You've got this, you're beautiful and I love you. Everything is going to be fine.
Everything is going to be fine.
Irene read the last sentence of Jisoo's text over and over about a million times before she finally took a deep breath and got off her bed. She wasn't prepared for breaking up with Hank in the slightest. If anything, she felt like she needed fifty more years of pep talks and self-negotiation skills.
Unfortunately, she didn't think Lisa would understand and wait that long. And well, Lisa was worth cutting ties with family members she'd known her whole life so it was now or never.
Standing up and smoothing the front of her blouse down; her way of faking self confidence, Irene took another deep breath and walked out of her bedroom door. Taking the stairs one by one, she slowly meandered her way into the kitchen where Hank sat eating his breakfast of steak and eggs. When she closed her eyes and pictured the near future, it was Lisa sitting on her counter top, eating blueberries straight out of the bowl and peppering her with those early morning kisses that could make a mute angel sing.
With that in mind, she sat tensely in the seat opposite of Hank, gently asking, "Can we have our talk now?"
"I guess, babe. Is it gonna take long? I work in thirty."
In a perfect world, you'd make this easy for me and it'll take less than five.
Straightening her shoulders and feigning the confidence that had fled sometime during the night, Irene began the second hardest conversation she'd ever have in her lifetime.
"Hank," she started, ironically sounding self-assured, "I'm not going to drag this out. I don't think we should be together anymore."
Hank's hand paused mid-air, fork hovering with his next bite of food.
Irene's fingers tensed and clenched into fists, waiting for him to say something. Anything. When he neglected to respond, she repeated, "Hank, I—"
He began uncontrollably laughing. Irene retracted backwards, wanting to make sure that he was actually—
"Oh, shit, Irene. That's a good one," he managed to get out between the laughs. "You're funny, babe. You almost got me there."
Her mouth dropped open, frozen in a look that could either become a scream or animalistic screech that expressed all the built up anger inside her body that he had built layer by layer. Remembering to try and sound self-assured, she spit out, "I'm not joking. I have never been more serious about anything."
He carefully placed his fork down, laughing once more in her face. "That's funny. I don't think we should break up at all." He angled his head to the side, fixing her with an amused grin that made shivers roll down her spine.
"Hank, I'm serious. I want you out." She was tired of playing these games, trying to convince herself that maybe she shouldn't leave him, that maybe she was making a mistake. These thoughts plagued and nagged at her, though she was well aware they were nothing more than intrusive thoughts that derived from her self consciousness. Then she thought about Lisa; how soft spoken she was, how badly she wanted to treat Irene so well. Things got a little easier.
"I've packed your side of the closet, and I can send you anything else whenever you want." She could see the shock flash across his face when he realized that she was truly not kidding.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" His nostrils flared in anger, causing her to pull back even further. "After all this time? You just woke up this morning and decided to kick me out? Are you out of your fucking mind?"
"I'm quite level-headed actually, I've been thinking about this for a while. What you have to offer me is not what I need." Not that you have much to offer at all.
He barked out a sharp laugh, making Irene cringe. "Who else is going to put up with your shit? No," he shook his head, "You're not doing to this to me."
"I am, Hank. You can accept it now or later for all I care but I want you out of my house." She blinked slowly; precisely, letting it be known through her facial expressions that she had no room to budge on her decision. Her mind was made up and her heart had been emptied of the last nine years, ready to be refilled by a certain blonde.
"If you think that I'm just going to let you do this us," he sneered, "You've got something coming. I mean that. You're fucking delusional, thinking you can just throw all of this away."
Suddenly feeling quite relentless and deciding she had nothing to hold back, Irene shot back, "Throw what away? Your half assed compliments and lack of interest in anything that doesn't involve you?"
Raising an eyebrow, Hank chuckled incredulously. "Irene, I don't know what or who has gotten into you, but you'll regret this. You really will. You think anyone else will want to be with you? With all your mommy issues and the parade of girls that hang around here like leeches?"
"Do not bring my girls into this," Irene seethed. "And you should be worrying about yourself, I feel bad for any girl you try to date after me. Maybe you should come with a warning label, hm?"
In one swift move that startled her and Leo who had crept in to eat his breakfast, Hank swiped his plate to the floor where it smashed into a million shards. Whirling around to make sure Leo hadn't gotten hit in the aftermath, she was happy to see him merely scamper out towards the living room. Turning back around, she was met with Hank's chest heaving with every haggard breath he took in.
