First Fall

by Genevieve Fortin

  When Audrey opened her eyes again, tears escaped and flowed down to her temples. Out of reflex, Marielle kissed the tears, pressing her lips to Audrey’s temple as if it was the most delicate object she’d ever touched. When she looked into Audrey’s eyes again, they were dark with arousal, and her breath was even more irregular. She stared as Audrey’s tongue discreetly moistened her dry lips, and her attention remained on Audrey’s mouth. A hunger she could no longer ignore left her heart pounding, and she lowered her mouth to brush against the freshly wet lips.

  Audrey’s moan, raw and animal, vibrated through Marielle’s body, and she pressed harder against the warm and demanding mouth. She felt Audrey’s hands in her hair, holding her firmly in their kiss, and when Audrey’s tongue passed through her lips to begin exploring her mouth, Marielle was shocked by her own groan of pleasure.

  Their tongues tasted one another, probed and played for long minutes, during which Marielle found herself on top of Audrey, straddling her for easier access. When their mouths separated to search for air, Marielle rested her forehead on Audrey’s, penetrating the blue eyes with her gaze. She saw Audrey’s smile in those eyes, her relief, a bit of residual fear, but most of all, a longing her own eyes promised to satisfy.

  Still breathless and holding the intensity of their eye contact, Marielle slowly ran the tip of her tongue along Audrey’s upper lip, then her bottom lip. Trembling, Audrey moved her hands down Marielle’s back, stopping dangerously close to her ass.

  The touch made Marielle tense up with anxiety. The unwelcome yet familiar reaction to a sexual touch frustrated her, but she decided not to let it ruin the moment. Instead she grabbed Audrey’s hands and forced them back over her head, holding her in place, taking control of the situation.

  Audrey let out a sexy laugh and said in a raspy voice, “So that’s how it’s going to be, huh?” Then she playfully bit Marielle’s lower lip.

  Marielle grinned and answered in a sensuous voice she didn’t know was in her, “Yes. Just stay there and let me show you just how much I want you.” Still holding Audrey’s arms firmly on the ground, she lowered her mouth to lick her jawline, her neck and her collarbone. Her skin was slightly salty. And so soft. When she moved her tongue down to Audrey’s chest and languorously traced the outline of her tank top, Marielle marveled at the way her chest moved up and down in uncontrollable spasms. She felt empowered witnessing the intense pleasure she could induce in the woman she loved.

  At first she didn’t feel the raindrops on her back, but soon the sky opened up, and it felt as though buckets of water were falling onto them. When she looked at Audrey, her face was already wet from the cold rain.

  “Oh fuck,” Audrey shrieked. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, it’s freezing!”

  “Oh my God! The food!” Marielle stood up in a hurry and finally noticed the sky was covered with angry, dark clouds. Never had a cold shower been so unwanted. They scrambled to gather the blanket, wine and leftover food as quickly as possible and started running toward home, both laughing hysterically. Audrey took Marielle’s hand, urging her to keep up with her pace.

  * * *

  As they approached Audrey’s cabin, a car was pulling into her driveway. Audrey didn’t recognize the silver Buick sedan and couldn’t see the driver but still knew exactly who was inside. Her father had been driving the same type of car for as long as she could remember. She stopped in her tracks and felt her face go blank. Marielle stood next to her despite the rain still falling violently and squeezed her hand tighter.

  “What’s wrong, baby? Who’s that?”

  “My parents.”

  “What? I thought their anniversary wasn’t for another couple of weeks.”

  “I guess they’re early.”

  Marielle grabbed her shoulders and forced Audrey to face her. “Okay, it’s going to be okay. I’m with you. You hear me?”

  Audrey simply nodded and let Marielle take her hand and lead her to the house. With rain still pouring over them, Audrey unlocked her front door and motioned to her parents, who quickly got out of the car and followed them through the door.

  When they were inside the cabin, Ralph served as a nice but all too brief distraction as everyone greeted the mutt with a small pat on the head, her mother adding a few kind words in an excited, high-pitched voice that sent Ralph into a frenzy. And then they were all standing there in awkward silence. Audrey’s mother had given her daughter her blond hair and facial features but was shorter by several inches. She looked as elegant as ever dressed in classic black pants and a white silk blouse Audrey knew were less expensive than they appeared. Her mother had always managed the designer look without the price tag. Her smile was bright though uncomfortable. Her father stood tall with thick salt-and-pepper hair and a tenderness in his eyes that had always comforted Audrey as a little girl.

