Chapter Fifty-Three

Lorna was right about to climax when Nicky's eyes noticed the faded marks around her vaginal area and upper thighs. It was an unnerving sight to see, she concluded, and wasn't at all what she expected to find when she was on the cusp of making her girlfriend orgasm. A hesitant breath of air was forced out from her lungs. She contemplated what to do next. Clearly, there needed to be a discussion of what she observed. Those markings were obviously caused by some sort of trauma. Another sigh expelled from her. She didn't want to ruin Lorna's pleasure but her findings were more important right now, she silently reasoned with herself.

"Nicky, hon," the brunette breathlessly hummed out when Nicky's hand suddenly disappeared from the inside of her vagina. Her brown eyes—still wide from the near orgasm she almost experienced—peered worriedly down at the redhead. Wondering what could possibly be going through her mind as she hunched over her, merely frozen, in that particular moment. "Are ya, are ya okay?"

Though, when she realized what the redhead was focusing on, an uncomfortable knot molded into the pit of Lorna's stomach. How had she forgotten about that. She swallowed thickly, her face rapidly losing all its color. There wasn't enough time for her to muster up an explanation for whatever Nicky might have noticed. That alone was sufficient to fasten the rate of her heart-beat. She retained her gaze on Nicky but didn't budge her body an inch.

Attention returning to the here and now, Nicky lifted her head cautiously to peer back at Lorna. An uneasiness looming over her as she did so. She brought a hand up to place tenderly over one of Lorna's cheeks, tremoring lightly against it. A sensation that surprised her. When had her hands started shaking? She swallowed a lump and did her best to steady herself, both physically and mentally. Lorna needed stability, she wordlessly affirmed in her mind.

"I'm okay, kid," was all that Nicky could get to come from between her teeth without any emotions whirling through as well.

She swallowed the saliva that pooled at the bottom of her tongue, leaning closer to rest her forehead softly over the brunette's. Their eyes melded together and she searched Lorna's in a precise manner. A sigh escaped her. Were there signs she missed? Had Lorna been hurt and she didn't even know it? Her mind was swimming with numerous queries and thoughts.

Lorna tilted her head; an expression morphed onto her face that displayed that she hadn't entirely believed Nicky's words. She pressed her nose softly onto the older girl's, looking fiercer into her eyes. "Are ya sure, hon? You, uh, you don't look okay. What's the matter?" A hand was gently placed on Nicky's cheeks and the palm of it rubbed soothingly along the length of it. "Did I do somethin' to make ya upset, honey? I'm sorry."

"No, Lorna, no. You didn't do anything, okay? I'm fine. I just—I need to go to the bathroom real quick." Nicky hated herself for leaving Lorna after what she took note of on her genital region but she felt like she couldn't breathe in there. She needed to take a minute to collect herself.

However, as she stood on the floor at the foot of the bed, the slight tremble of Lorna's lips halted her from exiting the room. A hard swallow; she walked back over and placed a warm kiss on the top of her head while patting a hand against her cheek. "I'm not mad at you, baby. Please don't stress. I just need to take a bathroom break. I'll be back in a few minutes, I promise. I love you. I love you, sweet Lorna. My sweet Lorna."

"Are ya, erm, are ya sure everything's okay? Nicky? I—are you sure I didn't, I didn't do anything to upset ya?"

Nicky rapidly hushed her with a soft peck on the lips. She pulled away slowly, stroking her fingers even gentler around the outline of her face. Her breath hitched heavily at the sound of fear oozing from Lorna's voice. A lump was swallowed down. It hadn't been her intention to cause Lorna any pain—but she needed time away to compose herself. Time to process the bruising she saw on an area that clearly shouldn't have that. She nuzzled Lorna's face into her chest as she gave her a protective embrace.

"I promise, baby, you didn't do anything. Please breathe and calm down. Everything's okay. I'm not upset or mad at you, I mean it," the words soothed warmly into Lorna's ear while she retained her grasp on her. Lips lingered over it, pressing down a soft kiss. "Why don't you try and rest for a minute, yeah doll? I was supposed to cuddle you to sleep to begin with and now, you're laying there in tears. You're hurting and I need a minute to think."

