Henna Tattoo, Part Eight

“Thanks for doing this.”

Andrea fastened her seat belt, then smiled at Selena in the driver’s seat, said, “We’ll see if you still say that when we are done.”

“It’s going to be amazing,” Selena said, pulling away from the curb.

They were headed back to Emma’s apartment so that Andrea could put a henna tattoo on Selena’s side as a surprise for hers and Emma’s wedding night. Emma wouldn’t be there- she was staying in her old room down the hall from Andrea’s. To keep the tattoo a secret, Andrea had sneaked out of the house and had Selena pick her up around the block.

Andrea smiled at Emma not staying in her own apartment. It was a tradition for a bride not to see her fiance the night before the wedding. Since Selena lived with Emma now, it was just easier to let her have the apartment.

She smiled, thinking there wasn’t much ‘traditional’ about Emma and Selena’s wedding. They had had the rehearsal yesterday, and it wasn’t like any wedding Andrea had ever seen. Even considering there were two brides, it was unique.

At least, I think it’s unique, Andrea thought, looking out the window, I haven’t seen a lot of lesbian weddings.

Unique or not, Andrea loved the concept Emma and Selena had come up with. Smiling, she thought she might have to steal it if she and Michelina ever got married.

Turning to Selena, she asked, “Did you prepare the paste?”

“It’s ready to go,” Selena said, making a face, “are you sure about the recipe?”

“Yeah,” Andrea said, laughing, “you get a deeper color out of it.”

“But coffee, peppercorns, cloves, and cinnamon?” Selena said.

“Emma found it online,” Andrea said, shrugging, “it works.”

“Well, you are the expert.”

Snorting, Andrea said, “Hardly.”

“You are going to be great,” Selena said, smiling at her.

They pulled into the parking lot at Emma’s apartment building. Andrea followed Selena up the stairs, waited for Selena to unlock the door. Emma’s neighbor, Mr. Hubert, opened his door, saw Andrea standing there. He looked her up and down, then shrugged and locked his door. Selena opened the door, and Andrea was glad to get out of the hallway.

Her cheeks hot, Andrea thought, he’s probably surprised to see me not covered in paint.

“Let me change,” Selena said, heading for the bedroom, “make yourself at home.”

Andrea went to the fridge, grabbed a Coke. Popping the tab, she pulled the shrink wrap off the bowl of henna paste. It had set up nicely, and she started filling her applicator bottles.

She glanced up when the door to the bedroom opened, and she almost spilled the henna paste when she saw Selena wearing just a bra and some panties. Not for the first time, she thought Emma was a lucky woman, then she looked away guiltily. She shouldn’t be eyeballing her stepsister-in-law the night before for her wedding. Especially, since she had a girlfriend just as beautiful.

“Um,” Andrea said, laughing, “I think you forgot the rest of your clothes.”

“The tattoo is on my side, so I figured this would be easier,” Selena said.

“You still could have worn pants,” Andrea said.

“About that,” Selena said, coming into the kitchen. She unfolded Andrea’s drawing in front of them, said, “What if we continued this part down my hip and wrapped it around my thigh?”

“You want to add more?” Andrea asked, looking at the drawing. She thought she knew what the woman had in mind and had to admit it would be pretty cool. Glancing at the henna paste, she tried to eyeball whether they had enough mixed for the expanded bits. She thought it was doable.

Great, more chances to mess up, Andrea thought, with an inward groan.

“What do you think?” Selena asked, looking at her.

“It would be pretty cool,” Andrea admitted.

“Can you do it?”

“Yeah,” Andrea said, kind of wishing she had just lied and said no.

“Sweet,” Selena said, hugging her.

“We better get started. Even distracted with the wedding, they’ll notice I’m gone eventually,” Andrea said.

“Right,” Selena said, pointing over her shoulder, “I figure it’ll be easier in the bedroom.

Nodding, Andrea gathered her applicator bottles, her Coke, and the last of the paste still in the bowl. She followed Selena into the bedroom, setting her stuff on the nightstand. Selena stretched out on the bed on her side and reached for the TV remote. Leaving her there, Andrea went back into the living room and used Emma printer to scan the drawing she had made and print a stencil. She rummaged around through her tattoo gear until she found a bottle of transfer gel.

Back in the bedroom, she asked, “Are you comfy? Need to pee? You are going to be lying like that for a while.”

“I’m good,” Selena said.

Ready to begin, Andrea used the gel and stencil to transfer her design onto Selena’s side. Peeling back the paper, she was satisfied with the outline. She took a deep breath, shook her hands out to loosen up, then reached for one of the applicator bottles she had filled. Hesitating, Andrea looked at all the intricate lines on Selena’s side, wondering if she hadn’t bitten off more than she could chew.

