Unrequited Pt. 02

"Gosh, I'm sorry, Bethany." I could hear her hesitating. "But still, Friday? What do you think?"

Well, I guess this is where the rubber meets the road, isn't it? If I want a relationship I have to be willing to do relationship-y type things. And this was one of them. I took a deep breath and took the plunge.

"OK, I'll go."

"Really?" She sounded so happy I couldn't help but smile.

"You sound so surprised."

"I just..."

"What?"

"I don't want to analyze you again."

"It's OK, I am laying on the couch after all." That made Kayleigh giggle. I loved hearing that. "So why are you surprised?"

"I just didn't peg you for someone to couple up so quickly. I thought I'd have to work a lot harder at it." Kayleigh's voice got quieter. "Or did I jump the gun on that?"

"No, you're pretty right on. Scarily so, actually."

"Are you thinking about running?"

"No, no I'm not."

"So, on Friday, how do you want me to introduce you? 'This my friend?' I reckon 'This is the lady I've had a couple of nights of stupidly awesome sex with' is too long."

"I agree. Plus, you ended with a preposition. Bad form."

We both laughed, and I continued. "Friend is fine, but I wouldn't be upset if you wanted more." I was twirling my hair, something I only did when I was really nervous.

"More?"

"Girlfriend." Alright, I'd gone and put my foot in it now.

There was silence for a moment. "Really?" Kayleigh's voice was soft and hesitant. "Are you sure? You want that?"

My heart was stumping. "Yeah, I mean, you said you wanted hand-in-hand, rocking chairs at the old folks home. This is probably a good first step. "

"That's funny, but don't joke about this, sweetheart."

It was the first time Kayleigh had called me anything other than Bethany, at least as far as I could remember. I took a deep breath. "Kayleigh, I'm not good at relationships. I have almost no experience with them." I sat up, pulling my knees up to my chest and hugging them. I thought about Sally and Tim, Natalie and Greg, my mom and dad, and the little ways they made each other happy. A tear formed in my eye. "But I want to try. I'm so tired of being alone." The drop slipped free, rolling down my cheek as I felt the raw truth of that admission slice into my soul.

"Oh, Bethany. I wish I were there to hold you."

I smiled through my tears, glancing up at the clock, which said it was past nine-thirty. "Me too, but it's late. I'll see you Friday, though, right?"

"Yeah. Six, my place, we'll go together. Tell your friends I'm game for Labor Day. Assuming our relationship survives the weekend."

I smiled. "I think it will. Call me an optimist."

"Would anyone else call you an optimist?"

"Not about relationships, at least."

"So make me a deal. You give me a fair chance, and I'll show you how amazing being in a relationship can be."

"Think a lot of yourself, do you?"

"I just have a good feeling."

"OK, you're on." I paused for a second. "Thanks, Kayleigh."

*****

I waited until the next morning to text Sally that we'd be coming on Labor Day if they still wanted us. I think I could hear her squeal of joy all the way across town. I honestly wasn't sure who was more excited about this relationship, her or me.

The answer to that question had always and inevitably been 'her' in the past. And that, of course, had made me want to distance myself from any woman I was involved with.

But the thing is, it was different this time. I was excited, and I really liked Kayleigh. Throughout the week I found myself hoping every time my phone buzzed that it would be her, not Sally, like I would have in the past.

Kayleigh and I spent Wednesday evening on the phone, talking for hours.

"What are you doing?" Kayleigh's voice was playful as I sat on the lid of my toilet.

"Filling my tub."

"Ooh, is it going to be a bubble bath?"

"Yeah, and a bath bomb." Sally had bought them for me for Christmas. I pushed that annoying thought away.

"Oh, what kind?"

"Lavender, it's my favorite scent."

"Really? I'll have to remember that. "

When the bath was ready I put Kayleigh on speaker and set my phone in its stand on the tank of my toilet. I shrugged off my robe, dropping it on the floor as I stepped into the water and sank under the bubbles.

"Did you just get in?"

"Yeah."

"So, you're completely naked, and those incredible boobs of yours are all wet and shiny?" Kayleigh's voice husked over as she spoke.

"Yup."

"Why aren't we on a video chat?"

I laughed. "Because if I tried to hold my phone while taking a bath, I'd drop it, and it would become a six hundred dollar paperweight."

"OK, fine." Kayleigh's voice suddenly husked over. "But if I can't see them I'm going to pretend I'm touching them. Are you touching your breasts, Bethany?"

