There was an awkward pause after knocking on the bedroom door before Jessica asked her to come in. Andrea peeked around the corner mischievously. Her friend was covered up in bed, propped up by pillows and reading a book. Andrea hopped into door frame with a goofy grin on her face.
"Well, what do you think of the new me?" The terrycloth bathrobe couldn't stop her new bigger body from jiggling wildly as she twirled around.
Jessica looked up from her book. "I like it."
"You... like it?" Andrea's grin vanished. There was a wrongness about the situation that she couldn't pinpoint.
"Yeah, I really do. You look good." Jess looked tired but tried to sound cheery. "And hey, the snowplows came after all."
"Meaning you don't want me here."
"Meaning I think you should get back before this escalates out of control. You still have a life, a job, by staying here you can't-"
"Oh I'm really sorry. I forgot that you know better than I do what's best for me. But hey, I've made my choice already. I want to stay here with you. I thought that's what you wanted too." Andrea felt like the floorboards had disappeared and she was falling. "But if you don't want me here what is there to do but leave?" Andrea turned towards the hallway to go but spun back. "Why all the mixed messages then? Why rush to the bathroom door when I screamed? You looked after me when I was sleeping right? Took off my shoes and jacket. Moved me to your own bed. All that and now this? The cold shoulder?"
"Look, this is hard for me too, but it's-"
"-For my own good. You mentioned that already. A pity that my own good involves me driving 300 miles in the snow squeezed into a Miyata back to a hollow and meaningless life. Just what-" Then she saw it. She cocked her head to make sure.
"Well, what do you think of the new me?" The terrycloth bathrobe couldn't stop her new bigger body from jiggling wildly as she twirled around.
Jessica looked up from her book. "I like it."
"You... like it?" Andrea's grin vanished. There was a wrongness about the situation that she couldn't pinpoint.
"Yeah, I really do. You look good." Jess looked tired but tried to sound cheery. "And hey, the snowplows came after all."
"Meaning you don't want me here."
"Meaning I think you should get back before this escalates out of control. You still have a life, a job, by staying here you can't-"
"Oh I'm really sorry. I forgot that you know better than I do what's best for me. But hey, I've made my choice already. I want to stay here with you. I thought that's what you wanted too." Andrea felt like the floorboards had disappeared and she was falling. "But if you don't want me here what is there to do but leave?" Andrea turned towards the hallway to go but spun back. "Why all the mixed messages then? Why rush to the bathroom door when I screamed? You looked after me when I was sleeping right? Took off my shoes and jacket. Moved me to your own bed. All that and now this? The cold shoulder?"
"Look, this is hard for me too, but it's-"
"-For my own good. You mentioned that already. A pity that my own good involves me driving 300 miles in the snow squeezed into a Miyata back to a hollow and meaningless life. Just what-" Then she saw it. She cocked her head to make sure.