Creating Constellations

"Whoo! Kick their ass, Celina!" Grace cheered as Cel through another perfectly spinning bean bag to cinch the win for her and AJ.

"Yes!" AJ came over to collect a high-five.

"See, it's working!" Grace beamed as she pointed out the interaction.

Alejandro and Celina were in quiet conversation as they allowed another group to play a round. Lexi must have been daydreaming about Rae as she was a little stunned that they were participating in an impromptu tournament. That game had been a quarter-final match.

"I'm going to see where Celina's head is." Grace squeezed Lexi's shoulder and then bounced up to see her bestie.

Lex couldn't help staring at the woman's incredible ass as she skipped over to Celina. Her vision was so concentrated on the beauty that she didn't realize AJ was on the blanket beside her before he spoke.

"You going to make a move on her?" Alejandro questioned as he pulled out his bag of gummies again.

"Was the kiss not enough of a move?" Lex elbowed him lightly and got a shrug in response. "Shouldn't you hold off on those until the tourney is over?"

"Eh, Celina's doing all the work, and it shouldn't hit until after the final match," AJ said as he closed the package. "Fine, I'll wait to take one to celebrate our victory."

"She's cute. You made your own move yet?"

"Yeah, she shut me down. For now."

"For now?"

"Yeah, there's something there, but we're both busy." AJ sighed.

"I thought you were both looking for some fun." Lex put a comforting arm on his shoulder.

"We were, but the more we got to know each other, the more we wanted more than a hook-up." AJ shook his head. "Maybe if I'd met her back in college."

"That's too bad."

"We're going to see a lot of each other in the future, so maybe things will get less stressful."

"Why are you going to be seeing her a lot in the future if you're not making a move on her?" Lexi must have looked positively befuddled.

"Because you're going to marry that woman." AJ grinned as he discreetly pointed toward Grace. "I'm not the only one that thinks so. I've never seen two people look at each other like you do. Celina is her best friend, and I'm yours. That means we'll have to see each other at your wedding." He teased.

"I just met her." Lexi's cheeks burned as she looked away. She had daydreamed a little about a future with the beguiling young woman but was trying to keep from fixating on anything and scaring the woman away.

"Dibs on naming your firstborn." AJ's ferocious smirk gleamed as he hopped up and wandered back to Celina. They were still quite friendly even though they hadn't made a love match. "What? I had to make you come up here today. That has to be worth something."

"Go win the tourney!" Lex tried to switch subjects. AJ gave her a thumbs-up and walked away.

"What were you two discussing?" Grace returned.

"We were unsuccessful. Celina rejected him."

"I don't think it's completely over. She digs him, but she's too busy."

"He is too. Well, darn. I guess you don't have to hang out with me anymore." Lex waved Grace away as if their play at matchmaking was the only reason they had spent time together. She carefully let a hint of a smile peek out so Rae could see it.

"Nope. Now I just get to hang out with the prettiest gal at the party." Grace took her seat right beside Lex again.

"You about to hang out with yourself?"

"I meant a certain dreamy blonde." Grace's hand covered Lexi's and gave it a little squeeze. "I still kind of want to hang out with myself." She blushed hard. "I mean, you did start something and didn't finish it." Her eyebrows danced suggestively.

"Darn, Brad!"

"You need something?" Brad appeared as if summoned.

"No, we were just complaining that you took the last of Lucy's cookies." Alexus quickly covered for herself.

"I'm eating for two!" He laughed. "We gotta meet my folks at the hotel, so we'll take off." Brad had a large backpack on.

"Oh, okay. Glad to see you two again. Don't be strangers. You've always got a couch to crash on here." Grace stood up to wave him goodbye, and Lex followed her.

"You know Mel's feelings about hotels. Besides, we have two sets of parents that would insist if we eschewed the hotel." Brad smiled.

"You two are still coming to the wedding, right?" Melanie glommed onto her fiancé's arm.

"I have a bridesmaid dress that argues you'll kick my ass if I'm not there." Grace hugged Mel, uncaring that they were both naked.

"Your parents contracted me to provide the libations for the reception. That and AJ's and usher, and you know how I like to make fun of him in a tux."

"You two should come together." Brad smiled.

"Uh... Maybe." Grace blushed. Lexi didn't want to press the issue in case Rae wasn't swooning over her like Lex was.

"If someone wasn't having an outdoor wedding." Alexus took some pressure off Grace. "I wouldn't have to show up so close to the main event. I'm sure you'll need your bridesmaid earlier than that."

