Seeing Her

by Maria Jackson

  But she was only trying to talk to Chloe. “I want you on top of me.”

  “Like how?”

  “Like sitting on my face.” Jennie grabbed at Chloe. “I know you’re innocent and all, but you must’ve heard of a sixty-nine before, right?”

  “Oh.” Chloe’s eyes widened and her heartbeat picked up speed. “Okay, let’s try that.”

  Chloe got on top of Jennie, her hips above Jennie’s mouth and her face between Jennie’s legs. She swallowed, a little nervous but also incredibly turned on. Usually they took turns, but this time they could both pleasure each other at the same time.

  Pressing her torso against Jennie’s stomach, she sucked her clit into her mouth. Jennie grabbed her butt, pulling her down and doing the same to her. Chloe glanced down. She couldn’t see much of Jennie’s body from this angle, but she loved it. She could look right at Jennie’s butt, which was the best view she could have asked for.

  She licked Jennie as best as she could, trying not to lose focus. That was difficult when Jennie was pleasuring her so skilfully. Her clit was hard enough that it was almost throbbing, and she wanted nothing more than to come right how.

  Her fingers digging into Jennie’s skin, she rocked against her tongue. She couldn’t control her movements. Feeling her nipples graze against Jennie’s stomach and Jennie’s breasts pressing up against hers got her even hotter.

  She pushed against Jennie’s mouth, her body already bucking. Unable to keep licking, she turned her head away. She was going to have to finish Jennie after this. Her own climax was coming on, and fuck, it was urgent. She couldn’t think about anything else while this tension built inside her.

  Her body shook, and the heat in her belly grew. She was on the verge, and she couldn’t hold back anymore. At the last possible moment, she turned back and set her tongue to Jennie’s clit again. She couldn’t allow herself to finish without giving Jennie some kind of pleasure. And going down on Jennie turned her on more than practically anything else.

  She gripped Jennie’s butt cheeks, lapping at her as much as she could while she exploded. She saw stars as she came.

  She was still coming down from the climax when she realized Jennie was pushing her hips up, forcing her slickness against Chloe’s tongue. “You’re so fucking hot,” Jennie moaned. “You’re making me come so hard.”

  Chloe pulled herself together enough to start licking Jennie again. She licked as energetically as she could, knowing Jennie was feeling the same thing as she had just been feeling. She wanted to give her the best possible climax.

  Her clit twinged again as Jennie bucked and shook beneath her. Chloe kept going, slowing down because she knew Jennie would be sensitive now. She carefully brought Jennie to a second orgasm, and although she wanted to keep going, Jennie rolled over to throw her off.

  Chloe craned her neck enough to kiss Jennie’s inner thigh. Jennie chuckled and stroked Chloe’s head.

  “I think I like that position,” Chloe said.

  “I think I like any position where you’re with me.”

  This still felt like a dream, but as it kept going, Chloe was starting to believe that it was real.

  “We have the day off,” she said lovingly as she moved up to cuddle with Jennie. “Do you want to do anything?”

  “Yes, actually. I was thinking we need to buy something.”

  Chloe snuggled into Jennie’s chest. “What’s that?”

  “A helmet for my bike. Two helmets, actually.”

  A wave of happiness crested over Chloe. Jennie had to be taking this relationship seriously if she wanted Chloe to get a helmet. And she was taking better care of herself if she wanted her own.

  “I would love to do that. Before we go, I should go home and get some clothes.” She paused, not sure if it was too soon to suggest this. Well, it would be okay. They had already been through a lot together. “Do you want to come meet my family?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Are you sure you would want them to meet me? You know… a drug dealer?”

  Chloe almost took it as Jennie not wanting to meet them, but then she remembered the issues she had discovered. Jennie was probably thinking that Chloe didn’t really want her there. But she wasn’t toxic, far from it. And Chloe wanted that more than anything.

  “Of course I want you to come. They’ll want to see who I’ve been spending so many nights away from home with. They’re very curious about you, and I’d love for you to meet them.”

