Hey guys! As announced, here's my present to you. Please know that, whatever you may (or may not) celebrate this time of year, I'm thinking of you. Thank you for your invariably positive feedback here and on Twitter, for sticking with me, Lauren and Bo, and for making this year just a little bit better. Enjoy!
Chapter 10
Lauren
The whole day, Lauren felt like she was walking on clouds. It was ridiculous, how giddy she became whenever she thought about meeting Bo later tonight. However, she happily noticed that this strange state of mind didn't inhibit her rational side. On the contrary – her thinking process was more focused than ever, which resulted in a multitude of innovative ideas. And the best thing – her good mood rubbed off on her staff, who, even on normal days, were eager to please the genius doctor. But today, she swept them all off their feet with her enthusiasm. Rushing back and forth between the lab, the office and her patients, she checked the progress of all her research projects and instructed her people on what to do next or how she wanted things done differently.
Time flew by and soon, it was time to call the restaurant to make reservations. She wanted her date with Bo to be amazing, and even though Giovanni always had a table ready for Lauren, she wanted to sit in her favourite spot tonight. After that was done, all she had to do was talk to Warren. She didn't like asking him for favours because he always expected something in return, but for Bo, she would gladly bite the bullet. It was early afternoon when she finally got him alone in between two meetings.
When she entered his office, he got up from his seat and gave her a warm smile. "Lauren, darling. To what do I owe the honour?" She accepted his embrace and gave him a warm smile of her own. It was genuine. She knew she didn't have to pretend with him – they'd known each other far too long to play games, and he did have a special place in her heart. Still, she was nervous. "Warren, I need a tiny favour", she started, fidgeting with her hands. Get a grip, Lewis, she scolded herself, straightening her back and shoving her hands into the deep pockets of her lab coat. "I need tomorrow off. I know it's short notice, but I already talked to Evony, and she says it's no problem as long as you're okay with it."
He smiled again, nodding. "If it's fine with the chief, it's fine with me, Lauren." Relief washed over her … until she saw the faint smirk on his face. Ah, crap. "As we're talking favours, I know it's short notice", he said, his smirk widening, "but I meant to ask you about this conference coming up next weekend." Lauren rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, c'mon, Warren, you know how much I hate those things." Besides, she really didn't want to leave Bo for who knows how long this conference would last. "I know, but you're so good at them. You have this natural gift of charming people and having them eat out of the palm of your hand." Warren took Lauren's hand to breathe a gentleman's kiss on it. "You're the most brilliant doctor this entire hospital has to offer. Please, please do it, just one more time. For me?"
Lauren rolled her eyes. He was such a sweet-talker when it suited his needs. "Don't let Evony hear the bit about the most brilliant doctor. She might chew your head off." He didn't answer and looked at her with big puppy eyes. "Alright, alright, I'll do it", she relented. A wide grin lighting up his face, he made a step toward her to wrap her in a hug, but she put both hands on his chest to stop him. "This is the last time I'm doing something like this on such short notice, Warren. In fact, after it's done, I don't want you to bother me with any conferences for at least six months. Are we clear?" He nodded and gave her a little bow to hide his victorious smirk, before opening his arms to pull her into a fatherly embrace.
Lauren left Warren's office feeling a little annoyed with herself because she'd let him sweet-talk her into something she didn't want to do. Again. Sighing and shaking her head, she decided that she wasn't going to let negative thoughts in to ruin her date night. Thinking of Bo, she smiled and walked down the corridor to head to her office. She had to work through some files that desperately needed organising, which lately, she had been outrageously neglecting. She opened the door and found that somebody was already waiting for her.
"Evony", she greeted the chief in a surprised tone. "Did I forget about a meeting or something?" Putting away the medical journal she had apparently been reading to pass the time, the other woman got up from the sofa and walked towards the blonde. "No, I just came by to drop off those files over there." She pointed at a stack of paper on Lauren's desk. The blonde lifted an eyebrow. "Right. The chief playing delivery girl. Believable." Evony grinned. "Okay, you got me. I mostly came by because I was curious how things are going with you and your favourite resident." She paused to look at the smirking blonde. "I do need you to go through those files though. It's a bunch of severe cases from other hospitals, and they're asking for your expert opinion."
"Ooh, exciting!" Lauren eagerly stepped to the desk to grab and open the top file. Evony laughed. "Hey, I asked you a question!" But the blonde was lost in the reading material, frown locked on her forehead, her brain already processing possible solutions for the patient whose life was almost literally lying in her hands. "Actually, you didn't", Lauren mumbled, deep in thought. Evony pushed herself between the blonde and the desk and grabbed her hands to gently close the file she was holding. She closely examined her face, then stole the file from Lauren to casually throw it behind her. Feigning outrage, the blonde put her hands on her hips, but a small twitch in the corner of her mouth gave her away. "Okay, okay", she gave in. "Things are …" Lauren took a deep breath and allowed a dreamy smile to spread over her face. "Amazing."
