Breaking Up Pt. 02

She stared at the unit as she arranged her thoughts into some kind of logical sequence. Technically speaking, she should be going through the agent but Ilona had always been somewhat wary of real estate agents when it came to this kind of arrangement. It was her place even though the bank did own most of it, but a property manager did provide her with one vital ingredient, the ability to claim back their costs against the mortgage. Granted they were small, but it meant she had a small sum set aside for repairs. Nevertheless, she'd still given Elaine her number for emergencies because her unit was one of dozens of other dwellings managed by the same company. Giving Elaine her number was her way of reassuring her new tenant that she wasn't just a number.

She took out her iPhone and called Elaine.

"Ilona, how are you?"

"I'm fine, I'm outside. Can I come in?"

"Sure, no worries," Elaine opened the front door a moment later and Ilona ended the call.

Elaine opened the front door a minute later as Ilona was getting out of her car and for a few seconds Ilona was transfixed by her as the flywire door was opened. Elaine was a year older than her with a healthy head of light brown hair held back from her face by a large hair clip. She had a firm jawline and brown eyes that softened whenever she was talking to her daughter. She'd had a curvaceous figure when Ilona first interviewed her months ago but this was the first time she'd seen her since then. Any contact had been via the property manager or over the phone. She'd definitely lost weight around her waistline judging by the lack of her spare tyre. She wore a pair of tight jeans and a red and white checked shirt tied off at the midriff to expose her belly.

She was a single mother with a part time job at Kmart that she balanced with raising her daughter and a part time arts course. She'd met her through a mutual friend and had been initially drawn to her bubbly personality and her circumstances. Her academic dreams had been sabotaged by a five year relationship with Keira's father that ended when he was sacked from his job for stealing and although he managed to escape jail he did wind up with a suspended sentence and a fine, but the most damaging consequence was being forced to sign onto agencies for much lower wages and that was where the marriage had begun to unravel.

Within a matter of months the relationship had come to the point where he was punching holes in walls and it was only a matter of time before he missed the wall and hit Elaine or Keira. She had opted to move out, but with no references she was in a bind until her friend, Petra introduced her to one of her old school friends, Ilona. Three days later she hired a van and together with her mum's boyfriend they helped her move out, leaving her ex, Gary to stew in his own juice.

"Hiya," she beamed, "your timing is immaculate, we just came back from the shopping centre, didn't we, sweetie?"

"We had ice cream," Keira announced as nudged her glasses up her nose, "and donuts."

"At the same time?" Ilona smiled at her.

Keira looked confused and Elaine chuckled.

"She loves the donuts with hundreds and thousands on them."

"They're my favourite ones too," she replied as Elaine closed the door behind her.

"Um, can we talk for a few minutes?"

"Sure," Elaine touched Keira's shoulder, "just take a seat in the living room while I deal with this little one."

Whilst Elaine was settling Keira into her bedroom to play, Ilona took stock of her surroundings. The living room was clean enough but she was drawn to the lack of pictures on the wall, she could see the holes in the walls where her pictures had once hung.

"There, she'll be happy playing with her tablet," Elaine came back through and perched on the edge of the couch.

"Why didn't you put up some pictures?" Ilona nodded at a wall.

"Oh, the agent told me no pictures," Elaine touched her own glasses, "it's in the rental agreement," her eyes shifted slightly.

"They drew up the agreement," she replied, "it must be one of those boilerplate contracts but I'd never have banned you from putting up pictures," Ilona turned her attention back to Elaine and for a few seconds she found herself almost lost for words.

Elaine looked almost nervous. She smoothed out her jeans and then fingered the tails of her shirt, Ilona glanced at the front door and then launched out into the unknown.

"There's been a change in my circumstances, I've ended it with Nick, it's only just happened so there's a bit to process."

"I'm so sorry," Elaine's eyes widened and she touched her glasses again, "is there something I can do for you?"

"I'm fine, thank you but there's something I might be able to do for you."

"What?"

"This place you were applying for in Mooroolbark."

"Uh uh," her eyes narrowed, "I haven't sent the application in yet, I'm still waiting on a reference from the agent."

"Fuck them," she flicked at her hair, "I'd write you one in a heartbeat but I may have an alternative place for you in Mooroolbark."