  Jennie blinked at her, but then she nodded. “If you’re sure, I’ll do it.”

  She clearly wasn’t crazy about the idea, but she agreed for Chloe’s sake. The effort was what mattered to Chloe. It meant the world that Jennie would do that for her.

  “Okay.” Chloe pressed a kiss onto Jennie’s stubbly cheek. “You know…” Her voice trembled, and she had to remind herself not to fear Jennie. “This might be a good time to think about quitting selling.”

  Jennie stiffened. “Why?”

  “Just that the cons are adding up after what happened at the restaurant, and you seem like you’re worried about what people think of you for dealing.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Well, it’s a thought.” Chloe was going to care for Jennie no matter what she did with her life. But she hoped Jennie would give quitting some serious consideration. It would make Jennie even more attractive to her, and it would be better for Jennie.

  “I had some vague ideas about saving up money,” Jennie said. “I guess I can just try to get more tips at the restaurant.”

  “Saving up for what?”

  “Nothing.” Jennie paused. “Maybe, like, going back to school or something.”

  “That would be amazing. You’d want to do that?”

  “No. Maybe. I don’t know.”

  Since Jennie seemed to want to drop the subject, Chloe let it go. But as they lay around for a few minutes more, she couldn’t suppress her smile. She hoped Jennie was going to do something that would make her happy.

  Although Chloe could have spent the whole day there in bed with Jennie, Jennie seemed anxious. When Chloe pressed her to leave sooner rather than later, Jennie agreed. Chloe figured she probably just wanted to get it over with.

  As soon as they were both ready, they took Jennie’s motorcycle to Chloe’s house. When they got off, Chloe’s mom was the first one they saw. She came downstairs, surprise visible on her face.

  “Oh, Chloe, it’s you. I almost forgot that you live here.”

  “It’s me,” she said cheerfully. Opening the door further to reveal Jennie, she said, “I brought company. This is Jennie.”

  “Jennie?”

  “The one I’ve been spending a lot of time with,” Chloe said, hesitant to describe their relationship any more than that. “We’re kind of dating.”

  Jennie grabbed her hand. “I’m her girlfriend.”

  Mrs. Delaney was speechless for a second, but she recovered quickly. “Oh, welcome! Come on in. Would you like something to drink?”

  “No, I’m okay.”

  “We were just going to grab some clothes,” Chloe said nervously.

  “No way. This is the first girl you’ve brought home, and I want to know everything about her. Let me get your father.”

  She dashed away, her excitement visible. Chloe blushed. “Sorry.”

  Jennie didn’t look annoyed. “That’s okay. She’s cute.”

  When Chloe’s father came down, the four of them sat in the kitchen for a few minutes. They chatted, and Jennie played along with the white lie about Chloe working in a normal restaurant. “Yes, it’s a great place,” she said. “It’s normal for Chloe to not want you to come in and see where she works. She’d be too self-conscious.”

  When Jennie went to the bathroom, Mrs. Delaney patted Chloe’s back. “She’s a very nice girl,” she said.

  “Even though she rides a motorcycle?”

  “I don’t think it’s the safest thing, but I don’t have a problem with that.”

  �
��It’s pretty safe,” she said. “We’re about to go get helmets. She just wasn’t sure if you had something against her. To be honest, she thought she saw you looking from the window last time and she didn’t think you approved.”

  “Well, I’m not crazy about my baby girl riding around on a motorcycle,” Mrs. Delaney said. “But I have no issues with the girl that’s taking you around. As long as she makes you happy, I’m happy.”

  “I am happy,” Chloe said. Delirious, in fact.

  “I know,” Mrs. Delaney said. “It’s written all over your face.”

  “You talk a lot when she’s around,” her father added.

  “Yes, I haven’t seen you talk that much with anyone in a long time.”

  “Soon she’ll be like a second daughter to us.”

  Jennie came back in time to hear the end of what they were saying. Chloe’s parents smiled at her, and she came to sit down again. Chloe put her hand over Jennie’s hand.

