Learning to Love Another Ch. 06

"Goofball."

"You know you love me."

"I think I've finally stopped growing," said Angel, in response to Tess's 'smallest breasts' comment. "I lost some weight in the last couple of years, so my band size went down, but proportionally my cup size remained the same. I wear a 36F now, and I'm still not as big as my grandmother, Avó Angelina. All the women in my family are big."

"I don't know where I get it," said Tess. "Mama has full breasts, but not like these. I wear a 34DD."

"With a tiny waist and gorgeous hips. You look like a 1950s movie star."

"Are you trying to seduce me, Angel? Because I accept all compliments from beautiful women," said Tess.

"It's just straight talk, baby. I'm unashamedly honest with people I care about."

"I am much more guarded and private," admitted Tess, "But here I am, standing stark naked in my bedroom with a goddess of a woman I just met this morning."

"And the funny thing is that you feel unaccountably safe doing it and maybe a little excited?" said Angel.

"You are a very dangerous lady," said Tess after several contemplative moments, "And I like you very much."

"That's my magic."

"May I hug you again?"

"You better."

And the two of them embraced. It was inescapably erotic to see them pressed together, but that wasn't the intent. It was genuinely loving, and they held each other for a long time.

"I'm so glad that Elain found you," said Angel into Tess's hair. "She deserves someone remarkable like you."

"That means a lot," said Tess into Angel's shoulder. "I'm glad she still has you, and now I do too."

Angle kissed her on the forehead, and they separated, each wiping tears from her eyes. I was ugly crying in that moment, so they swept me into a three-way naked hug, and we all let it out together. It had been a big day all the way around.

We snuggled together under the blanket in front of the movie, warm softness all pressed together, and I think we all fell asleep before we made it through the first thirty minutes. As far as bonding experiences, it was the best.

Bullet dodged. Angel and Tess had truly connected. Tess felt comfortable and close to Angel, and Angel felt safe with me giving my whole heart to Tess. She knew that didn't mean she didn't have it too, and she felt in her soul that Tess deserved it. The remarkable woman who helped me learn to love myself and the incredible woman who helped me truly learn to love another held me close and warm.

*****

Epilogue -- writing from January 2021

Tess and I got legally and officially married in 2017. Hooray for marriage equality in the United States! We decided to keep our own last names though - her because she's got a bazillion college degrees with her last name and me because my name sounds ridiculous with her Austrian last name. My mom passed away unexpectedly back in 2011, and my dad passed away equally unexpectedly in 2018; so, Mom was only there in spirit, but Dad was alive to give me away at the wedding and to see us happily married. Mom adored Tess, so I know she would have been pleased. Dad was a great dancer, and I will never forget him dancing with Tess that day. Angel was our matron of honor, and Michael was our best man. Mama G sang for us and Papa G made the cake -- a really good one, too. Angel's husband, Eric, catered the rest of the food (who else?), so it was excellent. A certain little old lady with a contagious cackle officiated the ceremony for us.

My beloved Fabulous eventually passed away in her sleep in a sunbeam of tremendously old age, but we have a new(ish) calico cat, equally loud and sweet, named Glorious (in memory of Fabulous). We call her Glori for short. She eats too much, so we have to feed her low-calorie food, but she is otherwise wonderful.

I'm still riding, though I sold off "Tornado" some years ago and bought a Yamaha R6 in matte black. I call it "Raven". I rode the Triumph to death for ten years, and though it was incredible, it was a pain in the ass to maintain. Parts had to come from England, and they were priced like the Queen had to hand roll them herself. Plus, anything fuel injection or valve related took a specially trained wizard and a very specific computer tool to service it. I can get the Yamaha serviced locally and cheaply or do it myself, and it's still dead sexy.

Minor tangent, I sold Tornado and bought the R6 earlier in the same year as our wedding, and considered retiring my worn old leathers at the same time because Tess had then embroidered with "The Tomato Tornado" shortly after I bought the Triumph in homage to my hair color and the bike's color. For our wedding she bought me a new set of really expensive black Dainese leathers with "None More Black" emblazoned down each thigh. We are still such nerds. The original "Hooters" helmet still sits on a shelf in our garage. It has long since 'expired' for safety wear, but it has immense sentimental value.

I still call Tess my "partner" rather than my "wife" to avoid the surprisingly prevalent homophobic question or supposition about "which one of us the man in the relationship". That is a ridiculous question on its face. Neither are we "lipstick lesbians", not because we don't wear lipstick or because lesbians don't wear lipstick or some other rubbish. We're just not lesbians of any persuasion. I am and will always be 100% bisexual, and Tess chooses to identify herself as pansexual. We both identify ourselves as monogamous, and that is really what's important to me at my stage of life. I am married to the one I am meant to be with -- no doubts.

Shortly after Angel got married to Eric and long before Tess and I were married, Tess and I finally talked through my prior sexual relationship with Angel, and a lot of things clicked in place for her. She loves Angel to death and wasn't threatened at all by the intimacy we had shared when we were young or that I had withheld it from her for so long. In her mind, we both owe Angel a lot for helping me come to an understanding about my sexuality in a loving and a safe way. She is also fully on board with my desire to never lose my connection to her. Angel was the one who originally encouraged me to write the Learning to Love Myself series to begin with after I wrote Shallow Thoughts, Deep Subjects as an entertaining piece for her. Tess knew I wrote for Heartland Tales, but I shared the Learning to Love Myself series with her after we came to our understanding about Angel. It was Tess herself that encouraged me to kick off writing the Learning to Love Another series as a way to chronicle the rest of my journey in a meaningful and humorous way. It took years due to the pressures of life, but now you know how it all came to be, and I am so grateful that it resonated with readers and maybe even helped a few people.

Lastly, I did call the phone number written on the back of that tarot card shortly after the events of this chapter. It led to many positive transformative experiences in my life as well. Those of you who are familiar with my other writings will now be able to connect some additional dots about me.

Finished the series. Self-revelation. Zen in the art of bisexual maintenance. True love does happen every day if you carry it with you. Keep the shiny side up. Thank you and good night.

Love,

Elain