Deciding it was probably worth it to stay silent for the time being, Irene let Hank process his emotions as best he could. What she didn't expect was his voice coming out flat and cold.
"This will be the biggest regret of your life, Irene. You've just made the worst mistake possible." He shook his head forlornly. "I feel sorry for you, tossing me out like yesterday's trash." He clicked his tongue once, trying to seem calm like he wasn't flushed red and shuddering.
Irene felt a stab of pain in her rib cage right about where her heart would be. Opening her mouth and then closing it, she couldn't decide where to go from this. Slowly, with as much energy as she could muster, she ignored his tactics to try and hurt her. Instead, she said, "I called your mom earlier, and she said you can stay with her or your brother. She told me she's sorry it ended up like this, and that you're welcome there as long as you need to get back on your feet."
"My mother doesn't even like you," Hank was trying his hardest to dissuade her, showing that her attempts to end this relationship didn't bother him in the slightest. "She told me I deserve someone better than you."
"Hank," she sighed, "I don't believe that. I know this has come as a shock, but trying to hurt me does nothing to change my mind. Please, don't make this harder for yourself."
Contemplating a moment, he then gazed directly into her eyes. "Have you been fucking someone else? I bet that's it. It's funny you think leaving me for him will do you any good. Does he know how batshit insane you are? I bet you had Jisoo cover for you all those nights you two claimed to be together."
Pausing a moment while the shock and anger crept through her body, Irene took a second to even her breathing and contemplate all the ways she could get away with murdering Hank and hiding his body.
Squeezing her eyes shut and digging her nails into her palms to keep herself from screaming, she thought about what would happen after this. The dream of waking up next to Lisa and kissing her every night before bed was keeping her from getting up and screaming in Hank's face that yes there was someone else. And she was a better person than he could ever dream of being. He didn't deserve to know about her grace and respectfulness, not now and not ever.
"No," she lied through her teeth, "There is no one else. And even if there was," she said this with venom dripping her tone, "They would treat me better than you ever have or ever will."
"Bullshit."
In an attempt to make Hank understand that she was done with this; both the conversation and the relationship, she stood up and proceeded to leave the kitchen. To get the last word, she called back, "And clean up your fucking mess before I make you clean it."
Another plate smash. Sighing, she let him get out his anger; knowing her peace of mind was worth more than some Williams & Sonoma plates.
Scooping up Leo on her way up the stairs, Irene waited in her bedroom with the door shut, knowing Hank would have to leave eventually for work.
After a few more minutes of listening to his general displeasure over the situation, Irene heard him grab the suitcase she'd placed in the foyer and slam the door shut. The reverberations made her cringe, but then slowly the weight lifted off her shoulders little by little like pieces of ash flying haphazardly from flames.
After she knew his car had pulled out of the driveway and peeled off down the street, Irene made herself get out of bed and check the damage Hank had made in the kitchen. In his rage, he had broken two plates and left his dirty dishes in the sink. Resigning to the fact that she'd have to be the one to clean up his mess, she was glad to know it'd be for the last time.
When she went to reach for the broom inside the closet, she noticed Hank had left her a note on the edge of the counter. Unfolding it, Irene read it with tension brimming inside her, knowing he'd have some choice words for her after he'd stormed out.
Send my shit to my mom's. You'll regret this, just know that. You're making a mistake. If you come to your senses, call me and apologize and I'll consider taking you back.
Irene couldn't help it. Dropping the broom, she crumpled to the floor where she sobbed and ached to be in Lisa's arms, getting coddled and told it would be okay. Struggling to take in deep breaths, she curled into a rocking position, pulling her knees to her chest and letting herself cry out every terrible emotion. In the back of her mind she knew she'd made the right decision. It had taken her a while to get to this point, but the circumstances surrounding had made her second guess herself. Leaving her longtime boyfriend for a woman she'd met and had a tumultuous three day love affair with? Irene wasn't sure she could ever top these dramatics in the future.
Lying there, she silently repeated over and over that being with Lisa would be the wisest choice she'd make in the rest of her lifetime. She did this so many times that when she stood up an hour later to stretch her legs, the voice inside her head was sounding like a broken record.