  Nothing could replace Jennie’s family, but maybe Chloe’s could make that space in her life a little less empty.

  TWENTY-FOUR

  The restaurant was fancier than Jennie was used to. It had tablecloths and napkins, and the waiter wore a jacket and tie. As they sat down and opened the menus, she saw the prices were easily triple what she normally paid.

  Jennie had chosen this place because she wanted to do something special with Chloe. Even if they had only been together for a short time, it felt like they had been a couple for ages. This was the one-week anniversary of the first time they had used the word “girlfriend.”

  All through the past week, they had managed to work together at Jubblies without any customers catching on. The girls all knew about them being together, and even Paula had come to tolerate it.

  “I’m glad the work week is over,” Jennie said. “This feels like it was a long one.”

  “Because all through every shift, you were dying to be with me again after,” Chloe pointed out.

  “That’s probably true.”

  There was more to it, although Jennie wasn’t going to tell Chloe yet. After one of their conversations, her vague thoughts about the future had clarified into a decision. She’d spent a lot of time doing research and making phone calls outside of work this week. It had been hard to keep it from Chloe up to now. Soon it would be the right moment to tell her. She just hoped Chloe would be okay with it.

  The waiter came and took their orders, and then they were alone again. “You know, you seem to be getting along better with the other girls,” Jennie said.

  “Yeah, I feel much more comfortable with them now. I think it’s mostly from you encouraging me to talk to them. Now that I had your help a few times, they aren’t so scary.”

  “They like you, you know. You shouldn’t be scared by them.”

  “I know that logically, but my mind doesn’t always cooperate.”

  “Well, keep trying. You’re doing great.”

  “I know I’ll never be as outgoing as Alyssa or Kylie,” Chloe said. “But I feel like everyone understands that I’m quieter than the rest. I feel more like a member of the Jubblies family now.”

  They smiled at each other. Jennie was content that she could have helped Chloe in some way. Anytime that she felt down about herself, she could think back to how she had done this. Chloe wasn’t faking the way she smiled at Jennie, or the gratitude that she felt. Jennie could be secure in the knowledge that she’d made a difference in Chloe’s life.

  Jennie’s phone buzzed in her pocket, and she reached for it at the same time as Chloe reached for her. She frowned at Chloe, wondering which of their phones had gone off. As they both checked, she saw it was her. But Chloe opened her phone, too.

  “Did we both get a text?” Jennie asked.

  “It looks like it’s a group chat,” Chloe said, frowning.

  The chat that had appeared on Jennie’s screen included Chloe, Jennie, Paula, Alyssa, and Kylie. Jennie opened it.

  Paula: Hello everyone. I thought this would be a good way to keep in touch outside the restaurant. If there is any news, we can use this chat to tell each other.

  Jennie snorted. “The girls are going to have fun with this.”

  “It definitely isn’t going to go well.”

  Another text from Paula arrived. Some minor news for now. The party room will be opening officially this Wednesday night.

  The girls started to respond quickly.

  Kylie: Cool!

  Alyssa: Got it.

  “Do you want to respond?” Chloe asked.

  Jennie could have said yes, but she had just realized something. Chloe didn’t mind typing. Maybe this could be a less stressful way for her to connect with the other girls. “No, you go ahead,” she said. “Answer for both of us.”

  “But what should I say?”

  “That’s up to you. Every time you say something, the other girls are interested.”

  After a moment, Chloe put her thumb on the screen. Me and Jennie are popping some champagne to celebrate.

  “See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Jennie said, giving Chloe a supportive pat on the arm.

  They smiled at each other. “I definitely should get to know them better,” Chloe said.

  The conversation didn’t falter as they ate their dinner. Jennie was somewhat on edge, though. The meal barely tasted like anything. She couldn’t even enjoy being in Chloe’s presence.

  After they ordered dessert, she realized that her nervousness was showing. “Is anything wrong?” Chloe asked.

  Jennie set her hands on the table with a sigh. “I do have something that I wanted to talk to you about.”

