This was love. This was it. It was the front of her blue dress just brushing me from behind. It was friction. It was the unexplainable way I could feel her without touching. She simply sat near me. The room was crowded, but I could smell her; and when she laid a hand on my inner thigh only to say, "Excuse me" and walk on, I felt my stomach shudder and I gasped inaudibly—just the slightest sip of air. How could she do such a thing? Right now? Here, in front of all these people? Therese thought. Carol carried on to the washroom..

They hadn't seen each other in months. How Carol even knew where she was working was beyond Therese. She didn't know what had happened with Harg or Rindy. She didn't know why seeing Genevieve at the party tonight filled her with the uncontrollable urge to rush back to Carol. What was it about Carol's hand? Carol's smell? Why would no other hand or smell or laugh or gaze ever do in comparison? All she knew was that she had to follow Carol, because she could not stand to sit another minute with these men she hardly knew and cared nothing about.

"Would you excuse me for a moment?" Therese spoke confidently. How dare she? she thought and rushed down the hall to the restroom.

"Carol?" Therese spoke softly as she poked her head into the door of the women's room. The room was quiet, empty, lightly dimmed. Therese thought that this room may very well have been set on earth for this one, single encounter. She felt confident no one in the restaurant would have place enough to interrupt this moment. She just felt it. But to be sure, she locked the door behind her.

"I was hoping you'd chase me in here," Carol spoke to Therese's reflection in the mirror. She was more beautiful than Therese had even remembered.

"Carol…" Therese felt herself cowering. She was hot. Her hands were sweating. For a moment she thought she might faint.

"I'm sorry," Carol whispered and turned, and her eyes glazed with tears. "Therese, I'm so sorry. I can promise you this will never –"

"I haven't said yes," Therese spoke boldly. She can't remember a time she ever cut Carol off, and she felt terrible about it immediately. Carol's eyes grew just slightly wide, and the tears she was fighting to hold back were finally released now as she held down her head. Therese walked toward her.

"Don't cry," she said and brushed a thumb across her cheek. "You'll ruin your make-up." Therese smiled at her and Carol let out the slightest laugh before reaching her arms around Therese and squeezing so tightly Therese couldn't breath. She'd hold her breathe forever for Carol. They began to pull apart and Therese suddenly felt overwhelmed by panic.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't—"

"I love you," Therese blurted. Carol looked intently at her. "I—I wanted to see you and tell you—" she carried on but was interrupted by Carol's lips on hers. Carol drew herself closer once again, but this time held tightly onto the back of Therese's head and neck. Caught by surprise, Therese felt weak. She thought she might crumble beneath the weight of the air into a thousand jagged ends that were the pins and needles rushing through her legs and arms and face.

A knock on the door.

"The loo is overflowing!" Carol yelled. "Check back in a bit!"

A pause.

"We should get back…" Carol said faintly. Therese knew Carol was right, but she didn't care. She felt different. New. Grown. Fearless, weightless, careless. Any word that would give excuse to what she was about to do next.

"No," she leaned in and breathed into Carol, her lips just touching her ear. Just like that she had done it. Unrestrained, she drew herself toward Carol. Finding her lips, she was quick to let her tongue in to feel the grooves of Carol's teeth and taste the whiskey on her breath.

Carol was in awe. The change in Therese's demeanor was shocking but exciting. She had longed for this. She had dreamt of Therese, daydreamed of her naked body, the way her skin tasted, how warm she felt when she would climb on top of her and their bare bodies would meet. She was overcome, and before she could gather her composure, Therese had pushed her onto a small loveseat just right of the door. Carol fell back and pulled away briefly. Therese looked at her so calmly and intently she thought she might see straight through her, learning things no one else in this world had ever known. She felt like a baby bird so vulnerable and small being carried ever so gently under her mother's wing. She felt safe but also afraid to fly.

"Please," Therese begged. "You just have to be quiet." Carol closed her eyes and Therese eagerly kissed her again. Carol opened her mouth wide and felt their tongues dance together quickly and ferociously. Therese reached for Carol's blouse and pulled it over her head. She could see Carol's nipples, hard, through her silk bra, and she ran one palm across them while the other turned Carol to sit on top of her. Carol had only her skirt and heals on below her waist, and Therese began to feel the familiar urgent thrusting of Carol's hips on her thigh. In the past, Therese had always hesitated here. She had let Carol grind along her until she came, kissing every inch of her neck and breasts that she could reach. But here, she felt different. Fearless. She kissed Carol's neck and then pulled away to look at her.

"Therese…don't stop…please."

"You're so beautiful," she said and sat a moment. Then she took her right hand and reaching under Carol's skirt felt her so ready she was wet inches down her inner thighs. Carol inhaled sharply.

"Therese…oh, God," she said. "Oh, my God…" Carol's head tilted slightly and her back arched as she brought her arms around Therese's neck. Therese first slipped in one and then two of her fingers. Once inside, she began to stroke the soft, slippery inner walls, watching all the while to make sure she wasn't pressing too hard.

"Therese...", Carol moaned.

"Shh!" Therese insisted. Then faster and faster she penetrated her, lifting her skirt just enough to expose the curve of her bottom. The muscles of Therese's forearm began to burn and feeling so utterly in control, she pressed her cheek firmly against Carol's breast in an attempt to feel each erratic motion. The faster Therese went, the harder she pressed, stabilizing Carol's rhythm to match her own. When the burning was too much, Therese would slow and Carol would breath heavily into her neck, kissing it softly. Sometimes their mouths would meet, Carol moaning ever so quietly into Therese's lungs, breathing life into her, Therese thought.

"Yes," said Therese, who had stopped motioning completely. "I'm saying yes. I want to live with you…be with you every second." Carol smiled and flung back her hair with one sweeping motion of her head.

"My sweet girl," she said and kissed her. Then Carol grabbed Therese's hand, fingers still inside her and said, "You're doing wonderfully. Please, don't stop."

Therese blushed so intensely she felt her ears burning.

"Carol, I…"

"Sh sh shhh…" Carol said. "Go on."

Following the command, Therese again began thrusting. A slow, steady pace now felt differently inside Carol, whose body seemed to be clutching around Therese's hand. Suddenly, Carol's body seized and shook—her lips on Therese's right cheek where she let out a moan in a pitch Therese had never heard before. A tone so beautiful, Therese thought she might as well have been listening to a full string quartet.

A knock at the door.

"Excuse me…Ma'am? My name is Allen, I'm the store manager. I heard the loo is overflowing. Is everything alright..?"

"Uh…just a minute!" Therese yelped. "My friend…she's very ill. We…we fixed the overflow, but we need just another minute to freshen up!"

"No problem, ma'am," the voice returned. Carol chuckled. "All grown up," she said. "My sweet girl."

"Carol," Therese said. "I'm…I'm drenched!" she laughed.

"Well," Carol said, pulling on her blouse. "I guess we'll just have to take care of that later." She winked. "In the meantime, you know I love to watch you squirm."