"You never know. Maybe our first date won't go well." Grace's giggle sounded a little forced.

"Uh-huh. You know we all saw that kiss." Brad was incredulous.

"Well, we better get out of here so I can let his parents know he knocked me up." Mel smiled, but Lex knew her well enough to see the nerves bubbling up.

"We've only been dating for five years, and they love you almost as much as I do." Brad kissed his future bride. "They'll be thrilled."

"Drive safe, you two." Grace waved at them as they left.

"Have fun, you two." The pair said in chorus as they headed off toward the trail.

"Back to the tourney." Lexi took a seat.

Celina and AJ stood together in the middle of the runway with his arm around Cel. They had evidently missed something while they were talking with Brad. One of the frat guys was apologizing profusely to Celina. Alejandro's scowl was focused on a tall and imposing guy being escorted away by two friends.

"Whoa, what did we miss?" Grace hopped back up, and Lexi followed.

"What's wrong, you two?" Alexus questioned.

"Some jackass copped a feel when I bent over to pick up my bean bags and didn't like getting slapped for it," Celina stated, fury evident in her eyes. "He just about got laid out for it. Nudity doesn't mean consent!" She shouted toward the frat guy. Celina finally looked back toward AJ. "Thanks for keeping me from breaking a knuckle."

"You had him, but I'm pretty sure a bruised or broken hand is hard to cook with." AJ released her shoulders.

"Let me get you a beer and a gummy." Grace offered. She gave Lex a look that said to provide them with a minute.

"Yeah, good plan." Celina followed after her best friend.

"I guess the tourney is over now." Lexi grabbed AJ's own bag of gummies and offered him one.

"I didn't want to win by forfeit. Damn, Celina can spin that bean bag well."

"Grace told me that's what they do after shifts to blow off steam. What did you win?"

"Bragging rights and some whiskey from the same distillery you got the aging barrels from." AJ popped a gummy in his mouth and chewed it as he calmed down. He wasn't the fighting type but had similarly stepped in when Lexi had gotten unwanted attention out on the town.

"That's a good whiskey."

"Yeah, but I have a supply of it already."

"Celina was your ringer anyway."

"I traded it for some wine. I've seen a few boxes floating around, and she's the wine type."

"She's going to be at Brad and Mel's wedding soon." Lex felt it wasn't just Celina who thought she was too busy.

"Huh." They sat on the blanket they had laid out early in the day.

"You. You're taking me dancing." Celina came back and offered a hand to AJ. "I got to know if you are going to embarrass me at the wedding in a few weeks. You're taking me as your plus one. If you can dance."

"Oh! Really?" AJ beamed as he stood. "I suppose this is when I should brag about my dancing trophy from high school."

"That was a team win!" Lexi giggled after them as they walked over to the rough-looking dance floor. Music had been playing all day, but as the sun started to sink, more couples took advantage of a flat, uncluttered area to dance.

"Was it now?" Grace stole the cowboy hat off Alexus's head and put it on hers smoothly.

"Yeah. I can dance. Thief!" Lexi smiled as Grace slid back into her spot beside Lexi.

"You keep stealing glances. This seemed fair." Grace leaned in for another kiss.

Lexi welcomed it gratefully. The passion was still beyond evident on their lips, and one smooch bled into another.

"Guess I better show you I can dance, huh?" Lexi grinned as Grace leaned up. Her perfect green eyes were sparkling. Getting to see them without sunglasses was a great bonus.

"I like it here too."

"So, how'd you do it?"

"Do what?" Grace's innocent face deserved a prize of some sort.

"Celina and AJ are dancing awfully close out there."

"Spending time with you depended on getting them together, right?"

"Never." Lexi came in for another kiss.

"Guess I had nothing to worry about. That was all Celina anyway." Grace's freckles seemed to dance as she scrunched her face and giggled. "Like I said before, she's huge on team camaraderie. AJ standing beside her after she rejected him probably helped."

"He would've done that for anybody," Alexus said honestly.

Grace sat up and turned toward the now-dancing couple. "She knows that. Come on, since I'm going to be meeting you at a wedding in a few weeks, I need to know you can dance." The tall woman offered a hand as she stood. The black cowboy hat with pink accents looked stunning on the redhead.

"Yes, ma'am."

They danced to fast and slow songs alike. Grace didn't seem squeamish at all about being seen with a woman. Several of Lexi's experiences with bisexual girls had soured her and biased how she thought Grace would appear. Others had only wanted to hold her in private.

