I sprawled on the firm mattress of my bed on a hot summer day in July, sweat rolling down every nook and cranny of my body, wondering how I was going to keep myself entertained for the rest of the summer. I was bored with my town, bored with the people I knew, bored with my job. I needed something new. Little did I know just how soon my wish would be granted.
I decided to go for some ice cream so that I could at least cool down a little bit and eat something tasty at the same time. I went to Gorin's -- my old favourite -- and had the classic Death by Chocolate. I sat down inside, revelling in the cold metallic feeling of the chair against the back of my thighs as I licked my ice cream to keep the chocolate from rolling down the cone onto my hands. It was a blissful moment. I looked up and saw a cute brunette sitting across from me talking to a friend. The mixture of the cool ice cream against my tongue and my roving thoughts of licking her warm body was overwhelming. She wore a long, loose, patterned skirt of indigo and a rich hazel that made it hard to tell exactly what she looked like underneath, but showed you enough curves that you were curious to find out. Her plain purple top was a little more revealing as it clung to her damp body and showed off a phenomenal pair of round, full breasts. Looking at her face only completed the picture. She had freckles and a look of innocence as she smiled at her friend, her piercing blue eyes radiating mirth. However, the smirk of a grin she wore showed that she had a bit of mischief in her after all. She wore her hair in a ponytail, but some had come loose because it was so short, falling down and framing her face. I wanted her.
I'm not sure if it was the sugar or the blood rushing to various parts of my body, but I decided to walk over and start up a conversation. I'd been looking for something interesting hadn't I? Well this had to be my chance. She didn't exactly look like a lesbian with her skirt and turquoise jewellery, but she did have a bit of a hippy vibe that made me think that even if I got shot down she wouldn't be offended by my efforts. What I had to figure out was how I was going to approach her.
"Hi there, sorry to bother you, but do either of you know how to get to Labrys from here?" I asked, as asking for directions was the only way I could think of to non-intrusively start a conversation. Plus, Labrys was a lesbian book-store, so I knew that if one of them knew the way it would be a good sign. Unless of course they were together. Her friend looked up at me from behind her sandy blonde hair with a searching look. My girl looked me right in the eye and said,
"I'm not sure, but I've heard it's an interesting place to check out. I'm new in town so I'm still figuring out my way around too. I'm Brianna by the way, but my friends call me Bri. This is Allison. I'm crashing at her place until I find my own apartment."
"Ah, living off of your friends for a bit eh?"
"I suppose you could say that. I'm trying to find a job, but it's harder than I thought it would be."
"You could always apply at Racks, the pool hall down the street. I'm working there part-time right now and I think they're hiring. It's decent pay with pretty flexible hours. Not exactly a career, but it would give you a little cash till you find something more permanent."
"It sounds great except that I don't like to mix business with pleasure. I like pool too much to work at a pool hall. It might ruin it for me to be around it all the time."
"In that case I challenge you to a game. I've got my own table back at my place if you'd like to prove your passion."
"Oh I never said I was any good at it, I just said that I like it. I haven't played in awhile, so I'm a bit rusty, but the prospect is tempting."
I could tell she was yielding, but Allison chose that moment to cut in with, "Bri you've got a job interview this afternoon you can't go off gallivanting around town."
I don't think blondie liked me too much. Her thin lips were fixed, giving her the sour impression of a mother waiting for her child to get out of the kiddie pool when dinner's ready and getting cold.
"Sorry Ali, I forgot. I guess we'll have to play some other time....I'm sorry I didn't catch your name."
"How rude of me, I'm Stephanie. The offer still stands though, any time you want me, you've got me. I haven't been too busy lately since Racks doesn't open till later in the day."
"I really would like to take you up on that sometime soon. Here's my number...well, Allison's number. I'm not sure how long I'll be there, but it's where you can reach me, at least for the next few days. It will be nice to have a new friend in town."
She scrawled her number down on her napkin with traces of chocolate on the edges. Her bracelet jingled a bit as she wrote and I noticed that she had a silver ring on almost every finger. I took her number and offered her mine. She and Allison hurried out of the ice cream parlour and drove off. I wondered whether I would hear from her again and if I didn't whether I should call her or not.
I didn't have to wonder for too long. That night I got a call from her. Luckily it was my night off. She told me that the job interview had gone well and that she wanted to play a little pool with me to celebrate. Well, of course I said yes. I gave her my address, and then we said our goodbyes. Now that I knew she was coming over I had other things to worry about. I tidied my loft-style apartment a bit. It's not huge. Basically it's the pool table and a small living area, the kitchen and the bed room in one large room. I lit some candles and put a little jazz on the stereo. I wasn't sure whether she was thinking of this as a date or not, so I didn't want to go overboard, but if she did, I wanted it to be nice. I put on a black tank top and my jeans that have worn out so much that there is a tear right across the bottom of the back pocket, which I knew would show a little skin as I bent down to play pool. Before I knew it, the doorbell rang. When I opened it I was blown away again by Bri's form and irresistible smile.
"Hi there, I brought some red wine since this is a celebration and every celebration needs some good wine," she said.
"Excellent, let me get some glasses and a bottle opener. Come on in."
As I poured the wine I glanced over and saw her picking her cue and chalking it up. I watched her hands as they ran along the stick and yearned for them to caress me in that manner.
"Are you trying to get me drunk?" she asked jokingly while staring at the glass I had just poured. I had gotten so distracted looking at her that I'd filled the glass almost to the brim.
I laughed at myself and, testing the waters, said,