The Many Loves of Anna Marie Pt. 01

As we kneeled there praying while everyone else went up to participate in the Eucharist, I looked over at Alessia, and my feelings for her didn't feel wrong. Love is love. Did it really matter who I loved as long as I loved them and they loved me? Once Mass concluded, we went to the Student Union to eat dinner before returning to our room. I felt a bit subdued as the implications of our relationship started dawning on me. Looking at Alessia, I could see she was thinking hard about it too.

When it came time for bed, we performed our toilets and got in our separate beds. We said our goodnights, and I turned out the light. I lay in bed for an interminable time, my mind going a mile a minute as I thought about my feelings for Alessia. As my mind raced, I felt, more than heard, Alessia crawl into bed with me. She spooned against me, and I put my arm over her and pulled her tight against me. I teared up as my feelings for her warred with my religious teachings.

No words of endearment were exchanged as we both struggled with our thoughts. Feeling Alessia's body against mine soothed my racing mind, and I eventually fell asleep, thoughts of Alessia on my mind ...

... I felt so happy, my body still thrumming from the incredible orgasm I had just experienced, pressed up against her as I fell asleep. Sometime in the middle of the night, I felt her hand rhythmically squeezing my breast, making my nipple ache and harden. I murmured, "Oh, mo mhuirnín!" before spinning around and feeling for her lips in the pitch black. Our lips met, our mouths opened, and our tongues danced together. My left hand ended up on her breast, and I could feel the hard point of her nipple poking my palm as I squeezed it.

Her hand squeezed my breast as the kiss deepened and extended until we broke and gasped for air. She rolled on top of me and started grinding her pussy against my thigh as I ground my pussy against her thigh. Before I knew it, I exploded into an incredible orgasm, as did she. After kissing and cuddling until our bodies were once again under control, I spooned up against her and fell back asleep.

The sunlight around the curtains woke me up, and I felt so safe and loved with her spooned up against me. She must have been waiting for me to wake up. As I tightened my arm around her, she whispered, "Good morning, mo mhuirnín."

Perplexed by the unusual endearment, I opened my eyes and saw her untidy hair, the same flame red as mine. She turned in my arm, and I stared into her emerald green eyes ...

... I woke, the remnants of my confusing dream rapidly fading away, to find myself spooned against Alessia, her arm over my ribs and her hand gently cradling my breast. I could hear her steady breathing, which told me she was still asleep. Her hand clenched slightly, and my body heated up as my nipples ached and my pussy burned. I wriggled into Alessia, and I heard her breathing speed up as her hand clenched again, and my hard nipple scored her palm.

Any reservations I had when I fell asleep last night went away as Alessia pressed against me. Her hand tightened on my breast, her fingers digging into my flesh. She murmured, "Mio tesoro," before her lips brushed against my neck, sending white-hot pulses flashing through my body.

"Oh, mo mhuirnín!" I moaned and arched my back, pressing my shoulder blades into her breasts and my ass into her hips. I could feel her hard nipples digging into my back, and my whole body thrummed. I spun around, and we wrapped our arms around each other as our lips crashed together. Our tongues danced with each other as we pressed into the kiss that I never wanted to end.

We spent the next hour or so pleasuring each other, experimenting with different positions and erogenous zones, forgetting all about the prohibitions of our religious teachings. Once again, the call of nature finally forced us out of bed to prepare for the day.

After a lazy day of enjoying each other's company, finishing our homework, and enjoying another crocheting lesson, we prepared for bed. Without words needed, we crawled into Allesia's bed together, sans pajamas, and slept the night together. Every night for the rest of the semester, we slept together either in her bed or mine.

I was never happier, even though we had to hide our relationship from the world. While in our room with the door locked, we were lovers. While out in the world, we were just roommates. At first, the dichotomy of the situation bothered me, but I eventually got used to it.

The only downside was attending Mass and not participating in communion. I so wanted to go to confession to receive communion, but knowing that I would have to confess my forbidden love for Alessia and be instructed to break it off, prevented me. I did pray a lot, but I never really got a sense that God was answering my prayers.

