Building the Family Read online

  With each minute that passes, I feel like my body is slowly turning into one of those novelty electrical balls that when you touch it, lightning is attracted to the points of contact with the clear globe and your fingers. After a few minutes, Madison releases my mouth, inhaling deeply – trying to catch her breath. We slowly open our glossy eyes and smile as our eyes lock on each other.

  “That was even more amazing than I imagined. I’ve been wanting to do that for a while.”

  “What, smack me in the chin with your head?” She laughs and kisses my lips. “I’m sorry I did that. I didn’t mean to grope you in your sleep.”

  “Next time, I’d like to be awake for it.” She gives me a big smile and pulls me into another kiss for a moment. “Can I have you for mine?” I smile really big and let out a small happy laugh as I wrap my arms around her. “I’ve been yours since I landed in your lap. I’ve just been waiting for you to claim me.”

  “You mean, I could have been straddling you and kissing you like this all this time?”

  “That’s right.”

  “I’m going to need to make up for lost time then.”

  She smiles in a sly way and then presses her lips against mine again. After kissing for several minutes, Madison adjusts her position so she’s lying flat on me with her legs extended with mine. She slides her hand out from behind my neck, and rests below my collarbone. We’re both struggling for air between the tumbling of our lips and tongues, and the longer we continue to kiss, the more aroused my body is becoming.

  Madison’s hand starts to move down my chest, making me inhale deeply in anticipation. She hesitates above my breast a moment, but then firmly palms over my left breast and squeezes it. I moan and rise against her touch. I feel her smile while we kiss and then she sucks my bottom lip at the same time that she pinches my nipple, making me moan again.

  I had never put a bra back on when she woke me up at 3am, so the only thing between her hand and my boob is my tee shirt. Madison adjusts her position again, sliding off of me slightly so she can get a better angle to play with my chest. She traces her thumb around my nipple in a firm continuous circle while holding the weight of my breast in her palm. After a couple minutes, my clit is ticking and I’m having a hard time keeping pace with her kiss. I pull back and gasp as she pinches my hardened nipple.

  She releases my sensitized nub and rests her hand on my breast. She looks in my eyes and she looks just as aroused as I feel.

  “Kayla, I’ve never done this before.”

  “Make out?” She smiles and sits up slightly on an elbow. “Not with a girl, and never like this. I’ve never done anything like this before.”

  “Wow, I’m the first girl you’ve kissed?”

  “Yes, but I’m not yours, am I?”

  “No, sorry. But honestly, I like yours the best.” She smiles and gently kisses my lips. “Thank you, but you don’t need to be sorry.” She looks down and bites her bottom lip in a shy way, before looking back in my eyes. “Have you ever, uh, you know, gone all the way?”

  “Yes, with my ex. She was the only one though.” She looks nervous and waits almost a full minute to ask, “Do you want to? I mean, right now?”

  “I definitely want to, but I don’t think we should today.” She looks both relieved and disappointed. “Why not?”

  “Well, for one, the nervous look you have right now. I don’t want you to be nervous about anything we do. The confidence you had straddling me and kissing me was so amazing. That’s the way I want you to feel.” She smiles in an affectionate way and blushes. “Also, we’ve just been friends till this point. I don’t want our first time to be on a friend foundation.”

  “Well, to be fair, I don’t think either of us viewed each other as just a friend. We both wanted more, but I know what you mean and I agree. Thank you, Kayla.” I smile and laugh a little. “I should be thanking you for finally claiming me as yours.”

  “Am I allowed to kiss you in public?”

  “If you feel comfortable doing it. Can I ask you something?”

  “Of course.”

  “Do you still like guys? Not that it would determine if I want to be with you – but just so I know how much competition I have to contend with out there.”

  She smiles and kisses my lips for a moment.

  “I never liked guys. I haven’t had a ‘boyfriend’ since I was fourteen. I’ve seen girls I thought were pretty, but hadn’t met any that were gay or if they were, I didn’t think they were worth getting involved with. My parents are very homophobic, so if I was going to deal with that drama, I wanted the person to be amazing. I didn’t want to just be with someone to experiment or whatever.”

  “So, if we were back home and we had met there, would I be worth the drama or is it just convenient since we’re a thousand miles away from our families?” She smiles and rubs her thumb along my bottom lip a moment before resting her hand on my collarbone. “Yes, you are definitely worth dealing with them for. If I had known you in high school, I think I might have gotten myself kicked out or had to run away to be with you.” I smile and pull her into a short kiss. “That’s good because I did take a puck to the back for you, you know.” She laughs and pecks my lips. “I will proudly introduce you to my family as my girlfriend when we go home for Thanksgiving.”

  Before I can answer, my dorm room door opens and my roommate peeks her head in.

  “Sorry, uh, do you mind if I slip in to grab a book?”

  “Sure.”

  Whitney comes in smiling and waves to Madison. She tiptoes over to her desk as if she’s trying not to wake us up like earlier and then heads back to the door with a thick textbook in hand. She smiles and waves one last time before ducking back out of the room.

  Madison leans over to grab her phone off my side table and sits bolt upright and gasps.

