Friends And Live Ins Pt 01

Smokey Saga #66:

"

Friends And Live-Ins

" (part one)

*****

So with this story, I decided to do something (sort of) new/different. There're two sex scenes in it, one in the first half and one in the second. And this entire story ended up pretty lengthy. So I opted to split this Saga into two more or less equal parts, and submit and post one after the other. I think Readers will appreciate the individual shorter parts to read, rather than having to bite off one great big long piece. So shortly after this should come "Friends And Live-Ins" part two.

I do feel the need to warn you, however, though this is a touching story, its first sex scene (the one in

this

chapter)—though involving no BDSM

...

well, at least no B—is quite rough. (Of course, this was also the case with "Thick And Thin.") So you'll want to know that going in. And remember, Readers: your feedback is always very welcomed, valued and appreciated.

P.S. This story's dedicated to my biggest Lit fan. She knows who she is.

*****

Bon *Sniffle* Voyage

Saturday, July 23rd, 2016, 1:20 p.m.

Dora Cunningham brought her food trays to the coffee table. She put the finishing touches on preparation, trying to keep her emotions in check. She looked around. The banner was in place. The room was cornered in balloons. The guests would start arriving any moment. And the woman of honor was to be nowhere near the apartment until 2:30.

Her longtime roommate and best friend Susanna had accepted a prestigious new job in Madison. It broke her heart to leave Dora, but the opportunity was far too rewarding to turn down. Dora of course wanted her to be as happy and fulfilled as possible, and supported her decision to go. In fact, she persuaded her. Susanna was concerned it might be rough for Dora on her own.

"Oh, babe, I'll be fine," Dora'd assured her. "I can find another roommate. You

have

to do this; it's your success. You've worked so hard, and you owe it to yourself. You deserve it. Trust me, the only thing that'll be rough on me's how much I'm gonna miss ya."

It was true; Susie hadn't left yet, didn't even know about the surprise party, and Dora missed her already. Her new job started Monday, August the 1st, and she was to depart for Wisconsin the 27th. Just enough time to arrive at her hotel, settle in and start earning a sweet inflated salary while making permanent arrangements. And they'd maintain online contact until they got a chance to visit in person.

Knock-knock-knock!

The first guest(s) had arrived. Dora's heart jumped a bit. She pranced on tippy-toe to the door and peeped through. It was her parents, bearing their culinary contribution. She exhaled in relief.

Susanna, who worked shorter hours Saturdays, usually arrived home from her office around 2:30, today being no exception. So Dora'd asked everyone attending to please try and make it by 1:30(-ish)—2:00 the latest—in case Susie was early. Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham were typically pretty punctual. Dora's brother Mikey, on the other hand, was habitually tardy. Today, she hoped, just not too much.

In due order, Susie's parents arrived as well, followed by their solo and mutual friends, and God bless him, Mikey walked through the door at 1:59. The coffee table was now cluttered in snacks and gifts. The apartment wasn't enormous, which was why Dora and Susanna didn't do a wealth of entertaining. Today, however, was a special occasion. Dora'd scooted some furniture around, moved an appliance here and there, set up some extra chairs, done everything she could to open up the space. Once everyone had arrived, she surveyed the apartment. It wasn't overly cramped, and people seemed to be able to mingle and move about okay.

Now all they needed was the guest of honor. It was a few minutes past 2:00. Dora looked out the window, and saw no sign of Susanna's return just yet. She was probably just getting off. Dora grabbed a glass and spoon, and tapped out a nice sharp "Shave And A Haircut."

"Ahem!" she called. "Attention, please!

"Thanks, everyone, so much for coming, and being timely. I'm guessing Susie's just on her way now, so I'll keep watching for her, and when she gets here, why don't we all just stand where we are, and yell surprise. No need to try and hide behind anything."

The party went off without a single virtual hitch. Dora spotted Susanna parking and exiting her car, all guests took position, and no good "SURPRISE!!"s were wasted. The innocent Susanna Feldman was legitimately—but only figuratively—knocked off her feet. She was dearly touched by the party and presents, the guests and hostess enjoyed themselves the same, and to top it off, they watched the Twins win one more game for Minnesota while Susanna was still here. The bash was a sheer success.

