Sometimes, It Does Ch. 03

Sometimes, it Does - Chapter 3

[Author's Note: This is the last chapter for this story. After the cool reception to the Second Sight story, I decided not to do longer chapter series as I have in the past. I may come back to these characters for random stories in the future like I have done with characters from the Soccer Trilogy stories].

As I was first starting to wake up, my mind was filled with the panic. The last time I had awoken in this bed, I had been alone and Elizabeth had let her doubts rule her decision-making. This time, I was immediately put at ease. I could feel Elizabeth's breasts pushing into my back and I was pleased to feel that her nipples were hard. Our feet were intertwined below the blankets and her arm was draped over my side; her fingers were in my line of sight as I opened my eyes. Rather than rushing out of the bed, she had stayed to be with me.

As I was turning to look at her, Elizabeth awoke and our eyes met. We shared a brief kiss, neither caring about morning breath, both just wanting the feel of the other's lips on our own.

When we broke the kiss, Elizabeth looked at me with a serious expression and said, "We need to talk about something."

"Oh Crap!" I yelled, immediately thinking the worst.

"What?" was Elizabeth's surprised response. She seemed utterly confused until the events of that previous night and the next day must have also flooded back into her mind. I could see a look of concern come across face. "Oh no, sweetheart! It's not that. Not exactly anyway."

"That 'Not exactly' doesn't help me you know. What do you mean?'"

"There are three people we have to tell about this personally. Face to face. Not a phone call, not a text. Your parents and Cynthia. And I think it would be bad for any of them to hear this from someone else. We have to tell them together, or at least one right after the other."

"But you still want to be with me, right?"

Elizabeth slid over so we were right against each other and wrapped her arms around me. She pulled me tightly into her body and said, "Yes. One Hundred Percent. Look, if you think differently, let me know. We can talk about it more. But I really do think we have to be the ones to tell them. And both of us together; not me telling Cynthia and you telling your parents. What do you think?"

My initial reaction had been shock and fear that maybe she was backing off again. Once I realized that she was not doing that, I thought about what she was saying and I did think she was correct. So I said, "It does make sense. It will mean having to wait for Cynthia to get home from school. Do you think you can keep you hands off me for a month?"

She smiled and said, "No. But this doesn't mean I have to keep my hands off you. It just means we won't go out together until we tell them. I know you have finals coming up but I am hoping to get my hands on you as much as I can between now and then." And with that she started tickling me like the previous night. Only this time I couldn't get away and she soon had me thrashing about on the bed, laughing and just relishing the pure joy of the moment.

We eventually stopped and got started for the day. I went downstairs to retrieve my clothes and head home. Elizabeth walked me to the door naked and gave me a big hug and kiss before I left. I went home to shower and change and do some chores. Then I told my parents I had promised I would go help Elizabeth around her house, which was partially true. After helping her clean her house we went up to her bedroom and made love until it was time to make dinner.

As it got late, I said I was getting ready to head home. I caught something in Elizabeth's eye but she did not say anything and her smile was quickly back on her face. It was clear she was sad that I was leaving and that she wanted me to stay with her. But she also did not want me to see her being upset. It struck me because I could tell that smile had been put there for my benefit, just as she had done for Cynthia all those times in the past. It was a sign of her love.

When the idea of people's reaction to our being a couple had been an impediment to us having that relationship, I did not want to think about it. However, now that it was not going to prevent the relationship, it was going to be something we would both have to deal with as things went forward. It became a lot more real for me and I began to understand a little of why Elizabeth had been so concerned.

We had to talk about how we were going to arrange to tell my parents and Cynthia about our relationship and so that brought up the question about how they might react. We did go through some nightmare scenarios as well as positive ones. In the end, as we talked more about the possibilities, it always came back to the fact that we did love each other and we just trusted that love would get us through it.

Right before finals began, I got a call from Cynthia. "Hey, I wanted to thank you for hanging out with my mom a couple of weeks ago. She was really down but she sounds great now. Plus, she has been pretty guarded but she let it slip that she has someone in her life now and that is why she's so happy. Do you know who it is?"

Elizabeth and I already had our plan for telling Cynthia and it did not call for me to blab it to her over a phone call. So, I tried to be evasive. "I have seen her a few times recently and she hasn't said anything about any new dates to me. Maybe she's just having a good streak or maybe it's something at work?"

"No, it's definitely someone, not something. I know you have finals too but see what you can find out. I want to know what I might be walking into when I come home. I'm gonna have my own surprise and I certainly want her to be in a good mood when I spring that on her. And you."

