Stay With Me: A Lesbian Romance

by Lydia Rose

  P.S. Tell Sally she would make a great detective.

  Christine smiled as she read the email and began to respond.

  Laura-Please do not feel that you have to apologize for anything. Sally means well, but sometimes she gets carried away. She did say she liked you a lot and that you’re good for me. Anyway, please use the pool and thank you. Chris

  Christine sent the email before she obsessed about what she had written.

  When Christine returned home that day, she found her yard empty. She went over to the refrigerator to see if there was anything for dinner, but leftover pizza would have to do. As the pizza heated, she changed into shorts.

  Christine had just finished her dinner when the phone rang. “Hi,”

  “Hi, Chris,” Sara said with a smile in her voice. “Carol and I would like you to come to dinner Saturday night.”

  “I’m not sure,” Christine said quickly.

  “Why not? You can’t spend the weekend alone.”

  Christine didn’t reply.

  “I know that Laura is going to see Mary on Saturday, so come have dinner with us.”

  “Oh,” Christine said.

  “You remember Mary from the party?” Sara asked.

  “Vaguely,” Christine said pursing her lips.

  “So you will come Saturday?” Sara asked again.

  “What time? Christine asked.

  “Seven. See you then.”

  ****

  As she neared the Green house, she thought of Chai Tea. A parking space opened up in front and she pulled in quickly. At the counter, she ordered her tea. Waiting, she turned and saw Laura sitting with a woman. Now she remembered Mary. She was a striking woman and couldn’t believe that she had trouble remembering her face. Laura suddenly turned and their eyes met across the café. Christine was about to wave when the woman behind the counter summoned her to take her tea.

  “Thank you” she said to the woman and paid the bill. When she looked over at the table, Laura met her eyes again. She waived hello before leaving the café.

  Christine drove to the estate sale hoping to find some good bargains. The street was filled with cars as everyone began their treasure hunt. She went into the house and began exploring.

  “I don’t suppose I can interest you into going with me to an estate sale? Mary asked looking at Laura with a smile.

  “An Estate Sale?” Laura asked not understanding.

  “There’s a home not far from here that is selling the contents of the home. It’s fun.”

  Mary sported that winning smile again and Laura shrugged. “Sounds like fun,”

  Christine was bent over a table studying a porcelain figure and didn’t notice someone standing next to her.

  “Are you following me?” Laura whispered in her ear.

  A smile automatically formed on Christine’s face. “I would never have figured you for this type of activity,” Christine said with a chuckle.

  “Oh sure, I come to these things all the time.” Laura grinned.

  Christine laughed again. “Yes, I’m sure you do.” She looked around the room and saw the source for Laura appearance. “How’s your date going?”

  “Well, we haven’t tried to ditch each other yet,” Laura said with a shrug.

  “Shouldn’t you be with Mary?”

  Laura nodded with her head. “She looks like she’s doing fine without me.”

  “I haven’t been on a date in over eighteen years. Things have changed so much.” Christine’s commented quietly.

  Laura chuckled. “Not really, Chris. The rejection, pain and sex are pretty much the same.”

  They both laughed and Mary turned their way. “Please go back to your date. Mary is giving me dirty looks.”

  Laura went over to Mary and took her arm. She led them over to Christine. “Mary, you remember Chris from the barbecue?”

  “It’s nice to see you again, Mary.” Christine smiled.

  “You too. Have you found anything yet?” Mary asked.

  “I’ve got a pile by the cash register. I’m going to check out the basement. Enjoy your search,” Christine said leaving them alone.

  It was a half hour passed before Christine saw Laura again. While waiting to pay for her things, Laura approached.

  “What have you got there? Laura asked looking at the box in Christine’s hand.

  “It’s a beautiful box,” Christine said rubbing her hand over the glossy wood. “I thought it would nice on my coffee table for the remote controls.”

  “A box for remote controls.” Laura shook her head. “What will they think of next?”

  “You’re no fun,” Christine said with a laugh. “That’s why you come to these places. Find something you really like and try to figure out how you can use it.” Christine pointed to her pile. “Those are mine too.”

  Laura looked at the oil painting of the sea. It was beautiful, but a while sailboat was in the distance. She wondered if Christine had seen it. After seeing her react to the sailboat that passed the house, she didn’t think it was a good idea to have this painting in her home. Christine spent too many mornings sitting on that bench as if she were waiting for Jacqueline to sail back into her life.

  “Are you sure you want that painting?” Laura finally asked.

  “Yes. It’s beautiful and will look wonderful over my fireplace.”

  “You already have a painting over your fireplace.”

  “I like to rotate my paintings.” Laura just shrugged. “Can you carry the box for me while I carry the painting and the other things I bought?”

  “You keep the box and the other small items. I’ll carry the painting for you.”

  The two women loaded the back of Christine’s Range Rover making sure the painting was secure.

  “Now I know why you have this vehicle. It’s for all your treasures,” Laura said with a chuckle.

  “Go ahead and make fun.” Christine suddenly realized looking around that Laura had been with her the last fifteen minutes alone. “Where’s Mary?”

