by Maria Hollis
She wonders if maybe Josie regrets not inviting her family.
Running around the house, Chris throws her purse on her shoulder and starts opening the door.
That’s when she sees the envelope on the counter.
She had received the reply to her scholarship application this morning, but she still doesn’t feel brave enough to open it. Now that it’s here, it feels too real.
She reaches out and touches the envelope, wondering what is written inside of it.
And that’s when her phone starts ringing.
“Shit!” she curses under her breath and stuffs the envelope in her back pocket.
Without checking the ID, she answers with an annoyed “hello.”
“Oh good, you’re home!” Mayte’s voice says in relief.
That doesn’t sound promising. Wasn’t Mayte supposed to be on her way to catch a plane and visit her family in Miami?
“I need a big favor.”
“What’s wrong?” Chris asks impatiently.
“I’m stuck on the other side of the city. I totally forgot how hectic this part of Lillac gets at rush hour. There’s a paper I need to send to keep my internship next semester, and the deadline is in less than an hour. But I don’t think I’m going to make it.” Mayte seems to be in a panic. She is usually calm about everything, so her nervousness makes Chris backtrack.
She sighs and closes the door again.
“Can’t you send it from your phone?”
“Yeah, so that’s the thing. My phone died. This kind lady is letting me borrow her phone for now.”
Typical Mayte, making friends easily everywhere she goes.
“Okay, tell me what I have to do.”
“Just go to my bedroom and send it from my laptop. It will take you just a few minutes.”
Chris lets her purse fall to the floor and runs to Mayte’s room. Her desk is full of house plans and other sketches, beautifully organized in a way that contrasts completely with the mess in Chris’s bedroom. Even her painting tools that she uses in her free time for her art are separated by color.
“Still the same password?” Chris asks, rearranging some of the stuff around the desk.
“Yep, the file is a PDF called Project Intern 302. It’s inside the Lillac U file on the desktop,” Mayte explains.
Chris opens the laptop as she sits down on the chair and types in the password. The Cuban flag appears as the desktop background, and she has to take a moment to get used to all the buttons and files that are changed to Spanish versions of Windows.
“Found it,” she announces. “What do you want me to write to the professor?”
“Just… be formal. But not too formal.”
“Thanks, that’s a big help,” Chris replies, rolling her eyes. “Why didn’t you send this earlier anyway?”
“I had a date with a girl from Tinder,” Mayte says guiltily. “I thought I had enough time to see her before catching a bus, and I could charge my phone at the airport. Big mistake, I know.”
“What? I thought you had deleted Tinder. What happened with the metal-head guy?”
He was nice. Chris had liked him.
“Uh… just… We didn’t have a lot in common. I mean, we had fun, and he was cool, but he was spending too much time with his band and going to rock concerts. We just wanted different things.”
Chris snorts when Mayte finishes her story, and she presses send in the email box.
“Done! I have to go now.”
“Thank you, thank you! You are an angel.”
“Go get your flight now,” Chris says before hanging up impatiently.
***
When she gets to Callaway, the show has already started.
Of course, on today of all days, the bus journey took half an hour longer than usual because it was raining.
Chris runs past the posters in the foyer that advertise Sleeping Beauty while at the same time trying to discreetly dry her boots on the carpet. There goes her hair and part of her makeup too, as not even her umbrella was enough to save her from the downpour outside. There are a few weird stares from the security guard in the corner, and she shrugs it off. It wasn’t her fault that the skies opened up when she left her apartment tonight.
Once inside the auditorium, Chris walks in front of half of the annoyed audience, looking for a free seat. She finds a gap between two old ladies in the middle of a section and finally takes a seat with a sigh.
Ignoring the grumpy looks from everyone around her, Chris watches as the ballerinas dance on the half illuminated stage. At least she didn’t miss Josie’s entrance. Judging by the clothes and the props, she guesses Maleficent is just about to curse baby Aurora.
It takes around twenty minutes until the tone changes and Josie enters the scene. Right away, the crowd applauds as she dances around the stage. Her arms circle in the air as she performs a series of flawless pirouettes.
Even when she is dancing among the other ballerinas, Josie always draws attention to the precise way she follows the music. But it’s not only her form that’s perfect; there is also something extra that she brings to the role and the expressions she uses, as if she’s putting her whole soul into her performance.
Chris discreetly sends a few blurry pictures and short videos to Jessie, who answers her with excited, smiley, and applause emoticons. Later, her family will be able to watch the full performance in the video the school provides to students.
When Josie and her partner thank the crowd before the final scene, Chris brings her fingers to her lips and whistles loudly. For a second, Josie looks her way and flashes her a big smile before resuming her role.
***
Alone in the middle of the large crowd outside the auditorium, Chris waits for her girlfriend.
Around her, families and friends congratulate their children who chat excitedly about the performance. Some of the parents even brought flowers to present to them, and they all pose for pictures with big smiles on their faces.
