"Don't look now, love," Lena said, nodding over to the doorway. "But I think the vampire's emerged from her cave."
Confused, Fareeha followed Lena's gaze to see their roommate hovering near the entrance of the Palazzo. Amélie was the last person she expected to see at the bar, even if it was Pride weekend. She looked just a little uncomfortable, scanning the room with her arms tightly crossed.
Leaning as far back in her stool as she could go without falling off, Fareeha yelled across the bar for her roommate's attention. "Hey! Amélie! Over here!" She had her experience dealing with more than a few rowdy crowds, and Fareeha developed an earbreaking whistle just for the occasion. It pierced right through all the noise.
Amélie twitched at the familiar call. Rolling her eyes before she even spotted the pair, Amélie set her shoulders straight and searched until they met eyes. Fareeha grinned, lifting up her beer in a salute.
Reluctantly, like a cat slinking into view, Amélie wove through the crowd to join them.
"Whatcha doin' here?" Lena wanted to know. "I thought you said you were going to stay in tonight, neighbor."
Expression deadpan, Amélie pulled her hoodie zipper down until it rested just below her navel, exposing a low-cut crop top that pushed her breasts up nearly to eye level. "Getting free drinks."
Fareeha's eyebrows shot straight up. "Well then. Godspeed."
When Amélie vanished, Fareeha turned to see her other roommate still blinking furiously at the sight.
"God, I'm gay," Lena mumbled.
"And taken," Fareeha reminded her gently.
"I'm monogamous, not blind." Shaking her head a few times, Lena downed her beer in three quick gulps. "Did you know our roommate is hot?"
"She cleans up nice." The two of them still had to shout to be heard. All around them, music pulsed from a dozen hidden speakers as a half a hundred revelers threw back shot after shot after shot. The Palazzo was their local haunt, a short walk from their apartment and their weekly refuge. Seeing it bustling like this was heartening. At the same time, Fareeha wondered if maybe they should have just stayed home and watched one of those Japanese cartoons Lena was always trying to shove down her throat. "I think she's in a bad place right now, though."
"What?" Lena shouted.
Taking a deep breath, Fareeha tried to clarify. "Would not date!"
Somebody opened up one of those goddamn popper things right next to her face, the shotglass-sized noisemakers filled with confetti. Fareeha swiped the confetti off the warm wooden bar, feeling just a little sweaty from a combination of yellow overhead lights and body heat.
"...What?" Lena shouted again, forehead scrunching in confusion.
A cute, tiny butch Asian girl vaulted onto the bar, her ass right next to Fareeha's hand. She flinched back involuntarily, resting her fist on her lap and squeezing the fabric of her camo pants. On top of being Pride, it was uniform night. Fareeha balked at the idea of wearing her uncomfortable formal RCAF stuff just for a discount... but the lazy camo+black tank getup seemed to be acceptable, and it was easier than squeezing into, like, A Generic Sexy Cop Costume or something. "Nothing."
Lena was in a leather jacket and aviators, which she called her douchebag uniform. Nobody else got the joke but her, and she didn't get a discount, but she wore it every other month anyway.
The cute butch had a whole gaggle of friends and admirers playing a drinking game that involved a lot of kissing. Dryly amused, Fareeha watched them try to pass a playing card from person to person without using their hands. Whenever one was dropped, the pair had to share a kiss.
"Ahh, the old suck'n'blow," Lena said sagely.
The cute butch dropped the card the next time it circled past their little group, so she grabbed the girl who'd held it last and pulled her closer. Holding her by the face, she circled her legs around the other girl's waist, kissing her hard. Unable to help herself, Fareeha stared until the pair noticed they had an audience. Sticking out her tongue, the instigator winked at Fareeha. "Hey, you're pretty cute. Want to play with us?"
Oh boy. Heat rushed to her face. Fareeha just drew circles on the bar in front of her, tracing meaningless patterns with the condensation leftover from her beer. Sitting a little closer, Lena nudged and prodded her, trying to encourage some kind of response.
Not dissuaded at all, the- very attractive, and very... very young- woman leaned down so she could be heard over the crowd. "You can take a drink when the card falls instead of kissing. No pressure!"