  “We’re late for class. Really late.”

  Chapter Seven

  It’s been a couple days since I’ve seen Shane, but as I’m walking across the lawn of the library, I see her sitting on a bench with a thick text book on her lap. She has a tablet poised above the book that she is taking notes on and she has hot pink headphones on and is dancing around in a fast, erratic way in her seat. I don’t know how she could possibly study like that. I smile and shake my head as I make my way over to her. I plop down next to her, purposefully bumping my shoulder against hers a little. She startles and looks up quickly with a look of panic. I laugh and she smiles. She quickly pulls her headphones off and sets her tablet down on her book.

  “Hey, how’s it going?” I shrug a shoulder. “Just finished class and thought I’d come see if I could waste some time in the library pretending to look for books for a paper I need to write. How are you doing?”

  “Pretend to look for books? What would you really be doing in the library if not looking at the books? You know the librarians are about eighty, right? You’re not going to find a sexy librarian in there to ogle at and fantasize about having some porno scenario with.” I laugh and shake my head. “I don’t know. Mrs. Fenigree is pretty damn hot in those beige knee-highs that always roll down mid-calf. Those blue veins in the back of her calf…”

  “Ok, stop. You’re going to make me puke.” She laughs and smacks my arm roughly. “That was just a little pay back for that show you made me watch. Speaking of which, did you get through your binge-watching plans of that nightmare show?” She laughs and nods. “I did. How’d you sleep that night?”

  “I don’t remember having any nightmares.”

  “Cool. I’m glad I didn’t scar you for life.”

  “Well, I think I’m scarred, but I won’t need therapy or anything.”

  She laughs and looks in my eyes with affection. I better tell her now.

  “I uh, want to tell you something.” She smiles in an excited way and turns to face me more. “So, remember that friend I was talking to when you asked me if it was my girl?” Her smile drops some and she nods. “Well, we uh, we’re not just friends anymore.” S
he nods in a solemn way and sits back. “I figured it would happen. Either that or you’d be heartbroken by falling for a straight girl. Did I ever have a chance? Before I showed you that horrible TV show, anyway?”

  “If I hadn’t met Madison, yeah, I would have been interested, even with your scary taste in entertainment.” She smiles really big and her cheeks blush a light pink. “Well, that makes me feel a little better. At least I didn’t make a complete fool of myself by coming onto you.” I smile and shake my head. “Nope. I like your confidence. It’s very attractive.”

  “Can we still hang out or will your girl disapprove of you being friends with a confident and aggressive lesbian that once hit on you?” I laugh and shake my head. “I don’t think she’d object to us being friends.”

  “Good. Do you have plans for lunch or are you able to hang out today?”

  “I can do lunch. Madison has a rehearsal after class.”

  “Rehearsal? You dating the lead guitarist in an all-girl band?” I laugh a little. “No, she sings. She has rehearsal for the schools fall music festival.”

  “That’s cool. The girl band would have been fucking awesome, but the singing is still cool. I love a girl that can sing. I can’t sing for shit. I sound like a squealing baby pig when I try to sing.”

  “I can’t sing either.”

  “Do you really need to go in that musty library right now to ‘pretend to look for books’, or would you like to get some lunch now?

  “Let’s see, food or boring non-fiction books?” She smiles brightly and starts packing her stuff in her bookbag. “Lunch it is. Any preference? You want to go to the Court or someplace on Oliver Street?”

  “I’m fine with whatever.”

  “Last time you said you were fine with something I picked, you almost barfed in my dorm.”

  “Ok, so my pick this time and then we’ll be even if you hate it.” She smiles and stands up with a cute excited hop. “Perfect.”

  As we start across the lawn, she still has a little hop in her step and it makes me laugh. She looks over at me smiling and then quickly turns to walk backwards so she can face me.

  “So, you think my confidence is attractive, huh?”

  “I do. And you’re about to walk into a tree.” She smiles, glances over her shoulder, and sidesteps to miss the tree, but doesn’t turn back around. “Only my confidence?”

  “Another tree.” She quickly sidesteps and continues to walk backwards. She clears her throat and smiles broadly. “Where’s this headed?”

  “Boosting my ego. I’m not a girlfriend stealer so I’m not trying to snatch you from your girl.” I laugh and motion to her to look behind herself before she walks into a group of people approaching us. She turns around and gets in line next to me and we safely walk passed them. “In that case, you should feel completely confident in your appearance and you have an attractive personality.”

  “That was a very diplomatically spoken compliment, but I like it. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “So, what’s she like? This girl that outshone me.”

  “She’s everything.” Shane looks over at me with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. “Everything?”

  I smile and look up at the sky a moment, remembering the way Madison made me embrace the world and watch a sunrise with her.

  “Yeah, she’s everything. It’s like all of the beautiful things the world has to offer embodied in one of the most beautiful girls.”

  “Shit, I need a girl to talk about me like that. My ex wasn’t good with compliments, or words. If she wanted to tell me something mushy like that, she’d send me song lyrics or a quote from books or TV shows.”

  “Well, that’s still nice. At least she tried to tell you how she felt, even if she couldn’t figure out how to say it in her own words.”

