by K L Hughes
“Thank you!” Leigh said as she picked up the glass boat holding her delectable ice cream sundae as J grabbed the two lattes. They turned to head back to their usual booth, when Leigh looked up, and the life drained out of her instantly. Glass shattered and decorated the floor, ice cream splashing up on her Jimmy Choo buckled biker boots, as her brain suddenly hazed, her eyesight blurred, and Leigh felt herself falling away into darkness. J practically threw the coffee cups onto the table when he heard the sound, turning around immediately, knowing something was wrong, and managed to catch his best friend as she fell backward, her eyes rolling back in her head, gone from consciousness.
The lights were painfully bright as Leigh slowly fluttered her eyes open just a crack, J’s voice calling her back to consciousness, back to reality. She felt nauseous and dizzy despite the fact that she could feel that she wasn’t standing. She was in J’s lap, and he was stroking her face with a cool washcloth, calling her name, and coaxing her back to him.
“Leigh? Come on, baby, wake up. Open your eyes for me, sweetie.”
“Uhn….” Leigh groaned out, the nausea threatening to take over and spill her airline lunch all over her best friend. She swallowed hard and choked down the rising bile so that she could take a breath and attempt to sit up. She finally opened her eyes all the way, and J’s worried expression hovered shakily above her, though a small smile graced his lips as he realized she was finally awake again.
“There you are. God, you scared the hell out of me,” J breathed into her hair as he leaned down and embraced her fully, relieved. Leigh suddenly realized the reason she’d blacked out and jetted into an upright position, pushing J out of the way, ignoring the rush of dizziness that slammed her brain with the movement, and forcing her eyes to focus as her gaze darted madly around the small coffee shop, looking for the face she’d seen. That face that had haunted her for over a decade. But it wasn’t there. All she saw were the shop regulars and two baristas staring worriedly at her. Had she imagined the woman being there? Had she hallucinated it? No, she couldn’t have. That had never happened to her before, so why would it start now? Besides, her body’s reaction to it was entirely too intense for her to have merely hallucinated the sighting. She’d felt the shock and the sickness rise so fast and so suddenly that she couldn’t keep herself grounded and felt herself going under before she’d even had a chance to process what she’d seen.
“Honey, relax, what’s wrong?” J asked, concerned by Leigh’s strange and sudden action, her almost-panic as she looked around the room. What was going on with her?
“I saw...I thought I saw…” she said, her voice going cold and quiet as she realized what it was going to sound like if she admitted aloud what she sincerely believed she’d seen. J would dismiss it as the result of stress brought on by the memories evoked by the filming process, but Leigh couldn’t believe that. She wouldn’t. It had been too real to have been nothing more than a mere product of her mind.
“You thought you saw what, baby?” J pressed her, trying to figure out what had her so panicked, panicked enough to completely black out.
“Uh…nothing, nothing…can we get out of here, please? I need to get out of here, now.” Leigh answered him, her skin suddenly crawling uncomfortably. She needed to get up now, right now, and she absolutely had to get the hell out of this place. She stood up quickly, nearly blacking out again, as J followed and steadied her.
“Okay, but are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital? I think we should go have you checked out just in case.”
“No, no hospitals. Just get me out of here, please.” She’d started to cry, which only made J worry that much more, but he obeyed, apologizing to the baristas for the mess, and escorting his best friend from the coffee shop with one arm around her to steady her, and her coffee in his other hand. He knew she’d want it sooner or later.
Once he’d gotten her in the car, Leigh asked J to take her home, so he drove the short distance to her building, parked the Lexus in the parking garage, and helped his best friend up to her studio apartment. She crawled into her bed, reveling in the comfort of having her own things near her again, as fresh tears ripped from her eyes, splattering her plush pillows. She pulled J down with her, reaching a hand back to pull his body as close to hers as possible, their forms fitting together like puzzle pieces. She pulled his left arm around her body tightly and rocked against him as she cried. J didn’t say a word. He simply curled into the sad, beautiful woman that he’d grown to love and admire more than any other person in his life and hoped that his presence would ease her fears or her pain, regardless of what brought either on.
