You Are My Eyes Drabbles 37-73
So, umm... yeah... Gift fics didn't get done because this completely took over my brain.
37. Sound
“How do you know where I’m going to punch?” Kelly asked one day, voice muffled by the towel she was wiping her face with. “You can’t see or feel my body, so how do you know?”
“… I dunno?” Carolyn guessed, gulping down water from her water bottle. “Luck?”
“Luck wouldn’t happen that often.” Kelly disagreed, rubbing the back of her neck. She had been training the red belts for a couple hours before Carolyn showed up, and then her sensei had made her run around the gym thirty times for ‘inappropriate behavior on the mats’.
“She listens.”
Kelly jumped and spun around so quickly she would have knocked into the aged karate instructor if he hadn’t taken a step back. “Sensei! Don’t creep up behind me!”
“Carolyn-san, did you know I was here?”
“Well, yes.”
“And when you fight Kelly, does she breathe differently sometimes?”
“Yes.” A small smile replaced the look of bewilderment on the blind woman’s face.
“Pardon?” Kelly attention went from one to the other, eyes narrowed.
“Like I said, she listens.” The man winked at Kelly and started to move away, humming.
38. Touch
Carolyn had always found it interesting how the sensation of touch changed with the situation. She touched things quite often: furniture, appliances, equipment, clothing, CDs, etc. Her fingers sensed all textures, temperatures, hardness, and sharpness.
People were a little different though. Strangers in the street didn’t really matter to her; but a touch from a friend carried warmth. A hug, a handshake, a slap on the back, a guiding hand covering hers; they were all reassuring.
But Kelly’s touch was different. Her hugs were like thermal springs, her kisses like funnels of fire. Her skin, normally sensitive, seemed to become even more so when Kelly was around; and Carolyn loved that warmth.
She also loved memorizing Kelly’s body, how the woman’s smooth skin grew tauter when she caressed it, how they seemed to fit together so well when all her experience with men were fumbling at first.
Though she was too embarrassed to actually say it, she thought Kelly was the warmth of the sun.
39. Taste
“Are you okay?” Anita asked mildly, taking another bite.
I was too busy guzzling down water to answer her. My glass didn’t have enough in it so I grabbed the water jug and chugged, not really caring if some of the water dribbled out of the sides of my mouth.
“I told you not to take that piece of chicken.” Kelly said sympathetically, rubbing the space between my shoulder blades. “Anita puts way too much spice on meat, and you need to build up tolerance.”
“It’s not my fault you girls have such wimpy taste buds.” Anita answered cheerfully, poking me with the butt of her fork. “My mum always said that food wasn’t made right unless it made some white chick run for water.”
“You’re insane.” I put down the water jug and grabbed the salad. “You just have no taste buds! Prolly burned them up in a poof of smoke.” I wiped the tears from my eyes and tried to ignore the wet patches of fabric I was wearing.
Then a pair of lips pressed against mine, and Anita’s tongue licked up the bit of sauce that was still at the corner of my mouth. “Mm… Cherry lip gloss this time?”
Kelly sighed and kicked the Spaniard under the table.
40. Sight
“Why do you call your white cane a walking stick?” Anita asked one day, pressing herself against my back as I tried to wash the dishes.
“Was one of your ancestors a limpet?” It was hard to move with her clinging to me.
“Not that I know of. Now come one!”
“I don’t like to.”
“Why?”
“Because.”
“Why?”
“How old are you?”
“Anywhere between two and eighteen according to Kelly.” She chirped, nuzzling my neck. “But you love me anyway.”
I gave up. “One of my brother’s favorite things to do as a child was to point out how many old people were using canes as we walked by. He teased me about being weak like an old person until I convinced him that he should stop. Then he started calling it a walking stick and since that’s what it is, I’ve kept calling it that.”
“How did you convince him?”
“I sat on him. But you’d enjoy that so…” I picked up a kitchen knife.
Anita got the hint and flounced out of the room, calling: “I shall go find Kelly and ask her to protect me from you, you knife wielding savage!” over her should.
41. Shapes
“It looks like a sheep.”
“No… it looks like a dragon… a cute anime dragon!”
“You’re delusional. Dragons are sleek, serpent-like, and have more dignity than that mass of fluff! It’s a sheep.”
“You have obviously never watched cutesy anime.” Anita said haughtily. “It looks like a dragon and dragons eat sheep.”
“Dragons don’t exist.” Kelly pointed out. “So they can’t eat anything.”
“Komodo dragons exist, so maybe dragon DO exist somewhere.”
“Again, you’re delusional.”
“… That one looks like Carolyn’s face. Creepy.”
Kelly looked up. “You know, I think you’re right.”
“Of course I’m right.” Anita sniffed. “How do you feel about that cloud stealing your face, Carolyn?”
When the woman didn’t answer, they looked at her and were surprised to see headphones over her ears.
42. Triangle
"So how's your love triangle going?" Peter asked me one day when I walked into his hospital room.
I made a rude gesture and sat down at the edge of the bed. "I hear you're doing better?"
"Apparently. They're not forcing oxygen down my throat anyway. And you didn't answer my question..."
"Pretty much the same except that Anita knows that Kelly knows she loves her. And she's living with us."
Peter made a chocked noise. I heard something that sounded vaguely like 'shitdamn' when the former professor started his coughing fit. After a few minutes, he regained control over his body. "That's... um... interesting?"
"Very." I agreed, giving him a Look.
He cleared his throat. "Yes Carolyn?"
"Stop fantasizing about lesbian threesomes. You're almost as bad as Anita."
"You can't tell me you haven't thought about it!" He pointed out.
My blush was my answer. "Moving on..."
43. Square
"Straight lines are unnatural." Anita declared one evening, flopping onto the bed beside me.
"Eh?" I felt like being polite.
She flung an arm across my torso. "Lines are purely a human concept. I mean, nothing in nature's straight right? Rivers are swervy, ground's uneven, sticks are bent, paths twist... everything is crooked!"
"So?"
"So? So! Why do people make square houses and then walk into the sharp corners that divide room? Why don't they just make round houses? I mean, really? We have the technology to make round things now but people stay angular because of tradition. Think of all the stubbed toes that could be prevented!"
"You stubbed your toe?"
"Well, yes; but I want people to stop thinking in terms of straight since it's a man-made concept."
"... And?"
"I like being crooked." Anita pounced on me, stole a kiss, and then pranced out of my room.
It always came down to sex with her.
44. Circle
Kelly was walking me to work one day (she was still paranoid because of what happened in the park), when I heard a familiar voice.
"... looking for me, so I'm keeping low. Do you have a place I can crash, man?
It was the guy who stabbed Anita and he was right in the open!
"Carolyn? You okay?" Kelly asked, probably wondering why I had her hand in a vice-grip.
"It's Him." I said, going towards the man who had tried to kill me. Something in me was shaking with fear, but I was only listening to the anger. The anger told me to go over to the asshole and finish what I started a couple weeks ago, preferably by beating him to his knees.
"Wait!" Kelly held me back, using her superior strength to keep me away from my goal. "I'm going to call the cops first."
"He'll just get away from them again." I snarled, struggling against her. "Lemme go Kelly!"
"Trust me, I want to kick his ass into a bloody pulp," Kelly said coolly, "but assaulting him on a busy street will lessen the police's case against him and he'll get out of jail. Do you want that to happen? Trust me, this'll ruin his life more."
I swore, but did as she asked. He still tried to run when he saw the cops approaching, but Kelly was faster and tackled him to the ground. He stopped resisting when she punched him in the face... having your nose broken does that to a person occasionally.
And as things came to close, I realized that listening to Kelly hadn't been a bad idea; I still got to hear him whimper in pain.
45. Moon
Anita had always loved the moonlight. It's delicate pallor coated the land, not invasively like the sun's brilliance; but more like the gleam of candlelight in the mirror. Since the early days, its cycle of waxing and waning had been the symbol of female power, a respected presence that drove the tides to bow their frothy crests close to land. The truth about 'The Witching Hour' had been primarily lost through the generations, but the fact was that night represented the unknown. Even in cities with all their light pollution, night was a time of change, a time to discard the habits of a member of the day's working class and become something else. The tricky moon was still engraved on some outhouses and other, more dignified, areas.
But what Anita truly loved about the moonlight was how it made Kelly's skin glow softly, a gentle caress she longed to give with her own hands. She used to stroke the woman's hair at night, watching the way the strands shifted their colours in fascination. Now, Carolyn was the one with that privilege and Anita was the outsider. In a way though, it was okay. Carolyn, despite her shortcomings, made Kelly glow even brighter than the moon did and did not reveal her mortality like the sun chose to: little lines around her eyes and mouth from worry and laughter.
And Carolyn, who looked so predictable at first; was one of the most complex people she knew.
46. Star.
"Let's go star-gazing!"
"No." Kelly answered flatly, looking at Carolyn.
"If you two come with me, I'll bring cocoa with marshmallows and a big blanket." Anita wheedled, looking at Carolyn. Despite her proclamations of being Carolyn's defender, Kelly wilted every time the blind woman chose to go along with Anita's plots.
