When I wrapped my lips around her clit, sucking her gently, she shouted my name, her toes digging into my hips. I released her, fighting a grin as I repeated the gentle sucking all over her folds. She cried out softly in turn with moaning, and I gripped her hips as I knew she prepared to tumble over the edge. My tongue flicked rapidly over her clit, and I used my knuckle to rub circles around her entrance. Mira's back arched and she shouted as she tore at the sheets, her vocal nature making me shudder with enjoyment. She came hard against my mouth, dampness coating my knuckle as she clenched, and I prolonged it by slowing the rapid movements to delicate laps. My tongue made revolutions around her folds and clit, and she finally breathed again as she hit the bed.
Soft sounds left her in between panting breaths, and she reached down to grab handfuls of my hair. Like before, her legs shook so hard that the bed nearly vibrated, but the way she held me, I knew she didn't want me to stop. I kept at it, licking and sucking her here and there until she drew in a sharp breath, and let out a deep, guttural moan.
"Billie," she cried out my name, finally releasing me to collapse on the bed. "Oh my God."
I smiled while I kissed her sweet pussy, then made my way back up her body to lie between her legs again and kiss her neck. She hugged me right away, burying her face against my shoulder.
"I think you liked that," I said, snickering while nibbling her ear.
"Oh my God," she repeated, and wrapped her legs around my waist.
"Thought so." I grinned and raked my teeth over her neck. She shivered and her nails dug into my back when she grabbed on to me. The sensation was new and erotic as I arched against her grip.
"Nails," she said, breathlessly.
"Yes." I laughed hard when we looked at each other again. "What are we going to do about those nails?"
She cracked up, dug her foot into the mattress, and rolled me over. There was a freedom in our movements, and in her personality that hadn't been there before. Hesitation left her, and she grabbed the waist of my panties, tugging them right down without even asking. Not that she needed to. At all.
She gazed down at me, and ran her thumb over the manicured triangle covering my mons. The look of awe, or something like it, never left her face as she began to explore my folds while I lay there biting my tongue as to not make a sound that distracted her.
"We look different," she said, her thumb now brushing over me. "A little."
"Everyone is different," I told her. "Every pussy I've ever seen has looked different. But yours is by far the prettiest."
"You're just saying that." She gave my thigh a light swat and I laughed.
"I mean it, Mira. It is."
Her eyes flickered back and forth as she caressed me, then, in a daring move, she bent down and placed a single lick across my clit. I sucked in my breath as I gripped her thigh, and she repeated the gesture.
A thud echoed in the quiet apartment and we both froze. Keys jingled after and the distinct sound of them hitting the table brought a stroke of panic.
"Mimi?" called Saoirse, and Mira's face blanched.
We both raced from the bed like teenagers caught by their parents in a hotel room after prom. I had no pants in the bedroom so instead, I covered my mouth, my eyes wide as I looked at Mira. She held up a finger after tossing on a pair of pants she found on the chair. I nodded, and she stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her.
"Hey, Saoirse," Mira said, her voice slightly muffled.
"Where've you been? I've been texting you since yesterday."
"Work, then dinner. You just woke me up," Mira answered, her firm Professor-like tones returning to her voice.
Saoirse didn't say anything right away, but eventually she asked, "Dinner with Billie?"
And now Mira was caught in the crossfire. I sat on the bed, my elbows on my knees while I awaited her response. Would she deny my existence? Just the thought of it choked me up and I dropped my head in my hands.
"Yes. I had dinner with Billie," answered Mira, matter-of-factly.
"That's good." Saoirse's tones didn't sound too sure. "We're meeting a little early before the game to go over some new plays. And then we were thinking about going to the harvest festival after the game instead of Cosmo's. Do you want to?"
"Um…maybe. Not sure yet."
"So, where'd you guys go to dinner last night?" Saoirse's voice faded and I imagined her walking around the apartment, watching holographic replays of my time with Mira.
"Valentina's. Why?"
"Nice place." Saoirse paused again, then asked, "Is she still here?"
"Why are you questioning me like this, Saoirse? Since when do you care what I do or don't do?"
"Easy, Mimi. You've just dropped off the face of the earth. I only see you at games. We never go anywhere or do anything anymore, and you missed Jenny's birthday party on Thursday. What gives?"
Mira had no response to that. I imagined her out there, suffering in front of Saoirse, and my desire to rescue her burned so badly in my gut. I glanced around the room, attempting to come up with a ruse or at least a reason why I would be here. Feigning a shower after a night of drinking too much wasn't possible because the bathroom was across the hall.
"Please leave, Saoirse. If you're going to come here and attack me—"
"Are you going to shoot me?" Saoirse interrupted and I wondered how it escalated so quickly then realized—
"What? Of course not," answered Mira.
"Well then, you probably won't be needing this gun here on the coffee table." Saoirse paused and I envisioned her gesturing to it. "I mean, unless you've suddenly become an FBI Agent. I knew you liked crime shows, but this is pushing it."
And that's how everything came tumbling down; my gun.
Mira didn't answer, and I stood from the bed, buttoning up my shirt after pulling my panties back on. I stood by the door, my heart thundering in my chest, as I waited to see how Mira responded.
