AFTER THE DANCE

Sleepover at Fiona's Loft

Fiona tugged off her shoes as she fell back onto the couch cushion between Anya and Holly J.

"Gosh it hurts to look fabulous sometimes, doesn't it?" Fiona smiled, referring to her gorgeous red heels.

"Definitely," agreed Holly J, slipping off her heels as well. "But totally worth it as we were the three hottest girls at the dance." She stood up. "I'm going to go get changed, be back in a minute." Holly J closed the bathroom door behind her.

"So how mad at me are you?" Anya asked Fiona hesitantly.

"I don't know," Fiona sighed, looking down. "Maybe it's better she knows; she told me she wants everything to stay the same."

"Do you want that?" Anya probed.

"I guess so," Fiona didn't seem so sure. "It's not like I expected her to want to be with me, I'm not impractical. But it feels awkward having her know; it's going to be hard to not feel exposed and uncomfortable around her. Plus, she did act weirdly around me at first, so who knows if she can really keep our friendship the way it is." Fiona frowned, "She probably feels even more uncomfortable than me."

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry," Anya admitted, patting Fiona's shoulder. "I was afraid Holly J was leading you on and I guess I just thought she could be a little more subtle about the way she acts around you."

"What way does she act?" Fiona looked puzzled.

"Well, you know–" Anya trailed off.

"No…" Fiona continued. "What?"

"Well, flirty, I guess," Anya said. "Plus she spends practically every waking moment with you," she added.

"She flirts with me?" Fiona whispered more to herself than to Anya. She smiled slightly.

"Oh, um…" Anya stammered, realizing she may not have articulated what she intended to.

But before she could correct herself, Holly J reappeared in the room, looking cozy in her pajamas. "So what movie should we watch?"

"Whatever you want, how about you pick while Anya and I get changed," Fiona smiled at her, pulling Anya off the couch by the arm.

"Sure," Holly J said, looking slightly puzzled as Fiona pulled Anya into her bedroom and slid the door closed.

"So do you think Holly J acts differently with me than she does with other girls?" Fiona asked, looking hopeful.

Anya sat on the end of the bed and sighed. "Look Fiona, I don't want to get your hopes up; I really don't think Holly J means anything by the way she acts around you, she just wasn't aware of your feelings and that's why I told her."

"Oh," Fiona looked disappointed, "Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I should give her some space to make her more comfortable."

"Maybe," Anya agreed. "Or maybe you should just talk about everything with her. You know, clear the air. Even if it's uncomfortable at first, it may help you two get back to normal."

Fiona nodded, still a little frustrated with herself for getting her hopes up. "Maybe."

The two girls returned to the living room in their pajamas. Fiona walked toward an arm chair at the far end of the room. As she did so, Holly J, who had made herself comfortable in the middle of the couch, motioned to Fiona. "Sit here," she patted the seat next to her. "I picked a scary one; I'm going to need you next to me when I get freaked out."

Anya gave Holly J a look, but Holly J just rolled her eyes. "Sit, sit! And don't worry Anya; I saved the other side for you."

Fiona backtracked and plopped down next to Holly J, returning her grin, while Anya sat on her other side. Holly J immediately put her head on Fiona's shoulder and held out the remote to start the movie. Fiona glanced over at Anya, who shrugged her shoulders in return. Fiona tried to relax but couldn't help but notice her heart beating slightly faster than usual.

As the movie credits began rolling, Anya interrupted the silence. "So what are the sleeping arrangements again?"

Holly J looked to Fiona to answer, but when she noticed she looked nervous, Holly J stated, "Oh well, I'll share the bed with Fi and you can have the couch out here, is that ok?"

Fiona and Anya both nodded slowly and Fiona got up from the couch with Holly J.

"Have a good night you two," Anya called after them, in what Fiona thought sounded like a sarcastic tone, as they went into Fiona's bedroom. Holly J slid the door closed behind them, which surprised Fiona, since she was planning to leave it open.

"Hey," Holly J said, sitting down on the bed. "How am I doing?"

Fiona had already slid under the covers and turned her head to look at her, confused.

"The last thing I want is for things to be uncomfortable for you," Holly J elaborated.

"Well, I'm trying not to feel uncomfortable," Fiona said. "But don't you feel even more uncomfortable around me?"

"Honestly, I felt weird at first, but when I think about it, I'm more flattered than anything else." Holly J admitted as she laid down facing Fiona, pulling the covers over her.

"Really?" Fiona asked.

"Yeah," Holly J smiled at her, "I mean, you're gorgeous, you're caring, and you're such a good person. That's why you are my best friend."

Fiona blushed. "So you're my friend because you think I'm gorgeous?" Fiona attempted to make a joke to cover her initial reaction.

Holly J laughed. "You know what I mean. But believe me I'd much rather have it be you than some guy I'm not interested in. If I was interested in girls, you'd definitely be my first choice."

Fiona's heart skipped a beat and she could feel herself blushing again. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we can still talk honestly like this, but you probably shouldn't say stuff like that to me."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Holly J apologized. "I didn't mean to offend you or anything–"

Fiona cut her off. "No, no, believe me I'm not offended. I like that you said that, but I think I like it too much. When you talk like that it makes me want to…" she trailed off.

"What?" Holly J asked.

"I don't want to say," Fiona said, clutching her hot cheeks, "I'm so embarrassed; I can't help it. I just wish I could turn off all these feelings for you and we could have a normal friendship. They are driving me crazy."

"Would it help if you told me what you are feeling?" Holly J suggested. "I'll keep an open mind; I won't get freaked out by whatever you have to say. Maybe then we can get passed it."

"I don't know…" Fiona looked away, doubting Holly J's ability to hear her inner-most thoughts and be alright with them. "Are you sure you could handle hearing this? I kind of… feel intensely."

"You don't have to tell me anything if it'll make you feel worse," Holly J assured her. "But you can if you want to."

"Okay," Fiona bit her lip. She took a deep breath. "Whenever you compliment me or you sit extra close or even just give me a little smile, I really have to fight the urge to reach out and pull you toward me and kiss you full on the lips. I think about kissing you all the time, I even have dreams about it. Having you in my bed like this is so hard for me because all I want to do is pull you close and touch every part of you; I want to caress the soft skin on your neck and slide my hand down your shoulder and trace my fingertips down your arm. I want to feel the hot surface of your skin on your back and kiss your neck and run my fingers through your hair. I want to take off all your clothes and just take in your beauty. I feel like I have never felt before; I feel giddy around you and I want to spend all my time with you no matter how difficult it is to resist all of this. Most of all, I want to see you smile and I want you to be happy, even though I know that means not being with me like I want to be with you." Tears streamed down Fiona's face. She had never in her life expressed such honest feelings and she felt more vulnerable than ever before.

Holly J stared at her in what Fiona assumed must've been shock. "Wow…" she whispered. "I guess I was wrong; that was not the right way to get us to the point of having a normal friendship."

And then Holly J leaned forward and kissed Fiona full on the lips.

Please read and review! Fiona and Holly J have been my favorite pairing for a while and I hope I did them justice in this fanfic. Let me know if you'd like me to continue the story!