Evony chuckled. "I can tell, and it's not only me who noticed. Your people are gossiping. Do you realise you've been sporting the biggest grin all day?" The blonde focused back on the older woman in front of her and snorted. "Gossiping? I'm hardly that interesting." The brunette grabbed Lauren's shoulders. "Oh, honey. You're the talk of the town even on normal days. But now you've got that extra spring in your step, people are going crazy guessing who the lucky lady is." The blonde nervously bit her lip. "Oh no. This … this is bad, right? I don't want them to give Bo a hard time." Evony put her palm on Lauren's cheek. "Oh, c'mon now, this isn't sixth grade, and she's a big girl. Don't worry about her." She smiled affectionately. "Look at you, all worried about your lady."
"She's not … my lady", Lauren protested weakly. Evony lifted an eyebrow. "Whatever you say, honey. But I know what I saw … what everyone saw here today. I haven't seen you this giddy in years." She cupped the blonde's face with both hands to look into her eyes. "She's good for you, Lauren. Just promise me to enjoy this. Whatever you two have, it seems to me that she's worth it." With that, she pulled her down to kiss her forehead, patted her cheek and left the room, leaving behind a very thoughtful Lauren.
Bo
That morning, Bo didn't even get halfway to the changing rooms before being tackled by Kenzi, who demanded to know everything at once. Her nightshift had just ended, and she was beyond tired, but she was also the nosiest creature on earth, so Bo didn't have a choice but to tell her about her amazing night with Lauren – leaving out the kinky details, of course. Kenzi liked to know things, but even her curiosity had its limits. When Bo finished her story, a dreamy smile lit up her face, thinking back to the goodbye kiss she and Lauren had shared only a few minutes ago.
"Aww, Bo-Bo, you're so cute all in lurve and stuff!", Kenzi chirped. "Ooh, you should totally carve your names in that table outside!", she exclaimed, excitedly jumping up and down. Bo laughed at her friend's enthusiasm, but shook her head. "Okay now, slow down, I don't want to scare her away quite so soon." They'd arrived in the locker room, where Bo was starting to change into her scrubs when she remembered Lauren's words from earlier. "Hey, want to know why that table looks so out of place?", she asked and proceeded to tell her what Lauren had told her before.
Kenzi's jaw dropped. "She's old pals with Smaug?" Everyone in their year called him that now. After the introduction by Warren Ash on their first day, all residents had met up in the changing room, and Bo had blurted out the nickname in front of everyone. She was about to chastise herself for her big mouth when the entire room had erupted in laughter, and ever since then, the nickname stuck.
"Strange, right?" Bo made a mental note to tell Lauren about it as soon as possible. Now that she knew the two were close, she felt like it was a good idea to tell her the truth … Although the brunette still found it kind of weird that the brilliant doctor she'd fallen so hard for was friends with the slimy pharma dude that sounded like a PR machine on repeat whenever he opened his sulphur-breathing dragon mouth. Kenzi let out a big yawn. "Okay, I really need to stuff my face with like a million food and then sleep until tomorrow evening", she said, stretching her tiny form. "Hale said he'd come over to bring me fried goodness … Ah, I love my man." Her eyes sparkled. "So, when are you coming home tonight?"
Bo smirked, lifting an eyebrow. "Get out!", her friend cried. "You're seeing her again? Already? Damn, last night must've been even hotter than you made it sound!" The raven-haired girl pretended to fan herself with her hands, and Bo gave her a meaningful look. "You have no idea", she replied in a low voice. Kenzi quickly lifted her hands. "Okay, okay, stop it right there. We don't want to ruin a perfectly healthy friendship with stories about your hot, hot lady lovin' now, do we?" Bo laughed, giving Kenzi a friendly slap on the shoulder. "I'm going to come home to change, but I'll spend the night at Lauren's again. And maybe the day, too", she added, grinning like an idiot. "Damn, Bo-Bo, you got it bad!", her friend exclaimed. Bo just shrugged, giving her a no-shit-Sherlock look. Kenzi yawned again, so Bo sent her off to bed and hurried to start her shift.
The ER was hectic today. There were no severe cases, but it was just one of those days where every single citizen of Toronto seemed to have decided that today was a particularly great day to fall down, give themselves deep cuts, crash into each other's cars or lightly injure themselves in every thinkable way. And as it was Saturday, people had no choice but to invade the ER, because all regular medical practices were closed. Bo felt like she was working a conveyor belt, patching up one patient after the next. The good thing was that time flew by, and before she knew it, it was late afternoon.
In a rare quiet minute between two patients, Bo decided to text Lauren. They'd been going back and forth all day with small, playful messages, and it felt amazing. Even in the midst of the ER craze, Bo was constantly thinking about the blonde. Once, it got so bad that she caught herself zoning out while in the middle of stitching up a particularly nasty cut. Interestingly though, her autopilot mode was working like a charm, and the cute old lady who was sitting on Bo's examination table didn't mind the brunette's state. On the contrary – when the doctor tried to apologise, she just shrugged and gave her a knowing smile. When Bo was done, the lady got up, lovingly patted her cheek and left with the words: "You hold onto that love, darling. It's rare."