Lena nearly shot out of her seat, throwing her hand into the air. "I'll get another pitcher!"
"Hey, wait-!" Fareeha shouted after her, but Lena was already gone. Still stiff and awkward, Fareeha let herself get drawn into the circle of women and girls, wondering what might happen if she just bolted out of the bar. But she hadn't paid her tab, and she didn't really want to run, and then the woman next to her was pulling her arm down, trying to get her face-level.
Being tall was going to be a handicap in this game.
It was hard to keep track of names and faces when there were so many. Some dropped out and some new faces tapped in, arching up on tip toes to reach her, cheeks hollowed out as they tried to keep the playing card sucked to their lips. Fareeha dropped the card a lot, and after the first few times she stopped getting nervous that one of them would just grab and kiss her.
Hana, the ringleader with the pixie cut, kept everyone in line while still egging on everyone who wanted to play a little riskier. To make the game easier, Fareeha sat back down and soon Lena was right next to her. She didn't play, but she had a lot of fun watching. Occasionally she snapped photos and threatened to send them to her mother.
"I'll snap your neck," Fareeha promised her.
"As if Ana wouldn't be pleased as punch to see you enjoying yourself." Lena pushed the mug into her hands. "Drink up."
They clinked their glasses together and Fareeha started chugging to a loud group chant. She was careful... right up until she reached her limit and then staggered right past it. Every so often the group composition changed, with everyone swapping places so no two women were placed together more than once. So Fareeha steeled herself to kiss the next girl she could, the next time she dropped their card.
The world spun. And then, when the card dropped, Fareeha came face to face with the darkest, bluest, prettiest eyes she'd ever seen.
"Well?" the stranger said, tilting her head to the side. "Aren't you going to have another drink?"
Say something, Fareeha thought desperately. Do something cool. You're a cool person! People have shot missiles at you and you were less nervous than this. You're funny! You can say cool things.
"I've," Fareeha said, pulling the other woman closer by the waist. "...Got you on my radar."
Fareeha cupped her face with one hand, tilting her head back to kiss her. She felt more than heard the stranger gasp in surprise, her body stiffening. Before she had time for second doubts, though, the blonde grasped Fareeha by the back of her head. Keeping her in place with two hands, she deepened the kiss, pushing her whole body up against Fareeha's.
A loud cheer pulled Fareeha back to reality. Letting go of the stranger, Fareeha stood a respectful distance away, spine ramrod-straight and her face warmer than ever.
The stranger was just as red, avoiding eye contact, but grinning.
"Well," the stranger said, clearing her throat.
"Of course it would be Angela who got the shy one out of her shell," Hana griped loudly, grimacing at the blonde. "It's the eyes, isn't it? Dr. Barbie's got the prettiest baby blues ever."
Folding her arms, Angela smiled thinly. For the first time, Fareeha noticed she was dressed like a doctor... sort of. The lab coat didn't cover much, and it definitely did nothing to hide how much thigh she was flashing. "Jealousy doesn't become you, darling."
Hana didn't seem phased. She clapped her hands loudly in front of Angela's face. "Share!" she clapped again to accentuate every word. "The! Beef! Angela!"
Lena cackled, and as the two other women bickered lightheartedly, Fareeha felt forgotten. The world spun again, but unpleasantly this time. Mumbling an excuse to leave, Fareeha took her drink and exited the circle to step outside.
What was I thinking?
Compared to the bar, the bar balcony was freezing. The cold wind slapped her in the face, waking her up enough so that she could think a little clearer. With shaking hands, she lit a cigarette.
She half expected to find Amélie out here, avoiding the crowd as much as she was. The two of them always gravitated to the same spaces, somehow. Outwardly very different, a deep streak of introversion brought them together on balconies and lonely streets. Every time Lena spent the week at her girlfriend's place, silenced reigned in the apartment, not punctuated by a single word.
Still in there getting those drinks, then.
The back of the bar held some low wooden benches, and a similarly made railing to hang off of and people-watch the street below. It wasn't as packed now that the parade was over, but not quite empty, either. So Fareeha didn't even notice she'd been followed until Angela was suddenly standing right next to her.
