Twilight Time

Mr Lee beamed at Niahm and shook her hand. "Delighted to meet you, Miss Niamh, and welcome to my restaurant. I hope you'll enjoy your meal with us." He led us to a horse-shoe shaped booth where we could sit side-by-side and made sure we were comfortable. A quick consultation with Niamh and I asked for a bottle of Chardonnay. "I'll send a waiter with the wine and menus, Miss Vicki." As he left us, his eyes flickered towards Niamh. "Koi hoh lieng."

"What was that last bit?" said Niamh, "It seemed to be about me."

"It was. He said you're very beautiful. He's a good judge."

Niamh smiled then and reaching out, took hold of my hand and interlaced our fingers. My heart did that little flip again. "Anyway, wow, you speak Chinese. That's amazing."

"Only a very little, to be honest. When I was at college I had a flatmate who was from Hong Kong. She taught me some basic Cantonese. Once the talk gets past dead simple, then I'm lost. All that stuff with Mr Lee was just general greetings chit-chat. The staff here know me and they'll speak English when it gets complicated. But just the little Cantonese I know has made me quite popular in here. They appreciate my efforts."

Then Niamh's expression became serious. "I'd better be upfront about something, Vicki. I like you a lot, more than a lot I think, but I don't go to bed on a first date. Perhaps not even on a second, third or fourth date."

I gave her hand a squeeze. "I didn't expect you to, Niamh, and that wasn't my reason for asking you on a date." And it was true, I was quite bewitched by Niamh—I couldn't remember any girl getting to me like this before—and I hoped for a great deal more from our potential relationship than a one-night stand. "I asked you out because I think you're so lovely and I'm very attracted to you and I want to know you a lot better."

"Thank you. Same here, and I want to know you better too."

Our hands remained clasped together until our waiter appeared with the wine. We chose a selection of small sharing dishes for our meal and I showed Niamh how to use chop-sticks—this gave me an excuse to put my arms around her and manoeuvre her fingers into the right grip. Then we talked as we ate and could hardly take our eyes off each other. Among other things, I told her all about my friendship with Susie and about Susie's romance with Joanna.

I'd made a good guess about Niamh's age—she was two months younger than me. "Your name's Irish but you don't sound it."

"My parents come from the same small village in County Kerry," Niamh said, "but I was born and brought up over here."

We lingered over our meal for as long as possible but I knew that sooner or later Mr Lee would need the table so I called for the bill. Niamh tried to grab it but I stopped her. "I invited you, so I pay. You can get the next bill—there will be a next time?"

"If you ask me very nicely." I must have looked startled for Niamh laughed at my expression. "You bet there'll be a next time, Vicki—you just try and keep me away."

Mr Lee saw us to the door and shook our hands as we left. He leaned forward and whispered something to me in English.

"What was that he said?"

I took Niamh's hand in mine. "He said it looks as if I've found a winner and I'm to hang on to you."

"He knows you're gay?"

"He's never seen me with a man and we were doing a lot of hand-holding and whispering, so yes, I suppose he's guessed I'm gay."

A lot of the big stores were still open so for an hour or two we wandered round window-shopping, sometimes holding hands, other times arms around waists, constantly exchanging little glances and smiles and whispers. We got a variety of looks from other shoppers—most smiled at us but some frowned in apparent disapproval. Well, stuff the latter, if they were still stuck in the middle of the twentieth century that was their problem. We found an ice-cream parlour still open where we each had a king-sized Peach Melba. As the stores began to close, we looked out for a taxi to take us home.

This time the driver was a woman. We sat in the back as close as the seat belts allowed, our hands clasped together, looking into each other's eyes (yes, the very thing I'd mocked Susie and Joanna for). When we arrived at Niamh's place, I asked the driver to wait while I saw Niamh to the front door.

We reached the porch and Niamh said: "Thanks, Vicki, I've had such a lovely time tonight. Perhaps I shouldn't say this but I'd have gone out with you if you'd only offered me a burger." Niamh put her arms around my neck. "I know I don't go to bed on a first date, but I've got nothing against a goodnight kiss." I embraced her, pulling her to me, and we had our first proper kiss. Niamh pressed a hand to the back of my head to hold me close. Her mouth was silky and soft and warm and I was totally lost in her. Our lips parted a little and the tips of our tongues met in a slow caress. I don't know how long we kissed, it could have been seconds, it could have been eternity. I've had many kisses in the past, usually more frantic and lust-filled, but none of them could match up to this one. It was the sweetest kiss I've ever had, the most caring kiss, it was a kiss that whispered 'forever' to my heart. We broke apart at last, slightly breathless.