Bo touched her face where the woman's hand had just been and smiled. "I will", she muttered to herself and grabbed her phone. 'I almost just gave a poor old lady lopsided stitches because I was thinking of you. What do you have to say in your defence?', she typed and hit Send before heading to the next patient. It didn't take long until she felt the phone vibrate in her pocket, but this time, she was concentrating on the task at hand. Examining the young man in front of her, she carefully ran her fingers over the rapidly swelling bruise on his head. When asked for the cause of his injury, he sheepishly told her that he had acquired the colourful bump by running full force into a lamp post because his eyes had been fixated on a beautiful woman passing by. To his delight, the brunette didn't laugh at him, but instead nodded understandingly. Little did he know that no lamp post would be safe from Bo when it came to Lauren.
After thoroughly checking his pupils and reactive abilities, she sent him up for a CT scan to rule out a more severe concussion. When he'd left, she filled out his chart before grabbing her phone to read Lauren's answer. 'Nothing, your honour. I plead guilty. Afraid you must punish me later.' Bo bit her lip to suppress a moan while all kinds of ways to "punish" Lauren crossed her mind.
"Whatcha looking at?" The voice came out of nowhere and startled her from her lusty haze. It belonged to her fellow resident Sam. "Ow!", he exclaimed dramatically when she playfully hit his arm. "That's what you get from sneaking up on me. And being nosy … But if you must know, I was checking a text from Lauren", she added in a hushed voice. Besides Kenzi and Valerie, he was the only one at the hospital, who knew about her and Lauren's relationship, and she wanted to keep it that way for now. Sam clapped his hands excitedly. He loved nothing more than hearing the latest news about his favourite couple in the world – his words, not Bo's. Beauty and the Genius he had christened his personal real-life telenovela, which he followed like an avid fan, suffering along with the brunette through moments of heartache and happily clutching his chest when he saw the obvious love in his friend's eyes.
Bo, Kenzi and Sam had quickly become friends after the little incident on the day they'd been introduced to Lauren. He was a sucker for romance and had been one of the few who didn't laugh at Bo's complete loss of control when first meeting the blonde genius that was Dr Lauren Lewis. Besides, he was a great doctor and colleague, and the brunette particularly appreciated his obsession with keeping things clean and organised, which stood in sharp contrast to Kenzi's chaotic work methods. The truth was, he helped to keep Kenzi's feet on the ground, while the petite whirlwind helped him loosen up a little. They complemented each other really well, and Bo was glad they'd met.
"Dr Leviston, over here, please! And Dr McCorrigan, cabin four", came Dr Michaels' calm voice from their right. Rolling his eyes in mock annoyance at the rude interruption of quality soap opera time, Sam gave his friend a tell-me-more-later look and rushed over to their boss.
The rest of the shift was as uneventful as the whole day had been. Bo patched up one waiting patient after the next, until the influx of injured people finally decreased. She was glad it did because that meant she would have more time for her date. At around eight o'clock, she popped by her apartment to shower and give Vex, whom lately, she had been shamefully neglecting, some desperately needed cuddles. Then, she got dressed, choosing a simple black bodycon dress that accentuated her curves in just the right way. She completed the outfit with heeled leather boots and a warm coat that reached all the way down to her calves to keep the cold out. October had been unusually warm, but now that November was past its peak, it had got chilly, especially at night-time.
When Bo left her apartment to meet up with Lauren, Kenzi was still asleep, so she left her a note saying 'Morning, sleepyhead. Brought you cookies.', swapping it with the one her friend had put on the kitchen counter this morning. 'Happy humping!', it read. The i was dotted with a little heart, and she'd added a cheeky smiley face under the words.
Fifteen minutes later, Bo left the cab to pick up her date. Winking at Manuel, who blew her the usual kiss, she stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the seventeenth floor. Lauren opened before Bo had a chance to ring the doorbell. "Hi", the blonde greeted her with a big smile. "I saw the cab", she admitted a little sheepishly. Bo found her adorable. Flashing her one of her most radiant smiles, she stepped aside to let Lauren pass. Just like Bo, the blonde had put on a warm coat, which was shielding the view of what was underneath. All she could make out were black high heels and a sexy hint of calf.
Hand in hand, they left the building, just looking at each other and chatting away about their day. The restaurant was only ten minutes away, so they walked enjoying the beautiful, clear night air. They'd barely passed through the door when a small, middle-aged man with a huge belly came scurrying towards them at a surprising speed, given his considerable size. "Lauren!", he exclaimed, pronouncing the a and u separately and rolling the r in the most tuneful way. Letting go of Bo's hand, the blonde laughed and sank into the man's affectionate embrace. "Giovanni", she said, planting a little kiss on his cheek that made him blush. Releasing him, she turned to her date. "Bo, this is Giovanni, the owner of this beautiful restaurant. And Giovanni, this is Bo, the woman I mentioned earlier." The man's face split into a wide grin, and before Bo knew it, he had wrapped her in his arms as well. With a surprised chuckle, she patted his back and shot Lauren an uncertain look. She gave her a little shrug that seemed to say Just go with it. So, she did.
