Love Happens Here

by Clare Lydon

  She took it, hauled herself upright and cracked her head on the open cupboard door. Hard. She was immediately back down on the floor again.

  “Shit, that sounded like it hurt. You okay?” I was on my knees beside Holly, who was sat on the kitchen floor, clutching her head and swearing under her breath. “Holly?”

  She groaned in response and I stroked her arm.

  “Can you see if it’s bleeding?” She was still trying to catch her breath.

  I peeled her hand away, noticing for the first time how long and slender her fingers were. Which of course then sent a shudder down my entire body, and I had to blink to remember what I was doing: looking at Holly’s head and checking she wasn’t bleeding to death.

  “I can’t see any blood,” I said. “But let’s get you up and over to the couch.”

  She nodded slowly and made it to the sofa where she laid out, wincing. I brought her a bag of frozen peas and she held it against her head. Then I sat at the bottom of the sofa with her feet touching me, assessing her body, the body of my future lover I had no doubt.

  I’d never slept with anyone so much taller than me. Holly’s body was slim and went on for days, and I shuddered again as I imagined touching her for the first time, holding her breasts, kissing her neck. I blinked.

  I must stop having amorous thoughts while the object of my affection might be concussed.

  “How you feeling?”

  Holly peeked out from under the frozen peas. “I’ll live,” she said. “But I’m more than a little upset that when I finally get to kiss you — and believe me, that’s something I’ve been wanting to do for weeks now — I then nearly knock myself out and end up like this.”

  She’d been wanting to kiss me for weeks? This was news. But when I looked at Holly, holding her head, I decided to revisit that later.

  “You don’t need to worry,” I said. “Just relax for now till you feel better. This is you and me, there’s no hurry. We’ve got all the time in the world.” I got up and walked over to Holly, and her eyes sparkled like diamonds. I leaned down and kissed her slowly, cupping her face and slipping my tongue inside her mouth.

  She groaned lightly.

  I didn’t stop for a couple of minutes. I put all my effort into it, everything I was feeling in that moment. Right there, Holly and I were connected in a way I could never have imagined the day before. It’s funny what life throws at you, isn’t it? When I pulled back, my head was spinning, and Holly was looking at me like I’d just given her the world.

  “Fucking hell, Tori. Where did you learn to kiss like that?”

  My cheeks reddened. “I teach it at the Lesbian Skills Centre, didn’t I tell you? That’s where I’ve secretly been going most weeks, not actually spin class as I’ve been telling you. It was a top secret mission.”

  Holly grinned, then remembered she was in pain and frowned.

  “You okay?” I dropped to my knees by her side. “Should I get you a headache pill or something?”

  Holly stared at me, her pupils large. “I’m only thinking about one thing right now, but that might make my head explode.” She grinned at me. “Let’s just see how we go with dinner and wine, and then we’ll take it from there, okay?”

  I nodded, then pushed myself upright before swooping to kiss Holly one more time. “And can I just say, this is one of the few times I’ll be able to say I leaned down and kissed you, so I’m taking advantage of it.”

  Holly beamed at me. “I’ve told you before — when you’re this tall, you have to spend half your life horizontal just so your partner can have a fair crack at kissing you. It’s something I’ve learned to live with.”

  And then Holly winked at me.

  I went weak at the knees.

  Literally.

  Dinner was a surprising success — even without the seasoning. Turns out, these ready-made dishes already have all the seasoning they need. Holly also told me over dinner that seasoning meant salt and pepper.

  “Why don’t they just say that then?”

  She wasn’t able to give me a satisfactory reply.

  We ate the duck at the dining table with Holly gingerly touching her head every few minutes.

  “It feels like there should be a dent in my skull.”

  I confirmed there was no dent, nor was there a torrent of blood pouring down her face. She eventually believed me and began to relax. However, I understood her dilemma. After our unexpected snogging, relaxing over a good meal and acting normally wasn’t as easy as it sounded. Tonight was turning out to be anything but normal.