  “She met some women she sees at all these estate sales. She probably doesn’t even know I’m not standing next to her.”

  “I would notice. Don’t be rude, Laura. Go find her.” Christine shoved Laura playfully toward the door of the house.

  “I’ll see you later, Chris,” she said with a wave.

  Christine drove back to her house, hung the picture over the fireplace and put the box on the coffee table. She stood back to admire her work and stared at the painting. Oh, Jackie, come back to me. She said to the empty room.

  Christine was lying on the couch looking at the painting when a light tap on the patio door caused her to jump. She sat up and saw Laura standing there. Christine waived her into the house.

  “Is it okay that I’m here?” Laura asked from the doorway.

  “Sure, come in and sit down.” Christine stood up. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “No thanks.” Laura sat on the other sofa.

  “What happened to Mary?” Christine asked taking a seat again.

  Laura looked up at the painting. “It looks good there,” she said pointing and then she looked at the remote control box and smiled. “That looks good too.”

  Christine tilted her head. “Mary?”

  “She noticed I was gone.” Laura weakly smiled. “For a shy girl, she sure has no problem yelling.”

  Christine giggled and then covered her mouth with her hand. “I’m sorry, Laura. About the laughing and what happened.”

  “I don’t know why I agreed to go to that estate sale. I knew just from having coffee with her that she wasn’t for me.”

  “Boy, you make quick decisions. “

  “It might seem that way, but I have this sixth sense when it comes to women. I can tell in an hour’s time whether she’s for me or not.”

  “What about Rachel. You said there were problems outside of the bedroom. Didn’t you see it before you got to the bedroom?”

  “Yes, I knew it, but th
at was wishful thinking that she would change.” Laura grinned. “I was young and she was so hot.”

  “It’s so hard to find someone you can stand to be around when you are outside of the bedroom. With Jackie, I could sit holding her hand and not do anything else. It just felt comfortable.” Christine smiled. “Do you know what I mean?”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean.” Laura smirked. “I feel very comfortable with this woman, but she won’t give me the time of day.”

  Christine was about to give Laura some advice when she realized that she was talking about her. “I feel comfortable with you too, Laura, but I can’t give you anything more.”

  “Can I just ask you something?” Laura asked moving next to Christine on the sofa.

  “You can ask, but I may not answer,” Christine said with a laugh.

  “If Sally told you she was moving to another state, how would you feel?”

  “That’s easy. I would be heartbroken.”

  “If your friends Carol and Sara moved too?”

  “I would be heartbroken too.”

  “You’re very lucky to have such close friends. I guess if I tell you I’m going back to New York, you might not be heartbroken, but would you miss me?”

  “Of course I would miss you.” Christine answered and then wondered if this was just a question or was Laura really going back to New York. “Are you moving back to New York?”

  “I’m thinking about it. At least in New York I knew what I was doing with my life. “

  “Hey, it’s a beautiful day and you’re getting me depressed telling me all my friends are moving out of state. I’m invited to Carol and Sara’s for dinner. Why don’t you come with me?”

  “Thanks anyway.” Laura stood. “I’ve got some things at home to take care of.” Laura smiled. “Tell them I said hello and I’m sorry about Mary.”

  “If you change your mind, let me know.” Christine walked Laura to the door.

  Laura went home and got into her car. She knew it was time to start packing up the things she wanted from her dad’s house.

  Christine arrived at Carol and Sara’s home at seven o’clock. Sara met her at the door.

  “Hi, Chris. Come on inside.” Her hug was welcoming as always.

  “Hey, Sara.” Christine handed her the bakery box containing goodies for dessert.

  Carol walked out of the kitchen wiping her hands on a dish towel. She walked over to her friend and hugged her close. “I missed seeing you.”

  “You two can always come over and visit me.” Christine said wearing a wide smile.

  “I thought maybe you would have brought Laura with you?” Sara said chuckling.

  They took their seats in the living room. “Laura sends her apologies for Mary.”

  “Mary read me the riot act. She asked me why I didn’t tell her that Laura was already involved with someone else,” Sara said curtly.

  “But she isn’t.” Christine insisted.

  “She said once Laura saw you were there. Laura was at your side the whole time.”

  “I told Laura she was ignoring Mary.”

  “She thought you two looked very cozy together and under difference circumstances.” Sara paused. “Mary thought you two made a nice couple,”

  Christine put her hand to her head. “Believe me when I say, there is nothing going on between Laura and myself.”

  “Then you’re a fool,” Carol said touching her friend’s hand. “I thought the same thing when I saw the two of you at the barbecue. I like Laura and I know she’s crazy about you.”

  “It’s not going to happen,” Christine said firmly.

  “If Jackie could communicate with you, she’d probably call you a fool too.” Carol continued pressing her views.

  “I will admit that Laura is a wonderful person, but I’m not ready to get involved with anyone.”

  “When are you going to be ready? Next year or the year after that?” Carol sighed. “It’s really hard to find the right person. We both know women who have been looking for years for someone. You are letting an opportunity go by that may never happen again.”

  “Then so be it,” Christine said quietly.

