"You really should blindfold me."
Olivia turned her head sharply and looked at Natalia with wide, questioning eyes. "Excuse me?"
"If you don't want me to know where we're going, you really shouldn't let me see where we're going. It only makes sense," Natalia said with a smirk at Olivia's surprised look.
Olivia looked back toward the road and adjusted her grip on the steering wheel. She blinked a few times and cleared her throat before replying. "Oh!" She laughed nervously. "It's not a secret. We're going on a picnic."
"I know, but you won't tell me where."
"I don't think it has a name. I stumbled onto it years ago; it's just a place where I like to go when I need to think."
"How did you find it?" Natalia asked and shifted her body so she could watch Olivia talk more easily.
Olivia kept her gaze forward, watching the passing road as she drove. After a moment of thought, she began her explanation. "One night, years ago, I was feeling particularly…" She paused to think of a word that would convey 'suicidal' without drawing too much pity. "It was just a really bad time for me, and I decided I could either go for a drive to clear my thoughts or drink myself under a table. For once, I opted for the drive." She shook her head against the memory. "I just kept driving. I don't even remember how I ended up there."
Natalia reached over and laid her hand on top of Olivia's hand which had been fidgeting against the side of her pants like she wanted nothing more than to push it down into her tight denim pocket. The hand stilled and turned over to accept Natalia's touch.
Olivia held the top of the steering wheel with her other hand and continued the story. "I got out of the car and started walking." She shrugged. "Stupid… since it was dark and I didn't know where I was, but I needed to get out of my life for awhile. You know?" She glanced toward Natalia who was looking at her intently.
"Yeah, I get that," Natalia replied and squeezed the hand in hers.
"Anyway, it was a beautiful night - full moon, perfect weather. It was just what I needed to refocus." She shrugged. "And I've been going back ever since."
"Have you been back lately?"
Olivia nodded a little. "Not in the past month or so, but," her voice got quiet, "before the wedding… I needed a lot of down time."
Natalia reached over with her other hand and held Olivia's between hers. "I'm so sorry."
Olivia shook her head. "No. You know I don't want apologies for that."
"I know. But it still hurts me to know I hurt you."
"No pain, no gain," Olivia said with a smile at Natalia who tilted her head and didn't look amused. Olivia continued her words, "We both hurt each other more than we wanted, but we're together now. That's all that matters, right?"
"It is," Natalia said softly and let her eyes linger on the profile of the woman she loved more than anything else in the world.
"I think so too," Olivia said in quiet agreement.
They sat in comfortable silence for several minutes. Their hands were still resting together on Olivia's thigh and Natalia was gently rubbing her thumb over the soft skin of Olivia's hand.
"I'm really looking forward to today," Olivia said in a tone that wavered a bit. She had spoken in an attempt to clear her thoughts because ideas of what that gently rubbing thumb could do on other parts of her body were beginning to invade her mind. She was certain Natalia was slowly trying to drive her crazy.
"Me too," Natalia said distractedly. She had her attention focused on their entwined fingers and was getting lost in the feel of Olivia's skin against her fingers. It was so rare they touched for any length of time, the simple gesture of holding hands felt fresh and intense.
Olivia cleared her throat and shifted a bit in her seat which caused Natalia to look up. Olivia said, "I hope there's no one there. I mean, I don't think there will be – it's off the beaten path, but I'm really looking forward to some alone time, you know?"
Natalia registered that Olivia was rambling a bit, and was probably a little nervous about taking her to this private place, but she also wished Olivia would keep talking because the look of her lips as they moved in time with the words was mesmerizing. In her eyes, those lips were almost shockingly perfect and beautiful. How she had resisted touching those lips with her own for so long baffled her constantly. Sometimes the only thing she could think of was kissing Olivia.
Olivia turned toward Natalia curiously after several seconds of unresponsiveness and caught her staring at her mouth with dark eyes. She raised an eyebrow and licked her bottom lip ever so slightly. Natalia blinked and looked away quickly.
"I hope so too," Natalia said. Her voice was far from steady. "Are we getting close?"
Olivia stifled a laugh. At least I'm not the only one who can't stop thinking about it. "We're here actually," she said and turned the car onto a gravel road.
After Olivia found a place for the car, they collected up the few picnic supplies they had packed, and headed up a grassy hill.
"This is suspiciously like hiking, Olivia," Natalia said after she almost lost her balance on a mound of loose dirt.
"I never said there wouldn't be hiking," Olivia replied with a small grin and reached out for Natalia's hand to help her across the terrain.
