Harlow laughed and said, “I’m sure there’s a game on somewhere in some sport, yes, but you can just put anything on. I’m not picky.”
“Beer?”
“Sure.”
Larissa grabbed them each a beer bottle and moved to the living room, where she opened them and set them down. Then, she turned on the TV and started to scroll while Harlow cooked.
“What about a compromise?”
“Huh?” Harlow asked as she flipped their sandwiches.
“A sports movie.”
“Oh, God… Please not again.”
“What? You likeRemember the Titans.”
“I do, but it’s the only sports movie you like to watch. Can we watch any other sports movie? We’ve seen that one at least a dozen times this year.”
“We have not,” Larissa argued.
“At least,” Harlow insisted.
“Fine.A League of Their Own?”
“Yes to just the movie tonight. We can watch the show this weekend or something.”
“I haven’t seen the show,” Larissa said.
“That’s because I watched it with Alicia, and you hardly watch TV without me.”
“I might not make it through the whole thing tonight.”
“That’s okay; we can finish it tomorrow.”
Minutes later, Harlow had their sandwiches on plates and soup in bowls. Larissa helped her carry everything to the table, where they set it all down and started the movie. They talked while they ate since they’d seen the movie before, and Larissa did the dishes while Harlow changed out of her work clothes before returning to finish the film together. Despite Larissa thinking that she might not make it through the entire thing, she always got choked up when the players started singing their song, and Harlow was surprised by how awake she felt herself.
Work had been exhausting, and she probably should’ve gone straight home, but home at the moment meant Larissa’s house, and she’d been trying to spend a little time away from Larissa every day, if she could, to attempt to start the moving on process. The bar had been a bust, though. Sitting on a barstool, drinking a beer and eating bad cheese sticks wasn’t the definition of a good time in her mind. Having grilled cheese sandwiches with her best friend while they watched a movie togetherwasthe very definition. Unfortunately, that feeling of being awake quickly changed back to exhaustion by the time the last game of the World Series started in the movie. Larissa looked tired as well, and Harlow thought about suggesting that they just go to bed, but instead, she moved her legs into Larissa’s lap, as she’d done many times before, and Larissa held on to them without saying a word, asshehad done many times, too. Eventually, Harlow fell asleep to the sensation of Larissa’s hand moving up and down her calf over her sweatpants.
When she woke up, it was with something pressing into her back. She opened her eyes to find herself still in the living room, and the TV in front of her was still turned on and was on the menu for the movie they must have finished after all. Harlow looked down then and realized that she was on the couch, and Larissa was behind her. And not just behind her. Larissa washoldingher from behind, and it was Larissa’s nose that waspressed into Harlow’s back somehow. Harlow knew she should wake Larissa up and pretend like this wasn’t a big deal.
“Friends cuddle sometimes, right?” She could say and laugh the whole thing off.
She didn’t move, though. She couldn’t. They had never fallen asleep on the couch like this before. Larissa had fallen asleep once or twice, yes. Harlow had fallen asleep, too. But they’d never both fallen asleep on a couch holding on to one another. In fact, when Harlow had fallen asleep, her legs had been in Larissa’s lap. Larissa had been sitting upright, watching the movie. Harlow had been lying on her back, and her legs had unfolded and moved into her friend’s lap. That had been it. How exactly had Larissa ended up behind her like this with her arm under Harlow’s boobs?
Her heart was racing, and given Larissa’s proximity to her, there was a chance that she could feel it and that it would wake her up. Not wanting that, Harlow tried to get her act together and focus on the good. Larissa was holding her. Larissa, her best friend, the woman she’d been in love with forever, was holding her. Harlow had always wondered what it would feel like to lie in bed with Larissa like this. Of course, in her mind, she had always been the one doing the holding, but this was nice, too. Larissa holding her was nice, and she smiled to herself. She was going to let herself enjoy this for a few more minutes. That would be it because the clock under the TV told her that she only had a few minutes until she had to get up to shower for work.
“What time is it?” Larissa muttered from behind her.
“Hey. Morning. I mean, good morning. Yeah, it’s morning,” she rambled and covered her mouth with her hand to try to get it to stop.
“Harlow?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you okay?”
“All good. It’s time to get up, though. I need to shower before work.”