Which she did. "I like cocoa." Carolyn grinned, turning towards Kelly hopefully. "Please Kelly?"
"Pwetty please with a whipped-cream covered Carolyn on top?"
"Anita!" Kelly blushed beet red, putting a hand over her face.
"Now that you mention it, whipped cream might add to the cocoa." Carolyn mused, unfazed. It was not the first time Anita had used that expression in her presence.
"Oh it adds all right..."
"I give up." Kelly sighed.
Anita patted her on the shoulder consolingly. "You are so whipped."
Kelly did not argue.
47. Heart.
"You summoned me, all powerful Kelly-love?" Anita drawled, flouncing into the house without waiting for Kelly to speak.
"Carolyn's not here." Kelly mumbled, noting how Anita was scanning her surroundings. "We need to talk."
Anita froze for a telling second, and turned around slowly. Her hazel eyes were full of resignation, even her small smile became strained. "You said that enthusiastically."
"You know I'm not good at heart stuff." Kelly bit her lip. "But I-... I... I c-"
"You can't trust me with your heart again." Anita said it for her, voice devoid of emotion. "You've been trying to talk yourself into trying, but you can't. I've noticed."
"I'm sorry Anita, I- I do love you. But it still hurts too much and I don't know if it'll ever stop and I don't want to hurt you but I don't want to hurt me either!" Kelly blurted, reaching towards the other morning without thinking.
"I'm sorry too." Anita stepped back, away from Kelly. "I'm sorry for breaking your heart, I'm sorry for running away when you needed me, and I'm sorry I'm still hurting you. I am happy you have someone that'll treat you like you need."
"Anita, I-"
"Just don't. Please."
Kelly let her go, feeling both liberated and crushed.
48. Diamond
She was like a diamond. The world believed her to be unbreakable, a brilliant gem that made people stare in awe and longing, forged from heat and pressure; but in reality, she was so much more fragile than that. When Kelly finally gave the answer she had been expecting, the answer crushed the bonds holding pieces of the diamond together, fracturing it into dozens of smaller pieces. As the woman continued to try and explain, the clever cutter kept on doing its job, grinding the pieces down into fragments the size of sand.
The phrase 'Diamonds Are Forever' was quite misleading. People imagine the immortal diamonds as being whole; but in reality, the sands of time were composed of diamond fragments.
49. Club
It was Lisa who first found her after The Talk. Lisa the receptionist, whose card Carolyn had given her one day after she realized Anita's situation in an attempt to set her up. Anita had laughed it off at the time, her hope still strong; but now she needed someone who did not really know her. Someone who wouldn't stare past her lies into the truth of things like Carolyn, someone who wouldn't try to be paternal like Peter (whose act fell a little short since he was still hospitalized); someone new.
"Did Carolyn talk to you lately?" It wasn't the most tactful thing to say, but the alcohol washed away the few inhibitions she usually paid attention to.
"She said she was worried about you." Lisa answered, hovering uncertainly in the doorway. The woman was no great beauty in society's opinion, but she had the same type of honesty as Carolyn and an uncertainty about her that the blind woman refused to show. Anita thought of her as flower-like, prone to blooming under praise and care. "I was surprised when you called so I gave her a quick ring. She didn't say why though, something about it being your decision..."
"Come in and I'll explain." Anita did not smile, but it was more a case of not being able to than not wanting to. "It might take awhile."
"I don't have to go into work tomorrow." A shy smile.
It was a good thing she called Lisa on a drunken whim. They spent the night talking for the most part, and Lisa was not opposed to comforting Anita n bed either; alone, Anita would have used alcohol to club herself into insensibility.
50. Spade
I woke up with my head pounding and my eyes blurring when I tried to open them. Sitting up, I held my head in my hands and only noticed I was naked when the air bit at my skin. Blinking, I looked down at the arm lying across my lap and followed it to my bedmate.
It took me almost a minute to remember who she was. She really was cute in the dawning light, even if she was drooling a bit on the pillow.
We all have our faults.
And mine were too obvious sometimes. I staggered out of the bed, grabbed a large sweater from the chair beside the balcony, and went outside. The crisp morning air shot darts of cold into my skin, but it cleared my mind and I desperately need a clear mind if I'm ever going to bury my crush on Kelly.
If being the case, objection, point, and finishing clause of everything at that moment.
No swearword in English, French, or Spanish could cover this appropriately.
"Thanks Carolyn." I told the sky, shivering. I hated goosebumps because of what they did to my smooth skin, but god it was cold.
It would be even colder if I didn't have someone waiting in bed for me, even if she was not one of the two people I really wanted.
51. Water
Carolyn actually came to my office when I was closing up. "Yo." She said, exploring the room with her cane until she found my couch. She ran her hands across the padded fake leather curiously once she was settled.
"You know where I work?" I blurted.
"I asked Kelly." The minx shrugged. "Jesus Anita, you scared me when I called you earlier."
"I did?" I didn't think I had fielded her call that badly.
"You were scared." She told me bluntly, as was her habit. Carolyn was like water, preferring the path of least resistance until something blocked her path. Then, she builds up the pressure and strikes the opposition down.
I managed to stop the wince from appearing on my face, but I'm pretty sure she heard it in my voice. "I'm sorry I worried you."
"Don't be a fool, Anita." She patted the couch. Once I obeyed her summons, the slight woman pulled me into a bear hug and refused to let me escape. "I love you, you silly woman. Trying to spare my feelings just irritates me, you know that. I want to help you."
"And what does Kelly say?"
"Kelly trusts me to do my best to make sure you get better."
"I'm fine."
"Then why do I hear tears?" She whispered in my ear.
Water was also the nurturer of life.
52. Fire
Anita cried for a very long time, longer than I ever wanted her to. I know Lisa helped last night, but Anita needed someone who could tame the devouring fire of sorrow in her heart. She loved Kelly like she did everything in life, with her whole soul; and that's what was in jeopardy. I would've gone to her yesterday but I needed to make sure Kelly was okay.
I held her as she soaked the front of my shirt, rubbed her trembling back, and listened as she talked. I accepted her kisses, but she made no move to take it further. She just soaked up the comfort, and I could feel something healing inside of her.
"'m never going to get you in bed, am I?" She murmured, body slack against mine.
"I don't know if it'd be a good idea right now." I answered truthfully, holding her like my mother used to hold me. "You're a bit raw at the moment."
"Guess so." Anita agreed, falling towards sleep, energy spent.
"I'm going to get up for a moment okay?"
"Don't leave..."
"I will wait for you to wake up, then I'm taking you home." I promised, unlacing her shoes and removing her belt. Those were always a pain to wake up with.
"With me?" She asked with a child-like vulnerability. "S'cold."
"Of course."
53. Earth
Kelly was gardening. Pulling out weeds kept her hands occupied and she amused her mind by going through the properties of the plants in her garden. Healing herbs, flowers, cross-bred flowers, some dying bean plants, perennials, annuals, seed dispersal methods, soil preferences, light preferences, Latin names and phylum.
The feel of the moist earth still warm from the sun's rays, the scent of greenery in growth and decay, the rustling of leaves in the wind; she loved it. What started as a game in her parents' house had become a full-fledged passion. It was a balm when she was troubled, her anchor when things got a iffy.
She had been spending a lot of time gardening since she had her talk with Anita.
54. Air
The next time Kelly and Anita saw each other face to face was when Carolyn declared that they would bring Peter home from the hospital.
"I'm not taking your charity." Peter declared, stronger now than he had been in while. He sensed that something had happened, one had to be completely self-absorbed not to; but he was prepared to wait until someone told him.
"Yes you are." Carolyn said sweetly. "You're causing the hospital some trouble because they have limited resources and staff and you still can't lift anything heavier than a glass of water. You are coming to our house, and you are going to live on the sofa for as long as I believe you have to."
"Hell no."
"... You're good with your hands, aren't you?" Anita said mildly, making him stare at her. He knew something was wrong; but this was bad. Interestingly enough, Kelly looked somewhat guilty.
"Yes." He answered, suddenly understanding Carolyn's fierce look of protection and decision to stand between them.
"Well, I don't know about Carolyn, but Kelly would have failed a high school construction class because she seems to think hammers are meant to hit her own body."
"We do have shelves that need fixing." Kelly admitted grudgingly.
"And if you're any good at it, I have an old whittling kit that I bought on a whim." Anita added. "I'm sure you could make pretty presents."
"You'll be our house slave." Carolyn summarized cheerfully. "You start tomorrow."
Peter just blinked. 'Women are insane...'
55. Spirit
When Carolyn came out of the bathroom wearing the Halloween costume Anita had made her, Kelly blushed to the roots of her hair and stared. Even Anita, who had imagined this moment while stitching, was stunned into silence. What had started as a wisecrack on Carolyn's part had turned into a form-fitting tiger costume, complete with tail.
"I don't know how you got measurements this close," Carolyn muttered, oblivious. "I couldn't even put on a bra and underwear!"
"..." Was her answer.
Cocking her head to the side, the cat-woman crossed her arms. "Yes?" She prodded.
Anita looked at Kelly and noted that the white of her karate costume made the redness of her face even more alarming. It made her feel a little outclassed in her French maid outfit (she didn't have much time to work on her own costume after Carolyn's), but it did not bother her much. Carolyn truly looked delicious.
