Blooming Rose Ch. 03

The work day just seemed to last for an eternity. Rose had to remain at the office, she had to complete her errands, and she had to do so completely naked. It was so, so, so embarrassing. There were no other words to describe how she felt. And yet, for some reason, she also felt oddly...fulfilled working in that state. More than she ever had before. And whenever she got a moment to stop and think about it, all her thoughts could only turn to one thing.

Caroline Connors.

Something about the office nudist just...made Rose feel warm and fuzzy inside. The woman was a bit pushy, yes, but the pushiness seemed like it came from a place of affection and for some strange reason, Rose felt like she needed to...please her. Not sexually of course, though the intern did indeed do a plenty of that and she still had the wondrous taste of Carol's blossom in her mouth to prove it. It was more like Rose just wanted to make Carol...happy. If the older woman was so willing to shower Rose with affection, then it was only fair that Rose should deserve it. And nothing pleased Carol more than the sight of Rose's bare-naked body, if the sultry smiles and soft caresses she gave the intern every time they passed by were anything to go by. In that, Rose was able soldier on despite her embarrassment.

Of course, when the work day finally came to an end, Rose faced a new problem: how was she going to get home in the state she was in? She didn't have a car and she doubted the bus would let a naked girl ride. She wasn't a Zenrist after all and she didn't have the tattoo marking her as one. However, Carol was quick to swoop to her rescue once again, offering to drive the brunette home herself. Knowing she didn't have any other choice, Rose agreed.

It was admittedly very surreal to ride in a car as a nude passenger with an equally nude driver. Clothed people passed by the both of them as they rolled through the downtown marketplace, and neither woman got so much as an aside glance despite their brazen nakedness. It was actually kind of off-putting in a way. After being the center of attention everywhere she went for so long, getting so bluntly ignored now made Rose almost feel as if she had turned into a ghost.

"So, this is your place, right?" said Carol as she brought the car to a stop.

"Hm?" Rose murmured, waking herself up from her thoughts. She checked outside. Yes, this was her place all right: a drab blue building with six apartments, one of which she called home. For a moment, she wondered how Carol could have possibly found it. She didn't recall giving the nudist her address. But then she remembered all the other odd things the woman had learned about her that Rose hadn't said out loud. If having sex with me was enough for her to find out about my job to find the butt copier and how my boss can't ever get my name right, learning my address couldn't have been hard either. "Yes, this is the place. Thank you."

"No, thank you," said Carol before leaning over to give Rose another kiss. "I had a lot of fun today." Rose didn't fight her. She just leaned into the nude woman and parted her lips to welcome her inside. The feeling of Carol's tongue flicking against her own caused a great surge of warmth to erupt all throughout her chest.

"Yeah, I...guess I did too," said Rose when Carol pulled away. She wasn't so sure about that to be honest. She never felt more embarrassed in her life being naked in front of so many people. But every time she thought about how Carol held, kissed, and pleasured her, she couldn't help but remember how good it felt and how much she wanted to maybe...feel it again, and that just seemed to outweigh the humiliation. Despite herself, Rose couldn't fight the shy smile from spreading across her face as she looked at Carol, who in turn was smiling at her, softly, gently, lovingly. "Yeah, I really did."

"You know," said Carol, laying her pointer finger on Rose's bare thigh and running slow, lazy circles around it. "I think you should really call her."

"Call who?" said Rose.

"Your aunt. June."

Just like that, Rose's uplifted mood fell like a rock, as did her smile. "Why?"

"Because I think she really misses you."

"No, she hates me," Rose said with a bitter snort as she turned her face away. "She opened herself up to me and I spurned her. She offered to...do stuff with me and I ran away without saying a word. All that was between us is in the past now. She and I...we're now done. Forever."

"You don't know that."

"That's how I would feel if I was her."

"Well, she's not you, childe. June is her own person with her own feelings."

"Then why hasn't she called me?" Rose nearly screamed, balling her hands up into frustrated little fists while she squeezed her eyes shut to block the tears that were threatening to pour out of them. "If she cares about me, why hasn't she attempted to contact me?"

