Threading the Needle Ch. 10

Once she got there, she rested against her car in the sun, drowsing in the warmth and trying to dismiss thoughts of Liz from her mind. It was futile. When she heard the bus pulling up, she looked up. Liz was driving as was often the case. As she parked, Lena had a good view of her through the side window. For a brief moment, Liz seemed to let go of her control, unaware that she was watched. There was a look on her face that seemed very revealing to Lena. It was fleeting and she covered it up quickly, but still Lena comprehended it. "She's so very unhappy," she thought. Her heart went out to her sometime lover. At the same time, Lena knew that Liz was the only one who could solve that. She pushed away everyone who got close.

"Except Rikki," Lena thought. "She'll never turn away from her." She was glad Liz had at least one person. Still, it reinforced why going further than just fuck buddies wasn't a good idea. "As long as it's fun, it's fine. I can't to try to fix her."

She waited until the last customer got onto the bus before she joined them. There was a space a couple of seats into it, next to a big guy. She sat down on the edge of the bench. Naturally friendly, she started to chat with the people around her. The twenty-minute bus ride passed quickly as she listened to the excited voices around her. As they pulled into the put-in, she got up and stood at the front so she could be off first. Liz gave her a look but said nothing.

As they exited, the customers milled around while Lena and the other guides headed over to their rafts to check them again. Indigo was one of the last people off the bus, having sat way in the back. With her eyes hidden by some sunglasses, Lena watched Indigo as she walked towards her raft beside Lena's. Her body was slenderer than either Liz or Rikki, and much more than Lena's own. "Damn, it's a nice body though," Lena thought. As she got close, Indigo gave her one of those crooked smiles she had. It was warm and made Lena's heart beat a little faster. She realized that this was the first time she fully appreciated how good-looking Indigo was.

"I was chasing Liz for the beginning, and then flirted with Winnie and even Rikki," she thought. "If I wasn't with Liz, then she was. All the other times, she must have been with Alex. Is that why I'm only noticing now?" She sat up as Indigo got to her raft. Reaching up, she ran her fingers though her hair, combing it gently with her nails. It was too hot for a wetsuit. Lena had on a bikini top along with her cutoffs. Her body was a much deeper tan now, so her skin almost seemed to glow gold.

Indigo was much paler, despite spending even more time out on the river. Without protection, she tended to burn. She fished a bottle of sunscreen out of her dry bag and started putting it on.

Lena watched for a moment and then asked Indigo to toss it over to her. A little skin protection was always a good idea. As she put it on, she watched Indigo out of the corner of her eye. There was something tantalizing about the way her fingers slid over her arms. Indigo seemed to have her full attention on what she was doing, but in truth she was doing the same thing as Lena, watching her. She finished with her front, squirted a little more on her hand, and awkwardly tried to put it on her back.

"Here, let me," Lena said. Coming over, she took Indigo's hand and scooped up the sunscreen. Her fingers were soft on Indigo's palm, causing the hairs on her arm to rise. Both of them were more aware of each other than ever before. Smearing the lotion between her hands, Lena started on her shoulders. Her touch was light and felt very nice as she moved her hand over all over her back. Lena didn't see how Indigo's eyes closed. She had on a one-piece bathing suit with shorts with an open back, so it was easy for Lena to get the lotion everywhere. Her breath got a little deeper as she felt Lena moving down her back. When Lena dipped her fingers momentarily below the waistband of her shorts, Indigo had to bite her lip a little to avoid making any noise.

"There," Lena said as she finished and stepped away from Indigo. Her eyes twinkled a little as she looked at the other woman.

One side of Indigo's mouth curled up as she realized that it was no accident that it felt so sensuous. "Two can play that game," she thought. "Now your turn," she said aloud, patting the raft tube right in front of her. She put some of the sunscreen on her hands as Lena sat down. When Indigo touched her, she jumped slightly, betraying her anxiousness. Indigo smiled. "She's not quite sure what I'll do," she thought, as she scooted a little bit closer. As she started to rub the lotion into Lena's shoulders, Indigo let her breasts brush her back. A little gasp let her know that she caught Lena by surprise.