While I was curious about the surprise Cynthia mentioned, I spent more time thinking about the plan Elizabeth and I had devised and hoped that Cynthia would be happy about the relationship between her mother and I. After all, this "someone" was making her mother very happy. And she was happy that her mom was happy. If we kept her focused on that, we figured she would end up being okay with us as a couple.

I had no idea how Mom and Dad were going to take it. I never doubted their love for me and I knew they always said they just wanted me to be happy. So, in theory, they should be fine with something that was making me so very happy. I guess we'd have to find out together.

I was caught a little off guard when Elizabeth asked, "So when will you be bringing your stuff over?"

"What stuff?"

"Your stuff. Your clothes and things. You are moving in here after we tell your parents, aren't you?"

"Um, yeah. Oh wow. I guess I hadn't even thought of that."

Elizabeth suddenly looked upset and said, "Well, if you don't want to do that now, we don't have to."

Wanting to make sure she understood my feelings; I quickly went to her and took her in my arms. "Elizabeth, you have to understand, I spent so much time dreaming about just getting to this point, I never thought past it. Of course I want to move in here and live with you, not just visit. As happy as I was, you just made me even happier. We'll move my stuff over as soon as we can." Her smile came back and she kissed me. Now I really couldn't wait for Cynthia to get home.

It was hard to study over those next few weeks. Now that we had made this life-altering decision, we could not do anything about it for a month. We wanted to start this new life but we still had to continue with the old one for now. In order to keep up appearances, I still went over to Elizabeth's house a few nights a week. It was not wall to wall sex on those visits, although we did express our love physically as well as verbally. Time being at a premium, we rarely made it beyond the couch.

Knowing I had this big news to drop on my parents also made it weird when I was home with them. I actually threw myself into my schoolwork and spent many hours at the library that month. It ended up being my best semester.

Elizabeth and I had planned telling Cynthia when she got home and then going to my parents' house. My mom questioned me about why Elizabeth and I wanted to speak with her and Dad. I gave some excuse which I was sure was flimsy. When she did not question it any further, I just breathed a sigh of relief and went to the library to do more studying.

There is an old saying about the best laid plans and ours fell victim to that axiom. I got a text from Elizabeth the night before. "Cyn is home now. Her roommate is here as well. I still have to go to work but you can go see her in the morning if you want."

I replied, "How do we tell her with the roommate here?"

Elizabeth replied only, "idk" Then she sent, "Let's keep the plan as is for now. We'll still tell her tomorrow night after I get home from work and then go over to your parents' house."

"OK" was my reply and I went to bed. I tossed and turned a lot knowing tomorrow was the day we would finally be telling Cynthia, my parents and the world in general that we were now a couple. The one good thing about all the lack of sleep due to my finals was that I finally was just too tired to worry about it anymore and I fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion.

The next thing I recall was a phone call at roughly ten o'clock in the morning. "Hey lazy bones. I'm home. How come you aren't already here saying hello?"

"Good morning to you too Cyn. I thought you weren't getting in until this afternoon?" I did not want to give away that I knew she came in last night since I would have had to explain why her mother and I were sharing late night text messages.

"Nope. I came in last night. I took mom to work so I could use her car. I want to go shopping and get some lunch. Plus, I have someone with me I want you to meet. When can you be over?"

"Who do you have to meet?" I knew it was her roommate but again could not say anything without divulging my source.

"Get over here and find out. C'mon, I've missed you. Haven't you missed me?"

"Of course I have Cyn. I'll be over as fast as I can." I had mixed emotions as I got ready to go out. Cynthia was my best friend, but I had no idea how she was going to take the news that I was going to be moving into her home with her mother. That same weird feeling I'd been having at my house followed me as I walked down the block to the Porter home.

Almost as soon as I knocked on the door it flew open. That was followed by a loud shriek and a body blow that knocked me back a step to keep my balance. ""RO! SO GREAT TO SEE YOU! COME IN! COME IN! THERE'S SOMEONE YOU HAVE TO MEET!" The onslaught of Cynthia's greeting had me wrong-footed but I recovered and stepped inside.

"Ro, this is Susan Randel. But everyone calls her Suzy." I was suddenly staring up at Susan Randel. She was very tall, probably close to six feet. She was in shorts and a tee shirt and it was clear to see she was an athlete or at least kept herself in very good shape. She had long legs that were muscular but not thick. Her arms were also very tight and sculpted. Her tee shirt was cut and her taut stomach was also on display. She had long straight brown hair and brown eyes that did not seem overly pleased to be seeing me.

I stuck out my hand and said, "Nice to meet you, Susan. I am Rosemary Hannigan."

