Wounded Bird Pt 04

NOTE TO READERS: This series does contain some lesbian sex, but it's mostly a study of three young women's relationships. It's why I've listed it under Romance. Cheers.

For the remainder of the summer, Ariadne took a full-time job working as a salesperson for her aunt at a downtown jewelry store in order to squirrel away some extra spending money. Because of that, she and Amy saw little of each other. This was very frustrating to Ariadne for she had already enrolled at the University and needed to leave end of August.

Meanwhile, Amy was having second thoughts about attending college come fall.

"I'm thinking of taking a gap year and earning some money," she texted Ari one day in July. "I've talked it over with my parents, and they're actually okay with it."

Ari questioned Amy's wisdom of not continuing her education. "Really? I'm surprised to hear that. A gap year may seem like the right thing now, but it's easy to lose the momentum."

"I know," Amy replied, agreeing with pretty much everything Ari said, though her resolve remained strong. "It's only for a year."

Feeling frustrated, Ari called Amy out. "Look, Amy, if you don't want to room with me, then just say so. I thought that's what you wanted."

"It has nothing to do with not rooming with you. I'm just not sure I'm ready for college, and certainly no massive university. I'm not driven the way you are." These discussions were not easy ones to have, for there was some truth to Amy's reluctance to room with Ari.

What Amy wanted was to spend time with Meredith, if only to see what she was up to. She knew Meredith was consumed with her art projects, but she wondered if the real reason she never received a response to her texts was because her offer to hook up with Meredith had scared her friend off. Whatever the reason, with time, Amy stopped reaching out.

Meredith was consumed by her art and spent hours on end painting and sketching in her studio, creating works she might display at art shows or pitch to an art gallery. She'd already contact the coordinator for an art show that was being held at the community center sometime in the fall.

Mrs. Petrakis seemed very supportive of Meredith's talent and had a friend who owned a rather trendy gallery on the west side of town. Meredith also put the finishing touches on her graphic novel, featuring the exploits of her socially minded superheroine, Meridiana.

Amy missed Meredith's company, and for a while, her friend's absence put her in a funk. She was even grouchy at times. Ariadne was quick to notice Amy's dampened mood. But when she questioned Amy about it, Amy assured her it was just the 'end of summer blues.'

Ariadne sensed something else was bothering her friend, and concluded that Amy was not interested in being with her. If Amy took off a year, or ended up attending the local college, it would pretty much put an end to any possible relationship beyond a distance friendship.

Ari was heartbroken, though she did her best to avoid any emotional scenes. The last thing she wanted was to burden Amy with all that.

Then, a glimmer of hope. Early August, Amy's parents gifted Ari and Amy with two tickets to a very popular dance club. It was their way of congratulating the girls for entering the next stage of their lives. Ariadne's parents were not overly pleased. To them, a dance club was an unsavory environment designed to undermine a girl's moral integrity. Worse, they were the conduits to sexual promiscuity and drug use.

Alison reminded Ariadne's parents that the club did not serve alcohol, was in a safe neighborhood and boasted a sterling reputation. Despite their objections, they were slowly brought around thanks to pleadings from their daughter and assurances from Alison Calvano that the girls deserved to have some fun before the fall.

More planets aligned when Ariadne's family decided to spend time with close friends who lived on a small lake. Her parents had expected Ariadne to join them, but the club dates were for that very same weekend, and so, in the end, Mr. and Mrs. Petrakis relented and let their daughter stay at home in order to celebrate graduation with her best friend.

Alison, Amy's mother drove the girls down to the club around eight in the evening with the understanding that they'd leave by eleven and take a cab straight home. Since the Petrakis household was empty, Amy suggested that she crash at Ari's place, so as not to awaken her family. Such was her claim.

Everything was now in place for a wild night of fun, and Ariadne couldn't have been happier. It was time for some dancing followed by a night together. The girls had their hair done, shaved, applied deodorant, body lotion and slipped into their best underwear. Over that, they wore newly purchased strappy dresses and matching heels. Amy also wore her a pair of sapphire stud earrings, another gift from her parents. That night, the club was packed and the music cranked to eleven. The lights flickered and the music blared as Amy and Ari danced the night away.

By the time the girls left the scene, they were drenched with sweat right down to their undergarments. The cab dropped the girls off at the Petrakis home, which was eerily dark. Once inside, they took their shoes off and made their way on sore feet up the stairs to Ariadne's bedroom.