  Audrey felt Marielle’s hand on her lower back and realized she had to break the ice. “Wow, here you are. I wasn’t expecting you so soon.” She moved toward her parents, and they shared clumsy hugs they could at least blame on the fact Audrey was soaking wet.

  Her mother nervously explained, “Yes, well, we’re making a little vacation out of it, but I’m sorry for barging in on you like this. We should have called.”

  Seeing her mother so agitated dredged up guilt in Audrey, as it always did. She wanted so badly for her mother to be at ease around her. “No, please don’t worry about it. I’m glad you’re here.”

  Another agonizing silence followed, and this time it was Marielle’s turn to break it. “Hello. I’m Marielle.”

  Marielle extended her hand to her parents, and Audrey remembered her manners. “Oh yes, I’m so sorry. Marielle, please meet my parents, Frank and Laura Eriksson. Mom, Dad, this is Marielle.”

  “Pleased to meet you,” Marielle said with her irresistible charm.

  Frank and Laura shook her hand enthusiastically, and their smiles seemed gauche but sincere.

  “Nice to meet you, Marielle,” Laura said. She hesitated before she added, her voice almost breaking, “Are you our daughter’s partner?”

  The question left Audrey speechless, and her face heated up. Marielle smiled and put her arm around Audrey’s waist before answering, “Yes, yes I am. I love your daughter very much.”

  Audrey caught a tear in the corner of her mother’s eye that conflicted with her widening smile but was even more shocked when her father grabbed Marielle and pulled her into a hug. “Great, that’s wonderful, Marielle. It’s a real pleasure to meet you.”

  Marielle stepped away from the hug and looked almost as stunned as Audrey. She came back to Audrey’s side, grabbed her hand and squeezed it before glancing at her watch. “Well, I hope we get to spend more time together soon, but I have to go pick up my son, so I’ll leave you to your daughter.” She kissed Audrey’s parents goodbye on the cheeks and made a point to kiss Audrey on the lips. “I’ll call you later.”

  “Okay.” She didn’t know what to think of the way her parents watched Marielle leave. They looked as if they’d just met the president.

  “She’s lovely,” her mother said.

  “Yes, that she is. Well, take a seat,” Audrey offered, motioning to the sofa in the living room. “I’ll go change out of these wet clothes and I’ll be right back.”

  Alone in her bedroom, Audrey changed into jeans and a T-shirt, wondering who the hell the man and woman in her living room were and what they’d done with her parents. She took a deep breath before going back to them. They were sitting side by side on the sofa, taking in the décor.

  “Would you like something to drink?” she asked. “I have soda, water, coffee and a bottle of wine Dennis brought earlier this week. I also have some tea, Mom.”

  “Tea would be perfect, Audrey. Thank you,” Laura answered.

  Audrey moved around the kitchen putting water on to boil and gathering the fancy teapot and teacups she rarely used. The action helped her hide her nerves. “Dad?”

  “I wouldn’t say no to a glass of
wine if you’ll have one with me.”

  “Absolutely.” That was just what she needed, actually. She opened the bottle and poured two glasses, took one to Frank and went back to the kitchen when the water started boiling.

  “You have a beautiful home, Audrey,” her mother declared with a note of pride.

  “Thank you. I’ll give you the tour in a bit.” She poured hot water in a teacup and added a tea bag and the amount of milk she knew her mother liked. She served Laura and went back to the kitchen for her own glass. There was nothing left to do then but sit with them, so she sat in the love seat. Ralph joined her and lay down with his head resting on her thigh. She started petting him energetically, and the movement somewhat relaxed her. “So you’re making a vacation out of it, you said? That’s nice. Will you be gone for long?”

  “One week,” her father answered.

  “Believe it or not, we’re going on a cruise,” her mother continued. “We’re leaving from Quebec City, and from there we’re going down the St. Lawrence River to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.”