"Hello~o?" The woman waved in their direction, making her breasts wiggle.
Anita laughed at the glazed look in Kelly's eyes. "In the spirit of woman-lovers everywhere, Carolyn, I dub thee a tasty-looking morsel."
"Let's skip the party." Kelly pleaded, finally finding her voice.
"But Anita-"
"Can stay." Kelly tore her eyes away from her lover, and observed her ex-lover's shocked expression fondly. "It's up to you."
"As if I'd refuse sex." Anita kissed Kelly, acknowledging the unspoken agreement. Even if it was only once, she would maximize the opportunity.
It took a lot less time to get Carolyn out of her costume than it took for her to put it on.
56. Breakfast
When Peter got back from checking up on people at the homeless shelter the next morning, he was quite surprised to find that the door to Carolyn's room was open. He was even more surprised to see three naked women on the bed, only partially covered by the blankets. Heat flowed down to his crotch as the scent of sex permeated his senses, adding to the sight in front of him. Gulping, he took a step forward and forced himself to look at their heads. He fought with the sleeping Carolyn on the left over the blankets she was hogging, and managed to cover Anita on the right. As usual, Carolyn looked perfectly content asleep, half sprawled over Kelly's body in the middle; Anita on the other hand, clung desperately to Carolyn's hand as she curled towards the other two, pillow slightly damp to Peter's eyes. Unable to help himself, he kissed her on the forehead, a silent benediction.
She opened her eyes as he was about to turn around, looking perfectly aware. Her grip on Carolyn's hand tightened for a moment, then she slipped out of the bed, unashamed to be standing in front of him naked. Instead of giving him an amused wink at his blush, she walked past him towards the bathroom, grabbing Carolyn's housecoat as she went.
He shut the door behind them, noting how Carolyn's content expression became guilty, an expression of wakefulness.
Instead of speaking, he went to make breakfast and ignored the crying in the bathroom.
57. Lunch
When Anita came out of the bathroom, she was still wearing Carolyn's bathrobe.
"I made food." He told her, pulling out a chair.
"Thanks." She mumbled, flicking her damp hair out of her way absent-mindedly.
"I'll listen, if you want to talk." He said softly, putting a couple slices of French toast on a plate and giving it to her. The maple syrup was already on the table.
"I don't want to really..." She poured a generous amount of syrup onto the plate and started to eat. "I knew I would feel like this after but I wanted to take whatever I could get."
"You're never going to get over Kelly if you think like that." Peter mentioned.
"Pardon?" A flare of a Spanish accent he knew should exist but had never heard before.
"Somebody who suffers from unrequited love should not sleep with the person they love if they want to heal. You should know that."
"It's not unrequited!"
He just Looked at her.
"Well, maybe with Kelly; but Carolyn-"
"Will not leave Kelly alone." Peter interrupted. "And though you are polyamorous, Carolyn is a lot more monogamous than she thinks she is. She might still have sex with you from time to time, but the love won't go as deep as yours."
"Fuck you Peter." Anita swore, stabbing her food.
"Are you staying for lunch? They will be up by then." He asked mildly.
"I don't know."
58. Dinner
Anita actually ended up staying until supper. Since she had no intention of staying over, she needed to borrow some of Carolyn's clothes. The pants were a bit short and tight; but the shirt she found was comfortable.
With Anita's help, Kelly cooked enough food to feed all of them twice-over and it turned out to be just enough. Peter, despite his bony appearance, had the appetite of a black hole at times.
"This brings back memories." Carolyn mused, making sure her water glass was full every time she ate something Anita had prepared.
"Oh?"
"My family used to eat together like this."
"Didn't your aunt's family eat together?" Peter asked curiously.
"Yeah, but it wasn't comfy." Carolyn shrugged. "You guys are my family now, so I think this is comfortable. Don't you?"
"Yup."
"A little."
"For the most part." Anita nodded at Kelly.
"Anita?"
"Well, my family's dinner's usually ended up with food-fights between me and my brothers."
"No." Kelly said, eyes wide.
"Oh yes. My parents always kicked us into the river to wash off after." Anita smirked. "Too bad the closest body of water is the harbor."
"No desire to come out mutated." Carolyn shook her head, smiling.
"Oh well..." Anita looked at Peter deviously. "I'm sure your house slave would clean up after us if we made a mess, right papa?"
Peter just glared.
59. Food
"I never thought Trolls could be that smart." Anita mused, her head on my chest.
I stopped listening to my book for a moment. "I heard you wrong, didn't I?"
"Nope." She put the book down beside her. "A troll just explained humanity's need to poke its noses into everything."
"Oh?"
"People have two bellies. A physical stomach for food; and a mental belly for thought. Even if we satisfy the material one, our mind-belly's is like a bottomless pit."
"... And this clever insight is from a Troll?"
"Well, the Eddings couple if you want to be technical." Anita shrugged. "But the character that made it was a Troll."
"... Don't you have work to do?"
"Yeah, but reading random junk like this makes work seem more humorous."
"Nutball."
"Maybe."
60. Drink
"Why don't you want to go out?" Anita wheedled.
"Every time I mix you and alcohol, something happens."
"Like what?"
"Well, the most obvious is the gay club adventure." I pointed out. "The time you wanted to read me porn."
"What went wrong there?" A pause. "Oh, right."
"Yeah."
"Well, you need to get over your fear of me and alcohol. And you haven't gone out in forever."
"I'm fine with it, Anita. Now shoo, I have work to do."
"Jesus Carolyn, turn into an old woman why don't ya."
"You're older than I am."
"Oh shuddap."
61. Winter
Despite Carolyn's attempts at levity, that winter was the harshest time of Anita's life. The weather itself was not too bad, being warmer than most years; but the thing that sapped Anita's strength was pretending that nothing had changed. She still strove to tease Carolyn and Kelly mercilessly, and pretended that her heart didn't break a little more every time Kelly looked at Carolyn with adoration. Seeing them happy made her happy, that was true, but it was an empty kind of happiness she had not experienced before now.
She found herself growing more and more dependent on Lisa and Peter. Lisa became something of a security blanket that warded off the uncertainty of the night, someone who actually invited Anita out to socialize with people that had no idea of her situation. It was a bit of a precarious effort because Anita was used to speaking her mind and some of the people Lisa introduced her to were not used to honesty; but after they were thrown out of a couple parties, Anita learned how to separate her outer voice from her inner voice.
Peter, she trusted him to keep an eye on her girls.
62. Spring
Come spring, she was pretty much going out with Lisa. Before, their relationship had been more of a 'friends with benefits' type of arrangement; but Anita realized that Lisa had become serious when she brought some of her things to Anita's apartment.
"Are you moving in?" She asked, somewhat apprehensively.
"Nope." Lisa gave her a small smile. "I just want to use some of my stuff when I spend the night. I like your pillows, but this one's my favorite and I made the mug over there."
"Ah...?" Anita flopped down on her couch, watching Lisa as she put some stained glass figurines on the door to the balcony.
"Which reminds me, I thought you said you had a cat?"
"Sachiko lives with Kelly and Carolyn 'cause my landlady's allergic."
"Ah." Lisa shook her head.
Although she did not know why, Anita suddenly felt a little sheepish.
63. Summer
It was summer by the time Anita was ready to bring Lisa over to Kelly's house, and by then the flowers in the garden were in full bloom.
"God, she does have a couple green thumbs, doesn't she? Lisa breathed, taking in the sheer amount of vegetation in front of her.
"Kelly's always been better with plants than people." Anita nodded, walking down the familliar path with Lisa in tow. "Carolyn's home already, I checked; and Kelly should be getting back from work soon."
"Or she's right here, checking on the children while you two chatter." Kelly drawled from the left, body hidden by the plants she was investigating. Standing up and brushing off her hands, she took a glance at their joined hands and blinked. "Ah. So Carolyn's hunch was true." The woman winked at the blushing Lisa and made her way out of the garden.
"Carolyn's hunch?" Anita asked, looking slightly deflated. 'There goes my chance to surprise them.'
"She does work with Lisa, you know." Kelly smirked.
"Oi, will you three stop lolligaging?!" Carolyn's familiar voice from the doorway, making the three women jump in surprise. "I actually made snacks. Kelly, you can wash up before coming to the table. The ground's too moist for you to've avoided getting your hands dirty. Anita, Sachiko's taking a nap in my room so if you want to face her claws, go ahead and try to wake her."
"She's a bit bossy at home, isn't she?" Lisa mumbled, following Anita into the house.
"She got Kelly completely whipped." Anita agreed.
"I don't mind." Kelly whispered conspiratorially.
64. Fall
"She's falling for you, you know." Kelly told Lisa softly, watching Anita play with Sachiko. The woman was dangling a piece of string with a piece of shiny paper wrapped around its end in front of the cat's face. Sachiko was more interested in climbing over Carolyn's body at first, nuzzling sensitive spots with her cool nose to make the woman twitch; then she started to play along without touching the ground. After asking for a pillow, the blind woman just laid down on the floor and pretended to snooze.
"She's not." Lisa disagreed, not looking at Kelly. "You're still on her mind."