Eyebrows curving ponderously over two highly puzzled eyes, Lorna pulled slightly away to peer the taller girl over in concern. She wondered if maybe Nicky was the one who needed sleep right now over her. The way she was talking and behaving worried her tremendously. "What? Nicky, I'm okay. I'm fine. I'm not cryin' because I'm hurt, I'm just concerned about you. Please tell me what's going on," desperation blatantly inflected through Lorna's voice. Her hands reached to cradle around Nicky's face.

"Lorna, I need a second. Let me go to the bathroom and I'll be back."

A kiss pressed onto the crown of the brunette's forehead. Nicky peered down at her solemnly, loathing what she saw lurking on the precious skin surrounding her girlfriend's upper thighs and vagina. She vowed she'd get to the bottom of it but first she had to get out of that room to breathe. To get the advise of her wise maternal figure who always seemed to know just what to say.

"Try and sleep for a bit while I'm gone, yeah? I promise I won't be long, doll."

That was the last thing Nicky said before finally exiting the room.

A very concerned and puzzled Lorna left lying in her bed. Eyes gazing at the door Nicky just walked through. Goosebumps formed on the surface of her skin. She swallowed a lump and turned on her side, the paint on the wall now becoming the focus of where her eyes were fixed. Nicky didn't say anything about marks or bruises. Maybe Nicky hadn't noticed any of them, a hopeful thought popped in her mind. Still, that hadn't explained what all of what just occurred was about. She shifted her legs beneath the comforter that draped over her and sighed. Something wasn't right that much she was certain.


"Nicky, what's with all the pacing?" Red questioned, shifting her eyes up from the lenses of her reading glasses. She sat out on the porch in one of her wicker chairs, a book in her hand, when the door's swinging open caught her attention. That was a mere five minutes ago, now, and Nicky still had yet to sit down and explain what the hell was going on with her. The book she'd been reading had long been bookmarked and set onto the end-table beside her empty mug of tea.

Blue eyes pierced over the redhead teen with a searing intensity. She crossed her arms over her chest, growing more impatient by the second the longer her daughter refused to respond. "Sit down and tell me what's the matter," her voice firmly commanded after another couple of minutes passed and Nicky incessantly strode from one side of the porch to the other. She pointed a finger profusely at the chair right next to her own, only separated by the small table between them. "Come on, Nicky, now."

The teen reluctantly did as she was directed. She plopped herself down in the seat, shaking her head out of anger. Anger that Lorna had bruising on such a private spot. A private spot that shouldn't be touched by anyone who wasn't given permission to do so. Nicky gritted her teeth. Was she jumping to conclusions? She hadn't even mentioned what she saw to the girl and here she was plotting the murder of a possible fictional person.

A hand was placed on her shoulder and instantly, Nicky brought her awareness back to the present. Instinctively turning towards where the touch had come from. Her eyes landed on Red and a sigh roared out from her throat. "Lorna's hurt, ma."

Worried lines swiftly molded onto Mrs. Reznikov's forehead while her hand gave a soothing squeeze to Nicky's shoulder. "What do you mean she's hurt, honey? Do we need to take her to the hospital?"

Nicky shook her head. Maybe that wasn't the proper wording she should have used, she thought after the fact. Or, on second thought, maybe it was the correct thing to say and maybe Red's suggestion was exactly what they needed to do. Lorna was hurt. There were bruises and other indistinguishable marks on places that there shouldn't have been. Despite having observed that the majority of those were faded hadn't negated the fact Lorna had been hurt.

"I saw some things, ma. Lorna was hurt. She was hurt."

Red moved her hand from Nicky's shoulder up to cup around her cheek. Fingertips caressed softly along the length of it as her eyes softened, peering the distressed teen over in a deep concern. "What are you talking about, sweetheart? Where's Lorna hurt? Are you sure we don't need to call for help or anything?"