Andrea thought about the henna tattoo on Michelina’s side. It was just as complicated as Selena’s, and it had come out perfectly. The only thing different between the two tattoos was the whole wedding night thing. She really didn’t want to mess up Selena’s surprise for Emma.

“Last chance to change your mind,” Andrea said, meeting Selena’s eyes. The woman wasn’t changing her mind, so Andrea took another deep breath and started applying the paste.

For the next hour or so, she worked on the stencil part of the design. Starting in the center, she worked her way outward so she wouldn’t drag her hand through any of the lines she had just made. With each swirling vine and flower she finished, the more relaxed she became. Henna tattooing was cathartic, let her lose herself in the intricate patterns for a while.

As she filled in her initial design, she started thinking about how she wanted to extend it down Selena’s hip and around her thigh. The original drawing had been cohesive, every element working together. It had been a completed work. Now, she had to figure out how to add to it without making it look like she had just added to it. Ideally, the extra bits should look like they had been intended to be there all along.

The bottom of the tattoo curled into the hollow of Selena’s hip, away from where Selena wanted to extended part to go. Looking at it, Andrea thought it would look awkward if she tried to force it onto Selena’s hip.

“Um, Selena,” Andrea said, getting the woman’s attention.

“What’s up?” Selena asked, muting the TV.

“Do you see how my original design curls in here?” Andrea said, showing her the drawing.

“Yeah,” Selena said, smiling.

“This part is on your hip bone… right here,” Andrea said, pointing at the part of the stencil on Selena’s hip side she was talking about, “I don’t know if I can fudge it onto your hip without it looking weird.”

“Oh,” Selena said, then nodded, “I see what you mean.”

“I can try to rework the bottom of the tattoo, bending it the other direction,” Andrea said, then changed her mind, “but it won’t follow the natural curve of your body. It’ll look off-centered.”

“If you don’t think it’ll look right…” Selena said, sounding disappointed.

Meeting the woman’s eyes, Andrea saw she really wanted the tattoo to extend onto her thigh. Sitting up straighter, Andrea looked at the stencil again, trying to see if there was a way to make it work. She tilted her head to one side, looking at the marks on Selena’s lower abdomen. The tattoo had a flow to it and, if she didn’t try to fight it, it would continue into the hollow of Selena’s hip and then the inside of her thigh. It wasn’t precisely what Selena wanted, but it was doable.

“Um,” Andrea said, then stopped when she really thought about what she was about to suggest. The henna tattoo was about to get a whole lot more personal if they decided to go this route. Even Selena’s little panties were going to be in the way for part of it.

“What?” Selena asked.

“I was just thinking,” Andrea said, chewing on her lip, “I think I can still get the tattoo onto your thigh… Might have to take a different route, though.”

“Different route?” Selena asked.

“The tattoo curves in here and if I extend it down here,” Andrea said, motioning with her finger, “it’ll move onto the inside of your hip and then your inner thigh.”

“Will that work?” Selena asked.

“Um, yeah,” Andrea said, with a nervous laugh, “it’s just… Some of the tattoo is going to be… Well…”

Laughing, Selena said, “Ah.”

“Do you see what I mean?” Andrea asked, blushing.

“Yeah,” Selena said, nodding.

“Is that… What do you think? It’s going to be kind of personal?” Andrea said, her cheeks getting hotter.

Smiling at her, Selena said, “I think you are more embarrassed than I am.”

“That’s a yes, isn’t it?” Andrea said.

“If you are okay with doing it,” Selena said, laughing.

“Man, I hope Emma doesn’t decide to come home,” Andrea said, shaking her head, “you are gonna have to lose the panties.”

“I know,” Selena said, twirling her finger in the air, “turn around for a minute.”

With her back to Selena, Andrea said, “I hope Emma doesn’t get mad about this tattoo.”

“She’s going to love it,” Selena said.

“I think she’s going to have some questions about where it’s at,” Andrea said, laughing, “I know I would.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Selena said, then there was the rustle of the covers moving. Finally, she said, “You can turn around.”

Andrea did and saw Selena had removed the panties and rearranged the comforter around her lower naked half, preserving as much of her modesty as she could. Again, Andrea really hoped Emma didn’t decide to come home. She doubted Emma would jump to the wrong conclusion, but it would still be an awkward conversation about why Andrea was on the bed with her nearly naked, soon to be wife.

Shaking her head, Andrea picked up the applicator bottle and started working again. She had the original design done in another ten minutes. From here on out, it was all freehand. Selena’s unmarked hip and thigh were a little intimidating. She has never done this without a stencil, not even on the ones she gave herself.

“I’ll be right back,” Andrea said, hopping off the bed.

“Where are you going?” Selena asked.

