More than Friends: Ch. 03

It was almost noon, Saturday, when Janice found herself standing outside Edward and Yvonne's house. She took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. By the time it was answered Janice was the very picture of composure, with an easy smile plastered on her face. Quite different from how she'd looked or felt a few days ago when she discovered she may have once stood a chance to be with Edward. Unable to deal with the mess of her emotions, she had left for home the very same evening.

Janice wasn't disappointed that her father didn't offer to come pick her up at the airport or even his lack of excitement at seeing his only child after more than a year. Over the years she had grown used to his general disinterest in everything and everyone outside of his work, including her. Her mother's death had changed him- the lively man with the easy smile could now only be found in the few photographs she possessed of her parents.

She met with her father and then went straight next door to her Aunt Martha's place who had been a surrogate mother to her ever since her own mother's sudden demise.

"Come here and give me a hug child." her aunt cried out, even as she wrapped her arms around her.

Martha Walker loved Janice and felt more protective about her than she did her own daughter, Yvonne.

"This is a lovely surprise. But why didn't anyone tell me you were coming?"

"That's because I didn't tell anyone- just called dad to say I was on my way."

Martha eyed Janice suspiciously.

"You're not one for surprises, so what gives?"

"Nothing. I just missed home and I have a few days before I start work."

Janice tried to sound casual but Martha could tell that her niece was most likely upset over some thing. She knew Janice well enough to know that she would just have to let it go till Janice herself was ready to talk about it.

"We missed you too honey. Come on. I'll fix you some supper and then you can tell me how you've been getting along."

*****

"You've still kept my room?" Janice asked, astonished.

"Of course. Yours and Yvonne's, for whenever you girls wish to visit." replied Martha as she showed Janice to her old room.

When the girls were in middle school they were given separate bedrooms, which turned out to be unnecessary as Yvonne made it a habit to sneak into Janice's bed at night. She was touched to see that her aunt had preserved her things and her keepsakes as if she still lived there. She was near tears when her aunt put her arms around her and gave her another warm hug to wish her goodnight.

Martha left the bedroom wondering about the cause of her niece's downcast mood. Janice had always seemed rather fragile to her compared to her own daughter, not just because of her puny size but also because she chose not to give voice to her feelings or her needs. Something about the way she would bravely try to deal with everything on her own tugged at Martha's heartstrings. She sensed that Janice was upset so she decided if Janice wouldn't open up to her she would contact Yvonne to find out what was going on.

*****

That night as she lay in bed, Janice thought a great deal about how lucky she was to have someone like Martha in her life. If not for her aunt she wouldn't have known what it felt like to have someone else care about her and think about her needs. She wished she could talk to her about Edward.

But how can I tell her that I'm in love with her daughter's boyfriend?

*****

On the day she was supposed to return to Philadelphia, she visited her mother's grave with flowers, as always. During her two day stay in her home town, Janice had visited all her favourite hangouts. It struck her that if not for Yvonne she would've had a rather lonely childhood. She remembered all the times her friend fought her bullies for her. All the times Yvonne chose to ditch her plans just to cheer her whenever she was feeling low. She never asked Yvonne to do any of those things; she had never needed to, because like a true friend Yvonne was always there.

As she bent to place the flowers, she watched her reflection on the smooth surface of the tombstone next to the picture of her mother. For the first time she noticed how similar they looked. And yet, they were completely different people. Her mother had been a spontaneous and spirited woman. She remembered how her father always smiled when she was around.

She made him happy. Janice thought to herself. Yvonne's like that- fun and exciting. Eddie will be happier with her.

As much as she felt cheated by fate, she had to admit that Yvonne and Edward were perfect for each other- he had loved Yvonne since he was a teen and she had never loved anyone before him. In that moment her mind was made up.

You need to focus on your work. You need to start dating. You need to be more supportive towards Yvonne. And most of all you need to get over Eddie, because that is what's best for all.

*****

"Hello" Janice greeted Edward with a bright smile as he showed her in.

"So, how was your impromptu visit home?" he asked as they moved to the living room.

"I can't believe I heard about it from mom!" said Yvonne settling herself on the couch beside Janice.