  “Wow! I didn’t even know such a cruise existed. I bet it’s beautiful.”

  “Friends of ours did it and loved it, so we thought, why not? Maybe you and Marielle can go next year,” Frank stated with a slight flush on his face that Audrey was certain matched the one on her own cheeks.

  “Maybe,” she said simply, having no idea how to answer that. Then she decided that as her parents were clearly making an effort to open up, she might as well do the same. “Our relationship is still very new, but I hope by next summer we’ll be ready for a trip together.”

  Laura smiled tenderly. “She really does seem nice, Audrey. And she has a son?”

  “Yes. Felix. He’s six years old, and he’s adorable. I love him very much.”

  “I hope we get to meet him,” Frank said with a twinkle in his eyes. “After all, it’s about damn time one of you two kids makes us grandparents.”

  Audrey was astounded by his comment. She remained silent while her father laughed. The deep, cascading laugh had been one of the comforting sounds of her childhood. Right now, however, it was more hesitant.

  “We’re freaking you out, aren’t we?” her mother said.

  Finally, one of them was admitting that something was strange about this visit, which relieved Audrey. She sighed and answered with a timid smile. “A little.”

  “We miss you,” her mother continued. “We know we didn’t react the way you wanted us to when you told us you were gay, Audrey, but you have to understand we didn’t know how to react ourselves. It was a shock; we can’t lie about that.”

  “I know, Mom. I just—”

  “Please let me finish, Audrey. It’s perfectly fine that you’re gay. We know that now. We love you just the same, and we should have told you that from the start, but we weren’t ready. And then you moved away, first to Manhattan, then here, and we barely saw you. We want to see you more often, Audrey. We really, really miss you. And we are deeply sorry for our part in this distance that’s been growing between us.”

  Audrey’s eyes welled with tears, and she watched as her mother’s own tears slowly ran down her cheeks. She wanted to hug her but was frozen in place, incapable of moving. She turned to her father, who gently put a hand over his wife’s. He then looked at Audrey and spoke softly.

  “We’re old school, Audrey. You know that.” He paused and stared at Ralph for a moment, as if gathering his thoughts. When he looked up at her, he smiled. “Think of us as old dogs, my girl. You can teach an old dog a new trick, but it will take longer than if you were teaching a pup. We would have gotten over the news of your homosexuality. We did. It just took a little longer than you wanted.”

  He paused again and her mother continued. “We want to ask you to give us a chance to do better, Audrey. We can’t promise we’ll be perfect, but we’d like to be around you more often so we can get to the point we all want to reach together. If it’s not too late and if it’s still what you want too, of course.”

  Audrey was in awe of their complicity, of the way they seemed to share every thought. Her tears escaped freely, and she finally found the courage to move. She sat on the coffee table facing her parents and put one hand over her mother’s and the other over her father’s. “It’s not too late, Mom. Of course it’s not. You’re right; I should have given you more time. I shouldn’t have run away.”

  Audrey and Laura wiped away their tears, and Audrey even caught her father rubbing his eyes discreetly. Then she hugged her parents, starting with her mother. The embrace she shared with them was the most honest and heartfelt they’d shared in years, and they didn’t rush it. A weight she hadn’t realized she’d been carrying was suddenly lifted off her shoulders, and when she started speaking she felt like the eighteen-year-old girl she’d been when she’d lost her parents. Because it had been exactly that: a huge loss she’d fooled herself into thinking she could handle.

  “Okay, so, when do you have to be in Quebec City? You can stay overnight, right?”

  Her parents smiled at her enthusiasm. “Yes, we can stay. We were hoping you’d ask us to. We don’t have to be in Quebec City before tomorrow,” her mother answered, squeezing her hand.

  “Great! I can cook for you.”

  “Actually,” Frank started, “we were hoping we could taste that famous poutine your brother raves about. Our treat.”

  Audrey laughed. Dennis couldn’t get his fill of the greasy dish made of french fries, cheese curds and gravy. She wasn’t as big a fan, but she did have cravings for it once in a while, and when such a craving appeared, nothing else but poutine would satisfy it.