Natalia took the hand without hesitation, but a frown still shaped her face. "I agreed to have food outside. Isn't that enough for you, Olivia?"
"It's a start," Olivia replied in an amused voice.
Just then, they got to the top of the hill and were greeted with the sight of a huge white oak tree which stood in the center of a deep green field that was spotted with yellow and purple flowers.
Natalia stumbled to a stop. "Oh, wow. It's beautiful, Olivia," she said quietly.
Olivia closed the small distance between them and placed her hand on Natalia's lower back. "I never thought I'd share this place with anyone," she said quietly.
Natalia leaned into Olivia, her head landing on her shoulder. "Thank you for sharing it with me."
"My pleasure," Olivia said, and placed a kiss so gentle and silent into Natalia's hair she was sure it went unnoticed. "Come on," she said after a few moments, "there's a perfect place to set up the picnic under the tree… and I'm ready to put this here picnic basket down."
Natalia laughed and shook her head because Olivia had said picnic suspiciously like Yogi the Bear. "Go on ahead, then. I'll catch up."
"What? You don't want to race?" Olivia asked with a small pout.
"Just go!" Natalia said with a roll of her eyes. Olivia grinned and took off quickly, leaving Natalia behind.
Natalia slowly followed. A small smile spread across her face as she watched Olivia jog away. Every few steps she would struggle a little with the large picnic basket in her hands, and the sight of it was disarmingly adorable in Natalia's eyes. As she followed quietly, suddenly a realization hit her: soon she would be allowed to touch that exquisite woman any time she wanted. She had to clench her jaw and take a deep breath to fight against the ideas and feelings that simple idea brought her. Then suddenly a second realization hit her: she could touch her right now. She could walk right up to Olivia, take her in her arms and finally feel how those beautiful lips felt when they moved against her own.
That idea excited her almost as much as is it scared her. Almost. Unfortunately, fear was still winning out, but every day that passed tipped the scales farther and farther. If she was to be honest with herself, she knew that the scales were almost balanced, and she was getting closer and closer to that tipping point.
She was nearing the tree and watched as Olivia bent over to pull something out of the large picnic basket. She shut her eyes and looked away from Olivia as an especially lustful thought crept into her mind. And she felt the scales tip a little farther toward the side of desire.
That was one of the problems, in fact, Natalia couldn't just think about kissing Olivia softly and moving on with the slow pace of their relationship. She didn't just want chaste kisses from Olivia Spencer. She wanted everything. She wanted to feel every inch of her body and stake claim to it. She didn't want any of Olivia until she knew she could have everything.
The desire she held for the other woman was being held back by a shaky barrier, and once that was gone, Natalia knew she wasn't going to hold back. She knew that one touch of those lips would smash the barriers and she'd be free of them at last. She just needed to know Olivia was ready as well because, despite all of Olivia's sex-vixen past, it was clear that she was just as scared as Natalia was. Natalia had a feeling though, that perhaps this picnic was Olivia's way of saying she was ready. Natalia hoped against hope that wasn't just wishful thinking on her part. She needed Olivia to be ready soon. No, she needed her to be ready now because she knew the next time the scales tipped they would topple over and all the fear would tumbled into the past and live as nothing more than a memory. She couldn't handle wanting and needing Olivia without receiving those desires in return.
Natalia tilted her face to the sky and silently asked God to lead them forward in their love. She prayed today would be the day they finally discarded the fear like a worn out security blanket and found their way into each other's arms.
By the time Natalia reached the tree, Olivia was leaning up against it, waiting for her.
"Slow poke," she said and smiled at Natalia.
"I was just checking out the scenery," Natalia explained innocently, and watched Olivia tuck her hands in her pockets.
Olivia was always sliding her hands in her pockets and the gesture made Natalia curious. Was she doing it out of habit? Nervousness? An attempt to look cute? Or some reason she could never guess? Sometimes she wished she had a way to look into Olivia's thoughts so she could stop wondering and hesitating. Whatever the reason was behind it, Natalia always found it very endearing and attractive, and the way she was now leaning against the expansive trunk of the ancient oak tree was calling to her like a moth to an irresistible flame. She wanted to walk up to Olivia and wrap her up into her arms and simply feel the solid intensity of Olivia's body against her own.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Olivia asked with a tiny smirk.
"I… umm…" Natalia fidgeted and dropped the blanket she'd carried up the hill. "I wasn't?"
