Fall In Love With A Girl Ch. 01

Me - Today was really nice. We should do this again sometime.

Layla - I'd like that.

Layla - So you can hold my hand again?

Me - If that's okay with you. I'm not done learning about everything you like.

Layla - Got to leave you with a reason to come back for more.

I could feel my cheeks blushing a deep red as I reached my stop and ran home up into my room, wanting to scream with happiness but having no one to tell. I didn't want to hide my feelings from Layla, since I seemed to be her closest friend at McDonald, but I didn't want to do anything that would cause her to run. But for the first time in a while, I could fall asleep peacefully.

~~~

After our "date" at the mall, things had changed between us for the better. Layla wasn't hurrying off to somewhere after every class, instead often hanging back so that we could keep talking as we walked to our next classes. I loved hearing more of her wit and seeing the sparkle in her eyes at having a friend for once. She still wore her hoodie most of the time and hid behind her curtain of long black hair, but I wanted to see the person behind the veil. I wanted to brush the hair out of her eyes, to hold her hand, to kiss her; all I could do, though, was try not to get caught staring longingly into her eyes.

"Earth to Sarah?" a voice rang as Erin slid down into the seat next to me at lunch one day, startling me from my reverie. "Haven't seen much of you this term, you've been hanging out with that girl more than us, I swear," she confidently pointed out as I winced at the denigration of Layla's name. "Registration for prom opened up and we thought we'd have a girl's night this weekend like we used to, really get everyone together," Erin continued.

"Sure, sounds great," I mumbled absentmindedly.

"Great! I'll let them know you're in for Saturday," Erin exclaimed, getting up and leaving me with my own thoughts again. I groaned to myself, having forgotten about prom completely. I should by all rights be overjoyed as my daydreams about dancing close with Layla could come true, but in the real world I was too terrified to even admit my feelings to myself before just a couple weeks ago, much less come out to anyone or confess to her.

~~~

"So, prom, huh?" Layla prodded after school that day. "Got your eye on anyone?"

I tried to hide the expression of longing on my face and stared at my feet. "Not sure. Guess it depends on who asks." In reality I was hoping I would be asked out by a short, dark-haired woman, but as long as she thought I was straight I knew that would remain a fantasy. "Hey, just wondering if you wanted to come over tonight? Watch a movie or something?" All I knew in this moment was that I wanted to spend time with my friend, and thankfully for my heart Layla's expression brightened at this offer.

