Perfect Day

Callie nodded slowly. "Good thing to find out on a first date, but okay."

"I hadn't actually wanted to start with that one, but I couldn't think of anything else." Her lips pressed tightly, forming a line. "Your turn."

Callie squinted and smiled. "One reason I got into selling weed was because I was fascinated with... the mental image I had of that lifestyle. This sort of dark emo thing, with black light parties where the music might be loud but only a few women are dancing, and socializing is less conversational and more communal. Sort of gothically romantic, you know? In my head, the whole thing was subversive and counter-culture."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I, uh... I thought I could fit in there."

Echo tilted her head. "Your face, when you said that, was so strange."

Callie sat up and took complete control of her expression as she slowed the car and pulled into a parking lot. "What... what ab—"

Echo laughed, interrupting her. "I've only known you for a few minutes," she said, coyly, "but I can already tell you have a way of staring right through someone while looking very unimpressed. Figuring people out even when they're trying to hide something. It's kind of intimidating, sometimes, and kind of endearing."

"Thank you?"

Echo shrugged. "I'm just telling you what I'm seeing. It's a confident look, but just now you looked... I don't know. Lost?"

She smiled and turned, as she shut off the car. "Something else nobody knows about me is that I wear a lot of masks, and I don't come out from behind them all that often."

Echo nodded slowly. "Have you ever had a big group of friends that you didn't fit in with?"

She laughed briefly and stepped out of the car. "No. I only have a couple friends that are mine mine. I have this friend who drags me to parties, though, and I don't really like her friends."

The redhead smiled and rolled her eyes. "Okay... Oh! I've got one! I, personally, have a big group of friends. Weird coincidence, right?"

Callie nodded and laughed, as they walked inside and joined the back of the line.

"I've known them for years, and just today, over the course of the day, it started to dawn on me that I've kind of outgrown most of them." After a moment, she repeated, "Most of them, anyway."

"Just today, huh?"

"I guess there've been signs for a while," Echo said, sadly, "but today was the day I started putting it together. They're all looking back at high school like it was some golden age, but I'm... looking forward. I'll probably always think of them as friends, but not the way I used to."

The redhead turned when the line cleared ahead of them, looking up at the menu written in chalk above the counter, but Callie waved a hand and ordered two of the same drink. "Trust me," she said.

Echo stared at her for a moment before nodding slowly, her expression blank. When they stepped aside to let the couple behind them order, she said, "Is it okay if I ask questions?"

"This is your game."

Echo nodded and bit her lip. "You said there were two reasons?"

She leaned back against the countertop and folded her arms across her chest. "There was a girl."

"Ah," Echo said, her eyebrows rising.

"She was... She did. She sold, I mean. She was in that scene."

"Is that how you met?"

"No," Callie said, "but I got into it to... I don't know. Impress her? I hit on her at a party, and she didn't shoot me down. She... she was so curious, and eager. After that, she started showing up in different places she knew I'd be. Weird little coincidences, and she'd give me this look. Told me she wanted to be part of my life."

"What..." Echo coughed, and when she continued her voice was thin. "What happened?"

"After all of that, and after being together for nearly two years, she realized that she isn't..." Callie shook her head, and willed her throat to open. "She's not into women."

"What?"

Callie chuckled and nodded.

"But... she pursued you."

"Yes, she did. She had a phase," Callie said, regretting every word as it came out. "Always a risk with straights."

The redhead pursed her lips and looked down. "Oh."

"That's... ugh." Callie sighed and shook her head. "That's not fair. I shouldn't have said that. It's complicated." She paused to lick her lips. "I almost wish she'd just cheated on me. She still loves me, but I'm not who she wants to be with. I'm not what she's attracted to. It's not a good feeling... and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't still really upset about it."

Her eyes became unfocused as she looked down, and added, "It's hard to be fair when you're hurting."

Echo peered at her quietly, her eyes wide, and Callie nodded. Their drinks came a moment later, and she was grateful for the interruption.

"Do you want to take these outside?" Echo asked brightly, seemingly having recovered her composure. "It's nice out."

Callie nodded slowly, and followed the redhead through the door into the night.