"Anita doesn't just love one person at a time." Kelly started to explain, hesitation turning into certainty. "It's one of the reasons we broke up in college.. The fact that she brought you here tells me that she considers you to be someone special."
"Oh?"
"Anita never introduces her fuck-buddies to me, and she absolutely refuses to bring them to my house. The fact you've been seeing each other for awhile too."
"So what makes you think she's actually falling for me?"
"She's showing you off."
65. Passing
"So are you going to let this chance pass you by?" Carolyn asked Anita, rubbing Sachiko behind the ears.
"She sounds like a furry motor, doesn't she?"
"Anita?" Carolyn prodded
The woman sighed. "What chance?"
"To take Lisa for yourself. If you procrastinate talking to her about it too long, she'll leave. Kelly already put down the groundwork for you."
"She did what?" Anita asked flatly.
"You know Kelly's a bit of a busy-body when it comes to you."
"She is?"
"Well, she's usually more subtle about it." Carolyn admitted. "But that's beside the point."
"Carolyn~!"
"So are you?"
"If I do, will you leave me alone?"
"Oh, hell no." Carolyn smirked. "Somebody has to make sure you don't screw yourself over again."
"Point."
66. Rain
Halifax was a port city. Capital of Nova-Scotia, it also possessed one of the oldest unviolated fortresses in Canada. Resting on Citadel Hill, it overlooked Downtown Halifax, the harbour, and Dartmouth which was a more residential city than Halifax. Since it was on the south coast, the twin cities were often pelted by rain and tropical storms than came up the Atlantic from the Equator.
Kelly usually did not mind the rain. Oh, she complained about it like any other person who's been rained on out of habit; but the rain also brought opportunities. Her garden always needed water to be able to thrive, and she liked saving money on the water bill. Most of all though, the rain had a habit of soaking through Carolyn's clothes and making the woman cold. Relieving Carolyn of her wet clothes was always interesting, as were the warming-up methods.
67. Snow
"Think fast!" Anita yelled as I took a step out of the house. A snowball left her hand and flew at me, making some small flakes of fluffy snow distance themselves from the compact mass. Since Carolyn was right behind me, I batted it away with my forearm instead of ducking.
"Scowling gives you wrinkle~s." She teased, skipping backwards.
I scooped up a handful of snow and started to run. Her eyes widened hilariously and she turned around quickly -too quickly as it turned out. The snow beneath her feet had clogged the tread of her boots and the quick motion sent her off balance. Her arms made wild circles in the air and then she was sitting on her ass. I shoved the handful of snow down the back of her jacket before she could scamper away.
"KELLY~Y" She wailed like a two-year-old, trying to dig the melting snow out of the jacket.
"You started it." I pointed out, helping her to her feet.
Or that's what I thought I was doing until she suddenly tackled me. Then I was the one on the snow-covered ground. "ANITA!"
"Got ya!" She cackled, darting towards Carolyn. "Save me from Kelly-the-snow-grouch!"
And Carolyn, being Carolyn, just laughed at us both.
68. Lightning
The was an old saying that lightning doesn't strike the same place twice. Getting hit by lightning in the first place is extremely unlikely unless you happen to be a large metal pole -though still more likely than winning the lottery for humans. But you always hear about dark things happen on stormy nights, a scene of horror illuminated by a flash of lightning. It's used by movies, books, and basically most ways of story-telling. If you step away from the horror scenes, there are different expressions revolving around lightning: quick as lightning, jagged like lightning, heat lightning, etc.
I experience a different type of lightning. Heat floods from a point of contact and races through my body, an furious electronically current that leaves me gasping. Sweat gathers across my skin, my muscles spasms as the feeling amplifies under her touch. And just before I think my heart will literally explode, everything collapses upon itself and feeling is all that's left.
That type of lightning sparks between us quite often.
69. Thunder
I was surprised to learn that Carolyn was actually afraid of thunder. She's pretty much fearless when it comes to everything else; bugs are an irritation, the dark is nothing, strange people do not intimidate her enough to have any effect, wide open spaces, closed spaces, whatever. She doesn't really like crowds, but that's mostly because she finds it hard to navigate when people clutter her senses; she's not actually scared of them. But thunder seemed to be different.
When she heard the word 'thunder' in weather forecasts, she always grew quiet and distracted. It's only recently that she actually admitted her fear to me though, and that was mostly because I found her huddled in a ball beside her bed, Sachiko shivering right along with her.
"What's wrong honey?"
"Nothing!" She said quickly. A thunderclap reverberated through the house then, and she shuddered. "Nothing." She squeaked again as Sachiko made a whimpering meow.
I knelt in front of her. Lying a hand on her shoulder. She jumped at the contact, but then she threw herself at me, sending us both sprawling to the floor with Sachiko between us. The cat yowled. I lifted my lover up enough to pry the cat out of her grasp and set it beside us, than I held her tightly. She whimpered as lightning gave way to more thunder. I lifted her up and crawled into bed with her, cradling her against me as the storm raged outside. "Thunder won't hurt you."
"I know." She growled, hold tightening on me until I could barely breathe. Sachiko, the scardy-puss, jumped up on the bed and squeezed between us somehow. "But it's so- eek! ... loud... and... and..."
"I'm here."
"...Thanks..."
70. Storm
"I love the X-men." Anita waved something in front of my face.
"I like the idea of superpowers too." I grinned. "I mean, being able to move things with your mind, think of it! You could do so much without getting up."
"Well, I like the whole regeneration thing." Anita confessed. "No worries about wrinkles or anything."
"You're face is fine Anita." I patted her on the cheek.
"But the main thing I like is the outfits."
"Eh?" I blinked.
"Hello... Spandex! And all the ladies are so lovely. Of course my favorite's Storm; she kicks ass and she's utterly delicious."
I just shook my head. "Don't you ever think of anything else?"
She kissed me, taped me on the nose, and kissed my cheeks in turn. "Nope."
71. Broken
"Broken hearts are harder to fix than I expected." Lisa told Carolyn during their lunch break one day. "Anita told me what happened between them in college and how Kelly told her it wasn't going to happen again, but I didn't think she'd keep going back for more. She didn't seem like a masochist, and I don't think Kelly even realizes how much she's hurting Anita by being with you -not that I blame you."
"You've gotten really involved, haven't you?"
"Isn't that why you tried to hook us up?"
"Well, yes, but I didn't think anything would happen after Anita didn't do anything for so long." Carolyn admitted.
"I blew off my boyfriend to go see her, you know." Lisa mumbled, taking a sip out of her water bottle.
"You did?"
"Yeah. We'd been going out fairly steady for a few months but he didn't want it to go anywhere. Then I met Anita and she actually needed me."
"So you broke up with your boyfriend for her?"
"Pretty much."
"Did you ever tell her?"
"No. I don't want to scare her off."
72. Fixed
It was almost a year since Anita and Kelly had their talk, and Anita sought Kelly out at work. "Do you have a moment?" She asked politely, nodding at Kelly's work partner.
"I have a few minutes." Kelly wiped her dirty hands on the sides of her jeans before moving a strand of her hair away from her eyes. She did not seem to realize that the contact still left behind a trail of dirt. "What's up?"
"Is there any place private?" Anita asked, clasping her hands together.
"Let's go out back for a moment." Kelly nodded, resolutely making her way behind the counter beyond the wall that separates the store from the employee lounge and storage room.
Almost as soon as the door swung close behind them, Anita pushed Kelly up against the table and kissed her, leaning forward sharply enough to make Kelly bend back. Before the woman could do more than utter a startled squeak, she was half-lying on the table, her hands pinned above her head. Anita's weight and touch made excitement rise through her body even as her mind tried to figure out why this was happening.
Then, Anita was standing a foot away, a sober expression on her face. "Lisa fixed my heart enough for me to push you away, even if I want to follow through. How does it feel to be on the other end?"
She left a flushed Kelly on the table, and was back in the store before the woman could even say 'huh?'
73. Light
"Anita confuses the hell out of me." Kelly muttered when she got home one day, pressing herself against me from behind. She kissed the sensitive skin on my neck, her hands slipping under the hem of my shirt and down the front of my panties.
"Erm?" I asked, stretching against her, letting the plastic cup fall back into the sink, unwashed.
"She came to see me at work today, asked if we could talk in private, did this." Kelly spun us around without changing our positions and bent me over the empty table, taking care not to hurt me. With one hand, she secured my wrists and ran her other hand over the my stomach tenderly. "Then she left, saying that she can quit me."
"I guess she's seen the light." I breathed, feeling my heart beat quicken. I wrapped my legs around her body to make sure she didn't follow Anita's example.
"Oh?" Kelly asked, seeming to have no such desire. Instead, she slid my shirt up to my wrists and started to leave a trail of kisses around my stomach.
"Me 'n' Lisa have been trying to convince her that it's okay to stop loving you romantically so she can move on with her life. If she left you alone after doing that, than she must've realized something."
"I see." Kelly kissed me for a long moment, half-climbing on the table to do so. It creaked. "You're quite a busy-body, my light."
"Well, I think all my hard work deserves some type of compensation." I quipped when we stopped kissing for a moment.
