“Okay, what if they have to complete some other trainings first to get into the advanced program?” I suggested.
“And if Mom is already working and can’t go to extra classes?”
I huffed in frustration. We’d been down here for hours now, and it felt like we were getting nowhere.
“Well what’s your idea Julia? You’re shitting on all of mine, but I don’t hear you suggesting anything.”
“We could do an application process, ask people to write an essay… no wait, that won’t work, some people have reading challenges. An interview might work… except for people who have anxiety. Maybe…”
I jumped out of my chair. “Oh my God! I need a break. Where’s the bathroom?”
“Upstairs. Let me show you.”
I followed her up the basement stairs, almost swallowing my tongue as I saw the curves of her lower butt cheeks peeking out from beneath the hem of her shorts. Was she wearing a thong? Why were those shorts so short anyway?
I pondered the question as I used the restroom, becoming increasingly agitated for reasons I did not understand. The more time I spent alone with Julia, the more off balance I felt, and it was really pissing me off.
When I came out of the bathroom Julia was standing at the kitchen counter making sandwiches.
“What are you doing?” I asked inanely.
“Hmm well, I’m putting meat and cheese on bread, so I don’t know… knitting a sweater?”
I marched over to her.
“I meant, why are you making sandwiches?”
“Because it’s after seven and I’m fucking starving.”
I resisted pointing out that based on the sheer volume of snacks we’d been scarfing down all afternoon, neither of us should be hungry. Actually, now that I thought about it, a sandwich did sound good.
“It’s that late?” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and groaned. “How have I been here for five hours and we’re still not done?”
“Probably because you keep arguing with everything I say,” she snapped, slapping a piece of bread on top of a sandwich with more force than strictly necessary.
“Youkeep arguing withme. I don’t know why you’re so resistant to holding your clients accountable for anything.”
“I hold them accountable,” she shot back. “And I’ve got the results to prove it. But there’s a big difference between running a program like a military operation and offering a little grace to people in difficult situations.”
“You can have rules and still offer grace. That’s why there are exceptions. I’m starting to think you hate any idea that I bring up just because it’s mine.”
She looked at me like I was nuts. “Why would I do that?”
“How should I know? You’ve always been stubborn and pig-headed.”
Her eyes narrowed in anger. “Yeah? Well you’ve always been an asshole.”
I wasn’t aware of either of us moving, but suddenly we were standing toe to toe, close enough that I could feel Julia’s breath on my face.
I looked at her, eyes wide and snapping fire, cheeks pink, hair a total mess, and I did something that I’d later admit that I’d wanted to do for years.
I kissed her.
Julia
Igasped in surprise as Chris’s mouth crashed against mine. I gripped her shoulders, intending to push her away, but then I got distracted by the way my entire body suddenly lit up with pleasure. My grip softened, using her body for leverage as I moved closer, pressing my body against hers.
Chris ran her fingers up through my hair, tearing the hair tie away when she got caught in my messy bun. My curls dropped in a wave down my back, but I was too focused on tangling my tongue with Chris’s to notice. She gripped the back of my head, holding me in place as she plundered my mouth.