Pushing herself up, she soldiered on to sweep the broken plates off the floor and wash the dishes Hank had left behind. Meticulously she went through the motions of cleaning up after him, drying each dish with care to prolong the distraction. By the time she was done, the tears had reappeared and clouded her vision. Pulling back from the sink and drying rack, she pulled her phone from her back pocket and dialed Jisoo's number.
"Hi, babygirl, did you do it?"
"Yes," Irene sobbed, "I did it."
Even through the snotty tears, she managed to ask, "Can you come over? I can't be alone."
"You're lucky I'm off work this week," Jisoo huffed, "I'll be there in twenty. Don't do anything rash like burn his shit in the backyard. I wanna be there for that."
Laughing through the tears, Irene promised, "I won't. Please, just come."
Forever behind schedule, Jisoo pulled up an hour later and walked through the front door without pause. Marching up the stairs and straight to Irene's room she paused to say, "The aura of this house is already so much lighter. I feel like a demon was exorcised or something." Trudging inside, she tossed a grocery bag containing donuts and chocolate bars on the end of Irene's bed.
Through the broken sobs and tears, bubbling laughter erupted from Irene's mouth. "I hate you," and then, "You're right."
Clicking her tongue in agreement, Jisoo replied, "I know I am. Look, I even brought you wine and stopped at Starbucks for your nasty leaf water. Can't you drink coffee like the rest of us?"
"I like to be different, I guess." Irene patted the empty space next to her, an undeniable request for Jisoo to crawl in and give her some peace of mind. Graciously accepting the tea, she sighed out a feeble, "It was really bad, Chu."
"He didn't take it well? I, for one, am absolutely shocked."
Rolling her eyes and shoving Jisoo playfully, Irene responded, "I'm serious. It was terrible."
"God, I'm kidding. I have to get my jokes out, lighten the mood a little. What did he say?"
"That I'll regret this, I'm making the biggest mistake of my life. And that his mother hates me," Irene stared forlornly at the floorboards, equal parts upset and enthralled it was over. The 200-pound weight off her shoulders that had come in the form of Hank was no longer holding out of reach from delicious freedom. She couldn't wait to see how far it stretched.
"His mom? That woman loves you. Hank's a piece of shit," Jisoo seethed. "This was the best decision you've ever made in your life. Your worst mistake was definitely getting white highlights in your hair back in college. You kinda looked like a skunk."
Biting back a laugh, Irene's heart warmed at her greatest support system being there to, well, support. Thankful for the distraction Jisoo brought, she sipped on her tea and continued, "Oh yeah, and he thinks I've been fucking someone else."
Jisoo snorted, a low sound that was received with an annoyed glare from Irene. Tossing a hand in the air, she was quick to defend herself. "I'm just saying. It's not like you actually fucked her. Yet," she emphasized.
A crimson blush rose violently on Irene's chest and cheeks, flushing her with absolute shame that Jisoo caught onto immediately. "Uh, hello? What's with that? Oh my God, did you fuck her? I don't condone cheating but Hank had it coming."
"No," Irene was quick to reply, "I have morals. Unless," she paused, unsure how detailed she'd like to get with this. "Does phone sex count?"
Jisoo looked simultaneously proud and shocked. In an unusual venture, she was silent for a long pause to contemplate what exactly had gotten into her usual straight laced best friend. "My God," she finally breathed out, "Who are you? I'm fucking obsessed with this new thing you've got going on. It's very sexy of you."
"Thanks, I think."
"Do you feel better though?"
Contemplating, Irene let herself come to the realization that it was actually over. She didn't have to play maid or be the perfect housewife anymore, letting Hank use her for his own personal gain. It was maddening; this neat, bow wrapped gift she'd granted herself, but there were still parts of her that felt as though she'd done something so incredibly stupid and selfish. Maybe it was because of Hank's words, maybe it was because she'd never done something this reckless this before. All she knew was that she felt relieved, excited, and truthfully, a little lonely.
"I don't know," she replied, "I'm trying to wrap my mind around it. It feels weird, like I'll wake up tomorrow and he'll be back here, asking me to make breakfast." Tossing her head to the side, she smiled softly, "But he won't be."
"Exactly. He won't be. Hey," Jisoo lifted her chin, "I'm proud of you, yeah? I mean it."
