by B L Miller
Part 16
"Damn," Crystal swore as Laura steered the Jeep into Patty's driveway.
"I can't believe I agreed to this."
"You could have canceled," Laura said.
"And say what? Sorry I can't make it to your son's birthday party? How is Thomas
going to understand that?" Crystal said, tossing her sunglasses on the dash.
"No, I can't do that to him. I have to go." She shook her head and reached for
the door handle. "I'll just have to deal with it."
"I'll be right there with you," Laura reminded her. "You don't have to
stay long."
"Ten minutes in the same room with my mother is too long," Crystal said as
opened the door and stepped out. She took a deep breath, knowing an open display of
hostility toward her mother would upset the children. "All right, let's get this over
with."
"Don't forget his present," Laura said just as the screen door swung open and
the now seven year old came running out, his older sister right behind him.
"Aunt Crystal, Aunt Crystal, did you bring me a present for my birthday?" he
asked.
"Mommy says you're not supposed to ask for presents," Jessica said in her
best reprimanding tone when they both reached Crystal. "Aunt Crystal, I got an A on
my test."
"Oh very good," Crystal said. "And yes, Thomas, we brought you a
present."
"See?" he said to Jessica. "I told you I'd get a present."
Jessica crossed her arms and pouted. "I didn't get a present for my
birthday."
At that moment Crystal was grateful for Laura's suggestion when they were in the toy
store. "Jess," she said, drawing the girl's attention. "I think if you look
in the back seat you'll find a belated birthday present."
Jessica's eyes widened in direct proportion to her smile. "A present…for
me?"
"Yup," Crystal said, looking over the girl's head to share a smile with
Laura. "One for you and one for your brother."
Laura curtailed Thomas as he tried to get the back door open. "Hang on, slugger.
I'll get it," she said, gently moving him aside and opening the door. "Yours is
the one in the long flat box. I'll get Jessica's."
"Hey, her box is bigger than mine," he said in a childish whine.
Laura knelt down next to him. "But yours has more pieces," she said.
"Trust me, you'll like it. Now, no peeking in the bag until we get inside,
okay?"
"Okay," he said, tugging his present out of the car and immediately trying to
lift the flap of the paper bag where it was stapled shut.
"All right," Laura said, lifting the package out of his hands. "I'll
tell you what. You go tell your mother we're here and Aunt Crystal and I will bring the
presents inside."
The colorful decorations caught Crystal's eye when she entered the living room. Blue
and white streamers were draped in a crisscross pattern across the ceiling while brightly
colored balloons were bunched in the corners. The coffee table in front of the couch was
littered with torn wrapping paper. Patty, who had been sitting in the recliner reading the
instructions for Thomas' newest video game, rose from her chair when Crystal entered,
meeting her halfway for a hug. "I'm glad you made it," the elder sister said,
taking the present from Crystal's hands and putting it on the coffee table.
"We can't stay long," Crystal lied, looking around for the woman she wanted
to avoid. "Where is she?"
"In the kitchen frosting his cake," Patty said. "Don't worry, she's not
going to say anything to you."
"I wasn't," Crystal said with feigned casualness.
"I want open my present from Aunt Crystal," Thomas said, reaching for the
present.
Patty paused for only a second before giving in. "All right, but you'll have to
wait until after your cake and ice cream before you can open your other presents."
Thomas nodded and tugged open the bag holding his present. "Okay." The black
plastic was no match for the seven year old, opening to reveal a race car track set.
"Oh boy, thanks Aunt Crystal."
"It's from me and Laura," Crystal said, leaning over to receive the offered
hug.
Thomas let go of her neck and turned to Laura. "Thanks Aunt Laura," he said.
Crystal exchanged a smile with her lover as Laura bent down to accept the child's hug.
"I want to open my present now too," Jessica said, tugging open the staples
and pulling pushing the plastic off the large box. "It's a Singing Suzy make-up
center and jewelry box," she said, immediately opening the box. "Thank
you."
"Can I play with mine now too, Mom?" Thomas asked.
"You have to put the track together first," Patty said. "And I think
something like that belongs in your bedroom, not out here where everyone can trip over it.
Jessica, I think you can put yours in your room as well."
Jessica continued to try and open the box. "I wanna show Grandma first. Hey
Grandma!" she called in a louder voice.
"What have I told you about yelling?" Patty said just as her mother stepped
out of the kitchen.
"Grandma, look what Aunt Crystal got me," the girl said excitedly, holding up
the box. Thomas yelped and grabbed his race set.
"Me too," he said.
Without meaning to, Crystal's eyes met her mother's and for a moment, she found herself
unable to turn away from the sadness in the older woman's face. In that fraction of time,
Crystal remembered a Christmas morning so many years ago when her mother had happily
handed her a present. She could not remember what the gift was or where her sister or
father were, but she recalled hugging her mother, being held in those arms and for that
brief moment in time, feeling special. The wisp of memory faded, returning her to the
present and, to her surprise, a feeling other than anger at the woman who gave her birth.
Jessica succeeded in getting her grandmother's attention, causing the women to break
their eye contact. Crystal looked over to Laura, wondering if her lover could see the
confusion in her face. She wanted to leave, to get away from the mix of emotions swirling
within her but before the urge to flee could set in, Jessica was before her, asking
Crystal to help her put her rings and necklaces into her new jewelry box. Grateful for the
escape, she followed her niece down the narrow hallway to Jessica's bedroom.
