Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Bríd fidgeted on her seat. The flight was long but also not long enough. She had waited for this day for a long time, and this felt both too soon and too late. Plane advanced with steady thrumming and she peeked out of the window, tried to focus on the movie, peeked out of the window again. Occasionally the clouds parted and she could see the ocean far below. They were still so high that she couldn't make out any ships, let alone whales.

The place next to her was empty. Bríd was pleased about that: her nerves felt raw, she couldn't have focused on small talk now. This was the first time they would meet in person. They talked all day every day, and mentally they were very close, but in the flesh everything was so different. Her flesh was... nervous. There was an uneasy pit in her stomach, and she wondered if having another drink would make it better or worse.

She checked her messages one more time, despite knowing full well they hadn't been updated while she was in airplane mode.

I'll meet you at the airport, she read for the umpteenth time just as the pilot announced the approach. The plane lurched downward, tilting at a modest angle towards the ground and their destination. The change had Bríd's heart jump to her throat, and there it stayed, making her dizzy and anxious.

--#--#--#--#--

...and what if she didn't recognize her despite all the pictures and wasn't "at the airport" awfully vague and what kind of a first impression was she making and should she have worn something more outstanding and...

Bríd walked to the beat of her mounting anxiety, towing the suitcase behind her. One of the wheels was a bit wonky, and she needed to yank it every few steps to force it to follow smoothly. She made a mental note to check it at the hotel and forgot all about it immediately. Her mind fluttered like a moth around the lamp.

The airport wasn't huge, but it was big enough for Bríd to worry about not finding her. The hall was well air conditioned, but she could feel the nervous sweat making her armpits damp. She wished she wouldn't sweat through her t-shirt. It was one of her favorites. It was light mint and featured a fox with a heart that said "Be mine". Now even that made her anxious: was it too obvious? Should she have worn just a simple blank t-shirt, black maybe?

She was too nervous to make sense of icons indicating which line to take through customs, so she just followed the other passengers. They walked through electric doors, and suddenly the hall opened before them. The glass ceiling arched high above, revealing the patchy cloud cover her plane had just landed through, the white fluffy clouds and the lovely baby blue sky in between. And there--

Bríd's heart, which had fluttered in her throat, stopped altogether. A bit to the right, near a row of empty seats, stood a woman. All thoughts of not recognizing her evaporated. There was no one like her, and now that Bríd saw her, everything else vanished. She didn't see the airport, didn't notice anyone else, her vision narrowed to take in the woman who was taking a sip from her water bottle. She tilted her head back, making her long neck stretch in a way that made Bríd's mouth go dry. She hadn't stopped walking, though it was not by conscious choice; her legs seemed to be on autopilot.

Just when the woman lowered the bottle from her lips and looked around, the sun came out and flooded the hall with warm, bright, summer light. It dazzled on the woman's hair, and for the first time Bríd noticed she had maybe dyed her hair, she could catch a glimpse of pink and blue from under the brown strands, but then their eyes met and the world stopped. The woman stopped too, and for a second she was completely still, the water bottle in one hand and its cap in the other. Then, just as the sun had come out from behind a cloud, a smile spread on her face.

A second ago Bríd could have sworn she was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. But when her eyes narrowed, her freckled nose wrinkled, her lips parted, and oh fuck, yes, the dimples--

"There you are," Katja said softly. She closed the water bottle and laid it on the chair next to her. She stepped closer, and Bríd became aware she had walked all the way up to her, and also that she had now stopped; she had no recollection of doing either. Katja's gaze swept over her, and it warmed her like the sun. Katja touched her cheek with one hand, then the other; her touch was light but electrifying, and Bríd got lost in her deep blue eyes. The air felt different, very still and very calm. Katja stroked her cheek with her fingertips, very lightly. A hint of a smile still lingered in the corner of her eyes. She leaned closer, and Bríd felt her breath on her lips.

Bríd wasn't one for public shows of attention, but now she leaned into the kiss with her body and soul. Their lips met, and Bríd became aware of her heart once again, when it galloped in her ears drowning out every other sound.

--#--#--#--#--

The dinner was magical. The hotel was magical. This whole country was magical. Bríd felt like a child, or like an adventurer. Intellectually, she had known there was a whole world she hadn't visited, whole continents of people who didn't speak English, but to be surrounded by it made her head spin. She felt off kilter completely, and it was delightful. She let Katja take over, followed her lead like a child, and it was magical, too.

