by Amy Storm
Melanie stood. “I’ll be right back.”
She came back with a blue box with DVDs stacked inside. “Check these out.” She picked up a few of the cases and showed them to Olivia.
“Did you make these yourself?”
“Yes, I have a cool little software program I use to make the covers and put a picture on the DVD. Let me show you one of my favorites.”
Melanie opened up the DVD and popped it in the player. Music played while pictures flashed on the TV. It was a wedding with two women who were getting married. The DVD started out with each woman going back in time using old childhood photos all the way up until they both met.
“That was beautiful. You really have a gift.” Olivia said. “It was incredible and so full of emotion.”
“Thank you. Pictures have a way of telling a story. I like to throw in the DVD with weddings because I think it brings the pictures to life.”
“You definitely have a gift, and you’re a beautiful, caring person.”
Melanie smiled. “So are you. Look at you volunteering your time at the church.”
Olivia felt horrible. She had forgotten Melanie didn’t know who she was or that she wasn’t volunteering at the church. She wanted to come clean with her, but she hoped it would not change their friendship when Melanie knew the truth.
The phone rang and Olivia heard Mary’s voice on the other end.
“Hi, Ma. I have company over.”
Mary sounded surprised. “Who? Are you dating someone new?”
Melanie blushed. “I’ll call you later. Love you too. Bye.”
Olivia chuckled. “Your mom is so freaking adorable.”
Melanie rolled her eyes, “That’s one word for it. More like a pain in the ass.” They both laughed so hard they had tears in their eyes.
“So, is your mom pretty accepting of you being a lesbian?”
“Yeah, I’m pretty lucky with her. She’s always been a trooper when it comes to me dating women. She gets upset at some of the choices I make. I don’t have the best luck when it comes to dating.”
“Well, you are lucky to have such an accepting, caring mom.”
“Yeah, I guess I am. We’re pretty close and always have been, although Larry is still her golden child. He can do no wrong in her eyes. Are you close with your parents?”
Olivia’s gaze diverted to the floor and her smile faded.
“My parents were killed when I was in high school.”
Melanie’s jaw dropped. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I feel awful that I asked.”
“Don’t be silly. How could you have possibly known?”
Melanie put her hand on Olivia’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry. Do you want to talk about it? I don’t want to make you upset.”
“No, it’s okay. It happened senior year of high school. I snuck out of the house to meet up with some of my friends. We were partying and having fun like teenagers do. When I came home in the middle of the night, someone had broken into our home and stole a lot of things. In the process, they killed my parents too. I don’t know why they didn’t just take the stuff and leave.”
“Oh, my God.” Melanie’s eyes welled up. “I can’t imagine what that was like.” She rubbed Olivia’s shoulder.
“It was unbelievable. I found my parents, and…I still can’t believe they’re gone. I feel so guilty because I left them and snuck out. I’ve always regretted leaving them. What if I was home? Could I have scared the bastards off? Maybe my parents would still be alive.”
“Don’t say that. That’s an awful thing that happened to your family, but it had nothing to do with you or where you were. Thank God you were somewhere safe.”
“I know, but it was tough. I don’t even know how I got through my senior year.”
“Who took care of you?”
“I stayed with my best friend at the time, Julie. Her parents allowed me to stay with them until college.”
“Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“No, I was an only child.”
Melanie put her arms around her, and she enjoyed the comfort. She wasn’t used to someone holding her. She squeezed Melanie tight. Their eyes locked and Olivia came close to kissing her, but turned away breaking the embrace.
Melanie let her hands fall back down to her lap. “Thanks for sharing with me such a difficult time in your life.”
“I’ve never talked about it, but I feel comfortable with you. Thanks for listening.”
“Did the police ever find out who did it?”
“No, I still don’t know who it was or why it happened. They shot my parents several times. I still can’t get the pictures of them out of my mind.”
“I hope one day you get the justice your family deserves.”
“Thank you. I hope so too.”
