This is a continuation of Window Seat - Part 2. Emily continues narrating this portion of the tale. Read and heed the warnings from Parts 1 & 2. Have fun. Enjoy.
The week before Thanksgiving, Sean asked me to do him a favor. He had done me a huge favor by being Eden's 'boyfriend' when she visited on Homecoming Weekend so yeah, I'd do anything he asked.
His sister Fran was coming for a visit, but he had an all-day racquetball tournament that he had committed to, and Jen was busy for a while, so he asked if I could be there to meet Fran when she arrived. I had been super eager to meet her, though I was under no illusion that anything might happen but one never knows, right? She had a meeting in the morning, and I offered to be there when she arrived. Kevin had committed to helping out on a student film for a friend, so he wouldn't be around till much later tonight.
I heard her on the steps just after noon, struggling with something heavy. I opened the door for her and helped bring her suitcase in. She slipped the overnight bag off her shoulder and dropped it on the floor beside the suitcase.
And then we stood face to face and looked in the mirror.
"Hi! You must be Fran! Frances? I'm Emily. Em. Whatever." I laughed, trying to shake off the awkward blithering.
"Fran. Call me Fran. Sean calls me Franny when he wants to piss me off. It's nice to meet you, Emily. Em." We shook hands.
"Yeah! Anyway, Sean's at his racquetball tournament- he should be here by five. So- we could just hang out- you could have a nap if you want." I noticed her looking to the bedroom in the back with an expression I couldn't read. "There's wine..."
She smiled. "I'm not tired at all. I just had a couple meetings. I'd love a glass."
"Sean's bringing supper when he gets back. It's just Chinese. His girlfriend is coming over later, too."
Her eyebrows shot up a bit. "You- you're not his girlfriend?"
"No- no, I'm... just a friend. Well, maybe we were- but no... um, come on in, we don't have to stand by the door all day."
I sat in the club chair and Fran sat on the sofa loveseat. I refilled her wine- the first glass went down pretty fast. She asked me what I was taking. I told her I was doing Theater and a minor in English and she smiled and slapped her thigh, "That's where I've seen you!" She leaned in. "You were Gwendolyn in 'Importance of Being Earnest'- what- two, three years ago?"
I blushed, "Yeah! That was my first semester! I got the part when the girl they cast got mono. It was pure luck for me..."
"Luck or not- you were great..." Apparently she and I had a few acquaintances in common and we talked about that- and worked our way though a bottle and a bit.
I asked her what she did and she told me that she worked for an advertising agency, setting up auditions and shoots for commercials that aired all over the tri-state area.
She mentioned some that she had worked on- all behind the scenes- and I could remember most of them. I tentatively asked if she was a casting agent as I poured some more wine for us. I watched her as she leaned forward- the press of her breasts against her blouse. I had started noticing things like that.
She said she wasn't a casting agent, but... she hoped she might be someday. She was just an audition coordinator and organizer and gofer for productions at present, but she loved the travel, she loved the people and the excitement. Then she took a sip and asked if I had a picture and resume- she could see that it got to the right people if I wanted.
I blushed as red as a tomato and said I didn't have one on me, but I'd get one to her before she left. "Or, "I murmured, "you could just tell them... that I look like you."
She blushed and excused herself and asked if I minded if she might change into something other than her work clothes. I said sure- she could shower if she wanted. She said that wasn't necessary. I said that she knew where the bedroom was. She looked at me and I thought maybe I had gone too far. She just took the suitcase and went back to change into something more comfortable.
She came out a bit later in a t-shirt and loose jeans, kicked back on the sofa and picked up her freshly filled glass. The glass was barely to her lips when I heard Jen on the stairs. I went to open the door for her and Fran came with me- to be polite, I guess. Or maybe she was just nosy.
She closed the door behind her- Jen and I hugged and exchanged kisses on the cheeks. Then she turned to Fran as she took off her coat. "Hey! I'm Jen- Sean's girlfriend. You must be Fran- wow- I see the resemblance! He's told me all about you-" and she stopped- and looked at Fran as if for the first time. Then at me. Then at Fran again. "Holy fuck. You do look alike."
The awkwardness was back, in spades. I stayed in the club chair and Jen and Fran sat on the loveseat. Talking about classes and jobs and all that only carries a conversation so far. I took the plunge and asked if she had a boyfriend- and that I knew it was hard- being on the road so much. She told us she had a guy that she saw sometimes, but he was separated and always on the verge of getting back with his wife.
I could tell Fran was hoping her brother would get here with the food, but that was still at least two hours away. And I could tell Jen was feeling playful after two glasses of wine. Jen kept looking at me, a little smirk on her lips. She was definitely in a spirited mood. "You know- I can't get over the feeling that- that I've seen you before, Fran. Not just because you... look like Emily- but there's... something else I just can't put my finger on."
"Well," said Fran. "I haven't lived in town here for almost two years. I haven't ever stayed here and- no..." She stopped dead. There was a pause. She whispered, "I only stayed here once," and another long pause hung in the air. She turned slowly- her head on a rusty swivel- looking at Jen. "Oh my god... You... the window."
Jen smiled and waggled her fingers. "Hi!"
Fran put her glass down on the coffee table, slopping it over and walked back to the little kitchenette. I quietly told Jen to stay put.
Fran's shoulders were shaking and I moved silently behind her. She jumped when I touched her shoulder.
"Don't..."
I told her it was ok- we were all friends here. She said we had just met- we hardly knew each other. Well, I said, maybe we're destined to be friends.
"God, I'm just so... embarrassed. How could something like this happen? I mean- what are the odds?"
"My sister is the math whiz- she could tell you what the odds are. I tend to go by feel. So does Jen. It's a complicated sort of situation, so going by feel is all we can do."
Apparently she had stopped crying. She wiped her eyes and planted both hands on the sink. I just kept up a calming conversation with her back. "Complicated? How complicated could it be," she said.
I touched her shoulder again- softly- and moved closer to her, almost touching. "It might boggle your mind- or you might think it's... kinda hot."
She didn't shrug me off, but I don't think she was really comfortable. "Hot..?"
"Yeah. Hot. I used to be Sean's girlfriend for a while. Now Sean is going out with Jen. And I'm going out with Jen's brother."
"That's pretty open-minded."
I didn't respond, I just kept my hand lightly on her shoulder. She must have been expecting me to say something. She slowly turned and we were face to face. I leaned to kiss her. She didn't push me away. I backed off a bit, not breaking eye contact. I still didn't say anything- waiting her out. Her voice was barely audible, as if she didn't want Jen to hear. Jen had turned on the TV and was flipping through channel, studiously indifferent.