"Looks like we're going to have to untangle some of these before we can put them
away," Crystal said as she looked at the pile of necklaces on Jessica's dresser.
"Do you need help getting that?" she asked, her back to her niece.
"No, I got it," Jessica said, setting the box on the bed and pulling out the
pink plastic pieces. "Did you have a Singing Suzy make-up center when you were a
girl?"
Crystal continued to focus her attention on the twisted up pile of necklaces. "No.
I had a plastic tree that held my pierced earrings but I don't remember any jewelry boxes
or make up things."
"Oh." The blonde haired girl continued to take the various parts of her new
gift out of the box. "Aunt Crystal?"
"Hmm?"
"Why don't you like Grandma?"
Crystal's fingers stopped as the words registered. "Why do you ask that?" she
asked cautiously.
"I heard Mommy and Grandma talking," Jessica said. "Grandma was crying
and said you hate her."
Crystal set the necklaces down and turned around. "What did your mother say?"
The present forgotten for the moment, Jessica looked at her aunt intently. "Mommy
said she didn't think you hated Grandma but that she would talk to you again and Grandma
said not to because she understood why you hated her." The young girl tilted her
head, the mannerism reminiscent of her mother. "What did Grandma do that you hate
her, Aunt Crystal?"
"Um…" Crystal scrambled to find the right words to dodge the question.
"I don't think you should be eavesdropping on adult's conversations."
"She said she's sorry," Jessica said. "When she was crying. She told
Mommy she was very sorry."
Crystal turned away and picked up the necklaces again. "You certainly made quite a
mess out of these," she said, trying not to think about what her niece was saying.
"Once, my friend Katie and I were fighting 'cause she pushed me too hard and I
fell down and cut my knee and Mommy said that because Katie was sorry that I should
forgive her and I did and now we're friends again. Are you gonna forgive Grandma?"
Crystal turned and looked at her. "I don't know," she said. "What
happened between your grandma and I is different." Moving over to the bed, she sat
down and picked up the sticker sheet that came with the make-up center. "Things
between adults aren't as simple as they are between kids. Now, let's get this put together
so we can get out there and get some cake and ice cream, okay?" She quickly found two
pieces and connected them, hoping to distract Jessica. Looking only at the picture on the
box, the young girl found the adjoining part and handed it to Crystal. "Good. See?
We'll have this finished in no time."
Despite her success in getting Jessica to drop the subject, Crystal found herself
unable to stop thinking about it. Sitting in the living room later, she glanced at her
mother often enough that Laura noticed and gave her a questioning look. Crystal shook her
head as if to say nothing was going on and stared down at her plate. For the next several
minutes she concentrated on looking everywhere but at the couch where her sister and
mother were sitting. She poked at the ice cream on her plate until it was nothing more
than a lumpy, melted mess before setting the plate on the coffee table.
"Here, I'll get that," Patty said, rising to her feet and taking the plate.
"Thomas, if you're done with yours, give me your plate, wash your hands, and then you
can open the rest of your presents."
"They're clean," he protested.
"No, they're not," Patty said in that unmistakable mother tone. "Go on.
Jess, yours could use some soap and water too."
"I'll help clean up," Laura said as the kids took off down the hall.
Crystal thought about helping but it was clear Laura had it under control as the
clutter disappeared from the coffee table and floor. She had a sense of being watched and
turned her head to catch Margaret looking at her. The older woman turned away quickly but
not before Crystal caught the look of sadness on her mother's face.
By the time darkness had fallen, Crystal had become progressively quiet, giving one or
two word answers. She and her mother continued to sneak glances at each other, caught more
often than not by Patty or Laura if not by one another. The tension was building within
her and Crystal found herself struggling to control it. Questions that could only be
answered by one person repeated themselves over and over in her mind, refusing to be
quieted. They grew louder and louder until Crystal knew it was time to give them voice.
Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself for what was to come and stood up, her eyes
staring directly at her mother. "I want to talk to you."
The room fell deadly silent save the electronic sounds coming from Thomas' video game.
Even ten year old Jessica understood to some degree the magnitude of the moment and
watched the adults intently. Patty was the first to break the silence, getting to her feet
and standing protectively between her mother and sister. "Crystal, can I speak to you
in the kitchen for a minute?"
Laura rose as well and stood next to Crystal. "Are you sure?" she asked in a
low voice.
Crystal wanted to say no, to say she reconsidered, but it was too late. Reluctantly,
she nodded. Sword or olive branch, it had been extended and now there was no taking it
back. "I'm sure," she said.
"Patty," Margaret said, holding out her hand. "Help me up."
"Perhaps the kitchen would be a good place to talk," Laura suggested, casting
a glance in the direction of the children.
"I don't think this is a good time for this, regardless of which room it's
in," Patty protested as she used both hands to help steady her mother.
Clenching her jaw to keep from snapping at her sister, Crystal pushed past her and
stormed into the kitchen, smacking the heel of her hand into the swinging door. Her
annoyance at Patty's overprotectiveness of their mother was quickly replaced by the
nervous realization of what was about to happen.
The louvered door that separated the kitchen from the living room swung open to reveal
Margaret with Patty right behind her. Standing behind Patty, a concerned Laura looked in.
"I want to talk to her alone," she said when Patty followed their mother into
the kitchen.
"I'm staying," Patty said firmly, guiding Margaret into the nearest chair.
"No," Crystal said. "It's between us." She moved to the far side of
the table, wanting to put as much distance between her and her mother as she could.