"It was a spur of the moment kind of thing." Janice said, shrugging her shoulders. "Just felt a little home sick, that's all."

Edward wasn't sure why, but he felt certain Janice was lying to them, however since Yvonne seemed convinced, he held his tongue.

The three friends spend the afternoon pleasantly chatting. After a point Edward realised that the women could use some time to themselves so he left them for a while to run some errands. When he got back he found them just where he'd left them sitting on the couch, engrossed in conversation.

"I'm back!"

"Hi honey," said Yvonne getting up to give him a quick peck on the cheek, "we didn't even hear you leave."

"I grew tired of being the third wheel so I decided to instead make myself useful and pick up dinner and these," he said, dropping the movies in front of them.

"The Notebook and Casablanca! I love these movies." Janice cried out.

"You do? Well they're Yvonne's favourite so I figured you were likely to enjoy them too."

Yvonne and Janice exchanged a quick look. They both knew that of the two of them Janice was the only one who liked those movies. Yvonne preferred action flicks and found Janice's choice in movies to be a bit dull. Since she and Janice had different tastes, they had a long standing deal wherein Janice would watch one action blockbuster with her, for every tearjerker she made her sit through. Over the years she had suffered through The Notebook and Casablanca plenty of times, to the point where she hated both movies now.

"You're too good to me sweetheart." Yvonne stated, her voice dripping with sweetness. "But I know how dull it would be for you to have to sit through these. We can instead watch-"

"But, it's not just you," he cut her off, "you and Janice, both, enjoy these movies so I'm in the minority here. Besides," he added, waggling his brows, "I wouldn't mind sitting through that Rachel McAdams sex scene."

"Couldn't we just watch porn if sex scenes are what you want?"

Janice spat out the water she was sipping and burst into a fit of coughs.

"Relax. I'm only kidding." exclaimed Yvonne rolling her eyes.

By the time they were done with dinner Yvonne realised there was no way to escape the movies she despised so she plonked herself on the couch and stretched out leaving only enough space for Janice to sit nestled against the armrest. Since there wasn't any room left for Edward he slid down to the floor with his back to the couch.

The movie was more than halfway through when Edward felt a hand on his shoulder. Janice leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "Yves has fallen asleep. Maybe you should take her to bed?"

Edward turned and saw that Yvonne was in fact asleep. "Let her be. If I wake her now she'll be irritated for having her nap disturbed."

"Couldn't you just carry her to bed?"

Edward chuckled, "Jan, I may look pretty fit but considering Yves is almost as tall as me, no way am I going to manage carrying her up a flight of stairs. I usually just leave her till she rouses on her own."

"Okay."

"Hey, are you comfortable up there? You haven't moved the entire time."

Janice's legs were cramped from sitting on them for so long, but, between Yvonne stretched out next to her and Edward on the floor in front of her there wasn't any room left to move.

"Why don't you come down here, next to me?" he asked patting the space beside him. Desperate to stretch her legs Janice slid off the couch and to the floor.

"So I've never got why women like this movie so much." Edward told her. "Yves spoke about it a couple of times in her mails, so naturally, I checked it out... I don't get the fuss. The only thing that stayed with me was the sex scene."

Janice grinned and shook her head. "Most guys I know have a similar response to the movie. Now, I can't speak for most women, just myself."

When she didn't elaborate, he nudged her with his elbow, "Go on, why do you like it?"

"Okay," she said turning to face him, "but first, tell me why you remembered the sex scene? Surely you've seen things more graphic than that."

He shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know. Maybe, because it was hot?"

"Alright, but what made it so hot? Was it the good looking actors?"

"No. I mean, yes. I mean, it wasn't just that."

"Could it be that you could feel their need, their hunger for each other and the euphoria that came when they finally got to unleash their passion on the person they were in love with?"

Edward chuckled. "I don't know Jan. Is that why you like it?"

"I like how he never gives up on her. When her parents take her away from him, he writes her every day for a whole year. When she gets sick and can no longer remember him or their life together, he chooses to stay with her and reads to her to help her remember. Never gives up- no matter how heart-breaking -" She caught the amused expression on Edward's face. "Don't give me that look. I know these things rarely happen in real life, which is why it feels good to watch the fantasy played out."

