Cricket Match

There wasn't much time for a celebration that evening as we were off early the next morning. Hayley and I decided to get most of our things packed and chatted as we did so. After a bathroom visit, I jumped into bed and as Hayley came to join me, I asked, "You said 'Well done sexy,' do you think I'm sexy?"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course, I do, I wouldn't have spent the last few weeks making love to you if I didn't."

"In that case gimme a kiss, please." Our lips met. We'd kissed a lot over the last few weeks and it was always something quite wonderous. It seems weird that kissing another person, this beautiful woman could be so sexually satisfying. Making love, having sex, being intimate, whatever you call it was great, although that seems an inadequate adjective, but just kissing Hayley was special.

We spent a long-time kissing before we both fell asleep grinning.

Final game

We were back in Barbados for the final game of the tour, another T20 match. Hayley and I were in the same room that we'd shared before, one that held good memories for me, where it had all started and now, I hoped where it would all finish in the way that I wanted it to.

On the day of the game, I was slightly surprised to be playing and we'd lost the toss, so had to bat. I went in for the last two overs and managed to score eight runs. We'd reached a decent score, but it was clear that we'd have to play well to win.

I was called upon to bowl the tenth over and my first ball went for a four. It pissed me off because I'd only missed my line by a fraction. My next ball was much slower than normal and the batswoman missed it by a mile, getting through the shot and having time to turn around to see the ball flip the off-side bail into the air. The next batter was confused by the spin and nicked the ball back to me. It caught me by surprise but I held onto it, caught and bowled, two in two. The next delivery went to the boundary and I kicked at the turf in frustration.

I took two more wickets in the next three overs and another two catches in the deep. We'd won but it was another close call. Eight runs, four wickets, three catches and saving a few runs earned me 'Player of the match.' I nearly cried with joy and pride when they gave me a cheque. The amount was unimportant, the honour was priceless, the small medal was going to Grandad.

It had been an amazing experience, ignoring my relationship with Hayley. I'd played more than I'd dreamed possible and had done well. The two teams met in the Pavilion after the game and I bought a round of beers for all the players and coaches on both teams, that took care of the cheque. I spent time with a couple of the girls I'd played against the previous year on the junior tour and one of them was coming over in the summer to play in the T20 competition, sadly not for the Bandits, but maybe we'd get a chance to meet for a drink.

*****

We were flying home the following evening, so although it was late when we went for dinner, there was going to be a bit of a celebration and a few drinks that night, followed by a long lie in the morning.

I was pretty quiet over dinner and didn't drink any more alcohol. My thoughts were of the next few weeks and months, even the next few days. What would become of Hayley and me?

It was just after midnight when we got back to our room, most of the team were also lightweights when it came to partying and all of us were emotionally and physically drained by the tour. I pulled my shoes off, unzipped my dress and allowed it to pool around my ankles, then Hayley grabbed me around the waist, she nuzzled against me, "We need to talk." It was a whisper, but she sounded light and not serious, then I turned and saw that her look was serious. I started to fret.

I opened the door and sat on the patio in my underwear, it was a warm evening with no breeze and plenty of light from an almost full moon. Hayley sat opposite me and reached out for my hand which I gave her. I was shaking with fear. "I'd hoped that I'd be able to help you and that we'd become closer friends on this tour. I never, for one moment, imagined that we'd become lovers. But we have been and I've no regrets..." She hesitated and the panic started to rise until she spoke again. "Sarah, I love you. I love you and want us to be a couple, girlfriends, lovers. I know this might be scary and you may feel different, but now I've put my cards on the table."

Suddenly the weight that had been getting heavier for the last few days lifted, as did my gloom. I smiled at her, "I can be your girlfriend? For real?" She nodded and smiled that lovely little smile. "I love you; I love you, yes. I was terrified that this was it, that it would end and I didn't want it to, I never want it to."

"I don't want it to end either. I don't know how long it'll last; does anyone ever know? Everyone starts a relationship with the best of intentions and some last a lifetime, some for a much shorter period, so I can't promise you how long any more than you can, but I want to be with you."

"But you're a star..." I exclaimed.