"It's okay," Margaret said to her eldest daughter. "Go be with the
children."
Crystal shrugged casually at the warning look given by her sister, rebellious defiance
welling within her. Patty looked as though she was going to protest again, but finally
turned and entered the living room.
Unable to make out the words, Crystal heard Laura's voice, then Patty's through the
closed door. Feeling the floor shake, it took a second for her to figure out the kids were
running down the hall. She made a mental note to ask her lover about it later, then turned
her attention to the woman across the table from her. Taking a deep breath, she raised her
eyes to meet her mother's, seeing the same sad look she had witnessed earlier. The
venomous words that had longed to come forth for so many years caught in her throat,
refusing to come out at the moment when they could have done the most damage. "Damn
you, Doc," she muttered, turning away and walking over to the window. Part of her
wanted so much to lash out, to verbally rip her mother into shreds. After all, it felt
good to list off every one of her mother's failings in her therapy sessions with Jenny.
What was holding her back now? "Do you know how many times I wished I had never been
born?" she asked, still staring out the window. "That I never had to go through
the hell that was my life?" Turning around, she leveled an accusing glare at her
mother. "Did it ever occur to you all those nights you sat there sucking down that
whiskey that maybe your kids needed you, even just a little?"
"Crystal, I know I failed you and your sister…"
"Oh, you got that right," she said, cutting her mother off. "You know
what happened to me after I ran away?"
Margaret's head dropped, her eyes glistening. "Your sister told me," she said
quietly.
"Did she tell you how I had to have sex with men to get enough money to eat?"
Part of her took a perverse sense of pride in her mother's visible flinch but at the same
time another part felt hollow, a painful emptiness that all the hateful words in the world
would not cure. Kicking the chair leg with her foot, she pushed it out enough to slump
onto the vinyl cushion. "I did what I had to do," she said softly. "I
couldn't go back to that hell." Folding her arms in front of her, Crystal stared down
at the table. "I used to dream that someday you'd take us away from him, that you'd
stop drinking and be a mother like everyone else had. One that paid attention to them,
that made sure they had clean clothes for school, that made dinner for them instead of
making them get it themselves." Ignoring the tightening in her chest, Crystal pushed
on, gazing down at nothing. "Why?" Swallowing hard, she lifted her head to look
at her mother. "Why couldn't you be like the other mothers? Why couldn't you have
cared about us as much as you cared about that damn whiskey?"
Margaret pulled a tissue from inside her sleeve and dabbed her eyes. "I'm
sorry," she said, her voice cracking. "I'm sorry I married your father, that I
didn't take you two girls away from him when you were babies. I'm sorry I couldn't see how
much my drinking was destroying everything until it was too late." She wiped her eyes
again and sniffed. "I'm sorry I wasn't the mother you should have had."
Crystal wanted to doubt the sincerity of the woman sitting across from her, to pass the
trembling lips and tears as just a desperate attempt to gain her sympathy, but there was
no denying the heartfelt regret and pain in her mother's voice. "So am I," she
said, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. "So am I," she repeated softly.
Her ears picked up the sound of Laura and Patty still talking in the living room, rather
heatedly if the sudden rise in volume was any indication. She tried to listen but only
caught a word or two at a time before the voices quieted down. Staring at her cigarette,
Crystal let seconds drag into minutes, the silence broken only by the faint ticking of the
kitchen clock and the thumping of the children's feet as they came running back down the
hall. She was tired. Tired of all the anger, all the tears and pain. Nothing would change
the nightmare that was her childhood. It was time, if not to forgive the past, to move on
with the present. Taking a shaky breath, she lifted her head and looked into her mother's
shining eyes. "I can't forgive you for what happened," she said. "But I
don't hate you." Standing up, she shrugged and extinguished the cigarette. "I
guess I just wanted you to know that," she said, pushing the chair in. "Laura
and I gotta get going now," she said, walking toward the door.
"Crystal?"
She stopped in front of the door and looked back at her mother. "What?"
Margaret pushed herself up, leaning her hands on the table for support. "Thank
you," she said, letting a tear roll down her cheek.
Crystal shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah well…" She put her hand on the
door. "I did it for me." She pushed the door open and left the kitchen before
Margaret could say anything further.
Jessica jumped up from her seat on the floor as Crystal entered the room. "Did you
and Grandma fight?"
"No Jess, we didn't fight," Crystal said, noticing her nephew sitting in
front of the television, fully engrossed in a video racing game. "We talked and right
now it's getting late so Laura and I have to go home." She heard the squeak as the
swinging door opened behind her. Moving aside, she watched as Patty came over to help
their mother to the couch. "I'll call you tomorrow," she said as her sister
passed. Patty nodded but said nothing. "Fine, whatever." Bending down, she
Jessica a quick hug. "You be good, okay?"
"Okay, Aunt Crystal. When are you coming back?"
"Soon," she said. "Or you can come over to our place."
Jessica's eyes lit up. "Oh, when?"
Put on the spot, she looked up at Laura. "Uh…I don't know."
"How about next weekend?" Laura suggested. "It'll give me time to
straighten everything out."
Crystal knew what her lover meant was to get all breakables up out of reach of curious
children. "Yeah, next weekend is good if your mother says it's okay," she said
to her niece.
Patty nodded. "As long as you behave and have that room picked up," she said.
"Can I come too?" Thomas asked, turning his attention away from the video
game for a second.