"Okay, everybody," Dora announced after supper, calling again for their guests' attention. "At this point I'd like to call upon anyone who'd like to make a toast to Susie, and share a few words. So who wants to go first?"

Susie sat to hear everyone, and was about moved to tears by the time the fifth or sixth person spoke. Dora waited as glasses were raised again and again, wanting herself to be the last to toast. After everyone else was finished, she stood with her own glass.

"Okay," she exhaled. "Here goes...now, I'm gonna try and do this without bursting into tears," she warned the others with a chuckle.

"Well, Susie...gosh, where to begin...what can I even say? Susie, you're the sister I never had. We've known each other since...since, well...

birth

, practically. You're my all-star pal, my B.M.F.F.F..." She paused to giggle with the others. "...My partner in crime, my fair-

and

stormy-weather amiga. There aren't enough words to describe how much you mean to me, but I'm gonna try anyway. Susie, babe, I think we can all agree what you're doing is just so great, and I know it's right too. I'm not saying all of us won't miss you like crazy, but I am saying that I'd go through hell to make your dreams come true. Fortunately, I

didn't

have to do that this time, but, eh..."

She paused for the next short spell of laughter. "...I'm just so excited, Suse, that you're moving on to bigger, better things like this. It's the kinda thing that takes real courage. Passion. Enthusiasm. And as long as I've known you, Susie, you've had those markets cornered. I know you're gonna make a success of yourself. I don't mean to put pressure on ya, but I have all the confidence in the world in you, and more. I'd like to think I know you as well or better than most of us in this room—uh, well, with two obvious exceptions over there, of course, Mr. and Mrs. F. But I know you as well as you know me. And I know if it was me going out there, you'd be just as thrilled for me, without a hint of resentment or envy. I'm

purely

happy for you, and nothing but. Go kick some Madison ass, girl. One more time, to Susanna Ari Feldman...I love you so much. God bless you. Here, here!"

A few hours later, the last of their guests headed off, bidding Susie farewell and best o' luck. This left only the two roomies in the apartment like usual...or at least what used to be. Susanna insisted on helping clean up, even after Dora lost count of how many times she'd told her she didn't have to. But it was still Susie's home too for the time being, and she did still wish to take care of it.

"Dore, 'dyou really mean all that stuff you said about me tonight?"

"What, you mean in the toast? 'Course I did, Susie! I meant it all, every syllable! And more."

Susanna chuckled. "There's more?"

"Well...babe, of course there's

more

...I mean, if you scrape up everything that's ever been said about two true-blue best buddies...I think most if not all of it would apply to how I feel about ya."

"Wow...hey, Dora?"

"Yeah, babe?"

"I love you too."

"Awww!..." Dora hugged her extra tight and snug. "I really am gonna miss the hell outta you, Suse. But hey, listen. Again, don't you let that even for one second influence your decision to go. Opportunity knocked on your door, you were there to answer. It might knock on mine one day too. 'Course, at least for another couple days, your door still

is

my door..."

Susanna laughed. "No worries; I'm definitely going. Everything's already arranged."

They finished tidying up, plopped together on the couch and flipped the TV back on. It went without saying they wanted to squeeze all the togetherness they could out of these last three days, even if Dora had to spend two of them at work. But she'd taken Wednesday off, so she could drive Susie to the train station, and then go about advertising for a new roomie. She wasn't wild about the idea of replacing Susie so soon, but she did still have a lease, and needed help making the full rent. And quite frankly, she didn't want to think about this while Susanna was still here with her. She just wanted to enjoy her company this last half-week.

But soon and sure enough, along came Wednesday. The girls checked numerous times to make sure Susanna hadn't forgotten anything, and finally piled into the car, trying to push back their tears. Dora drove, trying in her mind to stretch this into the longest ride she'd ever take, but she couldn't stall. Susie's train left at 9:00 sharp. Dora couldn't allow her to miss it.

Finally, she parked, vacating to escort Susie to the platform. They reclasped hands and strode the last ninety yards on foot, fingers interlocked. Finally, Susie retrieved her ticket, and they embraced on the platform.

"Oh, God," Dora wept. "Susie, I don't wanna cry..."

"Go ahead," Susanna sniffled, rubbing her back. "Just let it all out. Let it all right out. I'm already starting to."

FOOOOOOOMMMMMFFFF!