They sat in silence not knowing what else to say, but the DVD began playing again. The music startled them.
“Shit,” Melanie shouted. She hit the pause button again. “Sorry about that.”
Olivia picked up one of the thick binders from the table needing a distraction. “These are incredible Melanie.”
“Thank you. I can’t wait to take pics of you.”
Olivia blushed. “Will you let me check them out first before you display me on your walls?”
“Oh, so you think I’m going to put you on my walls? Modest, are you?”
“Ha, ha. Quite the opposite. I’m photo shy, and I feel uncomfortable without a lot of makeup.”
“What are you talking about? You don’t need any makeup. You look like a model.”
Olivia chuckled. “I think you need glasses.”
Melanie shoved her shoulder. “Get the hell outta here.”
Olivia looked at her watch. She felt uncomfortable when someone commented on her appearance. “I guess I better call it a day.”
Melanie crossed her arms. “Do you want to stay for supper? I cook a mean meatloaf.”
“I would love to take you up on that offer, but I have to run some errands this evening before things start to close.”
“Okay. Do you want to stop by next weekend on Saturday?”
“I would love that, but I hope Mary doesn’t get jealous that I’m spending so much time with her daughter.” Olivia stood. “Thanks for treating me to lunch. I had a nice time with you.”
Melanie stood and gave Olivia a hug. “Me too. Good luck with my mom tomorrow. She’s going to talk your ear off and want to hear all the details.”
Olivia walked towards the door. “I’m sure of it.” They gazed into each others eyes longer than friends should, and Olivia blushed. “Talk to you later.”
“Okay. Bye, Olivia.”
Olivia left with a huge smile, ear to ear. She was falling for Melanie fast and hard. This was all new to her, but she felt like this was on the cusp of becoming a real relationship. She was getting too old for one-night stands.
Olivia arrived at home and sank down on the couch. She hated to lie about doing errands this evening, but she needed to call the Boswells to catch them up on the case.
After the call, she laid out on the couch and dozed off with thoughts of Melanie preoccupying her mind. She could still see Melanie’s beautiful eyes and the way Melanie looked at her, like she wanted her. She could feel the emotion behind Melanie’s eyes and expressions, and the way she would find a reason to touch her. She was starting to unravel, for the better.
Chapter Ten
Olivia was well rested from her night of dozing off on the couch. Her neck was a little stiff, but she slept for almost seven hours straight, which was good for her. She grabbed a coffee from one of the local drive-thru’s and arrived at the church ready to face Mary. From now on, every time she ran into Mary she would think of Melanie. Hell, it seemed like no matter who or what was going on, she always thought of Melanie. She wasn’t used to having someone occupy so much of her attention, but her life was changing for the better.
As soon as she entered the church, Mary greeted her.
&n
bsp; “Hi, Olivia. I heard you had a nice time with Melanie yesterday.”
Olivia felt her cheeks flush. “I did. Melanie is so nice.”
Mary walked alongside Olivia. “She speaks highly of you.”
“Well, tell her I enjoyed spending time with her yesterday. She’s so talented.”
“I tell her that all the time, but I’m sure it means more coming from you. Well, I’ll let you get on with your day, but I do hope to have you over for dinner again.”
“Count me in.”
Olivia continued down the hall to the storage closet. She reached into the back of one of the shelves where she had placed a video camera. Still concerned about hearing Bruno with the little girl in the closet, she had concealed a small video camera to catch anything that occurred when she wasn’t around. She connected it to her small tablet and played the video from the beginning scrubbing through with her finger. It usually didn’t take long as it was an empty closet with nothing happening. Three quarters of the way through the video, she saw the light come on and Bruno entered with a little girl. He was dressed like Santa and pulled the girl onto his lap. She looked to be about four or five. She giggled and smiled while Bruno tickled her.
Olivia’s stomach soured. She covered her mouth and hoped the video wouldn’t show anything further. But, just as she had suspected, Bruno took the little girl’s hand and placed it down his pants.