"Yes, you can come too," Crystal said.
"I'll walk you to the car," Patty said. "Thomas, your games are
scattered all over the place. Pick them up and put them away please."
"Okay Mom."
"I'll help," Jessica added, kneeling down and picking up two of the games.
Crystal turned away from the children and headed for the door, Laura and Patty right
behind her.
"What?" Crystal asked as soon as they were outside.
"What did you say to her?" Patty asked.
"Um, I'll go get the Jeep warmed up," Laura offered, though it was not cold
enough to warrant such an action.
"We just talked," Crystal said to Patty as Laura walked away. "Nothing
you have to worry about."
"Well I do worry," Patty said. "You're my sister and she's my mother.
You spent half the night giving her looks and you haven't said a kind word to her since
you returned. How am I not supposed to worry?"
Crystal pulled her cigarettes out of her pocket and offered one to her sister.
"You can't expect everything to be all nice-nice between us," she said, taking a
cigarette for herself and lighting it. "And I'm never going to be as nice to her as
you are so don't expect it."
"But?"
Inhaling deeply, Crystal took a long drag on her cigarette before answering. "But
as long as she doesn't try to act like mother of the year or go on about how she cares for
me, I think we can be civil to each other."
"And who knows what might happen from there," Patty said, adding her own
smoke to the cloud forming above them.
"Don't push it," Crystal warned gently. "I'm sure Doc and I will have a
hell of a session about this. So what did you and Laura talk about anyway?"
"What else," Patty said. "You, but I'll let her tell you about it."
"Tell me."
"You tell me what you said to Mom," Patty countered, much to Crystal's
annoyance. "See? So you ask your girlfriend and I'll ask Mom and then we'll both
know."
"You're a real pain in the ass, you know that?" Crystal said, nudging her
sister with her elbow. "You always were."
"So were you," Patty said. "Jessica is a lot like you too. You're going
to have fun with her next weekend. She gets into everything."
Crystal tossed her cigarette on the ground and crushed it beneath her sneaker.
"I'm sure I can handle her for a few hours."
"Hours? Oh no. You're taking them for the weekend."
"Uh uh, not for the weekend." Crystal shook her head. "No way."
"How about overnight?"
"Not a chance."
"So I suppose summer vacation is out of the question too, huh?" Patty teased.
"Ah, no problem. Listen, I'd better let you go so you two can get home. Tell Laura I
said good night, will ya?"
"Sure, see ya later." Crystal turned to leave only to find herself stopped by
Patty pulling her into a hug.
"Not going to leave without giving your big sister a hug, were you?"
"You're not exactly my bigger than me anymore," Crystal said.
"Certainly not in the chest," Patty said, pulling back. "Go on, I'll
talk to you tomorrow."
"So what did you two talk about?" Crystal asked as she shut the car door.
"Nothing important," Laura said, putting the Jeep in gear and backing out of
the driveway. "How about you and your mother?"
"I think we've come to an understanding," Crystal said. "But don't
expect me to go out looking for Christmas presents for her or anything."
"You okay?"
Crystal stared out the window for a few seconds before answering. "Yeah, I think
so." She gave a small smile when Laura squeezed her knee reassuringly. "I'll be
fine, really. It's just…I dunno, draining I guess." She threaded her fingers
with Laura's. "I love you."
"I love you too," Laura said, squeezing their joined hands. "Do you want
to stop at the park before we go home? It's a little cool but we could take a short walk
on the path if you like."
"No, I just want to go home," Crystal said, pressing her forehead against the
cool glass. "Go home and curl up under a nice, thick blanket with you."
"Sounds good, you know I love cuddling with you," Laura said, slowing down to
turn onto the highway ramp.
"Yeah, and then you can tell me what you and Patty were talking about."
"You really want to know?" Laura said. "All right. I told her I thought
she was being unfair to you and that she should let the two of you work things out between
yourselves."
Crystal rolled the window down an inch or so and pulled out a cigarette. "And what
did she say? I heard your voices raise a couple of times."
"First she sent the kids in to get in their pajamas. I'm glad she did that because
I didn't want to argue with her in front of them."
"Yeah, sounds like a good idea," Crystal said. "So?"
"So first she tried to tell me that it was a family thing and I should stay out of
it and I told her that when it comes to you, it is my business because I love you,"
Laura said. "I pointed out to Patty that where she's had ten years or so to work out
her feelings about your mother that you're only now starting to deal with them and she
should be more understanding."
"Oh yeah?" Crystal took a long drag on her cigarette. "Sounds like you
told her, my hero." She leaned over and pressed her lips to Laura's shoulder.
"I'm glad you were there with me."
"Always," Laura promised.
***
"Brr, did you turn the heat down before we left?" Crystal asked as they
entered the townhouse. "It is almost November, you know."
"You make it sound as though we live in Northern Canada," Laura said as
Crystal turned the thermostat up a few degrees. "It can't be below fifty out
there."
"It's still cold," Crystal grumbled good-naturedly as she took off her jacket
and, with Laura's, put them in the closet. Their sneakers were next, this time put neatly
on the mat next to the door.
"Well, I can suggest something to keep us warm," Laura said, slipping her
arms around Crystal's waist.
"Oh yeah? Like what?" Crystal asked, leaning back against her lover's warm
body.
"I was thinking about us, naked," Laura lowered her voice to a husky trill.
"A steamy bath with lots of bubbles. We haven't taken a bath or shower together yet.