She accepted my hand but quickly released it. She said, "I finally meet Ro. I have heard quite a lot about you this past year." Her voice was not confrontational but it clearly was not friendly either. One might assume that she did not really want to have heard all that much about me. Before I could react to this, Cynthia was back hugging me and then went off a-mile-a-minute telling me all about Susan.

"So, Susan is my roomie and she is the greatest roomie ever. She's a Poly Sci major and she is on the swimming team. She does the backstroke and the crawl and she's the best one on the team. I went to all of her meets that were on campus. She was the one who talked me into going to Spring Break and I am so glad she did. It was an amazing time. Life changing.

"Look, I drove Mom to work so we could have the car. We need to do some shopping and I want you to come along. You don't have anything to do today, do you?"

"I have some stuff tonight but I am free all day. The mall sounds great so we can catch up."

We went out to the car and Susan used her long legs to walk a bit faster so she got to ride shotgun. She did not cut me off as she walked, but it was very clear she did not want me sitting next to Cynthia in the front seat. I was not sure exactly what her deal was although I had no problems sitting in the back seat.

The whole drive to the mall, walking around the mall and driving back home was mostly Cynthia telling Susan stories of her and I growing up. I think Cynthia was going out of her way to make me look cool and it seemed as if she was pushing Susan to like me. Unfortunately, I think her plan was backfiring.

Throughout the afternoon, Susan was finding a way to get in between us. When she could get a word in edgewise (and as Cynthia's lifelong friend I knew that was not easy), Susan always seemed to bring things back to school and her and Cynthia and away from anything dealing with Cynthia and me.

Around 4:30 Cynthia said, "I have to go pick up Mom since I have the car. Why don't the two of you stay and get to know each other more. I have something I want to talk to Mom about on the way back anyway."

I expected Susan to object but she just said, "Okay, fine." I nodded my head and Cynthia smiled and headed off to get Elizabeth. With everything else that had been going on that day, I had lost track of the fact that we were going to have our talk with Cynthia and then my parents. I was thinking of how we were going to tell Cynthia with Susan present when Susan spoke to me.

"So, what is your deal with Cynthia?"

"We've been best friends since kindergarten. We grew up together."

"Cynthia said you used to double date a lot."

"I don't know about a lot. She was the most sought-after girl in the school who wasn't a cheerleader. Most of the guys would have a wingman to occupy me so his buddy could hit on her. But they never got anywhere with her. She was much too good for them."

"What about you?"

"What about me?" I did not like Susan's tone or how she was interrogating me. For Cynthia's sake I tried to stay friendly.

"Did you go out with the wingmen?"

"Nah. Not really. We both knew that we were just the sideshow while his buddy went after Cynthia. I knew it would end once Cynthia had enough of the guy chasing her."

"So, you were never really interested in the guy you ended up with, you just marked time until you got back with Cynthia?"

"Yeah, I guess. I never thought of it that way before, but that was pretty much how it was."

"So, you never thought about Cynthia?"

"Thought about Cynthia what?"

"About you hooking up with her."

"What? That's preposterous."

"Why?"

"Well..." I had to stop and think for a moment. I guess if I had not been pining over Elizabeth maybe I would have thought about Cynthia that way. Susan was still staring at me but as I looked in her eyes, I did not see anger. If anything, I thought it was fear. She was still waiting for an answer so I just said, "I just never thought of her that way."

"Why not? She is so incredible. She's the nicest person in the world and she is so beautiful and she has that adorably petite body and that amazing blond hair. You mean to tell me that you seriously never noticed how hot she is? You never once thought about kissing her or being intimate with her?"

"No. I mean, yeah, I know how beautiful she is. But she's Cyn, I've known her forever. We just..." And at that moment it all finally hit me why I was getting this third degree.

I asked, "Susan, are you and Cynthia... together?"

"She wanted to be the one to tell you and she had to tell her mother first."

"These Porter women." I had not really meant to say that out loud.

"What?"

"Oh nothing. Susan, that is wonderful. I am so happy for you and for Cynthia. But why the interrogation? You were just shy of using thumbs screws on me?"

"Cynthia talks about you all time. Ro this and Ro that. Ro is the most amazing person. I fell for her on day one and I spent these last two semesters fighting off all the competition until I could finally get my shot. It was during Spring Break and I told her exactly how I felt. She was a little unsure but she gave us a chance and it has been magical. And the only thing that is going to derail us is you. She definitely loves you, I just wanted to know exactly what the nature of that love was and how you felt about her. Now that she is with a woman, maybe there was another woman in her life she might look at differently."