The tears watered again, and Irene ducked her head into the crook of Jisoo's neck; inhaling a sharp breath and sobbing out. "What if I made a mistake? What if I'm crazy and this is just some elaborate self sabotage scheme I didn't see coming?" It hurt to ask; knowing without doubt that this twisted love affair with Lisa was about to transform into a life changing love story like a caterpillar making the transformation into a beautiful butterfly. But it had to be spoken, so that Irene could release it out in the open and watch it dissipate like smoke.
"Don't be fucking stupid."
She would have liked to able to get through this without the presence of more tears, but that was blown to shit when Jisoo grasped at her tighter and rocked the two of them. Irene didn't know much about what the future held; but she knew this: Lisa would adore and love her, two things Irene had denied herself for so long. Jisoo rocked her for a while, not saying anything and letting her heave every emotion out.
"I'm sorry I've cried so much lately," she finally sniffled.
"Do I look like I care? Remember when I broke up with James and cried for like a week straight?"
"Yeah," Irene laughed, "And you didn't even like him that much. You made me watch every Real Housewife series with you. I thought I was going to scream."
"It's not my fault you don't have taste. He had a small dick anyway. Whatever, my point is that you're making a huge life change and tears are natural. It's all part of the process, babe."
"Yeah, you're right."
"Again, I always am. No one ever listens to me," she scoffed.
Irene smacked her upside the head and laid her own down on the pillow. "I'm exhausted. Will you put on Great British Bake Off?"
Jisoo reached over for the remote and fulfilled her request. As she went to get off the bed, Irene clutched at her and pleaded, "Wait, don't leave me."
"Jesus, can I pee?" As Irene nodded and let go; eyes already focused back at the tv, Jisoo swiftly snatched her phone off the dresser. Out in the hallway, she punched in Irene's password, which she knew by heart. In recent calls, she pressed Lisa's name and took a deep breath.
Lisa picked up immediately. "Hi sexy, I was just thinking about you."
Jisoo barely disguised her laughter, responding, "Who, me?"
"Oh shit, sorry Jisoo. Where's Irene?" Dropping her tone, she worried, "Is she okay?"
"Well, she broke up with the piece of shit that was weighing her down this morning, and she's not having the greatest time," Jisoo answered. "Do you think you can come over and relieve me of my duties here? I love her and all, but I'm not exactly who she needs right now."
Buzzing at Jisoo's confession that Irene wanted her, Lisa nodded enthusiastically to herself. "Yeah," she accepted the plea, "God, yeah. I can be there in twenty." Brimming with excitement, she hung up the phone before remembering to say goodbye to Jisoo.
"That's my good deed my for the day," Jisoo whispered to herself. She made her way back to Irene's bedroom, where she was dozing comfortably like surrendering to sleep had given her the ability to have a much needed moments peace.
Twenty minutes on the dot later, Jisoo heard a faint knock coming from downstairs. Carefully as not to disturb Irene, she padded down the stairs and greeted Lisa. "Hi, come in, please. She's sleeping upstairs."
Lisa looked around nervously, crossing her arms around herself. "He's really gone? That quickly? I thought it would take longer."
Jisoo grabbed her bag from the hall table and slipped her shoes on. "She moves fast when there's something she wants." At Lisa's wide smile, she pointed up the stairs. "First door on the left." Waving goodbye, she slipped out the door and smiled to herself, knowing she was finally leaving Irene in good hands.
Lisa tentatively crept up the stairs, nervous at being in this big house alone with Irene. At the same time, excitement and enthrallment shivered up her spine, giving her cause to close the gap between the two of them even quicker. Nervously, she debated whether to knock on the door or open it carelessly, unsure of how to bridge this newfound connection. Choosing a mixture of the two, she slightly opened the door and knocked, whispering, "Irene?"
"Jisoo?" Irene was on her side with her back to the door, blinking against the sunset lazily filtering its way through her blinds.
"No," Lisa giggled, "Not Jisoo."
"Lisa?" Irene whirled around incredulously. "Hi, I—when did you get here?" Quickly, she sat up and brushed her used tissues off her lap and into the wastebasket next to her bed. "Hi," she repeated, smiling dreamily.
Her obvious nervous tension was delightfully charming to Lisa, who repeated back a similar greeting. "Jisoo called me. I hope it's okay, that I'm, you know—"
"Yes," Irene sighed out, "It's more than okay. Come here." Her voice was weighted with sleep; light and dreamy, the only thing Lisa wanted to hear for the next thousand lifetimes.
