"Finally!" Erin cried out as Jess opened the door for her.
Jess hollered and they both laughed as they embraced.
"I've been waiting all month! Where do you want me to leave the wine?" Erin called out, having already made her way into the kitchen.
"Counter's fine," she replied, quickly changing the subject to the topic on both of their minds. "What are you most excited about? The luaus, the palm trees, or just getting out of this freezing city?"
"The warmth! That stupid Lake Michigan breeze has been making it feel like December. It's barely fall, Jess! Not even!"
She started to pour two glasses of the rosΓ©. "Is this enough?"
"No, Love! Fill them up! We're celebrating! Austin has your pup for the week, you got work off, the flight's not until 11, you've never been to the Aloha State before - and the tickets were FREE!"
"Well thank you for hosting. It's great how close you live to the airport. I still can't believe your friend just gave those tickets to us! I understand timeshares only work when you have the time off - but that's so generous of her."
She didn't like lying, didn't like how far this had all gotten, but reluctantly replied, "Super generous. We're lucky ladies!"
Erin and Jess talked and laughed as they reminisced about their unlikely story - meeting only 4 months ago at a book club and then going out for coffee afterwards. They were the only two ladies in the club who were younger than 40 and had immediately bonded; both over the book that they were reading and their shared love of lattes. It hadn't taken long before they were hanging out most days in the summer after work, and had quit their book club, branching off to discuss books on their own. They had frequented coffee shops around town, gone shopping, and even went to a concert the month prior. But this was their first big trip, and the girls were excited, albeit for different reasons.
Over the course of the night, they watched a movie, played a few games, and discussed Erin's relationship with Austin. At several points, Jess had excused herself to the restroom, only to arrive back with a suspiciously emptier glass of wine than she had taken to the powder room with her. A keen eye might've deduced that she was pouring some of her wine down the drain to avoid getting drunk. However, Erin's tipsy state had led her to be oblivious to this minor detail.
The girls got ready for bed and into their PJs - which simply consisted of removing their bras, since they were already donned in their sweatpants and hoodies (it was still a little chilly at Jess's place). They chatted for a while under the covers, before the wine and the strain of a heavy work week forced Erin's eyes shut for the night - not to be reopened.
Jess got out of bed in a clandestine fashion, careful not to wake her friend who always seemed to unconsciously cuddle anything or anyone around her as soon as she passed into slumber. She knew that now was her only chance to prepare for her secret plan, one that was a gamble on their friendship. She hated herself for it, but knew what she needed to do. With even more caution, she removed Erin's watch - changing the time, and adjusted the time on the bedside clock. The house clocks were a quick fix, and the car's clock had been changed the previous day. Resetting the time on Erin's phone would have been trickier had they not shared each other's Lock Screen while on the road trip to the concert. Jess went to the next room, where they had left their suitcases, and opened a closet with a lock on it. Next, she opened their two suitcases and their carry-on luggage...
The alarm rang. She glanced at the clock. "Erin! Get up! We overslept! We've got to go. Now!"
Erin shot up with a terror, horrified at the prospect of missing their flight.
"Ok, let me just throw on some clothes."
"There's no time. You look great, honeybunny. Just grab your bags, and get your butt in the car! We'll get breakfast at the layover in San Francisco."
Erin hadn't been aware of a layover, but Jess had done all the planning for the trip. Erin had appreciated that she had not had to get very involved, considering her tough last few weeks at work. Jess grabbed the bags and headed towards the car, with Erin close behind. They revved the engine and raced across town.