  Sara and Carol just shook their heads.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  The next morning, Christine was on her way to the store when she passed Laura out in her garage. There were boxes and boxes lining the floor. Christine realized that Laura was serious about going back to New York. The tears stung her eyes and she touched the tear that fell onto her cheek. I will be heartbroken, Laura. Christine said to the empty car.

  Laura had most of the personal items removed from the house and now she needed a real estate agent. She went to her computer to do some research. She realized that she could probably call Christine and ask her, but she wanted to do this on her own. She found someone that specialized in this area and wrote down her number. She would call the woman tomorrow. Her cell phone rang and she saw it was Christine calling her. “Hello.”

  “Hi, would you like to come to dinner at my house later?” Christine asked nervously.

  “You’re going to cook for me?” Laura asked with a laugh.

  “Well, you haven’t made dinner for me. If you say yes, would you come earlier to help me?” Christine chuckled. “I’m nervous making dinner for you.”

  “What are we having?” Laura asked with a laugh.

  “Well, I bought chicken and I thought you would have a better idea than just baked chicken.”

  “What time do you want me there?” Laura asked.

  “Are you busy now?” Christine asked softly.

  “I have to take a shower and then I’ll be over. Is that okay?”

  Christine sighed. “Sure.”

  “I’ll see you in a bit.”

  Laura rang the bell twenty minutes later. Her hair was still damp when she walked in the front door. “Hi,”

  “Thanks for coming over and helping. I know I invited you for dinner, but then I chickened out that I wouldn’t be able to pull it off.” Christine downed the rest of her wine. “I’m sorry. I’m not making any sense.”

  Laura grasped Christine’s hand. “Calm down and we’ll do this together. I enjoy cooking with someone else. It will be fun. Okay?”

  “Thank you,” Christine said so quietly.

  “Let’s see what you picked up at the store.” Laura went to the refrigerator and cabinets and took out potatoes, carrots, onions, diced tomatoes, and garlic and tomato paste. “Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes and I’ll chop the vegetables.”

  The dinner was in the pot cooking and Laura sat down at the counter. Christine reached over and poured her a glass of wine.

  “Thank you. That was pretty easy,” Christine said smiling at Laura.

  “Cooking isn’t hard once you learn the basics. You can make that same dish we did with other types of meats.” She smiled.

  “It’s nice to be cooking with someone again,” Christine said as she glanced at the painting in the living room.

  “Did you and Jackie cook a lot together?”

  “In the beginning we did, but as her career took off,” Christine shrugged. “She didn’t have time to do domestic things.” She played with her wine glass. “When are you leaving for New York?”

  “I’m not sure. I have the house to sell first.” Laura admitted.

  “So you’re sure you want to sell the house?”

  “It’s time, Chris.”

  “Are you running away because of me?” Christine asked meeting the blue eyes.

  “Remember when you said if I left you would miss me.” Christine nodded. “Well if I stay any longer I will be devastated.”

  “Laura.”

  Laura held up her hand before Christine continued. She didn’t want to hear excuses or reasons.

  “It’s not your fault, Chris. You told me right away that you weren’t interested. This is all on me.”

  “Laura, I want you to know that under any other circumstances,” she sighed deeply. “I would
be very proud to be your girlfriend.” Christine didn’t tell Laura how Sara and Carol had run her through the wringer for the decision she was making. She would love to have Laura in her life. Not as her lover, but someone to share her time with.

  They sat down to dinner and enjoyed the meal they had prepared.

  “This is wonderful, Laura. Thank you for helping me put this together.” Christine looked at Laura who had become very quiet since their conversation. “Laura, I would like to take you to dinner at your friend’s restaurant one night this week?” Laura didn’t respond. “Carol and Sara could not stop talking about the food when I went to dinner yesterday.”

  “What day would you like to go?” Laura finally asked. She wanted to see her friend anyway and thought this would be a good time to talk to her.

  “Is Wednesday good with you?”

  Laura shrugged. “I have nothing pressing. I’ll try to make the reservations at seven. We can leave at six fifteen.”

  “Thank you,” Christine said softly.

  Laura left as soon as the meal was completed and the dishes put away. Christine knew that for the remaining time Laura would be in New Jersey, she would see her less and less.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Laura sent Christine a text on Tuesday to confirm their reservations at seven o’clock the following night. She said she would pick her up at six fifteen as planned.

  Her reply read. Looking forward to dinner and seeing you. C.

  Christine knew from Carol and Sara that this place was not a shorts or jeans type place. She looked in her closet and took out a black cocktail dress. The dress was sleeveless and the V showed just enough cleavage. It had been one of Jacqueline’s favorite outfit for Christine to wear. Knowing it might be cold in the restaurant, she reached for her light black sweater with fleck of silver throughout. Laura pulled up at the scheduled time in a black slacks and a button down cobalt blue blouse. Christine couldn’t help admire how beautiful Laura looked. Christine opened the door as she heard the car pull up. Laura opened her car door and walked over to the passenger door.

  “You look beautiful, Chris.” Laura opened the car door for her.

  “Thank you. You look beautiful too,” she said as she took her seat. “So what have you been doing this week?” Christine asked trying to break the silence in the car.