"Maybe for the same reason you haven't called her," said Carol, her voice sinking to a stern, lecturing tone, not unlike the one Rose's own mother directed to her in the past. "She's hurt and scared that you'll reject her again, with more finality than you did the first time she came forward to you. And from what little I gleaned from you, I can tell she was still working through her own conflicting feelings. I understand that...it can't be easy to reject what modern human society has long deemed taboo."

"What are you talking about?" said Rose.

"You know. Incest."

"Oh." Rose turned away from Carol with another flustered blush. Goddess, why did the conversation have to turn towards this subject? However, now that she was thinking about both it and her last conversation with June, she started to feel curious about something. "Miss Connors."

"Please, call me Carol."

"Carol...what is...the Zenrist religion's stance on...incest anyway?"

"Well, between male and female blood relatives, we think of it the same way everyone else does," said Carol. "Brothers and sisters, fathers and daughters, and so on...just the very thought of them copulating is...sickening to me." She wrinkled her nose to punctuate her point. "Same as it was before I converted to Zenrism."

"And...between women?"

"That's another subject entirely. The taboo against incest is honestly a recent one for women. Long, long ago, when the Goddess still walked the Earth with us, women were able to conceive children between themselves."

"Really?" said Rose. That was a new factoid about Zenrism she hadn't heard about. "How?"

"We were taught how by the Goddess. But you see, the way we made children then was different from how we make children now. It was not like how the native animals of this world reproduce by mixing their genes up with another to produce a child. As we women were created by the Goddess, so too did we create women much like She did."

"So...does that mean...?"

Carol nodded. "Yes. Genes play no part in Zenrist reproduction. Two women could be born from the same womb and be completely different from their mother on a genetic level. And they could later bear daughters of their own, who would in turn be different from them. The health problems that typically plague animal populations that suffer from inbreeding cannot happen to Zenrists because we are not like them. We are something else entirely: creations of a higher being. Hence, Lovers of Zenriah never had a taboo against incest because there was no reason for it to be taboo. Daughters laid with their mothers all the time, as did sisters, and cousins, and yes, even aunts and nieces."

"Aunts and nieces," murmured Rose contemplatively. That must be why all the Zenrists she spoke to said there was nothing wrong with her feelings about me.

"Mm-hmm," murmured Carol with another nod. "It was only when we lost Zenriah and Her gift of creation that we lost the ability to conceive daughters. And in that, we had to imitate the reproductive methods of the animals we shared the Earth with in order to keep our own numbers from dwindling. And that's when we had to, understandably, develop an instinctual revulsion toward incest. Unfortunately, even though sapphica could no longer produce children, the revulsion extended towards relations between all blood relatives, even those purely between women.

"But Zenrism recognizes that such taboos are not needed between women. Furthermore, our doctrine decrees that every woman is born a wife to a million others. As such, she is sworn to honor her wifely duties to every one of those millions."

"Every...one of them?" said Rose.

"Yes. Every one of them, regardless of how much blood they share. It is not a sin for a mother to make love to her daughters, a sister to her wombmate, or even an aunt to her niece. In fact, it is expected and encouraged for them to make love to one other."

"Make...love," Rose repeated in a very quiet whisper. By Zenrist doctrine, June and I could make love...and it would be completely okay.

"I admit, I used to share those old taboos," continued Carol. "I have two daughters myself, not much younger than you. If you asked me as little as a week ago if I would ever want to have sex with either of them, I would have balked in horror and disgust at the thought of it. But ever since I found the Goddess...I honestly can't remember why I felt that way. My little Erin and Mindy are the two most beautiful and precious things I've ever had in my life. And I have every intention of sharing this with them," she ran her hands down her naked body, "and making them my wives. In every way imaginable!"

"Wives..." June and I...we could become...wives to one another? Like...married?

Carol placed a hand on Rose's shoulder. "I think your aunt felt a similar spark around you. A desire to break the old taboo society drilled into her and become something more with you, someone she cared very deeply for. And I think--no, I know--that you felt something similar for her, you still do, and maybe you always have. I can't think of any other reason why a cutie like you has remained single--and a virgin--for this long!"

