After breakfast, Kat, Kelly, and Lexi went into town together to do some Christmas shopping, while Olivia and Ana headed home. There were warm hugs all around, and a few tears were shed; this was the end of an era, after all.
As she walked Olivia dialed Gina's number. She was hoping that they would be able to get together that evening, as Olivia's parents were on a weekend trip, giving her a rare opportunity to spend the night. But Gina hadn't returned her calls or texts for the last couple days, and this worried her -- especially since in her last mental image of Gina, Gina was in bed with Claire.
Since that night Olivia had been nagged by a sense of unease, but she'd been too busy to think about it much. Deep down, this thing with Gina had always felt like a bit of a dream, one she was sure to wake up from sooner or later. At times when they were together it felt more like two girls playing house than grown women carrying on a torrid affair.
The phone rang and rang, and Olivia was just about to give up when she heard Gina's voice on the other end. "Hi, it's me," said Olivia, and when Gina answered, she did not exactly sound overjoyed. This worried Olivia further still.
They caught up for a few minutes before Gina finally got around to what she had to say. Olivia had been right to be worried; Gina and Claire had been spending a lot of time together, and soon it was clear to Olivia that she was being dumped. "I care about you very much," said Gina, "but Claire is an adult and we can have a real relationship. What you and I had could never last, isn't that obvious?"
Olivia had to agree that it was, though it didn't make her not feel hurt. When they finally hung up Olivia felt the tears welling up in her eyes, but she was determined to make it home before succumbing. As soon as she arrived she went to her room and lay on her bed bawling for the better part of an hour. She was surprised at the depth of the feelings this turn of events brought out in her. She guessed she had been somewhat in denial about how much Gina meant to her. On a rational level, she knew that this breakup was inevitable; but on an emotional level, it still stung.
When at last she felt cried out, Olivia stripped and took a long, hot shower. She felt, all at once, sad, angry, defiant, resolute, and strangely invigorated. By the time she was drying herself off she had come to a decision: she would get laid tonight, come hell or high water. She went through a mental list of possible candidates but came up empty; everyone was busy, out of town, or just not right for the occasion for one reason or another.
After getting dressed she sat down at her computer, got on the local Craigslist, and composed a short but sweet post for the "Women Seeking Women" section: "18 y.o. hottie looking for older woman to play with. Let's have some fun tonight." She attached a selfie of her tits and sat back in her chair, hardly believing what she'd just done.
* * *
That evening Samantha, Betty Ann, Janice, and Ella had managed to carve out a little personal time for themselves. The Christmas season was in full swing; they had been busy preparing for the holiday all week and tomorrow would be Christmas Eve, marking the beginning of a long series of commitments and obligations; but tonight was just for them, to rest and recharge their batteries.
Janice had the keys to Jessica's house while she was gone, so they gathered there, drinking wine and watching bad TV. Everyone was a little horny but also very tired, so nobody made the first move.
Most of them were content but Janice was restless. This night was special, she felt, a few stolen hours that should be used for something. As the others watched TV she sat there with an iPad in her lap, initially watching porn, but nothing she found held her interest. But then she decided to get real and looked on the "Women Seeking Women" section of the local Craigslist. In their little town there was rarely anything of interest there; but tonight there was a post from an "18 y.o. hottie," and though it was likely just bullshit, where was the harm in giving it a shot? Janice composed a quick response and sent it off, expecting nothing, but happy just having tried.