Just then the front door of the house opened and closed, and Kristin heard her mother's voice from the hall. Carol had spent the whole day supervising the kitchen at the local homeless shelter, where she was one of the leading lights. Kristin, Nicola, and Lina had all put in shifts, but Carol was by the far most active, sticking around until the last dish was washed.
Carol sat down next to Lina and poured herself a glass of wine, and after a few minutes of chitchat the three of them resumed watching the movie. But before long Carol was yawning audibly; she had gotten up quite early that morning and was wiped out. After polishing off her glass of wine she said good night and headed upstairs.
This time neither Kristin nor Lina took their eyes off the screen until Carol returned a couple minutes later, asking "Why is Nicola in my bed?"
Kristin smirked. "She just wandered in there, I guess. She looked so happy I didn't want to disturb her."
"Oh," said Carol, and after thinking for a moment she added, "Well, I guess that's OK. It's a big bed." Jim Thompson and Carl Santini were out of town attending yet another football game.
Once she was gone Kristin and Lina went back to watching the movie, but neither of them was paying much attention anymore. Inch by inch Kristin slid closer to Lina, and by the time the movie ended, they were pressed right together, feeling each other's warmth and respiration.
As soon as the credits started to roll, Kristin leaned in for a kiss. Lina's lips were soft and yielding, and Kristin's left arm snaked across her body and reached out to squeeze one of Lina's boobs. To Lina, it was not unlike the first time a boy had made a move on her in her teenage years; for a long moment she put up no resistance, then suddenly she pulled away, wide-eyed, and whispered, "What are you doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Kristin whispered back, giving Lina's tit another little squeeze. She was experienced enough to know when a woman was ready, and knew how to take charge. Standing up, Kristin took hold of Lina's hand and got her on her feet.
Kristin's grip was firm and forceful but not rough, and Lina instinctively followed her lead as she began to climb the stairs. With every step Lina's inner voice of reason was telling her "No no no, you can't do this," but somehow she found herself putting one foot in front of the other.
At the top of the stairs Lina looked to the right to the closed door of Carol's bedroom, that room she had spent so many hours in over the years. But now she was being pulled in the opposite direction by this young woman who, in the dim light of the hallway, was virtually Carol's doppelganger. It was completely quiet except for a faint sound of snoring, which both Kristin and Lina recognized as Carol's.
Once they were inside her bedroom, Kristin closed and locked the door. It had felt so deliciously naughty sneaking past her mother that way. If she'd really wanted to be safe she'd have taken Lina over to the Santinis' house; the risk was part of the thrill.