Squeezing her eyes shut, Nicky swallowed down the whirling emotions that appeared to be building up within her. Now wasn't the time to break apart. Something happened to Lorna and she needed to figure out what that was. She needed to go back to Lorna soon, too, so she didn't worry her any more than she clearly already was. A big breath of air was sucked in through her nose. Her eyes reopened and she looked back at the middle-aged Russian. "I don't mean to be graphic or anything, ma, but I need to tell ya this."

Gulping uneasily, Red nodded her head and retained her grasp on her daughter's cheek. Her thumb was utilized to stroke around its flesh in a soothing manner. "Go ahead, Nicky. I'm listening," she gently reassured the teen, placing her other hand on Nicky's arm and patting it comfortingly.

"I was, erm, I was tryna make love to Lorna," the words nervously fumbled out. It felt rather uncomfortable sharing intimate details with her mother figure, yet, she knew she needed to in order to explain how she stumbled across all those marks. Cheeks reddened. "I'm sorry, ma—but it won't make sense if I didn't tell ya that," Nicky muttered, bowing her head out of embarrassment. "But, uh, anyway. I noticed…there were…ma, I saw bruising and unexplainable marks on Lorna's private area. And her thighs. She's hurt. Someone hurt her, ma."

"Woah, woah, hold on," Red soothed, taking her daughter's head in her hands and giving a motherly kiss to her forehead. A wad of saliva was roughly swallowed as she gradually processed what her Nicky had just revealed to her. "Did you ask Lorna about it? Please tell me you didn't just leave her in your room to come out here and angrily pace around the porch."

Shaking her head, Nicky threw up her hands and finally allowed the tears to fall from her eyes. "I couldn't, ma. When I saw all a that, I just—I needed to take a breather. But I told her I'd be back and I made sure she knew I'm not mad at her or anything. So, yeah, I guess I basically did just leave her in my room so I could pace around your porch," her shoulders recoiled up in a muted shrug and despite the tears that ran along her cheeks, she couldn't help but pitifully chuckle at her own stupidity.

Lifting her thumb, the Russian woman used it to push her glasses back towards the bridge of her nose. A sigh made its way from her mouth. She wasn't entirely surprised that Nicky did what she did. Nicky had a tendency to act on impulse before processing things through her mind. Both palms of her hands rubbed soothingly up and down each side of her face. "Okay," she hummed, reaching to wipe at her daughter's tears. "Well, what I think you should do is very carefully bring it up with Lorna. See what she says, maybe what you saw is from something else. Don't jump to the worst possible conclusions before hearing Lorna's explanation."

Nicky swallowed thickly but gave a reluctant nod. Red always said exactly what she needed to hear even when she didn't necessarily agree with it. An airy breath exhaled from her lungs. "What if I'm right though? What if Lorna was hurt by someone down there? What the hell do I do?"

"Let's just wait and see what Lorna says, yes? We'll worry about that when the time comes, honey. I'll help you girls whatever it is," the maternal figure lovingly assured her daughter. Pressing another tender kiss to her forehead.

However, before either could say or do anything else, Lorna suddenly appeared in the doorway that led inside the house. The door half open as she stood with her head slightly leaning outwards, eyes peering bewilderingly out at the pair of them. She'd fallen asleep for a mere ten minutes but when she awoke to an empty bed, a sinking feeling embedded into the pit of her stomach. Nicky had to be upset with her—she just had to. Why else would Nicky have stopped halfway through their love-making session to apparently come sit there on the porch?

"Nick-Nicky?"

Within a matter of seconds, Nicky's attention speedily turned from Red onto Lorna. Eyes softened drastically the second they fell over Lorna's distraught figure and her hand patted at her lap, gesturing for her to come sit on it. "Come here, babe. Come sit down with me," she softly called out, lingering her stare on the other until she obliged and timidly made her way over. The second she felt Lorna's body heat radiating to her own, Nicky took that opportunity to gently pull her down onto her lap. Lips brushed upon the back of her head.

Red nodded to the two, narrowing her eyes on Nicky before grabbing her book and mug and heading in the previously opened door to give them their privacy.

