by Annette Mori
Siera and Bri cycled up the driveway, as they were raking the final, small hill into the heap of color they’d collected in the middle of the lawn. The joy Deb saw on their faces was unmistakable. After putting their bikes away, the girls rushed out to the pile of leaves.
“Aunt Olivia, you remembered. I wanted to show Siera our tradition. Now I can,” Bri said.
“Of course I did, honey. So, are we ready?” Olivia set her rake aside and motioned for Deb to do the same. The two rakes lay side by side, well away from the newly formed mountain of fallen leaves.
Bri took Siera’s hand, then reached for Olivia, who was holding out both of her hands. Deb took that as her cue to clasp Olivia’s hand, and the four women ran for the pile in an unbroken line. Their laughter filled the air, as they fell on the leaves and started giggling and tossing the iconic symbol of fall all over each other.
Siera and Bri rolled away together, and Deb smiled when she saw Bri brush her lips against Siera’s. Siera grabbed Bri’s hand and pulled her up, as they continued to chase one another with handfuls of leaves they used like confetti. Their laughter floated through the air, joining the leaves as they rained down, scattering all over the newly raked lawn.
Deb started covering Olivia with leaves, scooping them up by the handful. Without thinking, she rolled on top of Olivia. As Deb straddled her with another fistful of leaves, she looked into dilating pupils. She’d never wanted to close the gap so much as she did now, but she’d made the promise to Olivia she would not be the one to cross the line.
Olivia had a large red leaf stuck in her hair, as the others fluttered all around her. Deb’s hand automatically went to Olivia’s hair to pluck the interloper from her silky locks. When their eyes met, Deb could see the desire. She started to make her move, despite her promise.
She’d almost closed the gap, bringing her lips dangerously close, when she felt Olivia’s body tense beneath her own. It had felt so natural to kiss Olivia. She’d assumed that was what Olivia wanted, but her body gave off an entirely different message from her eyes. Deb hovered on the precipice, not knowing which signal she should respond to. Olivia’s words would make that decision for her.
“I can’t. Oh God, I’m sorry, I can’t,” Olivia whispered.
Deb quickly rolled away and laid back in an attempt to gather her emotions. She was thankful Siera and Bri were frolicking on their own and not paying attention to the intensity of what had almost occurred before Olivia put the skids on her momentary lapse in judgment.
Deb pushed her body up and stood in front of Olivia, holding out her hand. “No apology needed, Olivia. If anyone needs to apologize, it’s me. I know the score. I think it’s time for that hot chocolate now, because I’m sure the traditional leaf bath is always followed by a steaming mug of chocolatey goodness. And don’t be stingy, because I want mine with those mini marshmallows.” Deb turned in the direction of where the girls were tossing leaves at each other and called out, “Are you girls ready for hot chocolate now?”
“Yeah,” both girls responded and skipped toward the older women.
Chapter Eighteen
June 2012
Bri was scrubbing Sasha, Olivia’s dog, while Siera walked over to the stereo receiver and turned up the volume. Siera knew that “Rolling in the Deep” was Bri’s favorite song, and she glanced over to the tub to watch Bri sway her hips to Adele’s music.
Sasha was squirming in the steel basin, but Bri’s magic touch calmed her down. After she’d rinsed Sasha off, the dog shook her fur and water sprayed everywhere, soaking Siera’s t-shirt.
“Sasha,” Bri admonished. “You got Siera wet.”
Siera noticed Sasha had also soaked Bri’s t-shirt, and she could see Bri’s breasts as the wet shirt clung to her body. More and more, Siera felt the urge to touch Bri. She wanted to do more than kiss, but she wasn’t sure what, exactly, she should do. She only knew watching Bri with the swimsuit plastered against her body made her feel all funny inside her stomach.
Siera reached out and pushed Bri’s golden, wet hair aside and started giggling. “We’re both wet from Sasha.”
Bri laughed. “Yeah we’ll have to use the machine on us after drying Sasha.”
“When are Aunt Deb and Olivia coming by today?” Siera asked.
