Disclaimers. This is going to be a somewhat light-hearted effort. But I dare say I can squeeze some angst in somewhere. Probably some sex too.
My thanks as always to my beta reader, Barbara Davies. Her work can be found on her page, Barbara Davies.
Heatwave
Day Three. Sunday
Part 3.
Dani woke with a start. She looked out of the window, beyond the still-open curtains. It was dark, the television casting a silvery glow across the interior of the caravan.
She’d fallen asleep on the long sofa, and she straightened slowly, easing herself to a sitting position.
The noise made her jump, and she froze, waiting to see if it was repeated. There it was again: a loud thump on the outside of the caravan.
She turned all the lights on, and peered out into the darkness.
A face appeared at the window, causing her to scream and leap back. Holding a hand to her rapidly beating heart, she slowly advanced towards the window again.
It was Steph.
Dani crossed the room to the door and pulled it open. “Did you lose your key?” she asked, as Steph staggered inside.
Steph shook her head as she headed for the tiny bathroom.
“I said I was first!” screamed Melanie as she hauled herself up the two steps and into the caravan. She wobbled towards the door and battered it with her fists. “Come out of there, now!”
Dani collapsed back onto the sofa, watching an obviously drunk Melanie berating her friend through the bathroom door. The door opened, and Melanie dragged Steph out, propelling her across the room.
The dark-haired woman managed to turn herself before she hit the wall, and sat down heavily opposite Dani.
The door to the bathroom slammed, and they heard sounds of relieved groaning through the wall.
Steph regarded her friend for a long moment. “What’s up?” she asked.
Dani shrugged. “Why would anything be up?”
“You look miserable.”
The blonde ducked her head, her eyes fixed on her joined hands folded in her lap. “I don’t think you’d understand, Steph.” She looked up, trying hard to give her friend a reassuring smile. “But thanks for asking.” She rubbed her eyes. “What time is it anyway?”
Steph peered at her watch, putting her wrist close to her face. “Just after midnight. We had to walk back. Taxi man wouldn’t take us.”
“Really?”
Steph nodded. “If Mel could have stayed on her feet, he might have. He thought she would throw up in his car.”
They sat in silence for a while, neither worried that it was now all quiet in the bathroom.
“I did meet someone,” said Dani suddenly.
Steph’s eyebrows disappeared beneath dark hair. “You did?”
Dani nodded.
“And I thought you spent all weekend with that Chris.” Steph sat up straighter and leaned forward slightly. “Tell me all about him.”
Dani looked at Steph for long moments, wondering how her friend would take what she was about to tell her. “It was Chris,” she said quietly.
“It was Chris what?”
Dani shifted uncomfortably, now doubting her decision to tell all. “It was Chris that I spent the weekend with.”
Steph’s jaw worked; her mouth opened and closed but no sound came out. She sat back against the sofa-back. “All weekend?”
Dani nodded.
“And you… and her….?” She waved her hand about.
Dani nodded again. She looked up tentatively to see her friend thinking hard. Steph looked confused.
“I don’t understand,” said the brunette. “How…?”
“I’m not going to explain positions, Steph.” Dani shook her head.
“I’m sorry. I’ve just never met one before.” She shifted onto the edge of the sofa. “I always wondered how… I mean, what do they….”
“Enough, Steph,” said Dani. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have mentioned it. I just wanted you to know why I was a little down.”
Steph stared unhappily at her friend. “It’s okay, Dani,” she said softly. “You can tell me. I’ll always be your friend.”
Dani blinked as tears formed. “Thanks. I was worried you would have a problem with it.”
The brunette stood and then eased herself down next to her friend. She put a comforting arm around Dani’s shoulders.
At just that moment the bathroom door was flung open. Melanie paused for effect, straightening her clothes. She attempted to straighten apparently solid hair, before making her wobbly way across to the sofa and settling herself as gracefully as an inebriated woman in stilettos could. She took a moment to focus on her two friends.
“What’s going on?” she asked, seeing the two women huddled together. “Did I miss something?”
“Dani is a lesbian,” announced Steph, pleased to appear to have discovered something before Melanie.
If Melanie was shocked, she hid it well. It wouldn’t do for her to appear to be taken aback by the news. After all, everyone knew a lesbian these days. It was fashionable, and not ‘PC’ to disapprove. “Lovely,” she said, then noticed Steph’s close proximity to the blonde. “And you’re joining her?”
Steph looked from Melanie to Dani. She winced slightly and removed her arm from the smaller woman’s shoulder.
Dani patted her on the thigh. “It’s okay.” She stood. “Listen, I’m going to go to bed. I’m sorry to dump this on you; it’s as much a surprise to me as it is to you.” She gave her two friends a smile and made her way to her room.