“I need a marker out of my bag,” she said, hurrying out of the room. She found her marker set in her stash of art supplies, selected a pale orange. She figured it would wash off in the shower with a little scrubbing if she messed up. Back in the bedroom, she showed it to Selena, said, “I need to draw a pattern before I try it with henna.”

“Okay,” Selena said.

Uncapping the marker, Andrea chewed on top as she tried to envision the design on Selena’s body. She thought the rest of the tattoo should flow from one vine that wrapped around Selena’s leg and terminated in a curly-cue on the inside of her knee. With the marker, she drew a wavy line from the bottom of the original tattoo, one that followed the hollow of Selena’s hip and around her inner thigh. Andrea tried to leave herself enough room on the inside of the design without having to resort to the drawing becoming even more personal than it already was. Even with that buffer, things were about to get too close for comfort.

From that first line, she began to draw offshoot vines with leaves and flowers, fleshing out the design. The orange marker was barely visible on Selena’s tan skin, but the design would be beautiful in the deep red-brown tint of the henna stain.

It took Andrea about fifteen minutes to draw her stencil. She used a hand mirror to let Selena look at it.

Smiling, Selena said, “I love it.”

“Alright,” Andrea said, picking up her empty applicator bottles and refilling them. Screwing the last cap back in place, she said, “Here we go.”

Andrea soon realized this part of the tattoo was going to be a pain in the neck. She had expected it to be weird considering the intimate location, but she hadn’t anticipated the odd angles she had to work at. She quickly saw that she would have to save the part on Selena’s lower abdomen for last because she was going to have to have her move her leg this way and that so she could apply the henna paste. Trying to squeeze the thick goo with the bottle upside down just didn’t work. Then there were gravity-defying parts of the tattoo on the insides of Selena’s thigh. Andrea had to cross her fingers that the paste was tacky enough to stay put while hanging upside down.

Somehow, she finished the part of the tattoo on Selena’s leg without incident. Taking a second to admire her work, Andrea thought, the henna gods have smiled on us.

When her eyes went to the last bit of the tattoo she had to finish, she gasped. The comforter had slipped, and Andrea got an inadvertent eyeful of Selena’s womanhood. Blushing, Andrea quickly fixed the covers. Selena glanced at her, and Andrea hurriedly looked away. She fiddled with her applicator bottles until some of the blood left her face. She was glad the woman didn’t ask why her hands were shaking.

Shaking her head to get Selena’s smooth shaven pussy out of it, Andrea risked a glance at the woman. She seemed oblivious that Andrea had caught a peek under the comforter. Relaxing, Andrea let out a sigh of relief. A potentially awkward situation adverted.

Well, for her, anyway, Andrea thought, shaking her head, again, stupid comforter.

Andrea started working on the tattoo again. Her eyes kept going to the comforter, making sure it was still in place. It was distracting her, but she couldn’t stop doing it. She forced herself to stop working for a second to get her head right. She was almost done and didn’t want to mess it up now.

God, it’s going to be weird now, Andrea thought, shaking her head. Trying to convince herself otherwise, she thought, It’s fine. So what if I saw Selena’s downstairs. We are going to be family soon.

It didn’t help.

Taking a deep breath, Andrea picked up her applicator bottle, thought, Focus. Just get this done so Selena can put on some clothes.

She was doing fine until she had to push the comforter aside some to finish the last few details. Everything was still technically covered, but just barely. Again, Andrea saw that Selena had gotten a little happy with the razor. She found herself wondering if this was another surprise for Emma or just the usual state of affairs down there for Selena. Then she got to wondering why she was wondering that.

Again, she thought, Stupid comforter. Why couldn’t it have stayed in place?

Finishing the last leaf, Andrea said, “That’s it.”

“Done?” Selena asked.

“Yeah,” Andrea said, handing her the hand mirror.

Selena was smiling as she admired Andrea’s work. It turned up even more as she met Andrea’s eyes, “It’s perfect.”

“There are a few scary parts,” Andrea said, then laughed, “try not to move too much, or some of it might fall off. You’ve got about an hour, so I hope you are comfortable.”

“I’m okay,” Selena said, still using the mirror to look at the tattoo, “thank you.”

“You might not thank me when Emma sees where the tattoo is,” Andrea said, laughing.

“She’ll be alright,” Selena said, dismissing the comment with a wave of her hand, “it’s not like you saw anything, anyway.”

“Right,” Andrea said a little too quickly. She looked away as her cheeks started to turn red. Picking up her supplies, she asked, “Do you need anything?”

“No,” Selena said, turning off the TV.

Looking at the black screen, Andrea said, “You are probably going to need that.”

“You’ve already done me a huge favor,” Selena said, looking at her side, “but could I ask for one more?”

“Um… What?” Andrea asked.

“I drew up another tattoo pattern,” Selena said.