“I think they’re on a long bike ride. We’ll have to keep Sasha with us all day. She’s really well behaved. I told Aunt Olivia that would be fine.”
Siera sighed. “I know I should be glad we’re all booked up today. We’ve been super busy lately, but I miss being able to ride with them.”
“I know. At least we can have a date tomorrow. It’s Sunday. It’s good we decided to never book appointments on Sunday. It’s the only day we get to spend together. I would miss our special time. Will you come over and spend the night? We can ask Aunt Olivia and Deb if they want to have a movie night. Then we can have another slumber party. I like when we have our slumber parties. We can snuggle together.” Bri led Sasha to the drying table and held her, while Siera plugged in the dryer.
“Oh, me too. I’ll bring my homework. I’m sure Mom and Dad won’t mind.” Siera waved the dryer across Sasha, who rolled over and let the two girls dry her fur.
†
It was still warm when Bri and Siera had finished their last client of the day. The breeze they created as they cycled home had no effect on the stifling heat, and when they arrived at Olivia’s house, the sweat caused their t-shirts to adhere to their skin.
Bri offered to get Siera something cold to drink before her shower. Siera thought she was the luckiest girl in the world, because Bri always thought of her comfort first. Siera wanted to suggest they could take a shower together, but she was afraid Bri might think that was wrong. She accepted her offer and shuffled off to get clean. She kept extra shorts and t-shirts in Bri’s room for their sleepovers.
After Siera took her shower, she joined Deb and Olivia, who were cuddled on the couch together watching an old movie. Deb had her head in Olivia’s lap, and Olivia was absently moving her fingers through Deb’s hair. To Siera, it sure looked like they were a couple, like her and Bri, but they insisted they were friends. Siera thought maybe they did their kissing in private. Siera usually kissed Bri in private when they were around Siera’s family, but for some reason, they were more open when it was only Deb and Olivia.
Olivia looked up when Siera walked into the room. “Hey Siera, I’m sorry it’s so hot in here. The air conditioning is on the blink. Are you sure you want to stay here tonight? I asked Deb the same thing, but I guess a head rub and Love Story beats out her cool condo.”
“It’s so sad. Can we watch something that has a good ending? Bri will be down soon after her shower,” Siera said.
“Of course, kiddo.” Olivia brushed her hand along Deb’s cheek. “Hey sleepyhead, have you crashed already? What should we watch that has a good ending?”
Deb removed her head from Olivia’s lap, sat up, and yawned. “Man, I’m sorry, those three long shifts in a row kicked my butt. How about we watch, When Harry Met Sally? That has a good ending.”
“Good choice. We can stop watching this any time, because you’re right. It always makes me blubber like a baby, and I’ll imitate your aunt. You know, she’s a really ugly crier,” Olivia teased.
Deb smacked Olivia on the arm. “Ha, ha, you’ll never let me live down the first day I met you. Definitely not one of my finer days.”
“Oh, I don’t know, Deb. You’d look gorgeous even if you were hiccup crying.”
“Careful Olivia, you know if you give me an inch, I’m gonna take a mile.” Deb winked.
Bri came bounding into the room. “Hey, what’d I miss?”
Siera whispered in Bri’s ear, “Aunt Deb and Olivia were flirting with each other.”
“Hey now, no secrets over there,” Olivia chastised.
Bri and Siera giggled.
†
After the movie, Bri sat on the end of the bed. A shy smile blossomed on her beauti
ful face. “Um, it’s really hot tonight. Aunt Olivia said they won’t be able to come and fix the air conditioner until next week. I’m sorry I forgot. Maybe if we take off all our clothes it will be okay.”
“Okay, but you gotta turn off the light. ’Cause I have an ugly, dumpy body,” Siera answered. It was one of the things about herself she hated most. She was so short and carried extra weight in her stomach. Bri always made her feel good about herself, but still, sometimes she obsessed over her belly fat.
“You have a beautiful body, Siera. I love it and everything about you. Please don’t say that about yourself. I’ll turn off the light, because I know how shy you are sometimes.” Bri reached over and turned out the light.