  My senses were still dialled up to the maximum setting, so every time Holly moved, spoke or even glanced at me, I was preparing for her to say something profound, something life altering. Something that would make my heart soar, or make my heart sink. Like that it had all been a mistake, and we should just eat this dinner, forget it ever happened and move on.

  But she didn’t.

  Instead, she chatted about how she was dreading Christmas, how good the food was, how weird her head felt.

  “You might be concussed. I listened to a podcast the other day about it. If you feel sick, that’s a key sign.”

  Holly gave me a look. “Why were you listening to a podcast on concussion? Did you have a premonition?”

  I returned her look.

  “Or you could have poisoned me with your food. You’re not exactly famed for your culinary skills.”

  “I’m serious. Dizziness, sickness, it’s all part of it. So no more wine for you.”

  I topped up my glass, though.

  Holly pouted. “I’d say tonight needs a little bit more wine, don’t you?”

  She had a point — I didn’t want to tackle this without a little Dutch courage either. I topped up her glass.

  We finished off with chocolate mousse, and then Holly beckoned me over.

  I got up and arrived at her beckoning finger, and she pulled me into her lap.

  “Now, where were we before the cupboard almost killed me?”

  I gulped and shifted my gaze to Holly’s mouth, taking in her smooth skin, her proud nose. I’d only ever been this close before when she was carrying me home drunk in our younger years — and we’d never even kissed then.

  But now, I kissed her, and it felt like I’d been doing it all my life. Holly’s mouth fitted mine perfectly, and her tongue when it slipped between my lips made my mind leap forward and think about what it might be like when it slipped between my other lips. And then my mind blanked out because it simply couldn’t take the heat.

  I pulled back and Holly stared at me.

  “What did you stop for?” She was breathing heavily, her hand on my waist.

  “Is it strange this feels both really weird, but also really right?” My breasts were sitting just below Holly’s face and her attention wandered. I cupped her chin and made her look at me. “To my face, sweetheart,” I said.

  Holly stuck her tongue out at me.

  I smiled. “I mean, kissing you — it feels amazing. But I’m a little shy about getting undressed in front of you. I’ve known you for years.” I sighed and leaned my head back.

  Holly gave me a squeeze. “It’s only in your head it feels weird,” she said. “Did you think it was going to be weird to kiss me?”

  I thought about it. “A little.”

  “And was it?”

  I shook my head. “Not one bit.” I kissed her again to prove my point. “Nope,” I said, shaking my head. “Still fine.”

  Holly grinned at me. “So don’t you think the rest will follow suit? That it will just be fine?”

  I bit my lip. “I suppose so. Should we get drunk just to make sure?”

  Holly laughed. “No we shouldn’t. I’d like to remember the first time I see you naked, the first time we have sex, wouldn’t you?”

  Boom! My whole body flushed with longing, and I was sure Holly would be able to hear the rush of my libido.

  Holly frowned. “That okay to say? You’re not one of those women
who wants to wait till the fourth date are you?”

  I grinned down at her. “Do I strike you as one of those women?”

  “I hope not,” Holly said. She pulled me in for another kiss, and this time, her hand kneaded my right breast.

  And this time, I didn’t stop to question it. This time, I just wanted more.

  As if reading my mind, within moments, her fingers were undoing my shirt buttons, and her hand slipped inside, her thumb grazing my nipple.

  I stopped breathing. If this was what was to come, I might die tonight, but I was going to die happy. I pulled back and stared down at Holly.

  Without another word, she eased back my shirt and unclipped my bra.

  We were both focused on my breasts now — Holly on them, me on Holly on them.

  “I knew it,” Holly said, kissing my left breast with utmost care.

  At her touch, my clit swelled and I could feel myself getting wet — it was almost too much to bear. “What?” My voice was barely audible.

  “Your breasts — they’re amazing in clothes, but up close, they’re mind-blowing.”

