by Gerri Hill
“I’m not that shy,” she said, her back still to Ashleigh. “I’m sure by the end of the week, we’ll be used to seeing each other.”
“I...I guess so,” Ashleigh said.
Gina heard the zipper of Ashleigh’s shorts and she imagined Ashleigh removing them. She shed her own shorts at the same time, not daring to turn to see if Ashleigh was watching her or not. She slipped on her bikini bottom, thankful she’d spent the last two weeks sunbathing in it. She’d even worn the bikini while she practiced her basketball moves. Her skin was tanned a golden brown, matching Ashleigh’s. Most likely, Ashleigh’s tan was the result of time spent in the pool, not sunbathing in a lounge chair in the backyard of her parents’ house.
When she turned, Ashleigh was watching her, her flip flops held loosely in one hand, a towel in the other.
“You look good,” Ashleigh said, her face turning red as the words apparently sunk in. “I mean, that swimsuit looks good on you.”
Gina smiled. “Thanks. You look...you look great, too,” she said, feeling a blush creep up on her own face. They stared at each other, smiling, finally laughing. And finally relaxing.
“Come on,” Ashleigh said, linking an arm with Gina. “Let’s hit the beach.”
“What do you want to study in college?”
Gina rolled her head to the side, looking at Ashleigh. The other girl was on her stomach, her head resting on her hands. For three days, they’d played in the waves, had participated in a “keep away” game with the four ten-year-olds, had helped them build sandcastles and had played volleyball with a small net Ashleigh’s parents had erected. Now, covered in sand and blissfully tired, they lay on beach towels, soaking up the afternoon rays. Ashleigh’s mother told them they had two hours until the planned time for grilled burgers, that evening’s meal.
“I can’t decide,” Gina said. “I like to draw, to sketch, but I don’t know what I could do with that.”
“An architect?” Ashleigh suggested.
“Seeing as how I barely passed geometry, I think not.” Gina rolled to her side, facing Ashleigh. “What about you?”
“I still don’t have a clue. Business of some sort, I guess. Accounting, maybe.” Her eyes slipped closed. “I always imagined I’d have this huge office in a high-rise somewhere. There’d be windows all around and I could see the city, see downtown.”
“Moving out of Calloway, are you?”
Ashleigh laughed. “Yes.” Her eyes fluttered open again. “I kinda like growing up in a small town, but we’re missing so much. Don’t you think?”
“Maybe. I like when I go to San Antonio each year. There’s so much to do. It’s like, no matter what time of day or night, something is always open.”
“Yeah. Everything doesn’t shut down at five like in Calloway.”
“But I like this, too,” Gina said. “I’ve never been to the beach before. This is fun.”
“We’ve been coming here every year for as long as I can remember.”
“You always get to invite someone along?”
“Yes.”
“Who came last year?”
Gina watched Ashleigh, seeing the thoughtful expression on her face, the little smile. Gina raised her eyebrows, waiting.
“Crissy. She came the last two years.”
“And why not again this year?”
Ashleigh sighed. “I thought we already covered this?”
Gina laughed. “Oh, yeah. You want to get to know me.”
Ashleigh flipped onto her side, mimicking Gina. “Why Catholic school?”
“My parents wanted to save me from the corruption of public school,” she said with a grin. “It was really my grandmother’s doing.”
“So you’re Catholic then?”
“Technically, I guess.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means we don’t go to church on a regular basis. Not anymore, anyway. Not since I’m in public school. Back then, they kinda frowned on it when their students didn’t show up for Mass on Sundays.”
“We’re Methodist, technically. Mom and the twins go a lot. Dad never really goes. I used to, but they let me decide now.”
“And you don’t go?”
“Not as much. I usually leave there with more questions than answers.”
“Yeah. I know what you mean.”
“It’s like, we have a brain, yet we rely on someone else to tell us what to believe, what to think, how to act. I just hate it. Next thing you know, they’ll tell us how to vote.” She rolled onto her back, staring at the sky. “Maybe I’ll be a teacher,” she said after a while.
“You’d hate it.”
