Tess

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                                  Tess
                     (FF, F, cons, outdoors, rain)
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                     (c) Copyright - February 1999
                          All Rights Reserved
                            Crimson Dragon 
                          (dcrimson@yahoo.com)
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She stood silhouetted against a turbulent sky. The grey clouds
tumbled over each other as if engaged in an apocalyptic combat. They
licked at each other with faint traces of white-hot sabres, the
rumble of the aerial warfare echoing through her senses. The sea
below tossed as the wind steadily increased, the whitecaps cresting
and thundering into the rocky shoreline so far below. The air carried
with it the stinging smell of salt, which burned at her nostrils like
acid. The atmosphere tugged at her clothes as though it were alive
and wished for her to shed the confining coverings, to join the
swirling vapour and angry water in its violent dance. It beckoned her
to be free of uncertainty and loss and pain.
She gazed impassively out at the uncaring sea. Her brunette hair
streamed out from her head, whipped by the force of the gale that was
ever present here. Yet somehow, it was different this time.
She closed her eyes and opened her senses, feeling herself slip away
and join the insane combat of the clouds far above. She peered down
upon the world, seeing herself standing alone, her running shoes
anchored to the soft grass beneath her feet, her arms outstretched in
supplication to whatever gods had created this storm. Her face
uplifted as though encouraging the rain to begin anew.
A faint voice echoed through the trance, calling her name through the
turbulence. A woman's voice, a familiar voice. Tess. But it couldn't
be Tess, could it? Tess wasn't in the vision, she was sure of that.
She dared not hope; she dared not believe the voice could be her. The
wind was playing tricks on her ears, whistling in a feminine voice as
it flowed over the lip of the cliff. Nature was a cruel mistress
sometimes.
Her eyes fluttered open as she felt more than a whispered voice
beckoning her. Small fingers touched her shoulder, connecting them.
Tess.
                      <---===***===--->
"Have you ever done it?"
Audra looked up from intently staring at her salad where she was
trying to spear the last stubborn piece of lettuce with her fork. The
murmur of indistinct conversations surrounded her, emanating from
nearby tables in the busy cafe. The question had originated from
across the table.
Audra put on her puzzled look and regarded the woman who'd queried.
Tess was one of those women that could look attractive after being
caught in a hurricane. Her longish blonde hair gathered about her
shoulders, framing a chiselled face that should have belonged to a
model, but instead was owned by a high priced and brutally
intelligent criminal lawyer. Audra tried to tear her gaze away from
the girl, but for the millionth time found herself falling into
Tess's eyes. Those eyes flashed, and in the dim light of the cafe,
caught an odd reflection, turning Tess's blazing cobalt eyes a deep
shade of violet. Audra flushed and with a small gasp tore her eyes
from the woman across the table. She looked back down at the stubborn
leaf of lettuce.
"What did you say?" Audra asked quietly. When she looked back up,
Tess's eyes had a playful smile dancing through them. Tess had to
know. Audra could almost witness the emotions radiating from her own
body in waves for anyone to read like words upon a blackboard. And if
nothing else, Tess was perceptive. She didn't exactly require
physical waves of emotion to read someone. She had to know.
Her eyes still dancing, Tess repeated her question. "Have you ever
done it?"
Audra's mind whirled. Done what? Fantasized about illicit love?
Fantasized about being with another woman? Wanted to dance really
slow in the rain? With Tess? With this girl, asking her an innocent
question in a crowded cafe? This girl, her friend since before she
could remember? She swallowed heavily, praying that her sudden
thoughts weren't apparent on her face. Was the tension going to break
today? Was Tess finally going to stop the game that had been building
more urgently during the past weeks?
Audra stammered, "D-done what?" Her heart hammered like it always did
while she was in Tess's presence.
Tess smiled, her eyes laughing, conveying more meaning than her
words. "Been interested in someone you shouldn't have? Haven't you
been listening?"