As she moved her hands lower, Indigo had to move back some. Her fingers found the string of Lena's bikini top. Going below it, she pushed her fingers up and under the string. Her strong hands moved outward to the sides of Lena's body. Even though she knew her sides already had lotion, she applied more. From that position, her fingertips just brushed against the start of the swell of Lena's breast.

If she hoped to embarrass her, it didn't work. "Mmmmm," Lena murmured and then leaned back enough that she pressed against Indigo's breasts again. "That feels good, but I think you missed my lower back," she said, and then leaned forward again. Her narrow waist disappeared down into her cutoffs, but there was ample space between them and her skin. It was an obvious invitation, and one that Indigo was about to take advantage of when she noticed that the customers were organized and starting to head over to the rafts. She quickly finished smearing the lotion on Lena's back before getting up to great them.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lena grinning at her. While she had seen that smoky eye look before, it was the first time she directed it at her. "Looks like she isn't done flirting, which is fine by me," Indigo thought. Her own eyes sparkled as she talked to the customers, directing the different groups to various rafts. There was one group of ten, and in a split-second decision, she put half with Lena and she took the other half. "Now I've got a reason to raft close to her," she thought with a smile. After a moment, it faded a little and she looked over at Liz. It faded even more when she saw Liz didn't even seem to notice the interaction between two of her lovers. She was talking with Bear. "What do I expect?" she thought. Looking over at Lena, she felt herself smile again. She was sexy, extremely good looking, and seemingly free of complications. "I could use something uncomplicated right now," she thought, just before starting to give her safety lecture.

Both Indigo and Lena had a great time on the river. Their boats were filled with a bunch of close friends so in between the rapids, there was a lot of water fighting and other horseplay. In particular, they enjoyed having someone stand on the bow of the raft holding onto a rope and lean back while everyone else spun the boat until he or she fell off. A few times the person barely made it a circle before teetering off into the river, but there also a couple who never fell off, much to the disappointment of the rest of the boat. Indigo and Lena both were convinced to do it at the same time and it quickly became a contest to see who could last longer. It took a while but in the end, Lena lost her grip and went flying into the river. Indigo held on for a moment longer and then let go, falling back a little more gracefully.

As she bobbed back up, Lena pounced on her and forced her back under the water. Not expecting it, Indigo swallowed a mouthful of water and came back up sputtering. Turning around, she spied a laughing Lena swimming hard to get back to her boat. A little more familiar with swimming in a life jacket, Indigo caught her just as she reached for the safety line around the raft. At least Lena expected it and shut her mouth to avoid taking in any water. Indigo put her hands on Lena's shoulders and put all her weight there to push her down as deep as she could. Even as she went under, she twisted to break free underwater. Turning as she came up, she wrapped her legs around Indigo and they wrestled with each one trying to get the advantage.

The combination of fighting, laughing, and pressing against each other quickly got to both of them. Spinning as they floated alongside the rafts, they slowly stopped fighting even though neither one of them let go. Looking into each other's eyes, Indigo and Lena knew they both felt it. The presence of the other people prevented them from acting on those feelings, at least for now. The moment stretched out as long as it could without seeming weird, and then they separated. Swimming back to their rafts, they pulled themselves into the noisy groups of people who enjoyed watching their tussle even if they missed the underlying current there.

Realizing there was a rapid coming up, the guides got back to work and put their boats in order. Setting up, Lena got her raft into the right spot and rode the current down to the entrance of the rapid. She looked over her shoulder at the raft behind her. Indigo was close enough behind that she could meet her eyes. The excitement was still there. With a smile, Lena turned back to face the rapid. "Tonight is going to be interesting," she thought.

When they got off the river, both Indigo and Lena got huge tips. Each one of their customers kicked in at least ten dollars, but most were a lot more. Lena even got $50 from one, and for the first time, earned more from tips than what Weston paid her. Once all the gear was put away, most of the guides took off. Some headed up to their campsite. Others went to the company's favorite bar to hold down tables for when the other two floats were done. As the float leader, Indigo needed to wait until the last float was off the river. Instead of going for a beer, Lena decided to hang out with her.

