Lamb
Continuing from here, an ongoing series.
II: Lamb
Keltie, Haley, 700 words
was sure to go
They spend the day together, hiking along the weedy dirt path that starts almost at the back door of the cabin. Haley's not in bad shape, she isn't, but her muscles are tight and sore, her lace bra bunching uncomfortably against hot skin, and her hair hangs dank and humid against her neck. The forest around them is dense, trees packed like sardines atop the bulky mountain and the pebbles and shards of rock underfoot jump out white and pearly against the black soil. The reason she's pushing herself so hard is to keep up with Keltie, who has long, toned legs and a dancer's lung-span. Haley's short of breath to begin with in the high altitude, but she's trying to hide it while Keltie walks a few paces ahead, glancing back over her shoulder every couple of yards to be sure she still holds her full attention.
So far they've discussed: the inherent discomfort of socks, New York City, lumpy cabin mattresses, Justin Timberlake, and Brendon's penchant for walking around pantsless until someone makes him get dressed. Haley is imitating the particular tone Shane's voice took that morning, high and admonishing, when her calf muscle spasms, her body threatening to buckle under the seized muscle. Keltie turns just as Haley starts to fall, rushing back to catch Haley by the wrist and guiding her hands to Keltie's shoulders for support. "Did you twist it?" Keltie asks, fingers tucked up right behind Haley's kneecap, her fingertips testing the straining tendons. There are bra straps digging up beneath Haley's palms, and it's distracting in the way that junior high boys were distracted the first day of seventh grade when she came back from summer vacation with a new, mysterious fabric cutting lines into her flesh under tee-shirts, fabric that drew open stares and cruel fingers that liked to pull elastics taught and snap them against her skin.
"Cramp." Haley finally grits out, voice tight with pain.
"Can you-- put your foot against my knee, like this." Keltie guides the ball of Haley's foot onto her leg, urging Haley to rest her weight forward, forcing her to flex the muscle. A bird squalls, not far off in the distance, but it seems far away from under the canopy of trees, the cloaked woods crowding them in at every angle. The ripe smell of their bodies, the exposed skin flashing in and out of Haley's line of sight reminds her of gym class; stealing glances in crowded locker rooms while everyone else was changing.
"Ahh." She exhales.
Except, that's not quite right. Haley has never in her life had any trouble not looking where she wasn't supposed to. Right now though, she's having some problems tearing her eyes away from the bowed line of Keltie's neck.
Keltie glances up behind her sweaty bangs, makes a sympathetic face, "This is going to suck for a bit longer," digging her strong fingers into Haley's screaming muscle. Keltie works her fingers until the pain is mostly gone, and Haley is wiping water from the corners of her eyes, embarrassed. Keltie smiles at her, and Haley is suddenly and uncomfortably aware of Keltie's mouth so close to her inner thigh. An electric zing races around her stomach, even though she knows she's been hiking and sweating all day; she can't smell anything except bad down there, she didn't even shave her legs that morning. Keltie isn't paying attention, though, rubbing Haley's tired muscle still and talking. "Charlie horses always make me think of Lamb Chop's-- Sing-Along, Play-Along? You were old enough to watch that, right? That obnoxious horse puppet." Keltie shakes her head. "Those things always freaked me out, anyway. All strings and wires, and you can't see what's going on. I hate that."
Haley nods and hums a few bars of a song she barely remembers, causing Keltie to bark her loud, bright laugh. "Oh, god, yeah, that fucking song. Hey, is your leg doing alright?" She rubs soft circles with her fingers against Haley's tender skin. She's starting to cool down now that they've stopped moving, and the mountain air prickles against her skin, causing her nipples to tighten and ache.
II: Lamb
Keltie, Haley, 700 words
was sure to go
They spend the day together, hiking along the weedy dirt path that starts almost at the back door of the cabin. Haley's not in bad shape, she isn't, but her muscles are tight and sore, her lace bra bunching uncomfortably against hot skin, and her hair hangs dank and humid against her neck. The forest around them is dense, trees packed like sardines atop the bulky mountain and the pebbles and shards of rock underfoot jump out white and pearly against the black soil. The reason she's pushing herself so hard is to keep up with Keltie, who has long, toned legs and a dancer's lung-span. Haley's short of breath to begin with in the high altitude, but she's trying to hide it while Keltie walks a few paces ahead, glancing back over her shoulder every couple of yards to be sure she still holds her full attention.
So far they've discussed: the inherent discomfort of socks, New York City, lumpy cabin mattresses, Justin Timberlake, and Brendon's penchant for walking around pantsless until someone makes him get dressed. Haley is imitating the particular tone Shane's voice took that morning, high and admonishing, when her calf muscle spasms, her body threatening to buckle under the seized muscle. Keltie turns just as Haley starts to fall, rushing back to catch Haley by the wrist and guiding her hands to Keltie's shoulders for support. "Did you twist it?" Keltie asks, fingers tucked up right behind Haley's kneecap, her fingertips testing the straining tendons. There are bra straps digging up beneath Haley's palms, and it's distracting in the way that junior high boys were distracted the first day of seventh grade when she came back from summer vacation with a new, mysterious fabric cutting lines into her flesh under tee-shirts, fabric that drew open stares and cruel fingers that liked to pull elastics taught and snap them against her skin.
"Cramp." Haley finally grits out, voice tight with pain.
"Can you-- put your foot against my knee, like this." Keltie guides the ball of Haley's foot onto her leg, urging Haley to rest her weight forward, forcing her to flex the muscle. A bird squalls, not far off in the distance, but it seems far away from under the canopy of trees, the cloaked woods crowding them in at every angle. The ripe smell of their bodies, the exposed skin flashing in and out of Haley's line of sight reminds her of gym class; stealing glances in crowded locker rooms while everyone else was changing.
"Ahh." She exhales.
Except, that's not quite right. Haley has never in her life had any trouble not looking where she wasn't supposed to. Right now though, she's having some problems tearing her eyes away from the bowed line of Keltie's neck.
Keltie glances up behind her sweaty bangs, makes a sympathetic face, "This is going to suck for a bit longer," digging her strong fingers into Haley's screaming muscle. Keltie works her fingers until the pain is mostly gone, and Haley is wiping water from the corners of her eyes, embarrassed. Keltie smiles at her, and Haley is suddenly and uncomfortably aware of Keltie's mouth so close to her inner thigh. An electric zing races around her stomach, even though she knows she's been hiking and sweating all day; she can't smell anything except bad down there, she didn't even shave her legs that morning. Keltie isn't paying attention, though, rubbing Haley's tired muscle still and talking. "Charlie horses always make me think of Lamb Chop's-- Sing-Along, Play-Along? You were old enough to watch that, right? That obnoxious horse puppet." Keltie shakes her head. "Those things always freaked me out, anyway. All strings and wires, and you can't see what's going on. I hate that."
Haley nods and hums a few bars of a song she barely remembers, causing Keltie to bark her loud, bright laugh. "Oh, god, yeah, that fucking song. Hey, is your leg doing alright?" She rubs soft circles with her fingers against Haley's tender skin. She's starting to cool down now that they've stopped moving, and the mountain air prickles against her skin, causing her nipples to tighten and ache.