  The waiter came and deposited two slices of cake in front of them. Jennie picked up her fork and played with it as she chose her words carefully. “To start, I have something for you.”

  Chloe blinked at her as she pushed a few stapled papers across the table. “What is this?”

  “It’s a contract.” Jennie pointed to the relevant part. “A gym membership.”

  “For me?” Chloe looked overjoyed. “That’s too much. I love it, but you didn’t have to do that.”

  “Well…” Jennie hesitated. “I wanted to be sure I would still see you all the time. Chloe, I’m planning to leave Jubblies.”

  Chloe put down her fork and looked at her. She must have seen this coming – Jennie had been vocal about her desire to leave for as long as they’d known each other. Still, the expression on her face was pure worry.

  “I’ll see you at the gym – and outside, of course,” Jennie assured her. “I wouldn’t want to be without you.”

  “I want you to do what’s right for you.” Chloe asked. Despite her encouraging words, her eyes were sad.

  “You know I’ve been wanting to get out of there for a long time,” Jennie explained. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I didn’t think I could afford to leave, but with a scholarship, I could.”

  “You decided to go back to school?”

  “Yes.” Jennie swallowed, nervous to even give voice to her dream. “For social work.”

  The scholarship was intended for women under twenty-five who came from a low income background. It had gone through quicker than she’d expected. After rushing to complete the application, she’d been accepted in a matter of days.

  “So you want to help kids who are going through the same thing you did?” Chloe asked.

  “Exactly. I want to work with LGBT youth. I suffered so much from my family’s rejection, and I’m not alone. After we talked about that, I did some research. A lot of people have it even worse. There are kids who get kicked out after coming out, or who get disowned entirely.”

  “That’s true. That would be great for you.”

  A light was coming into Chloe’s eyes. Even though she still looked unhappy, she seemed hopeful too.

  Jennie continued, reassured by her excitement. “I think I might be able to help people. Another social worker might not understand what these kids are going through,
but I do. If I can stop one person from getting into drugs or living a bad lifestyle, I’ll feel like I helped somebody. Even if their families are supportive, I could make them more comfortable and confident with coming out.”

  During their phone call, the scholarship administrator had said he was very excited about Jennie’s potential. He thought Jennie could really make a difference. Jennie was less sure, but she was cautiously hopeful.

  Chloe looked down at her plate. For a moment, Jennie didn’t know how she would respond. But then she smiled at her, picked up a piece of cake with her fork, and held it out to Jennie. “I’ll miss you a lot. But I’ll be happy as long as we’re together.”

  Jennie bit the cake off of the fork and smiled, catching a crumb that fell from the corner of her mouth. The sweetness was the perfect complement to how she felt right now. The future looked brighter than it ever had before.

  “You don’t need to worry about that,” she told Chloe. “You and I are always going to be together.”

  TWENTY-FIVE

  Although Jennie was immersed in the sociology textbook, she pushed it to the side of her desk as soon as the clock hit nine o’clock. Jubblies would be closing right now, which meant Chloe would be back in a few minutes.

  Jennie cleaned up her study area, which was covered in binders and pens. That wasn’t completely necessary, but it would look nicer when Chloe arrived. She put on some soft music to keep the two of them from annoying her roommates too much. They tended to talk until late at night… if they weren’t making other noises that would disturb her roommates’ sleep even more.

  Despite that it was Friday night, Jennie had no regrets about staying in. Being home was worth it for the chance to see her girlfriend after her shift at work. Chloe was usually tired when she got off work, which made this time even more important for the two of them. Jennie liked to make sure Chloe had a warm embrace to come home to.

  On the dot of 9:15, Jennie heard a key turn in the lock. She’d given it to Chloe a few weeks into their relationship. Chloe was over here so often that it only made sense, and she’d made good use of it over these past three months.

  Jennie hurried to the door. There Chloe was. Jennie’s heart quickened at the sight of her. Even after this long, Jennie still hadn’t gotten used to having such an attractive girlfriend. She hoped her heart would always react like that when she saw Chloe.