Strolling over to her side of the bed, Lisa leaned down into Irene's waiting arms and kissed her. She did this with as much intensity and enthusiasm as she could muster, groaning into it as she straddled Irene's legs. Pulling back, she cradled Irene's tear-stained cheeks more gently than the latter had ever experienced, softly saying, "hi" again, like she would never tire of greeting her.
Like a lovesick fool, when Lisa placed a kiss on the tip of her nose, Irene felt every wall she'd put up and every negative thought break down and crumble to dust. Over and over she kissed Lisa with passion that had been stagnant for over five years, knowing now that she'd wasted five years too long.
For the first time in her life, Irene knew what freedom felt like. It was this: her hands wrapped up in blonde hair, her hips rutting up to meet Lisa's, the small gasps of lust that slipped from between both their lips. It was small devotions of love that had sprung from dirt like the first sign of life after a long winter. The chains of whatever had held her down in the past were exactly that now; the past. They were put behind her as she promised new beginnings to Lisa with every breathless kiss. Unspoken on lips, there was enough energy surrounding them that they knew it was useless to fight any reservations about this blossoming thing between them.
"Irene," Lisa's voice caught and it sounded like a chorus of angels, "I've been thinking about doing this for what feels like my entire life."
"I know," Irene whispered before pressing a blazing kiss on Lisa's sharp jawline. She repeated, "I know. It's like that for me, too." If it was anything like how she felt, Irene knew Lisa was dizzy, burning with heightened emotion and teetering on the edge of losing all self control. And it felt good.
"Lie down," Irene commanded, voice fervent and rough around the edges, "I wanna kiss you properly." This position was all well and good, but she couldn't risk letting Lisa get a cramp in her side or her foot falling asleep. She needed this to be perfect, despite it already being damn near close.
"What do you mean by properly," Lisa giggled, titillated, "If I lie down you know what comes next." She winked mischievously, then laughed again at Irene's ragged sigh that followed.
Gently forcing Lisa down atop her sheets, Irene paused to let herself take in the image of sexy body spread out, loose limbed and hair fanned out going every which way. Leaning down, she pressed a series of open mouthed kisses down the length of Lisa's neck who bared it without shame. Remembering that she meant to reply, Irene murmured into the shell of her ear, "And what exactly comes next?"
Glancing up at Irene with hooded eyes, she replied, "We cuddle and watch this episode of Great British Bake Off, because I love this show and Yeri won't watch it with me." She attempted to squirm out of Irene's embrace when the woman above tickled her waist for the teasing. Finally relenting, Lisa gasped out, "Okay, okay, maybe we can do some other stuff if you can keep your hands to yourself for the next twenty minutes."
Irene smiled, and it reached ear to ear. She was drunk with emotion that made her lightheaded and filled with childlike wonder. It was a foreign concept to her, this absolute sheer happiness that had blanketed her soul and marked a tiny imprint on her heart. When Lisa caught her smiling so widely, her face dropped as she wondered, "What, is there something on my face?" The hand that reached up to wipe at her face was caught by Irene, who laced their fingers together and replied back, "No, it's perfect. Like you. I just never thought we'd get this far."
Lisa rolled so that Irene was lying next to her, both of them on their sides facing each other. She grasped at Irene's hand once again, holding it like it was the only thing tethering her to this earth. "I didn't expect this either," she whispered. "You came into my life swirling like a tornado knocking at my doorstep."
At the interesting choice of words, Irene ducked her head as a delicate blush rose once again to her cheeks. Lisa cupped one side and kissed the other; to which Irene took it a step further and clasped her chin to angle it down for a proper kiss. Things seemed to get heated very quickly as Lisa swung one leg over Irene's waist and pressed herself fully against the warm body beside her. Disconnecting their lips for a quick second, Irene cheekily asked, "What happened to finishing the show?"
Lisa ground herself down deliberately on one of Irene's thighs, husking out, "I've already seen this one. Besides, I can think of something more interesting I wanna do." She slipped her tongue into Irene's mouth, moaning sweetly when she responded with mutual desire. Irene's hand slipped underneath her dress and flattened against the plane of her stomach, holding itself there in an unvoiced question that needed a confirmation before it went a step further.
"Irene," she broke away from wet lips, barely managing to get the full moniker out, "Can you touch me like you mean it?"
Without pause Irene's hand traveled up Lisa's waist and over the curve of her rib cage, where it delicately cupped the swell of her breast and dared to flick a thumb over a pert nipple. Lisa bucked into the touch, arching off the bed and gasping out, "Fuck, baby. That feels real good."
