Aruna and Rebecca

This is an edited version. Tall_poppy was kind enough to offer her help with spelling and grammar. :) Thank you Poppy!

To all those who are about to read this and haven't already read part 1: stories are always better if you start at the beginning. ;)Hint hint.

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The following day I walked around on cloud 9. I drove to work whistling and entered the dog salon with a big smile on my face.

Thursdays were always my turn to man the desk. That meant taking the phone, checking the stock on the computer and ordering new stock if we were low on something and of course also doing the check-ins. Normally I hate this part of my job, seeing as how I am far better handling the pets than their rich and mostly snobby owners, but that day nothing seemed to bother me. Not even when the notorious Mrs Binoculars walked in with her three doggies Max, Rex and Lia in tow.

As usual she had numerous comments on how she wanted her dogs to look, and a ton of criticism about how bad their haircut had been the last time. I put all the information in her file and stubbornly kept smiling the whole time. I put Rex, Max and Lia on Frank's list for the day, and took over their leads.

"You can pick your dogs up from 12 o clock, ma'am. The boss will take care of them personally."

What was Rebecca doing now? She would be going back to work today for the first time since the fight with Nicky in one of the two tea-houses at the park.

Mrs Binoculars curled her mouth in a sour smirk. "Until noon then." At the door she waved her wrinkled index finger through the air in front of her face. "Don't make me have to look for another hairdresser for my babies!"

I nodded and still kept smiling. "Of course ma'am. Have a nice morning Ma'am." After that she stuck her chin in the air and stepped outside. I opened the desk to take the dogs to the back and hummed out loud while I put the dogs in one big cage together.

"What's going on with you?" Frank asked.

I looked up. "Can't I be happy?"

He laughed. "Of course you can! I was only wondering what made you so happy today. Did something happen? Did you change your opinion about the desk work?"

I saw Lilly shaking her head on the other side of the room. "Can't you see?"

"See what?" Frank asked while he raised one eyebrow. "She's not pregnant is she?"

"Of course not!" I cried out.

"Don't you recognize it?" asked Lilly. "Dreamy look, eternal smile, being nice to people who aren't nice to you, singing bad songs, ..."

"She's in love!" shrieked Nina.

I stood up and brushed the dog hair of my apron. "I am not!"

Nina chuckled as if my red cheeks were proof on their own. "Maybe not, but you have met somebody, be honest."

I shrugged, feigning disinterest so they would leave the subject alone, hopefully. "No. Maybe. OK, yes." Embarrassed, I felt how even my neck was growing red now. This was not going so well. "It's complicated." I lied.

My thoughts returned to Rebecca and her green eyes and delicious lips and still bruised face and I realized that actually things between me and her were everything but complicated. The only two things that could possibly be a problem for us in the future were Nicky and the fact that we were both female and Nicky was already behind us.

Everyone continued to stare at me and I was happy to retreat back to the check-in desk. A few moments later I heard the soft bells on the door and three clients came in at the same time. From then on I had my hands full for the rest of the morning.

At lunch, Nina took over from me and Lilly dragged me to her house, which was only two blocks away. I could have known she would not let it go so easily. "Ok. Spill." Is all she said as soon as we had left the salon.

I felt flustered again and looked at the ground as we walked. I couldn't lie. Not to her. "Remember that story I told you on Monday about my new neighbor?" I asked. She looked at me with a strange expression on her face and I really hoped she would be OK with what I was about to tell her. I couldn't bear to lose her. She was my best and oldest friend.

"That woman who got beat up by her partner and took shelter in your apartment, right?"

I nodded and we crossed the street. "I didn't really tell you everything about that."

She stared at me with an open mouth and laughed out loud. "No way, Aruna! No way!" I fell silent and we walked the remaining distance to her house.

"So, are you going to tell me the rest or do I have to drag it out of you?" she said while she opened the door and we went inside.

I shook my head and took my regular place at her table. "Earlier that day we kissed, and yesterday night we had sex." I confessed.

Lilly dropped herself on the chair opposite mine and stared at me with her mouth hanging open. "No way, Aruna! No way!" She repeated herself.

I blinked a few times and bit my lip. "Yes way." I whispered.

"Oh my dear lord! What will your family think of this!" She yelled, slapping her hands in front of her mouth.