When Josie comes out of one of the doors with a dozen red roses, Chris feels her stomach dropping to her feet. She hadn’t brought her anything.
It takes a few seconds until the two lock eyes, and Josie runs in her direction, throwing her arms around Chris in a big hug.
“How was that?” she asks.
“Magical. You were more than perfect.”
Josie takes a step back still giggling loudly. That’s when she notices the dejected expression on Chris’s face.
“What’s wrong?
“I didn’t bring flowers,” Chris explains awkwardly. “I’m the worst girlfriend ever.”
“No, you’re not,” Josie disagrees. “These are just from my classmates. You didn’t need to bring me anything, seriously. Besides, I’m sure my parents will send me tons of stuff once they know all about tonight.”
She keeps begging Chris to let it go, even mischievously poking her in the ribs to try to make her smile again. One of her hands stops on something in Chris’s back pocket and Josie frowns.
“What’s this?”
Oh no, she was so busy feeling proud of Josie for the past two hours, that she forgot about the letter.
“Nothing…”
Ignoring her, Josie takes a closer look at the envelope.
“Okay, I may have applied for a scholarship for the music teaching degree at this school.”
“This is incredible,” Josie exclaims. “You should have told me.”
Chris cringes and waves it off.
“I guess we need to get better at communication.”
“Yes, we really do. Now open it!”
“Absolutely not,” Chris refuses. “This is your night!”
Josie doesn’t agree with her on that.
“Shut up and open it. Let’s make this our night instead.”
Chris hesitates for a minute. What if it’s bad news? What if she didn’t get in?
What if it’s just another thing to add to this year’s long list of disappointments?
I
t was just supposed to be for curiosity, to see what would happen. It wasn’t intended to be serious. And now she has an envelope in her hands.
She stares at the name on the letter.
Christine Alice Morrison.
It’s now or never.
Carefully, Chris tears open the envelope and starts reading the letter. When she gets to the end of the page, tears are already falling from her eyes.
“Oh, no! No, no. I’m so sorry, Chris,” Josie says, assuming that the worst has happened.
Chris shakes her head to stop Josie talking so that she can explain herself better.
“It isn’t bad news. I got an 80% scholarship. I never thought I would get in at all.”
With a squeal, Josie embraces her and kisses her right there in the middle of everyone. They laugh inside each other mouths as if the rest of the world doesn’t exist.
“Let’s eat shitty food and celebrate,” Josie declares.
Chapter 12
They end up in the small bar just across Chris’s apartment.
“My sister and I came here that time, remember?” Josie asks.
Chris only nods as an answer.
Has it been this long since the night they had walked home together?
It feels like ages ago, but it’s probably just a few weeks.
How fast things can change in just a short period of time.
She is still in a daze, letting Josie order their cheeseburgers and fries from the young waitress. Her mind is in turmoil. Not so long ago, she was a twenty-one-year-old dropout pining after her coworker. Tonight, she is the girl with a scholarship to a prestigious music school and the sweetest girlfriend by her side.
Life is finally starting to look up.
“Jessie is sending me tons of messages about how much she wanted to be here.”
The comment brings Chris back to the present.
“Do you regret not calling your family?” she asks.
“Just a little bit,” Josie admits. “But it’s fine. It feels good to do something just for me, instead of for my parents or anyone else. It felt like I was dancing for my own enjoyment. Besides, we still have the Christmas show. I’ll do my best to get the principal role again. You can bet your ass I won’t lose the chance to be the Sugar Plum Fairy.”
“I’m sure you’ll get it.”
Josie sticks out her tongue playfully, and Chris throws a fry at her. The girl giggles and sends a sexy stare back to Chris, making her stomach do flips inside her body. She has the fleeting thought of leaving all the food behind and just taking Josie to her room right now, but she seems to be hungry.
She can be patient.
“Are you excited about studying again?” Josie asks before taking a sip of her soda.
Chris stops for a moment, trying to understand exactly how she is feeling now that all of this is actually happening.
“I think I am,” she starts. “It’s such a weird feeling you know? When I first started studying at Lillac U, I never felt excited or like I was doing something vital or worthwhile. It was all just an obligation because if didn’t do anything else then… What was the point anyway? And now suddenly I have this new plan for me and my life, and it sounds so much better.”
“That’s good. I’m so happy for you.”
Chris groans and brings her hands to her face.
“Ugh, look at me. It’s your night, and I’m here talking about myself.’
“Don’t be silly!” Josie says and pulls her hands away so she can look Chris in the eyes again. “I already told you. This is our night. This is what girlfriends do, right? They’re there for each other during the good moments and the bad ones.”
Chris agrees, and they go back to their food.
When she’s finished eating, Josie shifts in her seat to get closer to Chris. Her head turns to the side as she brings their lips together. It’s definitely not the chaste kiss that you’d normally give someone in public. One of her hands falls to Chris’ jeans and moves dangerously high up her thigh.