After nearly an hour of rocking Leigh back and forth, holding her tightly, J noticed the change in her breathing. It had become deep and relaxed, as opposed to the previous ragged, short gasps she’d been forcing between sobs. She’d finally fallen asleep. Not wanting to move for fear of waking and upsetting her again, he gently kicked off his shoes before curling tightly back into her, resting his head on the pillow behind her, his face partly absorbed by her chocolate locks, and drifted off to sleep.
****
“Yes, I’m sure it was her, J,” Leigh breathed out quickly, her anger rising as her friend continued to question what she’d seen in the coffee shop. “I’m not fucking delusional, and I’d recognize her anywhere.”
“But, Leigh, it’s been twelve years since you’ve seen her. Isn’t it possible that you were just mistaken, that maybe it was just someone who resembled her somewhat?”
“No. It was her.”
“But why would she be here? Literally over a thousand miles from home?”
“She was looking for me.”
“Okay, now come on, Leigh. Don’t you think that’s a little extreme? I mean, maybe she’s just on a vacation or something. Do you honestly think the woman stalked you halfway across the country?”
“And she just happened to walk into our coffee shop, J? Really? This city is huge. It’s massive. What are the odds of that? No, she was looking for me, though how she found me, I have no fucking clue. No one in my family would tell her, and she wouldn’t dare to even approach them. Fuck, fuck, fuck! What do I do?” Her voice held a plethora of emotion—anger, fear, panic, intrigue—she was on emotional overload and about to implode because of it. J stroked soothing slow circles around her stomach. It was something he’d often do when she didn’t feel well or was sad about something. She’d asked him to do it years ago, saying it comforted and soothed her, and at first, it had been awkward, but now it was just another part of their routine, another intimate, affectionate show of love between the two best friends.
“I think you should just take a breath and try and calm down. Even if she did come looking for you, honey, it’s not like she’s going to kidnap you and force you to run away with her or something. You’re a grown woman, a grown, successful woman. You’re a celebrity for Christ’s sake. She isn’t going to fuck with you. I’ll make sure of that.” J assured her, still rubbing the slow, soft circles across her rigid, muscled abdomen, relieved to see the tension slowly leeching out of her body as she finally relaxed back into him, letting out a long, deep sigh. She nodded her head in agreement, and swallowed her fear.
“She probably just wants closure,” J added as a final note in an effort to ease Leigh’s fears. It always shocked him when he realized the depth to which this woman had hurt the teenaged version of his best friend. He’d see it in her eyes sometimes when they’d talk about sensitive subjects, especially her book. He’d hear it in her voice when she’d turn down advances from beautiful women, or those who asked for a second date. He’d feel it in the room like a tangible presence when her deep-seated trust issues reared their ugly heads at anyone who attempted to scale the walls she’d built up around her heart. She’d done it to J, himself, but he’d pushed on, pushed through, and he’d been rewarded with her heart. It was the most precious gift he’d ever been given, and he ached for her when she was hurting this way. It made him hate
this woman, made him want to run out into the city, hunt her down wherever she was, and give her a piece of his mind. Unfortunately, though, there were boundaries, and he wasn’t going to betray Leigh any more than she’d already been betrayed in her life by crossing them now or ever.
****
The tingling sensation at the base of Leigh’s spine grew almost painful as she sat atop one of the library tables with a new book, watching Beth watch her. The way the woman’s eyes locked onto her, held her gaze, then traveled lower, gracing each sensitive portion of her body, did things to her that she hadn’t known were possible. Made her feel things she’d never known she could feel. At seventeen, Leigh hadn’t gotten physical with many people or much at all, and the few times she had, it was more out of an effort to try and prove to herself that she was straight or that she was normal, and she’d hated herself for all of it, but she couldn’t take any of it back. No one ever could.