Siera could hear Bri rustling around while she took off her clothes.
Siera neatly folded her t-shirt and shorts and set them aside before crawling into the bed and moving close to Bri. They always snuggled together at night, so she didn’t think anything of it when she moved her body against Bri’s.
Bri’s hand draped over her stomach, and she could feel her naked body up against her backside. Siera felt tingles up and down her spine, and she wanted to do more than kiss Bri. She wanted to touch her in other places, but she didn’t know what she was doing.
Siera turned around and tentatively put her hand on Bri’s naked breast and let her fingers brush lightly over her nipples. When they pebbled and changed shape, Siera was sure she’d done something wrong, but Bri broke the silence, “That feels nice, can I touch yours too?”
Siera nodded. The two girls continued to move their fingers across each other’s breasts and stomach. When Bri continued her exploration, and stroked the soft hair in Siera’s private area, Siera felt something building. Moisture began to collect. She knew she didn’t have to go to the bathroom and it felt so nice. She decided she wouldn’t say anything, because she wanted to feel Bri’s gentle caress. It felt better than when Bri pushed her hand through Siera’s wavy, dark hair.
“It’s not as soft as the hair on your head. It still feels silky. Is it okay to do this?” Bri asked.
“It feels really nice. I want to feel your golden hair too. Aunt Deb told me sex is a beautiful thing between people who love each other. She said it usually involves touching a person’s private area. Mom used to tell me I should never let someone touch me down there. I don’t think she meant someone who loves me. I guess it’s like when she said I shouldn’t talk to strangers when I was little. When I got older, it became okay to talk to strangers. Like when we first started our business. We had to do a lot of marketing. Things change when you become an adult and fall in love.”
“I love you, Siera. I want you to touch me like I’m touching you,” Bri said.
“I love you too. I wish I knew what we’re supposed to do during sex. Every time I try to find out. I get a funny look. Even Aunt Deb squirms a little. She won’t go into a lot of detail. She only repeats the same thing. ‘Sex between two people who love each other is very special and private.’”
“Aunt Olivia bought that book about pet grooming for us. It had a lot of detail. I’ll bet if we went on the internet, we could find a book about sex.”
“We’re two girls who love each other. We should look for a book on lesbian sex.”
That night, Siera had the feeling they could take things further than they had, but didn’t know exactly what further meant. Siera was too embarrassed to mention about the book on lesbian sex, and when Bri didn’t bring it up again, she forgot all about it. Their business continued to expand and her schoolwork increased so much it seemed like Sundays were the only days they had much time to spend with one another. It was nice to snuggle and touch Bri, even if she didn’t know exactly how to have lesbian sex. Siera figured they had plenty of time to figure it all out.
Chapter Nineteen
April 2013
Siera sneaked a glance at the young woman sitting next to her. A little, silver ball in her nose matched the one on her tongue. Siera had overheard the woman talking about her girlfriend one day and how she loved the way the ball felt on her clit. Siera wanted to ask her if she was a lesbian and what she should do if she wanted to make love to Bri, but Rain seemed so tough. Siera was afraid.
She’d seen Rain one time when she’d gone with Olivia to the animal shelter. She knew Rain volunteered there and was very gentle with the cats and dogs. Siera thought Rain was a good person, despite her outward appearance. She mentally chastised herself for making assumptions about someone because of the way they looked and dressed. Wasn’t that what everyone did with her? Siera shifted her eyes again to Rain, who was slouched back in her chair.
“Why do you keep looking at me? What’s your problem, Siera?” Rain asked.
“You…uh…you know my name?” Siera asked.
“Sure, I mean, this isn’t a class of a hundred or anything. There’s only twenty of us. Besides, I remember when you came to the shelter with Olivia. Olivia’s cool. She volunteers her services, and that makes all the difference in the world to the shelter,” Rain answered.