Katja took it all in stride. She held her hand when they walked the streets, pointed to sights, recounted all she knew of their destination with her delightful accent and endearingly hazy facts, some of which Bríd was sure she made up on the spot. She chose both their portions in the restaurant, when Bríd couldn't decide, and they ended up eating as much of each other's food as their own. The fish was wonderful, and even the potatoes tasted new. Bríd picked up a chocolate cake from the dessert menu, all by herself for a change, and inhaled it when it arrived. Katja laughed, and the way it made her face lit up was everything Bríd had ever hoped for.

Katja had indeed gone all in with pride preparations. She had dyed her hair, or had it dyed as she explained. The top layer was her natural murky brown, but underneath she had swirls of pinks, baby blues and whites. She explained how she was going to tie it up for the parade.

"I'm not much for dressing up," she said, flashing her dimples at Bríd. "But see, like this."

She gathered her brown hair up in two pigtails, showing the colors underneath.

"I... I didn't think of anything," Bríd stammered. "I mean, I didn't even pack clothes."

"No?" Katja asked and wiggled her eyebrows with an impish smile. "You're going to be naked? I like that plan."

"No!" Bríd couldn't help laughing. "No, but I just packed normal clothes. I was more worried about the weather."

"Yes," Katja admitted. "Probably not warm enough to be naked. Are we done?"

They paid and left the restaurant. Their hotel was in the middle of the city, for a generous interpretation of the word "city". Their room was on the top floor, with a rooftop balcony and a gorgeous view over the buildings all the way out to the sea. Bríd stood admiring the scenery while Katja futzed about inside, searching for things in her suitcase and generally making a happy mess. She was humming to herself, and the sound was simultaneously new and familiar. Like this was the soundtrack Bríd had always wanted in her life, but hadn't known was missing until she heard it.

Bríd turned around, looking into the small room. Long, light curtains danced in the breeze on both sides of the balcony door. The bed was wide and looked comfortable. Katja was in the bathroom, brushing her teeth by the sound of it. Bríd felt her throat tighten. She had dreamed about this many times, but now that they were here, she felt overwhelmed and almost panicked. She took a deep breath to calm herself, then another. Her heart was in her throat once more, and for a moment she was unsure if she was having a heart attack.

Katja came out of the bathroom and flashed a smile at her. She went back to her suitcase and rummaged around a bit more. She shook out a light blue nightie, modeling it in front of her and tilting her hips. It wasn't a sexy nightie, it was more like a summer dress and covered Katja from her elbows to her knees, but the glint in her eyes made Bríd swallow. Katja started humming again, improvising a tune for her slow strip tease, which was equal parts serious and exaggerated.

Across the room, behind Katja, was a mirror. Bríd could see herself, her wide eyed stare and stiff posture. She stood leaning on the balcony railing, her arms spread and with a tight grip on both hands. Her knuckles were facing the other way, but she thought they were probably white. She tried to loosen her grip, but wasn't very successful. Her hair was messy, curled and frazzled after the long day of traveling, and a few strands had escaped the pony tail and flowed over her face with the wind. It was barely long enough to tie up in the first place. Katja raised her arms above her head, and when they passed Bríd's line of vision they broke her stare into her own, bewildered eyes.

Katja swayed her hips and slowly drew her shirt over her head. Her hair flowed and shifted on her upper back, the rainbow colored strands peeking out and disappearing again. Her bra was red, with lace on the top half of the cups and a small bow front and center. Like a present. When she unhooked the bra, her heavy breasts shifted downward, looking suddenly even bigger. She unzipped her jeans, and Bríd didn't know if she wanted to watch how her boobs swayed or how the jeans slowly made their way down her hips. Katja pushed her panties down with them, and gracefully stepped out of the clothes. She raised her arms again, gathering her hair above her head, then let it slowly cascade back down in a multi-colored display as she slowly swirled around.

