Housemates

Chapter 48

Afterwards, they lay still. Ellie felt happy. She felt warm and comfortable and soft with happiness. She was breathing slowly, and could feel sweat slowly drying on her skin.

Mia’s sweat and hers, all mixed together. She liked that idea. She wiped her hand over her breasts, where she was damp, then held her fingers near her face and breathed in. It was a nice mix, the smell of Mia’s skin, and Ellie’s too, and the last of their wetness as well, still on her fingers. She liked how the scent of their bodies mixed on her hand. Together, she decided, they made a very nice smell.

That seemed strangely important.

After a moment, Mia sat up and opened a window above the bed. A breeze came in, and suddenly Ellie’s skin felt pleasantly cooler. Mia pulled the curtain back across and lay back down.

Ellie shifted. She lay carefully so she was very close to Mia. Close, but without touching, so there was still space for air to get between them and help them cool down. She settled herself there, then she slid her foot, and slid her hand, and made contact just with those, against Mia’s ankle and hip.

She didn’t quite know why.

She turned her face sideways, and watched Mia as she did.

She watched Mia stare at the ceiling, then watch Mia smile, when Ellie touched her. Mia smiled, without looking over at Ellie, then reached out and put and put her hand on Ellie’s breast. She stroked slowly, teasing Ellie’s nipple.

Ellie still felt a little sensitive there. She took Mia’s hand, and twisted their fingers together, and held it instead.

Mia smiled.

After a while she looked at Ellie’s hand.

“Nice nails,” Mia said. “That’s a nice colour.”

“Yeah,” Ellie said, then held up her hand. “Oh, wait. Which?”

“Those,” Mia said, looking at the hand she was holding, then at Ellie’s other one. “What else?”

Ellie lifted one foot.

“Oh,” Mia said, and grinned. “Yeah, those too.”

“For you,” Ellie said, because she thought she might as well just be honest. “I panicked and did it at work.”

“Okay.”

“In the bathroom.”

Mia kissed Ellie, lazily. Slowly tipping her face sideways, stretching slightly to reach. “You don’t have to panic,” Mia said. “Not about me. Ever.”

Ellie shrugged and didn’t answer because she was fairly sure she would again. She didn’t argue, though, because right now she felt happy.

“I like your room,” Ellie said.

Mia nodded slowly.

“I almost didn’t stay because your bed was made,” Ellie said.

Mia looked at her, surprised. “What?”

“It was, I don’t know. Intimidating. I almost ran away.”

Mia kept looking at her.

“Seriously,” Ellie said.

“Would it help to know I made the bed this morning because I thought we’d end up here?”

Ellie looked at her.

“And hid the dirty laundry in the wardrobe?”

“That might help a little.”

Mia grinned. “You,” she said. “Are just…”