I surprised Susan by going up to her and giving her a big hug. When I stepped back, I said, "Susan I do love Cynthia. She is my best friend and that and another thing are going to make her and I bound to each other for life. But she and I never had and never will have that kind of relationship. Believe me, I am in no way competition for you. Not that I would have been any competition to you even if I had wanted to try to be with her that way.

"But now that you've told me, I have to ask you; what are your intentions with her? Cynthia is my best friend and I would not want you to toy with her affections."

My question seemed to throw Suan off-balance. She had prepared to do an interrogation, not be interrogated. "I love her. I've known it all this time. I just want to be with her and let our relationship develop. I just want the chance to make her happy."

"That's what I wanted to hear. If you wanted to know if I was going to be a problem for you, the only way I will ever be a problem for you is if you hurt her. You are right that she is a very amazing person and if she is choosing to be with you, I am going to guess you must be pretty amazing as well."

Susan had been afraid that I was a threat to her having a romantic relationship with Cynthia. Now that she could put that concern to rest, she shed her cold attitude toward me and leaned back in for another hug.

We had just sat back and started talking about how Cynthia and Susan ended up together when the front door opened and there was a very loud shriek.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

Cynthia came charging at me from the front door. She launched herself into my arms with such force, she almost knocked the couch backwards. When I regrouped, her face was right in front of mine and she said, "It's you!"

Confused and still a bit disoriented, I replied, "Of course it's me. We just spent the day together." Her actions might have made sense if we had not seen each other for a very long time but having been together most of the day made this all so discombobulating.

Smiling as much as I had ever seen her, Cynthia continued, "No, silly. I mean, it's you. Your Mom's new boyfriend." Although the syntax was off, I could tell what Cynthia meant. I looked around her to see Elizabeth standing sheepishly by the door.

"Sorry, but something came up during the drive home and I had to tell her. She has some news of her own." Although I knew what that was, I pretended not to know. I turned back to Cynthia with a questioning gaze.

She said, "Susan and I are dating. Well, kind of more than dating. We are going to be living together next fall at school but we didn't want to wait that long. So, she is going to be staying here for the summer. When I told Mom all that, she kind of had to tell me about you two."

At this point, Elizabeth picked up the story. "Cynthia mentioned that she had really big news to tell me and a really big favor she needed to ask from me. The news you just heard. Cyn wasn't sure how I would take it and if I would have a problem now that she realized she was a lesbian. I did not have a problem with that but what I said was 'It would be a bit hypocritical of me to have a problem with it.'"

Cynthia interjected, "That intrigued me. I knew she had someone in her life and that's why she'd been so happy this last month. I thought it was a new boyfriend. Looks like I was way off on that." Cynthia laughed at her own joke and it did make me chuckle as well.

When she finished laughing, Cynthia said, "I was banking on her good mood because of the favor I was going to ask. You see, I did not expect mom to have any problem with me coming out; however, Susan had a real problem when she came out."

Susan now related this part of the story, "It was right after high-school graduation and my parents freaked. They never actually kicked me out but they just refused to speak to me about it. They practically stopped talking to me at all. When I went home for Christmas, I got one present and I did get to sit down for dinner. But almost the entire time I just stayed in my room. Thank God for the swimming scholarship because they have not given me any financial help at all. I really did not want to have to go back there for the summer."

Eliabeth picked up her story again. "When Cynthia asked if it would be okay if Susan stayed with us for the summer, without even thinking I said, 'We'll have to check with Rosemary as well.' After saying that, I really had to explain the situation to her. The whole situation."

Now I looked over at Cynthia and asked, "So you're not freaked out by this, are you?"

"I don't think so. I mean when she first told me I didn't really know what to think. You have to be honest, Ro. At first blush it sounds a little weird. But then I just thought about how great of a person you are. And then I thought about how happy mom has sounded this last month. I can't think of a time she's ever sounded happier. And knowing she was happy because of you; that made it seem perfect."

I was a bit surprised by her initial answer but I loved her explanation. Now if only my parents would feel even close to that. After hearing Susan's story, I was really dreading going to tell my folks. It would be horrible if they had a similar reaction to the one Susan's parents had. I would be living just down the block so we would run into each other from time to time.

Elizabeth may have sensed my feelings but knew, just like with a bandage, it was better to rip it right off then doing it slowly. She said, "Okay, Cynthia and Susan you two need to wait here. Rosemary and I are going over to the Hannigan's. We still have another big reveal left. We'll figure out dinner when we get back, but I want you to be ready to go out for dinner. We'll see how everyone feels when we get back."

That last bit was really for me. If things did not go well, Elizabeth knew I would probably not want to go out to eat. So, we gathered ourselves and walked down the block. As we walked, Elizabeth reached out with her hand and took mine. "I said we wouldn't show it until after we spoke to the people who had to hear it from us directly. Well, even if anyone sees us now, we'll have told your parents before anyone else can tell them. So, who cares who sees us now."

