She gave me a lopsided smile. Her thumbs continued that comforting motion. “I can’t believe you gave up West Genesis for me.”
“Hey now.” I tried to pull away. “Don’t get cocky.”
She grabbed my face again and pulled me in for a long, lingering kiss. I moaned at how soft and sweet she was. This girl had a singular talent for making me forget that I was supposed to be mad at her.
+++++
I laid there awake, with Nora lightly snoring and using my chest as a pillow, for a long while. I absently stroked her soft hair, twirling the short locks around my fingers and gently moving the tips of my fingers against her scalp. I let my mind wander dangerously onto thoughts about what might happen to the two of us all alone out here.
I could hunt and there was enough wood to burn in the surrounding area to live comfortably for a few months. We never had to worry about water because of all the snow, but this couldn’t be a permanent solution. We couldn’t last, especially as the years dragged on and it became colder and colder. It was lucky that Nora had a degree in sustainability, but she herself had lamented it was only so useful when given primitive tools. This cottage we’d found was the essence of primitive. I doubted it ever had electricity even before Apophis. Realistically the perfect place for Nora and her educational skill-set would be Hot Springs, but I knew she would never agree to that. Neither would I.
“You’re still awake?” Nora’s voice was heavy with sleep. She pulled herself up and leaned on one elbow to gaze over at me.
I brushed a few strands of hair out of her face. She smiled sleepily and leaned into my touch.
“Sorry. Did I wake you up?”
She shut her eyes and shook her head. Her loose blonde hair fluttered around her face. “No. But you should get some sleep, hun.”
I felt a tug inside my chest at the small endearment. “Maybe I just want to watch you sleep.”
“Creeper,” she teased.
My eyes fluttered when she traced her fingers along the tattoo on my hip. She dragged the pad of her index finger along the dark lines.
“Tell me about this.”
I would have been content to let her keep touching me without need for conversation, but she clearly had other ideas.
“It’s a bird on a string,” I said. My breath hitched when her fingertips traveled dangerously close to a more intimate area, but then they returned to their previous innocent spot on my hip.
“I can see that,” she said, lightly swatting at me. “But what does it mean? Why did you get it?”
“It’s stupid. I was 18,” I said, as if that answer alone would satisfy her. I should have known better by now.
Nora frowned and removed her hand from my hip. “You’re not very good at telling stories.”
I grabbed her hand and put it back on my tattoo. I’d tell her whatever she wanted to know as long as she kept touching me. “It represents the need to be free from constraints.”
Her fingertips resumed their dance along my skin.
“I love my family, but I was never able to be myself around them. They never would have accepted me if I...” I trailed off.
Nora’s hand paused, but she didn’t remove it completely. “If you what?”
I bit my lower lip. I had never said the words out loud before. “If I had told them I was gay.”
Nora didn’t blink. “You should have. Maybe they would have surprised you.”
I sincerely doubted that, but there was no point arguing about it with Nora. My parents wouldn’t have done something extreme like disowned me or thrown me out of the house, but they would have never been okay with it. If I’d told them, they probably would have denied it and then we never would have talked about it ever again.
“Did your parents...I mean, did you ever...” I stumbled over my words. I didn’t want to assume she self-identified as anything.
“I never talked to them about relationship stuff. But even if I had told them I liked girls, my mom would have turned it into all about herself – like me being gay was my way of punishing her or something.” Nora made a face. “But seriously Sam, if you don’t go to sleep right this moment, my feelings are going to be hurt.”
“And why is that?”
A small smile curled her lips up. “Because if you’re not exhausted, I didn’t do a good enough job on you.”
“Oh, I’m tired all right,” I reassured her. “I'd be surprised if my legs actually still work.”
My response seemed to satisfy her, so she planted a near-chaste kiss on my mouth before rolling over in bed. She wiggled backwards until her backside was curled into my side. Then she grabbed my arm furthest away from her so she could rotate me onto my side as well and drape my arm across her midsection. She had just bossy-spooned me.
I let all of my concerns for the future slip away as she curled back into me. I would worry about it tomorrow. I nuzzled my nose against the back of her head and inhaled.
“Are you smelling me?” The first time she’d asked me that question, her tone had been cold and hostile. Now, however, I heard only mirth.
I took another deep breath, no longer hiding it. “Yes. Yes I am.”
+++++
FIN
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Eliza Lentzski is the author of lesbian fiction, romance, and erotica novels including Winter Jacket, Second Chances, Date Night, Diary of a Human, Love, Lust, & Other Mistakes, and the forthcoming Bittersweet Homecoming (Spring 2014). Although a historian by day, Eliza is passionate about fiction. She calls the Midwest her home along with her partner and their cat and turtle.
Follow her on Twitter, @ElizaLentzski, and Like her on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/elizalentzski) for updates and exclusive previews of future original releases.
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