More Than Friendship Material Pt. 01

Knowing that Hollie was calling the police, Kevin's common sense briefly emerged through the anger and alcoholic stupor. He got off of Todd and tried to make his way to stop her, trying to make a grab at the small figure as she fumbled to call the police, Hollie dodged his hands, but the cell phone flew from her hand. Todd rose from the floor and roared as his adversary attacked yet another woman he found himself caring for. He dove at the basketball player, with advice from his old high school football coach ringing in his head.

"Go for the legs," he had been taught as a defensive back and so he did. He lunged in a tackle at Kevin's long limbs. With a forceful tackle, Todd slammed into the back of the other man's knees. Kevin pitched forward and fell, his head hitting the floor. As Kevin slowly rose Todd grabbed him from behind in much the same way that he had seen Kevin holding Liz. As he did, Hollie took advantage of the situation. Using all the strength in her muscular legs, she kneed Kevin in the groin. The drunken assailant slumped to the ground, and Hollie retrieved her phone to call the police.

Seeing the opening, Liz rushed out of her room, moving as quickly as possible to help Hollie and Todd. Still lightheaded and weak from the night before, she stumbled a little, but was able to lend a hand where needed. Her hands trembled as she grabbed one of Todd's belts and her own scarf and helped tie Kevin's ankles and wrists until the police arrived. Kevin was still moaning on the floor, cursing up a storm through gritted teeth at Hollie's shot to the groin.

"Jesus, talk about one crazy bastard." Todd muttered and came to Liz who looked pale and unsteady. Hollie remained on the line with the operator, chattering away. She practically launched herself into Todd's arms, hugging him tightly and burying her face against his shoulder.

"Shhhhh..." He murmured, pulling her closer and squeezing her until she was sure he was cutting off her air for the second time that morning. Then he eased off and cupped her face, making her look at him.

She blinked back tears and sniffled, "I couldn't breathe. I was so close to passing out." She inhaled deeply and let out a shuddering breath. "Thank God you came out when you did. He was pissed because I didn't want to get frisky last night and I hit him when he touched me."

"It's OK, Liz. He won't be touching you again," Todd said reassuringly. "Maybe he'll get some loving from Bubba in Cellblock C. Kevin is a pretty boy."

Ignoring Kevin's cursing at that prospect, Liz laughed quietly before coughing. Todd sat her down on the couch, then joined her so Liz could lean on him for support. "Just try to relax," he said."We'll get you to a doctor once the police have gotten this asshole out of here."

Hollie plopped down on the other side of Todd. "They'll be here soon," she said. "Are you both OK?"

"I am," He replied. "His weak-ass punches looked worse than they were. It's Liz who I'm worried about. The cocksucker was choking her, and she was already feeling bad."

"I think I'll be OK," Liz added. "I'm just glad you two were here to take care of me. I was so scared. Do you mind if I close my eyes for a bit. The room's still spinning a little."

"Go ahead, sweetie," Hollie replied. "We'll be right here."

"Damn right," Todd added. "We won't let you out of our sight. Just rest till the cops get here." Liz snuggled in close to Todd, drawing warmth and strength from him. In seconds, she was asleep again.

Hollie did the same on Todd's other side. "You were certainly a knight in shining armor, big boy. That was impressive and hot," she said, smiling up at him.

"Well pain fades and chicks dig scars," Todd chuckled. "But there's no way I'd let this dick hurt someone I love. If he had done anything worse, they'd be carting me off to jail for murder."

"Love?" Hollie's blue eyes sparkled. "I thought it was just me." She flung herself into Todd's arms and kissed him hard. Liz stirred but didn't wake up.

"God, how fucking gay!" Kevin said from the floor.

Hollie kicked Kevin, and Todd's mind raced as their tongues moved with minds of their own. Hollie thought I was talking about her. But I meant Liz. She's like family, kinda I think....but is that all? But I'm starting to care for Hollie too. she's been so awesome. Oh screw it. I'll figure it out later. He committed to her kiss and ran his fingers through her hair. Soon, though, the sounds of police sirens woke Liz and broke the pair from their embrace.

