I know it has been a bit since the last update, so I am sorry for the wait. Hopefully the next few chapters won't take as long.


Over the past two weeks, Gail had slept over at Holly's all but three nights. Last night as they went through their evening ritual Holly dropped the bomb on Gail. It was only a matter of time.

"So… since you seem to basically live here now, it seems only fair that you help me repaint tomorrow."

Gail sighed and face planted onto the bed, letting Holly know exactly how she felt about her newfound impending labor requirement. "Seriously Hols? I thought we had an agreement. I show up, eat your food, watch your TV and sleep in your unbearably comfortable bed, and in return you get to be graced with my presence. Nowhere in there was physical labor ever discussed."

Holly laughed to herself and shoved Gail off the bed. Gail looked up at her from the floor in what was almost anger. This only fueled Holly's laughter.

"Come on Gail. It's not like I am asking you remodel my bathroom or something. It will be fun. Stop being such a little girl about it." Holly tried her best not to burst into a fresh fit of laughter at the glare Gail was giving her. Instead she reached down and pulled the woman from the floor.

"Damn it Holly. You suck, you know that?"

Holly made a show of mulling the statement over. "Hmm…only if you ask nicely."

The unexpected innuendo seemed to knock Gail back in place and she found a smile on her lips. "Fine woman, I will help you paint on the condition that you provide dinner and entertainment. I can't be expected to do everything for you."

"Fair enough. Now shut up, I am tired." Holly forcibly placed her hand over Gail's mouth and pointed at the bed, ordering Gail in. Gail made an effort to look offended and upset, but Holly could feel her smile against her fingers.


The next morning Gail woke to Holly drooling on her shoulder, again. She slid out of bed and wandered into the kitchen to start some coffee. Not five minutes later Holly found her way out of the bedroom, looking still very much asleep. Gail took pity on her and handed over the first steaming cup. Holly gave her mumbled thanks in return. Gail poured her own cup and watched as Holly rubbed at her eyes from under her glasses. This had to be Gail's favorite side of Holly. For someone who was so put together and confident, Holly was a mess in the mornings. The more mornings Gail spent with her the more she wondered how Holly made it through them. She could never find her glasses, and therefore would wander around in a blind zombie-like state for the first 10 minutes mumbling to herself. It was both a bit funny and adorable.

Once the first cups of coffee had been consumed, they dressed quickly, opting for breakfast at the café down the road. It was fairly decent outside, so they walked arm in arm in silence towards the restaurant. They shared a fairly quiet breakfast, neither being big of early morning conversations. After they finished their meals, they walked to the home improvement store around the corner. Holly stood staring at the same two paint shades for about 20 minutes before Gail grew impatient and chose for her. Holly had insisted that Gail carry the paint since she was the one that picked it out. Gail of course had argued, yet here she was a full block behind Holly, who had only the painting supplies to carry, complaining loudly, arms laden with paint buckets.

Gail reached the apartment to find Holly had left the door propped open for her. She set the paint down rather loudly and rushed into the kitchen desperate for water. After she had found her breath again Gail immediately started in on Holly.

"You know, for someone who is into sports and things, you would think you would have been polite enough to carry the heavy shit." Gail stated pointing accusingly towards the paint buckets in question. Holly didn't bother with a reply; instead she walked over to Gail and took her arms in her hands. Gail let Holly massage out her sore arms, forgiving her instantly.

"Better?" Gail opened her eyes and glanced up at Holly, who actually looked a little bit guilty. She felt a little bad herself at making Holly feel guilty. She knew Holly had only been teasing her about the paint, and had Gail asked, Holly would have taken some of the load.

"Yeah, thanks Hols."

After sorting through the supplies, Holly had moved the furniture out of the way, only requesting minimal help from Gail. The supplies were laid out and the two started in. Holly had opened a window a bit, letting the fumes out, and a bit of cold air in. They worked together, quickly moving from room to room. By the time the sun started to go down, they were growing a bit restless. Holly watched as Gail worked at a wall, trying to get the paint to cover evenly. She was suddenly overcome by a rush of childlike playfulness. Before she could stop herself, Holly smacked Gail in the ass with her paintbrush, leaving a fresh streak of paint on the sweatpants Gail had on.