"I think I can manage something." Kelly purred.
37. Sound
“How do you know where I’m going to punch?” Kelly asked one day, voice muffled by the towel she was wiping her face with. “You can’t see or feel my body, so how do you know?”
“… I dunno?” Carolyn guessed, gulping down water from her water bottle. “Luck?”
“Luck wouldn’t happen that often.” Kelly disagreed, rubbing the back of her neck. She had been training the red belts for a couple hours before Carolyn showed up, and then her sensei had made her run around the gym thirty times for ‘inappropriate behavior on the mats’.
“She listens.”
Kelly jumped and spun around so quickly she would have knocked into the aged karate instructor if he hadn’t taken a step back. “Sensei! Don’t creep up behind me!”
“Carolyn-san, did you know I was here?”
“Well, yes.”
“And when you fight Kelly, does she breathe differently sometimes?”
“Yes.” A small smile replaced the look of bewilderment on the blind woman’s face.
“Pardon?” Kelly attention went from one to the other, eyes narrowed.
“Like I said, she listens.” The man winked at Kelly and started to move away, humming.
38. Touch
Carolyn had always found it interesting how the sensation of touch changed with the situation. She touched things quite often: furniture, appliances, equipment, clothing, CDs, etc. Her fingers sensed all textures, temperatures, hardness, and sharpness.
People were a little different though. Strangers in the street didn’t really matter to her; but a touch from a friend carried warmth. A hug, a handshake, a slap on the back, a guiding hand covering hers; they were all reassuring.
But Kelly’s touch was different. Her hugs were like thermal springs, her kisses like funnels of fire. Her skin, normally sensitive, seemed to become even more so when Kelly was around; and Carolyn loved that warmth.
She also loved memorizing Kelly’s body, how the woman’s smooth skin grew tauter when she caressed it, how they seemed to fit together so well when all her experience with men were fumbling at first.
Though she was too embarrassed to actually say it, she thought Kelly was the warmth of the sun.
39. Taste
“Are you okay?” Anita asked mildly, taking another bite.
I was too busy guzzling down water to answer her. My glass didn’t have enough in it so I grabbed the water jug and chugged, not really caring if some of the water dribbled out of the sides of my mouth.
“I told you not to take that piece of chicken.” Kelly said sympathetically, rubbing the space between my shoulder blades. “Anita puts way too much spice on meat, and you need to build up tolerance.”
“It’s not my fault you girls have such wimpy taste buds.” Anita answered cheerfully, poking me with the butt of her fork. “My mum always said that food wasn’t made right unless it made some white chick run for water.”
“You’re insane.” I put down the water jug and grabbed the salad. “You just have no taste buds! Prolly burned them up in a poof of smoke.” I wiped the tears from my eyes and tried to ignore the wet patches of fabric I was wearing.
Then a pair of lips pressed against mine, and Anita’s tongue licked up the bit of sauce that was still at the corner of my mouth. “Mm… Cherry lip gloss this time?”
Kelly sighed and kicked the Spaniard under the table.
40. Sight
“Why do you call your white cane a walking stick?” Anita asked one day, pressing herself against my back as I tried to wash the dishes.
“Was one of your ancestors a limpet?” It was hard to move with her clinging to me.
“Not that I know of. Now come one!”
“I don’t like to.”
“Why?”
“Because.”
“Why?”
“How old are you?”
“Anywhere between two and eighteen according to Kelly.” She chirped, nuzzling my neck. “But you love me anyway.”
I gave up. “One of my brother’s favorite things to do as a child was to point out how many old people were using canes as we walked by. He teased me about being weak like an old person until I convinced him that he should stop. Then he started calling it a walking stick and since that’s what it is, I’ve kept calling it that.”
“How did you convince him?”
“I sat on him. But you’d enjoy that so…” I picked up a kitchen knife.
Anita got the hint and flounced out of the room, calling: “I shall go find Kelly and ask her to protect me from you, you knife wielding savage!” over her should.
41. Shapes
“It looks like a sheep.”
“No… it looks like a dragon… a cute anime dragon!”
“You’re delusional. Dragons are sleek, serpent-like, and have more dignity than that mass of fluff! It’s a sheep.”
“You have obviously never watched cutesy anime.” Anita said haughtily. “It looks like a dragon and dragons eat sheep.”
“Dragons don’t exist.” Kelly pointed out. “So they can’t eat anything.”
“Komodo dragons exist, so maybe dragon DO exist somewhere.”
“Again, you’re delusional.”
“… That one looks like Carolyn’s face. Creepy.”
Kelly looked up. “You know, I think you’re right.”
“Of course I’m right.” Anita sniffed. “How do you feel about that cloud stealing your face, Carolyn?”
When the woman didn’t answer, they looked at her and were surprised to see headphones over her ears.
42. Triangle
"So how's your love triangle going?" Peter asked me one day when I walked into his hospital room.
I made a rude gesture and sat down at the edge of the bed. "I hear you're doing better?"
"Apparently. They're not forcing oxygen down my throat anyway. And you didn't answer my question..."
"Pretty much the same except that Anita knows that Kelly knows she loves her. And she's living with us."
Peter made a chocked noise. I heard something that sounded vaguely like 'shitdamn' when the former professor started his coughing fit. After a few minutes, he regained control over his body. "That's... um... interesting?"
"Very." I agreed, giving him a Look.
He cleared his throat. "Yes Carolyn?"
"Stop fantasizing about lesbian threesomes. You're almost as bad as Anita."
"You can't tell me you haven't thought about it!" He pointed out.
My blush was my answer. "Moving on..."
43. Square
"Straight lines are unnatural." Anita declared one evening, flopping onto the bed beside me.
"Eh?" I felt like being polite.
She flung an arm across my torso. "Lines are purely a human concept. I mean, nothing in nature's straight right? Rivers are swervy, ground's uneven, sticks are bent, paths twist... everything is crooked!"
"So?"
"So? So! Why do people make square houses and then walk into the sharp corners that divide room? Why don't they just make round houses? I mean, really? We have the technology to make round things now but people stay angular because of tradition. Think of all the stubbed toes that could be prevented!"
"You stubbed your toe?"
"Well, yes; but I want people to stop thinking in terms of straight since it's a man-made concept."
"... And?"
"I like being crooked." Anita pounced on me, stole a kiss, and then pranced out of my room.
It always came down to sex with her.
44. Circle
Kelly was walking me to work one day (she was still paranoid because of what happened in the park), when I heard a familiar voice.
"... looking for me, so I'm keeping low. Do you have a place I can crash, man?
It was the guy who stabbed Anita and he was right in the open!
"Carolyn? You okay?" Kelly asked, probably wondering why I had her hand in a vice-grip.
"It's Him." I said, going towards the man who had tried to kill me. Something in me was shaking with fear, but I was only listening to the anger. The anger told me to go over to the asshole and finish what I started a couple weeks ago, preferably by beating him to his knees.
"Wait!" Kelly held me back, using her superior strength to keep me away from my goal. "I'm going to call the cops first."
"He'll just get away from them again." I snarled, struggling against her. "Lemme go Kelly!"
"Trust me, I want to kick his ass into a bloody pulp," Kelly said coolly, "but assaulting him on a busy street will lessen the police's case against him and he'll get out of jail. Do you want that to happen? Trust me, this'll ruin his life more."
I swore, but did as she asked. He still tried to run when he saw the cops approaching, but Kelly was faster and tackled him to the ground. He stopped resisting when she punched him in the face... having your nose broken does that to a person occasionally.
And as things came to close, I realized that listening to Kelly hadn't been a bad idea; I still got to hear him whimper in pain.
45. Moon
Anita had always loved the moonlight. It's delicate pallor coated the land, not invasively like the sun's brilliance; but more like the gleam of candlelight in the mirror. Since the early days, its cycle of waxing and waning had been the symbol of female power, a respected presence that drove the tides to bow their frothy crests close to land. The truth about 'The Witching Hour' had been primarily lost through the generations, but the fact was that night represented the unknown. Even in cities with all their light pollution, night was a time of change, a time to discard the habits of a member of the day's working class and become something else. The tricky moon was still engraved on some outhouses and other, more dignified, areas.
But what Anita truly loved about the moonlight was how it made Kelly's skin glow softly, a gentle caress she longed to give with her own hands. She used to stroke the woman's hair at night, watching the way the strands shifted their colours in fascination. Now, Carolyn was the one with that privilege and Anita was the outsider. In a way though, it was okay. Carolyn, despite her shortcomings, made Kelly glow even brighter than the moon did and did not reveal her mortality like the sun chose to: little lines around her eyes and mouth from worry and laughter.
And Carolyn, who looked so predictable at first; was one of the most complex people she knew.
46. Star.
"Let's go star-gazing!"
"No." Kelly answered flatly, looking at Carolyn.
"If you two come with me, I'll bring cocoa with marshmallows and a big blanket." Anita wheedled, looking at Carolyn. Despite her proclamations of being Carolyn's defender, Kelly wilted every time the blind woman chose to go along with Anita's plots.
Which she did. "I like cocoa." Carolyn grinned, turning towards Kelly hopefully. "Please Kelly?"