Her words struck a million chords in Audra who had been concentrating
on making sure that her mouth didn't blurt out inappropriate words
more than she'd been following the conversation. How did it ever get
to something like this? Had her thoughts wandered that much? She was
sure she'd been murmuring acknowledgements in the right places in
Tess's monologue, not encouraging personal conversation. Was Tess
asking what she thought she was asking? Suddenly Audra's heart began
beating even faster, if that was possible.
"I ... I suppose ..." She knew that she couldn't lie and the
answering light in Tess's eyes told her that Tess knew exactly who
the object of her illicit desires was - though she wasn't going to
press for details. Despite the laughter in Tess's eyes, her words
didn't contain a hint of understanding or acknowledgement. The game
continued and Audra's heart began a slow descent back to a semblance
of normalcy.
"There's this new cute mail guy in the office, and ..." Tess's voice
again receded into the background. Audra fixed her eyes on those lips
and waited patiently for Tess to finish her story about being
interested in the well-built mail guy and her misgivings about office
romances. If she could only touch those lips ... Audra tore her
thoughts from that line of thinking and forced herself to concentrate
on what Tess was saying. Audra knew that Tess would never date
someone from her office, much less the mail guy. In some ways, she
was glad that she worked for a different law firm. A law firm that
...
Time came crashing down on Audra as she glanced at her watch.
"Oh my God, I've got court in five minutes."
Tess smiled up at her. "You work too hard, my dear." She motioned for
the waitress, miming for the check. "You run, I'll get the check. And
I'll see you Friday at the cottage, okay? I'm really looking forward
to getting away where it's nice and quiet."
Audra mumbled a quick apology and ran out of the cafe and towards the
courthouse. She fought to slow her heart and push Tess's face from
her mind. She had to organise her closing arguments while she ran.
Tess receded into the background - for a while.
Her eyes again a deep violet colour, Tess watched Audra weave through
the tables until she disappeared through the doorway, where she began
to run down the street. She shook her head slowly, only looking up as
the waitress placed the check on the table.
And the game continued.
                      <---===***===--->
The air was damp and chilly when Audra arrived. February wasn't the
most popular time to visit this section of the country, but it was
quiet and peaceful. No nosy neighbours, and the two women would have
the beach and cliffs to themselves. Droplets of cold rain fell
against the roof, adding to the overall dreariness of the day. Her
head felt heavy as though a low-grade headache might be approaching.
She sighed, having hoped for better weather for this weekend. If they
were lucky they still might be able to visit the beach, and watch the
seagulls and the surf, perhaps even hike out to the cliffs. She
shivered, and not only from the chill of the day. She pursed her
lips, watching her own expression in the standing mirror. This was
the weekend to talk to Tess. She had to tell Tess, or she was going
to explode. This game they were playing had to come to denouement
eventually, for better or for worse, and she wasn't even sure if Tess
was playing. But sometimes it seemed that personal explosion might be
preferable to outright rejection. At least she had her fantasies this
way. Yet that sparkle in Tess's eyes - she had to be feeling the same
things, didn't she? Audra had never desired a woman before, so she
really didn't know. She could read men, but Tess was an enigma.
She turned her back on the mirror and pulled off her suit. Suits -
she hated them - useless pieces of cloth designed to torture and
torment innocent young lawyers. The jacket and skirt fluttered to the
floor like butterflies. She sighed as her skin tingled from the cool
air and the sudden freedom.
Judge Macintyre reminded her vaguely of the judge in her favourite
movie, "My Cousin Vinnie". She could clearly imagine the contempt
charges against her if she tried to be more casual in the courtroom -
if she wore, for instance, a leather jacket or a ridiculous leisure
suit from a second hand store, not that she'd go that far. Both would
have similar results. She could almost hear Macintyre's gravelly
voice, "Are you mockin' me, Miss Hathoway?" Macintyre wasn't fond of
her at the best of times and his devotion to the law rivalled that of
most true marriages. But, she supposed, it was natural for the Judge
to have a prejudice about her; criminal lawyers rarely were popular
amongst the population, unless they looked like Tess. At least
Macintyre was honest. She sighed and resolved not to think about work
anymore.
