Forbidden Love

by Phillips, Laura

  Anna’s eyes traveled up her body, taking note of the scoop neck emerald top she wore that made her green eyes almost glow. Sunglasses sat on top of her dark hair that was left down and straightened.

  “I was afraid that you stood me up,” Lara said as she crossed the deck to give her a brief hug.

  “Are you kidding? I came out here to see if I could find you, but the view distracted me.”

  “You’ve never been here before?”

  “No. First time. It’s beautiful. I guess all of the Red Sox stuff put me off actually coming in here,” Anna said as she brought the bottle she was holding to her lips.

  “Please tell me you’re not a Yankees fan?”

  “I am,” Anna said. “And you’re a Red Sox fan?”

  “For life.”

  Anna laughed. “This is our year. I have a feeling.”

  Lara elbowed her playfully. “We’ll see. There’s a long way to go yet.”

  “I’m confident.”

  “I think we’ll have to agree to not talk about baseball,” Lara said as she took a drink. “I think it could ruin our friendship.”

  Anna laughed. “Okay.”

  “There’s a walk along the lake,” Lara said looking down towards the water. “Do you want to get out of here for a while?”

  “Won’t you be missed?”

  “I doubt it.”

  “Alright. Let’s go,” Anna said as she followed Lara down the steps and across the grass until they reached the woods, easily finding the dirt path.

  They walked single file until the path widened along the edge of the water.

  Now, Anna was alongside her with just the sound of the water lapping against the shore and the birds in the trees.

  “So how long have you been enduring these work gatherings?” Anna asked.

  “Ten years.”

  “Wow.”

  “I never went to them before we got married but then it was pretty much mandatory.”

  Anna couldn’t imagine being married for ten years. Her longest relationship was two years. She’d started dating her best friend, Chase, when they were freshmen, but she’d ended it a few months ago.

  She knew that he wanted to take things to the next level, but she really only thought of him as a friend who she happened to kiss.

  They managed to maintain their friendship and Chase had already met someone else.

  Anna was happy for him. She’d always love him, but just not like that.

  “So, you’re an expert at escaping your husband’s work parties?” Anna asked.

  “We’re not escaping it. We’re just getting away to spend a few minutes out here, enjoy the beautiful scenery and the peace and quiet.”

  “So, who usually keeps you company?”

  “No one in particular. Sometimes I just go off on my own for a while. Sometimes I’m lucky enough to meet someone in a similar situation who would rather be anywhere but at one of these events. It’s such a big company and they’re recruiting new people every year, so I still don’t know everyone even after all these years.”

  “They can’t all be that bad?” Anna asked.

  “I’m sure they’re not but it’s a bit late now… All the wives and mothers have their own clicks. I’ve always been an outsider. Some of Jake’s friends are nice but they come to these things to hang out with the guys.”

  “So now you’re bringing in outside support,” Anna said, gently elbowing her as they continued to stroll side by side along the path. “You must be getting desperate.”

  Lara laughed softly as she turned to look at her. “I don’t normally do that though. I’ve never asked anyone else from the shelter to do anything outside of volunteering.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. I mean everyone’s great there. We’re lucky to have such a fantastic team but we don’t really spend any time together outside of the shelter.”

  “Do you actually work there, or volunteer like me?” Anna asked.

  “I volunteer. During the summer I’m there all week but during the school year I’m only there on Saturdays.”

  “You’re a teacher?”

  Lara nodded. “English. Do you know the high school near that deli we go to? That’s where I work.”

  “So how did you meet Jake?”

  Anna noticed a strange look cross Lara’s face and waited for her to answer. Lara paused as they reached a tree that had fallen beside the path.

  “Do you mind if we sit?” Lara asked.

  “Not at all.”

  Anna sat down beside her, the rough bark pressing against the backs of her thighs.

  “I met Jake at the shelter,” Lara said after a few moments.

  “He volunteers too?”

  “He used to… Before he got this job.”

  “He probably doesn’t have much time for it now,” Anna guessed.

  “No.”

  “So, you’ve been at the shelter for a long time then? More than ten years?”

  “Yeah… I um… I’d be lost without it really. I wouldn’t be where I am today… I lived there.”

  “Really?” Anna turned to face her, lightly touching her arm. “What happened?”

  “I’m from Seattle but I moved out here when I was eighteen… Right after I graduated. I was supposed to be working at a local newspaper. I’d applied for a job and thought I had everything organized before I left but when I showed up… Whoever hired me had just been fired and they informed me that there wasn’t a position for me.”

  “Wow.”

  “Yeah,” Lara said as she took a deep breath. “So, I was completely stuck. I couldn’t afford the flight back home and I’d made such a big deal about leaving. None of my family wanted me to go.”

  “So, you had to survive out here on your own?”

  “Yes. It was stupid really. I was so determined, and it was okay for a few months. I found another job and a couch to sleep on to save up for a deposit on an apartment but then things got a little crazy.”

  “What happened?” Anna asked.