Finally, the end of the semester came, and Alessia and I were going home for the Christmas break. We had both aced all of our finals and celebrated each one in bed, enjoying the orgasms we gave each other. I knew I was going to miss her, and her, me, so the night before we left to go home, our sex was frenetic, as though trying to make up for the three weeks we'd be separated all in one night.

Alessia was flying back home, and her taxi came before my parents arrived for me, so we hugged chastely. I watched Alessia leave, waving to her and already missing her. My parents showed up shortly afterward. I set my feelings aside, smiled, and hugged my parents before we left for the long drive back to Virginia.

January 1965

I had a great time at Christmas with my family despite missing Alessia. I got to see Aunt Sinéad, thank her for her lovely letter, and again express my appreciation for her helping me out in my desperate time of need. She reassured me that she had been glad to do it and told me she had enjoyed our time together.

When it was time to head back to school, my parents surprised me by handing me the car keys and telling me I could drive myself back to school. I was so thrilled that I cried in my Mom's arms as she hugged me and wished me luck. Dad hugged me too, and I kissed him on the cheek and thanked him for everything.

Despite the anxiety of driving myself back to State College, I was excited to be seeing Alessia again. I thought about all the places we could go now that I had a car to get us around. After an eight-hour drive, it was dark when I got back to my dorm room. When I opened the door and turned on the light, I was shocked to see that Alessia's side of the dorm room had been stripped bare, with nothing left to show that she had ever been there.

I was in a panic and ran to see the dorm monitor, Susan Brown. I was so upset that it took me a couple of tries to make her understand what I was trying to say. Once Susan understood my question, she calmly told me that Alessia had been there two days ago with her parents and packed her possessions. She was no longer going to attend Penn State.

I was crushed. I had no idea Alessia was leaving school, and when we left before Christmas, she had every intention of returning. She had aced all her classes, so I asked Susan if Alessia had said anything else. Susan noted that Alessia had seemed upset and looked like she had been crying. Her parents were quite brusque with Susan, asking her what kind of school they were running. Susan then asked me if I would be okay staying in the room alone since no new students were coming for the spring semester. I told her I'd be alright and returned to my room.

I sat on my bed and cried, wondering why Alessia had left. After a bit, I laid my head on my pillow and heard the crinkle of paper. I reached under my pillow and pulled out an envelope with my name written in Alessia's handwriting. I ripped it open and smoothed out the hastily scribbled note:

Mio tesoro,

I'm so sorry, but I let it slip to my parents about us. They were so mad and yelled at me about how I could do something so sinful. I told them we loved each other, so how could it be a sin? They shouted even more at me, asking me what did I know about love?

They forbade me to have anything more to do with you, and to make sure, they pulled me out of school.

I don't know what they will do with me since I won't renounce my feelings for you. They've taken me to the priest, and he tried to tell me what we were doing was a mortal sin.

I hope I will be able to see you again someday. Until then, know that no matter what the priest says about my feelings for you, I have no regrets about what we did and will always love you.

'Sia

I don't know how long I sat there crying, clutching her note to my chest. I was so lost and alone, feeling almost as bad as that night over three years ago. I couldn't talk to my parents any more than Alessia could talk to her parents. The only thing I could think of was to call my Aunt Sinéad. "Oh, 'Sia, I love you," I said to myself as I pulled myself together before going out into the common room to use the phone.

Luckily, no one was in the common room, so I called my Aunt Sinéad, hoping she was home. When she finally answered the phone and said, "Hello, this is Sinéad," I just started bawling again, sobbing so hard I thought my heart would break.

Aunt Sinéad must have recognized me since I had cried a lot when I had stayed with her, so she asked, "Anna, is that you? What's wrong, mo mhuirnín?"

"I ... I ...," I tried to say but burst into crying again.

"Oh, mo mhuirnín! What's wrong, baby?" Aunt Sinéad sounded so concerned my heart jumped to my throat.

I finally found my voice and just blurted everything out in one long monologue, gasping for breath when I finished. Aunt Sinéad didn't interrupt me, just clucking in sympathy as I told my story. As I gasped for air, she said, "Oh, Anna, you poor thing. I'm so sorry."