"Pwetty please with a whipped-cream covered Carolyn on top?"
"Anita!" Kelly blushed beet red, putting a hand over her face.
"Now that you mention it, whipped cream might add to the cocoa." Carolyn mused, unfazed. It was not the first time Anita had used that expression in her presence.
"Oh it adds all right..."
"I give up." Kelly sighed.
Anita patted her on the shoulder consolingly. "You are so whipped."
Kelly did not argue.
47. Heart.
"You summoned me, all powerful Kelly-love?" Anita drawled, flouncing into the house without waiting for Kelly to speak.
"Carolyn's not here." Kelly mumbled, noting how Anita was scanning her surroundings. "We need to talk."
Anita froze for a telling second, and turned around slowly. Her hazel eyes were full of resignation, even her small smile became strained. "You said that enthusiastically."
"You know I'm not good at heart stuff." Kelly bit her lip. "But I-... I... I c-"
"You can't trust me with your heart again." Anita said it for her, voice devoid of emotion. "You've been trying to talk yourself into trying, but you can't. I've noticed."
"I'm sorry Anita, I- I do love you. But it still hurts too much and I don't know if it'll ever stop and I don't want to hurt you but I don't want to hurt me either!" Kelly blurted, reaching towards the other morning without thinking.
"I'm sorry too." Anita stepped back, away from Kelly. "I'm sorry for breaking your heart, I'm sorry for running away when you needed me, and I'm sorry I'm still hurting you. I am happy you have someone that'll treat you like you need."
"Anita, I-"
"Just don't. Please."
Kelly let her go, feeling both liberated and crushed.
48. Diamond
She was like a diamond. The world believed her to be unbreakable, a brilliant gem that made people stare in awe and longing, forged from heat and pressure; but in reality, she was so much more fragile than that. When Kelly finally gave the answer she had been expecting, the answer crushed the bonds holding pieces of the diamond together, fracturing it into dozens of smaller pieces. As the woman continued to try and explain, the clever cutter kept on doing its job, grinding the pieces down into fragments the size of sand.
The phrase 'Diamonds Are Forever' was quite misleading. People imagine the immortal diamonds as being whole; but in reality, the sands of time were composed of diamond fragments.
49. Club
It was Lisa who first found her after The Talk. Lisa the receptionist, whose card Carolyn had given her one day after she realized Anita's situation in an attempt to set her up. Anita had laughed it off at the time, her hope still strong; but now she needed someone who did not really know her. Someone who wouldn't stare past her lies into the truth of things like Carolyn, someone who wouldn't try to be paternal like Peter (whose act fell a little short since he was still hospitalized); someone new.
"Did Carolyn talk to you lately?" It wasn't the most tactful thing to say, but the alcohol washed away the few inhibitions she usually paid attention to.
"She said she was worried about you." Lisa answered, hovering uncertainly in the doorway. The woman was no great beauty in society's opinion, but she had the same type of honesty as Carolyn and an uncertainty about her that the blind woman refused to show. Anita thought of her as flower-like, prone to blooming under praise and care. "I was surprised when you called so I gave her a quick ring. She didn't say why though, something about it being your decision..."
"Come in and I'll explain." Anita did not smile, but it was more a case of not being able to than not wanting to. "It might take awhile."
"I don't have to go into work tomorrow." A shy smile.
It was a good thing she called Lisa on a drunken whim. They spent the night talking for the most part, and Lisa was not opposed to comforting Anita n bed either; alone, Anita would have used alcohol to club herself into insensibility.
50. Spade
I woke up with my head pounding and my eyes blurring when I tried to open them. Sitting up, I held my head in my hands and only noticed I was naked when the air bit at my skin. Blinking, I looked down at the arm lying across my lap and followed it to my bedmate.
It took me almost a minute to remember who she was. She really was cute in the dawning light, even if she was drooling a bit on the pillow.
We all have our faults.
And mine were too obvious sometimes. I staggered out of the bed, grabbed a large sweater from the chair beside the balcony, and went outside. The crisp morning air shot darts of cold into my skin, but it cleared my mind and I desperately need a clear mind if I'm ever going to bury my crush on Kelly.
If being the case, objection, point, and finishing clause of everything at that moment.
No swearword in English, French, or Spanish could cover this appropriately.
"Thanks Carolyn." I told the sky, shivering. I hated goosebumps because of what they did to my smooth skin, but god it was cold.
It would be even colder if I didn't have someone waiting in bed for me, even if she was not one of the two people I really wanted.
51. Water
Carolyn actually came to my office when I was closing up. "Yo." She said, exploring the room with her cane until she found my couch. She ran her hands across the padded fake leather curiously once she was settled.
"You know where I work?" I blurted.
"I asked Kelly." The minx shrugged. "Jesus Anita, you scared me when I called you earlier."
"I did?" I didn't think I had fielded her call that badly.
"You were scared." She told me bluntly, as was her habit. Carolyn was like water, preferring the path of least resistance until something blocked her path. Then, she builds up the pressure and strikes the opposition down.
I managed to stop the wince from appearing on my face, but I'm pretty sure she heard it in my voice. "I'm sorry I worried you."
"Don't be a fool, Anita." She patted the couch. Once I obeyed her summons, the slight woman pulled me into a bear hug and refused to let me escape. "I love you, you silly woman. Trying to spare my feelings just irritates me, you know that. I want to help you."
"And what does Kelly say?"
"Kelly trusts me to do my best to make sure you get better."
"I'm fine."
"Then why do I hear tears?" She whispered in my ear.
Water was also the nurturer of life.
52. Fire
Anita cried for a very long time, longer than I ever wanted her to. I know Lisa helped last night, but Anita needed someone who could tame the devouring fire of sorrow in her heart. She loved Kelly like she did everything in life, with her whole soul; and that's what was in jeopardy. I would've gone to her yesterday but I needed to make sure Kelly was okay.
I held her as she soaked the front of my shirt, rubbed her trembling back, and listened as she talked. I accepted her kisses, but she made no move to take it further. She just soaked up the comfort, and I could feel something healing inside of her.
"'m never going to get you in bed, am I?" She murmured, body slack against mine.
"I don't know if it'd be a good idea right now." I answered truthfully, holding her like my mother used to hold me. "You're a bit raw at the moment."
"Guess so." Anita agreed, falling towards sleep, energy spent.
"I'm going to get up for a moment okay?"
"Don't leave..."
"I will wait for you to wake up, then I'm taking you home." I promised, unlacing her shoes and removing her belt. Those were always a pain to wake up with.
"With me?" She asked with a child-like vulnerability. "S'cold."
"Of course."
53. Earth
Kelly was gardening. Pulling out weeds kept her hands occupied and she amused her mind by going through the properties of the plants in her garden. Healing herbs, flowers, cross-bred flowers, some dying bean plants, perennials, annuals, seed dispersal methods, soil preferences, light preferences, Latin names and phylum.
The feel of the moist earth still warm from the sun's rays, the scent of greenery in growth and decay, the rustling of leaves in the wind; she loved it. What started as a game in her parents' house had become a full-fledged passion. It was a balm when she was troubled, her anchor when things got a iffy.
She had been spending a lot of time gardening since she had her talk with Anita.
54. Air
The next time Kelly and Anita saw each other face to face was when Carolyn declared that they would bring Peter home from the hospital.
"I'm not taking your charity." Peter declared, stronger now than he had been in while. He sensed that something had happened, one had to be completely self-absorbed not to; but he was prepared to wait until someone told him.
"Yes you are." Carolyn said sweetly. "You're causing the hospital some trouble because they have limited resources and staff and you still can't lift anything heavier than a glass of water. You are coming to our house, and you are going to live on the sofa for as long as I believe you have to."
"Hell no."
"... You're good with your hands, aren't you?" Anita said mildly, making him stare at her. He knew something was wrong; but this was bad. Interestingly enough, Kelly looked somewhat guilty.
"Yes." He answered, suddenly understanding Carolyn's fierce look of protection and decision to stand between them.
"Well, I don't know about Carolyn, but Kelly would have failed a high school construction class because she seems to think hammers are meant to hit her own body."
"We do have shelves that need fixing." Kelly admitted grudgingly.
"And if you're any good at it, I have an old whittling kit that I bought on a whim." Anita added. "I'm sure you could make pretty presents."
"You'll be our house slave." Carolyn summarized cheerfully. "You start tomorrow."
Peter just blinked. 'Women are insane...'
55. Spirit
When Carolyn came out of the bathroom wearing the Halloween costume Anita had made her, Kelly blushed to the roots of her hair and stared. Even Anita, who had imagined this moment while stitching, was stunned into silence. What had started as a wisecrack on Carolyn's part had turned into a form-fitting tiger costume, complete with tail.
"I don't know how you got measurements this close," Carolyn muttered, oblivious. "I couldn't even put on a bra and underwear!"
"..." Was her answer.
Cocking her head to the side, the cat-woman crossed her arms. "Yes?" She prodded.
Anita looked at Kelly and noted that the white of her karate costume made the redness of her face even more alarming. It made her feel a little outclassed in her French maid outfit (she didn't have much time to work on her own costume after Carolyn's), but it did not bother her much. Carolyn truly looked delicious.
