She paused to sip her coffee.
‘About eight weeks in, I was studying late, the light must have been visible under my door, and I hear this knock, really gentle, but quite insistent and then Melanie’s voice, whispering. So I get up, and I’m literally wearing a tank top and knickers and these awesome bed socks, and I go to the door and open it a crack and she’s standing there in floods of tears.’
Emilia frowned and stopped stroking Amy’s palm for a moment.
‘Keep doing that,’ said Amy, smiling. ‘It feels nice.’
‘Why was she crying?’
‘Turns out she had a long distance boyfriend, some guy she’d met on her travels, and he’d dumped her via an email. She asked if she could come in and I don’t think I actually said yes, but in she came and she just started unloading. They’d fallen in love in Vietnam, he was German but he spoke perfect English, he was five years older than her and was studying Ancient Cultures in Berlin, they were going to marry in Indonesia and buy a house boat in Sweden. All this history just flooded out of her like a gushing torrent. It was a whole new side to her that I’d never seen before.’
She smiled, reminiscing.
‘You liked her?’
Amy nodded.
‘I liked the real her, not the person she tried to be to impress everyone. We all did it, we all bigged ourselves up, exaggerated and embellished our past. Some people I’m sure made up whole new lives for themselves. University can be a big red reset button for some people I guess. But when her barriers fell down it confused the shit out of me.’
She laughed.
‘There I was, consoling this stunning, older girl on my bed, dressed in my little tank top and knickers, doing my best to comfort her as she bawls her eyes out and I’m just really fucking aroused.’
Emilia’s eyes grew wide and she giggled.
‘Honestly, it was like the harder she cried, the wetter I got. Eventually I was too afraid to stand up.’
‘Oh my goodness. What did you do?’
Amy bit her lip.
‘I kissed her,’ she said, smiling. ‘I just leaned across and kissed her. At first she didn’t react, she just sort of froze, and so did I. Then her lips moved and parted a little, and I felt her tongue against mine, and then her hand on my hip, and before I knew it we were naked under my duvet.’
She widened her eyes at Emilia and giggled, stroking and squeezing her hand.
‘So what happened? Did you break up?’
‘No, we’re still together. I’m a serial bigamist, Em.’
Emilia slapped her hand lightly.
‘Yes of course we did,’ she laughed. ‘Well, sort of. We never really got together as such, but it lasted a long time. We were on and off for about a year. I had a boyfriend for a little while, but when that went wrong I ended up back with her. Sometimes we would sleep together if one of us was having a hard time. It was like we were each other’s solace.’
Emilia nodded.
‘It was the same thing each time, she would knock on my door, come in and have a cry, and then we would kiss. Or it would be me, knocking on her door. Honestly it got the point where if I saw or heard someone cry it would be an instant turn on. Sploosh.’
She laughed and wiped a tear from her eyes.
‘It made me realise that I wasn’t strictly straight, that I was somewhere on the spectrum, but the needle wasn’t pointing exclusively at men.’
‘What happened to her?’
‘She got married to a guy named Aaron and they live on a houseboat on the Thames.’
‘Do you still talk?’
‘Sometimes,’ Amy shrugged, then she smiled mischievously. ‘We last met up around three years ago. Before Mark and I married.’
Emilia giggled and raised her eyebrows. ‘Did you have a cry?’
‘We had a cry.’
‘You know I did study Drama at college,’ laughed Emilia. ‘I used to be pretty good at turning on the waterworks.’
‘Don’t joke,’ said Amy.
Emilia sniffed a little and her eyes began to water.
Amy bit her lip as she shook her head. ‘I’m warning you. I will come right here. It’s like I’m conditioned.’
Emilia laughed and wiped her eyes and then leaned back in her chair as her girlfriend relaxed.
‘You’re so funny, I love it.’
‘Wait, the other day,’ said Emilia suddenly, her eyes wide. ‘When I was crying just before Cass arrived. Were you?’
Amy started laughing and covered her mouth. ‘Sploosh.’
‘Oh my goodness!’
‘Why do you think I was so desperate to get back to the villa?’
‘You are sick.’
Emilia felt strangely reassured as they walked back towards the old city lanes, hand in hand again. There was a part of her that was sad that she wasn’t Amy’s first but it also meant that this wasn’t just a passing curiosity, and like her - well almost like her - Amy was bi-sexual and comfortable with it. Wanting to hold hands wasn’t just for show or for some sense of validation, it wasn’t to convince herself of her feelings.
It was real.
As they reached the edge of the park, Emilia stopped. There was something she had to do. There was no point putting it off any longer. It wasn’t something she could avoid. Amy turned to look at her and frowned.
‘I’m sorry. I need to make a phone call.’
Amy nodded and smiled. ‘Of course, I’ll wait for you by the fountain.’
‘Thank you.’
Amy stared for a moment longer, smiling kindly. ‘She loves you. You know that right?’
‘I know.’
‘They both do.’
‘I know.’
‘Good luck.’
‘Thank you.’
Amy turned and kept walking, crossing the road and disappearing behind a line of trees as Emilia watched.