My fingers began tracing circles over my large areolae, making my nipples rise to attention. Wow, that felt nice, and I told Kayleigh so.

"As much as I love them, though, I wouldn't stop there."

"What would you do?"

"Slide my hand down that sexy tummy of yours and into that pussy."

I copied her words with actions, pleasure spiking through my body as my fingers slid over my sex. "God, Kayleigh, that feels amazing."

"I know, I'm good with my hands."

We both laughed, but mine turned into a moan as my fingers continued to work. Kayleigh kept talking to me, telling me how beautiful I was, how much she loved touching my skin, telling me about all the things she was doing to me this weekend, until the sound of her voice and the movement of my hand combined to push me over the edge into bliss.

When I floated down I could hear Kayleigh giggling. "I love the sounds you make when you come."

"I'm glad you approve. And what exactly are you doing, Missy?"

"Laying in bed."

"Are you touching yourself?"

"Yes." Kayleigh's voice was dripping with desire.

"Does it feel good?"

"Yeah, but not as good as when you do it."

"Don't worry, I'll be the one touching you after the party Friday. "

"Mmm, promise?"

"Oh, yeah. If I'm your girlfriend now, no more taking it slow, right?"

"Yeah." Her voice purred with lust.

"I'll be kissing your body, sucking on your breasts, licking down over your stomach, until I settle between your legs and take you to heaven. I can't wait to run my tongue through your pussy; it tastes so good."

I kept going, listening to Kayleigh's moans and rapid breathing. Eventually she went perfectly silent, and the only sound coming from her phone was the rustling of her sheets, which meant she was coming hard.

"Was that good?"

"Oh, god, Bethany. I can't wait for you to be here."

"Me, too. See you Friday. Sleep well."

"You, too. Bye."

The call disconnected and I sat back in the water. A girlfriend. I was someone's girlfriend. Keep breathing, Beth. Funny thing is, I was really looking forward to Friday. Monday, that was another story altogether.

*****

I slipped out of work early Friday and hit my local salon. I wasn't sure how fancy her friends would be. Kayleigh had said casual, but that could mean a lot of things to different people.

Mary, my stylist, trimmed my hair to just three or four inches past my shoulders, and put back the highlights that had faded away before teasing everything into messy, layered waves.

When I made it home I jumped in the shower before dressing, putting on just a little bit of make up and perfume. I wanted to impress, after all.

I resisted my instinct to call Sally for help with outfit selection. I was a big girl, and I would dress myself. I opted against one of my few dresses or skirts. I didn't hate them, but I never quite felt like myself. But I also didn't want to come across as too butch, so I went for a conservative, tan, mock neck bodysuit with full sleeves. It hugged by breasts nicely, mostly for Kayleigh's benefit. I finished with a pair of black bell-bottom slacks that were nice and tight in the waist and hips.

I felt my outfit accentuated my curves nicely, and if the way Kayleigh's eyes went wide when she opened her door was any indication, my petite girlfriend agreed with me.

"Wow, Bethany, you look amazing. "

I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face as Kayleigh's gaze made me feel all warm inside. Not that I didn't have any eye candy of my own. Kayleigh's gauzy, long sleeved blouse was white with black polka dots over a skater skirt that stopped just above the knee. She had on dark stockings, and her long straight hair was pulled back over her ears.

"You, too, Kayleigh, I mean, wow." She blushed and looked down as I took a moment to drink her in.

"Come on in. I'm almost ready."

I walked in, setting my overnight bag by the door. I took a moment to scratch Patches behind her ears, since she'd jumped on the back of a chair nearby and was meowing for attention.

"See? She likes you. If you want to be her friend forever there are some cat treats in that cupboard."

I nodded, and as soon as I moved toward the kitchen, Patches jumped up on the counter and led me straight to the correct door. I pulled out the bag and tossed a few of the treats on the floor. After getting down Patches took a moment to rub on my leg, marking me as hers, before she set purringly to her delicacies.

"OK. Ready to go? "

I turned back to Kayleigh, who'd put on three-inch heels, making her legs look even more amazing. My own pumps gave me about an inch of lift, so I was still taller by a bit. I extended my hand, which she took, and we were headed outside.

As I drove Kayleigh gave me the rundown of everyone who'd be at the party. I could tell from how fast she was talking that she was nervous.

"And Benjamin's wife, Corinne, is like, non-dairy, gluten free, all natural yada yada yada."

"Something wrong with that?"