I heard no condemnation in her voice, so I started crying again in relief, knowing she wouldn't yell at me about being a sinner. Once I settled down, we talked for a while. Aunt Sinéad was so sweet, telling me she understood what I was going through. I briefly wondered what Aunt Sinéad meant by that before she surprised me by confiding in me that she had had a similar experience while in college.

I was so relieved that Aunt Sinéad understood what I was going through. Knowing that she had gone through the same thing and survived helped me settle down. We dished for a little longer before two girls wandered into the lounge and turned on the TV. We said our goodbyes after Aunt Sinéad made me promise to call her if I started feeling bad again.

I went back to my empty room and got ready for bed. I cried myself to sleep, and my dreams were troubled ...

... I was looking for Alessia, and she was nowhere to be found. I could hear her voice faintly echoing through the hallways as I ran from door to door, opening them and hoping to find her. I finally gave up when I could no longer hear her voice calling me ...

... I woke, and it was dark. I listened intently, maybe expecting to hear a muffled sob or sniffle from the other bed. When that didn't happen, I turned to the wall and cried myself back to sleep. The next time I awoke, it was light out, so I dragged myself out of bed, donned my robe, grabbed my toiletries, and headed to the bathroom.

By the time I finished my toilet and got breakfast, I was ready to face the world. I was sad, but I put on a brave face and tidied up my room to prepare for classes to resume the next day. Once I ran out of things to keep me busy, I tried calling Alessia. I dialed her number, hoping she'd answer the phone. The voice that answered the phone with "Hello?" belonged to an older woman I assumed was her mother.

Hoping for the best, I asked to speak to Alessia. However, when the woman asked, "Who is calling?" I feared for the worst.

"This is Anna O'Reilly," I answered, fighting to keep my voice steady.

There was silence for a moment, and then the woman angrily said, "Alessia doesn't want to talk to you."

I was momentarily stunned by the vitriol in her voice as I heard Alessia's voice in the background plaintively ask, "Is that Anna?"

I heard the woman's muffled voice say, "Go back to your room, young woman!" before I heard her clearly say, "Don't call here again. Alessia won't talk to you!" The loud 'click' when she hung up on me sounded like a deadbolt being thrown shut. I stood there for a while, still holding the receiver in my hand as I sobbed, realizing that it was really over.

I eventually hung up the phone when the loud beeping finally got my attention. I returned to my room and threw myself on my bed, crying my heart out. I finally stopped, pulled myself together, and vowed to get on with my life. There was nothing more I could do. It would be up to Alessia to make the next move.

May 1965

Despite my resolution, I did send several letters to Alessia but never heard back from her. Each time I sent a letter, I counted the days it would take for the letter to first get to Alessia, then for her to write a letter in response, and then the days it would take for it to get back to me. As the days dragged on, I would slowly accept that I wouldn't hear from her once again.

As the weeks passed, the feelings of loss and missing Alessia slowly ebbed, and I got on with my life. I settled into a routine of calling Aunt Sinéad weekly, allowing her to cheer me up. We grew closer as we talked about anything and everything, being able to discuss whatever was on our minds. Those calls really helped me feel better about myself as I dove into my schoolwork once again.

It was nearing the end of the semester, and I was acing all of my classes. Once I finished with my finals, I planned to head back home, stopping to visit with Aunt Sinéad for a week before going on home. My parents approved of my plans since they would be out of town visiting my oldest brother and his family in Ft. Worth, Texas. From what they told me, it sounded like I would be an aunt again soon.

I packed my car with my things before taking my last final, planning to head out as soon as I finished the test. I was giddy with excitement, looking forward to seeing Aunt Sinéad. We'd grown close over the semester, and it felt more like Aunt Sinéad was the big sister I never had rather than my aunt.

I was the first to finish my test, and my professor smiled at me when I handed it in. I had been his favorite student and enjoyed discussing the finer points of accounting with him after class. I hurried out to my car, buoyed up by how I felt I had aced the test, ensuring another semester of all A's on my report card.

The trip took almost eight hours. The hardest part was getting over the mountains to Harrisburg, where I could get on the interstate. I took the interstates through Baltimore and Washington D.C. until I reached Richmond. I exited the interstate to head west to Plain View, Virginia, where Aunt Sinéad lived.