"Okay?" Elaine glanced down the hallway.

Ilona gave her a brief summary of Julie's offer and when she'd finished there was an intake of breath as Elaine settled back against the couch.

"So, what you're saying is I could move into your new girlfriend's place while you move back into here. Isn't that a bit back to front? If you don't mind me asking."

"Not from where I'm sitting," she replied, "this gives me time to adjust, if I moved into her place I'd just be doing the same thing all over again. I only moved into his place in Montrose to try and salvage the relationship and then I ended up engaged at a stage where I was seriously considering just ending the whole thing."

"Sounds a bit like Gary and I," she murmured, "we went through so many trial breakups and that was before he lost his job, he had a suitcase in the bottom of the wardrobe that was always packed and ready to go. I only moved into his place when the lead tenant at my old joint decided to screw one of the other tenants and I just became the third wheel. That was before I met Gary, I moved into his joint and well the rest is history," she fiddled with her hands.

"And what's she like? Julie?"

"She's lovely and I know I'm prejudiced," she glanced at her phone, "we could go over there now if you like and stay for dinner?"

Elaine stared up the hallway for a few seconds and then nodded.

"Okay, I'll look at the place, just let me get ready," she pulled the clasp from her hair and let it fall over her shoulders, "give me half an hour?"

"Sure, half an hour is fine," she took the phone out of her bag, "I've just got to call Julie."

"I'll wait then," Elaine stretched her arm across the top of the couch.

Ilona felt a slight sense of paranoia mingled with arousal as she waited for Julie to answer, Elaine was looking straight at her with a bemused smile. It was almost as if Elaine was checking her out or was it the other way around? And if so, had she looked at her in that way at sometime in the past or was she just now recognising an urge that had been suppressed for years.

"Hiya, what's up?"

"Hey you," Ilona came back to her in an instant, "I'm bringing Elaine and Keira around soon, she wants to look at the upstairs bit. I um, said maybe she could stay for dinner and I can run her back later on."

"Sure, thanks for the warning."

"You don't mind?"

"No, why should I mind?"

"Just checking, do you need me to pick anything up on the way back?"

"Nope, the fridge is full. Has she any special dietary needs?"

"Do you have any allergies?" Ilona asked her and Elaine shook her head.

"Nope."

"Is she a vegetarian or a vegan? I just cleaned out the barbecue."

"Are you a vegetarian or a vegan? She's thinking of a barbecue in the backyard."

"I'm a carnivore," she smiled.

"Yeah, she's a meat eater, we'll see you in about half an hour or so."

She stared at the phone after she'd ended the call and then glanced up as Elaine dropped her arm from the couch and leaned forward.

"Do you mind if I ask you something personal?"

"Of course not."

"What did it for you? To sleep with a woman and leave your fiancé?"

"I don't know about the first one," she replied, "I was just instantly attracted to Julie but that might have something to do with the fact that Nick and I weren't getting along. If it hadn't been for Julie then I might very well have either cancelled it or found a reason to leave after we got married, but I agree it's strange."

"It's more common than you think," she replied, "two of my so called straight girlfriends slept with women not so long ago. One left her boyfriend for her new girlfriend and the other is single but she decided to keep it as a one night stand but even she was quite insistent that it wasn't a bad thing and she'd basically broadened and deepened the dating pool," she rose.

"We've got a couple of gay women at work, they're both in relationships now but Lisa was flirting with me before she got together with Mia," she stepped away from the couch.

"Do you want something to drink while we're getting ready?"

"Um, sure," she replied, "just cordial or water."

Do I find her attractive? Ilona mused some minutes later as she sat on the couch with a glass of blackberry cordial.

***

The answer still eluded her an hour later, after introducing Elaine and Keira to Julie, Max and Celine, her tortoiseshell cat who seemed more intent on wrestling with a ball of scrap material Julie had made some time ago. Keira had taken to Max almost instantly although at first she was a little intimidated by his size until Julie performed a proper introduction. Indeed the afternoon had been the complete opposite of the morning's events, and not even a vicious text from Nick's mother could wipe the smile off Ilona's face.