The only person she truly wanted to explore that part of herself with was Beth. The woman was the love of her life, and as premature as that statement would have seemed to people were she able to voice it aloud, she didn’t care. She knew it was true. She could feel it, and not just in an “I’d go to prom with you,” “You’re really cute and give me the giggles,” kind of way. She felt it in a really big, really deep, “I was made for you,” “This is fate,” “I would do anything for you,” kind of way that only confirmed what she already knew. Beth was her soul mate.
The urge to touch the blonde, to melt into her, to kiss her was always so overwhelming that Leigh often had to force herself to keep a safe, physical distance from the woman for fear that she might actually tackle her just to feel that tingling knot at the base of her spine deliciously explode and drown her in pleasure. She knew, though, that she and Beth couldn’t be physical, no matter how much they might want to. Beth was married. She had a husband. She had a life, a commitment that didn’t include Leigh, and it didn’t matter that the guy was an asshole or that he never treated his wife with respect or admiration or love. It didn’t matter because they were still married, and that was all she really needed to know. Leigh wouldn’t cross that line, regardless of how strong the desire to do so actually was.
Suddenly, Beth was in front of her, breathing the same air as the brunette. Leigh had become so lost in her own thoughts that she hadn’t even noticed the older woman cross the room. The heat between them was always electric, no matter their intentions. It was just as impossible to deny as it was to try and prevent. So, Leigh simply let herself love it—the heat. She knew she could never act on it, but it didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate it for warming her, for touching her heart. Beth glanced quickly around the library to ensure that it was empty before resting a sweaty palm atop Leigh’s jeans-clad knee. The physical contact even through such thick material was overwhelming. Leigh felt the shudder wash over her as she questioned what was happening.
“B?” She asked in a whisper, closing her eyes and licking her lips as the blonde’s hand slowly slid up from her knee, over her thigh, and landed on her hip. This was unexpected, and terrifying, and wonderful. Her senses were on fire—pure ecstasy and intrigue as she tried to compose herself, though she feared if the blonde didn’t stop touching her, she wouldn’t be able to hold herself back any longer.
Beth leaned forward, bending until her face was even with Leigh’s, their noses only centimeters apart. Leigh could feel the heat of the woman’s breath on her face, smell the citrus wash of her gum, and taste the desire that wetted the air between them as they stared into each other’s eyes. The tingling in Leigh’s spine intensified so suddenly and so painfully that she couldn’t keep still. Her body arched forward of its own accord, pushing her even closer to the woman, their lips barely a breath apart. Beth’s tongue darted out to slide smoothly across her bottom lip, the sight of which sent ripples of want down Leigh’s back and around her trembling thighs to collect in the junction between her legs.
“I’m going to kiss you now,” Beth husked quietly to the brunette, her eyes searching Leigh’s for permission. Leigh swallowed hard, the lump in her throat refusing to go down as she straddled the delicate line between control and surrender. She was about to give in, about to give herself over to the strongest desire she’d ever experienced, when a soft jingle echoed through the library. Someone had come through the door.
Beth let her gaze linger on Leigh’s for just a second longer, knowing they were out of the line of vision from the front of the building. She laughed softly and pressed a soft finger to Leigh’s lips, regretting that she hadn’t taken advantage of the tender moment before it had passed.
“Maybe next time,” she whispered as she strolled away from the table toward the front of the library to greet and assist the person who’d entered and interrupted their private moment. Leigh sat there in silence, her lips parted and her jaw hanging slightly open. She shook her head to bring herself back to reality, clenching her thighs to try and ease some of the tension between her legs.
Jesus Christ, she thought, this woman is going to be the death of me.
Leigh stirred in her bed before finally jerking awake. She quickly glanced around her studio, reminding herself of where she was, who she was, the life she was actually living now. It had all been a dream; well, a memory, really, but still, no longer real. Leigh plunged her face into her pillow and groaned. Would this ever end?