Once the door clicked shut, Nicky maneuvered the smaller girl so that her head was pressed softly up onto her chest. There was a faint, noticeable, tremor that Nicky effortlessly picked up on and it instinctively had her arms tightening around Lorna's waist. Her chin rested atop her head while she gradually swayed back and forth. "Did ya get any sleep, Lorna? You look a little pale. Why don't you shut your eyes and relax, yeah? I've got you, baby. You're safe here with me," she murmured huskily into the brunette's ear, stroking the palms of her hands up and down the spine they were wrapped around.

"I woke up and you weren't back, hon. I got real worried. I-I'm kinda confused."

"I know, baby, I'm sorry. I needed to talk to Red about something," Nicky assured her, twirling a strand of hair lovingly around one of her fingers. Her lips stroked over one of Lorna's temples. "What are you confused about, Lorna? You think you're just confused from waking up? You didn't sleep that long, doll, you're probably still tired. It's okay. I promised you I'd cuddle you so how about ya just lay here on me, now, and rest? It's nice outside, we can just cuddle up here on the porch for a while. Everything's okay. You can go back to sleep now, kid; I've got ya nice and snug in my arms." Fingers combed tenderly through strands of dark hair. Nicky nuzzled her chin against Lorna's head that was tucked securely underneath it. She wanted nothing more than to cuddle away all of whatever ailed her.

Lorna's head instinctively snuggled closer to the warmth radiating from the older girl's skin. Her arms encircled tightly around her neck and upper torso, craving the closeness. Craving the love, affection, and melding together of their bodies. She never knew how much she desired such things until recently—never pondered her mind with those types of thoughts until now, either. A small lump sat in her throat and she forced it down with a hard swallow.

The lids of her eyes became rather heavy and proved to be quite the challenge for her to keep them open. She let the tips of her fingers caress gingerly around the area where her face and head rested over. "Is, uh, is everything okay, hon? I just—ya kinda left in a hurry earlier so I just…are you okay?"

Lips brushing warmly over the crown of her forehead, Nicky peered carefully down into the blatantly worried brown eyes that looked back at her. Breath caught up in her throat. A sigh was quickly pushed out of her. She massaged a hand tenderly along the scalp of Lorna's head while attempting to disregard her frantically running mind. By the exhaustion that still seemed to ooze from her girlfriend's face, now was certainly not the best time to bring up any of those bruises she noticed. She didn't want to cause an uproar when Lorna wasn't in the appropriate mindset to discuss such a matter.

So, for now, Nicky settled on pecking another delicate kiss over her lover's soft skin and, after, curling her lips in a small smile. "I'm okay, doll. I know I did and I'm sorry about that—I promise it had nothing to do with you, okay? I just needed to go to the bathroom and then when I came back I saw ya fell asleep so I came out here to talk to ma. That's all, babe. Please no more worrying," she soothingly pleaded, moving the tips of her fingers gently around Lorna's head.

Securing her arms further around the taller girl's upper body, Lorna bobbed her head slightly up and down against her. She lazily allowed her lips to brush over the flesh of Nicky's neck before burying her face onto it. "If ya say so, hon," her voice murmured no louder than a whisper, breath trickling along the skin below.

Lorna used her thumb to trace a small heart shape around the skin she rested her face on. "But if something's the matter I hope ya know you can talk to me about it. I wanna be here for you too, honey." The words flowed softly out of her lips that pressed slightly onto the skin of her girlfriend's neck bordering the top of her chest which peeped out from the V-neck t-shirt that she wore.

"I know and I appreciate that, kid," Nicky responded while curling a strand of brown hair behind one of Lorna's ears with her thumb.

Big brown eyes gazed lovingly down at her, taking in every centimeter of Lorna's head and face. A sigh escaped her. Even when she was the one worried over her well-being, Lorna didn't hesitate to exuberate her natural affectionate demeanor. It warmed her heart and veins in a way she couldn't fully explain. She continued to stroke her hand, which remained on the crown of Lorna's head from behind, through dark waves of hair as she rested her chin tenderly atop it.