She slipped her phone out of her handbag and unlocked it, glancing briefly at the photo of all four of them from the gorge two days ago before opening up her contacts and sliding down a little way. She held her finger on her sisters name, pausing and thinking. Then she pressed the call button and held the phone up to her ear.
It rang twice and Alice answered.
‘Hey thister,’ came her familiar voice. ‘I can’t believe you never told him you used to have a lisp.’
‘I can’t believe you fucked my husband over the dining room table, after I specifically told you not to.’
‘Touché little Em,’ she laughed down the line. ‘I wondered when you were going to call.’
‘I’ve missed you.’
‘I wasn’t expecting you to say that.’
‘I’m sorry, I should’ve called you earlier.’
‘Or texted, or checked in, but as you said, I did fuck your husband over your dining room table. I wasn’t expecting much.’
‘And our bed.’
‘And in your bed.’
‘How’s the house?’
‘Actually, I don’t know. I’m in Berlin.’
‘Berlin?’
‘Yes, you know. The Opera House? The wall? Deutsche Bank.’
‘I see,’ said Emilia.
‘How’s Cass?’
‘He’s good, I think he was rather hoping you’d be at home when we got back.’
‘Yeah, I promised him I’d let him fuck my ass.’
‘Alith!’ said Emilia, falling back into her old habit. ‘Alice. Fuck.’
‘Oops.’
She stayed silent for a while.
‘I’m sorry,’ her sister sounded genuine.
‘You don’t have to be.’
‘I love you, you know?’
‘Cassian keeps telling me that too.’
‘We do though.’
‘I know.’
‘Are we going to be okay?’
Emilia smiled and took a deep breath. ‘Always.’
‘You’re such a bitch.’
‘A perfect little bitch, thank you very much.’
Alice laughed. ‘You really are.’
‘I’ve got to go, Amy is waiting.’
‘When do I get to meet her?’
‘Whenever you like.’
‘Really? I thought maybe you might have a restraining order put on the two of us.’
‘No, I trust you.’
Alice sniffed. ‘That means a lot.’
‘When will you be back from Germany?’
‘For another ride? As soon as I’ve finished up here. Maybe a week?’
‘I’ll let him know. At least now I know what to get you for your birthday.’
’A big bottle of lube?’
‘A big bottle of lube,’ she nodded and laughed.
‘Take care, Em.’
Emilia smiled. ‘I love you, Al. Be careful.’
‘I love you too.’
She took the phone away from her ear and ended the call, placing it back in her bag and pushing away from the bridge. She took a deep breath, enjoying the rich fresh air of the park one more time before she left to find Amy, closing her eyes and turning around, stretching her arms up into the air and then relaxing.
As she did so, she felt her shoulders drop as days of built up tension finally left her body. She opened her eyes again and smiled.
Everything was going to be okay.
She was going to make sure of it.
And she knew how now.
She turned around and almost skipped back towards where she last saw Amy.
As she approached she slowed down, watching her from a distance. She was talking to a little girl, holding a small ball out that had rolled up to her feet where she was sitting. As Emilia watched, she handed it back and smiled as the girl spoke and nodded, then she waved as she ran away.
For a fleeting moment she recognised the look on Amy’s face and she grinned.
As she walked towards her, Amy got up and opened her arms wide for a hug.
‘How did it go?’
‘As well as can be expected with Alice,’ she laughed. ‘No, that’s not fair. It went really well.’
‘Are you okay?’
‘I am,’ she said. ‘And for the first time in a few days, I really mean it.’
Amy reached up and kissed her, surprising her. For a moment she froze and then she realised she didn’t care and she kissed her back, holding her tight in her arms and smiling as their lips pressed against each other. She pulled away and took hold of Amy’s hand, and the two of them turned and followed their footsteps back towards the lanes, walking happily in silence and swinging back and forth.
Amy led the way, seemingly knowing her way around the city, walking with confidence and ease.
As they continued meandering they rounded another tight alleyway and as they did so, Amy gasped and squeezed Emilia’s hand, pointing ahead.
‘Look!’
She followed her gaze, her eyes widening as she saw what her girlfriend was pointing at.
An erotic boutique.
‘We have to go in.’
Emilia stood open mouthed, blushing and suddenly filled with anxiety.
‘Come on,’ said Amy, dragging her excitedly towards the entrance.
*
The doorway was covered with a deep, thick red curtain and Emilia grimaced as Amy parted it to allow them through, pushing open the old wooden door frame behind it, a bell chiming as they stumbled through.
The inside was illuminated by low level lighting which gave the impression of a boudoir. Everywhere were deep blacks and shades of red, comfortable seats, leather sofas and shelves of neatly laid out and carefully arranged sex toys.
Emilia blanched as she glanced at a naked mannequin sporting an enormous strap on dildo around her waist, her mind flashing back to last night. Another was dressed in leather, a bull whip in one hand, a paddle in the other and a vibrating cock ring around its huge, erect silicone penis.
She wanted to laugh, turn around and run at the same time but Amy’s grip was vice-like as she pulled her further into the little boutique.
A young girl behind a tall counter smiled sweetly at them both as they giggled and then went back to reading her book.
At the far end were a few more female mannequins dressed in stunning lace lingerie.