Gail turned to find Holly standing with her hands up in surrender, apparently just as surprised by her actions as Gail was. It sparked something in Gail and she launched at Holly, paint roller in hand, gunning for revenge. Holly shrieked and ran. Gail jumped over the paint tray and tackled her to the ground. She watched Holly struggle to break free of the hold and felt a smirk overcome her face. Gail put the roller down and reached for the paint tray, dipping her right hand into the paint. Holly's eyes were wide, almost unbelieving as Gail wiped her paint covered hand through Holly's hair.

"Oh it is on Peck!" Holly said, eyes narrowed. She grabbed both of Gail's wrists and easily flipped them over so she was straddling the blonde. Now it was Gail's turn to look apprehensive. Holly pulled her hands down so that they were pinned under her knees, leaving Gail with no escape. She reached for the same paint tray Gail had and dunked both hands into the paint. Holly was laughing loudly, clearly excited for Gail's impending torture.

Sure enough Holly put both hands to work, covering Gail in paint. Now slightly slippery from the paint Gail slipped free of Holly's hold and made a mad dash out of her grasp. Holly grabbed the roller Gail had set down and rushed after the other woman. Gail almost made it out of the room before Holly's left arm wrapped around her middle and dragged her back in. Gail tried to break out again hastily, forcing both women to slip on the tarp and fall of the floor.

Gail mad a grab for the roller that had dropped to the floor as Holly reached for the tray. She had just turned around to attack when she was met by a wave of paint hitting her in the chest. She glanced down at herself, dripping with paint. Holly gave her a victorious smirk, thinking she had won. Gail was not ready to admit defeat however and pulled Holly in towards her. Holly tried to break free of the grip, but Gail would not let go. Instead she found herself completely encased in Gail's arms, paint and all.

Gail released her after she was certain that Holly was just as paint drenched as she was. They stood for a moment, glancing back and forth between them before they were overcome with laughter. They took in the scene around them. Paint was all over the tarp, brushes and rollers spread throughout the room haphazardly. The paint tray was lying upside down a few feet away, dripping what paint was left in it onto the tarp.

Holly looked down at herself and then at Gail. They were both covered from head to toe in paint. She walked over to Gail, took her hand, and led her to the bathroom, careful not to get paint on anything. Gail stood obediently still, as Holly turned the shower on and motioned for her to get in. Gail stepped in fully clothed and was followed a second later by Holly.


They both were still laughing a bit from the whole encounter, trying to calm themselves from the rush of adrenaline. Holly stepped under the water, pulling Gail in closer so she wouldn't get cold. The movement sobered both women as they realized exactly what it was they were doing. Holly couldn't help but notice Gail swallow nervously. Holly closed her eyes and dipped her head back so she could start to wash the paint out, giving Gail a reprieve from their glances. Gail felt immediately thankful, knowing Holly's intent. She was tempted to get out of the shower and give Holly some privacy, but instead found her eyes trained on the brunette. She watch mesmerized as Holly ran her hands through her hair, urging the paint out of her long locks. Water trailed down her face and neck, soaking every inch of her body. Gail couldn't have left if she tried, not when Holly stood in front of her dripping wet like this.

Holly finished her attempt to remove the paint from her hair and slid out of the way so Gail could do the same. Gail felt Holly's hands slide across her, steadying the two of them so they didn't fall as they traded places. She instantly felt her skin break into goose bumps. It was such a light tough, but it felt heavy to her in the best way possible. She smiled slightly at Holly before closing her eyes as she began to rinse her own hair out. When she opened them again Holly had her sweatshirt off and was trying to wring out the paint. Gail watched water roll across her chest, and down her stomach. There was a single smudge of paint there that caught her eyes. Without realizing what she was doing, Gail reached out for it, rubbing the paint off Holly's stomach.