By the time I got to Aunt Sinéad's house, I was tired and hungry. Despite that, I jumped out of the car and ran up to the door, where I saw her standing. As I approached her, I could see how we looked like we could have been sisters since she was only a couple of inches taller and, like me, had flame-red hair in a low ponytail that went down nearly to her butt, and fair skin sprinkled with freckles. Unlike me, she had the most incredible emerald green eyes that pierced your soul. I flew into her arms, and we held each other tight as we exchanged greetings, gently weeping for joy. By the time we separated, I was a bit flustered from the feelings I felt for Aunt Sinéad, loving the feel of her body tight against mine.

Our eyes locked, and Aunt Sinéad's eyes were wide, only a thin rim of green visible from her eyes being so dilated. I'm sure my eyes were the same, and for a moment, I thought about leaning in and kissing her. Before I could act on my feelings, Aunt Sinéad said, "I've got supper ready if you're hungry."

The mention of food made my stomach growl, and we both laughed before I said, "I guess I am a bit hungry, Aunt Sinéad."

"Please, Anna, just call me Sinéad," she said, reminding me what we had agreed to during our many talks on the phone. "'Aunt Sinéad' just makes me feel old," she said with a wide smile.

"Okay, Sinéad," I said, a thrill running through my body from the sound of her name coming off my tongue. I returned her smile as I entered her house. "I don't want you to feel old," I finished as I followed her into the kitchen.

The table was already set, and I noticed that the two settings were next to each other rather than across from each other on the cozy kitchen table. A bottle of wine was also on the table. Sinéad got the food out of the warmer while I sat down and poured the wine. Table wine had been a staple for all family meals since I was old enough to sit at the big table with the adults. I then watched Sinéad, loving how her tight slacks hugged her ass and legs. My nipples ached and tightened, and my heart thumped a little faster as she bent over the table, giving me a peek down her blouse and noting her powder blue lacy bra.

I quickly looked back up and saw the slight look of amusement in Sinéad's eyes, and I couldn't help but blush at being caught. Thankfully, Sinéad ignored my fiery red face, stood back up, and came around the table to sit beside me. I don't know if she did it on purpose, but our knees touched, and my breath hitched. Sinéad then crossed herself and bowed her head. I followed suit, and she said a quick prayer over the food.

I spent the next few minutes concentrating on eating and sipping the wine, not daring to look up and over to Sinéad. I was intensely aware of how close our bodies were, and every time our knees or elbows brushed each other, shocks zinged through my body. I fought to get my body under control. Once I did, I finally dared to look over toward Sinéad. I smiled and said, "This is delicious, Sinéad. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Anna," Sinéad replied, returning my smile.

She had served a simple but Irish meal of corned beef, potatoes, and cabbage, something I had enjoyed eating since I could remember. It was comfort food for me as I recalled the uncounted times my family had sat around the table eating this very same meal.

It didn't take long for me to finish eating since I had been so hungry. I was done before Sinéad and sipped my wine while watching her finish her meal. I intently watched her lips as they moved, and my breath caught, and my heart lurched. I must have had a silly grin on my face because Sinéad looked up at me and asked, "What?"

I blushed from her scrutiny before saying, "Oh, nothing, Sinéad. Just thinking about things, I guess."

Her eyes flicked down to my chest and held for a moment. I saw a look of desire flash over her face before her eyes returned to meet mine. My nipples ached and tightened even more from the look I saw in her nearly black eyes. Her face filled my entire field of vision, and I again had to fight the desire to lean in and kiss her.

We both quickly looked away, breaking the spell. Breaking the silence that had fallen over us, I swallowed hard and said, "Well, Sinéad, I better go get my stuff out of the car."

"Okay. I'll clean up here while you do that," Sinéad said. I hurried out to my car and started unloading my things, taking them into the guest bedroom. It took about five trips to get everything brought in and a few minutes to put things away. While I was doing that, a feeling of sadness came over me. Memories of why I had been here three years ago were going through my mind. I sat on the bed momentarily, fighting the tears that threatened to fall as I wondered once again where my babies were and if they were in a good home.