"Not if you actually need to be those things. She doesn't. I know for a fact that she has no issues with dairy or gluten. She just likes being high maintenance. And superior. She loves criticizing other people's diets. I don't know how Benjamin puts up with it. He's so mellow and laid-back."

"Maybe he likes diagnosing her neuroses?"

Kayleigh giggled. "Maybe, but you'll see what I mean."

I have to admit I was a little nervous, too, as I walked up the front steps. I hadn't been introduced as someone's girlfriend since college. Kayleigh's hand tightened in mine. "You OK?"

I force myself to nod. "Yeah." We made it onto the patio, and I reached out and rang the doorbell before stepping away.

I heard footsteps, high heels on stone tile, and the door was opened by a handsome, middle-aged woman in a wraparound red dress.

"Kayleigh! So glad you could make it!" She stepped aside and we entered.

"Thanks for inviting me. Marianne, this is Bethany Houser, my girlfriend." I could tell the word was still a little foreign to her, but she got it out. My brain went a little fuzzy hearing it. "Bethany, this is Marianne Cowan, our hostess and my boss's wife."

I shook her hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Bethany, please make yourself at home." I thanked her for opening her home to me.

Marianne smiled and nodded in toward the murmur emanating from inside. "Come on, you're going to have to meet everyone sometime."

I took a moment to look around the house, which was huge. The ceilings in the entryway were at least twenty feet high. There was a staircase to the right, leading up to a balconied second floor. A massive gold chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling far above.

Marianne led us through a set of double doors into a massive great room, where a dining table was decorated with ten elegant places. There was a huge open kitchen off to the left, where several people in white chef's coats were working.

Kayleigh's eyes were wide. "Oh, who did you get?"

"Trattoria Marcella."

"Oh, I love them." Kayleigh grabbed my arm. "Have you been there, sweetheart?"

I'd heard of them, of course, very high-end, but no. "Sorry, I'm more of a Fazoli's girl, I guess. Maybe Olive Garden on special occasions. "

Kayleigh grinned. "I've got to get you out to some better restaurants."

Marianne put her hand over her mouth. "You two are so cute together. Come on. Dinner should be ready in about twenty minutes. We have to throw Bethany to the wolves first."

"She's kidding." Kayleigh said it quickly, probably to keep me from bolting, but I was okay.

Still, I gripped Kayleigh's hand the little tighter as we were led past the dining area and through a set of glass doors out onto a massive, multi level wooden porch where a group of people were standing and talking.

"Hey, everyone, Kayleigh and her girlfriend are here."

The group seemed to turn as one, and suddenly I felt like all the spotlights were on me. Which, I guess they were.

Kayleigh made general introductions, and I spent a few minutes shaking hands.

"Do you want a glass of wine, sweetheart?"

I nodded, as I could definitely use a drink, and Kayleigh moved away. An older man stepped forward and shook my hand, introducing himself as Daniel Cowan, Kayleigh's boss. "It's nice to meet you Bethany. I'll warn you though, I think of Kayleigh as the daughter I never had. So I expect you to be good to her." He said it with a smile and humor in his voice, but something told me he wasn't kidding.

"I'll do my best, sir. You've known her a while?"

"Hired her right out of graduate school. Our practice specializes in family counseling, but we didn't have anyone who does what she does. When my own son came out as gay, Marianne and I didn't handle it very well. It's funny, I always tell people there's no shame in seeking counseling, but when I needed it I was more than reluctant. I mean, what could some shrink tell me that I didn't already know? But it was so helpful, and my relationship with Jeffrey, my son, has never been stronger. I knew right away we needed an LGBTQ specialist at the practice. She's been a godsend."

"To me, too, sir."

"Call me Dan."

I nodded, and Kayleigh showed up at that moment with two glasses of wine. She handed one to me, grinning. "Are you two talking about me?"

"Yup. Dan was just telling me what a pain in the butt you are."

"Oh, I'm sure you haven't heard the half of it."

Dan laughed, and Marianne slid in next to her husband. "Now, I want to hear all about how you two met."

We related the story a couple of times that night, downplaying our semi-adulterous hook up at The Velvet and upselling Kayleigh's chasing me down at the fair.

I am not an extrovert, and the constant attention from the others quickly left me feeling drained. But Kayleigh's arm in mine and her proud, adoring glances kept me going, at least until she got engrossed in some shop talk with a couple of colleagues. Instead of calling the party foul, I took the opportunity to slip away for a breather.