She turned her head to look at Gina. “You think so?”
“No high-rise with a view of downtown.”
“Yeah. And I don’t think I could deal with kids all day.”
They were quiet as they watched each other, and Gina let her eyes roam freely across Ashleigh’s face, much as Ashleigh was doing. She finally asked the one question that had been bugging her since the swim party.
“Why don’t you have a boyfriend?”
“I don’t want one.”
“Why?”
“I just...I don’t know. None of the guys at school interest me. I don’t see the point of having a boyfriend just for the sake of having one.”
“But you’re a cheerleader. You’re one of the most popular girls at school. You’re supposed to have a boyfriend.”
Ashleigh rolled her eyes. “I hate cheerleading. My mother made me do it when we were in the seventh grade. I’ve always thought that cheerleaders were nothing but blond, ditzy bimbos,” she said with a laugh. “I don’t want to be stereotyped that way.”
“Well, you have to admit, most are.”
“You mean Crissy?”
“She’s a little ditzy, yes. But she’s in the in crowd, just like you.”
“I’m only in the in crowd because I’m a cheerleader, I live on the north side of town, and my parents gave me a sports car when I turned sixteen. No other reason.”
Gina nodded. “The politics of high school.”
“Yes. It has its advantages, don’t get me wrong,” she said. “You get invited to all the cool parties. But I sometimes think I’m growing up too fast. Faster than them, anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
“My friends—they’re concerned with dating, fashion, celebrities and movies. And gossiping. They’re not concerned with their studies, they’ve not even given a thought to college. They just seem so immature still.” She rolled onto her stomach again. “But not you. I think that’s one reason I wanted to get to know you better. You’re different than them.”
“Yeah. I am concerned about college but mainly how I’m going to pay for it. My parents never went to college. My mom, she works part-time at the courthouse. My dad has worked his way up with no college so they’re not really pushing me. They said they’d help pay if I went to a junior college, but I don’t want that. I want to go to a university.” Gina rolled onto her stomach, watching Ashleigh. “That’s why I practice basketball so much. If I can get a scholarship, then they’ll still be able to help me.”
“Wow. My parents have been talking about college for as long as I can remember. I’ve got a savings account that they started when I was a kid.”
“They always told me my college money went to pay for Catholic school.”
“Yeah, but that was their choice, not yours. Right?”
Gina shrugged. “I didn’t know any better. And it was only recently that I found out my grandmother was the one who paid the tuition, not my parents. I’m just thankful they let me go to public high school.”
“Me, too.” Ashleigh shifted again, this time to her side, facing Gina. “Did Brian ever ask you out?”
“Yeah.”
“And?”
“I told him no.” Gina was surprised by the look of relief on Ashleigh’s face. “Why?”
“I had heard he was going to. Why did you say no?�
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“I’m not interested in him.”
Ashleigh smiled. “I don’t think anyone’s ever turned him down before.”
“You?”
“Brian knows I only tolerate him. He would never ask me out.” Ashleigh picked up a handful of sand and let it sift slowly through her fingers. “Why don’t you have a boyfriend?”
Gina paused, wondering how to answer. “I don’t...I don’t like them,” she finally said. She didn’t know if Ashleigh took that to mean she didn’t like boys or just not the ones in Calloway.
Ashleigh seemed to consider her answer, her eyes peering intently into Gina’s, but she didn’t probe any further. “Ready to cool off in the water?”
Gina nodded, following Ashleigh into the surf, the water cool on her heated skin. They splashed in the water, jumping waves, then diving headfirst into others, feeling the pull of the tide as they moved into deeper water. When they could no longer touch bottom, they started swimming back to shore, riding the waves in until they stood waist deep. They laughed as a large wave knocked them both down, and Gina instinctively reached for Ashleigh, pulling her back up. It was the first time Gina had touched her, she realized, as her hands slid smoothly across Ashleigh’s wet skin, circling her small waist to hold her upright.
They stood there, gazes locked together as the water swirled around them. Gina felt she was drowning in Ashleigh’s eyes. They were as blue as the sky on a cool winter’s day, holding her effortlessly as Ashleigh peered into her soul, no doubt uncovering the secrets Gina had been trying so hard to keep.