She rummaged in her pack and extracted a pair of faded blue jeans,
and a checkered blouse. Turning, she absentmindedly pulled her
stockings off with her toes. She bent and picked up her discarded
clothing, folded it neatly and placed it on the dresser.
Critically, she looked at herself in the mirror. Perhaps too thin?
And not enough upstairs? She shook herself as she considered removing
her bra, pressing her breasts together to increase her cleavage, just
to see what she was missing. She sighed again to herself; she was
being silly. She certainly didn't have the body that Tess did, but
she was relatively proud of her brunette hair and she tried to keep
in shape. Still, she didn't possess a perfect blonde mane or a
perfect body. On the other hand, she never lacked for date
invitations either, and the men weren't exactly ugly or bums off the
street - they were simply all idiots. Last week she remembered the
limousine that had picked her up to go the opera. She'd been
impressed - at first. However, she didn't really enjoy the opera, it
being a modern one, and certainly hadn't liked the drunken pawing
that had occurred over her protests in the limo on the way back. But
just because some men were pigs didn't mean that she had to turn to
women, did it? Was her date and almost rape last week the catalyst in
the sudden interest in Tess? She doubted it, but she wasn't sure
either.
"Damn," she swore to herself, her frustration emerging as a whisper
into the empty room. She briefly considered leaving her clothes off,
only wearing her underwear, but that would really make Tess wonder,
wouldn't it? And it was cold in here. She shivered again, watching
goosebumps form involuntarily across the tops of her breasts. Feeling
silly, she slipped on the jeans and the blouse. Her bare feet
clutched at the rough boards beneath her. She turned towards the
pack, intending to find warm socks, and then suddenly switched
directions. She whipped the comforter off the bed and then padded out
to the small kitchen, her bare feet making muffled sounds against the
boards. She poured herself a glass of the inexpensive California red
wine she'd brought, and then settled into the leather recliner,
pulling her bare feet off the cold floor and wrapping her body in the
warm blanket.
She took a sip of the wine, then placed the glass on the floor beside
the chair. The stereo remote was sitting on the end table beside her.
With a press of a button, the room flooded with Beethoven - his
Ninth Symphony if she wasn't mistaken. The music drowned out the
quiet patter of the rain. She briefly wondered how a deaf person
could write such beautiful notes in such perfect harmony. As she took
another sip of the wine, she concluded that no human, deaf or
otherwise, could intermix the notes that surrounded her. But humans
are capable of such extraordinary accomplishments, weren't they? Or
maybe there was magic?
Audra laid her head back, and took occasional sips of the wine,
refusing to contemplate the composer further. Her body and mind
relaxed as she closed her eyes, allowing herself to fall into the
woods and strings of three centuries before. She wondered when Tess
would arrive, but it didn't really matter; she had her symphony and
her wine. Tess would arrive sometime, and they'd talk eventually.
Nervousness welled up for a moment and then disappeared as the Ode To
Joy overwhelmed her senses.
                      <---===***===--->
"Anybody home?" Tess's musical voice rang through the cottage,
echoing off the pine panelling and then disappearing.
Audra opened her eyes, disoriented in the darkness. As she blinked,
she heard a door close. As her bleary eyes adjusted to the dimness,
she could make out the flashing red numbers on the old stereo
monotonously blinking out the time incorrectly. 00:00. 00:00.
She called out quietly, "In here."
She heard the gentle thump of Tess's shoes being kicked off at the
doorway, then Tess's stocking steps as they approached the living
space.
"What the heck are you doing in the dark?" Tess asked as she stepped
into the room. She was silhouetted by the doorway. "Did I wake you?
It's only 8 o'clock ..." her voice trailed off.
Audra smiled, though she was sure Tess couldn't see it.
"I've been here since 3, it was light then. I ... I guess I fell
asleep sometime since then." Audra stretched with a small yawn.
