Streams of sunlight, groupings of rays illuminating dust and particles floating in the air, illuminated the room. They were surrounded by the peace it provided, protected under the aegis of half woken states and promises carried over from the night. Unutterable sentiments lay sleeping on their tongues, still happy to keep their peace. Many hours had been spent without speech because embraces were their verbal replacement. It was speaking with tongues wetted with craving and impossible to satisfy in quantifiable time.
Now, the morning received them like a changing impetus forcing them to acknowledge the new reality of what was between them. Aubrey lay, eyes open, taking in Chloe's profile. The wondering was over because now she knew the truth. She had realized her long held dream of knowing Chloe on a level surpassing their prior intimacy. As best friends they had experienced closeness beyond what most friends had, even drunken kisses on rare occasions.
The buildup to last night had been tremendous. There were stolen touches, telling glances, and loaded words shot through friendship boundaries like cannonballs. She had convinced herself that it was simply an extension of Chloe's affectionate nature. However, it was starting to become more meaningful to her. Each time they had these exchanges she inched further towards the edge of the sheer face of her feelings. They were not something entered into lightly, rather she had to push and muddle her way through to gain the bright stars of brilliance of possibility.
Her gaze tore away from the smooth skin of her bedmate and she looked at the door. Her mind receded to the beginning of the previous evening. Their night had taken them to several events, one of which a showcase of women's visual art in the gallery of the Art Department. One of Aubrey's friends was showing her latest pieces and it was when they stopped in front of them, taking in the enormity of the subject that they stumbled upon the entry point into their romantic ideal.
It was a grey landscape, broken only by two figures. Two women entwined, their abstract shapes twisting around one another as if they had grown from childhood to become what they were now. You could see the details of each individual where they were exposed but yet they blended together to give the illusion of oneness.
"I want to be like this, someday," Aubrey mumbled.
Chloe looked up in surprise. Their conversations were extensive though rarely deep so she took time to actually try and observe what Aubrey meant. "You mean, you want to be kind of bound to someone like that?"
Aubrey smiled, unsure of how to get her point across without revealing where her affections lie. "I want to merge with someone, to combine... like overlap so you mold together."
"Oh," Chloe turned back to the painting with a blush creeping onto her features. She had been occupied with the thought of being the body twined with Aubrey's. The charged tone of the words she had just spoken took Chloe's mind to lustful places, though she was sure that wasn't Aubrey's intention.
She had been noticing new things about Aubrey of late. The statuesque beauty, her proud bearing, and her beautiful insecurities that took the form of absolute need for control. It prompted more thoughts on togetherness in her mind than any painting could have. Chloe dealt in the human canvas. She found inspiration in people rather than art. So, when the image of them engaging in activities reserved for relationships past mere friendship emerged from the depths of her mind, her thoughts evolved into a need to investigate the prospective joining.
After the exhibit they found their way home and were standing in the doorway of their dorm room. Everything inside was the same but the alteration was in them and would spread because Aubrey's bed would remain neatly made unlike every other night she had come home. There had been few words exchanged and most of them had come from Chloe. The precipice they were stationed on grew in importance as neither girl could enter the room without addressing the change.
Chloe reached over and moved Aubrey's chin until their eyes met. What she saw there made her lips part slightly in silent acknowledgement. Blue merged with shining cerulean and messages passed like ships sailing from one sea to another. They crashed together, neither of them able to distinguish who had jumped first, but both knew that they had done it together, hands held tightly as they fell to meet the warmth below.
One... two... three moments passed and they were in Chloe's bed discarding clothes and with them any possibility of altering their course. Skin greeted skin with a new awareness and fed their need to feel more. When the last piece of clothing was removed they came together fitting into each other with every movement.
Chloe stirred returning Aubrey's thoughts to the present. She reached out to press her hand to the skin of Chloe's back where she could see the tendons and muscles moving beneath. The skin beneath her hand shuttered and she slowly drew her hand downward so that it nestled in the small of her back, just above the perfectly proportioned swell of her bottom.
"You're hand's cold." The muffled words emerged from under the comforter where Chloe was hiding from the frigid air. A sleepy smile blossomed on her face as she turned over and drew their naked bodies together into a tight embrace. Any worries Aubrey had vanished as the air was pushed from between them. Chloe's face nestled into her neck under and relief spread through her system.
They had created their own art but it would never be viewed by another soul. There would be no criticism and no judgement of it. Together they would make a new piece every day. Something for them alone to venerate and mould into what they needed it to be.