The longest silence ever brought the house to a devastating lull.
"It's okay, Mimi. It is." Saoirse's tones dropped to soothing ones and her voice grew louder as she drew closer to Mira who I assumed was right outside the door. "It's fine. All of this is fine."
"Can you just go?" Mira's voice cracked. "Please just go."
"Mimi, I—"
"Please."
"Okay…okay."
I waited as Saoirse's footfalls made it to the front door. She paused and I heard Mira sniffle before the thud of the door closing echoed in the silent apartment.
The bedroom door creaked open and Mira returned, all of the energy drained from her spirit. She shut the door, and sobbed as soon as she saw me.
"It's okay." I held my hands out to her and she took them. "You're okay."
She crumbled against me, and I held her to my chest. We both hit the carpet, not just with the weight of each other but the weight of the situation as well. My tears belonged to her pain, and to the knowledge that I hadn't properly prepared her for this moment. We couldn't stay hidden away forever.
"I'm sorry," she said, choking on a sob. Silent tears streamed her cheeks, "I didn't tell her. I couldn't."
"Listen to me." I cupped her face in my hands and she met my gaze. "None of this is easy. I know it's not. You don't owe anyone an explanation for your choices. Not me, not Saoirse, not anyone. When you're ready, Mira. And only then."
"What do I even say? Am I gay? Are you my girlfriend? What do I even say?" She dissolved in my arms, her head on her knees. "What am I supposed to do?"
"Do you want me to be your girlfriend?" I ran my fingers through her hair, and she tilted her head so that she could see me. Her eyes searched mine and, only after a long pause did she nod. "Then I am. As for everything else, we'll figure it out. Okay?"
"She ruined our time together. And I hate when she calls me Mimi."
"She didn't, honey. We still had an amazing first official date, and a wonderful first night together. Didn't we?"
She nodded, and gave my hand
a squeeze. "We did."
"All she ruined was our morning confidence. Right?"
"Yeah." She swiped at her eyes and nodded. "True."
"We have hours before we have to be anywhere. Let's get back in bed and relax for a little while," I said, urging her up from the floor. She moved with me and the minute we climbed back under the covers, she snuggled against me.
"What if we go to the game and she's told everyone?"
"Are you worried that all your friends will find out we're together?" I asked, attempting to keep my voice calm and away from the fear that tortured my insides.
"Not that they'll find out. Of how they'll treat me…"
"You mean, what if all the gay girls find out you're dating a gay girl and you, in fact, might be at least a little gay?" I played it off in hope of lifting her spirits. "I imagine they'll invite you to join their lesbian book club. Or at least ask you to join their soccer team. Your straight friends obviously already accept the non-straight friends so…"
She met my gaze at that point and started laughing. "When you put it that way…"
"Right?" I kissed her gently and she nodded. "I think you'll be fine, Mira. I promise. Other things will be more challenging. Family, work." I nudged her forehead with mine.
"But I really want this with you…" She brushed her lips over mine. "I do."
"I know. I feel that you do. I really want this with you, too." I let out a soft sigh. "It won't be easy all the time."
"Will your friends be okay with it?"
"I don't care if they are. But they've always been supportive of me," I told her. "Even when they annoy me."
"I'm glad." She drew in a deep breath. "I'm sorry I didn't know what to say."
"Mira, I'm proud to be your girlfriend. You can tell anyone you want. Anyone at all. I've never lived in the closet. I won't do that to myself. I hope you'll agree with that someday, too." I placed my palm against her cheek. "I was hoping you'd get a chance to tell people first on your own terms. I'm comfortable with waiting."
"I've never met anyone like you. Ever," she said, leaning into my touch. "You're kind and fair. And romantic."
"You're worth all of it, Mira. All of it." I leaned my forehead against hers and she sighed softly.
"Can we have a nap together? I just want to stay here…"
"I think you should go to your game, Mira…"
"Can we nap before?" She draped her arm over my middle, and I tucked myself against her.
"Of course." I pulled the blankets over us and waited until she nodded off before I closed my eyes.
***
For almost the entire first half of the game, Mira ignored Saoirse. Whenever Saoirse tried to approach her, Mira walked away or turned her back. At first, it didn't seem noticeable. Until it became tense enough to impact the game, especially since timeouts couldn't be called by anyone. Everything had to be dealt with during the game, which made it worse. So much so that Maddie attempted to engage her, and while Mira didn't walk off, she still held her focus on the field or other players. No one scored, and the chaos seemed to infiltrate both teams.
"This is a terrible game," said Ciara's familiar voice as she dropped down on the bleachers beside me. At this venue, there wasn't anything separating us from the field. The bleachers sat directly in the grass and they weren't as filled as usual either.
"Sure is," agreed Eve, both of them carrying cups of coffee from the cafe down the street.
"Do you two come to every game?" I asked, surveying the two of them as they settled in.
"Not really. Saoirse called and asked me to come," said Ciara. "Not sure why."
I can foster a guess. "No work for you, Eve?"
"Not yet. You know how it goes though."
"I do."