"I can't believe how quiet it is here. I never thought your parents were going to let you stay home alone," Amy exclaimed with disbelief.

"Well, I'm not alone, am I?" Ariadne noted with a mischievous grin.

Giggling and playfully pushing each other, they went into Ariadne's bedroom and helped each other strip out of their clothes. Thanks to their solid friendship and Ariadne's boundless patience, Amy was more comfortable with being sexually intimate with her friend. There were still some feelings of uneasiness, partly because of Ari's wish to take their relationship to the next level. But the biggest obstacle, and one that Amy refused to acknowledge was that she was deeply attracted to Meredith.

For several months now, Meredith had been basically AWOL, which allowed Ariadne to court Amy without too much distraction. As for Amy, she found little in Ari's attentions to object to. Her friend was always on her best behavior. She was patient, considerate and steadfast, and add to that, her colorful personality, impressive intellect, and physical beauty and Amy had little to complain about.

Amy sighed as she removed Ariadne's bra. The girl's breasts were simply perfect. "I'd kill for breasts like these," she stated with envy.

"Feel free to enjoy them all you want," Ariadne encouraged her friend, with a seductive wink.

The girls were now down to their panties, and while Ari was anxious for them to take a shower, she felt the irresistible urge to sample one of Amy's nipples.

"Mm," she hummed as she flicked at the left teat with the tip of her finger.

"Ouch."

"I'm sorry. Here, let me take the sting away," she said as she bent down and took it between her lips.

"Oh, that's not fair," Amy objected. "Besides, I'm all sweaty..."

"So?" Ari giggled mischievously.

"I really need to shower," Amy pleaded.

"Me too," Ari agreed. "Well, then we better get these panties off you," she noted cheerily as she got down on her knees and tugged Amy's damp panties down her legs. "My goodness, you are sweaty," she declared, as if surprised.

"Well, what did you expect? We've been dancing our butts off all night," Amy retorted, in an offended tone.

"That, we have," Ariadne agreed. She got up off the floor and stripped off her own wet pair and deposited them in the hamper.

Being naked wasn't quite as shocking as it once was, though Amy felt shy about ogling Ariadne's nearly perfect body. Her pubic area alone was worth endless minutes of study.

Suppressing their desires, the girls dragged their tired, sweaty bodies across the hall to the master bathroom. Standing together under the spray, they soaped each other's body. For a time now, Amy had been entertaining the possibility of fooling around with one of her friends, but with Meredith clearly uninterested, Amy turned her attention to the one person who would welcome the attention.

With the fall looming ever closer, Amy knew time was not on her side. But it had been a wonderful night, and the fact they had the whole house to themselves pretty much sealed the deal for her.

"Here, let me wash you," Amy whispered as she squeezed liquid soap onto her wash cloth. She began to lightly slide her wash cloth across Ariadne's tummy. The girl was so sexy that Amy felt privileged to be able to soap her friend.

In response, Ariadne eased her legs further apart. Feeling a surge of confidence, Amy knelt down on the tiled basin and took in the sight of her girlfriend's sex. Her patch of dark pubic hair was fairly expansive, but neatly managed. And her labia were also a rather darkly tinged color. They were thick too, drooping between her thighs.

During the evening, Amy had found herself thinking ahead to this moment, knowing that the whole evening was a prelude to the girls coming back to Ariadne's and being intimate. Unlike the evening of their night swim, this encounter seemed laden with more significance.

Ariadne had been very patient with Amy, and the girls couldn't have asked for a more perfect night. There was no reason for Amy not to enjoy herself. After all, the planets were aligned. It was also a chance for Amy to push her boundaries. And what better way to do that than with someone she trusted and felt safe with.

Having finished soaping Ariadne's legs and feet, Amy leaned in and planted a soft kiss at the apex of her sex. Amy could tell that Ari had done some careful manicuring of the area, no doubt in anticipation of their romantic evening together.

Amy planted more kisses on Ari's mound before kissing her way down her left thigh.

"Mm," Ariadne hummed, her fingers toying with Amy's hair.

Amy liked the sound of that hum, and gathering her courage, she leaned in and ran the flat of her tongue up the length of Ari's slit. It felt soft and rubbery beneath her tongue, though there wasn't much of a taste, since water was cascading down Ari's body.