Without turning on a light, Tess settled herself into the tattered
sofa across the room. In the dim light, Audra could see the other
girl's shadow curl up, getting her feet off the floor, as well. Tess
stretched.
"I'm exhausted," Tess remarked. "The drive up here was brutal and I
couldn't get out of court. Bad jury."
Audra nodded her head knowingly. "No problem. I've just been drinking
wine and sleeping. Me and Beethoven."
"Got anymore of that wine?"
"In the kitchen; bring me a glass, too?"
When Tess returned, the girls sat in silence in the dark, relaxing,
sipping at their glasses, not needing to speak.
Audra nearly spoke, forming the words in her mind. "Tess, I have to
tell you something ... something important." But her mouth wouldn't
form the words, and as the easy silence stretched, she became more
convinced that the words weren't necessary. Tess knew, somehow.
A small flash of light glowed by Tess as she glanced at her watch.
Tess rose to her feet.
"I have to get some sleep, I nearly fell asleep there on the sofa."
Audra rose as well, cringing as her warm feet touched the now icy
floor. She watched as Tess walked slowly out of the room towards the
guest bedroom, with a jaunty, "G'night."
"Sleep with me tonight?" Audra whispered into the empty room. But
there was nobody to respond.
                      <---===***===--->
She sat alone in front of the vanity mirror that was ostentatious in
the small master bedroom. Her eyes were weary, but she'd slept most
of the early evening away. Perhaps the country air was giving her
help in the tiredness department. Tess was probably fast asleep by
now, and they had barely spoken. She sighed. Would it be a mistake,
or not? She fought with herself for the better part of a half-hour
before padding across the floor to rummage in her pack.
The red card emerged in her fingertips and she stared at it for a
long while. Cupid danced with a stylized bow and arrow, aiming at a
young woman's heart. Then she padded back across to the vanity,
picked up a fountain pen, and began to write.
"Sometimes we find love in strange places, 
 And sometimes words fail us, 
 But sometimes, love appears and no words are necessary,
 Love, A."
She sat back, a satisfied smile playing about her lips. She
considered slipping it under Tess's door, but in the end placed it
back into her pack, unsure if she'd ever give it to the girl asleep
in the other room.
As she shed her clothes, almost screeching at the caress of the cold
air around her, she wondered what Tess would look like, lying in that
bed that was far too big for just one. She shook her head, shaking
off the images.
The sheets were positively frozen around her body. Her bare nipples
reacted immediately to the frigid sheets. She snuggled down, wrapping
herself in her own limbs, trying desperately to banish the cold.
Eventually it warmed up in her small nest, though she couldn't move
outside of her fetal position without feeling a sudden inrush of
cold.
Her fingers wandered down her tummy, exploring herself, caressing her
skin. Her mind filled with images not of her last somewhat steady
boyfriend, but of Tess, nude, walking towards her through a haze of
steam, beckoning her, calling to her. Her fingers probed deeper and
eventually, giving up her self-denial and tease, found the rhythm
with which she was so familiar. Her soft cry, as her body climaxed,
wouldn't carry beyond the pine panels.
As she curled up once again and surrendered to the onrush of sleep,
she thought once more of Tess. How much warmer it would be sharing
her bed with the woman next door.
                      <---===***===--->
Two sets of footprints formed an indistinct trail along the beach.
The trail ended at the two women bundled in sweaters against the
chill where they walked slowly along the beach, talking just loud
enough to be heard above the ever-present surf.
Audra pointed and then spread the blanket on a stretch of relatively
dry sand. The corner of the blanket vibrated in the wind, but the
blanket stayed put. The women sat and stared out at the waves, each
lost in their own thoughts.
"It's nice out here," Tess spoke as she stretched herself out. She
took a dainty bite of the chocolate bar Audra offered her from the
pack she carried.
Audra nodded, drinking in the smell of the sea intermixed with Tess's
light natural perfume.