It might be fun." Nuzzling Crystal's ear, she inhaled the scent of shampoo and smoke.
"It'll relax you."
Crystal gave a playful snort. "I don't think relaxing is what you have in
mind."
"You're right," Laura whispered, her roaming hands moving slowly up Crystal's
ribcage. Reaching the top button, she slowly opened it. "You, me.." Another
button opened, revealing a hint of lace. "Hot soapy water that makes everything nice
and slippery." A few quick tugs and Crystal's shirt was free, the remaining buttons
opening with ease. "Relaxing is not what I have in mind at all." Her fingers
reached for the back hooks of the bra while her lips search out Crystal's.
That was all the encouragement needed to get Crystal to follow her up the stairs and
into the bathroom. After flipping the lever to plug the tub, Laura turned on the hot and
cold taps, adjusting the flow until she had it at just the right temperature. "Do you
want bubbles?" she asked.
"Sure, if you do," Crystal said, standing in the middle of the bathroom,
still fully clothed.
Laura shut the water off and stood up. "Hey," she said, gently wrapping her
arms around Crystal's waist. "Need some help?" She was answered with Crystal's
lips seeking out hers. Taking it as a yes, she deepened the kiss, her hands pushing the
shirt off Crystal's shoulders. Before she could try to fold it, however, it was taken from
her hands and tossed against the door, the bra with it.
"Not a chance," Crystal murmured against her lips, her hands moving between
their bodies and slipping under the thick sweatshirt.
Laura shuddered as playful fingers walked up her torso and danced over her bra covered
breasts. "Keep that up and we'll never make it into the tub," she said, stepping
back to shrug off her top and bra. She smiled indulgently when Crystal took them from her
to add to the growing pile by the door. "I can't believe I let you do that," she
said, pulling Crystal close.
"Next thing you know you'll be leaving dishes in the sink overnight," Crystal
said.
"Never," Laura vowed, groaning softly at the warm feeling of her lover's body
against hers. "It's getting hot in here," she said in a husky whisper.
"I know," Crystal said, their eyes locking as her hands slipped behind
Laura's neck. "The mirror's all fogged up."
"Oh, is that how you can tell?" Laura asked, her playful smile matching her
lover's. Hooking her fingers inside the waistband of Crystal's jeans, she smoothly undid
the button and lowered the zipper. "Think it's because of the hot water?"
"No," Crystal said.
Laura pushed the jeans over Crystal's hips. "Think it's because you turned up the
heat when we came in?"
"No."
"Hmm," Laura gave a thoughtful look as she gently guided Crystal to lean
against the wall. "Well," she said as she knelt down and worked the jeans off
first one leg, then the other. "It must be because we're half naked and about to make
love."
Crystal smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that must be it."
Unable to resist the smooth thighs inches away from her face, Laura leaned forward and
kissed the creamy skin. "You're so beautiful," she said, her hands rubbing up
and down Crystal's legs.
"Now who's keeping us from getting in the tub?" Crystal asked, her chest
rising and falling noticeably
Pleased with the effect her touch was having, Laura gave a self satisfied smile and
finished her task, standing only after she had Crystal completely naked. Pressing their
bodies together, Laura gave her a long and passionate kiss. "Would you start the
water again and add the bubble bath?"
"Sure," Crystal said unknowingly, immediately turning her back to Laura and
bending over to reach the faucet controls.
"Nice view," Laura said, pushing her remaining clothes off. "You know,
if you stay just like that…"
Crystal gripped the edge of the tub and groaned at the suggestion. "I can't
believe how easy it is for you to make me feel like this."
"You have the same effect on me," Laura said, moving directly behind Crystal
and running her hands lightly over the bent woman's back. "Sometimes you look at me
and I'm ready, if you know what I mean." She heard and felt Crystal laugh with
understanding. "Seriously, though," she said, gently pulling Crystal up and
turning her so they were face to face. "It's more than just something physical."
She paused to brush their lips together while her fingers caressed Crystal's upper back..
"When you look at me, I can feel your love deep inside."
Crystal smiled shyly. "Are you going to start sweet talking me again?"
"If you want me to," Laura said as she pulled back the curtain. "Or we
can get in the tub and I can show you."
"Doesn't seem like a lot of water," Crystal said as they helped each other
in.
"Don't worry about it," Laura said as she sat down and moved as far back as
she could. "There's two of us in here. Trust me, there's plenty of water." Their
bodies bumped together cozily as they made room for arms and legs. Wrapping her arms
around Crystal's torso, she pulled her lover close and kissed her shoulder. "Love
you."
"Mm, I love you too," Crystal said, her hands moving up and down Laura's
thighs. "I've never done this before. Taking a bath with someone, I mean. Well,
except Patty when were little but that doesn't count."
"No it doesn't," Laura agreed, moving her thumbs in a lazy arc over the soapy
underside of Crystal's breasts. "I forgot to tell you there are certain advantages to
being the one in the back."
"So I see," Crystal said, reclining so the back of her head was resting
against Laura's shoulder. "Then again, being in front has its advantages too."
Scooping up piles of bubbles in her hands, Laura playfully covered Crystal's breasts.
"Nice," she whispered, feeling the hardened nipples pressing into her palms.
"I can see us gong through lots of bubble bath."
"That feels nice," Crystal murmured. Her eyes were closed and a soft smile
played across her lips. "Obviously this isn't your first time in a tub."