When he was finished wordily greeting his favourite patron and her date, he led them to a table for two that was sitting in a little niche right next to a window, which offered a breathtaking view of the harbour. Giving Lauren a little wink, he left them alone. "What was the wink for?", asked Bo, a little irritated and still overwhelmed by the man's tactile nature. Lauren seemed to have noticed, as she stepped closer to put a hand on the brunette's cheek. "It just means he likes you", she said in a reassuring tone, breathing a small kiss on her lover's lips that made Bo forget her surroundings for a second. "Oh. That's good, I guess", she offered. "It also means he approves of you", Lauren added with a wink of her own.
And just like that, Bo's irritation was gone. "Lucky me", she chortled and proceeded to take off her coat to put it on the conveniently wide windowsill. When she looked back up, she saw Lauren, who was still buttoned up, openly staring at her. Bo smiled, approaching the blonde with a swing in her hips. "You like?", she asked, to which Lauren made a noise between a low growl and a hum. Her gaze said it all, but she chose to answer. "You are by far the sexiest woman I've ever met."
For a moment, Bo was floored by the earnest in Lauren's voice. Even though she had ample proof by now that the blonde desired her, hearing this statement out in public added a whole new touch to their relationship. Instead of answering, Bo gave her a soft smile and proceeded to unbutton Lauren's coat to unwrap what she had been yearning to see since she stepped out of that cab about twenty minutes ago. The blonde watched her, following her every move with her eyes. The coat fell open, and Bo couldn't help but stare. Underneath, Lauren was wearing a lavender-coloured, shoulder-free dress that fell in beautiful waves over her chest, elegantly hugging her breasts and barely hinting at a promise of cleavage.
Drinking in the form of her lover, Bo swallowed, suddenly feeling hot. "Lauren …", she tried, but failed. She didn't know what to say, so she stepped behind the blonde to slide the coat off her shoulders to put it next to her own … only she didn't get that far. The further down the fabric slid, the more bare skin was revealed as the dress' extremely low cut stopped just above the curve of Lauren's heavenly arse. It took all of Bo's willpower to not slide her hand down the blonde's backside and take her right here from behind.
"You like?", Lauren echoed Bo's question from before, turning her head to look at the other woman. Without uttering a word, she clenched her hands to fists to keep herself from touching the blonde's skin and stepped behind her chair to pull it back. Smiling to herself at her little victory, Lauren took a seat. As soon as Bo was sitting down, she leaned over the table, giving Lauren the view of her cleavage that the blonde so very much enjoyed. Stopping inches from Lauren's mouth, Bo breathed in the familiar scent of vanilla and mango and whispered: "Your punishment just doubled, Doctor Lewis." Then, she leaned against the backrest of her chair and gave Lauren a promising smile.
Lauren/Bo
Oh, this was going to be tough. How was she supposed to get through dinner with that view in her face all night? On the other hand, Bo was clearly as turned on as Lauren was – maybe even more, considering how obviously she just had to compose herself. Smirking, Lauren took a sip of the water that was sitting on the table and mirrored Bo's movement, casually leaning back in her chair. Score one for me, she thought, although she knew she was walking on dangerously thin ice. Bo's sexy body, now amplified by that breathtaking dress of hers, was … enticing, to say the least. Oh yes, Lauren definitely appreciated the dress. Not because it made Bo sexier – that was hardly possible – but because Lauren knew what was waiting for her underneath the delicate fabric. She shifted in her seat.
However, before she could think of a clever retort, Lauren was saved by the arrival of the waitress, who introduced herself to Bo as Dina. The blonde didn't need an introduction. Getting up from her chair, Lauren wrapped the young woman in a hug, which she returned just as enthusiastically as Giovanni had done earlier. It was a family thing, Bo learned – Dina was the owner's daughter and, according to Lauren, the spitting image of her mother, whom Bo had yet to meet. But mamma Gianna was busy in the kitchen, so that meeting had to wait. The good thing was that Dina's arrival distracted the two from their naughty thoughts.
When the bubbly waitress had taken their orders, they fell into an easy conversation that flowed all the way through a delicious dinner and dessert. Lauren fed Bo the last bit of her original Italian ice cream, deeply enjoying the enticingly thorough way the brunette licked the spoon. "We should definitely do this more often", Bo said, her voice dripping with sexual innuendo. Lauren grinned. "You just want more ice cream", she quipped, to which the other woman nodded empathetically. "Hey!", the blonde protested, feigning outrage.
Bo laughed, and just like that, Lauren was enthralled again. The brunette loved the effect her smile had on her. It made her feel special to be the one who caused this kind of reaction in the genius doctor, whom everybody thought of as cool and distant. Boy, did those poor souls have no clue what the blonde was like when she dropped her cool exterior … along with her clothes. In an instant, images of naked Lauren popped into Bo's mind, and she shuddered. But the thought of unwrapping her lover later tonight made her think of something else. "So … did you manage to take tomorrow off?", she asked casually, and Lauren grinned. "I did indeed."
