Friends with Benefits

Eighteen.

I folded a piece of tape in a circle with the sticky side out to place it on the back of a bright red maple leaf. I pressed the leaf onto the face of the front desk. Clanking heels approached the other side of the desk.

"Sarah?" Holly's voice sang my name. I popped my head up.
"Hi Holly!" I blurted out. She jumped in place and covered her chest.
"Geez, Sarah. What are you doing down there?"
"I'm finishing the Thanksgiving decor! Come see!" My voice was high pitch and peppy. Holly checked her phone as she made her way around the desk.
"Oh! It's cute!" She matched my pitch. I rolled my eyes at her. "I like the leaves." She went back to her phone.
"Thank you. I cut them out myself." I rocked my shoulders proudly of my work. I adjusted one of the letters in 'Happy'. I stood up quickly to see how it looked further away. I noticed Holly glaring at me. I glared back smirking.

"What time are you off?" She questioned me, still glaring.
"Five."
"It's seven."
"I wanted to finish."
"Go home." She barked back. I let out a frustrated sigh trotting back up to the letters to adjust a few of them again. A phone call distracted Holly giving me a few more minutes to put up more leaves. "Sarah!"
"I'm going! I'm going!" I ran to my station to grab my purse. I waved to Holly and everyone still at the salon. "Bye guys! Happy Thanksgiving! See you next week!" They all chimed in with the same as I ran out the front door.

Holly gave me Thanksgiving Day, the day after Thanksgiving and the weekend off. It definitely works since I have been planning to fly to Los Angeles to spend it with my family. When Tyler calls me after he finishes his game tonight, I'll be asking him if he would want to go with me. I was a nervous wreck that he would actually say yes.
After the make up sex in Tyler's Jeep, we had been better than ever. We didn't fight. The sex was even more mind blowing. Tyler even took me to the annual Dallas Stars Halloween party. He dressed up as Mario, Jamie Benn was Luigi, Alex Radulov was Yoshi. I dressed up as sexy Princess Toadstool. The photo of me and Tyler together that night is still one of my favorites.

I went over my packing checklist for the thousandth time. The Spotify playlist of 2015 Country Best blared through the little speaker on my phone. The constant butterflies in my stomach did front flips and back flips.
I glanced at my tv with the muted Stars game on. They were winning against the Colorado Avalanche, 2-1, with the clock stopped at 12 seconds. Tyler will be calling in maybe 20 minutes. I took this chance to take a fast hot shower.

I towel dried my red hair with a towel. Another wrapped securely around my body. I glanced at my phone with the music fading away to a FaceTime call from Tyler. I tousled my hair around with an attempt to look sexy. I gathered as much courage as I could and answered the call.

"Hi babe." I said casually into the phone. I smiled uncontrollably at his face appearing on the screen. Street lights illuminated his face as he drove by them.
"Hey y—are you naked?" He did a double take to the screen. I giggled, panning the camera down to show my towel.
"Just got out of the shower." I teased him by opening the bottom of the towel to reveal my silky legs. I quickly raised the camera to my face. "Eyes on the road, Tyler Seguin!" We both laughed at his alarmed reaction. I propped the phone up against an unlit Bath and Body Works candle so I could finish drying my hair and my post-shower skincare routine.

"You're so beautiful, baby." He glanced back and forth to the phone and the road with his intoxication grin. I smiled back.
"Thank you, babe."
"So, you need to ask me something?" He set the phone down on his lap to scratch at his beard. I forgot I texted him that. Shit.
"Umm." I chickened out. I dropped the towel around my body to the ground. "Oh, dang." I peaked a look at the phone. He pierced his lips and perked up into the seat. My boobs bounced around to my attempts at still drying my hair and to distract him.
"Nice try, baby. Ask me."
"Fuck. How?!"
"I've known you for almost two years. You never say 'dang'." He said, laughing. I angrily kicked the towel to the direction of my dirty laundry hamper. I snatched the phone from my first makeshift tripod to another on top of my dresser so I could get pajamas on.

"So..American Thanksgiving is tomorrow."
"Mhmm." He kept his focus on the road despite my naked body moving around on the screen.
"I'm flying to LA to spend it with my family and um.." I slipped on a pair of women's Star Wars briefs and one of Tyler's Stars T-shirts. "..um..I wanted to know if you would want to..go with me?" He frowned his eyebrows.
"You're getting on an airplane?"
"Yes, I know. I'm not excited. It's family though." I picked up the phone to sit on the edge of my bed awaiting the answer. He nodded his head. "My dad got me a first class ticket. I can trade it for two coach seats."
"Get a refund. I'll take care of travel."
"Bougie."

"We'd get there faster and for free. You'll just have to be okay with flying in a.. private jet." His voice got nervous as he glanced at the phone for my reaction.
"Uhh..wha-what?" My stomach was turning already. He laughed at my sickened facial expression.
"It's not that bad, baby."
"Yeah, no."
"Wait, what?" He twisted his face at my typical Californian answer. I pouted my lip staring at my suitcase. "Baby." I rested my head on the palm of my hand, shifting my eyes back to the phone. "My pilot is the best in the United States. You're going to be with me." He gave me an exaggerated smile. I gasped at the phone.

"Wait. You're going!"
"Of course I am. I shouldn't be surprised you asked me the day before but I am." I rolled my eyes. "I'm going home to pack then I'll come over. You better be naked."
"It's shark week." I replied hastily. He released a long groan at the nickname I used for 'that time of the month'. "At least you get your dick sucked tonight."
"You're the best girlfriend ever."
"I know." I obnoxiously smiled. He shook his head at me chuckling.
"I'll be there in about an hour, baby."
"Okay." I puckered my lips at the phone. He did the same with his eyes on the road. He sang 'bye' a few times then ended the call.