  “I met this girl… this woman. I was… I don’t know… Someone else when I was with her.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I was always quiet, shy even… When I met Nina. Everything changed.”

  “You’re being really cryptic,” Anna said, still facing her.

  “Sorry. I’ve never really told anyone about her.”

  “So, what happened?”

  “Nina was a writer for a fashion magazine. I met her at a party in New York City and she told me that I could do much better. She had a job for me if I wanted it. So, I took it… I was tired of sleeping on a couch.”

  “Did you move into the city?”

  “No. I wanted to keep my expenses low so that I could save a bit of money. After my first week I had enough, with the little bit I’d been saving, for a deposit on an apartment. Things were great. I spent the majority of the week in New York going to these crazy parties and writing articles.”

  “You had a fake ID?”

  “Yeah. Nina got me one. She was six years older than me.”

  “So, you grew up fast.”

  “Too fast. I never did drugs even though I had hundreds of opportunities, but I did drink… Too often and always too much,” Lara said as she looked out across the lake. “There were plenty of nights where I woke up the next day and had no idea what happened to me the night before.”

  “Wow.”

  “And one morning Nina was in my bed.”

  Anna’s eyes widened. She kind of had a feeling that this was where the story was going but she didn’t want to assume. After all, Lara was married to a man and had been for years.

  “It was bound to happen,” Lara said as she ran a hand through her. “We’d kissed a few times before, but I never really knew if we’d just been caught up in the moment on the dance floor or watching the sun rise from a balcony in Manhattan after a crazy night.”

  “Did you know you were interested in women?” Anna asked. />
  “No idea. Nina just came into my life like this ray of sunshine bursting through on a cloudy day… I was lost and lonely. She seemed like the perfect solution to all of my problems. And then she left it like a tornado, the path of destruction clear and wide.”

  “She broke up with you?”

  “No… I can’t blame her for my drinking habits. I should have known better… I was at home. She’d been at a fashion show in Manhattan and she got robbed at some point that night. She had no money and no keys. She called me and wanted me to come get her. It was probably three or four in the morning. She was a mess.”

  Lara glanced down at her hands as she fidgeted with them.

  “I’d had a few glasses of wine that night while I was working,” Lara continued. “I told her I shouldn’t drive. I felt fine, but I knew I’d be over the limit. But she was hysterical, and I went to get her.”

  “Did you get pulled over?” Anna asked.

  “Yeah. I was about half way there when I saw the lights in my mirror. I knew there was no way out of it. I was arrested and lost my license.”

  “What about your job?”

  “They fired me. I wasn’t working for Nina, so she had no say in it and to be honest I don’t think she really cared.”

  “So that was it? You broke up?”

  “I never heard from her again,” Lara said with a sigh. “I got kicked out of my apartment. I had trouble getting another job.”

  “And you ended up in the shelter?”

  “A few weeks later, yeah. I met Jake on my first night there. If it wasn’t for him and the work that they do there I don’t know what I would have done.”

  Anna wrapped an arm around Lara’s shoulders, pulling her into her. She’d heard the emotion in Lara’s voice and knew that sharing that story wasn’t easy.

  Anna thought she’d been getting to know Lara over the past few weeks, but this was the first time she’d revealed anything this personal. It had always been friendly banter with nothing too serious ever discussed.

  They sat like that, with Lara leaning into her, for a few minutes and Anna felt like they’d just turned a corner, that she’d just gained a real friendship that Anna knew she’d been missing in her life.

  “We should probably head back,” Anna said as they both watched a boat speed across the lake. “But I would love to meet Jake.”

  Lara smiled as she pulled away and Anna dropped her hand. “Let’s go. And thank you,” Lara said as they stood up.

  “For what?”

  “Listening… I’ve never told anyone about Nina. My family never knew anything about that time in my life. They think I met Jake while I was volunteering at the shelter… not living there.”

  Anna glanced over at her as they walked back and noticed that her cheeks were slightly flushed and her green eyes watery.

  “Hey,” Anna said, reaching for her hand and stopping to face her. “You can tell me anything. I know we’ve only known each other for a few weeks but I know that I trust you more than most people in my life right now. I’m not sure why,” Anna said with a weak smile that Lara returned.

  “I’m not sure why either,” Lara said with a soft laugh as they kept moving and Anna dropped her hand. “But I know what you mean. I just didn’t mean to dump all that on you.”

  “It’s fine. It’s good to get something like that off your chest even if it was a long time ago.”

  “A lifetime ago,” Lara agreed.

  Chapter Five

  “This has got to be one of the hottest summers we’ve ever had,” Anna said as she took a break from sorting through clothes to wipe the sweat away from her brow.

  “And no air-conditioning,” Lara added.

  It was August and Anna felt like she might pass out. The two floor fans that blew the hot air around the room weren’t really helping.

  “Do you want another water?” Anna asked her.

  “Please.”

  Anna made her way down the hall to the kitchen to find two bottles of water.

  The kitchen was quiet this time of day and she was back to the storage room with two ice cold bottles a few minutes later.