"Don't tell them!" I cried. "My father will go berserk!"

Lilly stood up and grabbed the cheese from the fridge. "You are in so much trouble! Are you seriously in love with her? Is it mutual? How did it happen? How did you meet? Tell me everything from the beginning! Is she hot?"

I grinned. "Rebecca is definitely hot." I said, thinking about her soft red curls, her elegant hands and the little rose ring.

We made our sandwiches and started eating them. "We met almost two weeks ago, the day I moved in." I started my story. "She brought me a homemade lasagna to welcome me to the building and I invited her in to eat it with me. It was great and we talked all evening."

I took a bite out of my sandwich and chewed. "So, what happened next?" Lilly asked with her head in her hands, her elbows on the table and a look on her face like she sometimes had when she was reading one of her many romance novels.

"When my brothers came to move my piano to my apartment this weekend, we saw her on the stairs. She said she bought soft slippers for her feet, so the sound of the heels of her shoes wouldn't have to bother me again. My brothers and I couldn't get the piano up to my apartment and she arranged a ladder-lift. Her uncle owns a moving firm and apparently her cousin needed some more practice with it, so they were happy to help us for free. Afterwards I gave a little concert and everybody left, except her. I showed her how I transformed my kitchen and then she kissed me."

Lilly finished her sandwich and made another. "What, just like that?"

I nodded. "It was very soft, so soft that at first I almost didn't realize I was kissing back." I took another bite out of my sandwich. "But then I did and it freaked me out big-time."

Lilly laughed again. "I can imagine. So what happened next?"

"Nothing. I played some more piano for her, we talked a bit and then she went home. That night she broke up with her partner and took shelter from the storm with me. The next day I was invited to have dinner at her place and found out she is a great cook, so we decided to trade lessons. She is going to teach me how to cook, and I am going to teach her to play the piano."

"Aaand?" asked Lilly impatiently, while eating her third sandwich.

"And yesterday she had her first piano lesson." I concluded. "We sat really close on my piano stool and it just... happened. Somehow."

"Stuff like that doesn't 'just' happen, Aruna." Lilly answered. "Come on, at least tell me the basics." She chuckled. "Seeing how your mood is today, I guess I don't have to ask if you liked it, huh?"

I bowed my head in embarrassment and took another bite. "No, it was great. Better than great even." When I looked up I saw a strange expression on Lilly's face. "Are you disgusted with me?" I asked in a very small voice.

"No, of course not silly!" she laughed. "What sort of friend do you think I am?"

"So you are OK with this?" I asked to be absolutely sure. "With the possibility that I might be gay?"

She stopped laughing and briefly touched my hand with hers. " It doesn't matter what you want to call yourself or not. You will always be my best friend."

I sighed in relief. "Good."

"Sooo, how did you start? How did it feel? What did you do?" Lilly asked eagerly. I looked at my watch and started telling her. It was only fair since she told me everything about her first time too.

While we walked back to work I noticed that my mood had now changed to even better than great.

Lilly had accepted it so easily. If she was an example of how the other people in my life would react to my news, I had nothing to worry about at all and I would be able to just focus on Rebecca and I and enjoy what was happening between us. Life was good.

That evening I would have my first cooking lesson and I was distracted all afternoon. What would we be making? What should I wear? Would she be thinking of me now too? I really hoped she didn't regret yesterday because I almost couldn't wait to stare into those green eyes and lose myself in the sight and smell of her again.

Chapter 7

When I went home after my shift I felt like one big lump of nerves. I tend to fall fast for people, and I had a dark suspicion that Rebecca already meant more to me than what was good for me. What if she didn't see things the same way at all? It was all so new and budding. Ok, she did bring me to two mind-blowing orgasms and I couldn't stop fantasizing about doing it back to her, but what if what we had done had ruined our fledgling friendship? How was I supposed to act towards her now?

As the wheels of my bike rolled me closer and closer to home I almost started to dread seeing her again. The ideal image of her in my head was way to good to be true. This whole situation could only end up in disappointment and disaster.

With a thrumming heartbeat I put the key in the lock of my door. There was a pink piece of paper on the floor and I bent to pick it up. I smiled when I unfolded it. It was her pretty handwriting, and she even sprayed a little perfume on it. How sweet.