"Wow!" I said, feeling weak at the knees.

"Yes, wow!" Niamh gasped, then: "I'd better go in Vicki, before I break my rule. I'll call you tomorrow, promise." She pressed her lips to mine once more then dived into the house.

Dancing down the steps like the lead in a musical film, I went back to the taxi and climbed into the front by the driver. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"That's all right, lovey," she said, "Know what it's like. Been in love myself."

"Oh God, is it that obvious? But... we only met yesterday."

"So? How long does it take? You might as well have 'I'm in love' tattooed on your forehead—both of you."

As she put the car in gear and slowly pulled away from the kerb, I realised that I was becoming wet and hoped that it wouldn't seep through my jeans. I suppressed the urge to squirm against the seat, thinking that would push the driver's tolerance a bit too far.

Once in bed, I relived that goodnight kiss over and over in my mind, and my honeypot became so sodden I masturbated myself through several orgasms before going to sleep holding my fingers under my nose, pretending that my fragrance was Niamh's. I enjoyed a series of erotic dreams involving a beautiful redhead and woke in the morning feeling all warm and fuzzy.

* * * * *

Niamh rang early on Sunday morning and Susie, who had come down to cadge some breakfast, grabbed the phone before I could reach it. "Hi Niamh, you don't know me but I'm Susie, Vicki's best friend." I tried to snatch the phone from her but she nimbly turned her back and then kept dodging my frantic efforts. "No, she's right here trying to get the phone 'cos she doesn't want me to tell you all her guilty secrets. Help! Help! She's attacking me now. She's very cruel to me when she's thwarted 'cos I'm only tiny. She's started hitting me leaving great big bruises and now she's tearing my hair out and twisting my arm. Let me go, you big bully!"

Tiring of her game at last, Susie tossed me the phone. "Niamh, I hope you didn't believe all that bullshit because if you did, a certain small person is in deep trouble."

Niamh was laughing. "Susie sounds like fun."

"Yes, you might even get to like her if she lives long enough." I glared at the certain small person who had flopped onto the sofa, sniggering to herself.

"Anyway, Vicki, it's looking like a nice warm day, so I was wondering if you'd like to come to Holcombe Park with me. We could have a fun day out together and eat lunch at one of the outlets."

Josiah Holcombe had been a wealthy and philanthropic Victorian tycoon who in his middle years had bought several hundred acres of land on the outskirts of the city and built his mansion there. In his will he left the estate to the city to create a park for the enjoyment of the population. The mansion was now a museum, there was a small woodland area, a petting menagerie with playground for children, several small lakes, an outdoor swimming pool, an ice-cream parlour and at weekends a number of concessionary food outlets—all good quality, not junk food—with an adjacent picnic area. Among others there was a Japanese noodle stall, a curry stall, a German sausage stall and an old favourite of mine...

"...can we go for a Tex-Mex lunch?" I asked.

There was a delighted laugh at the other end of the line. "That's exactly what I was going to suggest," Niamh told me. Boy, but this girl just got better and better by the moment.

"We could share a plate of their nachos..." I said.

"...the ones smothered with melted cheese and chopped chillies..."

"...yes, with a sour cream dip, and maybe their enchiladas which..."

"...are the best in town," Niamh concluded, "Eleven o'clock at the main gate."

I ended the call and felt like I was dancing on air. "You'd better start carrying an anchor around before you float away," Susie said, then added more seriously: "I think you've found the one now, Vicki."

I reckoned Susie was right, but... "I've only known her two days," was my feeble protest.

Susie sighed and pulled me down beside her on the sofa. Holding my hand in both of hers, she said: "Vicki, don't be negative. I don't care how long you've known her, I've never seen you like this over any girl before—you're completely besotted. Joanna and I both knew we'd found the right one the minute we saw each other in The Twilight and it looks like you and Niamh are the same. So go and have a wonderful day with her and I defy you to come home and tell me I'm wrong."

