Threading The Needle Ch 14

Thank you Terry, careythomas and snow for all your help in editing and improving this chapter. I couldn't have done it without you.

Like almost all of my series, this one will only be understood if you have read the chapters before it. Thank you to my readers for going along this journey with me.

Chapter 14

"Do you really think the girls are okay with me rafting again?" Yamile asked. She glanced over at the young woman driving. It was just the two of them in the car. Rikki and Winnie couldn't get out of town until later and would meet them at the campground.

Lena giggled. "Are we back to this? I thought you gave up this particular train of thought an hour ago!" She smiled at Yamile and nodded. "Yes, they are just fine. Rosa couldn't wait to get out and play with Kieran and Paloma kept asking if we needed to get going just so that she could have Thereza all to herself."

Unable to stop herself, Yamile let out a giggle of her own. "You're right. I'm being silly. I know they are fine," she said. "Part of me kind of wants them to protest, you know, just to show they need me." She smiled at herself and then looked out the window. They were driving through a gorgeous deep ravine with the river beside it. This far upstream, the Wenatchee was wild. The water was white, rushing over giant boulders. "You can't raft this can you?" she asked after a moment.

"This? No way! I don't think you can even kayak it," Lena said with a shake of the head. "Maybe if you're a good as Alex, but even then I'm not sure."

Yamile watched as the river narrowed sharply and the water turned into a boiling cauldron. "She'd have to be really good!" she said.

"Oh she is! I may be new to guiding, but that's pretty obvious. She's kind of a hairboater." She laughed at the confused look on Yamile's face. "Sorry, that's someone who flirts on the edge. You know, does hairy rapids."

"Ah," Yamile said with a nod. "And Alex is Indigo's girlfriend, right?"

"Yeah. She was kayaking with friends last week," Lena said.

"Obviously," Yamile thought. The slight blush on Lena's face was ample evidence that she understood the unspoken word. Marika had filled her in so she was aware not only of the triangle between Liz, Alex, and Indigo, but also that Lena and Liz got together as well. "And of course, there are all the others," she thought. "It's an interesting group I've gotten into here." It was quite different from the somewhat staid domestic life she had with Claudio. While their relationship was full of passion, most of the rest of it was quite normal.

She looked over at Lena again. "She seems tense now," she thought, noticing how tightly she was gripping the steering wheel. "Granted, the road is pretty twisty right here, but still. We were having so much fun." She hesitated before saying anything more, but decided she'd rather try to help make Lena more comfortable.

"If it bothers you to talk about it, we can switch topics," she said, giving her an out if she wanted it.

Lena blinked and then quickly glanced back at her. "Nah, it's fine. I don't mind," she said. She seemed to relax just a little. "You know, almost no one talks about it with me. Even Winnie doesn't bring it up much." She chuckled. "It's just this big open secret that no one mentions."

"I've known Liz for a while, although not at all well. Between what Marika, I mean Rikki, has told me and what I've seen, I see how she is. Honestly, I am actually a little surprised that she hooks up regularly with anyone. She always seemed more like a one night stand girl to me," she said. Glancing at her, she held out her palm, just in case Lena got the wrong idea. "I don't mean you are like that. It's just that when she tried to seduce me, it was clear it was only a roll in the hay."

"Not again?" Lena said in surprise. "You mean since your husband died?" Even though that was since she started sleeping with Liz, that wasn't what shocked her. It was the idea that Liz had the temerity to try to seduce a recently widowed woman.

Yamile let out a sharp laugh that was lacking any mirth. "Oh no, she isn't that bad. She hasn't tried again since Claudio was killed. No, this was before, at one of Rikki's parties. Remember Rikki mentioning it last weekend? With Claudio only a few feet away, she tried to convince me to go upstairs with her for a little playtime." This time when she laughed, Lena could hear a little more humor in it. "She took being shot down well and wandered off to try again elsewhere." She paused for a moment before going on. "I was just another conquest for her, but if not me, someone else would do."

Both of them were quiet now. As they approached the turn off for the road to the campground, she reached over, put her hand on Lena's shoulder, and gave it a gentle squeeze. It was a little more intimate than just a friendly pat. It helped to cement the friendship that had grown between them on the ride over from Seattle. "I'm not being critical of you, sweetie," she said softly.

