Competition

I drove to Lauren's apartment complex to pick her up late the next afternoon, after having plenty of time to second guess my outfit and wonder how awkward it would be after turning Alex down the other night.  It was about a 20 minute drive to Brody's house.  He lives west of the city, and the view of the foothills got better and better as we drove.

When we pulled up in front of his house, I was surprised.  It was good sized, newer, and looked very well kept, but it wasn't nearly as grand as I had been expecting after the things Lauren had told me.  But when we walked into the house to go through to the backyard, I stopped short, stunned.  Almost the entire west wall was floor to ceiling windows, looking out to an amazing mountain view.  "Isn't it gorgeous?" Lauren asked, looking back at me, where I was still standing one step inside the door.  "I had the same reaction my first time here.  There's an amazing deck and patio out back, and the sunsets are phenomenal."  I nodded, continuing through the living and dining area to catch up with her at a sliding glass door leading out to a huge two level deck. 

"Hey, you ladies made it!" called a voice.  I turned my head to see Brody walking towards us, smiling widely.  My knees felt a little weak for a split second, and of course, I blushed.  We smiled back, Lauren turning to take in my flushed cheeks as he turned his back lead us down to the lower level where the others were.  She chuckled and smirked at me, raising one eyebrow.  I rolled my eyes and followed Brody down to the stairs.  We greeted Alex, Christian, and Kendra, who I recognized from Thursday night.  Lauren introduced me to the couple other people there she knew, and Brody took care of the rest.  Can't remember a single name, but everyone seemed nice enough.  Brody had returned to the grill, a huge built-in contraption along one side of the patio.  I smiled at Alex, who gave me a tight, awkward smile, and then quickly turned back to Christian.  Oh good, hard feelings.

Lauren led me over to Kendra's other side, and we sat and talked to her about her job and the house that she and Christian had just bought.  They were getting married in November, and she seemed completely calm and together.  A laid-back bride, which is refreshing.  I heard the sliding door open to the deck above, and a few seconds later Savannah appeared, wearing the perfect gorgeously casual outfit I had torn my closet apart for in vain the night before.  Of course, I thought to myself.  She started to walk over to our small group, smiling widely.  Her smile faltered briefly when she locked eyes with me, but then was back, pasted on falsely, not quite reaching her eyes anymore.  I made a mental note to ask Lauren later what the hell Savannah's problem was, because she clearly was not a fan of me.

Brody came back over, and Savannah jumped up to hug him, whispering something in his ear.  He laughed and whispered something back, causing her to laugh so over-the-top hysterically she had to hold on to him to keep from teetering over on her 4 inch heels.  Ah.  That explains it.  I had a little competition.  Lauren was poking me and rolling her eyes, then she muttered "She drives me up the wall when she does that shit. Desperate, much?"  I laughed, and caught a sharp look from Savannah.  I smiled mildly in her direction and turned back to Kendra and Lauren.  Kendra was telling a story about a weird wedding photographer they had met with, and I let myself get sucked back into their conversation until it was time to eat.

After we loaded our plates with food and sat back down, Brody came and sat between Lauren and I.  We complimented his grilling expertise, and I tried not to stare at his biceps.  The three of us made easy conversation for a couple minutes before Savannah came over and asked Brody to show her where the bathroom was, because she had "forgotten."  Brody didn't come back.

After dinner, Lauren and I went up to the house to use the bathroom while the guys started to make a fire in the fire pit.  When we came out, I said I was going to grab a glass of water, and sent her back down.  I got my water and walked around like a total creep, looking at the photos that Brody had up in his living area.  There were a few with friends, but most seemed to be of his family.  One was of him and a huge German Shepherd, which pretty much sealed the deal on my crush.

I walked back outside, and realized the sun was setting between the mountains.  I leaned against the rail of the upper deck, watching.  I started as the sliding glass door opened behind me.  I turned and saw Brody.  I felt my face go hot again as I realized that I had narrowly escaped him catching me creeping his photos.  "Had to go find a different lighter, the one I had down there wasn't working," he said, smiling at me.  He looked over my shoulder and nodded, coming to lean against the rail right next to me.  "That view and that sunset is the reason I bought this house.  I've never seen anything like it anywhere else."  We were both silent then, arms touching, watching the almost imperceptible path of the sun down, until it suddenly sank behind the hills.  I realized he was talking again, and turned my head toward him at the same time his hand found my lower back and rested there gently.  "...home from a rough day at work, sitting out here with a beer is the best wind down." 

"I can imagine," I said.  "If everyone had a view like this, I imagine it would put me out of job!"  Brody laughed, and then with the slightest pressure of his hand on my lower back, guided me towards the stairs down.  We walked down and rejoined the group, who had either found a different lighter or gotten the one working, because a small fire was growing in the pit.  Brody's hand drifted a fractional bit lower before returning to his side.  Lauren lifted an eyebrow at me questioningly.  I walked over, conscious of the steely glare Savannah was giving me.

I sat in the only empty seat on the other side of the fire, between Lauren and Alex.  Alex had done an impressive job of avoiding me the entire time we'd been there, but he he nodded at me as I sat down, and told me that he had liked my pasta salad.  I thanked him and we chatted comfortably, the awkwardness melting away.  Lauren got up to grab a drink, and one of the girls Brody had introduced me to earlier sat down in her seat.  Thankfully, she introduced herself again.  Kinsley.  Never would have guessed that one right if I had tried.  As we chatted, she asked where I lived, and when I told her, she exclaimed that she also lived in the area.  After pulling out my phone for a visual (I have the worst sense of direction), we realized she lived about two blocks away.  She also uses the gym that I got my trial membership to this week, and she raved about it.  We exchanged numbers and promised to make a gym date soon.  I hadn't had a workout buddy in a long time and looked forward to it.

Finally I was yawning, and since I was driving, I wanted to make our way back to the city.  I grabbed Lauren and we said goodbye.  We found Brody, and thanked him for the food and fun.  He hugged Lauren and then me.  As he hugged me, his mouth found my ear and he said quietly, "Thanks for coming.  Sorry we didn't get to talk much, but there's always next time."  I nodded, completely unable to form words with his mouth against my ear.  He pulled away and smiled, his hand lingering again on my lower back.  I met his eyes and held his stare for a second before smiling and turning away, willing myself not to look back as I walked to my car.