  “I guess so.”

  My phone vibrates in my pocket, but it’s not Madison’s pattern. I pull my phone out while we’re waiting to be able to cross the street.

  Sam: I’m hungry. What should I eat?

  Me: I’m trying to figure that out right now. Getting lunch with a friend, but don’t know what to get.

  Sam: Which friend? The one that replaced me?

  Me: No, she has rehearsal today. This is just a friend.

  Sam: So, I have been replaced? When do I get to see a picture?

  Me: You are so confusing sometimes. Why do you want a picture?

  “We can cross now.” I look up at Shane and she looks a little hurt that I’m on my phone. “Ok, sorry. Speaking of exes, that was mine.”

  She seems to brighten up a little bit. She must have thought it was Madison and I was going to tell her I had to cancel on getting lunch.

  “You were able to stay friends with your ex?”

  “I don’t know. We’re trying, but it’s weird. Some days, she acts like I’m still hers and she acts jealous that I’m talking to other girls and that I have a girlfriend now. But then other days, she acts like she’s happy and having the time of her life.”

  “She’s faking it. She wants you back. Would you take her back, if it doesn’t work with the singer?”

  “Probably.” She stops and looks at me confused. “You’re not over her yet. Is it a good idea getting into a new relationship if you haven’t gotten over your ex?”

  “Are you over your ex?” She pinches her eyebrows. “Why does that matter?”

  “Because, you’re looking for a new girlfriend, aren’t you?” She shrugs a shoulder. “I guess so. And no, I’m not over my ex. I’m still in love with her and I’d take her back in a heartbeat.”

  “Well, then.”

  “Fine, but that doesn’t answer the question.”

  “Could you answer the question?”

  “I sure hope you’re more open and willing to share with your girlfriends. It’s like playing twenty-one questions just to learn one thing about you.” I laugh and shrug a shoulder. “Sorry. Try something less deep.” She smiles and stops again as she looks around us. “Ok, but first, you need to pick someplace to eat, because we’ve already passed everything and now we need to turn around.”

  I look around and we have somehow walked passed all of the businesses and are now in the residential part of Oliver Street. We turn around and start heading back in the other direction.

  “Do you like Mexican food?”

  “No, sorry.”

  “Burgers?”

  “I’m vegetarian.”

  “Really? Ok, how about pizza or salads?”

  “Salad would be awesome.”

  I haven’t been here yet, but apparently, Shane has. When we walk in The Grove, there are seven touch screens for ordering with a printer next to each that prints a ticket to pay at the end of the counter. I watch Shane quickly tap through the screens building her salad and then step back with her ticket in hand. I take her place at the screen and start building my own salad.

  We pay at the register and then wait at the counter for our salads to be made. While we wait at the counter, a girl Shane knows gets into a conversation with her, so I pull my buzzing phone out to answer Sam back.

  Sam: Why am I confusing? And I want to see a picture to see who will be kissing you and laying with you.

  Sam: Why aren’t you answering?

  Sam: Fine, whatever.

  Me: Sorry, I wasn’t ignoring you. I was trying to figure out what to eat. Shane is weird about me being on my phone when I hang out with her. She’s talking to someone she knows at the moment, so I only have a few minutes right now.

  Sam: What did you settle on?

  Me: Salads.

  Sam: That doesn’t sound like you.

  Me: Well, turns out Shane is a vegetarian. She doesn’t like Mexican food. Can you believe that? Who doesn’t like Mexican food.

  Sam: Yeah, that’s just weird. No meat and she doesn’t like Mexican food – that’s two strikes, baby. What kind of movies does she like?

  I laugh and glance to my right. Shane is still deeply engr
ossed in her conversation.

  Me: Nasty bloody horror. Very demented shit.

  Sam: That’s strike three. You need to find a new friend. I swear, if you come home a vegetarian and watching bloody massacre movies, I’m going to have to lock you up to convert you back.

  I laugh really hard and Shane glances over at me. She sees the phone in my hand and looks irritated. I just ignore her and go back to my phone. How can she be irritated that I’m on my phone when she’s talking to someone? She didn’t try to make me a part of the conversation, so I’m not going to sit here doing nothing while she socializes.

  Me: How would you convert me back? Starve me and only offer me meat when I’m begging for food?

  Sam: That’s one way. Or I can get you so wet that you’re begging for me to go down on you, but I’ll only finish you off if you eat a steak.

  Me: The image I have in my head is crazy.

  Sam: I’m picturing you sitting at a table completely naked with me between your legs while you dine on a nice thick steak. Oh, and you have one of those red and white checker cloth napkins tied around your neck.

  Me: Ok, get out of my head.

  Sam: But it’s so nice in there.

  Me: I can’t believe I’m about to eat a fucking salad. You know, she picked salad over pizza!

  Sam: Why are you hanging out with this girl? I’m going to have pizza for lunch since you can’t. What toppings do you want me to eat for you?

  Me: No veggies!

  Sam: So, how about a meat supreme with extra sauce and cheese?

  Me: I literally just moaned out loud and received a very dirty look from Shane.