Laura smiled. "It's not like I've had an endless stream of women coming in an
out," she said. "But let's just say I know what I'm doing."
"I have no complaints," Crystal said.
"Uh huh," Laura said dubiously, brushing her thumbs back and forth over the
erect nipples. "That's not what you said last night. If I remember correctly, you
called me a bitch."
"You were teasing me," Crystal pointed out. "If you waited much longer,
I would have reached down and done it myself."
Laura laughed, remembering how she had been in a playful mood and tested her lover's
patience, among other things. "But you have to admit it was worth the wait. I have no
interest in rushing things tonight either," she warned. Crystal groaned and arched
into her touch, causing the water to lap against their bodies. "Nice and slow,"
Laura said in a seductive tone, moving her hands down Crystal's body until they dipped
beneath the water, then bringing them up again to recapture the heaving breasts.
"Nice and slow," she repeated in a husky whisper before lightly running her
tongue over the outer shell of Crystal's ear.
"You're gonna drive me crazy," Crystal said as Laura's busy fingers tweaked
and squeezed her nipples.
"See how helpful soap is?" Laura asked, her fingers slipping off before her
pinches could be painful. "Maybe I should just stay up here for a while."
Spreading out her fingers, she cupped Crystal's breasts and squeezed. "Making sure
they're clean," she said by way of explanation.
"I was wrong," Crystal said, looking up at Laura. "You're not a bitch.
You're a royal bitch."
"A royal bitch who loves you," Laura said, moving her hands beneath the water
again, this time reaching the crease of her lover's legs and lightly swirling through the
patch of blonde curls. "I could spend all day touching you," she confessed,
enjoying the way Crystal's hips rose in response to her wandering hands. Seeing the thick
bubbles clinging to the full breasts, Laura felt the urge to revisit them but when she
started to bring her hands up she found her wrists held in a tight grip.
"That's it," Crystal growled, twisting around until they were facing each
other. Before Laura could react she found herself pinned against the back of the tub.
"You think you're the only one that can tease?" she was asked while an insistent
thigh pressed between her legs. "Remember, I was a stripper," Crystal continued,
tracing the outer edge of Laura's right aureole with a wet fingertip. "When it comes
to teasing, I'm an expert."
"You feel so good," Laura sighed, happily surrendering to whatever her lover
had in mind.
"I think I like this tub idea," Crystal said, sliding down to rub her cheek
against Laura's breast.
"I'm glad," Laura said, wrapping her arms around Crystal and holding her
close.
"It's awkward as hell," Crystal said as she tried to squirm her hand between
their bodies. "We need a bigger tub for this."
"Not really," Laura said, shifting to give her lover more room. "We just
need to learn new positions."
"Before or after I drown?" Crystal asked, sliding down and brushing her lips
over Laura's soft belly, her fingers idly playing over the writer's breasts.
"Maybe a bath wasn't such a good idea after all," Laura said, reaching down
and pulling Crystal up for a kiss.
"Why?" Crystal asked with feigned innocence, her fingers gently squeezing
Laura's nipples. "Is there something you wanted?"
"Yes, something you do so very well," Laura said.
"I thought you said all we needed to do was learn new positions?" Crystal
countered, her left hand moving between their bodies and slipping beneath the water.
"I don't think there's a position to do what I want you to do that would be
comfortable for either of us in here," Laura said, lifting her knee to give her lover
more access. She gasped when Crystal's fingers found their mark.
"Think we're clean enough?" Crystal asked, her fingers gently stroking back
and forth over Laura's most sensitive spot.
"Oh yes," Laura hissed, her head falling back against the wall and her eyes
closing as her hips moved of their own volition.
"Want to get out?" Crystal asked, moving her teasing fingers down until they
were just outside the entrance to Laura's womanhood.
"I want…ooh" Laura began, her hips surging forward as gentle fingers
filled her up. "Oh god, don't stop, Love, please don't stop." The fire raged
higher, spiraling upward until Laura felt the throbbing pulses begin. At that moment of
absolute vulnerability, she blindly reached forward and pulled Crystal's mouth to hers.
Crystal held on, pressing deep and hard, doing her best to prolong her lover's pleasure.
There was no outer world, no family or friends. All that existed was the sharing of hearts
and souls, declarations of love and devotion spoken with their bodies instead of their
voices. When she finally tried to speak, it came out as a squeak and Laura had to swallow
and try again. "I can't move," she said. "Not ever."
Crystal smiled with self-satisfaction and ran her finger along Laura's collarbone.
"Kinda like what you do to me, eh?"
"That's different," Laura huffed, her breathing still not back to normal.
"You can usually function afterwards. I can't move a muscle."
"Then we'll just have to stay here," Crystal said, her smile now a grin.
Laura looked at her and frowned. "You are entirely too pleased with
yourself," she said, pulling Crystal in for a kiss. "I love you."
"I love you too," Crystal said, snuggling down so her head rested in the
crook of Laura's neck.
Endless minutes passed as they held each other in the cooling water until Laura
shuddered and goosebumps appeared on her forearms. "The water's getting cold,"
she said quietly.
"Is it always going to be like this?" Crystal murmured, not lifting her head
from its soft pillow.
"You mean am I always going to respond to you like this?" Laura asked.
Crystal shook her head. "I mean…" She paused, unsure how to put her
thoughts into words. "Will you always feel about me the way you do now?"