Rose blushed again as Carol giggled cheekily at her.

The Zenrist went on. "Yes, you rejected her and yes, you panicked. But doing that only filled you with guilt. Worse, it's done nothing to quell your desire for her, both the cool aunt you've always known and the other thing you could possibly become for her. If you want to find peace and wholeness, you cannot let these feelings fester within yourself. They are disease on the soul. You must learn to accept them and work to fulfill them, not continue denying them as you have been doing. Believe me, Rose Yuren, I know what it's like to deny and reject an intrinsic part of yourself. I did so not long ago and it almost killed me."

She caressed Rose's cheek again. "I know it's scary, trying to make amends. And I know it's even worse to pursue something you believe is wrong. But the worst thing you can do to yourself here...is nothing at all. Maybe it's as you said, everything between you and June is over. Or maybe...what's between you could blossom into something truly beautiful. But it's like I told you before: you won't know if you don't try."

"I...I understand," said Rose. Her voice was quiet, her heartbeat was loud, and in the back of her mind, some part of her was screaming to get out of the car right now and forget everything this crazy naked lesbian was telling her. But she did no such thing because she knew everything that Carol said was right. She had to confront her past, she had to make amends with her aunt, and she had to see where she and June truly stood now, for good or ill. If only so she could start moving on from it.

And...if there really is a chance that June and I can...

"I'll...I'll call June," she said. "And I'll apologize to her about...everything. And...whatever happens after that...I'll..."

"Just take it one step at a time," said Carol as she gave the girl a comforting pat on the thigh. "I'm sure everything," she added, leaning forward once again, "will work out just fine. After all," she moistened her lips and moved in closer, "you've been touched by a Zenrist priestess."

They kissed again. Rose opened her mouth to let Carol inside her and licked dainty circles all around the older woman's tongue. Nestled so closely against the Zenrist, Rose felt oddly warm all over. Warm and...safe. That everything was going to be just fine, that no matter what happened...she would be okay.

"Thank you," she whispered when they parted. "Thanks you for...everything, Carol." Then she gathered up her purse and scampered into her apartment, completely unconcerned about her nudity.

***

Of course, it was one thing to say she was going to call June. It was a whole other matter to actually do it. Her number was still saved in the list of contacts on Rose's phone and while calling her was as simple as pressing a button, the intern found she still couldn't work up the nerve to take that miniscule first step.

So she put it off. She set the device down, went into the bathroom, and took a well-needed shower. She washed the remnants of her intimate moments with Carol off her body, paying special attention to both her thighs and crotch, which still felt somewhat sticky. It was Rose's hope that the warm water would refresh her and make her feel all the more prepared for her eventual conversation with her aunt and for a while, it seemed to work. When she stepped out of the shower, dried herself off, and wrapped a towel around her body, she felt on top of the world. But when she sat down on her bed and picked up her phone, her feet started to get cold again.

No, I'm not going to put this off any longer. I'm going to speak to my aunt right now! Just as soon as I can think of...something to say.

Something to say, something to say...what could she say? She supposed the first thing she should do as soon as her aunt picked up the phone was apologize. June deserved that much from her. But...what if that wasn't enough? What if June demanded an explanation for Rose's actions? What if she slammed the phone off or just screamed that she never wanted to see Rose again?

Her hands started trembling again. That wasn't good. She was losing her nerve and just when she was on the cusp of finally reconciling! But she still had nothing to say and she didn't have any time to prepare, but if she said the wrong thing, she would ruin everything, and then--

Stop, Rose. Deep breath, deep breath. Okay, so maybe I can't say anything just yet, but maybe I can just...write for now?

Yes, that seemed like a good way to start. Rose pressed another button, not to call June as she originally planned, but to message her. With a flurry of strokes, she typed the first thought that passed through her head with the purest emotions she could conjure. Then, before she could change her mind, she pressed the send button and watched as four small words appeared on her screen. Four small words that didn't even take her half a minute to type, but which felt like the heaviest ones she had ever spoken in her life.