The sky was clear, and full of stars, as they walked. Callie couldn't tell if Echo was trying to head toward the park across the street, but they both settled in that direction after a moment. She took the initiative to alter slightly toward a picnic table with bench seats, and hopped up on the table. After a moment Echo jumped up on the bench seat too, and sat down beside her.

"This is good," Echo said softly, as she sipped her coffee. "I like it!"

"I thought you might."

Echo peered at her and took another sip. "What's in this?"

"It's some kind of latte with a bunch of flavor shots in it." Callie took her cup in both hands, and felt herself starting to freeze up just a little bit. It was hard to keep the panic at bay, and even harder to put the voices of doubt aside.

"When you broke up," Echo said, "was that a surprise for you?"

"Yes and no." She took a deep breath, and rolled the cup back and forth between her palms. "I knew something was wrong. I'd tried to get her to talk about it a few times, but... I wasn't expecting that."

"That's hard," the redhead murmured.

Callie simply nodded.

"Even after all of that," she said, voice getting even softer, "would you try with a straight girl again?"

Callie settled herself, licked her lips, and tried for a smile. "Hypothetically, you mean?"

Echo simply looked at her through the corners of her eyes.

I'm here, aren't I? is what Callie wanted to say, but she bit down on her tongue and tried to dredge her wits up through murky layers of fear. "Can't control the heart," she said a moment later, repeating Shayne's words from earlier. "It wants what it wants."

"Oh," Echo whispered, and then she swallowed so loudly that Callie could hear it from two feet away. "Wow."

She nodded and looked over, though she couldn't quite bring her herself to meet Echo's gaze.

"My friend," Echo said. "The one that set us up tonight? She... she gave me some hard advice earlier today, and I'm really glad she did."

"Yeah?" Callie croaked, her voice failing her almost entirely.

Echo nodded. "Really glad, yeah. I took a good long look at myself, like she said. Too many people tell me what they think I want to hear. Not enough are honest with me, and it meant a lot that you were."

"Me?" Callie's head quirked. "Are we not..." She shook her head, cleared her throat roughly, and tried again. "Are we not playing a game anymore?"

"It's not a game for you." The redhead pursed her lips and continued to stare at her. "Is it?"

Callie looked away, her cheeks burning.

"There's a lot riding on this for you. With how long we've been friends... and what happened with Shayne. This isn't just a phase for you."

Echo slid sideways, denim shorts scraping across the wooden surface, and her unlaced shoes pressed up against the side of Callie's chucks.

"You know," she said, pitching her voice lower. "I kind of envy you."

"Yeah?" Callie answered, her voice hoarse.

"You've always known who you were."

More sliding, and then Echo's shoulder came to rest against hers. When she spoke again, Echo's voice was very close to her ear.

"You go after the things you want. You always have. That's... inspiring."

"Yeah?" Callie said. She turned, intending to follow up with something witty, and stopped when she felt Echo's lips press into hers.

The whole world came to a stop. The wind died, and the clouds disappeared. Traffic melted away into the background. For a moment, there was nothing else but the two of them, that table, and the stars.

It was a soft kiss. Tentative. Delicate skin against hers. Callie's eyelids fluttered, and she caught moonlight reflecting off of Echo's freckled cheek. It was hard not to cry.

"Are you sure?" Callie whispered, their lips still brushing.

Echo nodded and kissed her again.

"You have to be sure," she said, tilting to the side until their foreheads were touching.

Echo nodded, followed, and kissed her again.

"It'll crush me."

Echo opened her pale blue eyes for the first time in a minute, and held her gaze. "We've already crossed the line," she whispered back. "There's no going back to what we were. I'm here, with you... so... stand still or move forward?"

She couldn't tell if the wetness between their cheeks were her tears or Echo's, but it didn't matter. The pause seemed to stretch on and on.

"Stand still," Echo repeated slowly, "or m—"

She didn't let Echo finish.

Callie couldn't keep track of what happened next. All she knew was that it felt good, and felt right. The how and the why were unimportant. Whose hands went where. How they turned. How long the kiss endured. All meaningless when weighed against being in that moment with her.

It was the end to so many things. They were not, and could not be, just friends anymore. That was over. Childhood memories tugged at her shirtsleeves. A rush of sleepovers, hugs, and crying on each other's shoulders. So much laughter. Those thoughts buzzed in her ear, but she pushed them away and stayed right where she was. There would be time to process later.