Ignoring the cold for a moment, Laura reached down and cupped Crystal's chin. "I
can't imagine not feeling this way about you," she said softly. "You mean
everything to me and the thought of you not being here hurts too much to think about. I
love you, Crystal. I know it sounds selfish but I want all you can give and then some. I
want to be the only one you touch in love and the only one that touches you. I want you to
be the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning and the last before I go to sleep.
I want to hold you when you cry and laugh with you when you're happy. I want to be your
white knight when you need protection and your helpless damsel when you need to be the one
doing the protecting. I don't want just a relationship with you," she said, moving
her fingers to trace Crystal's lips. "I want a life with you." At first alarmed
when she saw tears welling up in her lover's eyes, Laura quickly realized they were tears
of happiness and hugged Crystal even closer. "I love you," she said, kissing the
top the blonde head. "I'm not going anywhere."
"I love you too," Crystal said, sniffling as she brought herself back under
control. She gently smacked Laura's arm.
"Hey, what was that for?" Laura asked with mock indignation.
"You know what your sweet talking does to me," Crystal said, causing Laura to
chuckle.
"Serves you right for making me as limp as a washcloth," Laura said. She felt
Crystal's lips on her neck, the soft tongue slipping out to taste her. She groaned,
knowing she could no more resist her lover's touch than she could resist breathing.
"There's a nice warm bed right in the next room," she tried.
"Uh huh," Crystal mumbled, moving down to capture Laura's left breast with
her mouth while her fingers kept the other breast company.
"Crystal," Laura sighed, her legs automatically parting despite her wish to
move the action to another venue.
"You really wanna waste time with the towels?" Crystal asked around a
mouthful of flesh.
"No," Laura agreed, caring little at the moment about how wet the sheets
would get.
"So what's stopping you?" Crystal teased, her teeth lightly scraping the
tender peak.
"Now who's being the bitch?" Laura asked, her fingers lightly stroking her
lover's back. "You're going to be the death of me."
"Not before we get out of here and under the covers," Crystal said as she
stood up, the bubbles sliding down her wet body. "It's cold in here."
Laura laughed and reached out for Crystal's hand, knowing sleep would not come for
quite a while.
*****************
"Are you sure this is the kind that doesn't lose its needles?" Laura asked as
they muscled the large tree through the front door.
"How would I know?" Crystal said. "Hang on, I have to turn here."
"Are you sure that stand is big enough? I don't want it to tip over."
"It's not going to tip over and the stand is big enough," Crystal huffed as
she backed into the corner they had designated for the Christmas tree. "How much time
do we have before we have to leave to get to the airport?"
"Aunt Helen's plane is due in at four thirty," Laura said. "You're
almost to the wall."
"I know, hang on, I'm going to put it in the stand and hold it there while you
keep coming and stand it up. Then I'll tighten down the screws and we should be all
set," Crystal said as she slowly crouched down. "You think we can get this thing
decorated in the next two hours?"
"I hope so, otherwise we're going to get Aunt Helen's unsolicited help,"
Laura said. "You all right down there?"
"Yeah, just keep coming forward slowly," Crystal said. "I still say the
lights have to twinkle. Otherwise why bother having them?"
"Multi-colored twinkle lights," Laura said disapprovingly. "Why not put
a lighted Santa and snowmen on the lawn?"
"I like lighted Santas," Crystal protested. "Okay, hold it still now.
I'm gonna tighten it down."
"They're tacky and commercial," Laura said.
"It's festive, you Scrooge." Crystal said as she backed out from under the
tree and stood up. "There, you can let go now." She stood up and hooked her arm
around Laura's waist. "Our first Christmas tree."
"It looks bigger than it did at the tree farm," Laura said.
"Is that bigger good or bigger bad?" Crystal asked. "You said I could
pick it out and I thought this was a good size."
"It is a good size," Laura said reassuringly. "I just don't know if we
have enough decorations to cover it. Mother only gave me two boxes of ornaments and
lights."
"I can't believe you never bothered to put up a tree before," Crystal said,
resting her head on Laura's upper chest.
"When I was with Jenny, we were always spending the day at one relative's house or
another. It just didn't make any sense to put up a tree when we weren't going to be
here." Laura stepped back and opened one of the boxes sitting on the coffee table.
"Of course we're not going to be here most of the day either." She scrutinized
the tree. "How can you tell if it's the kind that loses its needles?"
"When a bunch of them show up on the carpet?" Crystal offered. "I dunno,
call someone and ask."
"Peter would know," Laura said. "Wait until you see what he does for
Christmas."
"Michael said you can see their house from space," Crystal said as she took
the string of lights from Laura. "How many of these do we have?"
Laura looked through the box. "There's two more like this and one string of the
bigger white bulbs. The other box is garland, tinsel and the rest of the ornaments."
"We need more lights," Crystal said matter-of-factly as she arranged the
string over the lower boughs. "Maybe we can go shopping after we drop Helen
off?" she asked hopefully. Laura gave her that indulgent smile that Crystal knew
meant she'd won. "Great. I promise not to go overboard."
"Your definition of overboard and my definition of overboard are two different
things, I'm sure," Laura said as she untangled a string of lights. "Shouldn't we
plug these in first to see if they work?"
"Naw, that would make too much sense," Crystal said, bending down to put the
plug into the outlet. Red, green, blue and orange lights shined brightly against the rich
green branches. "This one works." She unplugged it and reached to take the one
Laura was holding. "This one works too but they're not blinking."