Irene smirked, flicking her thumb again and earning herself another gasping moan like she wanted to collect them all and store them into her memory. "You keep doing that and I'm not ever gonna want to leave this bed," Lisa murmured. "I don't know if you're prepared for that."
An incredulous laugh. "I'm prepared for anything."
"Anything, hm?"
"Anything," Irene confirmed.
Lisa took this to heart, slipping her own hand under Irene's blouse and traveling up smooth skin, where it rested atop a clothed breast. When her palm scraped over a nipple, she inhaled sharply and nearly cried, "You weren't lying about the lingerie."
"Lisa," she mockingly joked, "Can you touch me like you mean it?"
The blonde let the overwhelming desire take over all sense of rationality, yearning for the taste of Irene's skin on her tongue like she needed oxygen to breath and water to drink. Half propping herself up on an elbow, Lisa clumsily undid the buttons of Irene's shirt; who waited while she got her bearings and finally popped them all open, deftly unhooking her bra along with it. At the exposure of the uncharted territory of Irene's breathtakingly flushed chest, Lisa dropped down and brushed her mouth across the blank canvas. She drug her tongue across every dip and swell, nipping and sucking lightly as she saw fit. After pressing a dozen tiny kisses over and over Irene's heaving chest, Lisa lifted her head to look at her.
Lips plump and pink, her eyes glazed over as she purred, "I don't think I've ever seen anything so beautiful in my life. I feel like the luckiest son of a bitch in this whole goddamn state. Maybe even the whole world, honest to God."
Irene felt another stab of pain in her chest, this time for reasons she knew now were meant to be positive. Something snapped inside her, and when Lisa went to dip her head back down, she cradled her chin and forced them to make eye contact once more. "Can you," she mumbled, "Can we just—can I hold you?" She sighed out, seemingly embarrassed for stopping Lisa's hungry journey. Complying with the soft plea, Lisa allowed herself to be tugged up and into Irene's waiting embrace once more.
Curling into the warm chest, Lisa dropped her head against the soft curve underneath her chin. Irene's arms wrapped delicately around Lisa's shoulders, who sighed out like every moment leading up to this had been pure torture. Her fingers began delicately tracing Irene's collarbone, like she couldn't believe she was here and this was reality. As her fingertips danced along the sharp edges, Irene's chest constricted with the immensity of care Lisa had immediately taken on with her. She was used to rough, frenzied interactions with Hank; who cared about himself and his pleasure more than he'd cared about the warm body in bed next to him. Lisa was the complete opposite, treating this interaction as though she'd been entrusted to keep Irene in one piece; touching and cradling her with fragility and the utmost care. The dichotomy took Irene's breath away, and she told Lisa this through actions and not words.
Capturing the hand that had been tracing her chest, Irene brought it to her lips to press a kiss on each fingertip, gleaming when it made Lisa duck her head under the softness of the gesture. "Irene, I, I don't know how to say this," she started, "I feel like my head's swimming underwater but I'm perfectly capable of breathing. Like you're my life preserver or some shit. My heart's been fluttering like crazy, I think it's finally satisfied or something."
Irene had been preparing herself for the slew of backhanded compliments and unwarranted jibes at her appearance, immediately scolding herself for ever thinking Lisa was capable of such atrocities. Then Lisa gripped Irene's hand and placed it above her heart; on top of the soft skin encasing her most prized possession, letting her feel the pounding beat like her own personal drumline.
Irene went numb to the touch. "Your mind is so fucking beautiful," she exhaled, "It's so nice to hear that, I'm not used to it."
Lisa frowned at this, swiping her thumb over Irene's chin. "That's not fair to you. I'll never for the life of me understand why he didn't treat you like a queen. How could he not? I mean, look at you."
It was like fireworks exploded deep inside Irene's chest cavity. Her body burned with a delicious fire, a sensation worth every painstakingly long day of the last nine years. She thought she would do it all over again if it meant she could commemorate this moment and store every millisecond of it in her hippocampus. Shaking her head as if unable to believe this was real and this was her life now, Irene merely smiled and replied, "I don't need him to do it anymore, I have you."
"You do," Lisa agreed effortlessly. "For however long you want me for."
"It might just be forever," Irene confessed, feeling drunk on emotion and too weightless to even consider taming herself.