Ashleigh didn’t say anything. She simply smiled and squeezed Gina’s arm, her fingers lingering, burning her skin.
“Thanks.”
Gina couldn’t speak. She just nodded. She finally released Ashleigh, her hands falling away from her. Feeling dazed and confused, she stumbled back to shore, snatching up her towel and shaking the sand out of it.
“Gina?”
She closed her eyes, her back to Ashleigh. God, she loved the way Ashleigh said her name.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded, feeling Ashleigh move closer. She didn’t know what to say. She was afraid Ashleigh knew, afraid Ashleigh could sense the attraction Gina had, afraid Ashleigh would pull away from her.
“It’s probably about time for burgers. You ready to head up?”
“Yeah. I’m starving.”
Gina winced when her shoulders hit the bed. Her skin was hot. Even the cold shower didn’t help.
“Are you as sunburned as I am?” Ashleigh asked.
“Yes. What were we thinking, laying out so long?”
“I don’t know but I doubt I’ll be able to sleep.”
“I feel like my skin is on fire.” She lifted up the sleeves of her T-shirt, exposing as much of her shoulders as she could to the cool air.
“We should take our shirts off,” Ashleigh said quietly.
Gina froze, the quiet words rattling around in her brain. Take their shirts off? Then they would be...nude. Her self-restraint was at a breaking point as it was. She’d realized that when they were in the water. How could she possibly stand being in bed with Ashleigh, both of them topless?
She watched as Ashleigh got out of bed, the moonlight bright enough through the thin curtains to follow her movements. She rummaged in her bag, then returned to bed, pausing for only a few seconds before stripping off her T-shirt over her head. Gina felt her breath leave her, felt her heart pound nervously as Ashleigh pulled the covers back.
“Lotion. It might help,” she said. She reached over to Gina, tugging at her arm. “Come on. Take your shirt off.”
The words were spoken in barely a whisper, yet it was a command Gina couldn’t refuse. She stopped thinking, letting her mind go blank, telling herself it was totally innocent. They were both sunburned. They were miserable with their clothes on. The lotion would make them feel better, she reasoned. So she sat up, shedding her T-shirt and tossing it on the floor beside the bed.
“I’ll do your back,” Ashleigh said as she scooted closer.
Gina sat with her legs crossed, her eyes closed, unable to contain the tiny moan that slipped out at the first touch. The lotion did indeed feel cool on her skin as Ashleigh’s hands moved softly across the heated flesh of her shoulders. She tried to keep her breathing as normal as possible but she was having a difficult time as those soft hands caressed down her back then up again.
“Turn around.”
Again, the whispered command was just that. Gina knew she wouldn’t refuse. She turned around on the bed, facing Ashleigh who was kneeling beside her.
“How does it feel?” Ashleigh asked.
“Wonderful,” Gina murmured, not caring whether Ashleigh thought she meant the lotion or her touch. She sucked in her breath as Ashleigh touched her collarbone, moving under her neck, her slick hands smooth on her skin.
“You’re so soft,” Ashleigh whispered. “Yet strong. An athlete.”
Gina was finally cognizant enough to notice the shift in Ashleigh’s breathing as her hands moved dangerously close to her breasts. The air was thick with tension, the sounds of their breathing, the subtle moans that Gina couldn’t contain. She kept her eyes closed, loving the feel of Ashleigh’s touch as she moved across her arms, up to her shoulders, around her neck again. Gina’s lips parted, her breath coming fast, her heart pounding loudly, so loud she was sure Ashleigh could hear it. Finally, Ashleigh’s hands stilled, resting on Gina’s forearms.
She opened her eyes, finding Ashleigh’s in the shadows. Ashleigh’s breathing was as labored as her own and she sat still as Ashleigh’s fingers dug into her arms. She finally relaxed, releasing Gina.
“Do you...do you want me to do that to you?” Gina asked quietly, so afraid Ashleigh would say no.
“Yes. I want that.”