"It didn't work out with the mail guy ..." Tess tossed her hair which
was pulled back into an simple pony-tail.
Audra turned around and stared at Tess. Tess laughed easily,
grinning.
"Gotcha," Tess laughed.
Audra heaved a sigh of relief. Just the image of Tess with someone
else tore at her. She knew it was silly, but love was silly, wasn't
it? And besides, Tess wouldn't actually have been with someone from
the office. She was sure of that.
"I didn't even talk to him," Tess continued merrily. "Turns out the
guy has a band of gold upon his left ring finger. I wonder what that
meant? And who the lucky lady is?" She grinned.
"Tess ..." Audra began. She wanted to tell her how happy she was that
the mail guy was married, how happy she was that Tess wasn't really
attached to anyone. She wanted to say a million things, but she
didn't.
Tess turned towards her and smiled. "What's up? Something on your
mind?"
Oh yes, Audra thought. And something on my mind last night. She could
still feel tingles from her illicit self-indulgence the previous
evening.
"No, not really," Audra shook her head to emphasise.
Chicken, that's all I am, a bloody chicken, Audra chastised herself.
Instead of continuing the conversation, she dug through the pack
looking for another chocolate bar. Her fingers touched the paper of
an envelope. She drew in a deep breath and extracted it from the mess
in the pack. She swallowed, counted to five, turned around, and
handed the card to Tess.
"Happy Valentine's day," Audra mumbled before she could change her
mind. Her heart was hammering like the surf pounding into the shore.
Tess's eyes widened a little, but she took the piece of paper from
Audra.
The red card appeared as if in slow motion, Tess's eyes scanning the
personal words. She smiled, but it wasn't her normal easy smile.
Audra felt a pit begin to form deep in her stomach.
"Thank-you." Tess carefully tucked the card back into its envelope.
"I think it's going to rain later," she waved out towards the open
sea.
Audra felt hot tears begin to form in her eyes, but she willed them
back. Tess was supposed to have returned the sentiments, stopped the
game, pushed the unspoken into the realm of reality. They were
supposed to talk about it, not about the weather ... Tess hadn't done
it on purpose, she'd been startled, that's all. Maybe there wasn't a
game after all? Maybe all the words, the innuendo, all the smiles
were simply as they appeared on the surface. The pit grew larger deep
in her stomach, but she forced herself to reply.
"Probably, and we shouldn't be caught out in it." Audra scrambled to
her feet. Tess, looking for the first time a little uncomfortable,
rose to her own. They quickly gathered up the blanket and candy
wrappers, stuffing them haphazardly in the pack.
The silence became uncomfortable between the girls as they began to
walk back towards the small cottage. Their footprints slowly
dissolved in the surf almost as quickly as they appeared.
                      <---===***===--->
"Would you like a glass of wine?" Audra asked as she entered the
kitchen. She shivered, even her sweater wasn't quite protecting her
from the sudden chill.
Tess looked like she was a million miles away. She slowly shook her
head as Audra poured a glass for herself.
"I ... I think I'm going to take a walk. Is that alright with you?"
Audra fought off the sinking feeling in her stomach and managed a
shrug.
"Do you want me to come along?"
"I know the area ... I grew up here too, remember?" There was a bit
of a smile still there, but nothing like the former radiance that
Tess had displayed before the beach.
"Tess ... maybe we should talk," Audra screwed up her courage,
frightened of the likely answer.
Tess silently shook her head and wrapped her sweater tighter around
herself. She moved quickly to the front door and slipped on her
shoes.
"When are you going to be back?"
"I really don't know," Tess replied as the door shut quietly behind
her.
Audra sighed and returned to the leather recliner. She swallowed half
the wine in a single gulp.
Stupid. So stupid.
She fought off the tears that threatened, and then flipped on the
stereo. Beethoven couldn't lift her heart or her spirits, no matter
how beautiful the notes. She took another sip of the wine and hoped
that Tess would return sooner rather than later.