Her body wanted to race. To ravage. The person she had wanted most was right there in front of her. She wanted all of it, all of her. To claim her, and consume her. She wanted to rip those clothes off, and let the moon bear witness. She wanted to touch every part of her. Lick every part of her. This too, she pushed aside. There would be time later.

Echo was panting when she finally pulled back, and Callie's mind suddenly raced to fill the time that had elapsed when she wasn't looking. The redhead's cheeks were full of color, and her eyes were heavy.

"Hypothetical," Echo said breathlessly, then she corrected herself by saying, "Hypo... Hypothetically."

Callie leaned in as the redhead leaned back, staying close, and watched her lips work. They formed beautiful shapes as she talked.

"Go on."

"You're on a date."

"Mmhmm."

"She's very into you."

Callie smiled. "Yes?"

Echo just stared at her for a moment, expression somewhere in the vicinity of quiet awe. Then she said, "But then she runs out of ideas. She doesn't know what to do next, so... so now it's up to you. What would you do with her?"

"How about I show you?" Callie said, smiling wider.

"Oh fuck," she breathed.

Callie leaned in to kiss her, this time in full command of herself. Her left hand came to rest against Echo's stomach, pressing gingerly. Echo whimpered into the kiss as her hand turned to orient downward. The tips of her fingers pulled and grabbed at Echo's shirt, gathering it into her palm until the hem slid up over the waistline of Echo's denim shorts. Then they slid down.

She kept the kiss light, no tongue, so that she could watch Echo from beneath lowered eyelids. She wanted to see the reaction, and Echo did not disappoint. Echo's back arched, and her eyes darted to the side, scanning warily along the darkened street. The coffee shop was still open, with people coming and going, but the two of them were tucked into the darkest corner of a shadow out in the park, with nothing but trees behind them.

At first her fingers slid over the outside of the denim, and Echo squeaked the first time she cupped the redhead's sex. Even through the jean shorts Callie could feel the warmth of her. The redhead squirmed at the delicate pressure, legs quickly coming together at the knee.

"No," Callie whispered. "Apart."

Echo shuddered and nodded, complying with blushing reluctance, and a chill went up Callie's spine. She kept her hand there, palm curled around the redhead's mound, and kissed her again. And again. And again.

Her tongue slid between Echo's lips for the first time, and her chest tightened. It was real. Her eyes drifted closed, but lights danced behind the lids. The redhead's panting increased, filling the night air with petite whimpers and a soft coo here and there. Her grip tightened for just a moment, squeezing, before she released her hold and let her hand ride up. Echo moaned gloriously in response.

This time Callie's fingers slid beneath the waistband and she found that Echo was shaved smooth, skin was incredibly soft. It was such a joy to touch, and press, and squeeze, and cup. For a moment she forgot all about the clit and just enjoyed the lovely feel of pliable flesh under her fingertips. Wetness along the middle of her palm. Then she took a deep breath and kissed Echo again so she could feel how the redhead reacted the first time her middle finger slipped between slick folds, and Echo did not disappoint.

She found that she liked using kisses to muffle Echo's reactions. She really, really liked it, but not half as much as she liked tilting her head to the side to kiss Echo's neck because then Echo had to restrain herself. The redhead bit down on her lip so hard that all the blood was driven from them, leaving them whitened and drawn tight, and even that wasn't enough to stop a constant throaty purring.

"Try not to take this the wrong way," Callie murmured, "but you are my new favorite toy."

"Oh fuck," Echo whined. "Oh fuck. I—"

Callie abruptly pulled back. Her right hand remained against her friend's back, but she sat up and withdrew her other hand from the redhead's pants.

Echo's eyes opened wide with panic. "What," she sputtered. "What... what—"

Her voice cut off sharply when Callie licked her palm without breaking eye contact, and then she drew a shuddering breath that did lovely things to her chest.

"Did I... I don't understand."

Callie didn't say anything as she stood. Her fingertips trail along Echo's arm, but she left a few inches of space between her outstretched fingers and the redhead's once she stood, silently willing Echo to make the effort and reach for her.

Once again, Echo did not disappoint.

"W-where are..."