"And you, my love are an international cricketer in test matches, ODI and T20. You'll soon be a star as well. You're already a star in my eyes." She grinned almost laughing.

"And you are a smooth talker, trying to get into my panties." She laughed and nodded, so I added, "It's working," I pulled them down tossing them somewhere. She took my hand and escorted me to the bed.

We kissed for ages, all the time stroking and touching each other. I took a nipple into my mouth and nursed it as Hayley sighed. I paused as I heard her speak, "I may need to keep you prisoner so that you can do that whenever I need it."

"Wherever, whenever, forever. I love you." And I did love her, I thought that maybe I'd been right, that I'd found my person.

Home

I tucked into a plate of beans on toast. I wanted something simple after weeks of careful, healthy food, it had often been quite fancy, but this was great. I drank a mug of sweet tea as I answered hundreds of questions, told tales and caught up with their news. I sat back, there was another story to be told, "Mum, Amy, as you know I shared a room with Hayley for the whole tour." They nodded, looking puzzled, "We're lovers, in love, she's my girlfriend."

Mum clasped her fist to her breast, "You and Hayley? But..."

"Yes, me and Hayley. She'd kind of agreed to 'look after' me and being friends anyway it made sense for us to room together. Then one night something happened and I leaned forward to kiss her. I have no intention of giving you the details, I'd guess that you could fill in the blanks. It was wild and full of passion, full of respect and love. We shared a bed for the rest of the tour, no, we didn't have sex every night, I think we fell asleep a couple of times." I laughed, they looked stunned. "I'm mad about her, I love every part of her. She treats me as her equal, she laughs with me, she cares for me, you'd need to be crazy not to see it. I love her very much."

We talked for another couple of hours about all sorts of things, but now and again there was another question about Hayley and me. Eventually, I begged off, it was mid-evening, jet lag was still affecting me and I was in danger of falling asleep on the sofa, so I excused myself and went to bed. I was looking for my phone when it rang and I managed to talk to Hayley for another hour. During that time, she talked dirty and told me where to touch myself and what to do. It was erotic and something I'd never imagined myself doing, but she knew what buttons to push, or direct me to push and I came hard, but that used up the last of my energy and I slept well, dreaming dreams that featured two naked women exploring each other's bodies.

*****

The following morning, I decided to stretch my legs and went for a two-mile run, collecting croissants on the way home. I ate with Mum and Amy and after a shower headed to see my grandparents.

Cathy and Eric were two of the nicest people to ever walk this earth, at least in my eyes. They had supported and loved me throughout my life and I know how proud of me they were. We spent a couple of hours talking about the tour and the games. I tried to give Grandad my England cap, but he refused it and simply wanted to pose with me as I wore it. He almost cried when I gave him the medal I'd received as 'Player of the match.'

"There's something else that I need to tell you." They smiled at me, they suspected that this was something big, you could see it in their faces. "I'm not interested in boys; I've had a couple of girlfriends." I saw that they looked relieved, which threw me a bit.

It was Gran who said, "We know love. We've known for a while and we don't care, as long as you're happy."

Now it was my turn to be shocked, "You knew?" I asked.

"Yes, we did. Your Mum hinted at it. In my day such things were never discussed and your Mum falling in love with Amy shocked us, but look how happy they both are." She smiled at me and touched my knee. "I assume you've found someone special?"

I took a deep breath, "Yes I have. Hayley, Hayley Sharp, we're in love. It started on the tour."

There was no attempt to disguise their surprise and then Grandad laughed, "Well lass, she is a terrific cricketer and absolutely stunning, I'd guess that the two of you look like quite a couple."

I smiled all the way home, they seemed pleased for me and that was all that I could ask.

*****

When I got home, I took care of some chores, did some laundry, sorted out my e-mails and checked my bank account. My match fees were in the bank and that made me smile, I was now much more independent, not rich, but I could pay my way. I'd speak to Mum later about contributing. From conversations I'd had with Hayley, I knew that her fees, as an established player with a contract, were about double mine and that made me think about her, not that she'd been far from my thoughts all day. I missed her, after weeks of being constantly within touching distance it was odd and so I sent her a text.