"I promise, though, there's nothing wrong. I just—I just wanna snuggle you for a while, yeah? Is that cool with you, doll?" The sensation of a head nodding against her chest ignited a rather serene breath of air to erupt from Nicky's esophagus. She couldn't resist the smile that once more took up form on her face. "Good because I love to lay out here on this bench with you in my arms, my sweet Lorna."

A hand instantly covered overtop of Lorna's mouth to stop the natural squeal that was itching to release itself. The gesture might not have entirely halted it but, at the very least, it muffled the sound so that Nicky hadn't been able to hear it. But she couldn't help herself from squealing—Nicky's words melted her insides into a puddle of mush.

She lifted her head just enough so the pair of them were on eye level and she inched their faces closer until their lips gently brushed together in a soft and sweet kiss. When their mouths released from each other, Lorna framed her hands delicately around both of the redhead's cheeks. Two sets of brown eyes blended together; she let the tip of her nose press softly onto the tip of Nicky's. "There's no place else I wanna be right now then here with you, my love. I love ya so much, hon."

"I love you more, babe," Nicky breathily murmured back, lips touching over the corners of Lorna's.

Her hand held securely around the back of the brunette's head while looking intensely into her eyes. The longer she looked the stronger her sense of wanting to cuddle her became. She naturally brought Lorna even closer to her own body and, with one last locking of their lips, she lovingly placed Lorna's head back down on her chest. Fingers combed slowly and comfortingly through dark waves of hair. Chin rested warmly atop the very head those brown waves spilled out from.

It was merely involuntary that Nicky gradually rocked the two of them back and forth atop the wicker bench they were resting. She tilted her chin downward some and pressed a slow, soft, kiss to Lorna's head. "I texted Alex earlier and she'll be working tonight so we can go get a coffee later," her voice gently informed the younger teen, fingers raking through her hair. "After you've had a sufficient amount of rest, of course. Ya really need to prioritize your well-being, kid. I don't want ya passing out one day because ya haven't been taking good care of yourself, ya know?"

With a slightly uneasy sigh, Lorna nodded her head and pressed her face softly into the flesh of Nicky's chest. Her arms wrapped around her shoulders out of the desire to be as close to Nicky as humanly possible. She shut her eyes, allowing Nicky's natural aroma to soak in through the nostrils of her nose. "That'll be nice, hon. I love coffee," the words came out in a mere whisper. Fingers traced in a feathery fashion along the outline of Nicky's neck.

"Ya ain't gotta worry bout' me, hon," she softly assured, indolently stroking her lips over where the older girl's heart resided. "I'll try to be better about lookin' after myself, okay? But I don't want you to stress over me. I'm good. I'm real good."

Nicky rapidly shook her head at her girlfriend's comment. A comment that she wouldn't believe even if her brain was the size of a pea. Air forced its way from her lungs in the form of a sigh. Now wasn't the time to push Lorna on anything, she had to mentally reprimand herself. Lorna needed sleep, not an argument. Another heaping breath of air was pushed out of her. She pressed her lips affectionately over the back of Lorna's head. "I'll always worry about you, kid. I love you. I want you to take care of yourself so nothing bad happens. I hope you stick to that, doll, and really do start looking after yourself better," Nicky muttered, stroking a hand leisurely up and down the brunette's back.

"I will, I promise," the younger girl declared.

But even as the words slipped from her mouth, Lorna knew that was a promise she couldn't stick to—at least not fully. Guilt powered through her and she bit down on her tongue to keep the emotions from displaying on her face. A hand lifted up to slick habitually back thick strands of her brown hair. Her mind was spinning with thoughts, yet, she had not the energy to pay them any attention. She had not the energy to pay attention to the sense of guilt that currently quailed her, either. The only thing she found herself able to do was snuggle herself close to Nicky's body and tighten her arms around strong shoulders. Eyes closed, unable to fight off the heaviness any longer.