"I miss you, June."

There. She had done it. She had sent her message. She couldn't review it, she couldn't retype it, she couldn't even erase it. All Rose could do now...was wait. Seconds ticked by until they turned into minutes. The screen on her phone glowed white, the cursor blinked in and out, but no answer did she receive.

Rose chewed on her lip nervously. Why wasn't June answering her? Was she...angry at her niece for rejecting her? Had she decided she no longer loved Rose and wanted nothing to do with her? Did she even use the same phone number anymore? Had she changed it just to make sure Rose could never contact her again? Thoughts raged in the brunette's mind one after another as a new sheen of sweat began to accumulate all over her skin.

Ding. The girl jumped as the beep rang abruptly in her ears, deafening the storm of doubts in her head like a clap of thunder. Glancing down at her phone, Rose saw a new array of words had appeared directly under her own. Her heart froze, her breath hitched, and her grip on the device tightened so strongly she could almost feel the plastic crack. Her aunt answered her. June answered her! The moment of truth had arrived and whatever Rose read next would change the course of her future forever. Rose almost didn't want to read the text out of sheer dread for what it said, but she knew she had to. She needed to know what June thought of her. So after looking at the ceiling for a minute and drawing in a deep breath, Rose scrolled her eyes down and perused her aunt's message.

"I miss you too, Rose."

Tears ran freely down Rose's eyes. June missed her. Despite everything Rose had done to her, her aunt missed her. Which meant...she still loved her. Maybe as a niece. Maybe as a surrogate daughter. Maybe...as a prospective wife. Whatever it was, June still loved her.

Rose nearly pressed the call button. She didn't want to keep texting her aunt. She wanted to speak to her. She wanted to hear her voice, communicate with her in all the myriad of ways that writing couldn't convey. She wanted to tell June she was sorry for everything, that she was wrong to run away from her, that she should have spoken sooner. But as a tear fell off her face and splattered upon her hand, she realized she wouldn't be able to say any of the words that needed to be said. Not without drowning them all in a deluge of childish sobs.

But I can't just leave things hanging, not now! I need to keep going, I need to keep talking! Because if I don't, I might...I might run away again! But what could I possibly--

She blinked and for a moment, she swore she saw Carol sitting right in front of her. Carol the Zenrist priestess, sitting on Rose's bed in all her naked glory, breathing huskily, looking at her under hooded eyes. She licked her lips, leaned forward, exhaled deeply into the bespectacled girl's ear and said: "Sapphica is as much a language as it is an act."

Her words cut through Rose like a sword. The second she uttered them, memories of the intern's time with the Zenrist flooded through her mind with the rage of torrent. She remembered all the times Carol had kissed her, all the times she had caressed her, how she carried her in her arms, suckled her clit, rubbed her flower...pleasured her, soaked her, broke her, shattering the last shreds of her virginity. And in doing so...Carol learned about her. Through the simple act of lesbian sex.

Realization began to set in. Yes, that is what I must do. That is the only way I can truly speak to my aunt. Not with words, but with...actions. But how can I do that over the phone, while we are so far apart? I couldn't possibly...unless I...yes...I could do that. I could...always...do that.

Rose whipped off her towel, exposing her completely naked body to the world again. Air poured over her skin like warm milk, circling especially prominently around her nipples, which had turned hard and erect again. A small rub of her crotch evoked a shiver out of the girl, implying that her clit was peering out as well. She was...she was getting aroused again! That was...good she guessed. It meant, perhaps, she would better be able to say her piece to June. She splayed her legs, then with her hand, she spread her lower lips apart, showing as much of her inner flesh as she possibly could. And with her other hand, she took hold of her phone, switched on the camera in it, and snapped a picture.

An image of Rose's exposed pink petals filled up every centimeter of her screen. The brunette blushed at the sight, having never gotten such an intimate look at that particular part of her. She wasn't so sure she wanted to do this, but she knew this was logically the right thing to do. After helping herself to so many close-ups of her aunt's genitals, it was only fair that she let June get a look at Rose's.