A Date?

"D'yer want another?" Vicky asked her colleague as she stood up from the settee in her living room. Julie looked deep inside her empty glass as though it held the answers to her own internal questions before giving her host a response.

"I'd love a cuppa, if yer don't mind?" Vicky grinned at the younger woman and understood that she was playing it safe, having had enough to drink to be pleasantly merry but not so much that she was drunk and unaware of what she was doing.

"Of course not, I quite fancy one meself." Julie smiled back and nodded her thanks. She sat back amongst the cushions and tried not to work herself up into a nervous state as she waited for Vicky to make the tea. The evening had been lovely so far, she'd turned up at Vicky's house at seven thirty in her best shirt and trousers and brought a bottle of wine with her as a gift. She'd made an effort with her hair and worn just a hint of make-up and her favourite perfume. Julie might not have had much life experience but she knew not to overdo it on a first date. The thought that it was a date, or at least potentially a date, as they had yet to clarify exactly what all of this was about, scared Julie shitless. But hadn't Susie said that something wasn't worth doing unless it scared you? Which is partly what had prompted Julie to ask Vicky out tonight in the first place.

They'd gone about a mile down the road to a quiet pub Vicky had been to a couple of times before when her sister had been in town. The music hadn't been overbearingly loud and there had been no football or sport on the big-screen TV. Julie and Vicky had chatted about a whole host of things which included going back to an earlier conversation they'd had about sport they played themselves. They finally agreed on that badminton session they'd spoken about and a few scenic walks in the local area. Vicky had also asked about Rob and her aborted move to Hong Kong. Julie had been surprisingly open about it all; she'd not really explained her thoughts and feelings to her parents for fear of them not understanding. They had never really understood her and Julie supposed she'd never really given them the chance to because it was just easier to keep herself to herself. Vicky could see why Julie might have done that and she'd given her a bit of confidence back that she'd made the right decision for herself in the end. They had been turfed out by the landlord at eleven and Vicky had suggested Julie come back to hers for a nightcap.

Vicky placed the two mugs of tea on the coffee table in front of them and settled herself back on the settee next to Julie. The atmosphere felt heavy; as though they had reached an inevitable point in the evening and Vicky was the one brave enough to address it.

"Julie…?" Up until this moment Vicky hadn't really felt nervous about pursuing Julie. She had been instantly attracted to the younger woman and even though Julie kept her innermost self guarded at the best of times, it hadn't been too difficult to see that the spark between them was mutual. The problem had been trying to get Julie to acknowledge it without running away. Which is what Vicky was scared would happen if she got this next bit wrong.

"Hmm?"

"Is this…I mean…can I talk about the elephant in the room?" Julie looked at Vicky, slightly puzzled, before what she had meant suddenly dawned on her. Julie gulped nervously and nodded almost imperceptibly. "I like yer, a lot, so I don't want there ter be any…misunderstandings. Is…is this a date?" Julie blushed crimson and had to look away from her colleague as her heart started to race with nerves. Vicky took a chance and reached out to brush Julie's fringe from her eyes and let her hand rest on the younger woman's cheek for a moment. Finally Julie met Vicky's gaze once again, bit her lip and nodded at her shyly. Vicky's smile broadened with the relief and happiness that came over her. It was infectious as Julie returned the smile and they sat there for ages simply grinning at each other. Vicky reached out and locked the fingers of her hand with one of Julie's. She resumed her physical inspection of Julie's face and hair with her free hand. They graduated closer to each other on the settee and Vicky halted her ministrations.

"Do you…can I kiss you?" Julie's mind went into overdrive and most of her thoughts revolved around feeling nervous and inadequate. But a small squeak of a 'yes' was out of her mouth before she realised she had spoken and Vicky shuffled even closer in response. She bent forward slowly and gently brushed her lips against her younger colleague's. It was only a brief kiss but the electricity that flowed between them was unlike anything Julie had ever experienced before and she naturally closed her eyes as she had become overwhelmed by it. Vicky held back and waited for Julie to open her eyes and let her know that the kiss had been okay. When the shy machinist did look at her with something akin wonder in her gaze, Vicky's confidence soared and she leaned in once again for another kiss. This time it was longer and Julie followed Vicky's lead and kissed back. Julie wanted to reach out and touch Vicky, to pull her closer still and to feel the other woman's body against hers but she was so out of her comfort zone she overthought her every move and ended up acting slightly passive instead. Vicky felt Julie responding with her lips but her whole body was rigid and it made her stop in case she was doing something wrong.

"Julie…?" Vicky whispered through her laboured breathing.

"Mmm?" Julie's racing thoughts had yet to catch up with Vicky's question.

"Are you really alright with this? Only, yer not…you don't seem ter be…"

"I am, I want to, I really like yer. It's just…I've never…sorry…" Julie seemed embarrassed by her lack of experience and Vicky found the younger woman even more endearing.

"Hey, don't be sorry. I just wanted ter make sure, I don't want to take advantage of you." It was the first time Vicky had become very conscious of the big age gap between them.

"You're not, you couldn't, I'm just…nervous."

"Oh sweetheart!" Vicky knew that she was going to fall completely head over heels for Julie, she was so unapologetically genuine. "You don't need ter be, I won't push you and we won't do anything yer not comfortable with, I promise."

"You must think I'm a right one, being nervous about…this."

"Of course not! Just be yerself, it's what I like about you. Don't think so much and just go with the flow; tell me if you want to stop and I'll tell you if there's something I don't like." Julie nodded and Vicky leaned in once again to kiss her, only this time Julie got there before she did and knocked her socks off with a bruising kiss. Julie had tangled her hands in the older woman's blonde locks and practically angled herself into her lap. Vicky was rather pleased at this unexpected development and grabbed hold of Julie's hips as she lifted herself onto her knees to press Vicky further into the settee. Vicky's hands moved up Julie's sides and round to the front of her shirt to undo the first three buttons. It was all too much for Julie and she put a hand over Vicky's to stop her.

"Wait, I just…not yet. Soon, but not just yet. Sorry." They kissed gently a few more times before Julie flopped back down on the settee beside Vicky. They both took a few moments to get their breaths back and consider the past few minutes.

"Would stay the night?" Vicky asked the younger woman softly.

"As in…?" Julie raised her eyebrows at her…girlfriend she now supposed.

"Not to do anything; I just want to wake up with you." It had been some time since Vicky had been with anyone and she'd missed it more than she realised. She also wanted to make sure that Julie wasn't going to go home and have a huge change of heart in the cold light of day.

"Me Mam and Dad are expecting me back. They'll worry if I'm not there in the morning." It was far too late to call them anyway and Julie realised that she really ought to be getting home.

"Okay." Vicky couldn't hide the emotionless response even if she had wanted to.

"Are yer disappointed?" Julie felt guilty and wondered if she would be considered a tease.

"A bit, but I understand, I really do. I have a feeling that you're going ter be worth the wait." Vicky's reassuring smile in turn made Julie smile and she reached out to cup her cheek.

"Are yer sure?" Vicky leaned in and gave Julie a chaste kiss.

"Very sure." They left it there that evening and Julie went home in a daze but it was so very different from the last time she had left Vicky's house late at night. Her heart swelled whenever she thought about the older woman and even though she was still nervous and scared about the changes this would mean, she was also happy on a fundamental level and it was a feeling she'd never really experienced before. This was the thing that she'd always missed out on, the thing that other people got to experience while she'd been left behind. She knew that whatever happened next wasn't going to be easy, but with Vicky by her side she felt like anything was possible.