Bríd couldn't take her eyes off Katja. She had thought about her so much, longed for her, dreamed of this moment. Now that it had arrived, she felt paralyzed. Katja, on her behalf, leaned on the dresser and raised one foot to pull the sock off. She didn't look at Bríd, hair flowed down on her face. She didn't do her strip tease routine anymore, but she wasn't trying to cover her nudity. She took her socks off, put on a pair of wooly ones, and then she put on the nightie. Bríd watched how the light blue nightie swallowed her form, as if a curtain was being drawn on the stage in the theater. It wasn't the same shade as the blue in her hair, but even the contrast looked perfect.

Katja walked toward her, stepped onto the balcony, stopped very close in front of her. They were approximately the same height, but Bríd felt as if Katja was towering over her. She didn't say anything, just looked at Bríd, and slowly Bríd detached her hands from the rail and touched Katja's back. When she did, Katja leaned in and wrapped her arms around Bríd's shoulders, pulling her face into her neck. Bríd breathed her in, and without conscious thought her grip tightened until she was squeezing Katja very tightly against her body. Katja reciprocated, and they stood holding each other.

Bríd hadn't noticed she was trembling until it stopped. Katja was holding her by the neck, stroking the base of her skull with her fingertips, and it felt amazing. She sighed deeply, and Katja kissed her temple. "Bríd?"

"Mm."

"Could you put me to bed? I'm sorry, but it's so late for me. I tried to shift my schedule, but you know how it is."

"Right!"

Bríd switched gears so fast she could almost hear the rattling of her mental machinery. She lifted her head to smile at Katja, and she smiled back, and suddenly everything was okay. Suddenly everything had always been okay.

"Put you to bed?" Bríd asked when they stepped inside.

Katja closed the balcony door, and after a moment's consideration, pulled the blackout curtains. The room became very dark. Bríd stumbled to put on a bedside lamp, and the dim light it cast upon the room made it look very small and very cozy. Like a nest, a perfect hiding place for the two of them.

"Yes," Katja said. "I'm so tiiiiiiired."

She yawned, then yawned and stretched, and Bríd almost caught the yawn. She pulled open the covers and Katja crawled into the bed. Bríd tucked her in.

"Just a moment, I have to change," Bríd said and hurried to her suitcase. She searched for her beauty box and nightie just as chaotically as Katja had done a moment ago. "How would you like me to put you to bed?"

"Tell me a story. A bedtime story."

"A bedtime story?"

Bríd thought as she brushed her teeth. She pulled off her clothes and on her two-piece pajamas, feeling a little silly that she did it in the bathroom after Katja's earlier strip tease, but she was in too much of a hurry to get to bed to wallow on it. She crawled under the blankets on her side and turned off the light. In the dark, they searched for each other, and Katja curled up in her armpit.

Bríd scratched her scalp lightly and Katja made a sleepy purring sound. They were silent for a moment. Katja was warm and soft in her arms, her nightie a lovely soft and smooth fabric. Bríd held Katja, feeling her wooly socks tickling as she tangled her legs with Bríd's.

"Go on," Katja said quietly.

"A bedtime story?" Bríd asked again.

"Yes. Don't tell me you don't have one. I know you do."

Bríd chuckled. "Okay, okay! Let me see... okay. Once upon a time, there was a princess."

Katja sighed happily and snuggled even closer. "I like the beginning!"

Bríd kissed the top of her head. "The princess loved to wear wooly socks. She knew getting her feet cold might get her sick, and she didn't want to get sick, because she was very sensible. Oh, and by the way, this is called 'The Sensible Princess of Coldlandia'."

"Mmm," Katja said and wiggled her wool-clad toes against Bríd's shin. "I approve of this story."

"She had a great many servants and stewards and whatnots who made very, very bad decisions. They would make grandiose suggestions, to erect absurd and ostentatious monuments to her sensibility, and she would say 'No, that's absurd and ostentatious. Maybe something smaller? Easier?'

"And then one day, she heard tell of another princess in the far off land of Sound Logic who was completely silly most of the time, and very prone to daydreams and telling silly stories and making up ridiculous things, and the sensible princess thought, 'I could use some of that in my life!' So, she very sensibly set out to get some of that in her life."

Katja chuckled softly. She fiddled with the hem of Bríd's shirt and asked, "Can I touch your skin?"

"Yes," Bríd said. She tensed a little, when Katja slid her hand under her shirt. She stroked Bríd's tummy and let out a contented sound. Bríd relaxed again, when Katja didn't inch her hand up or down, and concentrated on her story.