Callie just started walking, keeping a firm grip on Echo's hand. She looked ahead while the redhead lagged behind. Slightly behind, but following. Callie's heart threatened to burst from her chest, it was pumping so hard.

She stopped as she reached her car, sat down on the front quarter panel with her legs spread slightly, and drew Echo to her. One hand slipped around the redhead's waist and settled into the small of her back while the other reached up to brush stray hairs aside. Echo's face held even more trepidation, eyes wide, as she placed both of her hands on Callie's shoulders; not a push, but a gentle laying.

"I'm scared too," Callie said softly.

"Oh God," Echo said, chest shaking. She looked stunned. "Howdidyou..."

"If you tell me to stop," she said, as she leaned in, "I will."

Echo alternated between meeting her gaze and staring down at her lips as the distance between them shrank. Even in the dim glow of the street light across the street, Echo's fluttering lashes made her pulse quicken.

"If you tell me."

Their lips brushed faintly, and then the redhead took a sharp breath. "Strawberry," Echo said, quirking her head suddenly. "You were wearing it earlier."

Callie nodded tightly.

The redhead's eyes went distant for a moment, and then she smiled. "I don't want you to stop."

Callie's hand snaked behind Echo's head faster than thought, cupping the back of her neck and drawing her into a heady, passionate kiss. Her thighs closed in, and just like that she had the little redhead right where she'd always wanted her.

"Promise me you won't stop," Echo whispered hurriedly, as their lips parted. "Promise."

Their kiss only deepened, gathering in intensity, as they went. It was torturous to break the kiss long enough for her to gasp, "I promise," before diving back in headlong. Echo's hands came up to hold her cheeks, and sweet was her touch. Her fingernails raked along Echo's back until they grabbed a fistful of her shirt, and she held onto it tightly. Possessively.

Callie stood, happily craning her neck slightly, as the two of them awkwardly walked around the car still enmeshed within each other. Callie managed to open the passenger door, and it wasn't until Echo was practically backed into the open seat that their lips and tongues parted. She hurried back around the car, jumped in, and started the car. It took several more minutes, leaned over the center console in blissful interlude, before her car made it out of park and prowled down the street.

***

"Hey sweetie," came her father's voice, from farther inside his apartment. "I hadn't heard from you, so I already ate. There's a few slices of Giuseppe's left on the stove. Pepperoni and mushroom."

Callie walked through the hall and licked her lips in nervous anticipation. Her father was sitting on the couch, facing away and watching TV. She cleared her throat and said, "Hey Dad."

"I just started watching that Annihilation movie you were talking about." He smiled at her briefly over his shoulder before continuing. "I can restart..."

Then he paused and looked back over his shoulder, past Callie, to where Echo was standing just behind her. And then down to where they were holding hands. And then back up at Callie. And then at Echo. And then at Callie.

"Uhhh," he said, blankly. "Oh."

"Dad, you remember Echo."

"Of... of course," he stammered. He gave Echo a brief nod and a smile, and then stared at Callie for another long moment. "Hello, Echo."

"Hi," she said, quietly.

"Is this... uh..."

Callie nodded vigorously.

"Right," he said, blinking and suddenly seeming to return to himself. "Right! Well." He looked around briefly, and then down at his watch. "You know what? I... have... a... thing. That I forgot about."

He gave them both a glowing smile as he stood up, and grabbed his shoes, wallet, and keys. Echo's hand tightened ferociously around hers, but Callie remained mostly calm and silent. He had a twinkle in his eye as he hurriedly tied his shoes on.

"Don't wait up for me," he said, as he kissed the top of her head. "I'll... uh... probably be gone for a while."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Nice to see you again, Echo."

Echo murmured her thanks quietly as he passed, and then the door shut behind him a moment later.

"What just happened?" Echo asked. "Did he..." Her voice was hoarse when she continued, rasping, "Did he leave so we could... have privacy?"

"You might have been the first person I came out to, but he was the second," Callie said, staring gratefully at the closed door. "He was also the first person I told about having a crush on you."

"Oh my god," the redhead squealed, blushing fiercely. Then she turned toward the door too. "I love your dad."

"He told me, when I moved back in, that he'd do that if I ever came home with a girl, but I didn't really think he'd go through with it."

Echo blinked at her for a moment. "And you hadn't yet?"