Realizing her discomfort, Leigh stretched a slender hand down beneath her covers and slipped it between her legs. Her fingers found silken heat, wet and throbbing. She quickly removed her hand, groaned into the pillow again, before forcing herself out of the bed and into a nice, cold shower. This was getting ridiculous.
Chapter 8
The music vibrated into Leigh’s feet as she made her way, solo, across the dance floor of the nightclub she’d spent too many nights in, pushing through the gyrating bodies, and over to her booth. She slid into the booth alone and began surveying the crowd of dry-humping lovers and one-night-stands making a public display of their foreplay on the dance floor. J had had to work overnight that night due to a deadline he was seriously pushing, so Leigh had decided to come out on her own.
It wasn’t long before one of the bartenders brought her a drink, her usual, sliding it onto the booth’s table and winking at her before heading back over to the bar. Leigh reveled in the way the alcohol burned in the pit of her stomach. She hadn’t eaten anything that day. In fact, she hadn’t eaten much in several days, not since her little passing-out episode in the coffee shop. J voiced his concern about that very fact nearly every chance he got, but she couldn’t help it. She wasn’t actively starving herself. She just couldn’t eat. She couldn’t think straight. Her body wasn’t functioning normally. All she could think about was that face. It haunted her even more than usual. She saw it all the time. Every time she closed her eyes. Every time she fell asleep. Every time she zoned out. All the time. It was absolutely driving her mad. The curiosity. The fear. The anxiety. The slight arousal. The intrigue. The pure, driving need for answers. But more than she wanted to confront the woman from her past, she wanted to forget her. She wanted to forget it all, push it back to the dark place it had lived in prior to having her book published.
Leigh quickly scanned the room, surveying the women dancing, the women standing at the bar, the women knocking back shots, the women, the women, the women. God, there were so many of them, and several of them would nervously glance her direction periodically before leaning into a friend and whispering about Leigh. She was used to it. It happened often at this particular club. And as always, it wasn’t long before she was propositioned. A tall, smoking hot blonde sauntered up to Leigh’s booth, seductively biting her lip, which simultaneously made it obvious what she wanted while instantly turning Leigh off. God, when did women become so fucking forward? It disgusted her, but at this point, she didn’t care. She wanted the pain to stop, the images of that woman to vanish from her mind. She needed to forget, to fuck away the
memories, fuck away the torment that rolled and dipped and squeezed and rocked inside her, refusing to relent.
Leigh quickly motioned the blonde to sit with her, and leaned in saying, “What’s your name?”
The blonde flashed her remarkably stunning smile at Leigh, which earned her back some points with the brunette, before answering, “It’s Lucy, but my friends call me Luc.”
Leigh smiled softly at the blonde, allowing her gaze to sear into the woman and make Lucy’s body noticeably shiver in the most exquisite fashion. Leigh put aside her own prejudice against forward, sex-driven women, and kissed the blonde’s hand lightly, never losing her poise or her perfect posture. “Well, Luc, you are very beautiful. My name is L—”
“Leigh,” the blonde finished, a sheepish smile turning up the corners of her mouth. “I know who you are. Everyone who comes to this club knows who you are. The entire country knows who you are now that you’re in that movie.” Leigh nodded, understanding now how the blonde woman knew her.
“A blessing and a curse, you could say,” Leigh responded, smiling teasingly at the woman, before leaning over and pressing her soft lips against the blonde’s ear and whispering, “Want to get out of here?”
The gorgeous blonde blushed profusely before simply nodding her head, lifting out of the booth, and letting Leigh lead her from the club. The blonde’s stomach flipped and turned excitedly. Her friends were never going to believe this.
****
“Honey, I get that you’ve been a little out of it lately, but it’s time for you to pull it together,” J said, his tone edging on an attitude, nothing joking about it.