"Fareeha, right?" she said, giving her a bottle of water and taking away the beer. It sweat in her palms, ice-cold.
Fareeha just looked at her, mouth clenched shut, the cigarette crumbling away between her fingertips.
"Yes," she said after a moment. Then she twisted the bottle open, listening carefully for the crack of the seal breaking. Pretty or not, it probably wasn't a good idea to accept a drink from a stranger. "Thank you."
Standing at her side, she faced the street and produced a carton of her own cigarettes from the lab coat. "Do you mind?"
Fareeha slid her the lighter. Thanking her in a murmur, Angela lit a cigarette, drew a long breath, and sighed. "Sorry if I'm misreading you, but I got the distinct feeling I made you uncomfortable back there." She finished her own bottle of water, taking the time to choose her words carefully. "I wanted to apologize. That's all."
But I'm the one who kissed you? Fareeha wanted to protest, but instead she just squirmed.
Angela shrugged, as though acknowledging the unspoken. After a few more minutes of silence, she crushed the cigarette out on a nearby ashtray. "I hope you have a good night, Fareeha."
She moved to leave, trailing a hand over Fareeha's shoulder.
"Hey," Fareeha said. "Wait."
Angela paused, head tilting to the side again. A patient, yet expectant smile on her face. Mumbling something, Fareeha put out her cigarette as well, fiddled with the empty water bottle, rubbed the back of her neck.
So Angela took pity on her, stroking her bare shoulder one more time before cupping the back of Fareeha's neck.
"Now that we know each other's names," she said with a teasing grin, "Would you like to kiss me again?"
Of course she did, but she didn't know how to say it. So she set her hand over Angela's, giving it a squeeze.
She let Angela pull her down into another kiss, more careful and gentle than the first. Angela hummed, smiling against her lips. Whatever Angela was curious about, or looking for, she seemed satisfied by the time she pulled away. Fareeha chased her, kissing her again even as a small voice in her head screamed that this was a serious error in judgement. She couldn't even blame it on the alcohol. No matter how buzzed she got, Fareeha had a talent for sobering up quickly afterwards.
They weren't alone up here, not by a long shot. But in that moment it felt like a bubble had sprung up around them, blocking out all outside distractions. "Do you live nearby?" she asked, one hand on Fareeha's hip. The other hand kept a tight grip on the back of her neck. Their foreheads were pressed together, and even through the noise they were close enough that she didn't need to talk any louder than a murmur.
That voice soothed her, calm and sweet and just firm enough to be reassuring. Fareeha nodded. "An apartment."
"I'd love to see it, if you aren't expecting guests anytime soon."
Wow.
She couldn't remember anyone ever coming on to her this strong before. Direct and without pretense was Fareeha's style, ostensibly, but to have it presented to her like this was surreal. After paying her tab and shooting a quick text message to the group chat (Amélie was two glasses away from starting a bar fight just for the fuck of it, and Tracer realized Hana was some kind of internet-famous person and wanted to hang out with her) she put a hand on Angela's shoulder and lead her outside.
The walk to her apartment never felt so long before. She noticed Angela was wearing heels, thick glossy black ones that clicked louder and louder the further they got from the Palazzo.
Should she make small talk? Ask what brought her to that particular lesbian bar? Fareeha's hands itched for something to do, and she flexed them, making anxious fists until Angela spoke again.
"I'd really like to hold your hand, Fareeha."
"Sure. I'd love that."
So Angela does, taking it and swinging it with a smile as they walk. Fareeha's stomach lurched and did excited backflips, and before she could help herself she was giggling nervously. "Your um. Your feet don't hurt?"
"Why," Angela said, "Are you offering to carry me?"
"I probably could." There wasn't any way to say that without sounding like she was boasting, but it was true.
An appreciative gaze swept over her from head to toe, blue eyes sharp as a knife. "I can tell."
Heat rose up the back of her neck, and Fareeha found herself having second doubts again. Was she really going home with someone she met at the bar not even an hour ago? Pausing just in front of her apartment door, Fareeha asked for some room to breathe so she could have another cigarette.