  I pulled her head closer to them, wanting to feel all of her mouth on me.

  My breathing was ragged even before she took my nipple into her mouth, working it with her tongue. But afterwards? Then, my breath began to unravel through my body with every nip and suck. I might as well have been naked already, and that thought only drove me higher.

  Holly had me just where she wanted me and just where I wanted her.

  I leaned my head back. “Hols?”

  No answer.

  “Babe?”

  She snapped her head back, her eyes intense. “Did you just call me babe?” A smile played on her lips.

  “Er, yeah.”

  She grinned now. “You can definitely do that again.” She reached up and pulled me down towards her, this time plunging her tongue into my mouth with raw need.

  I felt a rush between my legs and the way Holly shifted underneath me, I knew she felt it too.

  “You wanna—” I began

  “—Yes,” she said, shifting me off her lap. Then she was on her feet and dragging me towards the hallway, her chest heaving, her T-shirt low on her breasts.

  But once she was in the hallway, she stopped abruptly before turning to me. “Your place or mine?”

  I gave her what I hoped was a seductive smile and I think it worked as she didn’t stop for an answer, kicking open the door to her room with her foot.

  “Fuck it — we’ll try my bed, then yours.” Then Holly tugged me into her room, taking charge.

  Within seconds, my loosened bra and shirt were on the floor and she was standing and staring, shaking her head slowly.

  “What?” I was suddenly shy, standing there half-naked.

  But Holly just shook her head. “Nothing. You’re just so... perfect. And your breasts are a work of art.” She reached out and trailed a hand across them like I was a fragile masterpiece, price tag unimaginable. “Seriously, Tori.”

  I couldn’t imagine a time when I felt more wanted, more sure. And I wanted this so badly too. I couldn’t wait. I leaned forward and kissed Holly and then we were clinging to each other, steadying each other for what was to come.

  Hunger radiated from Holly’s stare as she began kissing my stomach, my sides, my breasts, my neck, a whirlwind of teeth, lips and tongue all over my skin. My entire body was alive and ready. Then Holly backed me into the bed and we tumbled on to it, me pulling off her T-shirt, and then her bra.

  Seeing Holly like this for the first time felt anything but weird — it felt like this should be us, like this was totally right. She was so long and beautiful, like perfection with no end. I licked her small but perfectly formed breasts one at a time before turning to her nipples, my tongue circling velvet.

  Holly groaned and squirmed beside me.

  Inside, my body hummed like it never had before.

  And then Holly was on top of me, shaking off my jeans and pants, followed by her own. We were pulled together with an unstoppable force, and Holly’s hands were everywhere, hardly giving me time to breathe. Just as I got over one sensation, another was lined up to crash over me. I could sense I was about to be overwhelmed and I welcomed it. There was nothing I wanted more.

  And then Holly’s hand was between my legs, her thigh pressing, pushing, wanting.

  My breathing quickened. “Please,” I begged. “I need to feel you inside me.” My eyelids flickered open and I shared a brief moment with Holly. There was such tenderness in her gaze, she took my breath away.

  And then she complied with my wishes, slipping one finger, then another inside me slowly, deliberately, never losing eye contact, raining kisses down on me.

  My mind flipped into automatic pilot as the sheer bliss of the moment overtook me — Holly inside me, all around me, pressing me down, forcing me higher. Desire circled us like a hawk, going faster and faster, racing around the moment and leaving me dizzy.

  Holly pulled me closer and I thrust my body into her, wanting more, knowing I could take everything she had to give.

  She gave it to me.

  We rocked together, never missing a beat, our rhythm our own and already a smash hit. I was filled to the brim, with yearning cascading from me, and I never wanted it to stop.

  A couple more minutes and I was gripping her fingers, my body shaking, kissing her mouth, my body simply craving more. Then Holly brought her other hand into play, showing manual dexterity of the highest order. She brought a whole new meaning to the term ‘being good with your hands’.

