Homebound Ch. 02

"Did you grow up around here?" I asked.

"I did. We grew up in Lynden before moving here. My family owns SuperFast."

"The grocery store?" I inquired. She nodded. It explained her expensive taste and extravagant condo.

"Did you grow up here too?" she asked. I shook my head.

"Nah, I'm from all over, mostly California." I didn't want to talk about myself, but I also didn't want us to go our separate ways. I could feel the heavy weight of our unspoken questions hanging in the air around us. She had things she wanted to ask me and I had things I wanted to ask her, neither of us budging on being the first to speak about the ethereal connection we shared. I was not getting used to the whole lack of confidence thing.

"What brought you up here?"

I took a breath. I knew it was coming. "A lot of things, but mostly because I didn't want to stay in the state where I spent most of my adolescence in foster care."

"Oh." She was speechless. Fuck, when did I become so shitty at wooing a woman? We continued to walk but now we were both silent. The back of her hand grazed mine as we waited at a crosswalk and our eyes met before we walked across the street.

"Jo, I don't know how to explain this without sounding crazy but, there's something about you. I just...I can't stop thinking about you," she said, her words rushed and breathless. I stopped dead and stared at her. A fine mist was falling around us and the streetlight above us filtered through it causing her hair to shimmer like a halo.

"You feel it too?" I breathed. She nodded, and I decided I had to touch her. I reached my fingers out, caressing her cheek and her eyes closed, a sigh leaving her parted lips. I kissed her, the dampness from the mist clinging to her skin as I fully cupped her cheek. She moaned as I tasted her, my hand slipping behind her head while the other snaked around her waist. She melted into me, right there on the street. I felt like a dick for kissing her out in the open because she told me she was in the closet, but I couldn't stop myself if I wanted to. She didn't seem to take notice of our surroundings, though, her tongue pressing mine, flickering at the roof of my mouth. Her fingers ran through my hair, her other hand securing a grip on a belt loop at my waist. I groaned into her mouth as her body became flush with mine. The sound of her phone ringing caused both of us to jump apart. She was as breathless as I was when she pulled her phone from the deep pocket of her scrub top.

"Hello?" I could hear a distraught voice on the other line, words loud and hurried. "Kayla, calm down. What happened?" Rachel mouthed 'sorry' as she listened to the hollering voice in the other end. "What...no, no stay where you are, I'll be right there."

She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, a shuddering breath going through her. I touched her arm and her eyes opened. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, that was Kayla," she explained, although I figured as much by her end of the conversation. "Do you want to go for a quick drive?"

*********

Rachel Emily Moore

Kayla was standing at the end of the driveway past the gate, a backpack slung over her shoulder and and her face red. "Thank you," she sniffled as she clambered into the back seat of my car.

I let her get settled before I hit the gas. "What happened?"

"I told mom about Kendall," she said.

"Who's Kendall?" Jo whispered from the passenger seat beside me.

"Her girlfriend," I replied, turning onto the main road.

Jo let out a long breathy, "Oh."

Kayla poked her head up between the driver and passenger seats. "Hi, Ms. Vasquez."

"Sup, kiddo? I'm sorry you're having a rough night."

She snorted and eased back in her seat. "Rough night is right. I told my mom I'm gay and she lost her shit."

"Why did you tell her?"

The car fell silent as Kayla clammed up from my inquiry. I turned up the radio and allowed her silence. I couldn't believe she'd told our mother and I was wondering how the hell she expected from such an admission. I warned her not to tell our mother, but she obviously had other things in mine. I thought about furthering the inquisition but didn't want to be rude in front of Jo. Oh, her lips had felt so amazing against mine. I didn't even care we were in the middle of downtown Bellingham, my hunger for her suffocating.

Her hand in my hair, urging me closer, her hips pressing into mine. Jo was looking out the window, obviously attempting to stay out of my crappy family strife. I bit my lip as we waited at a stoplight and I reached my hand out and touched Jo's thigh. She lifted her gaze and met my eyes, a small crooked smile forming on her lips. The tapping of Kayla's fingers on glass indicated to me she was too busy texting to notice my movement.

As I predicted, Kayla didn't speak again until we were in the parking lot below my condo.

"You guys hungry?" I asked as my sister and Jo climbed out of the car.

"Duh," Kayla said, throwing her backpack over her shoulder.