Despite flirting from earlier and during the trip down the river, both of them acted more reserved now. Unlike the relative privacy of the put-in, the takeout was more like a big parking lot shared by practically every company on the river. There was a new group coming off the river almost constantly. Neither one of them wanted to attract undesirable attention. Instead, they sat next to each other on the lunch cooler, close enough that their hips and legs touched. It was enough to keep the spark between them alive.

While they waited for Bear's float to get there, they were the only ones from the company around. At the start, they just chatted about their lives. Because Lena knew Alex, she was a natural and somewhat safe topic of conversation. Both of them shied away from talking about their shared interest. "So where's Alex this weekend?" Lena wanted to know. She was leaning back to get a little more sun. She still had on her bikini top and cutoffs.

Unlike Lena, Indigo had already changed. She had on a t-shirt for sun protection and a dry pair of shorts, but she didn't bother to put on her bra. Her nipples poked out and Lena tried hard not to be obvious when she glanced at them. Despite wearing sunglasses, Indigo noticed each time it happened, which got her nipples a little harder and drew even more attention. She didn't mind the cycle.

"She is with a bunch of kayakers up in Canada running a couple of rivers. She left yesterday and should be back on Monday," Indigo replied.

"Wow, that sounds fun! Do you ever go with her?"

"Sometimes; when they have rafts along. I'm not a kayaker. I just don't find appealing the idea of hanging upside down in a freezing cold rocky river as I try to roll back up," she said. She pretended to shiver and then get hit in the head. "With other rafters, it can be fun. Alex's kayak friends can be a little intense about it."

Lena caught a hint of something left unsaid. She decided to risk seeing if she was right. "Like Alex?"

Looking over at her, Indigo nodded. "Yeah. I mean I like rafting, especially with friends where you aren't worrying about entertaining the customers, but it's always a competition with Alex and her kayak friends. Who can do the gnarliest wave? Who can do the biggest drop?" She sighed. "Alex takes risks that scare me at times."

"What does she say about that?" Lena asked.

There was another big sigh. "She doesn't say anything because I don't tell her," Indigo softly said. "But I know she'd just blow me off. She'd say something like this is who I am, so accept it." She stopped talking and stared at her toes. Lena remained quiet as well. She didn't know what to say. The way Indigo opened up seemed to surprise both of them.

"I know she's really good, but she always has to prove it," she finally continued. "She has to prove it to them, and there is always someone who then pushes the envelope a little further." Her voice was so forlorn that Lena stood up and gave her a big hug. After a second, Indigo returned it. She held on tight to Lena. Despite being physically closer than ever before, there was no trace of the earlier excitement. She just took the comfort offered by Lena, who seemed content to let it go on as long as Indigo needed it.

Finally, she let go. Lena held on for a few more seconds and then released her. She looked into Indigo's eyes and gave her a smile. Other than that, she didn't know what to do. She certainly didn't have any advice to offer. Sitting back down, she reached out to take Indigo's hand in hers. Once again, there was nothing romantic about the gesture. It was simply a way to offer support.

Indigo sighed and rested her head against Lena's shoulder. Gradually, she felt a little better and she gave Lena a smile. She was about to say something when she heard Sawyer's voice as he pulled off the river. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that the second float was all there. "Game time," she said instead. They both got up and headed over to help them.

After that, they were never alone. A number of the guides were riding with Bear who also had to wait for Liz, so neither one of them wanted to get into topics that were more sensitive. In any case, Liz's float wasn't far behind. There was another group of rafters to help off the river and direct to where to put their gear.

Despite being free to leave, Lena stuck around to help. In one sense, the friendship between the two women reached a new level, but at the same time, she also wanted to see how Liz acted after coming off the river. "Maybe she'll be in a better mood," she thought. Even with the prospect of an enjoyable night with Indigo hanging in the air, Liz's allure still pulled at her. Given a choice, she wasn't sure which woman she wanted more. She sighed as she carried some lifejackets to the van. "It doesn't matter. Indigo wouldn't pick me. I'll always be her second choice; and if Liz picks me, it's probably to fuck with Indigo's mind. Even if I picked Indigo, Liz would just turn to her and that'd be it," she thought. Still, deep in a place she didn't want to admit, Lena knew that she didn't really stay for Indigo. Staying meant there was a chance to be with Liz.