"Roommates hate it when I smoke inside," she explained even though it didn't need explaining, needing the assurance of nicotine and warmth.
Angela agreed with a soft noise. "Mhm. Share with me?"
Fareeha nodded and she was about to get out her carton when Angela took the her by the wrist with both hands, bringing the lit cigarette to her mouth like she was eating out of Fareeha's palm. She wasn't sure why that was so powerfully erotic but it was, and her mouth went dry as Angela let her go to exhale a stream of blue smoke.
She couldn't help kissing her again, tossing the cigarette aside so that she could hold her close.
"Take off your shirt for me, Fareeha." A palm trailed down, over the thin black fabric. "You're wearing a sports bra underneath, aren't you? It won't look too suspicious if anyone sees you."
Right here? Fareeha stilled, conflicting thoughts scrambling in and around each other. After just a moment of hesitation she did as Angela asked, tugging her tank over her head and tucking it into the back pocket of her pants.
Free to touch her more, Angela pressed her up against the front door of her apartment, running both hands up the length of her body. Her hands were just a little cold against Fareeha's skin, tracing the twitching lines of her abdomen with open admiration. "You're so pretty. What next?"
The way she phrased it was too sweet to be an order. Ego fluffed by all the praise and attention, Fareeha found she was driven to obey purely out of a desire to please Angela. Her hand twitched down, flicking open the front button on her pants. Then she hesitated, thinking of her shoes, and the awkward mental image of tripping over her own two feet if she tried to kick them off at the same time as her pants. So, heart thumping loudly in her ears, she stripped off her sports bra.
Angela's eyes widened a fraction, but her expression didn't change from coolly amused. Sticking out her tongue, Fareeha crossed her arms over her bare chest. "No more. Let's go inside if you want the rest."
"I absolutely do." Angela covered her mouth with one hand, giggling. "You know, this just confirms my initial diagnosis of you."
"Pfft." She fumbled with her key fob, unlocking the front door with shaking hands. She wasn't sure what switch had flipped, but shedding her clothes for Angela meant some of her nerves had slipped away as well. "That's a lame joke."
"I don't try to pretend I'm not lame," Angela said, which didn't seem true but Fareeha wasn't going to push it.
Under the lab coat, Angela was just wearing a buttoned up blouse and a scandalously short skirt, thigh high stockings ending in a lacy trail around the circumference of her pale skin. Fareeha touched it, bending her knees low enough so that she could reach her, grasp her and yank her up into her arms. As she promised, picking her up was easy, and Angela was not displeased by that at all. "So what's the diagnosis, doc? Give it to me straight."
"Oh!" she quickly latched onto Fareeha's shoulders, hugging her and laughing. "Hmm. Well, you're a soldier, not just dressed as one for pretend. You walk and look like one." Leaning to the side, she smiled wryly at Fareeha's feet. "And the way you tie your laces." She hugged her tighter again, lipping Fareeha's ear as the other woman walked in, kicking the door shut. "And you like taking orders."
A little shiver rolled down her spine. "You got me," she said.
"Not your roommates, though. Old friends, maybe?"
Living room or bedroom? "Mmhm. We go way back." Even if Amélie was weird and depressed and Lena was always complaining about not having time to see her girlfriend. Shifting her grip on Angela, she realized there was no way to hold her like this that didn't put hands on her ass, or her waist, or her soft thighs.
Probably shouldn't worry about being a gentleman to the woman with her legs wrapped around your waist.
Angela distracted her with another kiss, carding her fingers through Fareeha's hair and lightly massaging her scalp.
Bedroom. She was sure Angela would say something if she didn't like it.
After setting Angela down delicately on the edge of her bed, she worked off her boots and pants. Her whole body hummed with pleasure and excitement, especially with how Angela seemed frozen in place by the sight of her naked form.
She leaned back and admired Fareeha, sitting on the bed with her left shoe dangling by her toes.
Fareeha pressed a knee to the mattress, one palm on Angela's shoulder. "Do you want me to undress you too?"