The lower half of the decking gave way to an elegant, flower-draped pergola over a stone walkway, surrounded on both sides by flower gardens. I went down the path, taking in the fragrance of the late autumn blooms. I'll admit I lost track of time until I saw Marianne walking up the path.

"There you are, we're sitting down to dinner if you want to come back up to the house."

I blushed. "Sorry, I just..." I looked around at the flowers. "It's very beautiful."

"Thanks, I did all this."

"Really?"

"Really. When the boys got older I took a master gardener class from MU Extension. It's my passion. What's yours?"

I shook my head. "I'm not sure. I mean, I love my job, most of the time, anyway. I do IT work.

"I can say you're a breath of fresh air from Patricia. None of us liked her."

"Kayleigh doesn't talk about her much."

"She was cold, distant, hard to engage." She sighed. "This stays between us, but we were relieved when they broke up. It's a hazard of being a therapist. All your coworkers are always analyzing your relationships."

"There seem to be a lot of those; hazards of dating a therapist."

"Some." We started walking back up toward the house. "I've been married to one for thirty years. They are wonderful listeners and friends, and they don't play the stupid games that a lot of people do in relationships. In all, I recommend it. Especially with Kayleigh, she's a good one."

I forced a smile, feeling more than a little pressured. But they were her friends, that was expected. When we made it back to the deck it was empty, save for a small, dark-haired woman with concern flashing and her beautiful green eyes. Marianne headed inside as I walked over to my girlfriend.

"Hey. You disappeared." There was worry in Kayleigh 's voice.

"Sorry. I was looking at the gardens."

"OK, um, dinner's ready. Want to go inside?"

"In just a second." I slipped two fingers under her chin, lifting her face to mine. She made a happy little noise as our lips met, pressing her body against me.

She giggled when we broke apart, blushing and turning her head to the side, just like a schoolgirl with a crush. When she looked back at me there was adoration in her eyes, which both thrilled me and filled me with a bone-deep terror.

It wasn't the desire. It was the trust, which I was sure I didn't deserve. But at the same time there is nothing on earth more beautiful than the smiling face of a woman who loves you, and it cut me to the quick.

"You OK?" Concern narrowed Kayleigh's lovely green eyes, and I smiled and pushed away the fear.

"Yeah." I linked her arm in mine. "Let's go inside."

The food was amazing, with a choice between Osso Buco or shrimp scampi over either pasta or potato gnocchi. The decor already set this aside as the fanciest shindig I'd ever attended, but with the excellent serving staff, man, it was like another world.

The most embarrassing moment came with Kayleigh 's boss toasted our new relationship, wishing us a long and happy one. No pressure there. I got to see exactly what Kayleigh had meant about Corinne, as she was constantly extolling her superior food choices. I even caught Marianne rolling her eyes once.

After an incredible meal, topped with cannolis for dessert, we ended up in the living room playing an old-fashioned game of Pictionary, like right out of the scene from When Harry Met Sally. We played therapists against partners, and it was a bloodbath. We wiped the floor with them, a fact I did my best to rub in on the way home.

"You guys were terrible. I mean, ambulance chaser. How did you not get that?"

"Shush you. I'm terrible at those games. And there were no art classes in my curriculum in college. You were good."

I shrugged. "Computers force you to be super logical, since they are complete imbeciles."

"I thought computers were really smart."

"No." I shook my head. "Computers have IQs of zero, every one of them. A computer will do exactly what you tell it to, and absolutely nothing else. I had a professor tell us his computer's name was TOM, totally obedient moron."

"What about Watson and Alexis and those things?"

"All illusions. They imitate, they don't think. If we ever achieve true AI, well, you've seen Terminator, right?"

"Oh, that would not happen!"

"I hope not." I grabbed her, and she laughed and slapped my knee, before sliding her hand into mine.

"I had a really nice time tonight, Bethany. You were amazing. Everyone loved you."

"That's because I'm adorably irresistible." I tried to stay nonchalant, but I was blushing.

"Irresistible, huh? So, when you get me back to my place, I won't be able to stop myself from inviting you in?"

I shook my head. "No chance."

"And then I'll be helpless when you strip me, and take me back to bed?" Her voice was soft and scared and innocent, but I could see the fire in her eyes

"That's right. You'll be all mine."

"Do you at least promise to be gentle?"

We were stopped at a red light, so I leaned towards her. "Some of the time." Her green eyes were wide, her lips parted, and she was trembling slightly as I kissed her, letting her happy whimper tingle down my spine, and I didn't stop until the car behind us honked, informing me the light had changed.