                      <---===***===--->
If anything, the wind had become stronger as the afternoon turned
into early evening. Audra shivered as she wrapped the sweater about
her shoulders. She half expected the coming storm to bring snow,
though snow in this area was exceptionally rare.
Her afternoon vigil had been ineffective. The only reason she knew
that Tess hadn't completely run was that her old beat up Dodge was
still parked on the gravel of the driveway. The light was beginning
to fail, and still Tess was out there somewhere, probably trying to
think of a polite way to leave early from this disaster of a weekend.
The last drop of wine swirled in the bottom of the glass. Audra
looked down at the red liquid, contemplating how it might have been a
tear tinged in blood. She raised the glass to her lips and tasted the
sweetness on her lips. She'd resisted drinking that last sip for an
hour, but now that it had disappeared, she took a deep breath. She'd
been standing at the window for the entire time, waiting patiently,
her eyes scanning the clearing around the cottage. Making up her
mind, she gathered her sweater about her shoulders and walked to the
front door where she pulled on her running shoes.
The old oak door squeaked on its ancient hinges into the gathering
night as she stepped onto the small front porch. Her eyes scanned the
trees, but no movement apart from the wind was evident. Tess was
gone.
Knowing that she'd probably return to a driveway devoid of Tess's old
Dodge, Audra stepped out. Audra began to walk, an inner voice guiding
her. She didn't look back.
                      <---===***===--->
The tempest was steadily rising, the wind swirling about her in the
gloom. She'd been warned repeatedly as a child to keep away from the
cliffs. Of course, that had driven her to explore them, knowing every
nook, every cranny. She knew every turn of every path to take her to
the cliffs, even in the gathering darkness.
As she stepped out from the treeline, the sound of the water breaking
against the base of the cliffs intensified. She stood perilously
close to the edge, gazing out at the violence of the gathering storm.
Cocking her head to the side, she listened, perhaps hearing the gods
at work.
She thought about Tess, about her life, about death, and about who
she was. Images of her childhood flitted through her mind. She could
feel herself falling into a trance where time ceased and all that
mattered was the coming storm and Tess. But Tess was gone, and would
never be there - if she returned at all.
Simply lean forward, just one little bit. The wind would assist,
happily and gladly. Oh yes, the storm would give her that tiny nudge,
pushing her towards chaos and insanity. But she didn't want to die,
not really. But it would be so simple, wouldn't it? No more worries.
Ever.
She tore herself from the trance, stepping back from the edge but
only by a single pace.
She felt the emotions welling in her, bubbling like an overfilled pot
upon a stove, struggling for release like a captive too long
incarcerated.
"Why?" she whispered into the uncaring wind. The sound of her voice
was whipped away, so that not even her ears heard the vibrations of
her own voice. She waited for what seemed like an eternity, seemingly
puzzled by the lack of response.
She raised her face towards the gathering thunderheads.
"WHY?" her scream intermixed with the crashing of waves and the howl
of the wind. Neither the wind nor water cared about her anguish and
pain.
Tears slipped quietly down her cheeks, feeling numb against her skin.
Not getting the answer that she sought, she knelt in the wet grass
and waited silently, a girl lost in a sea of violence.
                      <---===***===--->
She stood silhouetted against a turbulent sky. The grey clouds
tumbled over each other as if engaged in an apocalyptic combat. They
licked at each other with faint traces of white-hot sabres, the
rumble of the aerial warfare echoing through her senses. The sea
below tossed as the wind steadily increased, the whitecaps cresting
and thundering into the rocky shoreline so far below. The air carried
with it the stinging smell of salt that burned at her nostrils like
acid. The atmosphere tugged at her clothes as though it were alive
and wished for her to shed the confining coverings, to join the
swirling vapour and angry water in its violent dance. It beckoned her
to be free of uncertainty and loss and pain.
She gazed impassively out at the uncaring sea. Her brunette hair
streamed out from her head, whipped by the force of the gale that was
ever present here. Yet somehow, it was different this time.
