IN HER COUSIN'S FOOTSTEPS- Part Seven
They began the journey home under beautiful clear skies with the top down and hair blowing in the warm breeze. The weekend began with so many questions, most of which were answered. Neither girl had ever felt so free, so liberated, so self-aware - but they both knew that there would inevitably be moral and familial complications depending on the direction that they may decide to take in their relationship. For now though, they just enjoyed the drive. When Kristi wasn't shifting, her arm rested on the console, fingers interlocked with her lover's/cousin's.
Lacey couldn't help but stare at Kristi as she drove, again in total control. She was in another world, one that she still couldn't wrap her mind around. She knew it was silly to think about actually being in love after only a week with her cousin, but her heart told her otherwise. On the left, they passed the rest stop that they had stopped in the day before, and Kristi squeezed Lacey's hand.
"That's where I knew," she said as she motioned to the rest area.
"Where you knew?"
"Yeah, Lace. That's where my heart started telling me that you could be like, someone special."
Lacey nodded her head, and commented, "I felt it too. I wanted to...to kiss you there, but I was so nervous and confused."
"Well, I wouldn't have stopped you," Kristi said, squeezing her hand tighter.
They glanced at each other and smiled.
"Come back with me next weekend? I have to be here Friday and Saturday for practice again."
"I'll ask my dad, but I'm pretty sure he'll let me," Lacey said, feeling her heart race again at the thought of spending another weekend alone with Kristi.
The remaining hours were spent talking about everything and nothing, ranging from trivial topics like the weather to deeper "meaning of life" discussions as friends or family members tend to do. As they approached Kristi's parents' home, their conversations slowed and they drove without speaking for several miles.
Kristi was first to break the silence.
"You still want to work out together, right? I mean, we have lots of work to do."
"Yeah, if it's still okay with you? I mean, I don't want to screw up your schedule Kristi."
"I'm not just saying this because I'm into you, but you are a really good athlete. I think you can make a big leap next season if we keep working hard at it. We should work on softball this week."
Lacey lost her focus after hearing Kristi say that she was "into" her. She suddenly had a case of nerves with thoughts of a future with her own cousin. How far could this 'relationship' really go, after all? And her dad wasn't exactly a progressive, open-minded parent. Quite the opposite. She couldn't imagine telling him that she was dating Kristi. Could they actually be a "thing?" She began to have doubts, and Kristi sensed it immediately.
"Okay, Lace. Hello?"
Kristi waved her free hand in front of her cousin's face to prompt a reaction as they drove closer to home.
"Oh, sorry. I was just um, like, thinking... about stuff." Lacey fumbled with her seatbelt, looking down.
"Yeah, me too. I mean, I really
want
to just take things lightly and not think too much, but after last night, and -- God -- this morning, it's hard. I get it."
She continued. "I mean, I'm trying to stay focused on driving, but to be totally honest all I can think of..." she hesitated before spitting out, "...was being down on my knees this morning. God, I can't believe I even said that. Seriously. You must think I'm some kind of deviant, some kind of slut."
As she said it, she reached from the stick shift to hold Lacey's hand again. Lacey felt the heat building between her legs as she reminisced about her older cousin's probing tongue.
Thinking back to the lacy panties, she reminded Kristi, "Well, you weren't the one who got caught doing something they shouldn't have, so... if you're a deviant, I guess I am too, and worse!"
"Two peas in a pod, right, Lace?"
"Yep, two peas."
"Okay, let's just take things a day at a time then. Who knows, we may hate each other before too long," Kristi commented.
Or we may fall in love, Lacey thought to herself. Maybe we have already? She wondered. They pulled into the driveway nearly at dusk, and Kristi eased the Miata past Lacey's clunker. They parked and got out, pulling their bags from the small trunk.
"I guess this is goodbye for now. I know you have church tomorrow and I'm helping with the youth travel team in the afternoon. Monday morning, same time for practice?"
They stood several feet apart, shuffling their feet. "Yep, I'll be there," Lacey said, looking down. She watched as Kristi's feet shuffled closer, then felt her cousin wrapping her arms around her. She dropped her bag and hugged Kristi tightly, fighting the temptation to whisper 'I love you' into her ear.
Kristi kissed Lacey's neck in the near darkness, then bit her earlobe before finding her lips. Lacey melted into her arms as they kissed deeply before Kristi finally broke free. Neither noticed the movement of a curtain in the dining room window.
"You better leave before I make you stay," she smiled, watching Lacey slowly move to her car. As she backed out of the driveway, they waved goodbye. By the time Lacey drove down the street, she already missed her cousin and she couldn't wait until their next 'training' session.
Lacey returned home in a daze. She was exhausted, both physically and emotionally, so she was relieved that her dad was already in bed. She barely had the energy to drag herself up the steps and into her room. She hit the bed and quickly fell asleep, dead to the world.
The next morning she awoke to the smell of bacon, a Sunday tradition in their home. She knelt beside the bed to say her morning prayer before reaching for her overnight bag to grab her hairbrush and deodorant. Sorting through her dirty clothing, she pulled out a small plastic bag that she didn't recognize from the weekend trip. Opening it with curiosity, she nearly melted as she pulled out Kristi's pair of navy hipster panties. Also in the bag was a loose note in cursive:
"
In case you miss me on Sunday