‘Why don’t we surprise the boys?’ said Amy, mischievously.
She began to rifle through the assorted underwear until she gasped and pulled one set off the shelf. She turned and held it up to Emilia who blushed as she looked down at the almost non-existent garment.
Amy shook her head. ‘No, too skimpy. How about... you find something for me, and I’ll find something for you?’
Emilia looked back at the young girl behind the counter, still engrossed in her book and then turned back and nodded.
‘Ok,’ she said quietly.
She’d never been in a shop like this before. She’d bought and worn lingerie on many occasions. More so recently than ever before, but she’d always done it online and even then she’d created a separate email address, just so the order confirmations didn’t appear in her regular email and cause her to go bright red every time she needed to email her mum.
She was always paranoid that one day she would send something from the wrong one, but she was ultra-careful and kept both email addresses in separate apps on her phone. At one point she’d even considered buying another phone altogether but decided that Cassian would think she was either cheating or a drug dealer and stopped herself.
As she began to browse her way down the aisle, the idea crossed her mind that this might be some sort of test.
Could she choose something that Amy would like? Did she know her well enough? Were they compatible? She thought back to all the times that Cassian had bought her underwear and how he must have felt. She wondered if he had browsed in one of these shops, picking up vibrators and dildos, chatting with the pretty staff, or had he just gone online and ordered whatever he liked the look of in some discount sale.
She laughed nervously under her breath and Amy glanced up at her from across the aisle.
‘How are you getting on?’
Emilia shrugged. ‘I’ve not found anything ye- Oh, wait.’
Her eyes fell across a stunning halterneck, semi-sheer, red lace basque with a deep plunge neckline, matching crotchless knickers and four dangling suspender straps, complete with sheer stockings. It was as though it was made for Amy.
She tingled as she picked it up and then grinned so wide as she held it that Amy couldn’t resist and Emilia laughed as she ran excitedly around the corner to come and see.
‘Mrs Black,’ she said laughing as she approached. ‘You have excellent taste.’
‘Do you like it?’
‘Do you like it?’
‘I’d like to see you in it.’
‘Shall we go and try it on?’
Emilia’s face turned white. ‘Here? Now?’
Amy nodded and grabbed the garment and Emilia’s hand, pulling her along towards the back of the store to a little changing room with a thick black curtain. They rushed inside and pulled it across, then turned and giggled at one another.
Amy spun round and began to unbutton her dress, one by one. Emilia felt dizzy as she watched, smiling and feeling warm as Amy slid the straps off her shoulder and let it fall to the ground.
Quickly, she unclipped her bra and dropped it aside and then pulled down her knickers so she was stark naked. For a moment they both looked at each other in the floor length mirror, their eyes lingering, then Amy picked up the red lace lingerie and began to slip it on.
Emilia tied the lace that tucked in neatly against her lower back and Amy adjusted the chest, then she bit her lip and looked herself up and down.
‘What do you think?’
Emilia tried to speak, but found that she couldn’t, instead she just blushed and tried not to giggle.
‘Well, I think we’ve found the right one for me,’ laughed Amy, peeling it off again and letting it fall to the floor. ‘I wonder if it will have the
same effect on our husbands?’
She picked up her knickers and bra and slipped them back on, then pulled up her dress as Emilia watched closely.
‘Your turn now,’ said Amy, whipping the curtain open. ‘Stay here, get naked and I’ll come back with something.’
She winked as Emilia stood open mouthed inside the little cubicle and then she swished it shut and stalked away.
She wasn’t sure what to do.
She wanted to play along, but she felt awkward. What if someone else came to the curtain and opened it? What if they saw her there, naked?
She was shaking with a mixture of excitement and fear, too anxious to move, paralysed with anxiety, then she made up her mind.
Steadily, trying desperately to calm her nerves, she unzipped her little summer dress and let it fall to the floor, pushing it to one side with her foot, then she undid her bra and covered her breasts with one arm, then finally she shimmied down her knickers.
She could hear footsteps approaching fast, and she panicked.
The curtain flew open.
‘Qu'est ce que tu fais ici?’
Emilia almost screamed, but then she saw that it was Amy, with a huge grin on her face.
‘Je suis désolé,’ she said as she slipped back inside, Emilia doing her best to cover herself up with her hands.
‘I hate you,’ she hissed. ‘I thought you were the girl out front, I nearly peed myself.’
Amy laughed, trying to stop herself from falling into hysterics.
‘I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I couldn’t resist.’
‘You’re so mean.’
‘I’m sorry. Here, look, I thought this might work.’
She handed the garment to Emilia and smiled, raising her eyebrows suggestively.
It was exactly the same one that Emilia had found for Amy, except this one was white.
Emilia grinned and looked back at her, nodding.
Tonight was going to be fun.
*
CHAPTER SIX
IN CONTRAST TO Mark, Amy’s driving was steady and calm, accelerating and breaking gently, taking corners and bends smoothly and even remaining on their side of the road most of the time.
As the sun began to set, Amy drew the car up slowly toward the gate and grinned as it began to open at their presence, glancing across at Emilia beside her and reaching out to squeeze her hand.
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