It was evening time when the pair of them were walking through the door of the coffee shop. A smile had previously been placed on Lorna's face during the drive there—with it still being chilly Nicky had insisted on driving much to Lorna's dismay. However the dismay soon dissipated and in its place had appeared the smile that still sat upon her face now as they stood in the short line for their coffees. Only five minutes passed along before the two of them were standing directly in front of the sales counter for their turn to order.

On the other side of the counter stood Alex, who was finishing handing off the last customers' coffee to them. Once the person took it and walked back towards the exit, she put her focus on her friends and gave a friendly smile. The last of the rush had finally ceased, she observed seeing that those were the only two left in the building aside from herself. Relief traveled through her veins as she called out to them, "You want the same thing you two always get, yeah? Plain coffee and Cinnamon Toast Crunch Latte?"

Lorna nodded rather chipperly, grasping a hand onto Nicky's shoulder—who had been standing slightly behind her as her mind engulfed the majority of her focus. Lorna's touch quickly brought her out of her thoughts and she peered over at Alex with a nod of her own. She forced a smile to her face despite the looming worry over those damn marks she noticed earlier. Marks that remained unspoken of to her girlfriend. Nicky had not a clue how she should go about bringing those up. What she didn't want was to cause Lorna's bubbly demeanor to wither into a darkened abyss.

"Yes, of course that sounds good to me—I'm sure that works for Nicky, too." The shorter teen was the one to respond first and after she averted her glance onto Nicky, patting her shoulder as if to silently ask for her confirmation. When she saw her head nod, Lorna widened her smile at her and looked back over at the barista. "You guys sure are good at remembering people's drinks, huh?"

A light-hearted chuckle made its way out of the twenty-year old who poured brewed coffee into a paper traveler's cup. Once it was filled up to the proper line, she grabbed a lid from the stack and handed it across to Nicky. Her eyebrows arched up as she peered over at Lorna, "Well, I guess that's true. I mean I don't remember everyone's order but you and Nicky come here so often I just know. Plus you two are my friends so that might have a slight little part in why I really don't need to even ask for your coffee order much anymore."

Alex turned to go prepare Lorna's drink but still kept her eyes on the pair of them while she did so. Something appeared to be off. She wasn't sure what it was but she could sense it, that was for certain. Lorna was a little too perky and Nicky was vastly more reserved than normal. She shook her head as she got out the ingredients for the Cinnamon Toast Crunch coffee that Lorna had requested.

By the time she had finished preparing the drink, it hadn't been more than two minutes. With it held securely in her hands, Alex carried it back to the counter and set it down so she could retrieve a lid for it. After it was lidded she carefully handed it to the eagerly awaiting hands that Lorna was holding out for it with.

"Are the two a ya okay?" The question slipped from her mouth before she really even had the chance to stop it.

Surprise melded onto Nicky's face; she peeped her eyes up from her coffee that she'd seconds ago been indulged in and looked over at the black-haired woman who interjected her from such thing. "Course' we are, Vause. Why would ya ask that?" For once, she felt as though the tables were turned between she and Lorna—that she was the one now pretending things were okay when, deep down, she knew they weren't. However, until she investigated further into what wasn't okay, Nicky decided there was no point in saying things weren't when she hadn't even gotten the whole story yet.

The taller woman gradually bobbed her head and up down, not too sure whether she believed Nicky or not. Her eyes searched thoroughly around the shop and when they confirmed no one else had entered inside, Alex decided on making a small coffee for herself. It was going to be a long night if this was how slow it was throughout, she thought. "If ya say so, Nicky. I'm gonna get some cleaning done but since it's slow, when I finish, maybe I'll come join you two," she stated, a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders before she went to fix her own cup of coffee.

The couple nodded to her and then went to sit down at their usual table in the front of the room. Nicky chose to sit on the side facing the entrance so she could slightly entrance herself with the observing of people coming in through the door—if any even did, that was. Her eyes now, though, focused on Lorna who sat opposite of her fumbling about with the lid of her coffee. A sigh pushed out of her. Lorna looked so peaceful using the stopper to mix the golden liquid around with in her cup. It didn't feel right for her to have to ruin that. Nicky shifted her gaze onto her own cup and lifted it for a long sip.