Fear of the public reaction had almost prevented Elizabeth from committing to me. The fact that she was the first one to take the step allowing the world to see us together, that moved me. Any shred of doubt I may have still had about Elizabeth's commitment to us was gone forever. She wanted me to share her life and she did not care what anyone else thought about that.

I looked into Elizabeth's eyes and said, "I love you Mrs. Porter."

She smiled and replied, "And I love you too sweetheart. But that is the last time you are allowed to call me Mrs. Porter."

We laughed at that as we approached the door to the home I had lived in my entire life. I started to reach for the handle when I stopped and rang the doorbell. From inside I heard my mother yell, "Seamus get the door and send whoever's there away. We have the sit down with Rosemary and Elizabeth Porter so we don't have time right now."

My father answered the door and was surprised to see us standing on the front porch. As he held the screen door open, he said, "You could have just come in. No need to ring the bell." We were walking past him when he turned and yelled, "Maura, it was them, they rang the bell."

My father ushered us into the living room and asked if we wanted anything to drink. After politely refusing we sat down next to each other on the loveseat. Dad sat down on the couch. We just stared at each other for a few seconds until mom came into the room.

"So, am I finally going to hear the truth about the binge television watching?"

I was immediately put off guard by this and I just sputtered. "Uh... I.. ummm... wait, what?"

"Rosemary Geraldine Frances Hannigan (she used both my middle and Confirmation names which was never a good sign), I know I never went to college but I've lived a while and I know some things. Didn't you guess that I would start to wonder why you and Elizabeth wanted to speak with your father and I?"

"Well... I... uh..."

"It certainly seemed like an unusual request at first. Don't forget you have three older siblings who are either married or live with someone. Seamus and I have already done this a few times. We even did the same thing from your side of this. You wanted to talk to us to tell us that you two are getting married or want to live together. And when I realized that, those nights when you called about staying over to watch television; I'm guess maybe you didn't watch television."

"Mom, I'm sorry. It's just..."

My dad rescued me. "Oh, don't let her get under your skin Rosemary. Don't you think we told Nannie and Pop-Pop that we were just 'watching tv' a time or two?" I laughed when he did the air quotes although mom did not necessarily want that bit of information out in the public domain.

"Seamus!" She seemed upset at that moment but now she knew her thunder and brimstone routine was off the table. Instead, she just looked back at Elizabeth and me and said, "So, did I hit close to the mark?"

"Yeah mom, bullseye." At this point, Elizabeth took my hand. She did not make a show of it but I am sure mom and dad saw it.

Mom looked me right in the eye and asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yes mom, definitely. I've felt this for a long time but I guess with Cynthia around, it just kind of sat there. But since we've had this time together, I was finally able to let Elizabeth see it. And we've had some bumps along the way."

"Those times I found you crying and sad, they weren't because of Cynthia they were about Elizabeth?" I felt Elizabeth's hand squeeze harder as my mother's gaze moved over to her with a very accusatory glare.

"No, mom. I mean, yes, but it wasn't because of Elizabeth. It was because things did not seem to be working out and I really wanted them to. It wasn't her fault I was sad."

Elizabeth's grip loosened but she still felt the need to defend herself or at least explain. "Maura I never wanted to hurt her, ever. It was just that she had told me how she felt and I was just not sure I could feel as deeply for her as she felt for me. We did talk about it and at first, I thought maybe it was just a mild crush. She convinced me it was way more than that but that brought up other issues."

"Like how the rest of the world would look at the relationship between the two of you?" Damn she was good. It was like she was reading our minds. I felt Elizabeth's grip tighten again as she continued.

"Yes, exactly. I hate to admit it but I let those concerns cloud my mind. I got too worried about what other people would say or think that I almost turned away love freely given." Then she turned to me and said, "I can never say I am sorry enough for how I reacted to that and I can never thank you enough for forgiving me."

I turned and embraced her and said, "Just love me forever and we'll call it even."

I think we were both a little misty eyed. As we turned, I noticed that mom and dad were looking at each other. I guess after all those years of marriage and seven kids, they did not need to speak to know each other's mind. Then again, there was always the possibility of mom reading minds.

Dad was the first to speak. "Not that you seem to need it, but if you wanted my blessings, you have them." I got up and quickly went over to dad and gave him a hug.

When I stepped over to mom, she looked back and forth at Elizabeth and I and said, "You know that people will talk and they will say things. Some of them will be hurtful."