Bo couldn't help but notice the small cringe her question had caused. "What's wrong?", she asked. "I mean, I don't have to stay over if you don't w…" Lauren lifted a finger and put it on Bo's lips. "I want nothing more than for you to stay the night, Bo. You must know that", she said softly. "It's just that I agreed to another one of those medical conferences that I despise." She rolled her eyes. "You do?", Bo asked, surprised. Lauren had never been arrogant about her supreme intellect, but the fact remained that she was a fricking genius, while Bo was … well, not. "I always find them so interesting", she added a little hesitantly, to which the blonde quickly shook her head. "Oh, they are for everyone else. But I usually go there as speaker for the hospital. Don't get me wrong, I love talking about neuroscience. It's my passion, and I want as many people to know about the newest methods and the latest results of my research." She made a little pause, a bright smile lighting up her face, which faded as quickly as it had appeared.
"But that fun part is just a fraction of what's expected of me", she added with a hint of annoyance. "I rarely have the time to listen to other speakers, unfortunately. And when I'm not up on a podium, I usually attend endless boring meetings and parties with an endless stream of boring people that endlessly rattle on about money." She sighed and shrugged lightly. "The conferences I go to aren't only for medical professionals, you see. Many visitors are doctors, who want to learn about new practices and methods. But those eventually require new equipment, which is where the people with the money come in. Hospitals are like corporations. They have to be profitable to persist. Bottom line is – medical conferences are big, sparkling PR shows, and I hate PR work." She shuddered to underline her point.
Bo chuckled. "So, when do you have to leave?", she asked, before adding, a little anxiously: "And more importantly, when are you coming back?"
The blonde couldn't help but smile. Bo was just too adorable. "I'll be away for three days. Next Friday to Sunday", Lauren added, and Bo's face fell, disappointment washing over her features. "Hey, what is it?", Lauren enquired with a worried frown. "Oh … you know what, it doesn't matter. As long as you're back soon, I'm fine", Bo said with a genuine smile. But the blonde wouldn't let it go. "Tell me, Bo."
She fidgeted with the ice cream spoon. "It really is okay, Lauren. I should've told you earlier anyway, but I wasn't sure about us and then you distracted me and I forgot and now it's too late …", she rambled. "Bo …?", Lauren said in a stern tone, slowly getting a little worried. "It's my birthday in a week", she finally admitted.
Lauren slumped in her chair. "Oh", she said, looking up at the ceiling, as if it was all god's fault. "I knew I should've just left it with asking Evony. Why did I even go to Warren?", she chided herself. Of course, she knew exactly why. He'd saved her from herself when nobody else could, and that was that. Even after all these years, she felt indebted to him. "Hey", Bo said softly, interrupting Lauren's inner quarrel. "It's okay, babe. We'll just celebrate when you're back, okay?" The blonde didn't seem convinced, so Bo put her hand on her cheek, which she immediately leaned into. "We'll have many more birthdays to celebrate together, right? Besides, it's not like I'll be alone. My friends will be there, and we can call each other and chat." She looked right into Lauren's eyes to convince her that what she was saying was true. "I'm really okay with it."
Again, Lauren believed her. It was easy, because she knew Bo would always tell her the truth. Relieved, she turned her head to kiss the brunette's palm, then took both of Bo's hands in her own, breathing light kisses on each one. "Thank you", she whispered against her skin and inhaled her lover's unique scent. Lauren trusted Bo, and it was time to give her a little more of herself. "I promised you something this morning", she said after a short silence which she used to drown herself in Bo's smile and her beautiful brown eyes. "I'm ready when you are", the brunette replied, giving Lauren's hand a gentle squeeze.
Entwining her fingers with Bo's, the blonde looked down to sort out her thoughts and find the right words. "My dad died when I was fourteen", she started, her gaze still locked on the table. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly to keep herself from crying. Bo was going to give her all the time she needed. It felt so good to finally learn about the blonde's past, but Bo knew that telling her about her dad made Lauren incredibly vulnerable. She was about to open up a side of her that only a handful of people knew about. It required an enormous amount of trust, and Bo wouldn't jeopardise it by trying to push her. She was touched that Lauren felt ready to let her in, so she just gently caressed the back of Lauren's hand with her thumb and waited patiently.
It took about another minute until the blonde had composed herself. "I was so young", she continued with a sad smile and trailed off again, lost in thought. It was hard to confront herself with this thing that had been eating away at Lauren for the majority of her life. She'd never talked about all of this with anyone but Ciara, she realised. But here and now, with Bo … Somehow, she knew the brunette would never hurt her, and suddenly it was easy.
"My dad was the funniest and warmest man you can imagine", she said with a smile, her voice full of love. "He made me laugh, and he gave the best hugs in the world. He was also the first one who noticed that I was … special. He was always there for me when the other kids gave me a hard time at school." She took a small break, in which she reciprocated Bo's loving touch, caressing her fingers with her thumb. "When I was thirteen, he fell terribly ill. I came home from school one day and found him passed out on the kitchen floor. He'd been complaining about headaches that morning, but we didn't think much of it … until we found out that there was a tumour growing in his head." Bo gave Lauren's hands another squeeze, but Lauren still wasn't ready to look at her. She knew if she did, that she would probably break down in tears, which she really wanted to avoid in front of all the other guests.