I had a quick shower and made sure my legs and underarms were smooth. Then what to wear? The day was already warming up and I guessed it would be hot by midday—certainly not jeans weather—so I picked out an Indian muslin dress I had, three-quarter length and coloured sea-green which just about matched my eyes. Susie wandered in and nodded approval. Looking at my backside, she commented: "No visible panty line, that's good." There was a reason for that. I'd opted to go commando, not because I was anticipating sex with Niamh but because in hot weather I always liked to let kitty have some fresh air. It felt more hygienic. Roman-type sandals which left my feet almost bare completed the outfit.

As I was leaving the house to catch my bus, Susie kissed my cheek. "Just go with the flow, Vicki, you know it makes sense."

Niamh was waiting for me at the park entrance and I was pleased to see that she had gone for the cool look too, a light, sleeveless summer dress which showed off a pair of stunning legs. Lord, but she was beautiful.

She took my hands in hers. "Oh, Vicki, you look gorgeous."

"I was just thinking the same about you." I hope my expression wasn't too gormless. Susie had said I was besotted and that was the right word. I was head over heels but I didn't want to push it too fast. "So, let's go and enjoy the day."

We spent a good hour or more wandering all over Holcombe Park, practically joined at the hip, and then we went to the Tex-Mex stall for our lunch which we took to one of the picnic tables, as far from the others as possible. Any one watching us would have thought either: "How sweet." or "Pass the sick-bag." We sat close together, heads almost touching, as we whispered silly things and fed each other spicy nachos and bites of enchiladas. When we'd finished eating Niamh suggested: "Let's go up to The Lookout to sit and enjoy the sunshine."

The Lookout was a small rise in the centre of the park with a flat top which held a number of benches. It overlooked a couple of the park's lakes and was simply a pleasant place to relax.

It was almost empty up there, most visitors being at lunch I suppose. Niamh and I settled on a bench and sat there holding hands as we admired the view. After a few minutes, Niamh said: "Vicki, are you out? To your family, I mean."

"Yes, long time now."

"How did they take it?"

"Pretty well. My mum was a bit disappointed but only because she expected a lot more grandchildren from me—generally she was okay with it. How about you?"

Niamh shook her head. "I haven't been able to tell my parents yet—not sure if I can, not for a while anyway. They're both very devout Catholics. I told you they come from the same small Irish village. It's one of those places where years ago the parish priest ruled the roost and people jumped when he said 'jump'. Somebody like me would most likely have been packed off to a convent or a home for wayward girls so they could 'cure' me. Despite their being high-fliers and having lived in England for years, I think Mum and Dad still tend towards the village mind-set.

"And our local parish priest, Father Donovan, comes from a similar village and he's old school. Must be close to retirement age now and he still rages about the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah. I reckon he's the one who put the 'igs' in 'ignorant bigot'. I think if he found out I'm a lesbian, there'd be hell to pay, in my case for eternity if it was up to him."

I hugged Niamh to me. "That must be so tough for you. How about your flat-mates, do they know about you?"

"Ruth and Liz? Yes, they're okay with it. But they'd have to be—they're gay themselves, in fact they're civil partners, going to change to marriage soon now that the new legislation's in force. It was them I was with in The Twilight on Friday."

Niamh looked a little down from what she'd told me, so I said: "Let's go to the ice-cream parlour and pretend we live in a perfect world."

We ordered a sharing-dish of Cornish Cream vanilla with dark chocolate sauce and took it to one of the farthest picnic tables. We started out using spoons, then Niamh did something I thought quite erotic. She scooped a large blob of ice-cream onto an index finger and held it to my mouth. My tongue snaked out to retrieve it so she repeated and this time I took her finger into my mouth and sucked on it long after the ice-cream had gone. I did the same for her in turn and we continued this way until the dish was empty. While this was going on, I was pleased to see that like me, Niamh kept her fingernails neatly trimmed. I once had a disconcerting tryst with a woman who had very long, sharp nails. Ouch!—never again.

Wiping my hands on a napkin, I said: "You've won my heart, Niamh Cassidy. Will you be my girl?"

Niamh gave me an impish grin. "If you ask me very nicely."

"Very nicely, Niamh, will you be my girl?

She nodded eagerly. "Oh God, yes please, Vicki—I think that's been a given since I bumped into you the other night."

