Yes, posting twice in one day... I've got ch6 up on the other site. But giving ffn a chapter delay. ALSO NSFW. not overtly explicit but enough to make some blush..
Ch 5
After Camila dropped her off, it took a couple of minutes before Beatrice went upstairs. She had managed to quell some of her thoughts. Camila had helped a great deal. She smiled at the thought of her. She was indeed wild and free but so centered in herself that it made the rest of them seem like wayward children by comparison. She hadn't been paying any mind when she literally ran into Ava. Or rather Ava ran into her.
"Shit." The brunette looked up as Beatrice took hold of her arms so she wouldn't fall back.
"I'm sorry… are you alright?"
"Yeah… sorry… I wasn't paying attention. That's my default though isn't it?" She smiled and took in Beatrice's outfit. "Running? Again?"
"I'm a creature of habit I suppose." She was still holding onto Ava's arms. "It helps really. Clear my mind. Meditative."
"Yeah I've never been good with meditation. I've been like in a bed without moving so maybe that could have counted but my brain was always going and let's face it my mouth doesn't stop much either." Ava bit her lip. Clear her mind? Shit. Did she decide not to sleep with me? Fuck. Oh man. "So… all clear now?"
"Yes. Well… mostly." Beatrice slid her hands to Ava's and gave them a squeeze. There was a blip in her head about something Ava said but she didn't pay much mind. "I'd like to talk. Now that I'm not inebriated."
"Dude… you need to chill with the vocab…" Ava let out a nervous laugh. Her brain tossing around Beatrice's words and the handholding like silver pinballs in a loud machine. Beatrice laughed.
"That perhaps is my default." She met Ava's eyes and thought about what Camila said. She took a breath. "I do need a shower. But… well… to be clear… about last night." She paused. "And yesterday earlier of course." Ava nodded waiting for the shoe to drop. "I still want friendship. I don't want that to get lost in translation. But I'd rather… after I clean up… maybe you can come over… wait, are you going out?"
"Oh.. yeah… I didn't really go to the market yesterday. I mean I did… but somehow, I forgot to get cream for coffee… and forgot to get coffee too." She smiled. Do not panic. Breathe. Remember. You are Ava Silva. You can do anything. "It won't take long. I saw a place a few blocks down. I can…"
"I have coffee… at my place… and cream. I like cream in my tea sometimes." Beatrice interrupted. "I can make you coffee."
"But you needed to shower… I don't want to intrude." Yes, I do. I want to shower with you. Ava… get a hold of your hormones.
"You're not. And I do. But I can make you coffee, then shower. You can… hang out while I…" Beatrice felt herself blushing already. "I'd like to make you coffee. And I'd like for you to be there when I'm done with my shower. We can talk about casual with a bit more clarity."
"Oh… ok yeah." Ava's smile grew and she was squeezing Beatrice's hands without thinking. "I'd like that. A lot."
"Good. Ok Good." Beatrice paused. "We kind of need to… get into my flat if I'm to…"
"Right. Duh."
"Michael?" Jillian Salvius heard the front door close as she sat in the kitchen having her coffee and looking through headlines on the tablet.
"Hey, mum." He said as he took his jacket off and draped it on a chair. He went to the cupboard and took out a mug. He poured coffee and asked if she needed a top-off which she accepted. He sat next to her after giving her a kiss on the cheek. "How are you?"
"Better now that I know you're not in a ditch somewhere." She smiled. "Did you have fun?"
"Always. And you know better. I'll never end up in a ditch." He drank. "Maybe off a bridge but I promise it will be with purpose." He laughed. "The gang wanted to go dancing. We hit three clubs and didn't end up back at Chanel's until well past 4." She looked at her watch and saw it was barely past 9.
"Did you get enough sleep?"
"No." He smiled wickedly. "It's why I came home. I sleep better upstairs. Chanel snores plenty after a night out, God love her." He stared at his cup.
"No Ava?"
"No. She didn't join us. She talked to Chanel who tried convincing her, but she said she'd prefer to stay in." Jillian looked at her son with a question. "No. She didn't know I was along for the ride."
"But she knows you'll keep tabs on her."
"How can I not?" He drank the rest of his coffee. "I'm always going to worry about my little sister."