She took the stairs two at a time and Jo hung back, smiling at me. She took my hand and a tingle ran up my arm as we headed up the stairs. "I love it when you touch me." Jo's tone elicited a shiver of excitement through me and I wanted nothing more than to take her straight to my bedroom. But, when we got upstairs, I ordered some take out and the three of us ate in mutual silence while watching some stupid cartoon on television. I didn't mind too much. I was just happy I was beside Jo, the proximity making the air around us feel electrically charged. After we finished eating, Kayla excused herself to the guest bathroom to shower. "Do you want a drink?" I asked Jo.

"I'd love one."

A steady rain fell, sweeping the area with a dousing of moisture as we stepped outside. I watched Jo ease into the patio chair and close her eyes, a small smile present on her lips. She looked quite peaceful and I wanted to tell her about the dreams I'd been having. I wanted to know if she'd shared the same ones but, that's just weird. I couldn't spring something like that on her without sounding crazy. Instead, I said, "Thanks for coming with me. I swear my family isn't all bad, but they can be crazy."

She chuckled and looked over at me. "Most families are at least a little dysfunctional and if they weren't, I'd be worried."

"Your family's a little nutty too?" I asked.

"Eh, well my mom passed away when I was eleven. I never met my dad," she stated. She seemed unperturbed by the question and I was thankful for as much.

"I'm sorry, Jo," I scooted to the edge of the chair and touched her hand.

She shrugged with nonchalance. "I've got my roommates, Ana and Alejandro. They're like my brother and sister. I'm thankful I met them when I moved here." Turning her hand palm side up, she intertwined her fingers with mine.

"I hope this isn't a rude question but why did you move to Washington?"

She took a sip of her beer. "My mom was a migrant worker, so she took whatever work she could get. We'd come up here during berry season and stay until Apple season before heading back down the coast. It's where we were happiest. She always made enough and didn't stress as much as the rest of the time. I guess I just associated it with happy memories." I squeezed her hand and she smiled at me. "And, I also felt pulled here," she added.

I put my wine glass down and let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. "Jo, do you really feel it? This...this weird thing when—,"

"When your eyes meet mine? When our skin touches? When we kiss?" She cut my sentence off. I nodded, and she sat forward. I moved closer to her, needing to feel her lips against my own.

"What is it?" I whispered.

"I don't know."

I chewed my lip. "Do you believe in reincarnation?" I hoped I wasn't about to scare her away with my strange line of questioning.

"Like, bring reborn as a bug or something?" Jo chuckled.

"Something like that," I whispered. Her smile faltered, lips parting as her head inched closer to mine.

"Would you just kiss already?" Kayla shouted through the French doors. I couldn't even think of a witty retort as Jo sat back and giggled, the sound adorable and light. Kayla ran back into the living room, howling with laughter. Jo got up first, reaching out and taking my hand again to help me from my chair. We stepped inside and Kayla was in the kitchen, still snickering as she poured herself a glass of water.

"I call the spare room. Seems like you two will be sleeping in your bed anyway," she said to me. She downed the glass and then headed to the spare room down the hall from my own. I rolled my eyes and went to the linen closet, grabbing a few blankets and an extra pillow. I only had two bedrooms and I didn't want to pressure Jo into sleeping in my bed with me, although we already had slept together in it once. It seemed too presumptuous to give her no choice.

"You can stay the night if you want. I'd rather not drive you back home with a glass of wine on board and it's a little late to walk."

"Of course. Thank you for letting me stay," she said. She pressed her lips to my cheek in a chaste kiss before plopping on the couch. We bid each other goodnight and I headed to my room. With the door closed, I wished I would've invited her into my room. I threw on some pajamas and crawled into my empty bed. Why was it so hard to talk to her about the situation? It wasn't hard, I realized; it was frightening. To humor such a mind-blowing phenomenon had me still questioning my sanity, even as Jo had agreed she felt the same thing. But, how could it be explained? I rolled onto my side, staring at the empty pillow and wishing for the billionth time I had begged her to sleep in my bed with me.

**********

*Bainbridge Island, Washington -- August 1944*

Abagail Smith turned the key in the ignition, the engine of the rusty tracker finally roaring to life. She wiped the sweat from her brow and jumped down. "That should do it, Adam," she said to her cousin. Her and her family had been overlooking the Takeda family farm for the last three years since their forced evacuation by the United States government.