Shrugging out of her jacket, Angela let out a huff of excitement. "In a moment." Once her arms were free they went around Fareeha's waist, tugging her closer. Angela placed a kiss right on the center of her chest before her lips wrapped around Fareeha's nipple, teeth grazing just enough to get it to stand at attention.
Sighing in pleasure, she took Angela's head in both hands, directing that mouth to her other breast. She went willingly, one hand reaching up to massage the breast she'd abandoned, fingers catching and tweaking the sensitive peak.
The other roamed hungrily over Fareeha's body, rubbing and stroking over her ribs, squeezing her thigh and ass, and finally slipping between her legs to stroke right at the source of pooling, dripping heat.
Fareeha groaned openly, hips twitching forward, onto Angela's fingers. "Y-your hands are so soft," she gasped, stroking down the back of Angela's neck. She was maddeningly gentle, exploratory, her thumb resting lightly just over Fareeha's clit. "Fuck. I need more than two, Angela," she growled, grinding harder onto her lap.
"Are you sure you can handle that?" The other woman sounded almost smug, like her delicate fingers were something to be afraid of.
"I can take anything you can dish out."
Angela's eyes glinted with distinct pleasure at the challenge. "You're lucky we're not at my place," she said, and Fareeha almost cried as she pulled her fingers free. "I'd make you eat those words. Lie back."
She did, getting off of her lap to stretch out on the bed, heart thumping out of her chest. Angela pulled her shirt off, a lacy black bra unhooked and joining it on the floor. "Touch yourself," she said, kneeling between Fareeha's legs with her palms on her thighs. "Show me how you like it."
Masturbating wasn't really a part of her usual... thing. She'd do it lying facedown at night, a quick rut to get the tension out. Putting herself on display for a stranger? Well...
Face warming up again, Fareeha did as she was told. She traced a straight line down between her lips with two fingers, head thrown back and eyes closed.
"While looking at me, please," Angela said. Because of course she did.
She had to force herself to meet those dark blue eyes. Everything in her fought against it, but she wanted this, nerves be damned. Angela settled forward, gently guiding Fareeha's legs open so that nothing was hidden.
"Not sure where to start," she admitted, but she slid her fingers over her entrance, getting her fingers wet and biting back a moan.
Angela groped her breasts, squeezing and stroking with casual possessiveness. "Well... what were you hoping would happen once we got to this point?" she prompted with a smile. She caught Fareeha's nipple between her fingers, pinching it hard enough that she whimpered.
"I thought I'd go down on you and you'd be nice enough to return the favor."
And I can't put my foot in my mouth if it's otherwise occupied.
Moving from chest to shoulders, Angela kept touching her. She stroked her face, pulling her head up for another lingering kiss. "And then what?" she asked, left palm over the back of Fareeha's hand. Her right hand dipped under her own skirt as she watched Fareeha, eyes narrowed but never blinking once.
Oh, fuck. "I..." Oh, fuck, she was going to come. "I... You know, I'd do whatever might make you happy."
Angela's pale skin flushed bright red, the only visual betrayal of her nerves and excitement. Leaning forward, she buried her face into Angela's shoulder, unable to meet her eyes any longer. She muffled herself, her fingers buried knuckle-deep inside herself. Angela squeezed her tightly, kissing the top of her head and her cheeks as she gasped.
Pulling Fareeha's hand up to her mouth, Angela cleaned her fingers, licking away the traces of clear arousal. Then she kissed her again on the mouth before ducking down, shimmying further out on the bed so that she could taste more.
Angela seemed tired of teasing her, maybe pushed past being able to feign patience any longer. One hand went under her knee as she pressed an open kiss right over her wet entrance. Still twitching from her first orgasm, Fareeha nearly jerked away. She forced herself to stay as still as she could, cursing loudly as Angela brought her back to the brink.
It was so much easier to let go this time. Now that she didn't have to face that calm, unblinking stare any longer, Fareeha finally relaxed. She squeezed Angela's free hand, spine loosening as she sank into pleasure.
"Inside me," she whispered, before she lost the ability to form any words at all.
Angela seemed so precious to her right then. She was gentle, careful even after being given the go-ahead. But she also didn't need further urging to add a second finger, and then a third.