"She's six months older." She reminded him. He waved her off. "This is good for her."
"I know." Michael knew it was good for Ava to feel utterly independent. They had grown as close as blood-related siblings could have been, perhaps closer. They had hundreds of conversations about everything from books to comics to illnesses to death to girls. That last one taking up a lot of their time as they got older. He was happy for her, but it didn't mean he wouldn't miss the easy access to her person.
"You can move out too… if you wanted."
"And leave you all alone here?" He joked, knowing they'd talked about this often. "Not a chance. You'd have too many gentlemen callers for my liking." She laughed and looked at him. "Alright, I'm headed up. Did you want to go check her place out later with me?"
"No. Unlike you and your sister, I do know about boundaries, and she will invite me over when she's ready. Let her enjoy her space." She called after him as he wandered off.
"Nope." He laughed.
"Mary…." Shannon was dressed for work and looking at her wife. "I know you had mentioned Ava and what you thought would be a good idea…but"
"No buts. Nope." Mary was still in a bra as she was pulling on jeans. "It's good. All good babes."
"Beatrice isn't…" Shannon had grown as fond of Beatrice as much as Mary was. They had a strong relationship, Mary and Beatrice. Their time in university was elemental in their personal growth. Mary had learned to be more open, more emotional. She had shut a lot of herself off when she'd gone into the military. Some of the things she'd seen while in service had changed her, not for the better. Having Beatrice in her life had allowed some softness to creep in. She'd been protective of her from the get-go. Not in terms of physical protection as Beatrice was more skilled in martial arts than Mary was even after all her tactical training. But she'd seen the hesitation in Beatrice being able to assert herself, to seek out her own individuality. And Mary had taken that and pushed the girl to be more. Suzanne joining their little enclave had been a heaven-sent gift.
"I know, I know." She zipped her jeans and stood next to Shannon. She kissed her cheek. "I'll make sure she's ok. Ava is harmless. She's not mean… or cold… or anything like that."
"I'll hold you to that. But.." She turned her face and kissed Mary's lips. She sighed into the kiss. "Just… I don't even know what to say. She's… she's such a soft heart."
"I know. I know." Mary hugged Shannon. "She's my little sister. I swear I only want her to have.. shit… what we have. But it won't happen if she stays closed off." Shannon nodded.
"Ok." Shannon let herself breathe. She knew if Beatrice got hurt, Mary would get hurt as it had been her idea and plan. "Be careful my love."
Michael had stripped down to boxers before deciding that a shower might be in order before he flopped on his bed. Once he was dry, he opted to not bother with even boxers. He thought about the night before. They had gone dancing all of them. Most of the crew weren't to his liking. He only went because of Chanel. He and Ava had gravitated towards the entire group late in high school and they had stuck together during college but they had been outgrowing each other. Chanel was the hold-out for both he and Ava. She was kind and fun. She didn't get bogged down in the party scene as the others did. She had studied fashion and was finally working for a design company she liked. It was low-level work, but it was a start. He hadn't realized how badly he had fallen for her until their senior year in college.
It had taken a long-drawn-out talk with Ava to admit it to himself and then a huge asskicking from Ava for him to act on it. It was simple when it came down to it. He asked her for a date. She thought he was joking but then gave a thousand-watt smile and readily agreed. They had been going steady since then. It was only a matter of time before he had the courage to propose.
Ava had watched as Beatrice went about making coffee. Of course, it wasn't a regular coffeemaker. She boiled water in a stainless-steel teapot then added the hot water to freshly ground coffee in a French Press. She'd offered steam milk or cream, but Ava merely told her that cold cream would be fine. She even poured it for Ava before running off to the shower. She's in the shower, naked. Less than a room away really. Not too far. Maybe you can wait for her in bed. NO! Stop that. She shook her head and tried to erase those thoughts away. She drank from the cup and let out a satisfied sound. She stood from the couch and walked around with the cup in her hands. She stopped in front of one bookshelf that held actual books. Ok they're all books but these look like they're stuff you can read and not take notes. She read the titles, the authors. There was some poetry. She's a lesbian duh. Some science fiction. Please refer to previous thought. And there were some biographies. Her eyes caught a really worn-out copy of a book she knew well. She smiled. The Three Musketeers.