"Thanks," Adam said before climbing into the tracker.

Abagail headed toward the edge of the dirt filled plot. She dusted her hands on her overalls and sighed. It had been two years, five months, and eight days since she last touched her. Two long, lonely years with scant letters, most cryptic in nature due to their forbidden love. Abagail missed Keiko more than she could ever have imagined, her sweet smile, her kindness, her laughter, her stubbornness. The last letter she received had been almost two months prior to that day and she prayed nothing bad had become of her lover.

Word had come that the individuals taken to the internment camps would be released in the upcoming weeks, so Abagail filled the pantry with nonperishables in preparation for the family's return. She and her younger cousin cleaned the home of dust and straightened up as much as possible. All she could think of while doing such tasks was having Keiko in her arms again. The small cabin she occupied on her family's own land had been cleaned and Abagail was ready to carry Keiko through the threshold, to ease her onto the bed and kiss every inch of her body, to reacquaint herself with the dips and valleys of her lover's form.

A vehicle thundered up the rocky driveway, Abagail covering her eyes from the sun to see as it grew closer. It was a town car she didn't recognize and as it stopped in front of the home, she stifled a gasp. Mr. Takeda and his wife exited the car, their two youngest children filing out after them. Abagail hurried across the desolate field to meet them, eager to see Keiko's beautiful face. However, when she approached, Keiko was not with her family.

"Mr. Takeda, Mrs. Takeda, welcome back," she said, out of breath. He gave her a slight bow as did his wife. They looked ten years older, the time away showing clearly on their worn faces. Abagail's heart ached, her eyes scanning the vehicle for Keiko.

"It is good to be back. There is no way to thank you and your family for keeping up our land," he bowed again.

"Of course, sir, it has been an honor. Where is—,"

"Keiko? Ah, the car was too small. She and her brother will be here soon, I suppose." Abagail moved out of the way as they climbed up the stairs to their home, the evidence of the long duration of their forced time away in the way they took in their surroundings. She sat on the porch, running her hands over her knees and chewing her lower lip.

The excitement running through her was palpable as Abagail sat in wait for Keiko's return. She wanted to hold her, kiss her, show her how much she loved and missed her during her absence. One of Keiko's younger siblings, Hana, stepped onto the porch. "Mama says thank you for the food in the cupboards."

Abagail looked up and smiled. "You can tell your mother she is very welcome." The child of fourteen didn't move. She shuffled her feet and cleared her throat. It was uncanny how similar she looked to her sister Keiko.

"Keiko missed you very much," Hana began. She sat down a few inches from Abagail before she continued in a whisper, "She cried almost every night for the first year. It took me that long to realize why she missed you so much." Abagail looked up and Hana gave her a knowing smile. She stood and left Abagail on the top of the stairs, heading inside the home.

The sun began its slow descent and Abagail sighed, the song of nearby frogs croaking in the distance. She could hear the sounds of the family inside, their boisterous and joyful voices wafting out of the open windows. Finally, a car turned down the driveway, heading up toward the house. Abagail jumped to her feet as the car parked in front of her and the house. She wanted to rip open the door and pull Keiko into her arms. Keiko's brother climbed out from the front passenger side and Keiko came out from the back.

Abagail couldn't stifle the gasp that escaped her lips as she took in Keiko's form. She was just as beautiful as Abagail remembered. "Abagail!" Keiko exclaimed, running toward her with her arms open, without a care of who saw them as they embraced.

Abagail laughed, tears falling from her eyes as she held her beloved. "Keiko, oh I've missed you," she whispered through her tears. As she held her, Abagail noticed how slender Keiko was and her stomach sank. "How are you, my love?" She murmured.

"Better now that I'm in your arms again."

**********

Josephine Daniela Vasquez — Present Day

I gasped and sat up, nearly toppling off the couch. It was so vivid, so real. I jumped up, pulling the throw blanket over my shoulders and padded down the hallway, the soles of my bare feet sticking to the hardwood. I stood in front of Rachel's bedroom door, my fist poised to knock when she threw it open, her hair as wild as the look in her eyes. She grabbed me by my shirt and yanked me into her room, shutting and locking the door. Her lips were on mine, her body pressing against me, effectively pinning me.