"He lived just past my fourteenth birthday. The doctors tried everything they could. Medical neuroscience wasn't as far as it is now – not by a long shot … so I don't blame them. They put him through every available procedure, until in the end, he was so tired that he … told them to stop. He'd made his peace with death. We moved him back home for his last days. One week later, he was gone." Lauren's voice was shaky, but now that she'd started, she wanted to tell Bo everything. "At some point during the course of his illness, the thought of becoming a neurosurgeon popped into my head. I'd already pretty much inhaled everything the doctors explained to my mum and dad about procedures and the newest methods. I looked up articles and went to the library to read every single medical book I could get my hands on. But of course, in the end, it wasn't enough." She sniffled.
After a minute of silence, she continued. "The rebel phase I told you about the other day … It started right after his passing. It was an outlet for my pain, I think. I felt lost without him, and neither my mum nor my brother nor Ciara could give me real comfort. Truth is, I feel lost to this day." Finally, she looked up at the brunette, whose eyes showed nothing but love. No useless compassion, no pretend-understanding, no sympathetic nodding … just pure love. "I was so young, Bo. I couldn't help him, I … couldn't help him …"
Without a word, the brunette grabbed both of Lauren's hands to pull her to her feet and into her lap. For a while, they remained like this, Bo's arms wrapped tightly around Lauren's waist, holding her close. Nobody disturbed them. It was peaceful … cleansing, almost. Lauren didn't cry. Sitting here, snuggled into Bo's comforting embrace was wonderful. Yet again, she felt safe in her arms. "You did help him, you know?", Bo whispered against Lauren's neck, breathing a small kiss onto her skin. The blonde didn't move. "How so?", she asked. Bo looked up at the beautiful profile of the woman she loved beyond all reason and leaned her forehead against her cheek. "You were there with him", she answered simply. "I think that was all he needed."
Two teardrops silently rolled down Lauren's cheeks, one of them trickling into Bo's hair. For minutes, neither of them said a word. At some point, Bo shifted, which brought Lauren out of her haze. Ever so softly, she kissed the brunette's lips and got up from her lap to return to her seat. "Thank you for … Thank you", she said.
Bo felt like her heart was about to burst out of her chest. Her love for Lauren filled her up all the way, and it seemed like it was about to spill over. It wasn't just that she'd shared the most vulnerable moment of her life with Bo … It was what her revelation meant, too. It said so much about the thick walls Lauren had erected around herself. It explained why she had such a hard time letting herself feel love. Her father had been one of the few people, whom Lauren had truly loved, and his death had numbed a big portion of her heart, Bo figured. But numb didn't mean dead. The way she looked at her, Bo was sure that Lauren's heart was just fine. She only had to relearn how to access it. "Let me take you home", Bo said quietly, tenderly kissing the blonde's palm.
Before Lauren could protest, Bo had settled the bill, and after saying goodbye to Giovanni and his family, the women headed out into the night. The whole way back, Bo didn't let go of Lauren's hand. With Bo's fingers entwined with her own, it really did feel like she was taking her home … a safe place where only Bo could lead her.
Bo
They didn't talk at all during those minutes walking back to Lauren's place. The silence was beautiful. For tonight, all words had been spoken, so when they arrived back at the apartment, they got rid of their shoes and coats in silence, before Bo took Lauren's hand to guide her to the bedroom. Giving the blonde a cloudy look, she stepped behind her to fully take in her form. At the restaurant, she'd sat opposite her all the time, so there had been no chance to take a good long look at Lauren's back in that amazing dress … probably a good thing for the sake of the other patrons. And now, there was no rush. No alarms. No work. She would take her time to revere the body of the goddess in front of her.
She started running her fingertips over the blonde's heated skin, from her shoulders all the way down to the swell of her buttocks – the mere hint of a touch, which made both women shiver. Putting both hands on the blonde's hips, Bo retraced the trail of her fingers with her lips, leaving light kisses everywhere, breathing heavily against her lover. She smelled so good …
Pulling her closer, Bo pressed herself against Lauren's back to lick her shoulders and arms. She was so enveloped in her lover's scent and her own arousal that she continued to worship the blonde's body for minutes on end. She hadn't even touched her centre nor her breasts yet, but Lauren's breathing became heavier by the second. Still, she didn't reach for the brunette or ask her to pick up the pace. She just seemed to deeply enjoy Bo's touch.
Bo gave her back a last lingering caress before stepping around the blonde to face her. She placed her hands on Lauren's cheeks and ran her thumbs over them, intently taking in her lover's features. She'd studied her face so many times, and yet, she always seemed to find something new about it. The light brown tint of Lauren's beautiful, expressive irises changed, depending on light. Right now, the room was pretty gloomy, only lit by a small lamp that was resting on the dresser next to the door. Bo let herself drown in the significantly darker brown of Lauren's eyes before leaning in closer.
