Trust in Me

by Lydia Rose

  “That depends on you.”

  “Me?”

  “Yeah. When can you watch Alice?”

  “How about Tuesday?” Jules asked standing.

  “Are you sure?” Eileen asked looking up at her sister.

  “Are you sure, Eileen?” Jules watched Eileen’s head nod up and down. “I’m going to bed before my head explodes.” Eileen chuckled at her sister’s words. “I feel like I’ve entered the twilight zone.”

  “Me too,” Eileen said putting her arm through her sister’s. “Me too, Jules.”

  CHAPTER 22

  Jules walked into the house Monday evening and found her sister in the kitchen making dinner. “Hey,” Jules said to her sister and Alice.

  “Hi, Aunt Jules,” Alice said smiling at her aunt. “Mommy took me to get school supplies today.”

  “So you’re all ready for school?” Jules asked smiling down at her niece.

  “Yep.” Alice went back to her coloring book.

  “And is mommy ready for tomorrow night?” she asked whispering in Eileen’s ear.

  “Yes and go upstairs and get changed. Dinner will be ready shortly.” Eileen bumped her sister with her hip.

  Jules hurried up the stairs to change her clothes. When she came back down, her sister was alone in the kitchen. “Where’s Alice?”

  “Outside with Carly,” she said, pointing with her head out the window.

  “Did you speak with Carol today?” Jules asked and her sister shot her a glare. “I’m just asking,” she said adding a shrug.

  “I did. We’re going out to dinner tomorrow evening.” Eileen stirred the food in the pot.

  “She knows you’ve never been with a woman before?” Jules asked softly.

  “She knows and she doesn’t care.” Eileen didn’t tell Jules that Carol told her she was in complete control of the situation. If at any time it didn’t feel right, she would understand.

  “Yeah, I’m sure she doesn’t,” Jules mumbled, but not quietly enough for her sister not to hear.

  “What does that mean?” Eileen turned, putting her hands on her hips.

  “Just that she might think it’s fun to flip the straight girl.”

  “I didn’t say I was going to sleep with her.” Eileen insisted with her hands still firmly on her hips.

  “Are you just going to date her and never sleep with her?”

  “I don’t know, Jules.” She sat down in a kitchen chair. “I want to sleep with her,” Eileen admitted weakly.

  “You do?” Jules asked shocked.

  “Yes, Jules.” Eileen covered her face with her hands. “I’ve thought about nothing else since Sunday,” she admitted, turning bright red.

  “The chemo did destroy your brain,” Jules said rubbing her temples.

  Eileen finally laughed. “Jules, life is too short to put yourself into a box.”

  “So you’re doing this because you almost died?” Jules asked looking at her and taking her hand.

  “No, Jules. I really did feel a connection with Carol and I want to see where it goes.”

  “I hope she doesn’t hurt you, Eileen. I don’t want to see you sad.”

  “Jules, I know that is a possibility, but I have to take a chance. Paige gave you a second chance. If she didn’t do that, you wouldn’t be as happy as you are now.”

  “Yeah,” Jules admitted with a smirk, but knowing Paige was going to be away from home often, didn’t make her feel happy. She got up and pulled her sister up from the chair. Her arms wrapped around her tightly. “I won’t say another word, Eileen. I will support you in this relationship, but if you need to talk, I’ll be here to listen.”

  Eileen pulled her sister to her tightly. “Thank you, Jules. You don’t know what your support means to me.” She kissed her cheeks.

  “I’ll always support you, Eileen. No matter what it is.”

  *

  Jules and Alice sat on the couch watching television while Eileen was upstairs getting ready for her date. “Is mommy going out on a date, Aunt Jules?”

  Jules looked down at her niece. “Mommy is going out to dinner with a friend,” she answered wrapping her arm around Alice.

  When the doorbell rang, Jules stood up and Alice followed her to the door. “Hi, Carol.”

  “Hello, Jules.” She looked down at the little girl. “Hi. You must be Alice. Your mommy has told me so much about you.”