Forgetting that we were in a public place, I pulled her close and our lips and tongues met in a long kiss.

"Whoo-whoo! Give her one for me!" We jerked back from each other. Several teenage boys passing by, all about fourteen or fifteen years old, were laughing and cheering.

Niamh blushed and my face felt warm. I grabbed her hand. "I think we'd better have another stroll round the park before we forget ourselves and get arrested for indecent behaviour," I said.

As we wandered, Niamh looked serious again. "Vicki, I told you I don't go to bed easily. I think I owe you an explanation."

"You don't owe me a thing, love. I wouldn't push you into anything."

"Still..." Niamh hesitated briefly then continued: "Several years ago I was in a relationship with a woman called Marti. She seemed so perfect that I jumped into bed with her the night I met her and she persuaded me to move in with her—I told my folks I was sharing a flat with a friend, which was true enough in a way. I loved her and thought it was the long-haul thing. Then one evening, when we'd been together for about eight months, she came home and told me quite coldly it was over and she wanted me out as quickly as possible. I was terribly shocked and hurt and asked why—she told me I'd been an experiment to see if the lesbian life suited her. She'd decided she was straight and that was it, goodbye Niamh. Strange though—the previous night we'd made love twice and she'd come like a hurricane both times.

"I wasn't sure I could go home and then I got lucky, Ruth and Liz had the spare room and offered it to me. They're both a few years older than me and they've become quite protective of me. It took me a while to get over Marti and when I did, I realised that she had never once told me she loved me. Oh, there'd been plenty of apparent affection but without the words to back it up. I was just so blind that I hadn't noticed. I guess as far as she was concerned we didn't make love, we just shagged. Last I heard she'd married some bloke whose father owns a chain of hardware stores. So now... well, I'm nobody's easy lay."

I stopped and turned the lovely redhead to face me, holding both her hands tight in mine. "Sounds to me like it's her loss, the stupid woman. Niamh, I'm the genuine article, not in the least straight, and I've never—would never—treat anyone as an experiment. That's despicable. As for going to bed... I'm..." I almost said I'm in love with you but thought it too soon to hit Niamh with that. "...I'm prepared to wait until you feel it's right."

Niamh threw her arms around me and we kissed, not caring for the moment about raucous teenage boys, disapproving blue-stockings or anyone else who happened to be watching.

* * * * *

The following Friday evening I took Niamh to meet Susie and Joanna in The Twilight and to my great relief they all took to each other immediately. You probably know what it can be like—you have two great friends, think they'll hit it off, and when you introduce them they can't stand one another.

Niamh did look Susie up and down before saying "Well, they'd love you at the hospital. You heal really fast, your bruises have gone and your hair's grown back very quickly."

Susie grinned at me. "I like this one—she's very observant." Joanna looked puzzled so we had to explain about Susie taking my call from Niamh and my alleged brutality. Then we had a fun time, drinking, dancing, making whoopee and such nights became a fixture in our lives. Ruth and Liz joined us a few times but I wasn't very keen on them or perhaps a better way of putting it is that I was wary of them. Oh, they were pleasant enough and I maintained a façade but Niamh had said that they were protective of her and I got the impression from the outset that they didn't quite trust me, Ruth in particular. At times I felt like shouting at them: "My name's not Marti, I love this girl!" I didn't, though—I didn't want to embarrass Niamh and they might have thought it a case of "...the lady doth protest too much..."

Niamh and I had to arrange our meetings carefully. We both worked odd shifts and Niamh spent a lot of time studying for further qualifications in her chosen field. She had exams coming up in a few months time and I gathered they were tough. Still, we made what time we could and I knew beyond doubt that I was deeply in love. Niamh was the one.

We'd been an item for about six weeks when Niamh decided that the time was right to take things further. The music in The Twilight that evening was slow and smooth and we were dancing, letting our bodies go with the rhythm. I moved behind Niamh, putting an arm around her midriff, my hand cupping the lower swell of a breast. With my free hand I moved her glorious hair aside and planted a series of kisses on the back of her neck, allowing my lips to linger as I inhaled. Niamh smelled absolutely delicious. I resumed kissing and she shivered and let out a moan. I was to find out that a back-of-the-neck kiss had the same effect on Niamh as the tongue-in-the-ear did on me.