After several songs, Grace decided they needed to get some refreshments. It seemed an excuse to collect more kisses without accidentally bumping into anyone on the dance floor.

"Can you get the twin Alexes home?" Lucy intruded on their sanctuary of the blanket. "Salvy promised a ride home, but I think we're leaving, and you two don't seem done."

"I don't think that'll be a problem." Grace beamed.

"Good, being preggers made me horny, but it also makes me exhausted by the end of the day. Salvy is taking me home before I fade." Lucy explained. She was usually the first to arrive and last to leave any social event.

"Take care of that baby, girl." Lexi hugged the woman.

"We'll see you all soon. Mel's bachelorette party is next Saturday." Lucy broke the side hug on Lexi and moved to one on Grace. "You'll both be there, right?"

"Uh, yeah." Grace nodded with enthusiasm even as she fumbled the words.

"Together?" Lucy smiled but exited before getting a response.

"So, where were we?" Grace nestled in beside Lex again on the blanket.

"You were kissing me." Lexi grinned and came in for a kiss.

"How could I forget?"

"The passion of the kisses is taking away short-term memory?" Lexi shrugged and leaned in for a kiss.

"That sounds like a reasonable explanation." Grace's smile was far more intoxicating than all the beers Lex had brought with her today.

They made out for a few minutes before coming up for air and giggles. "Are they still dancing?" Lexi questioned as the announcer declared that the next song was the last.

"Yeah, oh damn!" Grace blushed and covered her mouth as she laughed.

"What?"

"Remember how I told you Celina's a bit of a size queen?" Grace's pointing toward the couple on the floor was indiscreet this time.

"Someone's excited." Lexi giggled when she saw AJ's erection pressed between the couple.

"They're gonna fuck!" Grace reinforced what Lexi was thinking. "Oops, act normal. Here comes Celina."

"Kiss me," Lexi pulled the tall woman toward her to keep from staring.

"Can I borrow your woman for a minute?" Celina interrupted the kisses that started as concealing that they were staring and turned into another make-out session.

"Sure, just bring her back. I'm not done with her yet."

Lexi watched AJ gather some things from their cooler and snag a box from his backpack. He conspicuously covered his crotch with the bottle of wine he had pulled from the cooler. "We're going to borrow the tent." Alejandro grinned.

"Fine, they're our ride home now anyway."

"It might be a while."

"Have fun. Stay safe."

"I got condoms."

Grace returned as Celina and AJ disappeared into the tent.

Grace -- A few minutes later, as frat guys and sorority girls are leaving the party

"OHHH FFffff... fuck!" came tearing out of the tent far from the first time. None of the small handful still roaming the shoreline and picking up any remnants or litter could have any doubt about what Celina and AJ were doing in the tent.

"Want to give them some privacy?" Grace asked the warm blonde that was draped over her and stealing kisses frequently.

"I know the perfect spot to celebrate our victory!" Lex met her lips again before hopping up and offering a hand to Grace.

"Victory?" Rae had to avoid slipping and falling into Lexi's arms. She wanted to be held by the gorgeous young woman again and experience the unbelievable first kiss all over. "I think we got our asses kicked in cornhole."

"I'd say Celina and AJ are definitely getting together." Alexus pointed toward the tent as she walked toward a group of thorny berry bushes. The air was cooling quite a bit as the sunset.

"They could just be talking," Grace argued with a giggle.

"HARDER! GIVE ME ALL THAT MONSTER! MY PUSSY CAN TAKE IT! FFFFFUUUUCCCKKK!" Celina bellowed from her refuge in the tent.

"They have some fascinating conversations then." Lexi shook her head with a smile. "Oh! Towels. We're going to need towels." She scrambled back to grab the towels they had been sitting on and a couple more for padding on the rocks. "Grab your phone. We may need flashlights later."

"You got more water in the cooler?"

"Of course." Lex plucked a pair of refillable, smokey-colored water bottles from the cooler. They were still ice cold.

"Where are you taking me?" After quickly securing her phone from her bag, Grace held out a hand to grab a couple towels from the woman she was praying was her girlfriend. She had no interest in just hooking up with the petite goddess.

"It's getting cold, so I thought I'd take you somewhere warmer. Since our tent is occupied..."

"I thought you had to get to the hot springs through the water." Grace had only been up to see the hot springs once. Every time she had been out here had been during the warm afternoon. The hot springs weren't very appealing when it wasn't a little cool.