She closed her eyes and opened her senses, feeling herself slip away
and join the insane combat of the clouds far above. She peered down
upon the world, seeing herself standing alone, her running shoes
anchored to the soft grass beneath her feet, her arms outstretched in
supplication to whatever gods had created this storm, face uplifted
as though encouraging the rain to being anew.
A faint voice echoed through the trance, calling her name through the
turbulence. A woman's voice, a familiar voice. Tess. But it couldn't
be Tess, could it? Tess wasn't in the vision, she was sure of that.
She dared not hope; she dared not believe the voice could be her. The
wind was playing tricks on her ears, whistling in a feminine voice as
it flowed over the lip of the cliff. Nature was a cruel mistress
sometimes.
Her eyes fluttered open as she felt more than a whispered voice
beckoning her. Small fingers touched her shoulder, connecting them.
Tess.
                      <---===***===--->
Tess's lips gently touched hers, softly kissing away the tears and
frustration. Tingles of electricity, to rival the lightning so far
out to sea, raced through Audra's nerves. She sighed and returned the
kiss, losing herself in the sensations. With a shiver, Tess stepped
away, breaking the kiss.
"Wh-", Audra struggled to find her tongue.
Tess shook her head and touched Audra's lips, shushing her. The wind
tossed Tess's hair in a frenetic dance. The air swirled around Tess
as though it had created her image. Tess, Eve of the Wind Goddess.
Audra shivered.
Audra had seen Tess on the rare occasion that she needed to
concentrate on a legal argument. Tess looked like that now, her eyes
closed, her lips slightly parted, a slight furrow creased into her
brow. Then her face relaxed, as though she'd made up her mind, or
found whatever it was she was looking for. Her fingers stole to the
base of her sweater, playing with it as though they were aware that
Audra's eyes were fixed on them with awe. Slowly, as if in a dream,
Tess's sweater lifted and then fluttered to the ground at her feet.
Then the fingers began a journey, one of intent and concentration.
The furrow returned to Tess's forehead, but her eyes remained
stubbornly closed. Audra's heart hammered as each piece of clothing
fell silently to the wet grass. Blouse, jeans, hiking boots, socks,
and finally brassiere and panties. The clothing fluttered in the
wind as it lay uselessly surrounding the girl.
At last, the woman stood gloriously nude, the forest her backdrop.
Her nipples rose and tightened against the cold of the wind, but she
made no move to cover herself. Tess's eyes opened and she gazed at
Audra. She shivered and hugged herself, her eyes never leaving Audra.
She reached up and loosed her hair, which surrounded her head like an
aura as it fluttered in the violent air.
Again her lips touched Audra, searching for her warmth. Fingers
tugged at Audra's sweater, her clothes, the kiss only broken to allow
the bulky sweater to be pulled from Audra's body. As the fingers shed
Audra's clothing, they moved their bodies to the low music of the
wind, the same driving melody filling their minds and souls. They
danced, shivering and kissing, arms entwined about their necks, slow
music of the storm surrounding them.
They fell amongst the intermixed clothing, rolling and laughing,
feeling the sensations of each other, feeling the wet grass beneath
them. Fingers explored, at first randomly, then with more purpose,
touching hard nipples and soft folds.
Audra cried out as the first spatters of icy rain caressed her back
and flowed through her hair. The sudden cold only moved her to reach
for the warmth of the body beneath her. Wet skin tingled as their
fingers sought out each other, delving into secret places, exploring.
As one, the girls climaxed, their soft cries lost in the howl of the
wind and the hammering of the rain into the wet earth. Blue light
flashed behind Audra's eyes as her muscles gripped at Tess's fingers
and she could feel the simultaneous rhythmic tightening of the other
woman's body.
The rain coated her face as she stared up at the clouds. A flash of
lightning illuminated the other girl. Tess propped herself on an
elbow and gazed down at Audra, letting her eyes wander the body of
the woman she'd explored so thoroughly. She leaned down with a kiss,
her fingers still lightly caressing Audra's bared breasts and lips
shushing Audra.