Siera was surprised Rain hadn’t mentioned anything about being amazed that someone like her could be in college. It was like Down’s didn’t matter, and that was a rare occasion with Siera. She decided she wanted to learn about lesbian sex more than she was afraid to ask. “Are you a real lesbian?”
Rain laughed. “As opposed to a fake one? You got a problem with lesbians?”
“Oh no, I’m a lesbian too. My girlfriend’s name is Bri. We own Pretty Paws together,” Siera answered.
Rain lifted her eyebrow. “Is that so? You two should come to one of our parties. They get a little wild, but everyone’s nice. They won’t be cruel to you or anything.”
“You mean because we’re Down’s?”
“Sorry, I guess that was kinda rude, huh? Look, I would like you two to come. I’ll make sure everyone behaves and doesn’t try to get you guys drunk or anything. My friends are harmless, but they do like everyone to have a good time. Sometimes they push too much alcohol.”
“Can I ask you a question?” Siera asked.
“Sure,” Rain answered.
“Bri and I have been together for almost three years. We want to have sex, but we don’t really know how.”
Rain smiled. “Do you kiss?”
“Oh yes. We like to kiss. We’ve slept together once without clothes. We touched each other’s breasts. We didn’t know what to do after that. Even Olivia and Aunt Deb get uncomfortable if we ask specific questions. They’re lesbians, you know. But they won’t tell us exactly what to do. They just say making love is a beautiful thing. If two people love each other, there is nothing wrong with it. That isn’t very helpful,” Siera explained.
Rain chuckled. “I love your thirst for knowledge. I’ll buy you a cup of coffee after class and give you a few pointers. Have you guys ever considered getting a book?”
Siera blushed. “I suggested that. We learned a lot about our business with a book. I thought maybe we could learn about sex from a book. Then I wasn’t sure if I should bring it up again. We were naked together that one night. Bri didn’t say anything about it after that. I thought maybe she didn’t want to learn that way.”
“First rule, Siera, is you gotta communicate with each other. If you want something, you gotta tell the other person what you want. Your partner isn’t a mind reader. If something feels good, you have to tell them, otherwise they won’t know to continue.”
Siera nodded. “I guess honesty is the best policy. Even with sex, huh?”
“Now you’re catching on.”
The professor entered the classroom, but Siera was looking forward to having coffee with Rain. She knew this unlikely new friend would tell her about lesbian sex, and she got the impression Rain was really good at it.
†
Deb was bored. She had the day off and decided to visit Olivia at her clinic. Sometimes, Olivia would have new puppies or kittens that needed their first shots, and that always lifted Deb’s
spirits. Oh, who was she kidding? Deb was in love with Olivia, and she’d invent any excuse she could to spend time with her unrequited love. She needed to talk with Olivia, because she wasn’t sure what to do. She’d seen Siera having coffee with a very rough-looking girl a few days ago. Her spiky hair and face piercings didn’t seem to fit the kind of person Siera would be friends with.
Deb barreled through the clinic doors and saw Evie typing on the computer. She could hear music in the back and thought Bri probably had a client. If Siera was helping Deb could ask about the rough woman. Siera didn’t have classes on Friday, so there was a good chance she was helping Bri today.
“Hey Evie, any chance your boss can get away for lunch?” Deb asked.
“I can move around a few appointments. Let me do my magic. Lucky for you, her next appointment lives close by and is always flexible.” Evie winked.
“You’re a doll, Evie. Are you sure you’re straight?” Deb joked.
“Absolutely, but you keep working on the boss. One day, she’s gonna realize what a catch you are.”
“A girl can dream,” Deb answered.
Olivia peeked her head out of one of the rooms. “I thought I heard your voice. What’s up, trouble? You flirting with Evie again?”
“Yeah, but she shut me down. So, I guess I’ll have to direct all my flirtations to you. Is Siera back there?” Deb pointed to the back room.
Olivia nodded. “Uh huh, why?”
“I wanted to ask her about this girl I saw her having coffee with.”
Olivia frowned. “What girl?”
“I don’t know, but she looked a bit rough to me. Face piercings, spiky hair, tattoo sleeve.”
