Lunch Between Friends

This is another excerpt from something I've been working on. It is a discussion between a man and a woman over lunch.

“Yeah, I remember in high school, there was this girl, Lauren.  We should’ve just slept together and got it over with.  I mean, we would spend so much time and effort trying to get the other to admit that they wanted the other person.  We were both miserable.”

“I’m not following.”

“What part?”

“I don’t see how having sex helps either of you.”

“Seriously?  I mean, we were both miserable, right?”

Kelly nodded, giving me a look of expectation.  It was one of those looks that let me know I would need to work a miracle to make her see my point.  “So, why not give in to what you both want?  Validate each other.”

“But, wouldn’t that have devolved into more of the same pursuit of validation?”

“It could’ve, but I think it might’ve been either validation for both parties, like, okay, she’s committed, I’m committed, this isn’t just a buddy situation, it’s real.  Or, it could have turned in to a competition.  Who is the better lover?  Either way, I win.”

“Ugh, you are disgusting.” 

Liz shook her head.  She rolled her eyes, and I grinned. I stopped the show long enough to take in a forkful of my salad, then resumed my brash display.  Leaning back in my chair, I muster the most self-satisfied look I can.  It was a struggle not to laugh, and Kelly caught me.

“I can’t believe I fell for this again.  You would use any argument for screwing your way out of a problem.”

“Come on.  If both parties go in to it knowing where the other person stands, and that you’re just two people, seeking a means to an end, then why not?  People take sex too seriously.  They look at it as a problem, an issue to be resolved, when there is nothing more natural.  We’re designed to want to procreate, and when you find someone you love, there’s no better way to connect.  Why not get good at it?”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.  For what?”

“The next time my friends ask me why I haven’t slept with you, I’ll just reference this conversation.”

“Yeah, well.  I can see we’ve violated our agreement to disagree again.  Let’s talk about something else.”

I can’t explain it, but that last barb stung a bit.  Liz was my only ally, and it always bothered me that she disapproved of this side of me.  We’d always agreed never to discuss this. Yet there we were, at it again.