Heart and Sunlight Ch. 02

That evening, I go down to the common area of my building and sit on a bench under an apple tree. The common area is an outdoor courtyard with fruit trees, community vegetable gardens, and space for people to work, relax, or see people. It's that last one that I'm here for tonight. The sun set a while ago, and the sky is a deep blue. Hanging lights illuminate the courtyard with a warm glow. I know that Daza comes here often in the evening. If I don't see them in a little while, I'll send them a message and asking them to come down. At least, that's what I tell myself I'll do.

For a while I just listen to the quietness of the dusk. I hear one or two crickets and a lonely bird call in the distance. Some low hums from the electric buses out on the street make it to the courtyard. Mostly, I hear the warm wind rustling the leaves of the fruit trees. There are a few other people down here now, but most are probably in their apartments.

"Hey Mel! It's nice to see you down here," comes a deep, smooth voice from behind me. I jump and turn around, my heart suddenly pounding.

"Daza! Hello!" I reply, too excited. I try to calm down. "How are you?"

They come around the bench and sit down beside me. They don't touch me, but I'm acutely aware of how close they are. I can feel the warmth of their body radiating into the air between us. Their hair falls around their shoulders, and I can't help but notice the way their dark eyes seem to shine in the glow of the hanging lights. "I'm doing well. Today I went to an art gallery that was showing some pieces from the twenties. The emotions you could feel were raw, but powerful. I am always amazed by the perserverance of our grandparents' generation. They could have given up hope in the face of so much adversity, but they didn't." They smile. "But anyway, sorry for rambling. How are you doing today?"

"Don't apologize. I love hearing you talk about art. You see so much deeper into it than I can." I lift up the container of cookies from Alicia. "I had a long day at the wind farm control room, but my friend gave me these vanilla cookies. Do you want to share?"

"Thank you, I would absolutely love to." They lean in and take one. "Wow, these are amazing."

"Yeah, my friend can really bake," I say. It's now or never. I take a breath and hope they can't see the butterflies in my stomach. "Daza..."

They look up and meet my eyes, their eyes serious. My heart flips over. "We've known each other for a while. I...I just wanted to say..."

My voice trails off as Daza's face remains serious. Is this a mistake? Was I reading them all wrong? Suddenly I don't know what to say.

"Go on," they say softly.

"I just want you to know that...I'm always so happy when I run into you down here. I like talking to you and being with you. It's often a high point of my day. Anyway, I love being friends, but...I think I like you more than that, too. It's okay if you don't feel the same way, but I wanted you to know."

Daza stays quiet for a moment. Then, slowly, they reach over and put their hand on mine. "Thank you for sharing this with me, Mel. I also really enjoy our time together." They pause. "Yes. Until now I wasn't sure if you wanted to be anything more than friends. But...I feel the same way as you. Being with you always makes me happy."

I look down and hold onto their hand, strong and smooth from years of artistry. Their hand is warmer than mine. They move closer to me on the bench. I look up and their face is close. I can smell the vanilla on their lips and see the soft laughter lines around their eyes. "Do you want to try it out, then?" I ask softly. "Being more than friends?"

They move their hand up to my ear and tuck my hair behind it. "Yes. I would like that," they whisper. We pause, frozen in time, as I stare into their rich brown eyes and their fingertips linger on my jawline, light as a breath of air. Then, as if moving in slow motion, Daza leans even closer. I close my eyes and feel their lips on mine, soft and warm. The moment lasts forever and for no time at all. Then Daza pulls back and looks at me. "Wait. I have to tell you something first."

I look at them expectantly.

"I'm polyamorous. Right now I have one other partner, Robin. I met him in college, and we've been together for about a year now. How do you feel about that?"

I smile in relief. "Oh, I thought you were going to tell me something bad. I feel great about that. And to tell you the truth, I've never had more than one partner at a time, but I've never been opposed to it, either. How would you feel if I ever had other partners?"

"I'm so happy you feel that way. Of course, all partners of mine deserve love from as many people as they want."

"Thanks. And I appreciate your bringing this up right away." I rest my hand on their knee. "Daza...it's not late yet. I would love you to bring you to my place for drinks, or food if you haven't eaten." I meet their eyes and hope they get the message I'm sending.

"That sounds wonderful. Thank you for the invitation."

I stand and pick up the container. "Another cookie?"

They take one from the box. "Don't mind if I do."

We walk together to my apartment, taking the elevator to the tenth floor. When we get there I open the door and take them to the kitchen, which I made sure to clean up earlier today. "Can I pour you some wine?" I ask.

"Oh, no thank you, I can't drink alcohol. I would love some tea if you have any, though. Here, let me help. Where are the cups?"

Daza and I make tea. While it's steeping, we stand next to each other, leaning on the counter. Daza puts an arm around my shoulder, and I go in for another kiss. The scent of the green tea curls around us like the steam curling upward from the cups. This kiss is longer. Daza puts their other arm around me, and soon we're holding each other tight. I take a heavy breath through my nose. The kitchen is cozy, but that's not why my stomach feels so warm inside.

Daza breaks the kiss and puts their mouth to my ear. "Mel. I don't want to do anything you're not comfortable with. Please stop me if I do anything you're not excited about."

"Thank you," I whisper back. "The same to you." I move my hands along their back. I can feel their ribs. I take Daza's hand and slowly move it to my breast under my shirt. They let out a breath and continue kissing me, gently and carefully caressing my breast.

"It's been a while since I've done this with a woman," they say softly. "I'm sorry if I'm out of practice."

I smile. "This is great. I'll show you what I like." I hold their hand over my breast and show them how to play with my nipple, how to much pressure to use. Then I slide my hand under their shirt, brushing my fingertips over the skin of their back, the front of their chest. "To be honest, thinking of you with a man really turns me on."

"Maybe we can give you a show sometime."

They hold me and lift me onto the countertop. Our faces are level, and I pull them in so they're standing between my legs. They lean in, and when I look down I can see Daza is aroused. "You are beautiful," Daza says, drinking in my body with their eyes.

"You are gorgeous," I say. I move my hand down to stroke them lightly and then touch the button of their pants, asking a question.

In answer, they lightly take my hand and move it back to their chest. "Maybe we should take it slow. I don't want to rush into things."

"Sure," I smile. "As slow as you want."

We kiss longer, their tongue lightly flicking between my lips. I hold onto their thin frame, feeling the heat of their body, and they lean into me, teasing my inner thighs with their hips. Desire flows through my veins and settles between my legs like honey. Of course Daza is right, we shouldn't rush it, but the fact that they holding back makes me crave it even more. My body is having an electric reaction to Daza's touches, and I almost feel like I can orgasm just from this. When they lean into my body, I can feel their hardness too, and I'm sure they're feeling the same way. We're breathing heavily, almost moaning. Was Daza dreaming about this for as long as I was?

Finally they pull away, face flushed, their arms around my waist. "I better come up for air," they say, bashful.

My face feels flushed, too. I take a breath and try to calm my body down. "Our tea is getting cold. Wouldn't want to waste it."

Daza glances across the kitchen, having clearly forgotten about the tea, and grins. We get our mugs and I take Daza over to the couch by the window in the main room. I almost expect sparks to fly when I sit close enough that our thighs touch. Outside, the sky has turned black, and a thousand lighted windows sparkle with life. I slowly will myself to relax a little, and Daza and I chat long into the night.