“Stroke my genie, and I will grant you a wish to give you the best Christmas present ever.”
Olivia retched and spotting the trashcan in the corner, she leaned over and lost the contents of her breakfast. She couldn’t believe it. She didn’t want to believe it. How many other children had he done this to? The video continued playing and she turned back to it when she heard him tell the girl how happy Santa was. He opened the door letting the girl out, and then he left a few minutes later whistling.
She knew the video would help put this bastard pedophile behind bars, but why did innocent children have to be involved? She was off to go speak with the Boswells. She left the church in a hurry before she had a chance to clean the pews. She slid out the back door to avoid anyone seeing her, especially Mary. She loved Mary, but she sure liked to chat with Olivia. She wanted to tell the Boswells about the new evidence she had in her hands.
She raced home and placed the pictures of Bruno on a flash drive before calling Mrs. Boswell and informing her of the video showing Bruno and the little girl. Mrs. Boswell verified with Olivia the puppet and the same rub the genie game that Olivia overheard. Zoe had told the truth of what happened in the church months before, but in her young and confused state she blamed the wrong person.
Mr. Boswell came in and Mrs. Boswell put the phone on speaker so Olivia could update him also. She told them there should be enough evidence to put Bruno behind bars and protect other children from becoming future victims. They said they would meet with their attorney tomorrow first thing in the morning and hopefully bring Bruno down and throw his sorry pedophile ass in the slammer for good.
Olivia's investigation was over now, unless they needed any further evidence. She agreed to continue volunteering until Bruno's sentencing. After that, she would have to tell Mary and Melanie the truth, which could destroy everything.
Chapter Eleven
It was Saturday around eleven o’clock, and Olivia was going to Melanie’s house for the photo shoot she had promised the week earlier. She was so excited, and yet so nervous to see her again. They had talked a few times since she last saw her, but seeing her again would be different.
Olivia knocked on her door, and took a deep breath to calm the pounding pulse in her ears. It was freezing outside, but her face felt as if she were inside a sauna. The color of her cheeks almost matched the deep cranberry knit sweater she was wearing. Maybe I should’ve picked a different color.
Melanie opened the door with excitement written all over her face. She threw her arms around Olivia and gave her a tight squeeze.
“You smell so good. What kind of fragrance is that?” Melanie asked.
Olivia hung her coat by the door. “I can’t remember the name, but it’s selling point was something about peppermint and cinnamon with a splash of vanilla bean. I think it was a holiday special.”
“Wow. If you’re not careful someone might mistake you for a tasty treat.”
Olivia smiled in embarrassment, but it helped ease her nervousness. She hadn’t felt these feelings before, and she didn’t know how to act around Melanie. She felt like putty in Melanie’s hands waiting to be molded and shaped.
“Come to my sunroom in the back so I can take a few shots of your beautiful face in the morning sunlight.”
Olivia blushed. Calm down, will you? Breathe, just breathe. It was useless trying to talk herself into calming the heat emanating from every pore of her body. Now she knew what it was like to be in total awe of someone, to surrender control of your body and heart to someone else. She couldn’t imagine what she would do if she found out Melanie didn’t feel the same way. Olivia never believed in gray areas, either you were one hundred percent in or one hundred percent out. If Melanie didn’t have the same feelings, that meant she could never just be friends with her. This power Melanie had over her was not something she could turn off, it meant she would have to walk away.
They arrived in the heated sunroom,which was an extension off of the bedroom in the back of the condo. The sun was breaking through the few lingering clouds in the blue sky helping to warm the room. A love seat sat against the wall shared by the bedroom and a small glass table was in the corner where a camera and several lenses sat on top.
Melanie pointed to the opposite corner. “Go stand over there. The lighting is perfect.” Melanie placed her hands on Olivia’s arms and unfolded them from across her chest. “You’re so tense, just relax. Can you take your hair out of your ponytail?”