"Maybe Mom but it really doesn't matter. I think what Elizabeth and I are going to have is as special as what you and Dad have and after that, who cares?" Mom and I shared a big hug as well.

We turned to watch Elizabeth and Dad trying to figure out what to do. Elizabeth had opened her arms as Dad was extending his arm for a handshake. Then they each went to react to the other. It was rather comical until Mom finally said, "She's family now Seamus, I won't be upset if you hug her."

After Elizabeth and Dad hugged, she came over to give Mom a hug as well. As they pulled back, Mom asked, "It will probably be harder on you, the comments and the whispers. Have you thought this through?"

"Yes Maura. Maybe too much since it was thinking about all that which almost made me not go forward. But I was out on a terrible date and all I could think about was how much fun I have when I am with Rosemary. And I realized that it was her I wanted to be with. She means more to me than what any busybodies or naysayers think. Plus, I will have all of her strength to lean on whenever I need to. No, I know we'll be fine."

Mom got a little teary-eyed herself as she asked, "So my guess is you'll be moving down the block?"

"Yes, Mom. Elizabeth and I already talked about it and that is what we want to do."

"Well at least that will mean I won't have to get any more phone calls about binge watching television shows, will I?"

"No Mom, I guess you won't."

That was quite an amazing night. My Mom and Dad came out with Cynthia, Susan, Elizabeth and I and we all just laughed and swapped stories, mostly about Cynthia and me as young children. Cynthia was horrified but Susan now loved it all. She got a glimpse into Cynthia's early life. She also saw how close Cynthia and I had been and understood better why I had been a main topic of conversation with Cynthia. It went a long way to cementing my relationship with Susan.

Telling my siblings was quite an experience. I had three brothers (and one sister) who were all very jealous of me. Turns out they had had their own thoughts about Mrs. Porter from down the block. They figured it would be funny to tell me about these thoughts in all their lurid detail. My response shut them up when I said, "You can dream about that all you want, but I am going to get to do all that and then some."

Cynthia, Susan and I all got summer jobs together. We did not always have the same shift and most nights someone was working. If it was a night when Cynthia and Susan were working, I would try to make a nice dinner for just Elizabeth and I. Some nights it was just Cynthia working and that gave Elizabeth and I the chance to really get to know Susan. The first night it was just the three of us, Elizabeth and I did give Susan a real grilling. She took it in stride, knowing that Cynthia was Elizabeth's daughter and my best friend and we just wanted to make sure that Susan was a good match for Cynthia. We decided she was.

During the day Elizabeth would be at work and Cynthia, Susan and I would spend a lot of time around the pool. I have to confess that on several occasions I used my sunglasses to get away with staring at Susan. She almost always wore a one-piece bathing suit from her swim team which only made her look taller. She had strong arms and legs. Her muscles did not bulge out but were tight and rippled as she swam. I loved watching her glide so effortlessly through the water. I never felt tempted by Susan but I would be lying if I did not admit I enjoyed the view.

As much as I loved having Cynthia around and as much as I warmed up to Susan and felt like she was definitely worthy of Cynthia, I was not unhappy to see them going back to school. How crazy Elizabeth and I got on the nights Cynthia and Susan were both working was the counterpoint to how staid we were when they were here. Knowing that my best friend and her girlfriend were just down the hall (and Elizabeth knowing her daughter and her daughter's girlfriend were just down the hall) led to quieter, more restrained lovemaking. I was sure it was the same for them (I later found out it was... talking with Susan who became a very dear friend of mine as well). After we had dinner on the first night after they left for school, we never made it past the couch.

Neither Elizabeth nor I had ever had sex with another woman before we had sex with each other. It was never a problem though, as sex was just another part of our relationship that we had to build and grow. More than once we tried a more exotic coupling and one of us fell over. We both laughed and laughed when this happened. We were having fun and so we were not afraid to try things. Even when they did not work, it brought joy and laughter. Some of those experiences we still laugh about even today.

Over the years we have had all kinds of sex. We have had hot sweaty sex where it is just about trying to make the other one cum. We have now had sex in every room in the house plus the garage, the back yard and even the car sitting in the driveway. We occasionally will use a strap on and have even tried a little light bondage. But of all the different varieties of sex we have experienced over the years, my favorites are the ones where it is not just about the sex.

I cannot adequately describe how magical it is to be kneeling over Elizabeth, looking down into those gorgeous blue eyes and seeing her love for me radiating from inside her; while at the same time, her tongue is running up and down my slit or worming its way inside my vagina, her lips sucking on my clitoris. The physical and emotional sensations can be overwhelming and, on a few occasions, I have blacked out as a tremendous tsunami of an orgasm has washed through me.