They watched her go, and then turned to each other. “We need to talk,” said Melanie.
“About what?” asked Steph.
Melanie just stared for a moment, wondering how she ever remained friends with someone so simple. “About the weather.”
“It’s been hot.” Steph grinned.
“About Dani, you bloody idiot,” the blonde hissed.
“Oh.”
“What do you think about it?” Melanie tried to focus on a slightly chipped fingernail, but gave up quickly when it made her nauseous.
“I’m trying to work it out,” said Steph, her face creased in concentration.
“Work what out?”
“How they… you know?”
“They use accessories.” Melanie apparently was very informed.
“What? Earrings and stuff?” Steph grunted as she kicked off her shoes, sighing with relief.
“I don’t know why I bother, Steph. Use your bloody imagination.” She took in the blank look opposite her. “Forgive me, I forgot. You don’t have one.”
“You’re a bitch, Mel.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Mel.”
“I’m ignoring you.”
There was a long silence before Steph asked. “What do you suppose it’s like?”
“What’s what like?”
“Bonking another woman.”
“Oh my god, you can be so... so... basic sometimes.” Melanie tried to cross her legs, but her tight skirt prevented it.
“Well, Mel?”
Melanie ignored the prod. “I should imagine it was very different from bonking a man.”
“Why?”
Melanie sighed dramatically. “For one, a woman doesn’t have the necessary bits.” She waited for a reaction from Steph, but got none. “That’s why they use accessories.” Another blank look from the brunette. “A dildo, dummy.”
Steph’s eyes grew round.
“And I think they do… other things,” said Melanie.
“You think they kiss?” asked Steph, starting to warm to the subject.
“Of course they kiss.”
“That could be messy.”
Melanie shook her head. “Why?”
“All that lipstick.”
“I don’t think lesbians wear lipstick.”
“Dani wore lipstick,” said Steph.
“She’s a new lesbian, give her a while.” Melanie watched as Steph morphed into twins and then back to a single person.
“You ever kissed a woman?” Steph found something incredibly interesting on the wall to focus on.
“No,” Melanie said slowly.
“Nor me.”
Melanie watched her friend closely, knowing that she was thinking by the twitching muscles in her face.
“You ever wondered what it was like?” Steph asked.
“Never really thought about it.”
“Dani’s not stupid; there must be something.”
“What are you talking about?” Melanie was becoming annoyed. Mostly at Steph, but also because she could now see three of her friend.
“Maybe it’s nice.” Steph stood. “You want to find out?”
“Stay away from me.”
Steph took a slow walk towards her friend. “Let’s just try. No-one need know.”
“I’m warning you, Steph.”
Steph sat beside the blonde. “I’m not a lesbian,” she said reasonably. “I just want to see what it’s like.”
“Why?” asked Melanie, leaning away from the brunette.
“Look, we’re friends, we can kiss.”
“We could, but we’re not.”
“Why?”
“I’m engaged,” Melanie blustered. “You’re engaged.”
“That didn’t stop you kissing Nigel.”
“Nigel was a man.”
“Nigel was a nerd.” Steph edged closer.
“You won’t tell anyone?”
Steph shook her head. “It will be our secret.”
Melanie looked at her friend, her eyes crossing because of Steph’s close proximity. “Ok, get it over quickly.” She puckered her lips and closed her eyes. Then opened them again quickly. “No tongue.”
“Ok.” Steph puckered up too and leaned forward. Two sets of lipsticks merged for the briefest of moments, Melanie pulling away first. Steph was still leaning forward, still puckered up, unaware that the kiss had ended.
Melanie put a hand on Steph’s shoulder and pushed her away. “There. Happy now?”
Steph’s face screwed up; her eyes were still closed. “I don’t want to be a lesbian.”
“Oh?”
“No. Kissing another woman is like kissing your mother.”
“My mother? When did you kiss my mother?” Melanie was frantically wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
“My mother. It reminded me of that.” Steph sat back, obviously disappointed.
Both women sat in contemplative silence for a while.
“There is one advantage though, that I can see,” Melanie said. “Say two women, like us, were to get together, there’d be double the choice of makeup.”
“You steal my makeup anyway.”
“Oh yeah, that’s true.” Melanie struggled to her feet. “Let’s go to bed.” She looked down at Steph. “To sleep.”
“Ok.” Steph took longer to get to her feet.
Melanie was at the door to the bathroom, but before she closed the door she turned back to her friend. “Steph, if you ever tell anyone I kissed you, I’ll kill you.”
Steph stared at the door as it shut. Then she made her way into the bedroom, and collapsed onto the bed.