Ilona took control of the barbecue while Julie prepared the necessary extras, bread, rolls, sliced onions and salad. Elaine had changed into a white shirt and mid-length denim skirt with a fly front. Julie was also wearing a denim skirt but hers was a three-quarter length one with a tied, denim belt and an embroidered hem. When Elaine asked where Julie had bought it, the older woman nodded in the direction of the sewing room.

"This skirt was one of the first things I made. I bought a skirt from the op shop, took it home and literally pulled it apart to trace out my own pattern and then made one for myself."

That had initiated a brief conversation about dressmaking and proved to be the one that clinched the deal. Elaine it seemed had been expecting a totally different kind of woman and Julie had broken the mould and the deal was now being sealed with a barbecue.

Ilona chanced a glance at Elaine, you could clearly see the outline of her bra beneath it. She was playing with her phone, sending texts to her girlfriends and family while Ilona tended to the meat.

Could I have, if I hadn't met Julie?

It was impossible to say for certain. Elaine hadn't offered up much more information apart from that casual comment earlier in the afternoon about her girlfriends and Lisa. Despite the latter's flirting she didn't appear in the slightest bit homophobic and as if sensing her attention Elaine looked up briefly and offered up a smile.

The back door opened a few seconds later and Julie stepped outside with a tray laden with plates of food. Ilona's heart skipped a beat as she recalled Julie's lopsided grin as she lay with her legs spread wide whilst she slipped a dildo inside her and then her eyelids had closed as Ilona tilted it to push against the front of her passage. Her back arched as she gave into her penetration and Ilona felt the lump in her throat as the memory changed to the look of helplessness as the climax began to build to the inevitable orgasm.

"Voila," she set the tray down on one of the tables attached to the barbecue itself, "I hope you like cherry tomatoes because I had to use up the rest of the pack before the use by date runs out."

Julie picked up a cherry tomato and popped it into her mouth.

A moment later Ilona leaned over and kissed her on the lips in full view of Elaine and Keira, the older woman slapped her buttocks and moved to the other side.

"How's it looking?"

"Snags are done," she indicated the sausages, "your burgers are almost done, it's just the chops now," she poked one with a fork, "still a bit raw."

"Okay, start serving up and I'll brown the onion."

Ilona felt the calmness spreading through her as she carried the plates across to the bigger table, it was something she'd experienced once or twice in the past. That feeling of serenity of not wanting to be somewhere yesterday and oddly enough the last time she'd experienced that sensation had been when she was hanging out with Jodie.

***

"So, what do you really think of her?" Ilona asked Julie a few hours later as they made their way back through to the living room a few hours later.

"I like her," Julie sat down against the corner of the couch, "she's got her head screwed on straight and that's always a good start, and she's a good mother from what I saw this afternoon."

"I was drawn to her because she was a battler. It's bad enough when you have to get out of a shitty marriage but then they make you jump over obstacles whenever you try to get ahead," she sat down next to Julie on the couch.

"I wasn't sure how Keira would get on with Max though."

"Samoyeds are good family dogs," Julie reached out and nudged Max in the chest as she sat on his hind legs and stared at her, "and they don't have that doggy smell either, do you Max?"

Max barked and put his paw on her skirt. Julie patted the cushion beside her and Max jumped up and put his head on her leg.

"I know, that's what I tried to explain to Nick when I was trying to convince him to get a dog, there's a breeder not far from us who specialises in Samoyeds but Nick was worried about his mum getting a reaction and then there's the grooming."

"Well there is grooming," she grinned, "Max gets a lot of brushing," she ran her hand through his coat as he wagged his tail.

Ilona picked up her glass of wine and took a few sips. A minute or so later she set the glass down and stared at the floor.

"Tell me, how does it work with lesbian couples, when it comes to having girlfriends?"

"It depends on the couple, some women are possessive to the point of putting their partner in a gilded cage and that's always a recipe for disaster," she drained her glass.

"But as for me, I've always been willing to have partners develop friendships with other women and yet there's always a risk that something might develop. It's the two edged sword syndrome, we women know how women think and we also know how women think. I've had partners who just decided to hook up with another woman and I've also had partners who could maintain platonic friendships even with other lesbians," Julie leaned forward to put her empty glass on the table and then leaned back and hooked her arms along the back of the couch.