  Alice hugged Jules’s leg. “Hi,” she said softly.

  They all turned as Eileen came down the stairs and stared. Eileen was wearing a dress and her hair was styled in soft curls. Her makeup brought out her brown eyes and the smile she wore showed how happy she was.

  “You look nice, Mommy,” Alice was the first to comment.

  “Yeah,” Carol said softly and stared at Eileen as she continued down the stairs. “Beautiful.”

  Eileen smiled. “Thank you. You look nice too,” she said taking in the black jeans and button down shirt. Her leather jacket stopped at her small waist. Eileen smiled as she continued down the stairs. Now looking down at her daughter, she said, “Be good for Aunt Jules.”

  “I will, Mommy.”

  Eileen bent down and kissed Alice’s cheek and took Jules’s hand. “Thank you.” Jules nodded. “Are you ready to go?” Eileen asked smiling at a beaming Carol.

  “Yes,” Carol answered opening the front door. “It was nice to meet you, Alice.” She now looked at Jules. “Thank you for watching Alice.”

  “Go have fun you two.” Alice and Jules took their seats again on the couch. Jules could not deny the connection she saw between her sister and Carol. It was clearly written on their faces and the electricity in the room was obvious.

  Jules tucked Alice in at eight o’clock and walked into her own room. She was surprised that she hadn’t heard from Paige yet and called her number. Her voicemail picked up after one ring. So having nothing else to do, she took a shower and got ready for bed.

  When the cab pulled up in front of the house, the woman inside the cab was thankful that a light was still on in the house. She walked up to the front door pulling her suitcase behind her. Reaching the top of the stairs, she peered inside the house. She was startled for a moment thinking Jules was kissing a woman on the couch, but looking closely, she realized that it was Eileen. A smile crossed her face as she opened the door quietly and went up the stairs not making a sound. She now opened Jules’s bedroom door and quietly walked over to the bed. Paige could hear Jules’s even breathing as she stripped off her clothes and got under the covers. The body next to her stirred.

  “I’m tired, Eileen. Tell me about your date in the morning.” Jules turned over facing the form next to her. “You smell like Paige,” she said through a yawn. “She never called me tonight. I miss her so much.”

  Paige leaned over and kissed Jules’s cheek. “She missed you too.”

  Hearing Paige’s voice, Jules sat up and turned on the light. “You’re here,” she said pulling Paige into her body.

  Paige was now giggling. “I’m here, honey. I couldn’t stay away any longer.”

  “Did Eileen let you in the house?” Jules asked still not believing that Paige was here in her arms.

  “Nope. She was busy kissing some woman on the couch.”

  “She was?” Jules asked and Paige nodded. “Weird, isn’t it?”

  “I don’t know. She looked pretty happy to me.” Paige moved closer to Jules. “Are you really too tired?”

  Jules shook her head. “I am suddenly filled with a blast of energy.” She caressed Paige’s cheek. “Thanks for getting into bed naked, but you spoiled my surprise for tomorrow.” Paige raised an eyebrow. “I was going to make us a nice romantic dinner for you to come home to.”

  “I could leave if you prefer?” They both giggled as Jules shut the light.

  She’d much rather have Paige in her arms than have to wait another day to see her.

  Later that evening Eileen climbed the stairs. She wanted to speak with Jules, but she assumed
she was sleeping until she heard her voice. Opening the door slowly she poked her head inside. “Are you awake?” she asked, hearing the ruffling of the covers and saw a second form on the mattress. “Who is in there with you?”

  “Hi, Eileen,” Paige said poking her head out from the covers.

  “Paige? When did you get here?”

  “When you were making out with some woman on the couch.” Paige now sat up pulling the covers with her. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  Eileen almost stepped further into the room, but took a step back instead. “We can talk in the morning. You will still be here, right?”

  “I’ll be here.”

  “Uh, Eileen, would you close the door?” Jules asked softly.

  “Oh sure. Sorry. Good night.” Eileen walked toward her room and a cold shower that awaited her on the other side of the door. She was so aroused from kissing Carol and the noises she knew she would hear would only frustrate her more tonight.

