This Love, This Hate (A Lesbian Romance)

TLTH Chapter Five

This Love, This Hate

Chapter Five

                “And it looks like she’s coming back outside!” Malarie announced after watching her house and teasing Zoe about her for a few minutes. Zoe made her way over to the window and looked out for proof and saw that, indeed Raine had come back outside and was coming towards their house, “She’s coming here! I’ll go to my room!”

                “Okay, I better go answer the door before Henry does and thinks she’s a virgin sacrifice or something…” Zoe sighed, in complete shock over the whole situation still. She made her way downstairs to the sound of the door bell ringing twice but her mom and Henry were nowhere in sight, “Figures.” She mumbled before she answered the door.

                “Hey!” Raine  squealed with a smile on her gorgeous face.

                “Hey.” Zoe replied, barely above a whisper as she put one hand on the door frame for support.

                “I was let off early and I saw you and your boyfriend heading this way and I saw you come inside here…” Raine trailed off a little shyly. Zoe was surprised to see her shy and smiled slightly.

                “Boyfriend?” Her mother called from somewhere in the house, it sounded like either the bathroom or her bedroom.

                “Yes mom, my BOYFRIEND!” Zoe yelled back in irritation.

                “Well anyway, I saw you come here and I live across the street and I just…wanted to see if this was your house I guess.” Raine explained sweetly. God, she was beautiful.

                “Yes, it is. I guess we’re neighbors now. Awesome, right?” Zoey said, swallowing hard and trying to hide her excitement, “Do you uh…want to come in?”

                “Sure! I was hoping to talk to you about something.” Raine agreed with a sort of sad look in her eyes.

                Zoe stepped aside and lead Raine upstairs to her room where Raine closed the door behind them and sat on the edge of Zoe’s futon, patting the spot next to her invitation. Zoe sat down close to her, but not too close and looked to her curiously. “I wanted to talk to you abou—” She stopped mid-sentence and stared at Zoe’s lips, “Oh my gosh! What happened?” She hesitantly reached up a hand and gently traced her fingers over Zoe’s bruised mouth, making Zoe lose her entire thought process all together for a few seconds.

                “I…hit my face on…the cabinet.” Zoe lied with a wince. She didn’t dare tell her what happened with Randall; she didn’t have the heart to, especially if Raine had never seen or heard about that side of him before.

                “Are you okay?” Raine asked, only about an inch away from Zoe’s face as she closely surveyed Zoe’s lips. Oh, dear God this girl was going to make her lose her mind…

                “Yeah, I’m fine…just…What were you saying?” Zoe sighed, fiercely utilizing her self-control and trying not to think about her lips on Raine’s.

                “Right,” Raine remembered, pulling away and looking into Zoe’s eyes, “I think Randall might be cheating on me…and not just with one girl.” She put her head in her hands and Zoe hesitated while she thought of an appropriate answer that wouldn’t give away that she knew anything about it.

                “I’m sure it’s just a rumor,” Zoe excused awkwardly as she stared at Raine’s delicate, long-fingered hands and black nails, “What makes you think that he might be?”

                “One of the girls on the squad said they saw him with someone after school today and that’s not the first time someone’s told me that.” Raine explained sadly, “It wouldn’t surprise me if he was. I’ve been at cheerleading practice so much lately and between that, school, and work I barely ever have time to see him. That’s part of why he stopped by gym this morning. Any chance we have, we try to see each other…even if just for a minute.”

                “Have you asked him about it?” Zoe asked, resting a hand on her back gently.

                “I’m too afraid to. What if I’m wrong and he dumps me? Or worse, what if I’m right?” She whimpers, looking up at Zoe. Her tear-filled eyes shimmered in the dimly lit room—the sun was starting to go down already.

                “There’s only one way to know…” Zoe reminded softly.

                “You’re right. I should ask him.” Raine decided, sitting up and smiling sadly at Zoe, “Is it okay if I hang out here for a while? It’s so nice here with you. You make me feel so much better. It’s nice not to be alone.”

                “Sure,” Zoe allowed, rubbing her back reassuringly and watching her take off her flats. Zoe clicked off her television and played an Automatic Loveletter CD through her stereo. It was an older cd, but one of Zoe’s favorites.

                “Can we go up to the bed?” Raine asked shyly, “It would be nice to lay and talk with someone other than myself.”

                “Sure. Let me get the light.” Zoe allowed with a smile as the color rose to her cheeks. For how popular Raine seemed, she sure appeared lonely. Zoe turned off the light and climbed up onto the bed, laying near the wall and giving Raine plenty of space to lie next to her without touching, but was pleasantly surprised when Rain laid her head on Zoe’s chest and put an arm across her stomach.

                “You seem like such a great person, Zoe,” Raine commented softly, “I just met you, yet I feel as if I’ve known you my entire life.”

                “I know what you mean,” Zoe allowed with a smile as ‘Hush’ began to play and they looked up at the glow and the dark stars on the ceiling. No more words were spoken or needed to be, everything was quiet, easy…and they drifted off to sleep.

~

                A few hours later, Zoe awoke to find Raine no longer there and the stereo was still playing her CD since she had it looped to repeat. She rubbed her eyes and saw a note on the pillow beside where Raine had been that smelled like bath and body work’s midnight pomegranate perfume.

                “I’m sorry I left without saying anything…you just looked so peaceful and I didn’t want to wake you. ;) <3 Love, Raine”

                Love? Zoe lied on her back and hugged the note close to her chest. She probably signed every note that way, but Zoe still clung to the word…love…