Of course, it was far more likely that she would come off the river in a good mood from picking up the best-looking woman on her float. Neither Indigo nor Lena could compete with the pull of a fresh seduction. It was just how Liz was and it didn't do any good to get worked up about it. "She trains us not to expect much from her," Lena thought. Not for the first time, she wondered why she accepted it, but didn't find an answer.

Liz's boat was the final one off the river. Helping to carry the boat up over everyone's heads, she directed her group over to the trailer where they tossed it on to the pile of deflated rafts. As soon as she finished giving hugs to everyone in her crew and they walked away, the façade of a good mood disappeared. With short commands, she oversaw the day's final tasks. Barely acknowledging Lena and Indigo, she mostly talked to Bear, working out details for the Sunday trips. From the comments by the guides on her float, the façade hadn't been very deep. The float felt more like one in guide training where she found fault with everyone, even as she was pleasant with the customers.

As soon as they completed loading the van, Liz drove off by herself. Despite being there the longest, Lena and Indigo milled about and were the last to leave. They both felt let down at the complete lack of attention from Liz. Somehow, they expected her to be more like herself when she came off the river, even though their time together so far was enjoyable and held the promise of being more so. It took them a little while to start to recapture their earlier vibe.

Bear gave them a wave as he pulled out of the parking lot. They waved back without much energy. "Damn you, Liz," he thought. "I'm a slut too, but at least I try not to hurt anyone. You fucking don't care." He liked both of the other women and he could feel their pain, but he couldn't do anything about it. "You know, Liz," he thought, "I think I actually like them a lot more than I like you." As the other guides loudly rehashed the day around him, he drove on in silence.

Left alone, the two women finally shook it off. They enjoyed the day without Liz being a part of it; why should the night be any different?

"Do you want to go to the bar or just head to the camp?" Indigo asked. Both assumed they would hang out together, whatever they did.

Lena smiled impishly. "Let's go to the camp spot. I feel like getting a little drunk. If we go to the bar, then I can't really drink more than one. I'm a cheap date!" she said. "We can pick some beer up on the way up."

"Okay! That sounds like a plan. I know what you mean about getting drunk," Indigo replied.

Lena followed Indigo as they drove to a grocery store. Going in together, they started to recapture their good mood from on the river. As they walked through the aisles, they once again brushed against each other. Neither one of them was bold enough to hold hands, but their awareness of each other started to grow again. They each grabbed a six-pack of beer. By the time they were at the checkout line, they were cracking jokes and giggling. The cloud from Liz's attitude seemed gone.

The drive to the campground took another half hour. The road out of town wound its way deep into a canyon with steep walls that led up to higher mountains. One of the tributaries of the Wenatchee ran alongside it. They went past the first two campgrounds before finally pulling off road into the third one. The group occupied almost a quarter of the campground. Some of the guides from their float were already there despite stopping for a drink. Indigo was sleeping in her SUV so she helped Lena to set up her tent. They finished their first beer by the time it was up.

For the rest of the evening, they sat together and steadily drank their beers. When someone passed around a bottle of Wild Turkey, they drank from that too. As the night went on, they both got more and more drunk. Neither one of them gave any sign of noticing that Liz never showed up. At first, they engaged in the conversation around them, but slowly they became more focused on each other.

Their first drunken kiss was a while in coming. For a long time, their contact was limited to touching each other's leg and leaning together with arms around waists. When Indigo leaned in for the kiss, it was a little sloppy and went on long enough that some of the guides laughed. "Jesus, get a room," Linc said.

"No don't! Stay right there," Bohdi said, causing everyone to laugh. Lena broke the kiss and looked over at him. He had on his normal friendly smile, but even through her inebriation, she saw excitement on the faces of some of the other guides. They were the more experienced guides, not the ones with whom she went through training. She didn't know them well and all the attention gave her a creepy feeling. Indigo didn't notice and kept on kissing her cheek and neck. It felt good, but being at the center of attention didn't. Her hand went into Indigo's hair, grabbing it. She gave it a tug. She meant to do it gently, but didn't have the best control.