At first, she just brushed her lips against Lauren's, breathing her in, basking in the softness of her mouth. The blonde had closed her eyes, leaving every step of their lovemaking to Bo, sensing somehow that she needed to go slow tonight – to give Lauren comfort, heal her heart, take care of her and wrap her in a blanket of pure love. So, she stood patiently, awaiting her lover's next move. Bo licked the blonde's lips, softly pressing her mouth against Lauren's, almost shyly asking for entrance. Every single kiss Bo had shared with Lauren had been breathtaking, but with each new one, they learned more about one another, absorbing each other's desires and basking in the other woman's presence.
When their tongues touched, Bo sighed into Lauren's mouth, breathing heavily and forgetting the world around her. Kissing the blonde was beyond anything Bo had ever experienced. It wasn't only that Lauren was an amazing kisser, but also that tasting her so intimately gave Bo butterflies every single time. She'd kissed quite a few people in her life, but they all faded to nothingness when it came to Lauren. Feeling the other woman's tongue against hers, exploring, caressing … It made her want to weep with joy. She whimpered quietly and pulled away. "Lauren …", she breathed, kissing along her jawline and down her neck. She needed to feel more skin and reached up to undo the clasp of Lauren's dress. Gaze resting on the blonde's chest, she watched the fabric flow to the ground. Lauren hissed when it grazed her nipples on the way down, and Bo watched them harden instantly. It was tough not to just grab and taste them right then, but she contained herself. She had other plans …
Humming quietly, she kept her eyes where they were and hooked her fingers in Lauren's panties, slowly pushing them down, touching as much of her silky skin as she could along the way. She took a step back to admire her work. The effect that the sight of Lauren's naked body still had on her amazed her. Bo found it nearly impossible to avert her gaze. She wanted to learn every single detail about it – know every tiny scar, every pore … study how the blonde's skin reacted to her touch and never miss even the smallest twitch of a muscle. Hands resting on Lauren's hips, drawing small circles, Bo leaned in once more to kiss her and felt herself get lost in the sounds that filled the room.
When she pulled away, Lauren was breathing heavily, eyes clouded with desire. "Lie down on your stomach. I'll be right back", Bo whispered into her ear, giving it a little lick. The blonde complied, and Bo left the room to fetch a lighter and a small bottle with massage oil. When she came back, she first lit the candles that were sitting in the same spots as yesterday and switched off the lamp. Lauren watched her every move and let out a low hum when Bo proceeded to take off her own dress, leaving her standing next to the bed in a sexy dark blue bra and matching panties. The blonde's eyes flickered back and forth between Bo's face and chest, warm candlelight reflecting in them. She took a deep breath and swallowed hard when Bo took off her panties and then her bra to reveal her breasts. They ached for Lauren's touch just as much as the blonde ached to touch them, judging by her expression, but Bo just smiled and shook her head. 'Not yet', her gaze said.
Grabbing the bottle, she poured some of the oil into her palms and kneeled down on the mattress next to her lover. Lauren hummed at the slick touch of Bo's hands, when the brunette started moving them over the entirety of her back, arms and thighs to spread the oil. A heady, yet subtle scent that pleasantly mixed with the candles filled the room. Bo felt Lauren breathe in and out deeply while she enjoyed the brunette's ministrations. Strong fingers moved up and down the middle of the other woman's back, loosening the muscles, slowly getting rid of her knots one by one. She proceeded to Lauren's shoulders and neck, curling her fingers around her arms, letting out a small growl when she felt the blonde's biceps tighten.
Bo loved everything about this massage – the feeling of Lauren's body underneath her, softly moving up and down with each breath. The contented sounds she was making – humming, purring with pleasure. And the way she visibly relaxed, the further Bo's hands wandered. Carefully avoiding Lauren's tempting behind, she started working her thighs, slowly moving on to her calves and the blonde's feet, giving her soles long strokes, rubbing along the sides and thoroughly squeezing each toe. Suddenly, Lauren's body shifted and slightly tensed. Bo repeated the last action and got a moan and a squirm. She's a toe person. Interesting. The brunette saved that piece of information for later, gave Lauren's feet a last squeeze and let them go.
Crawling up to see if Lauren was awake, Bo found two whiskey brown orbs staring back at her. She bent over to kiss her forehead and eyebrows, her breasts swaying dangerously close to the blonde's face. Lauren licked her lips, and Bo chuckled silently. "Soon", she promised in a low voice and watched Lauren's eyes fixate on hers. She knew she'd been caught staring, and her lips curled upwards into a cheeky smile. "Lie on your back", Bo said, grabbing the bottle to pour some more oil into her hand.
This time, she straddled Lauren's body, placing her legs on either side of her hips. The blonde watched her, reacting to each squeeze and push of her nimble fingers. Shifting Lauren's arms above her head, Bo dedicated long minutes to each of them, feasting on the sensation of Lauren's well-defined muscles. Moving on to her shoulders, she let her hands wander over her chest, between her breasts and down her sides. Involuntarily, the blonde arched her back, looking for contact, but Bo just flashed her an apologetic smile and didn't go near her breasts. She knew if she touched them now, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from devouring her lover. But the massage wasn't finished yet, so she scooted backwards, turning her attention to Lauren's belly and legs.