It opened with the words 'My dearest Aruna' and I took a deep breath before I read on. 'Yesterday was fantastic, but I understand if you need some time for yourself to process it. If you still want that cooking lesson I am expecting you at around 7 30.'

Underneath, at the very bottom of the page, stood 'love, R.' My hands were shaking while I put the paper next to my keys on the table. Love.

My feet took me to the piano and my hands started playing. They didn't follow any sheets or studied melodies. I didn't play with my mind, I played with my heart. Maybe it wasn't so smart to let myself get that vulnerable in such a short period of time, since it was only a few days ago that we first kissed and that she broke up with her ex, but I couldn't help it. My soul sang and that music simply had to come out.

Before I knew it, it was time. I let the melody die out in a fitting closing accord and stood up. The insides of my belly were practicing for the Olympic gymnastics, but I tried to ignore it as best as I could and quickly brushed my hair before I went up.

She opened the door while my arm was raised. I didn't even have time to knock. For a moment we just stood there, looking at each other.

Then she slowly stretched out her hand and pulled me in by my sweater. She pushed the door closed behind us and took my hands in hers. Again I noticed how soft they were. "I heard you play and I thought you wouldn't come." She whispered with her gaze aimed towards the ground at our feet.

I smiled lightly and squeezed her fingers. I felt my cheeks burning for the umpteenth time. "And turn down such an enticing invitation?" I whispered back. She looked up at me and I stepped closer to kiss her. Our hands let go and wrapped around each other.

"Which composer wrote that piece you played just now?" She asked when we managed to pry loose from each other after a long while.

"Nobody. It was improvisation."

"A reaction to me?" She asked cautiously.

Even more blood went to my face. "To the note, so yes, I guess so."

A gigantic grin broke out over Rebecca's face. "I'm going to slip more notes under your door." she decided on the spot.

I stuck my tongue out. "How about some cooking? I'm starving here!"

We walked hand in hand to the little kitchen and she showed me what she'd already prepared.

"Because you said that you can't cook anything, or almost nothing, I suggest we make pasta. It's only one step above cooking an egg. Everyone must at least be able to make their own pasta."

I saw tomatoes, paprika, onions, carrots and a lump of minced meat next to a glass jar of tomato puree and a long packet of light yellow spaghetti noodles. "Tomato sauce from scratch?" I asked shocked. "I'm going to give us both food poisoning!"

She giggled and let go of my hand. "Of course not. We 'll just do it together, step by step, and everything will be fine."

She scooped the vegetables into her skirt and took two knives and a big cutting board from the cabinets above the counter. "First we start by chopping everything up, but we need a bit more room for that, so I suggest we move to the dining table."

She stepped out of the kitchen while I started to clean my hands. By the time I was ready she was almost finished with dicing the tomatoes. I put my cold hands in her neck. "Hey! I thought you would wait for me!"

She kissed them and I massaged her shoulders a bit. Every now and then she moaned and I just started to fantasize over other ways to get her to make that sound when she grabbed my hands and stopped my movements. "Aruna baby, not that I don't enjoy what you're doing, but if you still want to eat tonight you have to stop that. Now."

I dropped down silently on the chair next to her. She bent over and briefly kissed me. I could smell her perfume before her mouth made contact with mine. It was nice, the same smell as the invitation.

After the kiss she put a green pepper in front of me. "Here. Chop away."

I cut the thing open and removed the inner white parts. "How fine do you want it?" I asked while I watched how her knife shredded the carrots in a blur. "About the size of those carrot pieces?"

She nodded and grinned, and my belly did another circus trick. I tried my best to concentrate on my pepper.

By the time I had sliced the pepper into strips she was already done with the carrots and grabbed the onion. She sucked her longs full of air and started chopping. In no time her eyes were red and puffy and she exhaled loudly. She laughed. "I can't stand to cut onions. I read that if you held your breath it should not be so bad with the crying, but I guess it doesn't work for me." My own eyes started to tear up too, just from sitting next to it.

When we finally finished chopping up the vegetables, she took me to the kitchen and showed me how to fry them in a little olive oil, together with the minced meat. When it was almost done she added the canned tomatoes and the other vegetables.