“You did?” Andrea asked, surprised. She hadn’t known Selena had any artistic abilities.

Laughing self-consciously, Selena said, “Well, I traced another tattoo pattern.”

“Ah,” Andrea said, grinning, “nothing wrong with that.”

“It’s in my nightstand,” Selena said.

Getting up, Andrea circled the bed and opened the drawer. She found a piece of paper folded up inside and held it up for Selena to see. When the woman nodded, Andrea unfolded it and looked at the design. It featured two hearts tied together with a ribbon, with Selena’s and Emma’s names on the loose ends. A flower above Selena’s heart and a skull beneath Emma’s showed the differences in their personality, but the tattoo as a whole showed why their relationship worked.

“I don’t think we have enough henna paste to do this one, too,” Andrea said, glancing at the almost empty bowl.

“That’s okay,” Selena said, with a sentimental smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, “I want this one to be permanent.”

“I thought you didn’t like permanent tattoos,” Andrea said.

“I usually don’t, but I want to keep this one,” Selena said.

“Aw,” Andrea said, smiling at her.

“Emma is the one,” Selena said, a little embarrassed, “I’m not going to need another tattoo.”

That line touched the romantic in Andrea, and she gave the woman a warm smile, said, “You two are perfect for each other.”

“Peanut butter and jelly,” Selena said, smiling fondly.

“God, she’s got you saying that, too?” Andrea asked, laughing.

“It’s what’s she’s started calling you and Michelina,” Selena said, grinning, “speaking of perfect for each other…”

It was Andrea’s turn to smile fondly, and she nodded. Selena didn’t have to finish the thought.

“Um, let me get my kit set up, and we’ll give you your first real tattoo,” Andrea said.

“I’ll be here,” Selena said.

————————————————————

“What are you looking at?”

Andrea glanced over her shoulder and saw Selena fresh from her shower, wearing shorts and a tank top. Her eyes went to Selena’s leg, and she saw the orange lines of the henna tattoo. They were faint now, but they would continue to darken overnight. By tomorrow, they would be a brilliant shade of dark red.

“Um, nothing,” Andrea said, minimizing the web page she had been looking at.

“Where those promise rings?” Selena asked, crouching next to Andrea at the computer.

“Yeah,” Andrea said.

“Are you going to buy one for Michelina?” Selena asked.

“I think so,” Andrea said, then added, “probably when I get some birthday money.”

“Did you find any you liked?” Selena asked, standing back up. She walked over to the kitchen counter, started rummaging through her purse.

“I don’t know,” Andrea said, laughing, “there are so many options.”

Selena came back to where Andrea sat, held out something, and said, “Here.”

“What’s this?” Andrea asked, taking it from her. Her eyes got big when she saw it was a hundred dollar bill and a fifty.

“For the tattoo,” Selena said, then added, “tattoos.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Andrea said, trying to hand it back to her.

“It’s what I would have paid my friend to do it. It’s yours,” Selena said, smiling at her, “I probably owe you about that again for the one on my back.”

“Are you sure?” Andrea said, looking at the money.

“Worth every penny,” Selena said, smiling at her, “you should be able to buy her a nice ring with that.”

“Yeah,” Andrea said, glancing back at the computer.

“I think there a couple of jewelry stores on the way back to your house,” Selena said.

“There are?” Andrea asked, trying to remember ever seeing even one in her neighborhood.

“If we take the long way,” Selena said, laughing.

Andrea thought about it, then said, “You don’t mind?”

“To be honest, I’ll get stir crazy in this apartment by myself,” Selena said, looking around the living room, “makes me miss Emma. So, we can stop by a couple of places, if you want to look for a ring.”

“Um, yeah,” Andrea said.

“Let me get dressed,” Selena said, heading for the bedroom.

Andrea restored the web page she had been looking at. Looking at all the options, she had to shake her head. Finding the perfect ring within her budget was beginning to feel like finding a needle in a haystack. She closed out the window, hoping for better luck at the jewelry store.

A few minutes later, Selena came out of the bedroom wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Grabbing her purse, she asked, “Ready?”

“Yeah,” Andrea said.

The jewelry store definitely wasn’t ‘on the way back to Andrea’s’. It was about fifteen minutes out of their way, and Andrea said, “Thanks for doing this.”

“No problem,” Selena said, smiling at her, “I figure I owe you a couple of favors.”

“We are even after this,” Andrea said.

Selena pulled the car in front of the jewelry store, put it in park. Andrea followed her inside, looking around at all of the display cases. She began to feel overwhelmed by the options again.

A gentleman with a neatly trimmed mustache approached them, introduced himself as Alvin. He asked if he could help them with anything.

It was Selena who said, “Do you have any promise rings?”

“Ah,” he said, smiling, “we don’t get as many requests for those as we used to, but we do have some in this case over here. ”

He led them to a glass case, gesturing to it as he walked around the back.