"I know. I didn't take it that way" Lena assured her. "Sometimes I look at her and wonder, what in the hell I'm doing? Why do I take this?" She lapsed into silence.

Yamile didn't let it linger. "So, why do you?" she asked. She could tell that Lena was going to give a glib answer and interrupted her. "No, sweetie, I'm serious. I know how attractive Liz can be." The little smile on her lips told Lena that despite Claudio being there, she wasn't immune to the pull of Liz. The smile faded away as she went on. "But you are a lovely sexy woman too, with quite the seductive talents of your own from what I hear. So why do you put up with it?"

For a quarter mile, Lena was quiet. Yamile could see that she was thinking. "Maybe I'm just used to it now. I don't expect anything more from her," she finally said. "I've come to grips with this being all Liz will give." As they crossed a bridge, she glanced downstream and nodded. "Good water levels," she said automatically. The river pulled at her even when in a heavy conversation. "To me," she continued as if the distraction never happened, "For Indigo, pretty much for anyone that hooks up with her, you just accept it and enjoy the ride, 'cause the sex is pretty amazing."

"It must be," Yamile said, not at all convinced it could be good enough to be worth being treated as if you're disposable. "Still, others can give you pretty amazing sex; Winnie being one from the way you two went at it last weekend." She grinned at the bashful look on her face.

"Ummm, yeah," Lena said, not wanting to add anything more. It was already going to be a little awkward when Winnie got there; it wouldn't help if Yamile was teasing them.

"Too bad she and Rikki had to stay late for work. By the time they get to the campsite, it's going to be pretty late. Think you can stay awake for her?" Yamile asked.

Lena gave a little sigh. Obviously, Yamile wasn't going to give it a rest. "Actually, Winnie and I talked and we both think it's best if we just stay friends. She needs one more than she needs a playmate," she said. "So don't tease her, okay?"

"Ah, yeah I see. It's hard enough coming out. I don't want to make it worse. I'll be nice," Yamile replied. "Kind of harsh on you, though. You're a good friend."

"It's okay. She's sexy and very eager," she said, sparing Yamile a glance and a wiggle of her eyebrows. "But honestly I'm not sure we'd be right for each other. I adore her, but she's not really the type I usually date."

"Too sweet and not nearly thoughtless enough?"

Lena snorted with laughter, which got Yamile laughing as well. "Something like that, I guess."

Squeezing her shoulder again, Yamile went on. "Plus, she cramps your chances with Liz."

This time Lena hung her head as the words hit home. "Not just Liz though. I'm only 25, and not sure I'm ready to find something permanent. And that first crush, you know it's easy to mistake that for love and I don't want to break her heart," she said.

The trees started to close in, replacing the open fields and big houses with forest and occasional cottages. They drove down the narrow road heading up into the canyon where the campground was. Yamile's hand continued to rest on her shoulder. It was comforting. She looked at Yamile again while she was looking up through the trees at the high alpine mountains on either side of them.

"She's pretty sexy herself," she thought. Yamile's hair was longer than when Claudio died. Along with everything else, she felt a need to shaking things up although she was only now recognizing it. Her black silky hair now hung down just over her collar and made her look a little less like a mom of two teenagers. Her dark eyes resumed sparkling last weekend, replacing the dull glaze of mourning. Her full lips and wide mouth were enticing and Lena wondered what they would be like to kiss. "Even though she turned down Liz, that was when her husband was right there. I wonder if she could resist Liz now." The corners of her mouth twitched upwards as she was struck by another thought.

"I wonder if she could resist me! She and Rikki were fairly friendly last weekend, maybe she is a little more open than she lets on," she wondered.

Yamile spoke, interrupting those idle fantasies. "I still think you're better off without Liz. At some point, things are going to go bad for her. You don't want to be in the middle of that. I think she'll keep on taking, just in a different way."

"You're probably right. That's why I keep my emotions out of it. I just remind myself that it's just fun. Unlike some others," she couldn't help add.

"Yeah, I don't get Indigo. From what Rikki tells me, Alex is really great," Yamile said.

"I don't get it either, for either one of them," she replied. "It's so obvious Indigo is all wrapped up in her, and Liz just encourages it. Except when she doesn't." Even when it meant that Liz was spending time with Lena, it made her feel awkward as if somehow, she was the one tormenting Indigo. It was the game of Liz's that she liked the least.