I wasn't doing much of the cooking. I merely watched how she did it. She moved about her tiny kitchen with such flair and grace that I couldn't resist openly admiring her. I believe she was talking to me, giving me instructions as to what I should and shouldn't do when making the sauce, but I didn't hear her. Or I did hear, but I didn't really pay attention. God, she was a beauty.

I wrapped my arms around her and lay my chin on her shoulderblade. She put a hand on my hand on her belly and silently finished making dinner. When she was done she turned around so we faced each other and we simply hugged for a very long time. "It has to simmer for about twenty minutes, and then we put the noodles in the water." she spoke softly.

She pulled me by the hand to the living room and pushed me towards a chair. She straddled me and moved her head towards me to kiss again. This was not a kiss like the other ones I was used to getting from her. It was fierce, hard, almost desperate.

I bit her lip and kissed back as hard as I dared. I roamed my hands over her thighs and let them trail under her blouse. Her abs hardened where I touched her. My mouth went to her throat and kissed just below her ear. I bit her earlobe while my hands buried themselves in her gorgeous hair.

"I've wanted to do this all afternoon." I whispered in her ear. "You have the softest, prettiest hair in the world."

She giggled. "Oh, so you like my hair huh? Well, I like yours too. It is so straight!"

"I like yours because it so curly!" I laughed. "Want to trade?"

My right hand had remained under her blouse while we spoke and now lay calmly around her middle. My thumb started stroking the little piece it could reach without moving my whole hand.

"There is more I thought about doing this afternoon." I confessed. Luckily she could not see my face, because I could even feel a part of my chest and shoulders burning red.

"Oh yeah? What then?" she asked with a naughty smile on her lips while she pulled away again to enjoy my facial expression and my obvious embarrassment.

I could not become more red than I already was. I looked away and fell silent. Shit, why did I say that? Did she really expect me to speak all that aloud? To tell her?

After a few seconds she grinned wide and released me from my suffering. She stroked the sides of my face and said: "If it's any consolation, I can't keep you out of my thoughts either." My belly did a somersault. She felt the same!

She took my chin and turned it so she could look me straight in the eyes. "I want you. I want to fuck you, I want to eat you alive, I want to make love to you like no one ever did before."

"Nobody ever made love to me, before yesterday." I noted.

She giggled mischievously. "Oh honey, what we did yesterday was merely losing control. After dinner I'll show you what I mean."

She gave me a last kiss and stood up. My lap felt very empty without her. I made a lunge for her and swung my arms around her, but she only kissed the top of my head.

My body felt all tingly like just before you are about to step into a hot bath after a long cold day. I had never craved another person so badly before in my life. "What if I can't wait untill after dinner?" I mumbled, because my face was pressed into her belly.

She giggled loudly and for just an instant I hated her. She was driving me insane, knew it, and was playing me like I played my piano. "We have to eat, honey. You can't make love on an empty stomach."

I had another opinion about that, but she let me go and walked back to the kitchen to stir the pot and put water to a boil for the noodles. "So, how was your day? What did you do, besides thinking of me?" She asked.

I stood up and placed myself in the doorway to the kitchen so I could continue to watch what she was doing. "Nothing much. I had check-in duty today. Manning the desk, answering the phones, checking-in the new arrivals, scheduling the agendas. Boring stuff like that."

I suddenly grinned. "And at lunch I sorta came out to my best friend."

Her body made a very abrupt turn towards me and I had to catch her from falling. "You what?''

"Only to Lilly, my best friend. She noticed something was up and I couldn't lie to her." I saw the expression on Rebecca's face and suddenly I felt scared. "Do you mind? Are you very angry with me? I mean, are you out? I only told Lilly and she wont tell anybody, but... Shit, I shouldn't have done that. I'm so sorry."

She hugged me tight. "I'm not mad. I'm just shocked babe, don't look so frightened."

I exhaled and after putting the noodles in the water she took me to the couch.

"I'm shocked because you did it so fast, so spontaneously. It took me ages and when I did my family back home didn't take it well. They went completely ape-shit. My parents screamed and yelled claiming that I had brought unforgivable shame to them. They kicked me out and prevented me from ever seeing my little sister again. Suddenly I was seen as a bad influence on her.