“I’m assuming you are the one looking for a ring,” Alvin said, inclining his head at Selena, “since she’s already wearing a ring.”

“Yes, sir,” Andrea said.

“About how much are you looking to spend?” He asked.

“Um… Less than a hundred dollars,” Andrea said.

A little surprised, Alvin asked, “Do you have that kind of money?”

“Yes, sir,” Andrea said.

Alvin unlocked the glass case, taking out three velvet-lined displays and setting them in front of Andrea. With a flourish of his hand, he said, “These are between thirty and a hundred and twenty dollars.”

Andrea was relieved to have her options limited, the jewelry store shrank down to just three cases. Still, there were probably forty rings on each display for about a hundred and twenty rings to look through. She was a little surprised by the variety of styles- gold, silver, or platinum… intricate or simple… a rainbow of options in colored stones, some precious and others less so.

As her eyes scanned the rows of rings, she hoped one of them would jump out at her. The problem was, they were all nice. She doubted Michelina would mind getting any of them. In a way, that made it harder to decide. She didn’t just want any ring; she wanted The Ring. Andrea wanted that eureka moment like Emma had had when she found the perfect ring to give to Selena.

When she made it to the third case without seeing that special circle of metal, she began to have her doubts. What if this store didn’t have a ring she liked? Selena had offered to drive her by a couple of jewelry stores, but did Andrea really want to make her do that.

Besides, we’ve already been gone way too long. Surely someone’s noticed I’m not around by now, even with the madness going on at the house, Andrea thought.

If she couldn’t find the perfect ring, then she’d just have to find one that was good enough. Or wait for another day. She really didn’t want to do that, though. The idea of giving Michelina the ring the night after Emma’s wedding was stuck in her head. It seemed like the perfect time.

Somewhat distracted by her thoughts, she suddenly blinked in surprise. Going back to the ring she had just passed over, her heart started beating faster. She plucked it from the velvet, looking at it closer. It was sterling silver with a rose setting, a brilliant blue sapphire seated in the middle of the flower. There were little chips of what looked like diamonds on either side of the rose, encircling almost half of the ring. Andrea figured they probably weren’t real diamonds.

It was not just good enough. It was perfect. Andrea was almost too afraid to look at the price tag, figuring the ring must have ended up on the wrong display. She held her breath as she turned the little cardboard tag. It rushed out of her in a sigh of relief when she saw ninety-nine dollars written on it.

“I think this is the one,” Selena said, smiling at Alvin.

“Is it within your price range?” Alvin asked, seeing the numbers on the price tag, “you are going to be over a hundred dollars with tax.

“I know,” Andrea said, still looking at the ring, “I’ll take it.”

Nodding, he picked up a small jewelry box from under the counter and handing it to Andrea. There was a slit in the velvet, and Andrea slipped the ring into it.

Looking at the ring over Andrea’s shoulder, Selena said, “You might want to buy her a necklace to wear it on, though. It looks a bit like an engagement ring. Might freak your parents and hers out.”

“Um, yeah,” Andrea said, still looking at the ring.

“Our necklaces are over there,” Alvin said. He led them to another display, asked, “Would you like a simple silver chain to match the ring?”

“Yes, sir,” Andrea said.

“Let’s see what we have…”

——————————————————–

“Where have you been?”

Andrea looked around the open refrigerator door, saw Emma with curlers in her hair, and some curious white paste all over her face. She had those foam spacers between her fingers to keep her let her nail polish dry. She seemed a little out of sorts, distracted.

“On the back porch,” Andrea lied, not meeting Emma’s eyes.

“Avoiding the insanity?” Emma asked.

“Has it been that bad?” Andrea asked, laughing.

Holding out her hands and rolling her eyes up at the curlers in her hair, Emma asked, “What do you think?”

Grinning, Andrea said, “It’ll be worth it when Selena sees you tomorrow.”

That seemed to take some of the sting out Emma’s annoyance, and she nodded. Smiling, she said, “She’s the only girl I’d put up with this for.”

“You should put that in your vows,” Andrea laughed.

“I might,” Emma said, shaking her head. Looking over her shoulder, Emma asked, “Can I hide with you on the porch?”

“Your mom would end up finding us both, then,” Andrea said.

“Yeah,” Emma said, sighing, “you better hide, again.”

“Right,” Andrea said, grabbing a Coke, “good luck.”

“You, too,” Emma said.

Andrea took her Coke up to her room. Setting the drink on the nightstand, she pulled the jewelry box from beneath her pillow. She flopped on her bed, holding it above her so she could look at it. Still doing it, she reached for her cell phone and called Michelina.

When the line was picked up, she said, “Hello, Beautiful.”