"Meanwhile, the ridiculous princess was very much trapped in a world that didn't understand her. She tried to tell her staff that she wanted more, and that she wanted someone who appreciated her for her, and she wanted to live somewhere that was cold, thank you very much. But they ignored her because 'I want to live somewhere cold' is exactly the kind of thing someone says when they're being ridiculous.

"The Sensible Princess longed to do something drastic, and challenging, and surprising, and the Ridiculous Princess wanted to meet someone who would take her seriously. So, they started exchanging letters, and the Ridiculous Princess ordered her servants to start digging a big ditch in between their kingdoms. Once the ditch got big enough, it collapsed, and the ground on both sides would rush in, and the distance between their kingdoms, and their castles, got a little smaller each time. She had them do this over and over until the two castles were close enough to each other that the sensible princess could order her servants to construct a rainbow bridge between their rooms. So they could visit each other any time they wanted. And then they lived happily ever after! The end!"

Katja giggled. It was a quiet, very happy giggle, and Bríd couldn't help but join in. Their shared cave under the blankets felt very safe and very comfy.

"Bríd?"

"Yes?"

"I love you. My Ridiculous Princess."

"I love you too. Sleep now, my Sensible Princess. It's a long day tomorrow."

"What a sensible thing to say," said Katja, but the sentence ended in a massive yawn. She snuggled better into place, and within minutes she was asleep.

Bríd lay awake, feeling Katja's relaxed body against hers. Listening to her breathe. Nice as it was, it got boring eventually, and carefully she turned on her side to reach for her phone. To her amazement Katja didn't roll away, but settled to spooning her. She felt very safe and loved with Katja's body pressed against hers, Katja's hand still loosely on her abdomen.

She set an alarm for earlier than she would've wanted. She was sure Katja wouldn't wake her, because she understood what a pain in the ass time zones were, but she didn't want to sleep too late. Tomorrow would be a big day.

--#--#--#--#--

Overnight, the city had blossomed into a rainbow-colored dream. Sure, they had spotted a few pride flags here and there on their first day, but this was borderline ridiculous. Flags on every pole, flags on the hands on little kids, and everywhere smiling faces and music.

What was more, the day was very hot. Bríd shifted uncomfortably. She hadn't packed anything nearly summery enough, and had resorted to borrowing Katja's clothes. She had on a pair of shorts, thin and bellowy off-white fabric that was feeling very revealing, and a tank top. Katja's attire was similar, though her shorts were of sturdier black fabric. However, they were even shorter than the pair Bríd had on, and so she had picked the white ones.

Katja looked stunning. She had braided the brown upper layer of her hair, and made two very small buns on either side of her head. Her rainbow-colored stripes were flowing in the wind, which was also unbelievably warm and felt more like a caress than natural phenomena. Katja's top had a unicorn picture, and she had donned a hippie style round sunglasses, which had a wonky coloring of green in the bottom half and blue on top. She had said it made the world look very sunny.

It was hard to imagine how the world could look any sunnier. They were in a park where the procession was to begin, as were thousands of other people. Everyone was smiling, music was playing from loudspeakers here and there, and each outfit Bríd spotted was more colorful and elaborate than the previous. Her heart swelled and she squeezed Katja's hand tighter.

"Oh look!" Katja said and pointed. She was practically vibrating with joy. "Let's check that out!"

That was a tent. When Bríd followed her enthusiastic girlfriend closer, she realized it was offering body painting. Designs ranged from small pride flags that fit on a cheek to full torso pride flags. Katja was beaming. As they were checking out the offering, a woman stepped out. She had on the skimpiest bikini top, and her whole upper body was decorated with flowers, petals colored in different pride flag colors.

A voice sounded from inside the tent, saying something in Icelandic. A moment later a young woman peeked out and spotted Bríd and Katja.

"Næst," she repeated. "Next, please."

Katja flashed her a smile and pulled Bríd inside. Bríd stood in the corner and tried not to be in the way. Katja chatted enthusiastically with the woman, and wasted no time in pulling her top over her head and ditching her bra. Bríd couldn't help but admire her half naked form and her casual approach to nudity. She and the painter lady settled on a design and set to work. Soon Katja was transformed into a prideful zebra, with flower-shaped body stickers to cover her nipples.