Olivia hesitated, but then in a slow, deliberate motion she pulled the band from her ponytail letting her hair fall loosely around her face to her shoulders.
“Yes, that’s better. Your hair frames your face nicely and is a wonderful contrast to your cranberry lips and beautiful baby blue eyes.” Melanie ran her fingers through Olivia’s hair allowing the brown curls to spring back to life after being held captive. “Here, put your left arm down and relax. Now, turn a little so you’re facing towards the glass and look out into the courtyard.”
Olivia tried to unwind and pose like Melanie suggested. She looked beyond the glass staring at nothing in particular. A fresh blanket of snow covered the ground below, but it was too bright to look at with the unfiltered sunshine reflecting off of it. She looked across from the courtyard at the back of another row of brick condos like Melanie’s.
“Is this good?” Olivia asked.
Melanie stuttered, “Uh, uh yeah. That’s...uh...perfect.”
Olivia standing at an angle to the glass allowed Melanie an opportunity to see Olivia’s flattering side profile. The outline of her full breasts pushing against the tight sweater that ended just above her ass and tight leggings didn’t go unnoticed. Olivia’s question drew Melanie’s gaze back to those kissable lips that invited contact. The glass reflected Olivia’s dreamy blue eyes.
“Ready? I’m going to take a few shots, but try to be as natural as possible. I know it’s hard having a huge lens shoved in your face, but just try and relax.”
Olivia took a deep breath and released it, taking the tension in her body with it.
“Perfect,” Melanie said. She snapped a few shots and made a few adjustments after viewing the histogram on the display. She trained her eye back on Olivia through the viewfinder. Click, click, click, the shots fired off. “Beautiful.”
Olivia shifted a little and rolled her neck. She still wasn’t relaxed enough and the aching muscles in her neck proved it. Melanie put the camera down and tucked a few loose curls back behind Olivia’s ear so they weren’t blocking her view. The gesture was enough to carry the sweet vanilla fragrance into the air.
Olivia felt the small, brief touch all the way down her spine. This was the first time someone had touched her like that, a loving gentle caress. Was it a simple gesture or something more? It was too much torture to feel the way she did and not act on it. It was time to find out where she stood with Melanie. She felt Melanie’s fingertips again fighting a stubborn curl that wouldn’t stay in place. Melanie’s fingers traced along the back of her ear while Melanie’s thumb danced over her cheek. Those damn butterflies halted her urge to pull Melanie in closer. There was only one way to overcome the sensation. She gripped Melanie’s hand beneath hers and waited for those questioning eyes to look at her. When their eyes met, Olivia recognized confusion on Melanie’s face, but she also saw desire. She walked Melanie backwards until her back was against the wall.
“What are you doing?” Melanie asked.
Olivia’s lips grazed against hers and she felt Melanie’s fingers running through her hair.
Olivia leaned into Melanie and caressed her lips with her own. “I have wanted to kiss you from the moment I laid my eyes on you.”
“I felt the same way about you.”
Olivia pressed her lips firm against Melanie’s and felt Melanie’s body push into hers. She nibbled and sucked her lower lip spurred on by the low moan it provoked from Melanie.
Melanie pulled away and traced Olivia’s soft lips with her fingers while her breathing calmed down. She turned so that Olivia was against the wall, and she pinned Olivia’s wrists at her sides. Olivia never gave up control, but at this moment Melanie could do whatever she wanted and she would not protest.
“I want you so bad,” Melanie whispered into her ear.
“What’s stopping you?”
Melanie kissed Olivia pushing her tongue with gentle force between Olivia’s lips. Their tongues danced an intoxicating rhythm leaving them both high and breathless. They grew more thirsty needing to quench their lust by feeling and moving against each other. They felt a strong sense of familiarity like they were meant to find each other and experience this instant in time together. They had fought so hard to take things slow, but the rush they felt was too intense. It was difficult to hold on to what their minds were telling them versus what their bodies and hearts needed.