The first time that happened I remember coming to and seeing the look of fear on Elizabeth's face. By the last time it happened, that look had changed to one of pride and self-satisfaction at a job well done. Part of what sent me over the edge that last time had to do with something new she tried.

Often in that position we would hold hands but sometimes our hands would wander. When she was over me, my hands usually went to her breasts. Playing with her nipples as she came had the effect of increasing her orgasm and increasing the amount of girl cum with which she would bathe my face.

When Elizabeth's hands wandered, they usually went to my ass. The feeling of her lips sucking on my clit as her hands kneaded my butt cheeks was sublime. However, this last time she began playing with my back door. I felt her finger run back and forth across my anus a few times. Then she stopped, her finger right at the entrance. She did not push it in but wiggled it around, causing me to moan very loud. I actually moved my hips back toward her finger and her mouth lost contact with my hard nub. After getting that back into her mouth, she pushed the finger inside me. That was the last thing I remembered before seeing her looking over me. She was covered in my essence and had a smug look on her face. God, I hope she does that more often.

Sometimes our most intimate moments did not even involved sex. Just holding each other in our arms is always a joyous occasion. It was typical for us to watch television on the couch, one of us laying down with our head in the other's lap. The one sitting up would stroke the other's hair and massage their scalp. I can recall just as many of these moments as the earth-shattering orgasms we have shared over the years.

"Hey!"

I was shaken out of my stroll down memory lane by a sharp call next to me. I turned to see those gorgeous blue eyes and that warm smile that it had been my privilege to wake up to all these many years. All I could do was smile back.

Elizabeth continued, "I've been lying here for over a minute and you've just had this blank look on your face and a silly grin. What are you thinking about?"

"Just how wondrously fortunate I am to have you beside me all these years."

"Yeah, I get that." She snickered and I knew she was trying to be funny in a teasing sort of way. However, I could not just let her get away with that. I quickly leaned over her and began tickling her. She squealed and tried to squirm off the bed. I wrapped my arms around her waist and held her back, keeping her on the bed.

"Okay, okay. I give up." I released her and she crawled back to the middle of the bed. She looked at me and said, "That's not fair taking advantage of an old, helpless lady like that."

"You didn't seem that old and helpless last night?"

"Yeah, well that's your fault. You know exactly how to turn me on and get me all riled up."

"As beautiful as you are, you are even more beautiful when you get 'riled up'. So of course I am going to do that any chance I get."

Elizabeth pulled me into her arms and gave me a passionate kiss which I returned in kind. When we broke the kiss, I saw her look over my shoulder for a second and then she looked back at me. "We still have an hour before the alarm is set to go off and I had already built in some extra time in case we got "distracted" getting ready."

Without even waiting for a reply, Elizabeth took her pillow and leaned it up against the headboard. Then she moved so she was sitting upright with her back against the pillow. She threw the blankets off the bed and spread her legs, patting the mattress in front of her. By now she knew she did not have to wait for a reply from me. She knew as well as I did that the moment she put the pillow up against the headboard, my body would begin feeling the spread of arousal.

"Since you were feeling all nostalgic, I thought we might do something other than just going back to sleep for an hour." We were about to engage in our favorite act of intimacy. This was how we had done it that first time on the couch downstairs and it was always a little bit more special that anything else we shared.

I gingerly hopped in between her thighs, wondering if she was as excited as I already was at the prospect of starting our day with mind-blowing sex. I knew she was when my butt cheeks felt some wetness as I nestled into her crotch. Then her arms encircled me and pulled me so tightly to her, it was as if she were trying to meld our bodies together. The twin sticks of her rock-hard nipples into my back were full confirmation of her level of arousal.

With her arms around me, Elizabeth put her legs over mine and locked her heels in the space behind my kneecaps. This keeps my legs completely spread and prevents them from closing until she is done with me. Over the years, Elizabeth has learned how far she can push me and she is quite adept at taking me to the farthest point of erotic pleasure.

First, I feel her hand move my hair to expose my neck. I feel her breath on my skin quickly followed by her lips. She puts little kisses on the nape of my neck and down my shoulder. Eventually, her lips begin to part and then I feel her tongue getting involved. The kisses become more sensuous and deeper. As she moves over my upper body, the area being kissed starts to include my throat and she nips at my ear lobe.

As Elizabeth does this, I usually will just lean back and luxuriate in the sensations. Sometimes we are completely silent. My heavy breathing and contented sighs are all the sounds I make, harmonizing with the sound of her kisses. Other times, we are more vocal although we always start off in whispers. Today is apparently a talking day.