Her tongue lashed at my lips and I welcomed her into my mouth. The tee she wore was quickly pulled off and I worked down the cotton shorts, my hands sliding down her soft thighs. She broke our kiss to moan, her own hands tearing off my polo from the night before.

She kissed down my jaw, nipping my neck and unbuttoning my pants. "I missed you so much," she whispered against my neck and my knees nearly buckled. Had she experienced the same dream? Was it possible? She tugged me to the bed, relieving me of my pants and climbing on top of me, kissing me deeply. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her closer to me and cherishing the heat of her. She sat up and stared at me, her eyes searching my face, her chest heaving. "You remember too?" Her voice was so quiet, I wondered if she truly spoke.

"I remember it, baby," I answered. She smiled, a tear sliding down her cheek. I reached up and wiped the droplet away, her head tilting to allow my hand to cup her face. "How is this possible? I legitimately thought I was going crazy."

She chuckled at this as more tears sprang from her eyes. "You thoughtyou were going crazy? I thought I was certifiable." She paused, meeting my eyes once more. "You have no idea how happy I am that we were both wrong." And then she kissed me again.

She tugged my boxers down, running the length of my thighs, nails scratching the sensitive skin. Teeth nipped my neck, my collarbone, my breast. Her tongue swirled around a hardened nipple and she sucked it into her warm mouth, nibbling the stiff bud. My back arched and I gasped, her hand securing around my other breast, cupping my flesh, pinching my erect nipple. All too soon, she lowered herself down. I watched as she looked down at my pussy before lifting her gaze. The expression in her eyes had me quivering and she moved closer. She kissed my mound, kissed each thigh, kissed my pouty, wet lips. My head fell back on the pillow, my head already swimming.

Hot breath poured over my pussy and her tongue swiped my clit. My back arched as I grabbed hold of the headboard to keep myself from trembling, the metal surface cold on my palms. Another swipe and another, each time my legs twitching, a gasp leaving my mouth. Her fingers toyed with my opening, caressing my lips, taunting my swollen folds. I felt myself rising, teeth holding down my bottom lip.

I was aware we weren't alone in her apartment and I did my best to keep quiet despite the onslaught of pleasure. Speaking on onslaught, her teasing ceased when she suddenly pressed into me with two digits, causing my head to thrash from side to side as I let out a long, throaty moan. I attempted to muffle it in the pillow but didn't have much luck.

Her tongue switched from gentle swipes to quick lashes, her fingers pumping into my tightness. My teeth let go of my lip as my breath came in fast, hips bucking wildly and my hand grabbing a fistful of her hair. "Oh, Rachel, oh my god, Rachel," I cooed, my toes curling and a layer of perspiration forming on my forehead. She quickened her pace and added a third digit, my body tensing as nirvana took over. "Oh, fuck!" I yelled, pressing my face into the pillow again. I rode the long wave of pleasure, my body galvanized and shaking. She continued her ministrations and I cried out into the fabric, my pelvis raising from the bed, meeting each of her movements.

Fingers curled inside me, her tongue circling my clit but halting briefly. My eyes were closed, and my head buried in the pillow when I heard her whisper, "Come for me again, Jo." Her breath tantalized my over sensitive bundle of nerves before her tongue resumed. She took the hardened nub into her mouth, teeth pressing against it.

"Come kiss me, baby, please," I moaned. Her fingers slowed but didn't exit me as she scooted back up, her lips finding mine. I groaned at the taste of myself on her tongue, her hand slowing moving in and out of me. I let my hand travel the expanse of her beautiful body, coming to a rest between her legs. She parted her thighs and allowed me to tenderly trace her dampened slit. "You're so wet," I murmured, eliciting a long sigh. My finger stroked her clit, her breath hitching. I tried to keep my focus as she quickened her pace within me as I slipped a digit into her warmth. Our kiss broke as she gasped, her hips moving closer to me as I found a cadence within her. My thumb teased her clit and I added a second finger. I felt myself getting closer to another peak, but I bit my lip, determined to bring her to ecstasy at least once before it hit me again.

Her chest was heaving, her breasts pressing against my own. Her hardened nipples running over my skin did nothing to stifle my building climax. Her body went rigid, her pussy tightening around my fingers and she cried out. "Oh, Jo, harder, baby," she moaned and I pumped into her harder, faster. She upped her own speed within me and the orgasm that crashed over me left me breathless again.