Two minutes later my phone rang, "Missing you too," were her first words. We chatted and partway through the conversation Amy arrived home and realising who was on the phone mouthed, "Invite her for dinner." Hayley rang off immediately and I smiled, she'd be here in half an hour.

Amy was making a mug of tea and touched my shoulder, "This is your house, you can have visitors."

"Thanks, Amy. I've been paid, so I need to talk to you and Mum and paying dig money."

Amy laughed, "There's no need, I've always paid the running costs of the house, ever since you came to live here, your Mum pays for the food, the rest we muddle along. I don't think we want your money, but I'll talk to her."

I loved Amy to pieces, she was an elegant, smart, generous woman and the love she shared with Mum was obvious. I grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to me, "Ever since we first met you, you've been wonderful to us. Mum adores you and I see how you feel about her. I love you too, very much." I hugged her tight and planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek. I wasn't aware that Mum had heard the last part of the sentence and was now standing watching us.

"Sarah put her down, she's mine." I swirled around quickly, expecting to see her looking annoyed, but she was laughing.

"Sorry Mum, but just so you know, if you chuck Amy, I'm making a play for her."

"So much for the things you said about Hayley," she replied, as the doorbell went.

Mum turned to head in that direction and I brushed past her, almost knocking her out of the way. I flung the door open and there she was, my beautiful, wonderful, darling Hayley. I grabbed her with both arms around her neck and drew her into a wonderous kiss that seemed to last for a while until I heard Mum, "Looks like you missed each other these last thirty-six hours. I suggest you come in Hayley and that way if she rips your clothes off at least the neighbours won't see."

I was suddenly embarrassed and Hayley was laughing. When we reached the kitchen, I saw that Mum and Amy were laughing as well. Amy came over and put her hand on Hayley's shoulder, "Welcome, nice to see you again and Sarah seems to think so as well. You had a great tour, congratulations."

"Thanks, Miss King, sorry to burst in like this, but I guess you know our story." We sat with drinks and Hayley told them the story from her perspective as I snuggled up against her, staring at her almost not able to believe that she was here and mine. "I'd always thought that she was cute and I think that I'd been a bit in love with her for a while, but I didn't expect things to develop as they did. I'd hoped that maybe if we still liked each other by the end of the tour I could tell her how I felt and see where things went. But, she kind of took the lead."

"Are you sure about your feelings, you're both still young?" My Mum still looked stunned by this thing.

"I'm old enough and have been about long enough to know how I feel. Sarah's still young and needs to be sure, I understand that, but she melts my heart."

"Mum, I'm sure. I'm sure in the same way that I was sure about you two." I burst out laughing and the three of them looked at me with raised eyebrows. "Remember that the evening Mum and I met Amy was the same evening you introduced me to Hayley and her Mum. I knew the two of you were a good match, I was certain and I feel the same about this."

It was getting too late to make food so we ordered a Thai takeaway. Hayley and I walked the two hundred yards to the shop to collect it and held hands all the way there and back. It felt good, it felt as if it was the right thing to do.

We ate and talked, mainly about cricket until late. Then I remembered one more thing and told them about my visit to my grandparents. "I tried to give Grandad my England cap, but he wouldn't take it, so I posed for a photo with him whilst I wore it."

Mum added, "They called me this afternoon and told me all about it. They're so proud of you, so are we." She took Amy's hand and they both smiled.

"Do you mind if Hayley stays tonight?" My heart was thumping, please say yes.

Mum and Amy looked at each other, no words were exchanged, but something passed between them and Mum eventually answered, "No, we don't mind, but please respect this house and all of its occupants." I took Hayley's hand and sheepishly we headed for my room.

When I got the door closed, she took me in her arms, said, "That wasn't awkward was it?" before laughing. I wrapped my arms around her neck and kissed her, long, luscious and very good. When I pulled back Hayley sighed and said, softly, "I missed you last night. After all those weeks, the two of us sharing the same bed, last night was torture. It wasn't about the sex," she giggled, "Well, not just about the sex, it was about the contact, the connection. At least tonight we get to share each other."

I pulled her onto my bed. "I've been terrified that it was over, I don't want it to be. I know I'm just a youngster, but there's something about the two of us that seems... I don't know, perfect?"