After one of her nips of my earlobe, I hear my lover. "I love you so much." She speaks so softly but with her mouth right up to my ear I can hear her. Her words excite me as much as the feel of her air on my skin.

"I love you, too." I replied.

"I can't believe that I almost pushed you away."

"Almost, my love. That's the key. Almost."

"You are... - kiss, kiss, kiss -... the most wonderful... - kiss - loving... - kiss - caring... - kiss - beautiful... - kiss - loving woman in the world."

"You said 'loving' twice."

"That just how loving you are."

"For so long being with you was my dream but I had no idea if it would come true. When it did, every day of my life has been a dream." It sounded cheesy, but I meant every word of it and she knew. Now, along with the kisses, Elizabeth brought her hands down from around my chest and started playing with my nipples.

"Oh! That makes me feel so good." This did not come out as a whisper now that Elizabeth was beginning to take things to the next level. Throughout the years, we developed this little game. Whichever one of us was in the back would try to slowly build up the heat. Both of us knew where this would end. The sweet romantic little kisses would eventually become a raging sexual inferno. We knew it the moment we started but the trick was to see who would be the first one to break. Who would be the one to decide they could not wait any longer? Today, it was me.

Although I knew I was letting her win, was I really losing? I cried out, "OH FUCK LIZZIE, GET YOUR FINGERS INSIDE ME!" In an instant she was readily complying.

While Elizabeth continued to pull me into her body with one arm across my chest, her other arm had dropped between my legs. Her fingers moved across my slit, quickly finding my opening. Without bothering to check if I was lubricated enough (she knew I was), Elizabeth crammed two fingers inside me and pushed them as far as she could.

I pushed myself up a little to give her a better angle and allowed her to be able to pump her finger deeper inside me. Just as I had that first night, I was pushing hard against Elizabeth. Not that I had any ability for that kind of rational thought at the moment, but that was why we now set the pillows up before we started this dance.

I was already getting close to my orgasm before Elizabeth began to finger bang me. Now I was almost there. My wetness was beginning to flow out of me. In this position, my ear was still close to Elizabeth's mouth when she said, "Damn, you're soaking me." She tried to say with an affect of being upset but I knew differently.

She had me at a disadvantage but I tried to make a snappy comeback while quickly approaching the crest of the wave her fingers were triggering inside me. "Well, it's all... your f... f... fault. If you weren't ma... make... making me cum. I would... wouldn't... be... drench... drench... drenching your hand."

I head the giggles behind me. She had me over a barrel and she knew it. I was quickly approaching a tremendous orgasm. The kind she had always been able to draw out of me. And deep down, while she did not say it this morning, I would always remember something she said once before, "Rosemary, every orgasm I ever give you is a thank you for waiting for me to get my head on straight. Along with Cynthia, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I cannot possibly give you enough orgasms to equal the joy you have given me."

I would often think of those words in our post-coital bliss but at this moment the only thing I am thinking about is the feelings of my vaginal walls grabbing hard at Elizabeth's fingers and the quivering movements of my legs.

The orgasm was powerful and it continued to roll on and on. Elizabeth's hand was sopping wet and there was a pool of my girl cum on the sheets. My legs instinctively went to snap shut but the positioning of Elizabeth's feet kept me spread wide as she continued to thrust her fingers in and out of me for what seemed like forever. It kept the waves pounding one after the other until I slumped back down to the mattress.

At this point the only thing keeping me upright was Elizabeth's one arm still wrapped across my chest. We stayed just like that. The only sound was my breathing as it slowly returned to a normal pace. When it finally did and I felt as if I had some energy, I said, "Thank you Lizzie for that incredible pleasure."

"Thank you Rose for being in this bed with me so I could give you that pleasure." She leaned forward and placed a small kiss on the top of my head. I leaned back into her and she brought her other arm up to my chest and wrapped me into her body once again.

I really had no intention of moving but Elizabeth began to rouse. "Come on. We have to get ready and get to the airport. You know with an international flight; we need to be there extra early."

Yes, we were travelling abroad but with a very specific purpose. We were going to see our granddaughter swim in the Olympics. Cynthia and Susan had gotten married and had a daughter. Susan had carried her to delivery and it was her DNA that flowed through Mari (short for Marigold). Like her mother, she was a swimmer and with all the hard work and dedication and love that she received, she had made it to the pinnacle of her sport. There were still some surprised and curious looks when Elizabeth and I would be introduced as her grandparents but we never bothered anymore about what other people thought.

I am fully aware of just how lucky I am and I hope I never take it for granted. So much could have prevented Elizabeth and I from ever being together. When you think about everything that could have kept us apart, it is quite mindboggling that we are together. A lot to times a plan does not work out; but sometimes, it does.