“Hi, Andrea,” Michelina said.

Smiling, Andrea thought, she must be around other people.

It was a sort of code word, calling the other person by their name instead of a pet name. It was a practical way of letting them know there were other ears about.

“Want me to call back?” Andrea asked.

“No,” Michelina said, then there was the solid thunk of a door closing, “hey, Chica.”

“I miss you,” Andrea said.

“Me, too,” Michelina said, then sighed, “tonight needs to hurry up and get here.”

“Yeah,” Andrea agreed.

“How’d it go with Selena?”

Laughing, Andrea said, “It must have been pure chaos here. No one noticed I was gone for like four hours.”

“How did the tattoo come out?”

“It’s hard to tell until it sets up, but I think it’s okay,” Andrea said, then snorted, “it ended up being a lot bigger than the original drawing.”

“How so?” Michelina asked.

Andrea told her about the extended tattoo that wrapped around Selena’s thigh, including the awkward slip of the comforter.

“You saw her panocha?” Michelina asked, laughing.

“Her what?” Andrea asked.

“You know… lady parts,” Michelina said.

“Um… yeah. I saw her panocha,” Andrea said, shaking her head, “made the rest of the tattoo awkward as hell.”

“I bet it did,” Michelina said, amused.

“Oh, hey… I almost forgot,” Andrea said, sitting up, “I gave Selena her first permanent tattoo. It was sweet, hers, and Emma’s names in linked hearts with a flower for her and a skull for Emma. I took a picture if you want to see it. The henna tattoo, too.”

“Show me tonight,” Michelina said, then groaned, “I have to go, Chica. They are yelling for me.”

“Okay, Babe. Love you,” Andrea said.

“Love you,” Michelina said, then she was gone.

Smiling up at the ring, Andrea said out loud, “She’s going to love this.”

At the jewelry store, she had thought the night after Emma’s wedding would be the perfect time to give it to her. She wanted wedding cake and bridal gowns on Michelina’s mind when she gave her the ring and promised that her heart belonged only to her. Selena was right about it looking like an engagement ring, might even be one. In a way, it was an engagement ring, a place holder for a real ring someday. It would just be an extended engagement.

“After graduation,” Andrea said, smiling. Andrea’s slip of the tongue had become a running joke between them, one that always earned an affectionate smile. Joke or not, there was some real sentiment behind it.

Closing her hand around the ring, she held it to her breast. With it close to her heart, she wondered what she should say to Michelina. The ring sort of spoke for itself, but she thought something still needed to be said. Emma and Selena had written their own vows, and Andrea thought maybe she should write some for Michelina. Tell the girl why she loved her so much. Even the Reader’s Digest version would be a long list.

————————————————-

Andrea rolled out of bed, reached for the jeans she had laid out. It was after eleven, and everyone should be asleep by now. Still, she went to her door and poked her head out. Holding her breath, she listened intently. Not hearing anything, she grabbed her shoes and stepped into the hallway. She turned the doorknob, pushed the door closed, then let the knob spin in her hand silently. Careful of the floorboards that creaked, she headed down the hall to the stairs. As she took them, she started to relax. Getting downstairs was the hard part.

I’m getting good at sneaking out, Andrea thought, smiling, I’ve had plenty of practice since that first time.

She was crossing through the living room when a lamp suddenly snapped on behind her. Andrea froze, her heart sinking.

“And where are you going, young lady?” her stepmother said, behind her.

Andrea frowned. It sounded like her stepmother, but not exactly. Turning around, she saw Emma grinning at her. Her hand was still on the lamp cord.

“Asshole,” Andrea said.

Laughing, Emma said, “Couldn’t resist.”

“What are you doing up?” Andrea asked.

“Can’t sleep,” Emma said.

“Missing Selena?” Andrea guessed.

“Yeah,” Emma said, a little sheepishly, “I can’t sleep without her.”

“Aw,” Andrea said, grinning.

“Shut up,” Emma said, laughing, “you’ll see. Wake up a couple of times with Michelina in your arms, and you’ll never want to wake up without her.”

Andrea thought that was probably true. Michelina was probably waiting on her at their spot, and, while she wouldn’t be able to wake up in her arms, she’d get a chance to lay in them awhile tonight. She definitely didn’t want to give up being with Michelina, now that she has spent time in her embrace.

“Speaking of which,” Andrea said, gesturing with her thumb, “I need to go.”

“Don’t stay out too late,” Emma said, giving Andrea a look, “don’t want you all tired for my wedding.”

“I won’t,” Andrea said, then added, “You should get some sleep, too.”

“I’m just waiting for this half of an Ambien to kick in,” Emma said, yawning right on cue, “which I think it just did.”

“Goodnight,” Andrea said.

“Night,” Emma said, standing up and turning off the lamp.