Holly glanced up immediately, finding Gail's eyes. They stood still, just looking at each other for another moment before Gail let her hand slip up Holly's side and then to her shoulder. She pulled Holly in towards her, under the water, and set about rubbing the paint off of Holly's tanned skin. She was so focused on her task that it took her a moment to notice the hands on the bottom of her shirt, gently raising the fabric up. Gail took her hands back from Holly and lifted them above her, allowing the shirt to be pulled from her body. Holly wrung out the shirt and tossed both Gail's and her own from the shower. Their hands found each other in an instant, sliding and rubbing against skin in the pretense of removing paint.

Gail slid her hands down Holly's body until she reached the top of her shorts. She didn't even bother looking up at Holly for permission before she slid them down Holly's legs and tossed them carelessly from the shower. Holly stood before her now in only her bra and panties. This wasn't the first time she had seen her so exposed, but Gail still felt her nerves catch fire at the sight. Gail realized she was breathing hard and didn't care. The line they had both been testing was breaking apart right before her eyes and it felt amazing.

Holly felt herself shiver at the chill that crept in when Gail opened the shower curtain to discard the clothing. Gail must have noticed because she pulled her closer, back under the stream of water, and flush against her own body. Holly let her hands wander; sliding against Gail's wet flesh. Her fingers felt electrified, mapping out every curve and line of the woman before her. She watched Gail give into her touches, watched her eyes close, watched her shiver despite the hot water falling on her, watched her mouth open slightly as she struggled to draw in breath. It was too much for Holly. She couldn't stand back in this moment any longer.

"Gail, look at me." It was the first words either of them had spoken since entering the shower.

Holly watched Gail open her eyes and lock on hers. She did her best to steel her nerves and find her voice again.

"Do you trust me?" Holly heard the words leave her mouth before she realized she was speaking.

Holly watched Gail try to figure out the moment. She looked into the blue eyes in front of her and waited for her response patiently. Gail steadied herself and answered.

"Always."

Holly looked deeper into Gail's eyes, searching for confirmation. Gail didn't look away from her, instead she stood her ground. Holly found the honestly and sincerity in Gail's response staring back at her. It was more than enough for her. Holly let her right hand remain on Gail's waist as her left found the back of Gail's neck. She pulled Gail into her, leaving no space between the two of them. She felt Gail's arms wrap around her tightly, eyes still locked on her own. Holly took in a shaky breath. She gripped the woman before her tighter and leaned in and kissed Gail lightly. She felt her body ignite as Gail's lips reacted, moving against hers eagerly. Gail kissed her back with no reservations. Holly felt her soft tongue caress her bottom lip, seeking entrance. Holly obliged instantly, meeting Gail's waiting tongue with her own.

The kiss seemed to stop time. Holly couldn't hear the water from the shower anymore; she couldn't feel the water falling on her. The only thing that existed was the sound of Gail whimper slightly as Holly's teeth teased her bottom lip. The only thing she felt were Gail's lips, her tongue sliding against her own, and the hands seeking her out.

They stood making out in the shower long enough for the water to turn cold and reluctantly they broke apart. Holly stepped out of the shower first in search of towels. She returned a moment later to find Gail had stripped off her sweatpants, clearly trying to avoid the cold fabric that had been clinging to her. Holly wrapped the towel around Gail and led her towards the bedroom. Gail dried off while Holly looked for clothes. She returned a minute later and handed the material to Gail. Gail took the clothes and kissed Holly gently. They dressed quickly and made their way out into the living room again.

Gail cleaned up the paint mess as Holly made dinner for the two of them. Holly kept getting distracted by Gail moving around in the living room, their shower still playing through her mind. She suspected Gail was struggling to remain focused as well based on the glances she caught. Gail finished with the clean-up and found her way into the kitchen. Holly felt arms wrap around her from behind and smiled to herself. She felt Gail turn her around and pull her into a passionate kiss.

Holly felt Gail's hands run through her hair and slip down to her cheeks. After a moment Gail pulled out of the kiss, hands still in place.

"So I guess we should probably talk." Holly nodded her head in reply and kissed Gail once more.

"After dinner though?" Gail agreed to the request and they sat down to eat.