When she was finished sipping it and placed it back on the table's surface, Nicky huffed out another breath of air. No matter if she brought her concern up now or later, it would never feel like the right time. Prolonging it surely wouldn't make it any less dreary. She brought a hand up towards her hair and used it to slick back the thick strands that spilled along her cheeks. "Lorna, I need to talk to ya about something," the statement came out a little shakier than Nicky had expected.

Swallowing the coffee that sloshed about in her mouth, Lorna set down her cup and returned her girlfriend's stare with a slightly uneasy one. That wasn't the most comforting of conversation starters, she mentally acknowledged. Her brown eyes observed Nicky closely, yet, were unable to distinguish whatever emotions may have been swirling about her head. "What is it, hon?" The query asked in a higher-pitched tone than was usual for Lorna. A lump was swallowed down rather thickly. She busied her hands with the string of her sweatpants she wore. "You don't, erm, you're not wanting to break up, are ya?" Eyes widened immensely; god, she hoped that wasn't what the other was trying to get at.

Instantly a tightness molded over Nicky's chest. Had she come off that bad? The question pondered through her mind. She bit down on her lower lip and rapidly shook her head. A hand reached across to cup lovingly around one of Lorna's cheeks. "No, no, no," Nicky tenderly reassured, tilting her head somewhat as her eyes melded affectionately into the younger girl's. She caressed her palm slowly along the flesh of the cheek it rested over. "I'm not breaking up with you, baby. Not at all. I just—there's something I noticed earlier and I need to ask you about it."

Relief tore through Lorna's body at the revelation and, mentally, she wanted to slap herself for even thinking such an absurd thought. Out of gratitude for the clarification, she picked up her coffee for a quick sip. The cup placed back in its spot once she was done and her focus returned to the beautiful brown eyes that were peering her over in a highly intense manner. Lorna rested one of her hands atop the one Nicky had on her cheek, stroking its knuckles with the tip of her thumb.

"I didn't think ya were but the way ya said ya needa talk to me about something didn't bring me any comfort," a sheepish chuckle escaped her throat. She wasn't sure if it was to make herself feel less embarrassed or to let Nicky know she wasn't too bothered over it. "So, erm, what is it ya wanna talk about? What did ya notice?"

Nicky inched their faces slightly closer so that she could lay her forehead atop Lorna's. She laid a thumb onto her flesh, beneath her eye, and ran it softly across the area. A breath was slowly inhaled through her nose. She needed to ensure that what she said next was precise but with the utmost love and compassion. The longer her eyes peered onto Lorna the harder it was to speak. She settled on closing her eyes for a moment. Maybe not looking at her would soften the blow.

"Ya know when we were having sex earlier, doll?"

Lorna nodded but then realized Nicky's eyes were closed so she wouldn't be able to see her nonverbal response. "Ya mean when we were makin' love? Yeah, what about that hon?" She corrected her girlfriend's choice of words rather swiftly. Sucking her lower lip inwards, she noticed a knot forming in the pit of her stomach. Sex was a word she referred to as pain and unwanted—but being intimate with Nicky was not even close to any of that, it was full of love and tenderness. Something foreign to her when it came to sexual encounters.

Hearing how Lorna was quick to reframe her decision on descriptors, Nicky's apprehension only intensified. That alone proved to her Lorna had to have endured some sort of erotic behavior that wasn't a choice she would have made had she the chance. Why else would she feel the need to clarify it was love-making? Nicky mentally queried. She swallowed a gob of saliva that had formed and finally reopened her eyes so she could closely search Lorna's face.

"I, uh, I noticed some marks on you when I was, erm, tryna make ya come," her voice quieted with the last part, not wanting to have anyone else hear their conversation—even though no one but Alex was there and she was busy cleaning the back anyway to even hear what they were discussing.

The color dissipated rapidly from her face. She should have seen this coming. Of course. It would have eventually come to this anyway, Lorna knew. She swallowed hard and tried to think of what to say—how to get herself out of this sticky situation.