"But doesn't this create unrealistic expectations? I mean, I doubt I would've continued to write to Yvonne if she hadn't replied to my first five letters. Only crazy stalkers chase down seemingly uninterested women in real life."

Janice giggled, "Like I said, I know it's unlikely in real life. And," she sighed, "I also know how unrealistic it is to expect that level of devotion, which is why it's a fantasy, Eddie. Don't you have any fantasies?"

Her tone was so earnest that despite his better judgement he found himself being honest as well. "I did once," he said looking towards Yvonne's sleeping form- it was a quick glance which Janice missed. "But reality rarely lives up to the fantasy."

"True, but when I indulge in these fantasies I know that's all they can ever be. I understand that trying to make them real will ruin both the reality and the fantasy."

"So, you just escape for a while before returning to reality?"

"Exactly. Now stop talking and let me return to my fantasy."

They watched the rest of the movie in silence sitting next to each other. When the movie was almost over they heard Yvonne stir. Edward took that as his cue to get her to the bedroom.

"Hey, wake up. It's time to go up to our bedroom." he whispered.

She rubbed her eyes and looked around. She noticed Janice on the floor and kissed her goodnight. Edward put his arm around Yvonne and helped her upstairs. He tucked her in and when he was certain that she was fast asleep he returned to the living room.

Janice had shut the movie player and switched on the table lamp so that the room was lit up with a soft peach light. She curled up on the couch and began to flip through a magazine she'd found lying on the coffee table.

"You can watch the next movie if you like. The sound won't reach upstairs." Edward said as he reached the living room.

"No, I don't think I could handle both those movies back to back- I'd probably end up crying asleep."

"Crying? Why?"

"They're both so moving but their theme though beautiful is a little sad."

"Didn't you say you enjoyed indulging in the fantasy?" he stared at her in confusion.

"Only parts of it play into my fantasy. So, Yves's asleep?"

"Yeah- I thought I'd come down and keep you company."

"I'm fine by myself. You can turn in if you like."

"No, I'm not sleepy yet, but, if you'd like to be by yourself, I'll leave."

She set the magazine aside, "No that's not the case."

"Well then, let's talk some more about your fantasies. I'm very eager to hear about what kind of smut little Janice is into. But first let me make us a drink. What would you like?"

"I'll just have some tea, if it's okay."

A few minutes later Edward returned with two cups of tea. He handed Janice a cup and settled on the other end of the couch. They started off by talking about the movies and then progressed to Janice's work and how anxious she felt about her first day.

As they jumped from one topic to another, Edward was surprised at how easy it was to talk to Janice. Even more surprising was that she appeared genuinely interested in what he had to say, so when she asked him about work, he found himself honestly telling her about how unhappy he'd been recently.

"Do you still love it?" She watched the perplexed look on his face. "Your work, do you still love it?"

"I guess I do."

"Do you find it boring now?"

"No, it's still interesting."

"So if you love it and it still engages you, where is your drive to succeed?"

"I think I feel like I'm out of my league here. I used to be a big deal in my previous firm, but here there are twenty other guys like me on my floor alone."

"So, you're feeling overwhelmed by the competition?"

"I guess."

"What can those guys do that you can't?"

"I don't understand."

"How are they better than you?" she explained.

"Who says they're better?" asked Edward beginning to get a little worked up by Janice's line of questioning.

"If they're not, why are you overwhelmed by their presence? Having competition isn't something to worry about. You should worry only when the competition has an edge on you. Now how are you better than your competition?"

"I'm not."

"And maybe that's the problem."

He thought about what she said and replayed his interactions the past few months with his boss. She watched his face light up as if he'd finally connected the dots.

"Damn! How could I have missed it?!" He paused before explaining, "There's been talk that the VP at my branch has not been happy for a while now and is likely to be moving to Process Excellence. Now, I know through the HR grapevine that the company isn't considering any promotions for the next year or hiring any new mid-level positions as a way to manage their costs. So, what can they do? Most likely they'll groom a senior associate who is ahead of the curve to perform the function in an unofficial capacity for a year or so before giving them the official designation."

