Free The Other Earth by Amber LaShell

Just don't have sex with him, because he is going to leave, and for a long time" she said.
    I shook my head, "No, I am going to take your advice and just go back to being his friend, and nothing more. There is no time for kissing and touching or even having sex. He is just going to have to respect my decision. Besides, I think it will be better for our friendship in the long run anyway. It would get way too awkward." I said.
    Stacey shrugged, "Oh I don't know about that. It is possible for two friends to have a sexual encounter and not have it become awkward afterward." She said.
    I nodded, "I don't know about that" I said.
    "Hey it happens. I've had sex with lots of friends and it didn't get awkward. As long as both parties go in knowing that it's only going to be about the sex." She said.
    I looked up at her, "Maybe, but the problem is I don't think I would know what it is. I can't have casual sex with someone like him and have it not mean anything" I told her.
    She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "You really are fucked in the head Randi. Look, you relax for the night, I am going to go to dinner with my girlfriend. We will be back later if you need me" she said, grabbing her purse from the table next to the door.
    I looked up at her and noticed for the first time that she was wearing the dress that I had chosen for her, "Wow, you look nice. Have a good time, give Vickie my love, I'll see you later. I'm going to go take a bubble b ath and disappear into a good book."
    She smiled, "Thank you. That sounds like a good plan to me." She said, leaning down and kissing me on the forehead. "We will bring you some dinner back okay?"
    I just nodded as I turned to head toward my bedroom, trying to decide which trashy romance novel to disappear into that night.
     
    ***
    I looked down at my phone, hoping for the courage to call Brandon. I needed to tell him that I had finally decided that as long as he was going to be leaving, we would go back to just being friends the way that we always had. I reached down, preparing to h it the send button, when it rang. A quick look at the caller ID told me that it was Brandon.
    I took a deep breath and answered the phone, "Hello?"
    "Randi. We need to talk" he said.
    I nodded, even though I knew he couldn't see me, "Yes I know. I have decid ed that as long as you are leaving, we are going to have to go back to being just friends. Two years is a long time and I don't want things to be awkward between us before you go" I said in one breath.
    "You have a hang-up on things getting awkward don't yo u?"
    I sighed, "I know, look. My parents' entire relationship was a publicity stunt, and there was never anything but awkward tension in my house growing up. You know all of this about me, it was why I spent so much time hanging out with you in your stupid tree house."
    "Randi, look I understand where you are coming from, I really do. I actually called you to apologize. No matter what my feelings for you are, it was selfish of me to try and start a relationship with you when I am leaving. I don't want to be a nother notch on your bed post either as you put it."
    I sighed, "Good. Look, I am really sorry that I let things get as far as they did. I have known you for twenty years and sometimes when I look at you I still see the dorky little kid with the glasses tha t tried to get me to play with his train set."
    Brandon laughed, "I was never dorky. You were the dorky one, always carrying around that damn microscope kit."
    "Can we go back to just Brandon and Randi, best friends forever?" I asked him.
    "Yes we can, for no w. You see, I am leaving. But, I'm coming back. I don't want you to be some failed attempt at a one night stand, because you deserve more than that. You deserve all of me, and I deserve all of you, no matter how fucked in the head you are."
    My heart starte d to pound, "Look, let's not think about the coming back part. There is a lot that can happen in two years, why don't we just work on