"Sure! I'd be happy to," she replied, flashing that shy smile I knew and treasured. I smiled back and said a silent prayer that I could be brave enough not to bury my feelings from her another day.

~~~

"You'll like this one Sarah, it's kind of like the one we saw before." Layla's voice called in that high and clear voice that had gotten me into this crush. I smiled to myself in the kitchen while I gathered snacks. My parents weren't home and nobody from school was here, so I wouldn't have to worry about judgment as I silently hoped I could find my courage and didn't mess anything up.

"Thank you for the recommendation! That does look really good," I replied as I walked back into the living room, popcorn in one hand and a blanket in the other. I placed the bowl on the table in front of us and sat back on the couch with the blanket over myself, beckoning for Layla to join me while she started the movie.

It was a fun film, and to my surprise I noticed she'd picked a gay rom-com for us to watch. It wasn't about coming out or introspection, but was just a fun teen movie where the main characters happened to be queer women. My mind raced as I wondered why she would have chosen this movie, trying to discern if she felt the same way. Partway through the movie, Layla laid her head on my shoulder and I wordlessly lifted my arm to let her snuggle into me, and rather than overthink it I just let myself enjoy the sensation. I didn't know how many times I'd get to have this beautiful girl in my arms, and I wanted to savour every occasion I could get.

The film ended happily with the lead undertaking the grand romantic gesture and getting together with her love interest, and while I would normally roll my eyes at this trope (perks of being subjected to Hallmark Christmas movies) this one certainly made me feel things. I shifted in my seat so that I could wrap my other arm and simply held Layla close, feeling our slow, even breathing together. The shorter girl turned in my arms to look into my eyes and I did the only thing that felt right. I leaned forward and softly planted a peck on her forehead, eliciting a giggle from Layla.

"You missed."

"I know," I responded with a smile, "but this one won't." I lowered my head so that my gaze was lost in hers, letting her close the gap herself, and in that moment our lips blissfully, magically met.

Even with my parents' efforts to keep me sheltered, I'd kissed a few boys before, but none of them had ever felt like this, none of them had been with someone I had been so attracted to. Even my daydreams couldn't capture the sensation of lightning in my brain that leapt from our embrace. The kiss was fairly chaste, as would be expected from one's first-ever real kiss with someone they were attracted to, but the seconds felt like years and I didn't want this feeling to ever end.

We pulled apart, my eyes scanning hers for a reaction to reassure myself I hadn't just messed this up, finding nothing but fulfilment. "I've been wanting to do that for a while," I ventured, navigating the hurdle of choosing one's words carefully when every nerve in my brain was firing at full strength.

Layla's reaction scared me at first. "This isn't a trick, Sarah? You really kissed me?" she quavered, though in more of a fearful tone than an accusatory one.

At this a fresh wave of emotion shot through my heart. "This is real, I promise," I replied. "I knew I wanted to be close to you from that first lunchtime, that first class where we were assigned to be lab partners, but it took me too long to come to terms with my feelings. You're so smart, so witty, so caring, and I don't really know what my identity is yet but I know I want to be with you." I pulled Layla back into my arms, letting the emotions flow out of her as she cried into my chest. "Shh, shh, it's okay, I've got you, I'm not going anywhere."

We stayed that way for seconds, minutes, before Layla pulled herself back up, tear streaks still on her face. "Want to tell me what that was about? Only if you're comfortable of course," I posed.

The pretty girl I had just kissed and held sat up, collecting her thoughts. "Might as well start at the beginning, I guess. When I was at my old school it wasn't really the most accepting place. I wasn't the only queer kid, but when we asked for a GSA they didn't have a teacher to run it and they never bothered to do anything about the bullying. So my parents took me out of that place and transferred me to McDonald.

"That little thing with the bracelet was meant to scare you off. I figured that as one of the popular kids, if you saw that you'd hopefully just leave me alone. Apparently it didn't work," she said with that enchanting giggle before continuing.

"When we became lab partners I knew I'd have to at least get along with you, but I didn't expect you to be so kind and caring. No offense," Layla laughed.

"None taken," I replied with a smile. "I'm sure I probably have a certain image."

"Anyway, you were the first person in this place to actually want to get to know me beyond just 'the lesbian', and I really liked talking to you about things. I don't know when exactly I crossed into having a crush on you, but I was so scared that this would be some trick you were playing on me with the other popular girls and that you'd reject me in front of everyone and I'd be alone again. I'm so sorry," Layla choked out as more tears leaked free. I simply pulled her back in and let her sob. I wanted to protect her from all the horrible things the world had done to her. I wanted to see her fly and be the most beautiful swan in the sky.

I reached my finger under her chin and lifted up her face until her eyes met mine. I don't know, they do it in movies and it's cute, and I have my charms. "I'm so sorry that you had to go through all that, you didn't deserve to have to deal with it," I whispered while trying to keep my voice steady. "We can put on something else to watch, take your mind off it?" I clicked the remote to another show and leaned back, letting Layla fall back into the crook of my arm. Only a few minutes later, she was fast asleep. My heart relaxed at seeing her calm in my embrace, and I planted another quick kiss on her forehead before drifting off myself.

My eyes didn't open until a couple hours later. The television had gone off playing whatever, so I reached out and clicked it off. Layla stirred at the movement, opening her eyes to mine. "Hey, sleepyhead," I teased. "It's pretty late, we should get ready for bed. Mine isn't really that big, but I can take the couch and let you be comfortable for tonight."

Layla didn't seem to like this suggestion, as she tightened her arms around me and let out a little squeak. "No, it's okay, I'm sure we can share the bed, I don't take up much room," she replied. "Please? I like being close to you."

I couldn't say no to that, and I rose to my feet, never taking my eyes off her. "Sure, I'm okay with it if you are," I smiled. I grabbed a spare pair of pyjamas from my dresser and put them on the bed for Layla, picking a pair for myself as well. I wasn't sure what would happen next between us, but I washed up quickly and left the bathroom for her to use. "All free for you, Layla."

I heard the water shut off and the footsteps of Layla padding back into the bedroom, clad in a pair of my pyjamas that were too big for her. I shifted over on my bed to make room for her and she slid in next to me.

"We should probably talk about what this is between us in the morning," I said, not wanting to wake up from this dream I was sure I was in. "You've been really vulnerable tonight, and I'm so, so proud of you for opening up to me, and I just want to be sure you're okay with everything and that I don't hurt you."

The words hung in the air for a moment, and then Layla's mouth was on mine again, planting slow, tentative pecks on my lips. I groped around and took her small hand in mine, feeling the sensation of her warm skin and the increasing urgency of her kisses. I opened my mouth just a bit, letting Layla take the lead and feeling her tongue touch mine. Even if my first kiss that had made me shiver like this had only been earlier tonight, I could tell she was into it and let myself take a little more initiative. I let my lips trail down the site of her cheek, planting feather-soft kisses as I went, before moving a little lower. "Is this okay?" I mumbled, hearing a breathy assent back as I went. The trail went a little further down, and there was my spot. I took a quick breath and carefully brushed her locks to the side before planting my lips onto Layla's neck.

The effect on her was immediate. Layla's arms wrapped around my back, pulling me in, wanting more of this. And God, I wanted to give her everything she could desire, because she was enchanting and beautiful and my best friend. Maybe more than that, at this rate. I pulled back and she let out a small whimper at the loss of the sensation.

"Oh, you need more of that?" I posed, knowing what the answer would be.

"Please, Sarah, please," Layla gasped in that adorable voice of hers. It was all I needed to hear as I dove back in, hearing her cute little moans as I went. Part of me wanted to go even lower, to see what was under that pretty top and watch her come undone, but I knew that was a boundary we needed to discuss, and so I pulled away, leaving Layla in a daze of passion.

"You stopped." Her voice was small and betrayed a sense of loss at the height she'd just experienced.

I tried to stay level and not think about all the things I wanted to do for her right this second, cautiously planning my next phrase. "Layla, I want this to be amazing for you, I want to give you everything you want. Your happiness means so much to me and I want to do this properly and not when we're both half-asleep and still feeling things out." I waited a second to gauge her reaction before continuing. "I do want to hold you while we fall asleep, if that's okay with you."

"Like you have to ask," Layla cheerfully answered, tucking herself into my arms. Drifting off to sleep, I hoped this hadn't just been a fever dream and that she'd still be there in the morning.