"Hello~o?" The woman waved in their direction, making her breasts wiggle.
Anita laughed at the glazed look in Kelly's eyes. "In the spirit of woman-lovers everywhere, Carolyn, I dub thee a tasty-looking morsel."
"Let's skip the party." Kelly pleaded, finally finding her voice.
"But Anita-"
"Can stay." Kelly tore her eyes away from her lover, and observed her ex-lover's shocked expression fondly. "It's up to you."
"As if I'd refuse sex." Anita kissed Kelly, acknowledging the unspoken agreement. Even if it was only once, she would maximize the opportunity.
It took a lot less time to get Carolyn out of her costume than it took for her to put it on.
56. Breakfast
When Peter got back from checking up on people at the homeless shelter the next morning, he was quite surprised to find that the door to Carolyn's room was open. He was even more surprised to see three naked women on the bed, only partially covered by the blankets. Heat flowed down to his crotch as the scent of sex permeated his senses, adding to the sight in front of him. Gulping, he took a step forward and forced himself to look at their heads. He fought with the sleeping Carolyn on the left over the blankets she was hogging, and managed to cover Anita on the right. As usual, Carolyn looked perfectly content asleep, half sprawled over Kelly's body in the middle; Anita on the other hand, clung desperately to Carolyn's hand as she curled towards the other two, pillow slightly damp to Peter's eyes. Unable to help himself, he kissed her on the forehead, a silent benediction.
She opened her eyes as he was about to turn around, looking perfectly aware. Her grip on Carolyn's hand tightened for a moment, then she slipped out of the bed, unashamed to be standing in front of him naked. Instead of giving him an amused wink at his blush, she walked past him towards the bathroom, grabbing Carolyn's housecoat as she went.
He shut the door behind them, noting how Carolyn's content expression became guilty, an expression of wakefulness.
Instead of speaking, he went to make breakfast and ignored the crying in the bathroom.
57. Lunch
When Anita came out of the bathroom, she was still wearing Carolyn's bathrobe.
"I made food." He told her, pulling out a chair.
"Thanks." She mumbled, flicking her damp hair out of her way absent-mindedly.
"I'll listen, if you want to talk." He said softly, putting a couple slices of French toast on a plate and giving it to her. The maple syrup was already on the table.
"I don't want to really..." She poured a generous amount of syrup onto the plate and started to eat. "I knew I would feel like this after but I wanted to take whatever I could get."
"You're never going to get over Kelly if you think like that." Peter mentioned.
"Pardon?" A flare of a Spanish accent he knew should exist but had never heard before.
"Somebody who suffers from unrequited love should not sleep with the person they love if they want to heal. You should know that."
"It's not unrequited!"
He just Looked at her.
"Well, maybe with Kelly; but Carolyn-"
"Will not leave Kelly alone." Peter interrupted. "And though you are polyamorous, Carolyn is a lot more monogamous than she thinks she is. She might still have sex with you from time to time, but the love won't go as deep as yours."
"Fuck you Peter." Anita swore, stabbing her food.
"Are you staying for lunch? They will be up by then." He asked mildly.
"I don't know."
58. Dinner
Anita actually ended up staying until supper. Since she had no intention of staying over, she needed to borrow some of Carolyn's clothes. The pants were a bit short and tight; but the shirt she found was comfortable.
With Anita's help, Kelly cooked enough food to feed all of them twice-over and it turned out to be just enough. Peter, despite his bony appearance, had the appetite of a black hole at times.
"This brings back memories." Carolyn mused, making sure her water glass was full every time she ate something Anita had prepared.
"Oh?"
"My family used to eat together like this."
"Didn't your aunt's family eat together?" Peter asked curiously.
"Yeah, but it wasn't comfy." Carolyn shrugged. "You guys are my family now, so I think this is comfortable. Don't you?"
"Yup."
"A little."
"For the most part." Anita nodded at Kelly.
"Anita?"
"Well, my family's dinner's usually ended up with food-fights between me and my brothers."
"No." Kelly said, eyes wide.
"Oh yes. My parents always kicked us into the river to wash off after." Anita smirked. "Too bad the closest body of water is the harbor."
"No desire to come out mutated." Carolyn shook her head, smiling.
"Oh well..." Anita looked at Peter deviously. "I'm sure your house slave would clean up after us if we made a mess, right papa?"
Peter just glared.
59. Food
"I never thought Trolls could be that smart." Anita mused, her head on my chest.
I stopped listening to my book for a moment. "I heard you wrong, didn't I?"
"Nope." She put the book down beside her. "A troll just explained humanity's need to poke its noses into everything."
"Oh?"
"People have two bellies. A physical stomach for food; and a mental belly for thought. Even if we satisfy the material one, our mind-belly's is like a bottomless pit."
"... And this clever insight is from a Troll?"
"Well, the Eddings couple if you want to be technical." Anita shrugged. "But the character that made it was a Troll."
"... Don't you have work to do?"
"Yeah, but reading random junk like this makes work seem more humorous."
"Nutball."
"Maybe."
60. Drink
"Why don't you want to go out?" Anita wheedled.
"Every time I mix you and alcohol, something happens."
"Like what?"
"Well, the most obvious is the gay club adventure." I pointed out. "The time you wanted to read me porn."
"What went wrong there?" A pause. "Oh, right."
"Yeah."
"Well, you need to get over your fear of me and alcohol. And you haven't gone out in forever."
"I'm fine with it, Anita. Now shoo, I have work to do."
"Jesus Carolyn, turn into an old woman why don't ya."
"You're older than I am."
"Oh shuddap."
61. Winter
Despite Carolyn's attempts at levity, that winter was the harshest time of Anita's life. The weather itself was not too bad, being warmer than most years; but the thing that sapped Anita's strength was pretending that nothing had changed. She still strove to tease Carolyn and Kelly mercilessly, and pretended that her heart didn't break a little more every time Kelly looked at Carolyn with adoration. Seeing them happy made her happy, that was true, but it was an empty kind of happiness she had not experienced before now.
She found herself growing more and more dependent on Lisa and Peter. Lisa became something of a security blanket that warded off the uncertainty of the night, someone who actually invited Anita out to socialize with people that had no idea of her situation. It was a bit of a precarious effort because Anita was used to speaking her mind and some of the people Lisa introduced her to were not used to honesty; but after they were thrown out of a couple parties, Anita learned how to separate her outer voice from her inner voice.
Peter, she trusted him to keep an eye on her girls.
62. Spring
Come spring, she was pretty much going out with Lisa. Before, their relationship had been more of a 'friends with benefits' type of arrangement; but Anita realized that Lisa had become serious when she brought some of her things to Anita's apartment.
"Are you moving in?" She asked, somewhat apprehensively.
"Nope." Lisa gave her a small smile. "I just want to use some of my stuff when I spend the night. I like your pillows, but this one's my favorite and I made the mug over there."
"Ah...?" Anita flopped down on her couch, watching Lisa as she put some stained glass figurines on the door to the balcony.
"Which reminds me, I thought you said you had a cat?"
"Sachiko lives with Kelly and Carolyn 'cause my landlady's allergic."
"Ah." Lisa shook her head.
Although she did not know why, Anita suddenly felt a little sheepish.
63. Summer
It was summer by the time Anita was ready to bring Lisa over to Kelly's house, and by then the flowers in the garden were in full bloom.
"God, she does have a couple green thumbs, doesn't she? Lisa breathed, taking in the sheer amount of vegetation in front of her.
"Kelly's always been better with plants than people." Anita nodded, walking down the familliar path with Lisa in tow. "Carolyn's home already, I checked; and Kelly should be getting back from work soon."
"Or she's right here, checking on the children while you two chatter." Kelly drawled from the left, body hidden by the plants she was investigating. Standing up and brushing off her hands, she took a glance at their joined hands and blinked. "Ah. So Carolyn's hunch was true." The woman winked at the blushing Lisa and made her way out of the garden.
"Carolyn's hunch?" Anita asked, looking slightly deflated. 'There goes my chance to surprise them.'
"She does work with Lisa, you know." Kelly smirked.
"Oi, will you three stop lolligaging?!" Carolyn's familiar voice from the doorway, making the three women jump in surprise. "I actually made snacks. Kelly, you can wash up before coming to the table. The ground's too moist for you to've avoided getting your hands dirty. Anita, Sachiko's taking a nap in my room so if you want to face her claws, go ahead and try to wake her."
"She's a bit bossy at home, isn't she?" Lisa mumbled, following Anita into the house.
"She got Kelly completely whipped." Anita agreed.
"I don't mind." Kelly whispered conspiratorially.
64. Fall
"She's falling for you, you know." Kelly told Lisa softly, watching Anita play with Sachiko. The woman was dangling a piece of string with a piece of shiny paper wrapped around its end in front of the cat's face. Sachiko was more interested in climbing over Carolyn's body at first, nuzzling sensitive spots with her cool nose to make the woman twitch; then she started to play along without touching the ground. After asking for a pillow, the blind woman just laid down on the floor and pretended to snooze.
"She's not." Lisa disagreed, not looking at Kelly. "You're still on her mind."