Olivia laughed and looked down for a brief moment before looking back up at Natalia through her eyelashes. "Oh, I think you may have been, but I suppose we can pretend you weren't."
Natalia cleared her throat and suddenly decided to take a small leap of faith. "I was just… I was thinking I'd like to hug you. If that's okay? It's such a beautiful place and…"
"I'd love that," Olivia interrupted. She took her hands from her pockets, and made a small welcoming gesture with her hands.
Natalia closed the space between them and, as she reached her arms up to encircle Olivia's shoulders, she could feel her heart flutter with wild, nervous anticipation.
The hug lasted for several minutes. Each woman took a long time to just feel the warm presence of the other. Most of their hugs up until this point had been inspired only by the need for friendly comfort. This was a lover's hug. This was a hug they were allowed to enjoy. This was a hug where they could feel how perfectly their bodies fit together – a hug which held the promise of things to come.
Natalia took a deep breath and felt her chest come into firmer contact with Olivia's. She made a small sound of pleasure and reached up to gently bury one hand into Olivia's hair. Olivia splayed her hands out over Natalia's back, wanting to cover as much surface with them as she possibly could. She pulled Natalia against her until they were firmly pressed together against the tree.
"This is nice," Olivia purred, just centimeters below Natalia's ear, and even closer to the skin of her neck.
Natalia felt herself unconsciously lean her head to the side, opening her neck to the feel of Olivia's breath as she spoke. She was breathing harder now and it was taking everything in her not to gently press Olivia's head down so lips would graze the surface of her skin.
"Very nice," Natalia said eventually.
Olivia then ran her hands gently up to Natalia's shoulder, paused for a moment, and then ran them back down firmly until they reached her waistband. Natalia leaned heavily into her body, relishing the contact. Olivia gently, almost playfully dipped one finger under the hem of Natalia's shirt and proceeded to run the tip of it against Natalia's skin in a small circle.
And that's when it happened. The scale tipped. Natalia felt her body come absolutely alive with desire. One tiny touch of Olivia's fingertip on the delicate skin of her lower back was her undoing. Every fiber of her being wanted her to lean up and press her lips against Olivia's, to finally feed the endless need for contact she desired for so long.
But before she could do anything, Olivia broke the embrace and put her hands on Natalia's shoulders, effectively causing her to take a step back.
"Let's go for a walk," Olivia said in a voice that clearly showed to Natalia that she wasn't the only one feeling the effects of the hug.
"Um… alright," Natalia said, still a bit taken aback by this sudden turn of events. Olivia smiled widely and reached out her hand for Natalia to take. Natalia took the hand without question and allowed herself to be led away from the picnic spot.
"What about the food?" Natalia asked after she'd finally regained a semi-coherent thought process.
Olivia looked at her and blinked, a bit unnerved that Natalia could even think about food after that hug. Her body literally hummed with desire. It had been all she could do to break their embrace. She knew something changed inside Natalia once her fingers brushed against the warm skin of her back – she felt it. Natalia had released a long breath and it felt like every muscle in her body relaxed simultaneously. The feel of it set off every sexual instinct she'd ever had and told her that Natalia was ready for the next step. Thank you, God. However, she had a plan for today, and she'd be damned if she was going to let hormones drive this too quickly. There would be time for that later.
"It'll be fine. If someone wants to appear from nowhere and steal a few sandwiches, they probably want them a bit more than I do."
Natalia laughed and reached her hand over to squeeze Olivia's arm. "I suppose you're right. Where are you taking me?"
"You'll see," Olivia said coyly.
They walked in comfortable silence toward what looked to Natalia like the ridge of a hill. She silently hoped they wouldn't be walking down any ridiculously large hills because that would require walking back up again. As they neared the precipice, she was just about to begin a protest and explain her distaste for hiking again when her breath was taken from her.
"Oh, Olivia," she whispered. The hill wasn't a hill after all; it was more of a cliff, and the view from the top was spectacular.
"Welcome to Springfield," Olivia said with a small laugh and slipped an arm around Natalia's waist.
Natalia leaned into Olivia's body and sighed happily at the contact. "I never knew it was so beautiful." The small city spread out beneath them. Tiny houses and buildings intermingled with full green trees and created a picture that would look right at home on a postcard.
"It looks a lot less crazy up here doesn't it?"
"Almost average," Natalia said with a laugh and took a small step forward to see better over the ridge.