"It's not the end of the world," Laura said as they continued to check the
strings. "Besides, I think you have to leave them plugged in for a few minutes to
warm up before they start flashing." She bent down and wrapped her arms around
Crystal's shoulders. "And if they don't blink we can buy new ones that do."
"I'm being a baby about this, huh?"
"Just a little," Laura said with a smile. "But it's all right. I think
it's cute." She kissed the tip of Crystal's nose, then stood up. "To be honest,
I haven't been this excited about Christmas in years. The tree was a good idea."
Crystal stood as well, connecting the end of one string of lights to the beginning of
another. "You realize this will be the first year since I was a kid that I won't be
drunk on Christmas?"
"Or stoned," Laura added.
"You noticed that, did you?" She looked down at the light string in her
hands, unaware of the smile that played on her lips. "You didn't say anything."
"You didn't say anything either," the dark haired woman said. "At first
I wasn't sure if you had stopped or just run out. I don't think you've had any in at least
two weeks."
"Twenty days," Crystal said. "And I didn't run out. I
just…well…" She shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno."
"I'm certainly not complaining," Laura said.
"I was hoping you'd notice without me having to tell you," she admitted,
smiling when she felt Laura's arms go around her.
"I did notice," Laura said. "When it comes to you, I always
notice."
"Don't you start sweet talking me again," she warned lightly. "Or we'll
never get this tree done." Patting Laura's hands, she said "Let me go so we can
finish this and then we can go to bed." Once free of the loving embrace, she looped
the light set around the tree. "There. It probably won't be as good as your mother's
or Peter's but it'll be okay."
"It doesn't have to be as good as Mother's or Peter's," Laura said.
"It's not a competition."
******
"I thought you said it wasn't a competition," Crystal said from her reclined
position on the couch.
"It's not," Laura said as she moved the purple ornament…again.
"Then why were you up all night?"
"Because the tree isn't symmetrical," Laura said, stepping back. "See?
There's still too much green over in this area."
"I know and too much red near the top," Crystal sighed, having listened to
her lover point out every imperfection with their tree since she woke up and found her
downstairs. "Who cares?"
Laura carefully removed a green ball and set it in the box. "Now you know the real
reason Jenny and I never had a tree."
"You obsess too much, you know that?" Crystal grumbled as she sat up and
stretched. "No one's going to notice."
"I'm almost done," Laura said. "I just need to move some of the tinsel
over to this side and even out the ornaments. I don't think this is the good kind of tree,
either. I found several needles on the floor."
"What do you expect with the way you've been moving everything around?"
Crystal said. "I know that bottom string of lights aren't where I put them
yesterday."
"They were too low," Laura explained as she hooked a hanger over the branch
and attached the glass ornament. "Besides, it looks better now."
"Next year you're doing the tree by yourself," Crystal said as she rose and
padded out to the kitchen. "Don't think I didn't hear you and your mother talking
about the…" She made quote marks with her fingers "perfect tree. You want
some coffee?"
"That sounds good, thanks," Laura said, putting the last piece of tinsel in
its place and plugged in the lights. "There. Perfect," she said proudly as she
stepped back to inspect her handiwork.
Crystal came out from the kitchen carrying two mugs of coffee. "It looks very
nice," she said, though she saw nothing wrong with the way the tree looked last
night. "Nice and ah…even."
"See how there's an equal amount of color all the way around?" Laura said
proudly as she took the offered mug. "It's symmetrical and aesthetically pleasing to
the eye."
"It's beautiful," Crystal said. "The best tree I ever saw."
"Are you being sarcastic?"
Taking Laura's coffee from her, Crystal set both mugs down on the coffee table and
pulled her lover into a gentle embrace. "It's our first tree. How could it be
anything less than the best?"
"You realize you're letting me get away with being overly compulsive," Laura
pointed out.
"I know," Crystal admitted. "But it's a nice tree and obviously it made
you happy to stay up all night working on it."
"It did," Laura said, brushing their lips together. "I'm glad you talked
me into getting a tree this year."
"I'm glad I did too," Crystal said, enjoying the feel of their bodies pressed
together. "We'll have to make it an annual tradition."
"I think we already have," Laura said. "I love you."
"I love you too," Crystal said, squeezing tightly. "Thanks for my
gift."
Confused, Laura pulled back and looked at her. "But Christmas isn't for two days
and I hid your present at Jenny's. How do you know what it is?"
Putting her arms around Laura's neck and bringing her close, Crystal said "I
didn't mean that gift but thanks for telling me so I can stop looking around here."
"Then what do you mean?"
"This gift," she said, kissing Laura's chin. "You. Your love. Six months
ago I was just existing and now…" She tightened her hold. "Now I feel for
the first time like I'm living."
"All I did was support you," Laura said softly. "Any changes or
successes you've had are because of you, not me." She smiled. "I was just going
through the motions before you moved in and turned everything upside down. Into my quiet,
organized little world comes this blonde hellion who, despite my best efforts, stole my
heart. I'm just lucky enough to have you fall for me as hard as I fell for you."
Crystal sighed happily and rested her head on Laura's chest, the brightly decorated
tree filling her vision. "I guess we're both lucky then. I love you."
"I love you too," Laura said. "Always." And together they stood
under the twinkling lights of their first Christmas tree, knowing there were struggles to
be faced, problems to be had but through it all, they would face it together.
Always.
************
I hope you've enjoyed Crystal's Heart.
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Crystal's Heart © 1999-2001 B L Miller. Do not reproduce
or place on another site.
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