They went their separate ways- Emma to bed and Andrea out the front door. The spring night was chilly but not cold enough to need a jacket. Andrea was glad for that because she hadn’t worn one. She hurried to the hole in the fence that hid the start of the well-worn trail that led to hers and Michelina’s secret spot. Once she was safely in the woods, she pulled her small flashlight out of her pocket. With no moon to speak of, she was going to need it.

She saw the flickering light as she approached the burnt out building. Michelina was indeed waiting for her and already had the fire going. Andrea walked a little faster, eager to see her girlfriend. Other than the brief conversation on the phone, they hadn’t had any interaction today. They had a lot to talk about.

Eventually, Andrea thought, smiling, talking usually comes second.

Sure enough, as soon as Michelina saw her, the girl was off the lounger and in her arms. Without so much as a hello, they were kissing and pawing at each others’ clothes. Michelina had Andrea’s shirt off and her pants unbuttoned before she managed to say, “Hi.”

“Hi,” Michelina said, kissing her, again.

That’s enough small talk, Andrea thought, her hand slipping under Michelina’s shirt to cup her breast. They were stumbling backward toward the lounger, neither one of them able to see where they were going. When Michelina’s legs connected with the wooden frame, they toppled over, half on and half off of it.

Laughing, Michelina scooted the rest of the way onto it, and Andrea laid down atop of her. Now safely horizontal, they could resume kissing and they did with gusto. Lying in the dark, waiting for her parents to fall asleep, Andrea had wanted to do this so bad. She thought Michelina must have too because the girl was just as eager as she was.

Andrea stood up and pulled Michelina’s shoes off. The girl unbuttoned her jeans, and Andrea pulled them down her long legs and off. Michelina’s panties joined her pants on the ground. Andrea crawled back onto the lounger, leaving a trail of kisses up the inside of one of Michelina’s thighs.

She heard the girl’s breathing get funny and knew Michelina was ready for what came next. Smiling, Andrea decided to make her wait for it, to tease her a little bit. Her next kiss didn’t land where Michelina expected, her lips brushing the hollow of her hip, instead. She kissed her way up Michelina’s stomach to the swell of her breasts. Trapping a straining nipple between her teeth, she drew a moan from Michelina. The girl’s back arched off the lounger as Andrea continued to torture the dark nub. Her hand ran up Michelina’s flank to cup her other breast, kneading it.

Kissing her way back down Michelina’s taut stomach, Andrea decided she had made the girl wait long enough. This time when she came to the swell of her girlhood, she placed one last kiss there that drew a moan from Michelina. Smiling, Andrea knew she had the girl a horny mess, knew that the caress of her tongue was going to be a sweet torture on Michelina’s sensitive bud. She rolled her eyes up and watched her girlfriend’s reaction to the first flick of her tongue. Her smile widened when she saw just how right she had been.

“Oh, Chica,” Michelina moaned, her voice thick with excitement.

Andrea wasn’t sure how ‘Chica’ had become a term of endearment. It meant ‘girl’ in Spanish and, as far as she knew, it wasn’t a common pet name. For whatever reason, Michelina always called her ‘Chica’ and, usually, with a smile. Andrea didn’t mind being ‘Chica’, as long the girl kept smiling at her like that.

In this case, though, Andrea thought ‘Chica’ was meant as encouragement not to stop. Michelina’s body was writhing under Andrea’s attention, her hips pushing her girlhood against Andrea’s mouth eagerly. Her soft cries of enjoyment filled the night air, joining with the drone of insects and the songs sung by the birds in the trees.

It didn’t take long for the pleasure washing through her young body to reach a breaking point. Andrea saw her girlfriend start to come, felt the tension gathering inside of her. She didn’t let up, the caress of her tongue finishing what she had started with a single kiss. Michelina cried out as her body shook with an orgasm.

Smiling, Andrea crawled up to give the dazed girl a kiss. Gasping for breath, Michelina still managed to give her a very appreciative kiss back. Andrea laid down between the girl’s spread legs, rubbing her lower abdomen against Michelina’s still very sensitive bud. The girl groaned into the kiss, her fingers digging into Andrea’s shoulders.

The lounger was narrow, but they managed to switch places with practiced ease. On her back, Andrea smiled up at Michelina. The girl leaned in and gave her a deep, toe-curling kiss that left Andrea a little out of breath.

Michelina got to her feet, helping Andrea out of her jeans and panties. Like the rest of their clothes, they ended up on the ground. Michelina crawled onto the lounger and gave Andrea a taste of her own medicine. Call it foreplay or just mean, but Michelina made her wait for what she really wanted. The girl explored Andrea’s body with her hands and mouth, had Andrea ready to beg for it by the time she moved lower.