  She pressed hers against the back of her neck, trying to cool herself down.

  “Thanks,” Lara said as she took the bottle from her. “Do you know what we should do?”

  “What?”

  “We should go for a swim.”

  “Where?”

  “I have a pool,” Lara answered as she opened the bottle to take a drink.

  “I don’t have a swim suit.”

  “You can borrow one of mine.”

  “They won’t miss us?” Anna asked.

  “Instead of taking an hour for lunch we’ll spend ten minutes eating and the rest of the time cooling off. I’m only five minutes away.”

  “That would be amazing.”

  ***

  Anna was never happier to see a pool. They’d stopped to get sandwiches and ate them while they drove, not wanting to waste any time.

  Now they were at Lara's and Anna couldn’t wait to jump in.

  Lara had given her a black bikini to wear and luckily, they were practically the same size.

  Anna was surprised to see how in shape Lara was. She wore t shirts or tank tops at the shelter that hid her toned stomach.

  Now in her navy bikini, Anna could see her athletic figure with little left to the imagination.

  “What are you waiting for?” Lara asked just before she dove in.

  Anna wondered if she’d just been caught staring.

  She padded towards the edge of the pool and eased herself down into the water, one step at a time.

  Her body instantly cooled down and Anna didn’t know what was going to get her back out.

  “I was tempted to drive down to the lake yesterday and just jump in,” Anna said as she swam towards Lara. “This is a much better idea.”

  “If this heat wave sticks around, this might have to be a regular thing.”

  “I wouldn’t object,” Anna said with a smile.

  “So, what do you think of Lucas? I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

  “He’s nice… seems like a good guy.”

  “Maybe he’ll find the courage to ask you out before the summer’s over,” Lara said with a smile.

  “What?”

  “He’s always staring at you. You never noticed?”

  “No… I haven’t,” Anna said honestly.

  “Well he’s got a thing for you. It’s obvious.”

  “I don’t think I want to get involved with anyone this year. It’s my senior year. I need to focus and then I’ll be going to college… I don’t need to complicate things.”

  “Do you know what you want to major in?”

  “Journalism. I’m going to apply to UCLA.”

  “Really? The opposite side of the country?” Lara asked while treading water.

  “Yeah. I could use some time away from here. I can’t stay in this town. There are so many people who grew up here and never left… I can’t be one of those people.”

  “I know what you mean. I couldn’t wait to leave Seattle and I’ve never looked back.”

  “Exactly,” Anna said. “I don’t know if I’ll stay out there but I feel like I need to get out of this little bubble I’ve grown up in.”

  Anna watched Lara lean back, letting her body float and closing her eyes against the sun’s bright rays. Anna had to force herself to look away.

  What is going on with me?

  Anna had been getting closer and closer to Lara in the last few weeks, but she’d always thought of her as a friend, someone that was as mature as she was, who she could easily talk to unlike most of her friends from high school.

  Now, she’d been staring at her. Again.

  Anna ducked her head under the water and pushed off against the wall to swim a few lengths. If she didn’t, she knew she’d keep thinking about Lara and probably get caught staring at her.

  When she’d done a few laps, she swam to the
edge to check the time on her phone.

  “Lara, we should probably get going,” Anna said as she turned to face her.

  Lara swam to the edge to join her. “Same time tomorrow?”

  Their arms were touching as they both looked down at the phone and knew they had to be back in ten minutes.

  “Definitely,” Anna said as she let Lara climb the steps ahead of her. She looked away when her eyes fell on Lara’s ass.

  What the hell?

  Anna made her way into the downstairs bathroom where she’d gotten changed earlier without looking at Lara again.

  They were in a hurry and Anna was anxious to get back into her clothes, hoping that when Lara returned, she’d be able to look at her like a normal person again.

  Less than five minutes later, Anna was hopping into Lara’s jeep and they were on their way back to the shelter. They’d both tied their wet hair back, Lara’s in a ponytail and Anna’s in a messy bun.

  “That was the best lunch break I’ve had in a long time,” Lara said as they drove.

  “You do have some pretty great ideas. And thanks for lending me your bikini. I’ll be more prepared tomorrow.”

  “No problem.”

  When they got back to the shelter, things seemed to get back to normal for Anna.

  She didn’t know what happened at Lara’s.

  It was like she was hypnotized. She’d never been so drawn to someone before.

  What would happen tomorrow though if they went swimming again?

  Chapter Six

  Anna always had a bag packed and left in the back seat of her car now with a bikini and a change of clothes.

  There was no sign of the heatwave ending so their trips to Lara’s pool became a regular thing.

  Today Lara was out with John, the man that Anna had met on her first day here and showed her around.

  A local bedding company had asked them to come down and fill up a shopping cart with whatever they needed for the shelter.

  Anna was left on her own to sort through the boxes that had just been delivered that morning.

  It was quiet today with the temperatures easily over one hundred degrees. Most of the people that stayed here last night had left in the morning to find some air conditioning.