  “Perfect! I know this little hole-in-the-wall where they make the best poutine you’ll ever taste. That’s where all the locals go. We’ll take my car, and I’ll show you around town a bit. The office where I work and the park where I take Ralph. I’m so excited to show you everything.”

  “Excellent,” Frank said with a grin.

  They chatted a bit longer in the living room until Frank announced he was hungry, and when Audrey drove her Subaru away with her father in the passenger’s seat and her mother having a full conversation with Ralph in the backseat, all felt right.

  * * *

  Later that night, Audrey put clean sheets on her own bed for Frank and Laura. After Laura insisted Ralph would be no bother, she reluctantly allowed the mutt to stay in the bedroom, kissed her parents good night and climbed to the loft to get the daybed ready. She mused that it would be the first time she would spend the night up here and that it would certainly not be the last. Her parents had promised they would start visiting more often, and she was thrilled. This day had definitely been full of unexpected twists and surprises.

  That thought brought her back to Marielle, to her earlier declaration and to that kiss. She brought a finger to her lips and could swear she still felt the warmth of Marielle’s mouth. Although she was pleased her relationship with her parents had been revived after their unforeseen visit, she couldn’t help but think the timing had been unfortunate. She was suddenly consumed with worry. What if Marielle had taken the time away from Audrey to reflect on her words and actions and regretted everything? What if their first kiss was the last and Audrey didn’t get the chance to show the woman she’d secretly loved for months just how much she meant to her? A large lump took shape in her throat.

  Her cell phone rang, and she looked at Marielle’s name on the display screen for a long moment before she answered in a frightened whisper. “Hello?”

  “Hey there…”

  She slumped onto the daybed with relief when she heard the sweetness in Marielle’s voice. She let the honey coat her skin and soothe every doubt inside her.

  Marielle continued. “I see they’re still there. Are they spending the night? Is everything okay? I’ve been worried sick about you, but I didn’t think I should go back to your house with Felix. That might’ve been a bit much.”

  Audrey grinned and
pressed the phone harder to her ear. She whispered so her parents wouldn’t hear, “Thank you for worrying, that’s sweet, but everything went well. I can’t wait to tell you all about it.”

  “Tomorrow? I mean, will they be gone tomorrow? Will you be able to spend the night with me?”

  The words went straight to Audrey’s core, and she felt wetness between her legs. She took a deep breath and answered, still keeping her voice low, “Yes, they will be gone tomorrow, and I would love to spend the night with you.”

  “Great, I can’t wait…” Marielle paused, and Audrey could imagine the blush on her freckled cheeks before she went on, “I’ve missed you today. And the way you’re whispering right now is driving me crazy, so I better say good night.”

  Audrey felt another rush of arousal move through her, and her nipples hardened. She made her voice lower yet, barely audible. “Marielle?”

  Marielle moaned softly and answered in a breath, “Yes?”

  “I love you too. I didn’t get to say it earlier, but I do. I’ve loved you for a very long time.” Her chest tightened as Marielle’s response was slow to come. “Marielle? Did you hear me?”

  “Yes. Sorry, I’m just smiling so much right now I can’t speak.” They both giggled, and when Marielle was able to talk again, she said, “Thank you. I was pretty sure you did, but thank you for saying it. I’ll see you tomorrow, then?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Great. Good night, baby.”

  “Good night. Oh and by the way, I really like it when you call me baby.”

  Marielle laughed quietly. “Good. Sweet dreams, baby.”

  “Oh they’ll be sweet, I know they will. Good night, Marielle.”

  Audrey hung up and clutched the phone to her chest. She bit her lip with anticipation. If they could get this aroused over the phone, she could only imagine what sensations tomorrow night would bring. She couldn’t wait. She fell asleep with the silliest grin on her face.

  Chapter Nine

  Audrey spent most of Monday smiling. She even caught herself humming a few times, causing several puzzled looks in the office. She didn’t care. Even annoying questions from her protégés and complaints from angry clients couldn’t affect her. No, the one and only problem with today was that each minute lasted at least an hour. It was the never-ending Monday from hell, but if the night was going to last just as long it was well worth it. When she finally drove away from the office, she went straight to Marielle’s. She knew Ralph would already be there, and she knew Marielle and Felix would be waiting for her to have dinner.