"Sorry, it took so long." Ava wasn't as startled as she could have been which could have ended with a dropped cup and spilled coffee.
"Uh.. no problem. I was just looking around… again." She took a longer sip of the coffee and then walked back to the couch. "I can't sit still for too long."
"You? I can't see that. You're the picture of patience." Beatrice smiled and sat down.
"Was that? Did you just make a joke? At my expense?"
"Clearly I have bad influences in my life." Beatrice felt light. The shower was quick but good. She tried playing over conversations from the past 24 hours and then she simply listened to her being. "How's the coffee?"
"Oh. Sub-par. I'm never going to this coffee shop again." Ava grinned. "The owner is very set in her ways."
"And now who's making jokes?" Ava laughed. Beatrice took one of her hands in hers. "Thank you for staying." The warm sensation in Ava's body was back and she only nodded. "Last night… now. I like your company."
"I like yours too." Ava bit her lip and set the cup down on the table. Then grabbed a coaster and put the cup on it. "Sorry. I forget."
"Don't be. You didn't forget last night or now." Beatrice moved a little closer. "So…" Ava nodded. She could feel her heart pounding.
"I like your books." She blurted out. Beatrice laughed.
"I thought they weren't fun enough." She felt Beatrice's hand move to her jaw. A finger tracing its way down to her neck.
"I didn't mean all of them… some don't look fun… but others… plenty fun." She swallowed and stole a look at Beatrice's lips. "Casual right? Friends fail safe."
"If you still want to." Beatrice was giving her an out. The intent wasn't likely as clear as Camila had intended but she was finding it hard to form cohesive dialogue. Ava met her eyes and nodded. Their lips met and began a rollercoaster of energy.
"No." Lilith was sitting at her kitchen island, arms crossed. "You took it. Without asking."
"Babe… Beatrice needed a ride."
"There's plenty of ride shares out there. And you had food and drinks in my car." She was frowning. "What the f…" Camila stepped up to her and put one finger on her lips.
"Stop it." Camila looked into Lilith's eyes. "It's a car. A machine. I used it." Lilith was about to protest when Camila kissed her softly. "Stop."
"You know I like my car."
"You like me too and I used your car. It shouldn't be a big deal." She put her arms around Lilith and sat on her lap. "I won't drive it again until you let me. It was an emergency this morning. Well… not life and death." Lilith scoffed. "But super important."
"If it had been anyone else…"
"They wouldn't have been in your bed or your apartment in the first place."
"Not true."
"Very true."
"I've slept with other people Cam." She didn't often say it out loud. She knew Camila knew.
"I know." She ran her fingers through Lilith's long hair, eliciting a small shiver from her. "But you do it at their place. Never here." The taller woman looked away. "Babe it's whatever you're comfortable with… but don't think it escapes me that I'm the only one who sleeps in your bed, in your home." Camila turned Lilith's face to hers. She kissed her gently again. "For the same reason, no one sleeps in my bed but you. Ok?"
Lilith sighed. "Ok." She kissed Camila a little deeper. She pulled away. "But my car is off-limits for future reference." They both laughed.
"Whatever." Camila uttered then squealed when Lilith stood and carried her to the bedroom.
They stumbled into the bedroom. Hands wandering all over each other. Their lips were on fire. Beatrice wouldn't have thought such a need was possible for her. She'd wanted other women for certain but this was a hunger. Ava was literally giving her such oxygen, such strength. She pulled off Ava's hoodie then her shirt. The ongoing kiss breaking for milliseconds at a time. Ava's hand had tried taking off Beatrice's shirt but her fingers got stuck on the buttons, so Beatrice did the honors herself. Every bit of clothing was nearly off by the time the back of Ava's legs hit the bed. They both laughed, taking a moment to breathe.
"My god you're stunning." Beatrice said trying to catch her breath. Her hands cupped Ava's face then moved down her shoulders, down her arms. She reached behind Ava as their eyes met and undid the clasp on her bra. She pulled it off and tossed it to the floor with the other discarded clothes. Her eyes moved down slowly, taking all of her in. Ava's skin was warm, a bit red from the excitement. She made no move to cover any part of herself. Her eyes focused on Beatrice, on her reaction. She loved what she saw. The raw need for her, for Ava. While she'd never had a single doubt of her want for Beatrice, what little doubt she'd had about Bea wanting her was erased in that look. She lifted her own hands and tugged at Beatrice's sports bra. This you can do. Easy. No stupid buttons. Bea lifted her arms to make it even easier.