After thoroughly kneading her thighs, she bent over to breathe a feather light kiss onto the blonde's bellybutton ring. "Fuck …", Lauren gasped and bucked her hips against Bo, whose breast had just touched her centre. Bo smiled seductively. Lauren was more than ready, so she parted the blonde's legs, positioning herself between them and finally moving her upper body to lie on top of her lover. When their breasts touched, Lauren whimpered and opened her eyes. "Bo", she husked, and then repeated, "Bo …"
Resting on her elbows on either side of Lauren's head, the brunette started grinding her hips into her lover, easily sliding up and down her slippery skin. Their nipples grazed each other, and Bo leaned down to capture Lauren's lips in a tender kiss that quickly became more heated. The blonde wrapped her legs around the other woman's hips, sighing with relief, when she lifted her hands to caress and cup Bo's breasts at last. Lauren's movements quickly became more urgent, so Bo broke the kiss to shift her lips further down, along her chin and neck and finally, to her breasts. Not wasting another second, she took one in her mouth, eliciting a gasp from the blonde, who immediately pulled her closer. Bo took her time circling and licking the pink bud, while she busied her fingers with Lauren's other breast, rolling the nipple between index and middle finger, all the while squeezing the soft flesh.
Lauren breathed Bo's name like a mantra, saying it over and over again like it was the only word on her mind. Her eyes were closed, head bent back, grinding into the pillow. Bo's attention to the blonde's chest was making both women squirm with need. Not wanting to wait any longer, she started moving downwards when Lauren stopped her, holding her in place with her legs. Looking up, she saw the blonde's lustful gaze resting on hers. "Turn around. Let me taste you at the same time", Lauren said.
This wasn't part of Bo's plan. She wanted tonight to be all about the blonde. "I need you", Lauren added, sensing her hesitation. And there it was. Her eyes were begging her, and Bo realised that this was all about Lauren. She wanted to give her anything she needed, and right now, what she needed was Bo.
The brunette had barely turned around when Lauren greedily plunged her tongue in between her folds, making Bo scream out in surprise. "Fuuuck, yess …", she moaned, closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling of wetness against seeping wetness. Spreading her legs even wider, she sank further down to rub herself against Lauren's chin. Moaning against her lover's pussy, the blonde engaged in long, slow licks that made Bo's head spin. Lauren's scent filled her nostrils when she involuntarily lifted her hips, and Bo snapped out of her haze, focussing on the blonde's swollen clit. When she finally parted her folds to dip her tongue between them, Lauren let out a contented sigh.
They moved as one, body moulded against body, locked in a beautiful, gentle dance. Bo circled Lauren's clit while grinding herself against her lover's mouth. The sensations were almost overwhelming – having her own centre stimulated in the most exquisite way while tasting and inhaling the blonde's addicting essence was divine. Holding onto Lauren's legs, Bo felt the other woman pick up the pace, so she did the same. The way she was grinding against her, Bo sensed that Lauren was close. So was Bo. She already felt her climax build inside her and tensed, covering the blonde's pussy in open-mouthed, hitched moans. When her orgasm hit, she closed her lips around Lauren's clit and sucked hard, bucking her hips into her lover, her cries muffled because her face was now completely buried between Lauren's folds.
One, two, three licks later, Lauren also crashed over the edge. Letting go of Bo's pussy, clutching at her thighs, she pressed her head into the pillow, releasing a primal scream that came from deep inside. Bo kept sucking and licking until the grinding stopped and Lauren's body relaxed.
Lifting one leg, the brunette let herself roll over, landing on her back next to her lover. For a minute, both of them were just panting, recovering from the intensity of their orgasms. When Lauren's hands started blindly searching for Bo, the brunette turned around to lay her head next to Lauren's.
She was about to snuggle against her when Lauren pulled her on top of her body. Breasts pressing against breasts, she held her close and licked her lips, asking for entrance. Bo opened her mouth and let her in, savouring a mix of herself and Lauren on her tongue. It tasted incredible, so whenever they broke apart, they licked each other's chins to collect some more of the other woman's essence, only to sink into another deep kiss. The procedure lasted minutes, and in the end, both faces were clean.
"Bo?" Lauren's voice was muffled because their faces were buried in each other's necks and hair. "Mhh?", the brunette hummed sleepily. "Thank you. For tonight." Bo nuzzled her cheek and brushed her lips against her soft skin. "Thank you for sharing this piece of yourself with me." The blonde held her close, lightly kissing her shoulder. She stifled a yawn. "Sleep?", she asked, and Bo nodded. They both had a busy week behind them, and last night's lack of sleep took its toll. The brunette got up to blow out the candles and use the bathroom. When she returned, Lauren was watching her with a sleepy, half-lidded smile, patting the mattress next to her. Bo followed the invitation and snuggled close. Soon, they fell asleep in each other's arms, faces showing contented smiles.