"Anita doesn't just love one person at a time." Kelly started to explain, hesitation turning into certainty. "It's one of the reasons we broke up in college.. The fact that she brought you here tells me that she considers you to be someone special."
"Oh?"
"Anita never introduces her fuck-buddies to me, and she absolutely refuses to bring them to my house. The fact you've been seeing each other for awhile too."
"So what makes you think she's actually falling for me?"
"She's showing you off."
65. Passing
"So are you going to let this chance pass you by?" Carolyn asked Anita, rubbing Sachiko behind the ears.
"She sounds like a furry motor, doesn't she?"
"Anita?" Carolyn prodded
The woman sighed. "What chance?"
"To take Lisa for yourself. If you procrastinate talking to her about it too long, she'll leave. Kelly already put down the groundwork for you."
"She did what?" Anita asked flatly.
"You know Kelly's a bit of a busy-body when it comes to you."
"She is?"
"Well, she's usually more subtle about it." Carolyn admitted. "But that's beside the point."
"Carolyn~!"
"So are you?"
"If I do, will you leave me alone?"
"Oh, hell no." Carolyn smirked. "Somebody has to make sure you don't screw yourself over again."
"Point."
66. Rain
Halifax was a port city. Capital of Nova-Scotia, it also possessed one of the oldest unviolated fortresses in Canada. Resting on Citadel Hill, it overlooked Downtown Halifax, the harbour, and Dartmouth which was a more residential city than Halifax. Since it was on the south coast, the twin cities were often pelted by rain and tropical storms than came up the Atlantic from the Equator.
Kelly usually did not mind the rain. Oh, she complained about it like any other person who's been rained on out of habit; but the rain also brought opportunities. Her garden always needed water to be able to thrive, and she liked saving money on the water bill. Most of all though, the rain had a habit of soaking through Carolyn's clothes and making the woman cold. Relieving Carolyn of her wet clothes was always interesting, as were the warming-up methods.
67. Snow
"Think fast!" Anita yelled as I took a step out of the house. A snowball left her hand and flew at me, making some small flakes of fluffy snow distance themselves from the compact mass. Since Carolyn was right behind me, I batted it away with my forearm instead of ducking.
"Scowling gives you wrinkle~s." She teased, skipping backwards.
I scooped up a handful of snow and started to run. Her eyes widened hilariously and she turned around quickly -too quickly as it turned out. The snow beneath her feet had clogged the tread of her boots and the quick motion sent her off balance. Her arms made wild circles in the air and then she was sitting on her ass. I shoved the handful of snow down the back of her jacket before she could scamper away.
"KELLY~Y" She wailed like a two-year-old, trying to dig the melting snow out of the jacket.
"You started it." I pointed out, helping her to her feet.
Or that's what I thought I was doing until she suddenly tackled me. Then I was the one on the snow-covered ground. "ANITA!"
"Got ya!" She cackled, darting towards Carolyn. "Save me from Kelly-the-snow-grouch!"
And Carolyn, being Carolyn, just laughed at us both.
68. Lightning
The was an old saying that lightning doesn't strike the same place twice. Getting hit by lightning in the first place is extremely unlikely unless you happen to be a large metal pole -though still more likely than winning the lottery for humans. But you always hear about dark things happen on stormy nights, a scene of horror illuminated by a flash of lightning. It's used by movies, books, and basically most ways of story-telling. If you step away from the horror scenes, there are different expressions revolving around lightning: quick as lightning, jagged like lightning, heat lightning, etc.
I experience a different type of lightning. Heat floods from a point of contact and races through my body, an furious electronically current that leaves me gasping. Sweat gathers across my skin, my muscles spasms as the feeling amplifies under her touch. And just before I think my heart will literally explode, everything collapses upon itself and feeling is all that's left.
That type of lightning sparks between us quite often.
69. Thunder
I was surprised to learn that Carolyn was actually afraid of thunder. She's pretty much fearless when it comes to everything else; bugs are an irritation, the dark is nothing, strange people do not intimidate her enough to have any effect, wide open spaces, closed spaces, whatever. She doesn't really like crowds, but that's mostly because she finds it hard to navigate when people clutter her senses; she's not actually scared of them. But thunder seemed to be different.
When she heard the word 'thunder' in weather forecasts, she always grew quiet and distracted. It's only recently that she actually admitted her fear to me though, and that was mostly because I found her huddled in a ball beside her bed, Sachiko shivering right along with her.
"What's wrong honey?"
"Nothing!" She said quickly. A thunderclap reverberated through the house then, and she shuddered. "Nothing." She squeaked again as Sachiko made a whimpering meow.
I knelt in front of her. Lying a hand on her shoulder. She jumped at the contact, but then she threw herself at me, sending us both sprawling to the floor with Sachiko between us. The cat yowled. I lifted my lover up enough to pry the cat out of her grasp and set it beside us, than I held her tightly. She whimpered as lightning gave way to more thunder. I lifted her up and crawled into bed with her, cradling her against me as the storm raged outside. "Thunder won't hurt you."
"I know." She growled, hold tightening on me until I could barely breathe. Sachiko, the scardy-puss, jumped up on the bed and squeezed between us somehow. "But it's so- eek! ... loud... and... and..."
"I'm here."
"...Thanks..."
70. Storm
"I love the X-men." Anita waved something in front of my face.
"I like the idea of superpowers too." I grinned. "I mean, being able to move things with your mind, think of it! You could do so much without getting up."
"Well, I like the whole regeneration thing." Anita confessed. "No worries about wrinkles or anything."
"You're face is fine Anita." I patted her on the cheek.
"But the main thing I like is the outfits."
"Eh?" I blinked.
"Hello... Spandex! And all the ladies are so lovely. Of course my favorite's Storm; she kicks ass and she's utterly delicious."
I just shook my head. "Don't you ever think of anything else?"
She kissed me, taped me on the nose, and kissed my cheeks in turn. "Nope."
71. Broken
"Broken hearts are harder to fix than I expected." Lisa told Carolyn during their lunch break one day. "Anita told me what happened between them in college and how Kelly told her it wasn't going to happen again, but I didn't think she'd keep going back for more. She didn't seem like a masochist, and I don't think Kelly even realizes how much she's hurting Anita by being with you -not that I blame you."
"You've gotten really involved, haven't you?"
"Isn't that why you tried to hook us up?"
"Well, yes, but I didn't think anything would happen after Anita didn't do anything for so long." Carolyn admitted.
"I blew off my boyfriend to go see her, you know." Lisa mumbled, taking a sip out of her water bottle.
"You did?"
"Yeah. We'd been going out fairly steady for a few months but he didn't want it to go anywhere. Then I met Anita and she actually needed me."
"So you broke up with your boyfriend for her?"
"Pretty much."
"Did you ever tell her?"
"No. I don't want to scare her off."
72. Fixed
It was almost a year since Anita and Kelly had their talk, and Anita sought Kelly out at work. "Do you have a moment?" She asked politely, nodding at Kelly's work partner.
"I have a few minutes." Kelly wiped her dirty hands on the sides of her jeans before moving a strand of her hair away from her eyes. She did not seem to realize that the contact still left behind a trail of dirt. "What's up?"
"Is there any place private?" Anita asked, clasping her hands together.
"Let's go out back for a moment." Kelly nodded, resolutely making her way behind the counter beyond the wall that separates the store from the employee lounge and storage room.
Almost as soon as the door swung close behind them, Anita pushed Kelly up against the table and kissed her, leaning forward sharply enough to make Kelly bend back. Before the woman could do more than utter a startled squeak, she was half-lying on the table, her hands pinned above her head. Anita's weight and touch made excitement rise through her body even as her mind tried to figure out why this was happening.
Then, Anita was standing a foot away, a sober expression on her face. "Lisa fixed my heart enough for me to push you away, even if I want to follow through. How does it feel to be on the other end?"
She left a flushed Kelly on the table, and was back in the store before the woman could even say 'huh?'
73. Light
"Anita confuses the hell out of me." Kelly muttered when she got home one day, pressing herself against me from behind. She kissed the sensitive skin on my neck, her hands slipping under the hem of my shirt and down the front of my panties.
"Erm?" I asked, stretching against her, letting the plastic cup fall back into the sink, unwashed.
"She came to see me at work today, asked if we could talk in private, did this." Kelly spun us around without changing our positions and bent me over the empty table, taking care not to hurt me. With one hand, she secured my wrists and ran her other hand over the my stomach tenderly. "Then she left, saying that she can quit me."
"I guess she's seen the light." I breathed, feeling my heart beat quicken. I wrapped my legs around her body to make sure she didn't follow Anita's example.
"Oh?" Kelly asked, seeming to have no such desire. Instead, she slid my shirt up to my wrists and started to leave a trail of kisses around my stomach.
"Me 'n' Lisa have been trying to convince her that it's okay to stop loving you romantically so she can move on with her life. If she left you alone after doing that, than she must've realized something."
"I see." Kelly kissed me for a long moment, half-climbing on the table to do so. It creaked. "You're quite a busy-body, my light."
"Well, I think all my hard work deserves some type of compensation." I quipped when we stopped kissing for a moment.
"I think I can manage something." Kelly purred.