It was a bit of a whirlwind of activity for Liz, between Kevin being hauled away and being examined by a female officer who could see the marks of Kevin's grip and the bruises that were slowly forming. She could sympathize with women who didn't want to go through this type of ordeal. Liz felt more violated by the string of questions, the where and whens and whys as if she had been the one at fault.

In the end, they were all asked to follow the police to the station for additional questions, pictures of Liz's bruising, and a statement if she wanted to press charges. Yada, yada, yada. Liz's head was pounding. But after everyone got dressed, they did as was asked of them. Todd was never far away, sharing his affection between the two girls. Liz could smell Hollie on his skin. She could easily tell that the two of them had done the deed, and that she had interrupted their fun. Liz did her best to stomp down the rising jealousy because it was silly, wasn't it? Todd wasn't hers. He was her friend, nothing more, and one moment of confusion and intimacy didn't mark him as her own. But, the urge to rub herself all over him and make him hers was strong.

Liz rubbed her temples, confused and upset by all these new feelings, her new friendship and now Kevin. Would anything else be added to the mix?? Slumped in a chair with a nasty cup of coffee in hand, Liz looked over at Todd who was busily telling his story to another cop who was jotting down notes. Her knight in shining armor. He had always been there, through thick and thin, and bullies hadn't ever had a chance to pick on her when they were kids. Todd was always there to pick her up and dust her off and she had always been there for him. Warmth welled up in her chest and made her heart ache. The realization that she loved him hit her full on and made it hard to breathe. Not just loved him, but was in love with him.

She jerked her gaze away and almost dropped her cup. Crap...this was NOT what she needed.

***

Todd was tired of the police station and ready to get out of there. The past two days had been crazy; some crazy good, some crazy bad, and some just balls out nuts. Liz still seemed stressed and out of sorts, maybe even more so than she had been before the police had gotten there. Hollie was less bothered by all the questioning and paperwork, but she was tired and worried that she'd be late for the bus leaving for that night's away game. Todd was finished up with his latest round of questioning and looked around for the girls. Hollie was still talking to an officer. Liz, who had gone through more questions and evidence gathering than anyone, was sitting at a desk and looked like she was in a daze. Hollie got up from the desk she was sitting at and walked toward him. She stood at a comfortable distance as the policeman finished his report. Todd rose from his chair, motioned her over, and took her hand when she was close.

"I think we're all done, babe," Todd said. "let's gather up Liz and get out of here. I need to get you to campus and her home."

"Sounds good, Todd. What a long day its already been. Luckily I can sleep on the bus on the way there. I wish you were going with me."

"I know Holl, but I can't leave Liz alone now, and we wouldn't get to spend any time together up there anyway."

"I know," Hollie pouted, "but I'll miss you anyway." They shared a brief hug, then made their way over to Liz. She looked up at them and smiled wearily. Hollie hugged her too, and kissed Liz on her bruised neck. "to help make it all better," she smiled.

Todd offered Liz his arm and helped her up. Slowly, they walked out to Todd's car. Approaching the vehicle, Hollie and Todd heard a moderately loud 'Shotgun!" come from Liz. Both turned in surprise, meeting Liz's more open smile.

"I just wanted to try to get back to normal. Have things be fun again." The trio laughed together, and Hollie begrudgingly gave up the front seat.

"OK," she said playfully, "but only because you're not well and called it from pavement. You definitely know your 'shotgun' rules."

Liz crawled into the passenger seat and Hollie climbed in the back. Todd looked with slight astonishment at the two girls. They were so different, but seemed to have bonded so quickly. Both were beautiful in their own way. His feelings surged within him. He loved Liz, but could he be falling for her too. He liked Hollie, but somehow there appeared to be more there than just that, and for her too. Leaving that dilemma for later, he climbed in. "I hope you're ready to rock ladies. How about some Metallica?"

Thirty minutes later, Todd pulled into the apartment's parking lot. The goodbye with Hollie had taken longer than anticipated. She had kissed him for nearly 5 minutes while Liz tried to avoid watching. Then she had grabbed Liz and kissed her too, just not for as long. "You'll get the rest of yours later, girl. " the peppy blonde had teased as Liz's face blushed as red as her hair. "Call me tomorrow, Todd. "

Chapter 8

Liz hadn't talked much on the way home. She just stared at the window, seemingly lost in thought. This worried him a little, but if Todd knew Liz, which he did, she would pull through. She had always handled stress better than he usually did. Pulling up to their place, he chose the nearest spot to park and got out, jogging around to open Liz's door. She smiled at him, taking his hand and pulling herself up. "I'm glad we're home. Just us for a while."