The caress of the girl’s tongue across her bud forced a moan from her, then another. Like a dam that had broken, she couldn’t hold them back as they rushed out of her. Michelina saw to that, her able mouth doing wonderful things to her.

Michelina got to her knees, moving up until she was straddling one of Andrea’s hips. As their bodies came together, Andrea didn’t think she was ready for this, yet. Luckily, Michelina wasn’t in a hurry. The slow, sensual roll of her hips was a sweet torture on Andrea’s still tender bud. Keeping up that easy pace, she leaned forward and kissed Andrea. Like the tempo of their lovemaking, the kiss wasn’t rushed, either.

By the time Michelina was ready for more, so was Andrea. The girl had let her recover some, if not completely. The grind of their bodies was even more intense so soon after her orgasm. In fact, it felt so good, Andrea didn’t know how long she was going to last. She didn’t want to come without Michelina, but the girl was going to have to hurry.

Hoping to distract herself and maybe help Michelina gain some ground, Andrea sat and kissed the slop of Michelina’s breast. Her tongue found the dark nub of Michelina’s nipple, teasing until it stiffened. She drew a groan from the girl as she gently nibbled on it. Michelina’s back arched, pushing her breast against Andrea’s mouth. Taking the hint, Andrea didn’t let up, her hand coming up to tease the other nipple.

Michelina put her hands on Andrea’s cheeks, pulled her away from her breast to give her an excited kiss. With an inward grin, Andrea thought her ploy had worked. She didn’t know if the girl had caught all the way up to her or not, but they were definitely closer than before.

Buying some more time, Andrea wrapped her arms around the girl, pulling her down atop of her. In a move they had perfected, they rolled without falling off the side of the lounger. Now on top, Andrea moved into position, their bodies coming together, again. Well practiced, the change had only taken a couple of seconds. They didn’t lose their head of steam, and they fell back into the rhythm they had had before switching. The only difference was Andrea moved a bit to one side now, putting pressure on Michelina’s bud with her thigh and taking some off of her own.

For all of her efforts, Andrea felt her orgasm coming on like a runaway train. There was no stopping it. Still, she thought she had held out long enough, Michelina’s cries as urgent as her own. Fighting her body as it started to lose control, she kept grinding against the girl as best she could. The pressure on her bud was sending shock waves through her young body, the ripples of pleasure building off each other.

Crying out, she climaxed hard, her whole body shaking. Through the rush of blood in her ears, she heard Michelina cry out a heartbeat behind her, felt the girl trembling beneath her. Sitting very still, Andrea gave the girl a little laugh. Michelina offered her a dazed smile, nodded.

After a bit, Andrea eased off of Michelina, stretching out beside her on the lounger. She put her arm around Michelina as the girl snuggled against her.

Suddenly laughing, Andrea asked, “Did we say hi?”

“I think so,” Michelina said, grinning at her, “hi, in case we didn’t.”

“Hi,” Andrea said, shaking her head, “this always happens.”

“I can’t help it,” Michelina said, kissing her, “I wanted your body.”

“I’m not complaining,” Andrea said, laughing, “just saying.”

“Oh hey,” Michelina said, propping up on her elbow, “let me see the pictures.”

Andrea managed to snag her pant leg without having to get off the lounger, dragging her jeans closer. She grabbed her phone from her back pocket, pulled up the pictures she had taken of Selena’s tattoos. She held the phone, so both of them could see the screen, flipping through the images.

“Maybe Emma shouldn’t be the only upset about this tattoo, Chica,” Michelina said, sounding amused rather than upset.

Laughing, Andrea said, “It wasn’t any fun for me. The whole thing was awkward.”

“Can’t imagine why,” Michelina said, shaking her head, “the henna tattoo is practically on her panocha.”

“It was the only way to make the tattoo flow right,” Andrea said, sheepishly.

“Uh-huh,” Michelina said, giving her a look.

“She sprung the leg idea on me at the last minute, otherwise I would have drawn it up differently,” Andrea said, defensively.

“Do you think Emma will be upset when she sees this?” Michelina asked.

“I doubt it,” Andrea said, crossing her fingers.

“It’s beautiful, at least,” Michelina said, then with a playful grin, “and kind of sexy. I think Emma will be too distracted to be mad about it.”

“I think that was Selena’s idea,” Andrea said.

Michelina swiped her finger across the phone screen, bringing up the picture of Selena’s first permanent tattoo. She just looked at it a while, then turned her beautiful brown eyes on Andrea, asked, “Will you draw us one of these someday?”

“After graduation?” Andrea asked, smiling at her.

Andrea had meant it as a joke, but Michelina was completely serious when she answered, “Yes.”

Her heart all stupid in her chest, Andrea met the girl’s eyes. The love she saw in them mirrored the one she had for Michelina. She kissed Michelina tenderly, said, “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Michelina said.

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