"Alex must be a saint," Yamile said.

Lena shrugged her shoulders as they passed the mile-marker just before the campground and she started slowing. "Maybe. Indigo told me she plays just as much on the weekends when she isn't with her. Although I highly doubt she has as regular a partner as Liz is for Indigo," she said. She turned into the campground and started looking for the rafting group.

"Is she going to be here tonight?" Yamile asked.

"Who? Indigo? I suppose. Weston said she was working tomorrow," she replied. "And they are running the Sky so Alex won't be here." The note of bitterness in her voice was so faint that Yamile missed it, despite being well attuned to Lena by now. Although she was already resigned to not being with Liz again, the slight resentment she usually felt had built up during their discussion. "Maybe this should be it. Yamile's right. I don't have to take this."

"There they are," she said, pointing. The van with the rafts was in front of one campsite and there were a bunch of other cars there. A small campfire was already burning. She could see Linc and Jasper working on putting up a tent, along with others. After finding a spot and parking, the two women got out and stretched.

Yamile stretched a little longer than Lena. "I'm not 25 anymore, that's for sure," she thought as she walked quickly to catch up with Lena. She was heading over to the other rookie guides, giving them each a hug. She started to introduce Yamile, but Sawyer and Bohdi had beat her to it. Everyone had heard about last weekend by now, and was familiar with who she was, including Claudio's death. Both of the guys felt a little sheepish about all the flirting after finally finding out about it on Sunday even though no one was serious. Despite Yamile assuring them that it was fine, they still adopted a bit of a protective attitude toward her, especially since Rikki wasn't there yet.

Lena looked around. There were a lot of guides she barely knew. It was a busy weekend and Weston was calling in everyone he could. She couldn't see Liz, or Indigo for that matter. She nudged Linc. "When does Indigo get here, or did she ride over with Liz?" she asked, trying to sound casual.

He shook his head. "I don't think she is. I heard that she's coming over in the morning with Weston," he said.

From behind her, she heard someone approaching and turned to look, Linc's words still ringing in her ears. It was Liz, wearing a bikini top and skimpy pair of shorts that exposed her long legs. Her hair was loose, rather than in the usual ponytail. The gold curls framed her tan face. Her sex appeal was clearly on display; everyone including Yamile felt a slight pull.

"Hey Lena, how's it going?" she said.

As Liz's sky blue eyes ensnared her, Lena felt her determination to resist falter and then completely give way. "Good. It's going good," she said as she moved to close the gap between them.

Even though she was talking with the other guides, Yamile watched as the two women walked back in the direction of Liz's tent. "Poor thing," she thought before turning to greet Julie politely. She glanced over at them one last time. Lena was bumping shoulders with Liz, laughing at something she said. "Maybe at least this means Indigo is getting smart," she thought to herself as she tried to catch what Julie had said.

By the time Rikki and Winnie pulled into the campground, it was quite late. While a fair number of the guides and their guests were in bed, Yamile was still up. She wanted to make sure that they got there safely; however, she was nodding off in the slowly dimming firelight. She didn't drink quite as much as the previous weekend, but it was enough that the long day was catching up with her.

Liz and Lena disappeared right after dinner and hadn't been seen since. Liz's amorous adventures weren't as loud as last weekend, but when Yamile walked by her tent when she was going to the outhouse, she could hear Lena's soft moans. It made her glad that she pitched her tent on the other side of camp. Last week had been fun with Marika, but it also put a little needed restraint on her. "If I got that horny again listening to them, I probably would have been screaming along with them," she thought. "And the camp is huge this weekend! I don't want that to be how they remember me!"

When she saw Rikki's SUV drive in, she got up and walked over to it. "Hey you two! It's about time," she said as they got out.

"Traffic was shitty from an earlier accident," Rikki said. "It took way longer than normal to get over the Pass. And that is on top of getting out of town later than expected."

"Stupid Friday evening business dinners!" Winnie said, sounding disgusted. "I mean, really?"

With a smile on her face, Rikki explained how it was the last day of a long series of meetings with a customer. "They couldn't leave until tomorrow. We had to host them," she explained to Yamile. From the way Winnie commented, "I know; I know," it sounded as if this was a running dialogue between them.

"You two are so cute sometimes," Yamile said with a giggle. It was followed by a yawn. "I'm beat. I'm going to head to bed. What about you?"