"Have you told your girlfriends yet?"

"I've told one. Jodie is one of my best friends from high school but I only told her because she came out in high school and I kind of needed another gay friend to talk to. It's not like I can't tell my other girlfriends but right now I need to resolve a few things and she's the only one I know who can identify with me."

"Well, that's understandable although there's no pressure on me to come out or even take it further, I'm quite happy to go at your pace."

"But how is that fair for you?"

"It gives me time to adjust as well," she replied, "I've got my own baggage to deal with, especially when it comes to the possibility of a girlfriend moving in," she glanced at her.

"Tina was living here for about six months and it was only supposed to be a temporary place while she found her own place but somewhere along the line it changed and she began to change as well. At first it was sweet and romantic but she began to take over, partly because she had a part time job and mine was full time. In the end I couldn't feel comfortable in my own home so I'm quite content to have a girlfriend who I see outside and have here a few nights of the week."

"I felt the same way at Nick's place, although technically I was the second tenant even though we were engaged."

"How's that going to play out? With Nick?"

"He's sent me a threatening text but mum's going to speak to the police about it, they can't do much until I lodge a formal complaint but there's been nothing since that text. He left a comment on my Facebook page and got himself owned by all my girlfriends, they all let him have it so I'll just wait and see before I do anything."

"Do I need to dig out the baseball bat?"

"I shouldn't think so," she replied, "he doesn't know you exist, let alone where you live. I've kept it that way until I know which way the wind blows and even then," she patted her leg.

"It's none of his business who I sleep with."

"Speaking of sleeping arrangements," Julie rested an elbow on top of the couch, "where would you fancy sleeping?"

"I haven't tried that bed upstairs," she mused, "but then again," she also turned to face her, "that means you have to share a bed with your hairy lodger."

"I don't know," she rubbed her leg gently, "he might even decide to go upstairs, it wouldn't be the first time although he does prefer the couch if I have company."

"Your bed it is then," she glanced at her phone and then the tv, "what do you feel like watching?"

"Take your pick," she replied, "I've got Foxtel but there's always Freeview or you can hook up your phone to the stereo, speaking of which," she leaned forward.

"Give me your phone and I'll put in the wi-fi password so you don't have to keep asking me for it," she held out her hand.

"Now that's a broad signal," Ilona grinned.

"And spreading my legs last night wasn't?" Julie's eyes shifted as Ilona unlocked her phone, "an interesting snapshot of your priorities."

Ilona smiled as she got up and walked to the small cabinet underneath the tv to retrieve the remote controls. They spent the rest of the night watching tv and by the end of the night Ilona was sitting in between Julie's legs.

***

Jodie was the youngest of three children, all daughters but she had a different father to her older sisters, Leanne and Tamara. Jodie was the result of a brief affair her mother, Margaret had with a Chinese businessman back in Britain. When Margaret discovered she was pregnant she considered having an abortion but then decided not to go through with it. Her marriage to Jonathan was well and truly over, only held together by their mutual loathing for each other and a grudging agreement to stay together for the kids. Thus, by coming out and admitting she was pregnant to another man she effectively ended her marriage and moved into another place nearer to her sister, Sally, who was more than willing to help with child raising duties.

Jodie had inherited that sister's middle name as her first name. She had her mother's height and features but her father's darker colouring and black hair, and as a result was instantly noticeable when compared to her sisters' fair hair and lighter skin.

Margaret and Sally had always been close, to the point they'd occasionally passed boyfriends onto each other in their youth and the two had been sexually voracious in their younger years. Sally had divorced years ago and was quite happy to keep her own household but she'd broadened her dating pool to include women as well. It was one of the few issues where they differed. Margaret had always liked men but Sally was the more mischievous one.

When Sally got a job offer in Melbourne it was inevitable that her older sister would follow suit, although it took a good six months to get her ex husband to sign a document allowing her to take Tamara out of the country because she was still seventeen. Fortunately for Margaret the law was her profession and thus she left London and took Jodie and Tamara to Melbourne. Leanne stayed behind to finish her law degree but eventually she too flew over to join the rest of her family, which was why Margaret had bought the two storey house in North Ringwood.