  The two women awoke to find the sun coming through the open blinds. “I’m going to be late,” Jules said climbing out of the bed quickly. “I only work until twelve today and then I’m done until the Tuesday after Labor Day.”

  Paige sat up and yawned. “Do you want to spend the weekend together?”

  Jules grinned. “Of course I do. I’ll come back here after work and pack a bag.”

  “I could do that for you,” she offered, getting out of bed.

  “I think I’ll need to speak with Eileen about what’s going on.”

  Paige nodded. “I plan on speaking with her too.”

  Jules dressed quickly and kissed Paige softly. “I’ll see you this afternoon.”

  “Okay. Enjoy your day.” Then Jules disappeared through the door. A few minutes later, Paige walked downstairs and found Eileen in the kitchen nursing a cup of coffee. “Good morning,” she said walking over to the coffee maker.

  “Morning.” Eileen answered without looking at her.

  Paige sat down and smiled. “So are you ready to tell me about the woman you were kissing on the couch.” They both laughed, but Eileen didn’t answer. “I’ve been gone less than a week and I come home to find my friend is...” she paused.

  “Bisexual,” Eileen answered softly.

  “Okay,” Paige answered trying to sound like she believed her.

  “Are you shocked?”

  “I wouldn’t say shocked, but maybe surprised.” Paige didn’t want to say that she was shocked and didn’t know what was going on with her friend. Instead she reached out her hand and took Eileen’s hand in her own. “So do you want to tell me what happened?”

  “I don’t know, Paige. The moment I opened the door and our eyes met, it felt as if I had known Carol my whole life. I’ve never felt this much attraction so quickly to anyone before.”

  “So you’ve been attracted to women before?” Paige said finally finding the nerve to ask her.

  Eileen nodded. “A few times, but nothing serious. You know, just girl crushes when I was young.”

  “I thought we were best friends. I would have been there to help you, Eileen,” she said with a squeeze of her hand.

  “We haven’t been that close in the last few years. First you had your accident and pushed me away. Then I got sick and did the same thing to you.” Eileen let out a shaky breath. “I guess neither one of us wanted to see the other so vulnerable.” Paige nodded. “Thankfully, Jules brought us back together.”

  Paige smiled. “She did,” she said with a nod of her head. It was true that if she hadn’t met Jules, she wouldn’t have her friend back in her life. “So you really like Carol?” Paige asked with a wide smile.

  “Yeah,” she answered, looking down as she felt her face get red.

  Paige chuckled. “It’s okay, honey. I’m happy for you.” She laughed again. “You know I was jealous when I heard Jules was playing golf with her and her friends.” She put her hand to her head. “Then I found out she was having dinner with her before I knew you were there too. I thought I lost Jules already.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that, Paige. Jules only has eyes for you.” They both smiled.

  “So can you see yourself getting intimate with Carol?” Paige asked resting her chin on her hand. Eileen’s hands immediately went to her face and she covered her deep blush. “I guess that is a resounding yes.”

  Eileen dropped her hands from her face. “I can’t believe that I feel that way. All those years of noticing women, but never thinking much past that and now…” Her palms came up in question. “Now I want nothing else but to go to bed with her.”

  “Jules is spending the weekend with me. If you want to drop off Alice and go out with Carol, we can watch her overnight,” Paige offered.

  “That’s okay. I think I’ll ask Sue next door if Alice can have a sleepover Friday night.”

  “Are you sure, Eileen? We’d love to have her overnight.”

  “You know Alice loves Carly. They have a wonderful time together.” She patted Paige’s hand. “If Sue can’t watch her, I’ll let you know.” Eileen smiled at Paige. “You are a good friend.”

  “I love you too,” Paige answered with a wide smile.

  *

  Jules came into the house at twelve-thirty and took the seat next to her sister who sat on the couch. “Hi.”

  Eileen put her book down. “Hi.”

  “What time are you leaving for work?”

  “I quit,” she said softly.