"Are you kidding? I've been driving for hours. I'm too wound up to sleep," Rikki said. "Is anyone else still up?"

"Oh yeah, although not many from last weekend. Bohdi's mostly awake," she said with a smile. "Sawyer and Julie went to bed a little while ago. Umm, so did Liz." She glanced at Winnie. "I've only got Lena's word that they decided to just stay friends. Maybe she doesn't want to know what Lena's doing," she thought to herself.

Since Lena wasn't around, Rikki guessed what she was thinking. "Don't worry about it," she said. "I suppose that means this is a Lena weekend?"

"Yeah. Indigo wasn't here so I guess Lena was the runner up," Yamile said. "It didn't take much effort either. I was kind of hoping she would at least make Liz work for it."

Rikki sighed. "She's my oldest friend but the more time I spend with her, the bigger her flaws seem to me," she said. "Even if she was trying to have a relationship with any one of them, I'm sure she would sabotage it. Honestly, I don't get her at times."

Over the last several weekends, Winnie was starting to suspect the reasons behind Liz's serial promiscuity, but she kept them to herself. She wasn't sure and, in any case, Liz wasn't really a rival. "Rikki's made it clear what she thinks about Liz in that way," she told herself, although she shied away from contemplating whether Liz could change if she thought Rikki was available to her. Aloud, all she said was, "I'm not jealous. It's better that we are just friends, but I wish I thought Liz was good enough for Lena."

"Me too," Rikki said.

Yamile just nodded. Nothing more needed to be added. They were all of similar minds. "Well I'm off to bed," she said. They both hugged her and exchanged little kisses on the cheeks before Rikki and Winnie walked in the direction of the fire pit. She was about to turn and head towards her tent when she noticed something about them. The way that they were walking reminded her of Liz and Lena earlier. She thought about it as she turned and went through the campground. It wasn't quite the same, but she could only think of one word to describe the way they were talking with heads close and bodies brushing.

"Flirting. They're flirting," she said softly. As she reached the tent, she turned and looked back towards the fire. They were lost amongst the group of in the dim light thrown off by the fire. She stared for a few moments before going into the tent. It was a vaguely disturbing feeling, though she couldn't quite put her finger on why.

*****

While it took just over two hours for Lena and Yamile to drive over from Seattle; it had taken Winnie and Rikki over three and half. Just like the other two women, they spent it talking. Since they already knew each other well, it hadn't taken until almost the end for it to get deeper. Between Rikki needing time off to deal with the divorce and being swamped with the customers in town, they had little time at work to talk much since getting back from the Klickitat and White Salmon. Kieran consumed almost all Rikki's time that wasn't work. Even with her sister staying with them, her son wanted substantially more attention in the wake of her separation from Samuel. All that left for Winnie were a few hallway talks that were too public to delve into something as intensely personal as sleeping with another woman for the first time.

Even still, it took almost until the halfway point before either one of them was able to bring it up. The flirting games they played with Lena were very different than talking about sexuality. Those were fun and exciting, and Rikki understood that a life choice was far more serious. Beyond that, they both had reasons to hesitate.

From having listened to her with Lena the previous weekend, Rikki knew Winnie was past just curiosity. "She's scratched that itch," she thought to herself. "I just don't know what it means." The possibility of Winnie being gay didn't bother her in the slightest. "My best friend since forever is a lesbian," she thought. Even the likely reaction of Winnie's parents wasn't at the forefront of her mind, despite knowing how painful that break might be for her friend. Rather, it was an ugly little thought that nagged at her.

"Does this mean she and Lena are a couple?" she couldn't stop herself from wondering. She found the jealous thought impossible to suppress. "And I'm afraid to even ask," she realized sadly as she drove during a momentary quiet spell.

Despite knowing all about Rikki and Liz's long friendship, Winnie still worried about talking to Rikki about it. "We got so close so fast. She's my best friend in Seattle," she thought. "I don't want to lose that. What if it freaks her out?" She looked out the car window. The rapidly descending darkness was beginning to hide the mountains, although the remnants of the dusk still outlined the peaks. It was lovely but she wasn't in a mood to appreciate them. It didn't matter how many times she tried to reassure herself that it would never happen; she couldn't dismiss the thought. Worries didn't have to be rational.