The playboy crush

huffed a deep breath to be certain she wasn't caught up in a phantom. It really happened! She looked down continually at his business card, scoffing in disbelief at how miraculously her meeting w

eded rest. Her legs itched to change directions. However... Ding-dong! Her fingers moved reflexively, against her genuine will, to her dismay. The door was pulled open in a twinkle of an eye, a giddy Kyle beaming with surprise and thrill upon seeing her. "You made it!" She squealed excitedly, leaped at her, and threw her arms around Lara's neck. Lara flattened her lips and twitched her nose reflexively, her arms out to brace the impact as Kyle leaped at her. She winced and moved back a step at the collusion—exhaustion and fatigue bore down heavily on her. Finally, she settled into the hug and managed a smile as she hugged her best friend back. "And I come bearing gifts," Lara said, raising the bags of goodies she had bought from the sweetshop. Kyle pulled back with a smirk on her face. "Of course you will, Santa Lara." Both ladies laughed. "Manners!" She planted a finger lightly on her lower lip with a disapproving frown. "Come in quick." She ushered her in and took the bag from her. Lara blew out a satisfied exhale as she walked into the house. Kyle caught up with her pace after she had locked the door. "You look worse for wear. I shouldn't have asked you to come. I'm a bad girl." Lara turned to look at her briefly with a pout. "You're just figuring that out now?" She hissed out a tsk, a smile cupping one side of her cheek. Kyle threw an arm playfully around her shoulders with a bounce and leaned her head against her shoulder. "And that's why you love me." Lara snickered. "Silly girl." A round of applause echoed over the room as they walked into the sitting room. Lara looked taken aback. She furrowed her brows and asked, "Guys, what's the occasion?" Kyle jumped in front of her with her arms outstretched and mimed, "Ta-da!" "You are an hour early. They are impressed," Laura explained laconically, raising her glass of wine to her lips and taking a sip. Lara rolled her eyes as she walked to take a seat on one of the cushions. "Hi, everyone." She waved at them all and plopped down onto the cushion, reveling in the comfort that cocooned her aching body immediately. She leaned back against the headrest with a sigh. Just what she needed at the moment. "You need a massage?" Joe asked and extended a glass of chilled juice toward her. She rolled her eyes at him, muttered, "Thanks," as she took the cup from him, and took a long drink from the cup. "Ah!" She sighed as she lowered the cup from her mouth. "Refreshing!" she commented. "You look really tired, Lara. Just how much did you have to work today?" Joe asked worriedly. He attempted to press a palm to her forehead, an attempt Lara quickly prevented, playfully swatting his hand off and clicking her teeth at him. "We are having dinner, Joe, not a counseling session." "Joe's right, Lara. You should cut back on how much you exert yourself." Meredith nodded, as a matter of fact. "What's cooking?" Lara sat up, shifting the subject of discussion from her to the exact reason she was over at Kyle's and not snoring away in her bed as she would have loved to. "You will be amazed!" Kyle smiled with a suspenseful glitter in her eyes. Surely, Lara was amazed. She knew Kyle was an amazing cook, but the night's special was superb. "Wow! This is so good!" Lara moaned as she ate, raising two hands in kudos to Kyle. "I would gladly marry you if you had not been taken already," Joe said, shaking his head at the heavenly taste of the food Kyle had prepared. Meredith cleared her throat, while Lara peeked a glance to gauge Laura's reaction. Her face was blank. But zero emotion mirrored a volcano on the inside. "What about Laura, then?" Meredith inquired. "Laura?" He leaned back in his seat, threw an arm around her shoulders, and pulled her toward himself for a kiss on the cheek, then fully on her mouth. "Bad joke! She will always be my number one," Joe murmured over her lips. Laura smiled and kissed him back. "Awnn!" Kyle, Meredith, and Lara mimicked an embarrassed sigh as the two kissed. "Come off it. Get a room, will you? Don't leave a heartache in the wake of the single ones here!" Meredith snapped. "Who exactly are the single ones? The only single one here, ironically, is Lara," Kyle pointed out. And, once again, Lara was at the center of the discussion. "How soon will the loan be fully paid off? You've worked half your years off