"Ah!"

"Yeah. No wonder they've been scrutinizing my work so much..." he said, talking more to himself by this point. "... and the meeting with the senior VP- it all makes sense now."

"So are you ahead of the curve?"

"No," Edward smiled and stood up, "not yet." He leaned over and planted a quick kiss on her forehead. "Thank you Jan. Now if you don't mind there are some things I need to take care of before Monday."

"You're welcome. Goodnight, though I suspect you won't be sleeping any time soon."

"You got that right!" He shouted as he ran out the room only to return a few seconds later. "You're good for the night, right? Don't need anything?"

"No, I'm fine. You go do your thing."

"See you tomorrow."

Janice fell asleep easily that night renewed by the hope that she could still share a real friendship with Edward. She was resolved to never think of the possibility of a romance between them; she was simply happy that he wouldn't just end up being Yvonne's boyfriend to her.

*****

Yvonne woke up earlier than usual and saw Edward, oddly, still asleep. They rarely got to spend Sunday mornings together because she would, more often than not, be working. Mornings like these were a luxury, usually spend on making love. She couldn't remember the last time they'd done that. She noticed his laptop sitting open beside him. It was clear that he fell asleep while working on something, so she tiptoed out of the bedroom, choosing not to wake him.

She was headed to the guest bedroom but changed her course to follow the aroma of coffee and was welcomed by the sight of a freshly showered and dressed Janice, motioning her to join her for breakfast at the table.

"Good morning!" Janice smiled and poured some coffee.

"I don't remember you being such a morning person." Yvonne said while taking the cup offered to her.

"I'm not. My body still thinks it's in France."

"Another week and you'll be waking the same time as me."

"Good lord, no! I can't afford to get sacked."

"Eddie's still sleeping so I thought the two of us could go out. There's a lovely antiques market not far from here that draws hoards of visitors during the week, but is surprisingly quiet on Sundays. Wanna go?"

"Sure. But tell me something," Janice placed her hands on Yvonne's shoulders and shook her lightly, "Who are you and what have you done to my friend?"

"Hey, I'm all sophisticated now-"

"- I watched you eat peanut butter with your fingers... from the jar."

"Pffft. We were kids then."

"No, the last time I was here."

"Damn! You saw that?"

"Mmmhmm."

"Okay, so maybe I also go there because I tend to run into clients at these places."

"So you're going to be networking?'

"Nope. We'll check out the aged crap and hopefully I run into someone who could stand to benefit from my services in the near future. Now, eat your breakfast while I go get dressed missy."

Janice did a mock salute, "Aye aye captain."

*****

Janice and Yvonne spent their Sunday morning at the antiques market. Janice looked at the antiques while Yvonne kept running into people she recognized. By lunch time both women were happy with the way their morning had progressed. After a late lunch they decided to return to their respective homes.

Yvonne dropped Janice off before returning home herself. When she got there, she noticed Edward was busy with work- he had his laptop open and looked like he was in the midst of multiple conversations on his phone. He saw her come in and smiled and waved at her by way of greeting. She waved back to him and went into the bathroom to change.

Later at dinner, Edward excitedly began to explain to Yvonne about what he'd been up to while she was out.

"So, every time he's talked to me about clients, I've been thinking that he's probably just trying to get me to do his work, but I realised that he's been testing me."

"Mmmhmm."

"I've been on the phone making discrete calls to a few contacts from work and it looks like my theory is pretty accurate. So, I'm thinking I'll start with the analysts-"

"Eddie, you know I don't really understand most of what you do, right?"

"Right." said Edward biting back the disappointment. "So, what did you do today?"

Yvonne went on to describe her day.

"... We didn't even realise the time till I heard Jan's stomach growling. We ended up grabbing a late lunch at The Oyster Bar and then I left Janice home."

"I'm surprised you let her go- I thought you would've brought her back home."

"I would've but she's starting work tomorrow and the silly thing is nervous- like they would've offered her the position if they didn't already love her."