Todd smiled in return and nodded, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into his side and wrapped her arms around his lean waist. It felt good to be this close and it wasn't unusual for them to 'cuddle'. They had done so for years when alone. Cuddling on the couch while watching a movie, enjoying a foot rub after a long day of waitressing, rubbing his shoulders and scalp when he was tired and stressed. Being close was nothing new, she just wished she could get the scent of Hollie off his body.

Letting themselves into the apartment, Liz untangled herself and moved to the kitchen. She was starving and thirsty.

"Be right back." he told her and she nodded.

"Hey! You want something to eat?! Grilled cheese or...?" She began and he hollered back down the hall.

"Whatever you're having!!"

She grinned and shook her head, grabbing a loaf of bread. Within moments she had sandwiches and chips ready and on plates with a couple of sodas carefully balanced as she moved back to the living room. Turning on the TV, she flipped on a music channel and made sure the front door was locked. She knew that Kevin wasn't going to be paying her a visit, but still, it made her feel better.

Sitting cross legged on the floor in front of the coffee table with her back against the couch, she nibbled on a chip and watched the latest Usher video. In the background she heard Todd in the shower and sighed. Finally! No stench of sex and perfume.

***

Todd let the warm water roll off his body, feeling the tension of the day roll with it. He always seemed to think better in the shower. Some of his best ideas just appeared there, even though he didn't usually stay in long enough to get "pruny." Liz seemed to be acting more like herself. Maybe a little more touchy feely than she had been recently, but they had both been really busy with school and work. As bad as the morning's events had been, they at least showed what was really important. Despite the weirdness and sexual tension Todd had been feeling, the closeness and security that both of them felt together, that was the focus of their relationship.

It had been that way starting in third grade and just increased over time. People assumed that they were dating all the time, but that had never been the case. The closest they had been to that was some platonic wedding dates and that one time they had kissed when they were freshmen in high school.

Instantly he made the connection. That was why the dream. Liz had been dumped by a loser guy at a Christmas Dance that he had gone stag to. He never needed the security blanket of a date at things other than the prom, which held more significance. There were always girls to socialize with, without the added pressure (and expense) of dinners or corsages. Liz had been heartbroken by the dude and Todd had been there to come to her rescue. Not quite to the extent that he had this morning, but the concept was the same. He walked her home, they had shared a moment and he kissed her.

The kiss was nice, but it caught them both off guard and they didn't know how to handle it that night. They even laughed about it the next day. Still, she had told him later that she considered that the first real kiss she had ever had. Not the experimenting basement stuff from middle school, but on a real occasion, in a romantic situation. The only other "romantic" situation they had ever had was yesterday, and that had been an accident. Hadn't it? How had he made the mistake of being in her room. It wasn't even on the same side of the apartment.

Shaking that out of his head, along with the shampoo from his hair, he kept thinking about their bond. It was strange to a lot of their friends, but wasn't to them. He protected her from bullies, spiders, bad hair days. She helped him with math, gift choices, groceries, girl trouble. Whatever they had, it worked for them. No matter what romantic partners came in and out of their lives, they were constants for one another. He turned off the shower and toweled off. After brushing his teeth, he slipped on some shorts and a t-shirt, and ran a brush through his short hair. As he looked in the mirror, he smiled. Together, he and Liz would enjoy this day and each other's company, just as they had for years.

A freshly scented Todd joined her as she flipped through the channels, his hair still damp and smelling really good. Liz inhaled and offered him his plate as he plopped down beside her and then stole the remote. She grinned and let him have it, there wasn't much on anyway.

"Doing okay?" He asked, shoving a huge chip into his mouth and chewing it up.

She watched in amusement. Okay, so he lacked table manners. "I feel drained, completely. I've never had anything close to that happen."

He made a face, expressing his distaste with Kevin and his behavior. "Kevin is a jerk and always has been. I'm surprised that he went that far, but I know he posts pictures of girls he has screwed on his Facebook and rates them."