There was the train. Right on time. It halted, opened, and all four eyes went wet and glassy.

"Oh, God," Dora repeated. "Remember, you gotta message me as often as you can!"

"Count on it. Dore, I love you so much. Everything's gonna be fine. Buh-bye, buddy!"

"Buh-bye, babe!"

Susanna boarded with her fellow passengers, and Dora watched the door finally pull shut again.

God bless, Susie

, she thought, waving after the train, until it became nothing more than a vanishing dot on the horizon.

Knock 'em dead for me

.

*****

Dor'-One-One

Wednesday, July 27th, 2016, 10:33 a.m.

Dora lost little time advertising for a new roomie after returning home. She had a decent pile of cash in her account, but after handling rent on her own for a mere few months, she'd be in financial straits. And as much as she didn't want to ask her folks for help, she'd want even less to have to move back in with them. They were lovely people, who'd raised one beautiful son and daughter each, and Dora was certain they'd love having her at home again. However...accustomed to her grown-up lifestyle and routines, the question now was whether dear old Mom and Dad could get used to it. On the other hand, if she wanted her apartment situation to work out, she'd need her new roomie to respect her quirks and her space. And she'd obviously return these courtesies herself.

For one thing, Dora was a night owl. She worked ten-to-six weekdays in the office of one of Juniper's leading geriatricians, and took great enjoyment in the flexibility of the schedule. There were a couple of other receps on staff, so as long as one of them could open, handling the

really

early hours, Dora could arrive, take it from there, and close after they left. Otherwise, she

loved

to stay up. This was one of her favorite things about being an adult: the dissolution of any established bedtime set by someone else. Dora was never the sort to fall asleep immediately anyhow, and frankly wished she didn't have to. There was just so much to do. Her hobbies included—but were hardly limited to—reading, playing jacks, practicing magic tricks, and all sorts of computer projects. Some of these pursuits ate up much more leisure time than others. When bedtime did inevitably come each night, Dora jammied up, flipped on the TV, and found something soothing and pleasant to lull her down.

Then there was her real passion, which she hoped to be able to make into a career one day: drawing. At least once or twice a week, she liked to take a sketchpad to the park, the pond, her old campus, any outdoor setting, and let inspiration strike. Who knew what would end up on the paper—a rendering of natural surroundings, the profile of any random passer-by, a tribute to architectural design—whatever they were, they all had one thing in common: they were all Dora Cunningham originals. Each sketch had its own presence and identity, but they were all signed and dated in the bottom corner with the same calligraphic handscript. She couldn't wait to generate enough pride and confidence to share her pieces with the art world one day.

She'd another perpetually burning passion inside her as well (which brought a similar degree of happiness) but she couldn't go outside and participate in

this

activity among—ironically enough—the birds and bees, by herself or with a friend. Nor did she ever plan to do this in any "professional" manner. Or share it with Susanna, her sister from another Miss and Mister. Susie was as straight as Dora was gay. But more importantly, they really had been just about as close as blood siblings. They could mutually confide about their sex lives, but only up to a certain point. And Dora couldn't feel for a straight girl what she felt for another lesbian anyway. This was simply an area where each left the other to her business. They had their own bedrooms, and they shared the remainder of the medium-sized apartment, for Susie to entertain a guy or Dora a girl. And in deference, they tried not to "entertain" too "audibly" if both were at home.

Otherwise, they were free to go to town with their significant others. Whether flying solo or using a partner, Dora

loved

sex. She didn't honestly see what there was not to love. The world was her buffet. Everywhere she went she found

beautiful

women to admire. She fancied herself a bit of a doll, but considered her own comeliness ordinary next to others'. She didn't know if she held the esteem of pretty girls in such regard that it was unhealthy for her self-worth, but she couldn't help wondering if she loved women too much. Not too much in that she wanted to have a threesome or anything—although if she could find two other girls who were up for the idea...

Still, in her life, she'd had a few girlfriends—and bridge girls—with the proverbial benefits. She may've been with several very different partners, but valued each relationship for what it was. And she refused to let anyone call her a slut or a whore. It was her life, and as long as one lady friend had run her course with Dora, and officially gone her separate way, there was nothing wrong in simply moving on to the next. Of course, she tried to stay on good terms, as she and her exes often remained semi-close.

