Chapter Seven
12pm - Christmas Eve
Nikki's eyes were slowly closing over in anticipation of the impending kiss that was coming her way, from a set of luscious lips that were attached the most gorgeous specimen of woman that she had had the pleasure to set eyes and heart upon. And that her heart, which for so long had been dead skipped a beat and pounded wildly behind her breastbone, proving the damage that had been done to it over the years had not been irreparable.
The hands which clasped Helen tightly slowly began to tremble. Was it fear of where a kiss could lead? Was it a building trepidation of letting go, only to be hurt? Or was it just sheer excitement that led to these nervous quivers? The game she had been playing had suddenly turned dangerous and all thoughts of passports and pictures were long gone.
She lay patiently in wait. Basking in the pleasure of the warm, sweet breath wafting gently across her face in a rhythmic breeze, inhaling it into her own lungs as she drifted off, closer to pleasure. The stray strands of honey-blonde hair that dangled across her face tickled the skin causing her excitement to grow. For any second now her mouth would be consumed hungrily by an explorative, enquiring set of lips.
Helen watched Nikki lie quietly beneath her, her eyes firmly shut and her face a picture of contentment. There was no doubt about it, Nikki Wade had her hypnotized. Right now nothing or no one could make her draw her eyes away from the picturesque beauty. From head to toe she took in every little detail. The way Nikki's collar bone sunk deep into the silky, sallow skin. Helen had the urge to let her fingers trace the fine structure and to feel the smooth skin against her own. It hit her with an unforeseen force how much she actually wanted this woman lying underneath her. How could that be? She had always been with men, but suddenly this amazingly beautiful woman had captured all of her senses in a raw naked desire. And for a split second it made consider just how straight she in fact were.
She felt herself growing even hotter as the gentle roll of the ship moved their bodies closer together.
Helen also felt something else, and far less pleasant sensation. It was a distinct dizziness, announcing a fast approaching nauseous feeling from the pit of her belly, accompanied by an unmistakable rumbling in her stomach. Knowing only all too well what was soon going to happen Helen shot up from the otherwise pleasant cushion of Nikki Wade with the speed of lightning and dashed for the bathroom like her life depended on it; just in time to find the toilet before throwing up violently.
Whilst Helen deposited the contents of her stomach Nikki remained stagnant on the bed. At the sudden and forceful breaking apart of the hands that clutched Helen's back, her eyes had flown open, to catch nothing more than a fleeting glimpse of the object of her affection sprinting away from her at breakneck speed, a hand clasped over her mouth. What the hell was going on? One minute she was teetering dangerously on the brink of arousal and the next her spell had been broken to the unappealing echo of retching.
For a fleeting second paranoia set in and Nikki wondered if the idea of being intimate with her was so sickening to Helen that it had caused such a physical reaction, which was most certainly not the kind she had been hoping for! The sounds made Nikki involuntarily cringe and a deep frown showed on her face. It reminded her of some of the last words Trish had spat at her when they had their final fight.
"You make me sick! You'll never be able to love anyone other than yourself!"
Nikki closed her eyes as the words echoed through her mind mixing with the disturbing sounds from the small bathroom. Even if the rational part of her told her that Trish was wrong, the words still hurt, even after this time. And they had prevented her from having any kind of proper relationship for several years. She had closed her heart, but this unknown woman had suddenly made her long for someone to love. The petite Scot had opened depths in Nikki's heart and soul that she wasn't even aware that she had. It was very unsettling to her, yet it intrigued her. But was she ready to explore it? And with the reactions she had gotten so far from Helen, vomiting being the last and least pleasant, it was not very likely that she had much interest in Nikki at all.
Thinking back to the last 6 hours nothing had gone right. In fact everything had been fucked up and on top of it all, this bloody woman had done nothing but nag her tits off, argue with her non-stop, and proving herself in the process to be a total pain in arse. Yet Nikki did feel a strange unexplainable connection to the woman, who by all standards was incredible gorgeous to look at. The complexity had Nikki thoroughly confused as she mused about her unusual situation; until something caught her attention. The sounds had stopped. Nothing but the natural sounds within the ship was heard. For what seemed like an eternity Nikki just sat and listened intensely for any sign that Helen was still being sick. When nothing happened she began feeling concerned about the other woman. She got up and took the few steps towards the bathroom door, and was about to knock on it, as it suddenly opened, revealing a very pale Helen, with an angry scowl on her face.
Helen knelt herself on the tiny piece of flooring space in the bathroom, and let the contractions in her stomach overtake her entire body. She hated being sick, and couldn't remember a time, other than through a huge consumption of alcohol, that she had felt as nauseous, and without any warning,
She hugged the toilet bowl like her life depended on it, and when their was nothing left in her stomach to deposit, she brought her elbows up to rest on the seat, and placed her weary head in her hands. She felt absolutely ghastly, and there was only one rational explanation for it…the damn sea and its inability to stay calm.
"God, what must Nikki be thinking?" The sudden realisation that she had left Nikki sprawled across the bed waiting in anticipation made her jump up to her feet; an act which she instantly regretted as her stomach jumped with her. She swallowed quickly and held her breath tightly in the hope the bile that was threatening to regurgitate would stay were it was; and for the time being it did.
She let out her breath with a gasp and shook her head as she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror.
"Look at the state of you…no wonder Nikki didn't sit up and kiss you." She let out a mirthless laugh and shook her head again. "I'm losing it. I'm talking to myself, in a bathroom, on a ship, bound for England, on Christmas eve and not only am I questioning my sanity, but my sexuality! I need a shower, a sleep and a bevy load of booze!" Slowly she began to unbutton her blouse and with the greatest of ease she slid it from her shoulders. Ever muscle in her body felt like it was strained, and she likened it to having gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson. All she wanted right now was to step into the crammed shower cubicle and feel the warm water cascade down her aching limbs. Not only would it be soothing and hopefully eradicate this sudden bout of seasickness, but it would buy her an extra twenty minutes away from Nikki. She needed to gather her thoughts and her composure before she stepped back into the room where the tempestuous beauty would no doubt be waiting on her with a few choice words…and for that she felt like she needed to be prepared. But as she stopped thinking about her and took in her surrounding she knew she was going to see Nikki Wade a lot sooner than she anticipated.
Marching a few spaces to the door, avoiding a large, perilous puddle she grabbed the handle angrily and yanked the white plastic partition open; only to find Nikki's face mere inches from her own - she wasn't going to have to travel far for this fight.
"Have you seen the state you've left the bathroom in!?" It may have been a question, but she didn't wait for the answer. "There is water everywhere, all the free samples are empty and there are no towels! At least, not one that's dry!" Helen's eyes bulged from her pale face.
"Well, I'd give you this one…but…" Nikki motioned towards the white fluffy towel she had rewrapped around her body and smirked. "I was coming to ask if you were okay, but it seems like even in sickness you are a bitch, so I won't bother."
"Can you blame me, Nikki! Look at the place…its like the Poseidon Adventure in there! All I wanted was a nice shower to make myself feel better, and now I feel a million times worse…excuse me." Nikki moved from the doorway to let Helen storm pass, and watched her stomp moodily to the bed, where she threw back the duvet and climbed in; fully clothed and without another word.
The nagging doubts that were in Nikki's mind were now confirmations set in concrete. Helen Stewart really had no interest in her at all, and the sooner she got away from her, the sooner she would prevent herself from once again getting her heart broken.