She looked horrified, "That's sick. He seemed so, I don't know...normal. I should have known something was weird when he asked me out."

Going back to her food, she didn't notice the look on Todd's face. He studied her profile, taking in her creamy skin and pretty hair. Even the way she ate was kind of sexy. Why had he never noticed this before? "Well, at least the jerk is now in jail, for a while at least."

She made it through half a sandwich before shoving her plate away and leaning against him. She craved his warmth, the secure feel of him near her. The thought of Kevin's hand over her mouth, struggling to breath and the thought of him doing god knows what made her shudder.

He noticed her shudder. "Are you OK?" he asked worriedly.

"Just thinking of Kevin again, but I'm OK," she answered. "You're here now, so I feel safe. I always feel safe when I'm with you." She leaned even closer and Todd could feel her breast against his arm. Little Todd woke up and Todd shifted to try to keep Liz from discovering. Too late. She looked up at him with a sly smile. "You don't have to hide that you know. I've seen it, recently."

Todd blushed. "Oh God. We're going there. OK, yeah I know. Please don't remind me. I was embarrassed as hell and I'm sorry. I have no idea why I was in your bed, and I thought you were Hollie."

"I know, Todd. You'd never have tried to take advantage of me. You were just drunk. Still, it's nice to know that I spark a little interest."

"A little? Liz, you spark interest all the fucking time. Kevin thought you were hot. Hollie thinks you're hot. Ben just told me he would have gone for you a long time ago, but he was afraid I'd mind."

Liz looked back at Todd with a puzzled expression. "Really? He never said anything, and I would have gone out with him in a heartbeat. Why would he think you would mind, and what brought it up now?"

Not liking where this was headed, Todd tried to change direction. "Um, I don't know. We were just shooting the shit at Porn Land. Maybe he was thinking of what might have been, now that he's engaged."

She gave him a look that said it without her saying it. I don't believe you! her eyes told him. "So...you were talking about me at porn land?" She questioned and watched him shift uncomfortably.

"Well...yeah, kinda."

"Was this after you saw me naked?"

Todd flushed and Liz grinned, thrilled that she was having this sort of effect on him. She had never been a huge flirt or found it easy to turn on her feminine charms, but he certainly was making her want to try them out. "I'll take that as a yes." She giggled and playfully nudged his arm. "You should have seen your face too, when you realized you were in the wrong bed."

He groaned, but grinned at her teasing. "Well, you weren't complaining until you woke up."

Now it was her turn to blush and her eyes trailed down to the tent in his shorts. "I'm guessing you must have liked it too or you wouldn't be boy scout of the year pitching such a tent." She burst into giggles and fell on her side, hugging her middle at the shocked look on his face.

"Well of course I liked it!" Todd answered with a laugh, "and you know a good boy scout is always prepared. You just woke up before you found out just how prepared."

He broke into uproarious laughter alongside Liz and spent the next several minutes laughing, stopping, looking at each other, giggling, then starting all over again. An hour later, the pair were almost spent and lay back together on the floor next to one another and panting. "To think I was dreading this conversation," Todd said. "I should have known better. Our relationship is strong enough to withstand a little sexual episode. Even if it was accidental and cringe worthy."

"So being in bed with me is cringe worthy now?" Liz winked.

Todd chuckled. "Don't get me started laughing again. My chest still hurts. Maybe Hollie can kiss it and make it better, like she did you earlier."

Liz turned her head away so that Todd wouldn't see the sudden cloud come over her sunny expression. The mention of the cheerleader had intruded on the intimate moment they were sharing. Not knowing Liz's feelings on the matter, Todd continued down the unwanted path. "You two seem to be getting along great. I'm glad"

She knew she was being unreasonable. How was he to know that she'd come to the realization that she was in love with him. Her best friend. She rolled away and sat up, clearing her throat. "Yeah, she's really cool."she responded and took a long drink of her soda. "She's definitely...peppy and sweet."

Todd rolled up too and groaned at the ache in his sides. Liz reached over and poked him, making him wince. "OW! Don't be mean."

She giggled softly, not wanting to ruin their moment together. "Aww...." she gave him a pretty pout and batted her eyes, then leaned closer and gently rubbed his side. "I should be nicer to my knight in shining armor."