The last time Dora enjoyed the intimate company of a lady was a few years ago, in her late 20s. Marianne Wallman was a bank teller into whom Dora almost literally bumped one day on her lunch break. They were at the Bread Bowls sandwich shop around the corner from Dora's office, and it turned out Marianne's bank was also nearby. Once Dora got to chatting with her, she wanted to keep doing just so. But both needed to get back to work. So they swapped contact info, which led to some dates, which led to one...very

wild

night.

*****

Finding Dora: Another Nicely Shoehorned-In Gratuitous Sex Flashback

Friday, April 5th, 2013, 8:02 p.m.

Dora had grown so fond of Marianne she could hardly wait to show her just

how

fond, and Marianne wasn't far behind. Dora believed Susie had a date at their place tonight. So they came back to Marianne's own apartment, following a scrumptious supper at the Candle Grove which was just right: neither too light nor too filling. So Marianne afterwards encouraged Dora to follow her home in her car. Dora would've been content to just leave her car at the restaurant and ride with Marianne—possibly hugging her arm or holding her hand the entire way—but she wasn't sure how long she'd be staying, and she had to go home at some point.

Marianne had a studio, which was basically what she could afford on her own income. But Dora was hardly unimpressed. She didn't earn much more money than Marianne, and were she to support herself

by

herself, she'd likely keep just the same. Besides, it was nice inside. The lady'd certainly made the best of what she had to work with. She turned this tiny apartment into a home that said, "A very classy, very zen lady dwells here." Dora looked around to see Japanese box lamps, a tranquility fountain, feng shui here and there...the apartment size kept the amount of décor modest, but didn't impede demand for attention at all. There was no missing it. Dora was enchanted. Marianne took her inside and turned on the stereo, tinting the atmosphere with Asian-flavored new age music.

"Wow, this is

gorgeous

," Dora breathed. "It's so...Orient-y...

"Oh, I'm sorry, I...picked the wrong word; I'm not supposed to say that, am I?"

Marianne laughed. "It's okay, honey, you can say it. Trust me, I'm hardly the sensitive type."

"Ar—...

are

you...actually Asian?"

"Does that surprise you?"

Frankly, yes. Dora anticipated there were still lots of things she didn't know about her. She just hadn't expected this to be one of them.

"Uh...maybe a little. I...I guess you don't really, eh...'look'...like it a whole lot?" Dora finger-quoted. "If that makes any sense?"

"I'm an eighth Japanese on my Mom's side. Her Grandma—my great-one—'s from Kyoto. My folks already had a lot of heritage between them, so I've got a whole plethora of stuff going on. It's just that when I discovered far Eastern culture, I fell in love with it."

Dora blessed her with a warm smile, gingerly brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Marianne palmed her cheek. One look into each other's smoky eyes, and both could see it was time. It made zero sense to wait any longer. Dora's hostess took her hand.

"Would you care to see the bedroom, my dear?"

Very much indeed, Dora stated she did. Marianne smiled seductively, blinking butterfly kisses at her. She proceeded to guide her in.

The mistress was a logical extension of the living/dining/everything else room. The bed wasn't gigantic, but the optimistic Dora felt this could play in her favor, to maintain close contact with her hostess. She thought about squeezing and huggling Marianne extra tight, and her body went tingly with giddiness. Marianne climbed up onto the bed first, on all fours, and rested on her side. She stretched one arm over her head and beckoned Dora in with her eyes. Dora was only too ecstatic to join.

Much as she was tempted, she resisted the urge to leap into the air and land with a

crash

, eliminating any risk of catapulting Marianne off onto the floor, and thereby putting something of a damper on the mood. So she climbed on in alongside, putting a sexy smile on Marianne's kisser, and prompting her to open her arms. She welcomed Dora into her bed and her embrace.

The foreplay began with some nuzzling and fingertip caressing. Both warmed naturally, with a minimal amount of effort. Dora slipped a leg over Marianne's, and Marianne stamped an initial kiss on Dora's face, leaving a faint trace of lipstick on her already blushing cheek. Dora answered with a nipping peck on Marianne's jaw. Paws roved, sifting hair, smoothing down backs and torsos...gripping, groping, grasping, grabbing. Before they knew it, their bodies were plumping with excitement.