Our attention returned to the field, and all of the women appeared to be battling it out. More elbows were thrown, yellow cards given out, and bodies hitting the grass at a higher intensity than at any game I'd ever been to.
"They're all out for blood today," I commented.
"The Double-T's are their greatest rival. It's gotten heated before," said Ciara. "Even if it's just the year-round soccer club game thing and not actual league games."
"It's awesome." Eve smirked as she looked on. "I see you checking out that hot little number." She leaned her elbows on the bench behind us to look at me from around Ciara. "The gay girl doesn't get the straight girl in the end, Olsen. Don't you watch the movies?"
"Eve. Come on." Ciara turned and smacked her upside the head, sending her neat hair into a mess. "Leave her alone already."
My stomach sank and I turned my attention back to the field. I held on to my anger, not so much at Eve, but for her giving words to my inner fears.
"Watch the hair and it's the truth." Eve fixed her hair then huffed. "She needs to keep her feet on the ground."
"It's not your job to tell her where her feet should go. You're never like this with people, why do you get on Billie so much?" Ciara's heat matched mine and I let her do all the pushing back on Eve.
"It's work. We worked, and work together," I said, crossing my legs, but keeping my eyes on Mira and the women on the field.
"Is this how all of you talk to each other? No wonder the culture there is so toxic at times. Stop prodding at her and just tell her you're worried that she'll get hurt." Ciara's fierce gaze tore into Eve and I glanced over to see Eve's expression fall. Ciara cut her where it mattered and her entire presence shifted from her disillusioned cop to awkward human in a heartbeat. "Be better than that," spat Ciara, her brows narrowed at her girlfriend.
Eve's gaze flickered in my direction, but she didn't say anything yet.
"Why do you even care?" I asked Eve. "We're not friends. We're not anything. Why do you care if I get hurt?" Now I lost my cool. The tension of the entire field weighed down on me just the same.
Eve remained quiet for a moment then said, "Because Angelina cares."
"Right. Not because you care. I get it." I held my hand up to her, and she shook her head. "It's fine."
Ciara watched us, leaning back as we spoke across her now instead of behind her.
"No, I do care…" Eve's voice softened. "All I've heard about for weeks is how Angelina's worried about you. You won't talk to her or come out with us anymore."
"It doesn't matter, Eve. Just leave it alone."
"No. I do care about you, all right?" Frustration narrowed her brows and the truth of her statement apparent in her passionate delivery. I believed her, somewhat, but still felt it was driven by Angelina.
"All right," I conceded. Ciara's hand fell to the middle of my back in a brief gesture of comfort, and I let her do it for now.
I turned my attention back to the field where the players raced toward an out of control ball. Mira, in her pink shirt, bolted toward two women in purple shirts that chased the ball toward the goal post closest to where we sat. A scramble of pink and purple chased them, their aggressive status evident in their angry faces. Mira stopped short suddenly, jumping back as one of the women dropped to the ground in front of her, she slid across the grass and collided with two players closest to the ball. The thuds of bodies hitting the ground and each other startled me, but the agonized scream that followed had me on my feet.
Everyone else stood when the women on the field reacted with gasps, their hands on their heads or in the air as horror struck their sweaty faces. Chaos erupted on the field and in the stands. At Mira's feet, two people tangled, one woman screamed as she held a mangled leg in the air. The bone of her lower leg protruded from her skin, with blood and tissue visible around it. Her cries and screams brought a shrill of anguish to my chest, and onlookers made all sorts of devastated sounds. Someone shouted for an ambulance or a doctor. One of the girls by the player's bench had her phone to her ear, pacing in a circle with tears down her cheeks.
The women in purple surrounded their teammate, and two people raced out from the bleachers toward the field. One of the referees knelt in the grass
by the injured woman, while the other had her phone to her ear.
Eve grabbed my arm when I found myself halfway to the scene, with my hand on my service weapon out of habit, the other gripping my phone.
"They got her," said Eve, grounding me away from the adrenaline and pounding heart. I nodded, but noted Eve's posture mirrored mine with Ciara behind us.
I couldn't see Mira from the crowd until Ciara pointed to our right. Saoirse had Mira around the middle, leading her away toward the side door of the building adjacent to the field. Most of the pink jerseys followed Saoirse, save for two that stayed by the injured woman who had melted to crying while the others around her tried to stop her from moving. The sound of sirens told me the emergency response grew closer and that settled me some.
When the crowd around the injured woman became too much, Eve pulled out her badge and demanded that they all step away. I followed suit, and the onlookers began to disperse. Their voyeurism angered me, as it didn't seem woven with concern. A teenager had his phone out, as if angling for a shot of the woman's injury. I smacked the phone from his hand then pointed toward the street.
The ambulance pulled up, and a few units in uniform. Eve spoke to the first cop to arrive, then returned to Ciara and me after.
Ciara's brow furrowed suddenly as she gazed behind me, and I turned to see Maddie running across the field, her expression nearly as panicked as before.
"Billie," she said, stopping beside us. "Saoirse said we needed to get you."
"Me? Why?" I rushed after her as she took off back toward the building.
"I'm not sure." Maddie panted as she pulled the door open for me.
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