Olivia took the opportunity to slip behind Natalia and wrap both her arms around her waist. Natalia leaned back into the embrace and closed her eyes. She couldn't imagine any view anywhere in the world that could match the breathtaking feel of being in Olivia's arms.
Olivia glanced over and saw that Natalia's eyes were closed and smiled. She looked so content and beautiful.
"Natalia?" Olivia questioned softly, her mouth close to Natalia's ear.
Natalia swallowed hard. The feel of the breath behind Olivia's word snaked into her ear and caused a warm sensation to travel through her body. "Hmm?" she hummed in reply and opened her eyes reluctantly.
Olivia loosened her hold on Natalia and gently brought her around so they were facing each other. Natalia slid her hands up Olivia's arms and placed them on her shoulders.
"Natalia… I…" Olivia cupped Natalia's cheek in her hand and attempted to continue her struggling sentence. "I love you."
"I love you too, Olivia," Natalia replied, wanting to assure Olivia – she suddenly sounded nervous and vulnerable. "Never doubt that."
"No… I mean… I love you so much that those words… those three small words are an inadequate description. I wish I could explain how much you mean to me."
Natalia felt her heart melt. Olivia looked so heartbreakingly sweet, and her voice was so small and unsteady. Natalia wanted nothing more than to tell her how she knew exactly how much Olivia loved her because it was the same as she loved Olivia. Their love was like nothing she even dreamed possible.
"I don't need words, Olivia," Natalia said softly and reached her hands up behind Olivia's head and entwined them with her hair. She leaned up and only a brief look was exchanged between them before Olivia closed the distance and their lips met for the first time.
The kiss was slow and gentle. Neither woman could do much more than attempt to keep their legs from collapsing beneath them. This was it. This was everything they'd been waiting for – the perfect, electric meeting of their souls in a kiss that felt to both of them as if it was fusing their very hearts together. Eventually, their lips broke, not because they wanted to end the kiss, but because Natalia had started to smile.
Olivia pulled her head back a couple of inches and watched as Natalia's face broke into the biggest smile she'd ever seen. "What is it?" Olivia said with a wide smile of her own.
"I'm just so happy," Natalia shook her head a little and ran her fingertips across Olivia's cheek. She released a small giggle when Olivia quickly moved her head to the side and laid a quick kiss on the palm of her hand.
Olivia tilted her head to the side and looked at Natalia with a playful smile. "Can I kiss you again, or are you always going to break things up with giggles?"
"I wasn't giggling," Natalia protested.
Olivia leaned close until their lips were almost touching. "I think you were." She leaned in and gave Natalia a tiny peck on the lips. She pulled back and avoided the Natalia's attempt to capture her lips again. "But I suppose we can stop if things are too funny?"
"Shut up and kiss me, Olivia," she said and firmly pulled Olivia's head back toward her.
This kiss was deeper and more reckless than the first. They spent long moments simply enjoying the feel of it. The kiss was soft and delicate, but their passion for one another made it intense and forceful all at the same time. When Olivia placed her hands on Natalia's lower back and pulled their bodies impossibly closer, Natalia felt a crazy desire to jump up and wrap her legs around Olivia's body. She felt as if she could never get close enough to the woman in her arms.
When their kiss finally ended, they fell into a long, quiet hug. Olivia could see the city of Springfield spread out before eyes and she took a moment to thank any and all the gods that might exist for giving her this perfect moment.
Eventually, Natalia leaned back and looked at Olivia with a smile. "That was perfect," she said and leaned forward to briefly kiss Olivia again.
Olivia smiled shyly. "Here's to hoping it will be the first of many."
"I have no doubt of that," Natalia said and brushed a piece of lose hair behind Olivia's ear. "And since you're toasting already, why don't we go start our picnic?"
"And you just assumed I packed something with which to toast?"
Natalia tilted her head back and laughed. "There's not a doubt in my mind."
"I suppose there might be something," Olivia said with a laugh and a small eye roll at how well Natalia knew her. "Let's just hope the ants haven't eaten all the food."
Natalia's face fell a little. "Ants?"
"Don't worry. You can just eat around them. And if some go down… well, it's good protein," Olivia said with a laugh as she grasped Natalia's hand and began leading her back.
Natalia followed with large, heavy steps. "Olivia! I'm not going to eat ants."
"More for me then!" she said with a wink back at Natalia.
Natalia rolled her eyes and grabbed Olivia's elbow so that they were walking arm in arm. She was trying to suppress the idea that all their food had been overtaken by ants, when suddenly she realized she just might eat ants if Olivia used another kiss to convince her to do it.