  My orgasm started in my groin, then ripped through my body, exploding every muscle, pleasure throbbing through my being as Holly never let up, the maestro orchestrating the show. I was floored by her passion, sucker-punched by her lust. She sucked me into her vortex and I wanted to carry on spinning forever, never leave her, always be with her.

  Moments later, I stilled her arm and she lay down beside me, kissing, stroking, loving, still inside me.

  I didn’t have any words. There was nothing to say. I just kissed her lips through the midst of my sex haze and hoped that I conveyed everything in that one movement.

  I think she understood — she smiled, at least.

  And then I kissed her again, and again, my lips and tongue not being able to get enough. I was soon working out that Holly was addictive, and I needed another fix. With a yearning to know what she felt like that was almost deafening, I got behind Holly, sliding between her legs, capturing her as my own. I had one thing on my mind and one thing alone — to give Holly an earth-shattering orgasm, one she’d remember for the rest of her life.

  This was important — this was how we started.

  As I moved inside her, she elicited a guttural groan that made the corners of my mouth turn upwards. She was slick with desire, offering herself up for me and I was lost in her body, in her world. She was a new terrain to navigate, but every corner was soft, smooth and sign-posted just for me. I snagged her neck then licked her back as I built a rhythm just for her, her name stamped right through it.

  Within minutes, she was thrusting back into me, crying out my name at full volume, shuddering with desire. I took a snapshot with my mental camera of the first orgasm I ever gave Holly, my new love, the first of many to come.

  Leaving her no time to recover, I rolled her over and licked my way down her stomach, my hair trailing across Holly’s skin behind me. Then I went lower, tasting her lips, creating patterns with my tongue.

  She cried out and thrust her hips.

  I smiled and pulled her closer, pressing into her with my tongue before sucking her pulsing clit into my mouth.

  Holly’s moans swirled around my head and I felt invincible. When I slipped my fingers back in and spun my tongue around her clit, her body went into a state of frenzy. We were two people, but right then, we were one. I spun, flicked, spun, flicked. Holly came hard, gripping me, her orgasm rattling through her like one of the trains outside the window
. When she was done, I crawled back up her long, slim body, placing kisses all the way up before lying on top of her and kissing the side of her neck.

  We stared at each for a few moments, eyes locked, breathing rapid. We didn’t say anything, but slow smiles spread across both our faces. Our first time had been divine, and the night was still young.

  We lay panting in each other’s arms, luxuriating in our post-orgasmic state. Then we sealed round one with a kiss.

  We knew there would be plenty more to come.

  Sunday December 18th

  What had happened with Holly and I had come from left field, from a galaxy far, far away — but it just went to show that sometimes, straying into new orbits could be a very good thing. As I awoke the next morning with the winter sun streaming in through Holly’s window, I couldn’t have been happier. The air on this new planet tasted extra-sweet.

  I stared at Holly, sleeping beside me, her hair sticking up at all angles. I was almost scared to touch her for fear of her vanishing as I woke up, all this just a dream. But it wasn’t a dream, I knew that.

  This was the gold-plated version of reality I’d been waiting for all along. This reality slotted into my life perfectly, like it had been specially commissioned. This new version of my life had a certain sheen, a solidity I wanted to show off to everyone.

  I kissed Holly’s cheek and she stirred, eventually opening an eye and looking up at me.

  “Hey,” she said.

  “Hey yourself.”

  “Been awake long?” She rolled on to her back, yawning and stretching like a cat.

  “Not really.”

  I scooted over the bed and into Holly’s waiting arms, giving her a kiss before I settled on to her shoulder. “Morning, by the way.”

  Her hand found my arse and she gave it a squeeze. “Good morning to you.”

  I could hear the low thud of her heartbeat through her chest, and it was reassuring. A train rattled by outside the window.

  “It’s weird hearing the trains — I’m not used to it in my room,” I said.

  Holly kissed the top of my head. “Get used to it,” she replied. “I plan on having you in my bed often.”