"Nope, there's a path to them this way. It should give us a secluded spot to look at the stars." Lexi excitedly grabbed her hand to guide her into the brush. "We can make our own constellations with the real thing."

"Celina's not usually vocal." Rae marveled as the cacophony continued to emit from the tent. "She was my roommate for three years. The woman was usually near silent when she brought a guy home."

"AJ is excellent at anything he puts his mind to." Lexi shrugged and then giggled. "Celina is no different."

"Good, she needs this. I don't think she's had sex since she got cheated on." Grace couldn't help being honest and sharing with Lexi. Why's she so different?

"Careful along this path; if you wander off, the bushes have thorns," Lex informed her as she stepped in front. "I'd hate for all my hard work protecting your body to go to waste." The path only allowed single file passage. The soft, strong hand in her grasp never let go as she led them through a winding path.

Grace did her best to keep her eyes on the path, but it was hard not to take advantage of seeing Lexi's perfect ass in front of her. "Lead away, Lex." She murmured. Long shadows were obscuring the trail, but it looked like Lexi had it down to the point she could traverse it blindfolded.

As they walked, the sounds coming from the tent faded. It was not due to less ferocity of the sex going on. Rae could occasionally hear it overcome the foliage; the trees and bushes were doing a great job damping the fun.

"It's been a couple years since I've been out here," Grace commented as the narrow path finally widened around the hot springs grotto.

"Same here. I didn't make it to last year's festivities. I was in Toronto for a beer festival. Why didn't you make it out?" Lexi's eyes tracked around the small hot springs before returning to Grace. Evidently, the blonde lass wanted to be alone with her as much as Rae did.

"I went out hiking on my own to celebrate Nude Day. Melanie neglected to inform me it was happening, and I didn't want to assume." Grace explained. Mel had invited Grace and Celina out here the first summer after the twin Alexes graduated. Nude Day skinny dipping was originally Lucy's idea. She discovered that Nude Day was a thing and decided that the swimming hole was the perfect place to celebrate. When Celina and Rae came out, it was their fourth year running.

"So being naked isn't just a one-time thing?" Alexus found a spot and set her towels on a dry rock.

"Nope, I usually wear this when you hang out at my house. Minus the pilfered cowboy hat and my hiking boots." Grace sidled up close to Lexi and started to untie her boots, following Alexus's lead. She hoped Lex could get the hint that she didn't want today to be a one-time event.

"It's a fantastic outfit. Will I need to be naked?" Lex smirked as she took the cowboy hat off Grace's head and came in for a kiss.

"Need to, no. Will I want you to be? Fuck yes!" Grace beamed between nibbling little kisses.

"You do make a compelling argument. Come join me by the hot tub, and we can watch the stars come out."

Grace quickly shed her boots and set out her socks to stay dry. They would need to wear them on the way out. She followed Alexus carefully across the slightly slippery rock to a spot above water but enveloped by the warmth burbling from the geological activity below their feet.

"I've never been out here after the sun goes down." Grace reached out and grabbed Lexi's hand. She needed to have her girl's fingers intertwined with hers.

"You've missed out. We've ended up camping out here more than once; this view is always worth a night on hard ground. You can see so many stars. Been a Colorado girl your whole life?"

"Yeah, my parents have always lived in the southwest. It was Cortez back before I could remember. But when my mom's gallery took off, they moved somewhere bigger and more touristy. I grew up outside of Durango. What about you?"

"I was raised about twenty miles from here with a very conservative family." Lexi got quiet for a minute before continuing. There was a pain in her brilliant blue eyes. "I have no idea where they are now, but they moved out of the house I grew up in a few years ago. I haven't talked to them since I came out. They can't accept that I'm a lesbian. Do your parents know you're bi?"

"Yes, they're a couple of hippies and didn't seem surprised. Mom's bi, too. I'm sorry your family isn't welcoming. Do you talk to any of them?" Grace snuggled close to Lex. For once, the sexual energy seemed to ebb as they got into more profound topics.

"My sister talks to me, she hates what my folks are doing, but she can't do much from Canada." Lex sighed. "Uncle Finn and Aunt Monica have practically adopted me, though. I don't see them as much since they moved to Arizona to be near my cousins. It's nice to have a place for the holidays."

"That's good, at least. I sometimes forget that not everyone is as welcoming as my family or friends. Have things always been rough for you since you came out?" Grace accepted it as Lex rolled over and rested her head on her shoulder.