onto the blanket beside her,
“Good book?” Laura-Kathrine asked, motioning to the book Amber was reading.
Amber nodded and with one hand she grabbed a book next to her and handed it to Laura-Kathrine while she added her bookmark to the page she was on with the other.
“It’s amazing, that’s book one to the series I’m reading. I brought it cause I thought you might like to read it”
Laura-Kathrine flipped the book over and read the back before nodding, “Sounds great, thanks”
“You’re welcome”
The girls filled each other in on their weeks since the last time they had seen each other, and talked of random things as well while Laura-Kathrine set out their picnic lunch and handed Amber a plate.
“So, tell me” Laura-Kathrine began after swallowing a bite of her fried chicken, “Do you love Lance?”
Amber nearly chocked on her soda, “do I love Lance?”
Laura-Kathrine nodded. “I don’t know,”
“How can you not know? You either do or you don’t” Laura-Kathrine argued.
Amber sighed heavily. “I don’t know if I can say I’ve crossed that line with him or not. I mean I don’t think he’s said it to me yet either…”
“Didn’t you love my brother by this point though?”
Amber blushed lightly, “With your brother it was different. He was my best friend and confidant, he encouraged me, he went out of his way to do little things for me just to make me feel special, He didn’t want anything from me but gave me everything I ever wanted and he listened to me and he didn’t just take in that way but he gave to me as well. We had no secrets…a guy like that is impossible not to love.”
Laura-Kathrine smiled softly, “I know he loved you” she said reassuringly. ‘He still does.’
Amber smiled faintly and the two women lapsed into silence. After lunch they spent the day on the lake; they rented wave runners and raced on the lake and then treated themselves to a coffee and ice-cream as the sun was going down and then returned to their blanket on the knoll overlooking the lake and lay down looking up at the stars.
“Do you remember the first time we came here together?” Laura-Kathrine asked, breaking the silence.
Amber laughed, “How could I forget. That was the day you introduced me to your brother”
“He was quite taken with you and disappointed when you said you had a boyfriend and saw he was with you even”
Amber laughed, “Nuh-uh!”
Laura-Kathrine nodded, “Oh yeah, I heard it all the way home”
When Amber didn’t seem to believe her Laura-Kathrine told her the story of what had happened after they left.
*FLASHBACK*
“That was fun! Aren’t you glad you came?” A younger Laura-Kathrine asked, glancing over at her older brother.
Justin chuckled, “Yes it was very fun…wherever did you meet Amber?”
Laura-Kathrine smiled over at him. “I met her in a class of mine at the Junior College; we were partnered up and hit it right off”
“She seems like an interesting person”
“Oh she is, she’s a teacher at Nicholas Elementary but takes photography on the side as a hobby of hers”
“Oh really? So what’s a woman like that doing with my sister?” he teased.
Laura-Kathrine elbowed his side and stuck her tongue out at him.
Justin chuckled, “Not while I’m driving kid”
Laura-Kathrine rolled her eyes at him.
“You know I’m kidding anyways, you know I love ya kid”
“Yea I do, and the question isn’t what she is doing with me the question is what does my brother want with her?”
Justin threw a glance over at her and laughed. “Who says I want anything with her?”
“It’s rather obvious, we all saw you staring at her all day and you won’t shut up about her now”
It was Justin’s turn to roll his eyes at her, “It wasn’t all day, it was just a few glances, I could hardly get a word in with her cuz Mr. jealous kept dragging her away”
Laura-Kathrine laughed, “It sounds like you’re the jealous one”
Justin chuckled and shook his head but didn’t reply for a few minutes.
“And if I am?” he finally asked.
Laura-Kathrine gaped at him. “You? Jealous over a girl? Mr. I’ll be married to my job I don’t want a girlfriend?”
“Hey I didn’t say I WAS jealous…” he tried to defend himself but Laura-Kathrine cut him off,
“You didn’t say you weren’t either”
“Alright smarty pants, it’s a little too early to decide anyways, it’d be interesting getting to know her though”
Laura-Kathrine rolled her eyes, “Alright I get the hint, you can come hang out with us sometimes and I’ll see if she’ll let me give you her AIM name”
Justin smiled, “That’s all I ask”
*ENDS FLASHBACK*
Amber laughed when Laura-Kathrine finished the story, “I couldn’t tell I’d made such an impression on that first day”
Laura-Kathrine giggled, “Yeah right, you’re such a flirt. You were flirting with my brother and that’s why your boyfriend kept dragging you away”
Amber blushed, “I can’t help it. It’s a natural reaction in a girl to flirt with a guy, especially when he’s as gorgeous as your brother was”
Laura-Kathrine smiled and then remembered her conversation with her brother she had had a few nights ago. “Speaking of guys and AIM names…”
“Uh-oh, do I want to hear this?” Amber teased, interrupting.
Laura-Kathrine laughed, “Just shut up and listen. There’s this guy I work with and whenever we talk your name comes up a lot. Well he thinks you sound interesting and would like to talk to you. He wanted me to ask if it’d be okay for me to give him your Screenname so that he could IM you. What do you say?”
Amber seemed to think about it a minute and sighed, “So let me get this straight, you talk to him about me and now he wants to talk to me for himself?”
Laura-Kathrine shrugged “Yea something like that”
“How come I haven’t heard about him before?” Amber asked skeptically.
“I don’t know, I work multiple jobs with multiple people it must not cross my mind”
“Alright fine, if I don’t like him I can always block him”
Laura-Kathrine laughed, “You’re such a bitch”
Amber smiled, “I know I can’t help it”
“Well don’t let him know that, and he’ll be thrilled to know he can talk to you”
Amber smiled, “Let’s hope the feeling is mutual”
Laura-Kathrine smiled to herself, ‘oh believe me…it will be’
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