But Ashleigh didn’t sit as Gina had done. She lay on her stomach, arms outstretched, exposing her smooth tan back. Gina poured lotion into her palm, taking a deep breath before touching Ashleigh. She rubbed lightly, both hands moving in unison across her hot skin. She was thrilled by the moan she elicited from Ashleigh. Ashleigh’s eyes were closed but her mouth was open as she drew breath.
Gina touched every inch of her back, her fingers memorizing her curves, daring to dip low against her hips, then up her sides, feeling the gentle swell of her breasts as they lay smashed against the bed. Gina had no sexual experience unless you counted the few stolen kisses she’d allowed Carmen last year at basketball camp. But the kissing and touching they’d done felt nothing like what she was experiencing now. If she had any doubts she was a lesbian, they were being answered tonight as her hands moved across Ashleigh Pence’s naked flesh.
She sat still, having to clear her throat before speaking. Now it was her turn to command.
“Roll over.”
Ashleigh did as she was told, flipping over onto her back. Gina’s eyes landed on her breasts, the shadows not enough to hide the erect nipples, the rapid rise and fall of Ashleigh’s chest as she breathed. Gina swallowed, her mouth suddenly very dry. She pulled her gaze away, finding Ashleigh watching her closely. She didn’t know if she should apologize for staring, but she didn’t. She poured more lotion into her hand, meeting Ashleigh’s eyes again.
Those eyes closed when Gina touched her and a sensuous moan escaped Ashleigh’s lips. Gina’s hands moved so slowly, so softly, caressing Ashleigh’s skin, no longer even pretending this was about sunburn and lotion. It wasn’t. Her breathing was labored now, as was Ashleigh’s.
Not knowing whether she was feeling brave and daring—or simply not considering the consequences—Gina let her right hand travel between Ashleigh’s breasts to her stomach, her fingers moving in a circular motion. Ashleigh was nearly panting and her eyes fluttered open, finding Gina’s. Gina stopped, waiting, afraid she’d overstepped her boundaries, afraid she’d gone too far.
“I love...I love the way you touch me,” Ashleigh whispered. She brought her hand up, covering Gina’s,
pressing it down hard against her side.
Gina waited, not knowing what Ashleigh wanted. Then Ashleigh’s eyes slipped closed again and she took Gina’s hand, moving it so very slowly up her body. Gina was trembling as she realized Ashleigh’s intent. Ashleigh’s hand fell back to the bed, leaving Gina’s resting just under the swell of her left breast.
Gina hesitated, knowing Ashleigh had left the decision up to her. Gina stared at her breasts, fascinated by the erect nipples, aching to touch them, to feel them against her palm. She didn’t pause to think how this would affect their budding friendship, how it would change their relationship. She didn’t think of anything except the overwhelming need she had to touch Ashleigh.
So she slid her hand higher, not bothering to try to contain her moan as her fingers moved across Ashleigh’s breast, the nipple as hard to her touch as she knew it would be. Her hand closed around it, feeling Ashleigh arch higher, hearing Ashleigh’s moan as she squeezed her breast before finding the nipple with her fingers, rubbing it lightly, feeling it harden even more.
“Gina,” Ashleigh breathed. “Please.”
Please what? Gina didn’t know what Ashleigh was pleading for or what she wanted. Her fingers continued to play with Ashleigh’s nipple, loving the sounds that Ashleigh was making. Her whole body was pulsing—aching. Then Gina froze as Ashleigh’s hand moved between them, moving across her body to graze her fingertips against Gina’s breast. Gina sucked in a deep breath as that hand closed over her small breast.
“Oh, God,” she whispered, her eyes slamming shut.
“You’re trembling.”
“Yes.”
“Do you like the way this feels?” Ashleigh asked, her own fingers now rubbing Gina’s nipple lightly.
“Yes,” Gina hissed, biting down hard on her lip, trying to stop her shaking.
“I want...I want to kiss you. I want us to kiss.”
Gina forced her eyes open, her hand still covering Ashleigh’s breast, Ashleigh’s still covering hers.