"Later, OK?"
Then, from memory, Tess whispered, "Sometimes we find love in strange
places, And sometimes words fail us, But sometimes, love appears and
no words are necessary."
Audra smiled, and then violently shivered. Tess gathered the cold
girl into her arms and slowly rocked her.
                      <---===***===--->
Their lips were blue and they were both shivering uncontrollably as
they stumbled into the old kitchen, their bare feet leaving wet
puddles of water upon the floorboards. Despite the cold, they paused
for a brief kiss as soon as the door was closed against the raging
storm.
Audra reluctantly broke the contact and hugged her bare body.
"Perhaps ... we should have dressed before running," she spoke
quietly.
Tess smiled and forced her teeth to stop chattering. "Why? Do you
think we'll be wearing anything for the rest of the weekend?"
A look passed between them, then Audra turned and moved quickly
across the room. She grabbed the half-empty bottle of wine, and with
a quick smile disappeared into the living room.
                      <---===***===--->
The small flame grew into a blossom of fire that licked at the
stacked wood like a frog eager to consume an innocent insect. Audra
watched the energy as it left her shaking match and ignited the wood
in the fireplace. The flame grew and engulfed the fuel; building
slowly until the heat began to dry the frigid water from her bare
skin. She sighed, letting the intensity of the flames seep into her
pores and finally warm her. She was still shivering when she felt a
presence beside her.
"I can't let it go out," she whispered.
Tess spoke softly from beside her. "There are other ways to keep
warm, you know." Audra could sense Tess shivering worse than herself.
"I can't let it go," she whispered again.
"You won't, sweety, you won't." Audra felt the soft pressure of
Tess's fingers on her bare shoulder.
They remained kneeling naked by the fire for a long time. Audra had
completely lost track of the time, and the stereo continued to flash
00:00, 00:00 in a monotonous exclamation of its inaccuracy. It was
dark but for the light of the fire. Audra let her eyes wander over
Tess for the first time, the flickering of the light enhancing every
curve, every softness. In the firelight, her eyes flashed violet
again, like in that cafe an eternity ago.
The heat of the flames soaked into them, and but for their hair, the
girls dried and gradually lost their shivers. Every once in a while,
Audra fed a small stick into the fireplace, never quite letting it go
out.
                      <---===***===--->
"Sleep with me tonight?" Tess whispered.
Audra turned and smiled. Tess pointed to where she'd laid out the
blankets from her bed on the floor in front of the fire. Pillows were
strewn from sofas and beds. It looked inviting.
Without a word, Audra crawled towards the nest and burrowed herself
under the blankets, curling them up to her chin. The blankets were
cold, causing her to shiver once more. She watched as Tess rose to
her bare feet and then joined her under the blankets.
The goodnight kiss was long and deep, lit by the flickering light
from the dying fire. The blankets warmed with the heat from their
bodies.
"Your hair is still wet," Audra murmured.
Audra felt fingers stroking her own wet hair. "As is yours," Tess
commented unnecessarily. Tess smelled Audra's hair. "You smell like
rain," she smiled.
"The fire is going out," Audra's eyes tore themselves from the blonde
and travelled towards the mantel.
"It will never go out."
Audra sighed and lay back into the pillows, feeling Tess lay her head
in the crook of her shoulder. Her hair was still damp, but it wasn't
particularly cold. She gently ran her fingers through that loose
blonde hair, liking the warmth.
Outside, the rain began to ease, the constant drumming against the
wood of the roof slowing until it finally ceased. The only sound was
the regular breathing of Tess, the odd plop of a raindrop falling
from the oak leaves, and the occasional pop from the fireplace.
When she was sure Tess had fallen asleep, she whispered quietly to
nobody in particular. "It's so much warmer with you."
A sigh murmured from Tess.
Audra smiled as she felt tickling sensations as gentle fingers began
a downward caress.
The game was over, and yet it was just beginning.