Better on our own - English

Women's Talk

Attention: This chapter mentions again a little more intimate get-together. Again nothing detailed or suggestive.

At half past ten the doorbell woke me up again and I squinted against the dim light coming through the thick curtains on the window. Sarah was still lying next to me, grumbling about how she only wanted to sleep for 5 more minutes, when I tried to roll over but couldn't get very far thanks to her still being in my arms. I couldn't help but grin at how sweet she was when a voice I knew quite well made me sit up and take notice.

"Hey, Penny," I heard Ellie and gently shook Sarah to wake her up, but she just grumbled something under her breath. If Ellie was there, we would definitely be able to find out something about last night. "What's something urgent that you couldn't tell me over the phone?" Just as I thought! Sarah had now turned enough that she could hide her face in my pillow, although not without grumbling my name in admonishment for intruding, but also enough that I could slip my arm out from under her and sit up, sliding down on bed towards the door.

"Did you know that Sam was going to take me home with him?" Penny's voice became quieter and I suspected that they were going into the living room, but I just managed to open the door a crack so that I could hear her better again while I sat on the edge of the bed next to it.

"What? No, I didn't know that," I heard Ellie's surprised voice from the kitchen. Different room, but whatever! I also heard a kettle go on and had to strain to hear exactly what Ellie said next. "When he left me at home he said he wanted to take you to Helen. He called her on the way and discussed that with her. That's why I honestly didn't worry about it because I knew that you would be in the best hands with Sam. I thought you would wake up at Helen's at the latest and then he would take you home."

"He didn't do that and I only woke up with him. In his bed," Penny stated and I didn't hear any emotion from her. Was that good or bad?

"With him? Naked?!" Ellie asked immediately and my eyes widened, but I couldn't help it, there was something in her voice like...hope?

"Of course not. Ellie!" Penny admonished her friend annoyed and I heard the typical clack when the kettle turned off before a chair creaked. "He sat next to me and held my hand. He was very... worried" Penny then told her hesitantly as I heard her pour out water.

"You see, then I was right that you were in the best hands with him." Ellie just couldn't stop teasing her friend.

"I would have preferred waking up alone at home than what it turned out to be," Penny muttered, rather embarrassed.

"Why? What happened?" Ellie asked, a little confused, but there was no answer. "Penny?" Ellie sounded admonishing, as if she didn't want to accept her friend's silence. I began to play nervously with my fingers while I waited just as impatiently for Penny's answer. "Did you...?" Ellie stopped and I listened, spellbound. What did she mean? "With Sam?" Ellie sounded completely surprised, while I wanted to scream in frustration for her to finally say what was going on. "My God, you slept together? You..." Ellie shouted, completely taken aback by the fact and now I noticed too that Sarah suddenly sat straight in bed behind me. Oh, so that woke up my little morning grouch?!

"Shush! My God, Ellie! Do you want them to still hear you in Newtown?!" Penny admonished her friend quietly but audibly annoyed. She must have been afraid that I would find out something. Rightly so, I had to admit. I still didn't know what to think about it. So it really seemed true when Penny reacted like that, right? Why had she done that? Surely she hadn't been that drunk from two glasses of watered wine?!

"But if you got along so well, then what's the problem?" Ellie replied, putting the emphasis on 'so well' that I could actually hear her cheeky grin. I felt movement in the bed and the next moment Sarah crawled behind me and leaned against me to put her arms around my shoulders from behind. I was happy to accept that. I just had to make sure my butterflies stayed in my stomach and didn't fly up and ring in my ears. I didn't want to overhear anything the two women were discussing.