Ariadne's hands had been pressed against the shower walls when she called out for Amy to stop. "Wait," Ari said. Amy looked up and waited as Ari turned off the taps.

"There, how's that?"

"Better," Amy agreed. Amy resumed her oral attentions, mostly running her tongue along the length of Ari's slit. As she worked from her knees, Ariadne voiced a barely audible "thank you." Her gratitude was meant to dispel any doubts Amy might still be harboring.

This was an important moment for Ariadne; she had never received oral from anyone. For the first time in her life, someone was exploring her intimate places, and who better than her longtime crush and best friend.

Feeling that Ari was suitably soft and slick, Amy carefully inserted an index finger between her girlfriend's vaginal lips and up into the tight, spongy passage. There was just enough moisture to make the penetration easy, and Ari released a long sigh of gratitude as Amy's finger began sliding in and out. Ever so gently, Amy picked up the pace. When she felt Ari was slick enough, she added a second finger, and began thrusting into Ari's passage as fast and hard as she could.

To Amy's surprise, Ariadne's end came quickly. "Oh, shit, I'm going to cum," Ariadne warned.

Acting on instinct, Amy gently flicked at the clitoral hood and partially exposed pink button with the tip of her tongue. As she teased the area with her tongue, her fingers continued to twist and slide. Her pace seemed perfectly gauged, and Ari was releasing a series of short 'oh's' as she drew closer.

The end was sudden and intense. "Uh!" Ariadne grunted as she climaxed. She felt a rush of warmth escaping from within.

Amy was fascinated by the fluid that Ari had released, most of it ending up on her hand. When it was over, Amy wearily got up off her knees and beamed a smile at her friend. Still breathing hard, Ariadne threw her arms around Amy and kissed her hard on the mouth.

"I am so going to do you, but let's save it for the bedroom," Ari suggested. "Here," she said, turning the taps back on. They washed away the mess and toweled themselves dry.

Back in Ariadne's bedroom, Ari lit a candle and they slipped naked into Ari's bed. Ari wasted no time planting a deep, lingering kiss on Amy's mouth. Amy was not an experienced kisser, but Ari's lips were soft and gentle and very much to her liking.

The sheets were cool and soft and Amy felt quite relaxed as Ari's mouth went exploring. The feel of Ariadne's lips on her face and neck, and her warm naked body pressed to her excited Amy in ways that had her whole body, right down to her toes, buzzing.

An internal shift was taking place. Amy's jitters were gone. Being sexually intimate with Ari wasn't making her nervous, like it did the last time. She felt calm, and at ease with her friend.

Eventually, Ari's kisses ceased, and Amy listened to the sound of their breathing as they looked at each other in the dim evening light.

"I'm enjoying this night with you, so much, Amy. Especially that little treat back in the shower," Ari added, with a sly grin.

"Glad you liked it. Sorry it took me so long..."

"Hey, it's all good. And the night is still young." And with that, she returned to kissing her way down Amy's body.

Amy moved her legs apart and opened herself up so Ari could stretch out between her thighs. Amy knew Ari wanted to go down on her, and there was no reason to deny Ari that opportunity. Right?

"Mm," Amy hummed as her friend's agile tongue began licking and lapping at her sex. When Ari used her lips to tug at her folds, Amy felt a spike of arousal. "Oh my," she gasped.

Ari's oral ministrations were now brimming with confidence, and Amy felt fortunate to be on the receiving end of such loving attention.

Other than the wet sounds of Ariadne's busy mouth, the house seemed exceptionally quiet. It was not often that Ari's whole family was away, and not lurking about.

"Oh," Amy sighed as her pussy began to throb with need. Part of her wanted to moan more loudly, but she wasn't sure she was ready for cutting loose. She felt the need to experience the pleasure in a controlled, dignified manner. Easier said than done. It was becoming more difficult to control herself as Ari's lips and tongue brought her closer and closer to the brink of a wonderful climax. When Ari's tongue started fluttering between her labia, she wanted to scream. She knew she wouldn't last long.

Amy was so close...and her groans of pleasure were growing in pitch and volume. She couldn't help it. Ari was just too damn good! Amy could no longer hold herself back. "Oh my god!" she cried out as she spurted into her girlfriend's mouth.