"I've spent every spare minute thinking about us since we got home." She paused, I'd guess to collect her thoughts, "I'm staggered about my feelings for you, I really, really liked you and hoped that we might get together, but somehow we seem to be perfect and I have this feeling that this is real and wonderful and that...." She stopped.

"What? Finish that, please."

"That I've found my other half, my soul mate... I don't know how to explain it. I love you."

I grinned, "And I love you and I need the loo, so make yourself comfy." I had a thought, "You use the bathroom here; I'll use another one. See you soon."

I wasn't away long and re-entered my bedroom dressed only in a long T-shirt. I closed the door and turned to see Hayley lying back in my bed, my bed! Her hair was draped over the pillows she had the duvet pulled up over her chest. My smile broke into a huge grin.

"What is it?" She asked.

"I can't believe that my hero is now my girlfriend and she's lying there in my bed."

"And she's lonely and needs a cuddle." The two of us were grinning as I dived onto the bed, reached over and kissed her. I started to kiss her and she returned with the same fervour that I was using. Without breaking contact, I slid under the covers and held her. She was naked and I had to break contact to get rid of my nightshirt.

Hands on breasts, fingers stroking thighs, lips on the neck, tongues on nipples, stroking of body parts and temperatures rising. Eventually, we switched around until my face was between Hayley's thighs and my mouth on her sex, her mouth on mine. Time passed, but I have no idea how long, I lost count of the number of times I came or how often I caused a spasm in Hayley. Some of mine were like a thunderstorm had struck, others were like a gentle wave lapping at my ankles, it was something special and satisfying. I fell asleep in the arms of my girlfriend, in my own bed, how wonderful.

Olivia - Breaking news

Karen and I were working hard at university, things seemed to be going well for both of us. My workload was quite heavy by comparison and although we tried to share our daily chores, Karen did more than I did and she was a great cook. No matter how busy we were, we always made at least two hours each evening for time together, enjoying each other's company, listening to music or watching mindless TV.

Every couple of days during that January and February, we got messages from Sarah and managed a few video calls. She was obviously enjoying herself and from the reports that we read, she'd played lots of cricket and done well. She mentioned that she'd been sharing a room with Hayley, who popped up in one of the video calls. It didn't occur to us that their relationship had changed.

Three days after she got home, Sarah called to ask if she could visit.

She looked great, tanned, her hair a lighter blonde than it had been at New Year and as fit as I'd ever seen her. The smile stretched across her face as she bounced around on the sofa unable to sit still. "Just before the first test match I was presented with my England cap." She tossed it to me. "You only ever get one, a test match cap is a prized possession. I wore it the first day, but I prefer a floppy hat. I went to show Grandad yesterday. I tried to give it to him, but he wouldn't accept. He told me how proud he was and asked for a picture of me wearing it with him and Gran."

"He's such a lovely man and so proud of you, as he should be. It's an amazing thing and you played well."

We spoke about the tour and cricket, but it was obvious that Sarah had more she wanted to tell us. "I sat with Hayley on the plane and we were sharing a room for the whole tour. I loved being with her, we laughed and got on really well. Then one evening after dinner, someone warned me that Hayley was gay and that there might be gossip. I laughed, I've known that she was gay for a couple of years and the girl who spoke to me didn't know that I was as well."

I had a feeling that I knew what was coming. "I told Hayley about that conversation when we got back to our room, she laughed at me. I said that maybe we should give them something to gossip about and leaned in to kiss her. I've had a thing for her for a long time, as you know, but I'd intended the kiss as a bit of a joke. What I didn't know was that she fancied me. I know now."

"So, you kissed?"

"We did more than kiss. We did..." she paused, "we did everything, almost every night. I cried when we got home because we were apart. She spent the night last night at Mum's and will be there when I get home. I love her, I mean crazy love her."

We spent an hour chatting and it was obvious that Sarah was totally besotted with Hayley. I was pleased for her, but also had some doubts, things seemed to have moved very fast and as I thought about it, I laughed. One minute Karen and I were friends and a few days later we were sleeping together every night.