  “Why?” Jules asked turning on the couch raising her leg. “Don’t you feel well?”

  “I feel great and that’s why I quit. I’m going to look for a better job.”

  “Okay,” she said softly. “Did Paige speak with you this morning?” Eileen nodded. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yes, Jules. Everything is wonderful.”

  “So you really like Carol?” she asked her sister, easing into the topic.

  “Yes, Jules. I like her so much. I know you think I’ve lost my mind, but I want you to know this has nothing to do with me being sick.” She giggled. “Well, in a way it does because I’m tired of avoiding this any longer.” Jules head spun quickly to look at her. “I’ve been attracted to women all my life, Jules.” Admitting more to Jules then she had told Paige. She had been embarrassed because at one time she had a crush on Paige too.

  “You have? Why didn’t you tell me?” Jules asked not understanding and Eileen shrugged.

  “If I said anything, you might have thought I lost my mind.”

  “Are you sure Carol isn’t just using you?” Jules asked knowing Carol would become upset with her question. “Don’t get pissed, Eileen. It’s just that most lesbians want nothing to do with a perceived straight girl. Unless they are out for just one thing.”

  Eileen sat there for a long time thinking about what Jules had just said. Carol didn’t give her the impression of being anything other than sincere, but she really didn’t know her. “I’m so confused,” she said, covering her face.

  Jules pulled her sister up and hugged her. “I’m sorry, Eileen. Carol may really like you. I had no right to say that, but I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “I know, Jules.” Her tears fell silently. “What do I do?”

  “If you really like her, date her.” She looked into Eileen’s eyes. “Just don’t rush into anything.”

  Eileen wiped her eyes. “Easy for you to say.” Her words made them both laugh.

  “You horny little thing,” Jules said, squeezing her sister with one arm.

  “Yeah, I am,” she admitted freely, but couldn’t keep the blush from covering her face.

  “I’m supposed to spend the weekend at Paige’s, but I don’t want to leave you alone. I’ll have her come over here.”

  “No, Jules. How am I going to explain to an eight-year-old why her aunt and Paige are spending the entire day in the bedroom,” she giggled, “besides the noises that she will hear coming from your room.”

  “Very funny, Eileen,” she said g
rinning. “Let’s have a barbecue on Sunday for Labor Day. I want to spend time with Carol.”

  “You aren’t going to interrogate her, are you?” Eileen asked, beginning to panic.

  “Maybe just a little,” Jules answered, pulling her sister to her again.

  CHAPTER 23

  Jules walked into Paige’s house just after one o’clock. “Honey, I’m home,” she called giggling from the foyer.

  “In here, Jules,” Paige responded laughing from the kitchen.

  Jules walked into the kitchen and was met with the most radiant smile she had ever seen which caused her to immediately walk into the open arms that awaited her. They kissed deeply. “I could get used to coming home every day to that.”

  “Me too,” Paige said stealing another kiss before she stepped out of Jules’s arms. “I thought you might be hungry. Sit down, honey.”

  “Thanks. I am starving.” She took her place and placed her napkin on her lap.

  Paige put a plate in front of Jules and then dropped her hands onto her shoulders. “Did you speak with Eileen?” she asked taking a seat.

  Jules swallowed the food in her mouth before answering, “I did. I think we are just going to have to let this play out.”

  “I got the same feeling when I spoke with her. Eileen is infatuated and she is going to see this through.”

  “I should call Pam or Lisa and find out about her, but I’m afraid it will get back to Carol.” Paige nodded. “It’s just so strange. One minute. Carol is flirting with me and then she’s forgotten all about me.”

  “You?” Paige asked, dropping her sandwich.

  Jules realized that she had said that out loud forgetting that Paige was sitting right there. “She flirted until I told her that I was in love with you.”

  “But you still went to play golf with her and then agreed to dinner.”

  Jules shrugged. “I wasn’t interested in her,” she said, trying to take Paige’s hand which quickly left the table. “Don’t be jealous, Paige. I couldn’t get you off my mind and I thought golf would take my mind off you. The dinner was the same thing.”