Astonished by the intensity and duration of the pleasure, Amy flexed her muscles in an effort to extract every ounce of pleasure. More spasms followed. When it was over, Amy felt unable to move.

Ari crawled up to lie alongside her. The girls drew together in an embrace and after cuddling for a bit, drifted off to sleep, still locked in each other's arms.

=============

The next morning found the girls still naked in bed. The air was redolent and the bedcovers were half on the floor. Ari was on her back with an arm lying across her eyes. Amy was on her side with a leg and arm straddling her friend's naked form. And her face was nestled in the crook of Ari's neck.

The girls were so dead to the world that they never heard the front door open or the footsteps on the stairs. It was only at the sound of the bedroom door creaking open, that Amy awoke. Opening her sleepy eyes, she glanced toward the bedroom door where, to her horror, Mrs. Petrakis stood gawking in horror.

To others, seeing these two girls lovingly embracing in bed would be something to admire, even celebrate. But that was not Mrs. Petrakis's way.

The arrival of Ariadne's mother rudely jogged Amy from her sleepy state. She gasped, "Mrs. Petrakis?"

The look on the woman's face was a strange mix of confusion, disgust and fascination.

"What's going on in here?" Ari's mother asked. "What are you two doing without your clothes on? Ari!" she called out, much louder.

"Huh...what...?" came her daughter's sleepy reply.

Ari raised her head and looked over at Amy. When she saw Amy's terror-stricken eyes staring at a spot behind her, she swiveled her head around to find her mother standing just inside the door, her face contorted in anguish.

Ari's first impulse was to ask her mother what she was doing home. What the girls couldn't know is that Mrs. Petrakis had not been feeling well, and finagled a ride back to town from one of her relatives. But there was no room for questions.

"Get out!" Mrs. Petrakis hollered at Amy. "Get out of here, right now!"

"Mom!" Ari objected, sitting up so that her bare breasts were on full display.

"Shut your mouth, Ari! Move it, Amy. Leave! Go!"

Even as Ari attempted to intervene, Amy scurried naked from the bed and began frantically gathering up her clothing. It wasn't easy, for the girls had left a trail from the bathroom to the bedroom.

It's difficult to convey the unpleasantness that followed. To say that Mrs. Petrakis' behavior was unseemly, would be letting her off easy. That her daughter would lie with another woman rubbed against everything she'd been taught to believe was right and true. Making sense of the situation was beyond her narrow way of processing the world. There was no attempt at reason, no compassion or understanding, no 'ah hah' moment or change of heart. Her daughter's pleadings went unheeded. Confusion, morphed into anger.

Though Amy was able to avoid the worst of this disturbing scene between mother and daughter, she could hear their shouting as she exited the house. She made it outside to the curb in record time and waited for her father to come pick her up.

What Amy later learned from Ariadne is that she did her best to downplay what happened. She never once admitted to her parents that she preferred females. Instead, she argued that she and Amy hadn't done anything wrong. They'd just been a little careless, that was all.

On the ride home, Amy did her best to relay to her father what had happened, but it required a more thorough family discussion with both parents. Amy shared with her parents her side of the story. She did her best to explain that while Ariadne was definitely gay, she wasn't sure about her orientation, and was still figuring it out.

Naturally, Amy's parents were surprised to learn that their daughter had been having sex with Ariadne, but they didn't get angry, or badger her with questions. They took it all in, and did their best not to pass judgment. Alison knew how important it was to actively listen and give her daughter space. If her daughter's sexual identity was in flux, the last thing she wanted was to squelch or negatively influence that process.

Unfortunately, Ariadne's parents were not nearly as understanding or emotionally equipped to handle the situation. Out of a need to reframe their daughter's behavior, and Ariadne's insistence that she wasn't into women, her family placed the blame squarely on Amy. When Mrs. Petrakis called Amy's parents and attempted to pin the blame on their daughter, they weren't buying any of it.

Alison Calvano artfully defended her daughter, and even tried to reason with Mrs. Petrakis, but it did not go well. Ariadne's parents actually forbade Amy from seeing their daughter.

The Calvano's felt terrible that these two girls who had been friends for so long and cared so much for each other were now being kept asunder. It was an injustice by any standard; legal, moral or otherwise.

Amy felt terrible. She texted Ari to ask how she was, and got a couple of replies. First, "I'm coping" and then an evasive, "Not now."