Yes. Fareeha didn't dare say it out loud, only moaning as Angela filled her up, forced her to accomodate that deliriously wonderful stretch. Angela's fingers worked inside her, twisting and searching as her tongue stroked Fareeha closer and closer to release. Yes, fuck yes! Fuck me, please, fuck me!
She couldn't keep quiet this time, but it was Angela crooning in pleasure that made her see stars. She'd been pushed past the point of pleasure into pain, and Angela kept sucking on her clit as though trying to pull a third orgasm from her, but she couldn't. Gasping, Fareeha tugged on her head until she stopped, spurred to act. Angela looked confused at first, hesitant.
"Is everything-"
Fareeha kissed her hard, tasting her own come on Angela's lips. Rolling them over, she worked a hand between them. She was still high on her own orgasm, shaking from exhaustion. It was something like a runner's high, being pushed past a limit she didn't know she had until Angela was clenched tight around her fingers.
Her nails dragged down Fareeha's back, the salt of sweat stinging, making her feel alive. "Is this good?" she breathed against Angela's lips, forcing her to be the one to answer now, take just a little bit of that control away.
"Y-yes. Yes."
She took Fareeha in with no trouble at all. Her underwear, pulled to the side, rubbed against the side of Fareeha's hand every time she thrusted in. The fabric was drenched, wetness smeared between Angela's thighs and all down Fareeha's hand, staining the sheets.
"You're making a mess," Fareeha purred, just a little lightheaded. "Why didn't you let me take care of you sooner?"
Angela's jaw worked, teeth grit. Her pulse hammered out a fierce drumbeat, pounding clearly under her pale skin. "Wanted to touch you." She gasped, pulling Fareeha down for another kiss. "Wanted you to come first."
Fareeha smiled, deepening the kiss. Lazy, slow, spoiled, like she had all the time in the world. Angela stiffened- and then her hips canted up, jerking so hard Fareeha almost got knocked off of her. She was surprisingly strong, spewing out a slurred stream of vulgar-sounding German. Fareeha thought she had heard a slight accent, some vowels stretched out oddly whenever Angela spoke. It was pretty satisfying to have it confirmed this way.
Angela looked up at her, seeming almost in shock, mouth wide and gasping. Then she murmured for Fareeha to stop, put a warning hand on her wrist and pulled her fingers free. Settling down, Fareeha kissed her, locked their legs together as Angela slowly relaxed.
Stretching a little, Fareeha closed her eyes and smiled at the aching burn between her shoulders. She wanted to stay like this, comfortable and warm, with Angela petting her hair until she fell asleep against her chest. But after a while Angela begin to fidget, kissing Fareeha over and over again, almost as an apology.
"As much as I'd love to, I can't spend the night, dear." Angela kissed her one last time before slipping out of bed. She put her clothes back on- well, she was still wearing most of her clothes, but whatever was on the floor was soon quickly back in working order. She definitely looked like she just got fucked, her hair turning wavy and curled at the ends even as she tried to untangle it with her fingers. "I have work in the morning."
Ah.
Fareeha tried not to look disappointed, sitting up with her legs criss-crossed. She kept her gaze down, biting her lower lip until Angela said her name again.
"Fareeha."
A hand rested under her chin, lifting her gaze back up again.
"I had a really good time."
Is that it? Is it over?
Angela kissed once more, sweetly, and Fareeha reached out to put a staying hand on her hip. "Can I have your number?" She cracked a grin. "I'm better at texting than talking."
To her suprise and pleasure, Angela perked up at once. "Sure!" She found her phone, entering in Fareeha's number. "Last name?"
Her cheeks warmed up. "Amari. A-M-A-R-I." She fucked a woman without even learning her last name. "I- I don't normally do this."
"Neither do I, Ms. Amari." She called Fareeha, and her phone started buzzing in her pants pockets. Rooting around for them on the floor, Fareeha answered the call and saved Angela's number. "But I'd like to do it again soon, as long as it's with you."
A parting kiss on the cheek and she was gone, just as quickly as she'd arrived. Fareeha sat in her bed for a while, body still thrumming with pleasure.
When she went to sleep, she dreamed about her.