“What are you doing?” Chris whispers.
“Sending you a message.”
Message definitely received.
“Let’s go to my apartment,” she suggests. “Mayte is out of town.”
***
As soon as the door is closed, Josie is pushing her against one of the walls.
Her kisses are frantic and rough, lips being bitten and teeth bumping almost painfully. Her hands are warm and strong on Chris’s waist. Soon the girl is trailing her lips along Chris's neck and collarbone, earning gasps and moans from her.
Chris barely has time to breathe before Josie gets down on her knees and pulls her jeans and panties down in one go. After that, Josie is up again, kissing Chris at the same time that her fingers find her clit.
Chris shuts her eyes and moans against Josie’s right shoulder.
The pressure between her legs is growing nice and fast, making her shiver all over.
Her hands try to grasp at Josie’s sides, but the girl moves them away, placing Chris’ arms on the wall.
Confused, Chris opens her eyes and frowns.
“No touching,” Josie hisses.
Then, she is all over Chris again.
Josie’s mouth concentrates on her neck as one of her hands explores her breasts under her shirt and bra while the other goes back between her legs. Chris just about resists the urge to touch her. She just needs to bring her closer, scratch at her skin, to feel her somehow. But there is also some pleasure in her desperation.
Josie never stops. Her fingers pump harder and faster on her clit, tension building between them. It doesn’t take long for Chris to feel her legs failing under her. She tries to brace herself against the wall, but her fingers find nothing to hold onto.
Moving so that their bodies can be even closer together, Josie laughs close to her right ear before biting Chris’s neck.
“Oh… fuck,” Chris moans before the pressure gets just too much.
She comes in a mess of swearing and gasps with Josie’s arms being the only thing preventing her from collapsing to the floor.
“Are you good there?” Josie asks a minute later, her fingers still moving slowly.
Opening her eyes, Chris smiles lazily. She almost complains when Josie’s hands finally stop playing with her.
“Can you stand up? I’m gonna get rid of these things.” Josie points to her own clothes and takes a step back.
Chris tests her legs and nods when she is sure she is okay. She is still shaking a bit, but she rests against the wall to steady herself. She watches as Josie strips in front of her, more and more skin appearing at every layer of clothing that is thrown to the floor until she is naked in the middle of Chris’s living room.
There are purple marks on Josie’s body that she hadn’t seen before, probably from all the practice she’s been doing in the last days. Chris wants to kiss and adore each part of her body, to worship her all night.
“Come here,” Josie whispers and gestures with one of her fingers, moving in the direction of the couch.
Chris follows her with curious eyes. Josie sits down with her legs open, and then Chris falls to her knees in front of her, brushing her hands on the girl’s thighs. Their eyes lock, expressing all the adoration and desire that they can’t put into words. Chris wishes she could put this scene in a song, turning everything she feels about Josie into music.
Her fingers tap a slow melody on Josie’s skin as if playing the notes on a piano.
“What are you doing?” Josie asks with a giggle.
Chris saves the fact that she is ticklish in this part of her body for later.
“Writing you a song,” she answers.
“I can’t hear it.”
Chris moves lower and whispers against the inside of one of her thighs.
“You need to feel it.”
Chris’s tongue explores around Josie’s clit, licking up and down close to her entrance. After a minute, Josie loses herself to pleasure, and her eyel
ids slip closed as she rests her head against the couch.
Chris needs to hold Josie’s legs further apart; otherwise she will be stuck in between them. The moans above her get louder, and she sucks on Josie’s clit before moving her tongue even faster, tasting all of her. Josie’s body quivers under her and then she comes with a harsh gasp.
“I love you,” she whispers.
Immediately, Chris stops.
Did she just hear what she thinks she heard?
She moves up and sits on Josie’s legs, her hands finding Josie’s face and bringing her closer. Her brown eyes open with surprise and hesitancy.
“I love you too,” Chris whispers.
***
Later when their bodies are exhausted and glowing with sweat, and they move to the bedroom, Chris can’t close her eyes.
She traces a line all the way down Josie’s back, smiling when the girl hums under her breath, and a shiver runs through her skin.
There is something in the back of her mind bothering her. It’s a feeling that she can’t shake off, an urge to fix all the parts of her life immediately now that she feels confident enough to do anything. Inside of her, she can feel a relief and a hint of excitement that she hasn’t felt in so long.
She wants to open the windows and scream to the world I’m happy, I’m happy, I’m happy while she plays her guitar so that everyone outside can hear the contentment in her soul.
On her bedside table, her phone draws her attention.
Before she loses her nerve, Chris gets up. Hastily, she puts on a robe and walks to the fire escape stairs with the phone in her hands. She scrolls down all the numbers, feeling scared and nervous, but also confident that this is the right thing to do.
She just hopes they aren’t sleeping right now.
On the second ring, her mother answers.
“Christine? Are you okay?” she says with concern.