Ava found herself gasping once the bra was off and over Beatrice's head. "Wow… shit… less than eloquent." Beatrice laughed.
"Eloquence is overrated."
"Says the woman who used the word stunning when looking at my tits." There was more laughter. She found she loved hearing Bea laugh. This kind of laugh. Full throat. Happy. There was a hint of the lust underneath.
"I said you were stunning before I even saw them Ava. Seeing them… Well, I might have been struck slightly speechless." Beatrice leaned in and kissed Ava once more as her own hands gently touched Ava's breasts. She felt the brunette shiver under her touch and knew her own body was reacting just as strongly. Her thumbs grazed the hardened nipples. The whimper came from both of them. The kiss deepened as her hands caressed, squeezed Ava's chest. Every goosebump being read by her fingers. Ava's hands touched Bea's breasts and she held her breath. How had she denied herself such softness? Her mind was trying to process, and it wasn't working to its capacity. Emotions. Needs. Hunger.
Ava was sure to be drowning. She had to be. But she was still breathing. She knew that much cause she could feel her lungs and she hadn't passed out yet from lack of air. I may pass out from other things. Holy fuck… Ninja sex skills. I called it. Well… not the sex part but holy… oh ok… this is happening…
Bea was on top of her before another minute had passed. Her knee pressed against Ava's very warm, very wet center. Even through her undergarments and through Bea's own jeans she could feel it. It was giving her life, bravado. She groaned and kissed her way down Ava's neck. She licked and dragged her teeth along her flesh. Ava was writhing under her. It was both the quietest and loudest she'd been since Bea had met her. There wasn't a single coherent word other than maybe Beatrice's name coming from her lips. But she was no less vocal. The sounds were a driving energy. Her mouth tasted Ava's breasts but she was hungry for something more. While she sucked on one, her hands moved along and pushed Ava's panties past her hips. She listened for any sign to stop but Ava lifted her hips to get them off faster. As her mouth moved further south, Beatrice said Ava's name. "Tell me I can."
"What?" Ava was trying to figure out words. She was pretty certain everything was short-circuited. "What? I'm… can you what?"
"Tell me I can taste you. Tell me I can make you… make you cum with my mouth."
Oh. Ummm that… Yes… please… Wait. Did I say it out loud? Shit. "Please." She swallowed as she felt Beatrice's lips moving along her hip bone. "Please taste me."
Mary pulled into the parking lot and gripped the steering wheel. She thought about heading up to Bea's for a moment. Talk to her. She knew the conversation with Shannon had been important. She had assured her wife that Bea wouldn't get hurt. And Mary hoped she was right. Ava was a kind soul. She knew enough of her story to know she was true to her words. A character for sure but honest, loyal. Caring. She was the best she could want for Beatrice. She knew it. Instinct told her so. She closed her eyes and took some deep breaths. She knew there would always be an unknown variable but she didn't want to overthink it. She remembered Beatrice in university. Finished her studies before she was even old enough to drink. One random class in economics had put them together. One random choice of seats. She smiled at the memory. She loved that girl.
She remembered managing to get her out to a club. Mary bribing the doorman to let her in. She had been terrified. All of those people in such a small space she'd complained. But she'd not run away, not hidden. She only drank something fruity bought by Mary. Soon enough she was on the dance floor swaying. It had warmed Mary's heart to see the little bit of freedom she had allowed herself. She'd been there for all of it. All of her growth, her changes. Some tiny, some huge. She'd been present for more than one of her parents' tirades and had to bite her tongue. Mostly because Bea had implored her to. She had met the grandmother once. She had been kind to Bea, loving almost. She wasn't around much as she didn't see eye to eye with her son, Bea's father. Bea had been allowed to interact with her very little over her lifetime but spoke fondly with every memory.
When she ultimately broke completely free from her parents, it had been seismic. "Please let this work. I don't know if you're a dude wearing sandals or some Amazonian woman but give her this." She was praying in her own way. She got out of her truck and went into the club. She decided not to talk to Bea and instead just take care of the bank deposit.