"Let me check my schedule, I might have something that day—" Lisa laughed heartily as Irene cut off her shameless teasing with an open mouthed kiss and playful smack on her thigh.
Sighing in content, Irene dropped back down into Lisa's ever careful arms and let herself be coddled. As if the last twelve hours hadn't existed, she was excited for this to become her new norm. It didn't matter that things moved quickly, all that mattered was that her heart had a reason to keep on beating.
"Irene?"
"Hm?"
"Why do you live in this big ass mansion if it's only you and Leo?"
"Oh," she laughed, suddenly remembering they knew next to nothing about each other. It was new and exciting and exhilarating now that they had an endless amount of time to learn about each other. She wanted to know everything about Lisa, from her favorite color to what makes her tick, her favorite food to what kind of shampoo she uses. Irene wanted to know everything from A-to-Z and whatever else could fall under that category. They'd already given each other the quiet promise of forever, and now she just hoped it was enough time.
She gently pressed her lips against Lisa's again, unable to believe that she could do this without qualm, but it's not like Lisa was complaining in the slightest. "I run a school for girls with gifted talents. They're on spring break but there's rooms here if they need to get away from home, you know? God knows I needed to get away from my mother sometimes."
"Yeah," Lisa nodded, "I feel that. My mom basically left me to fend for myself by the time I got out of high school. But it looks like we've been doing pretty well for ourselves since then."
"I think so too," Irene agreed.
When she'd imagined this type of intimacy, it hadn't looked like this; Lisa's head tucked perfectly in the space between her neck and shoulder, the ends of her hair tickling her ribcage, soft breaths fanning out across her neck. It hadn't been this heart achingly soft and wonderful and—
It made Irene want to explode with joy.
"Tell me about yourself," Irene urged, needy for any tidbits Lisa could give her. She selfishly wanted Lisa to divulge everything that had ever hurt her, wanting to fight them head on and destroy their ability to make Lisa feel anything less than whole.
"Well I grew up on the outskirts of the swamp in a little religious community, and when my mim found out that I wasn't born to marry the preacher's son, God forbid, she pretty much kicked me out. I had finished high school and took some college courses, but I needed a job so I worked in a vet's office. And by then I realized how much I loved animals so I took a couple of odd jobs here and there until I landed where I am now. It's my favorite one so far, but I might be biased because it's where I met this beautiful woman," she giggled, "You should see her. I might just have to make her mine."
"I'll have to meet her," Irene grinned wickedly, her fingers tangling themselves once more into Lisa's hair. "She sounds great."
"She is," Lisa hummed, leaning up for a kiss.
If only the world could stop moving for a period of time so Irene could have this moment with Lisa and not care what was happening outside this room. Deciding she'd had enough of just holding Lisa, Irene propped herself up and reached for the hem of her dress, shyly lifting it with bated breath. Lisa caught on immediately, arching her back in an attempt to help Irene pull it up and off all the way.
Then she was bare from the waist up; Irene's vision going a little blurry at the sight. If the world outside this room burnt to ash, she wouldn't have noticed; unable to focus on anything but the freckles dotting cream colored skin, the pebbled tips of her nipples that stood at attention, the way Lisa's eyes darkened with arousal despite barely even being touched. "You're perfect," Irene's nostrils flared as she inhaled sharply, and then, "I don't want to mess this up."
Her soft giggle and wide smile at the confession reminded Irene of the age old love story between the sun and the earth; how the earth loves the sun so much it rotates around it on a never ending journey. If Irene was the earth, Lisa was most definitely her sun. It made sense to her now, loving something so deeply that you spend your days in its blinding light, keeping you warm for the rest of eternity. Imagining a future with Lisa didn't feel as cumbersome as it did with Hank, it felt exhilarating and fun like Irene had stumbled upon the greatest treasure without even searching for it. She had been meant to feel like this all along, but she was glad she didn't. Because it brought her right here.
Swiftly, Lisa flipped them so that she was hovering over Irene and whispering, "You could never mess this up." She sat up on her hind legs, fingers tracing Irene's stomach down to where her pants were buttoned. Glancing up, a questioning look in her eyes, the woman underneath nodded vehemently.
"Take them off. Please." She sounded so breathy and needy that Lisa didn't want to make her ask again, pulling the pants down and off to the side of the bed. Pausing with her hands on Irene's thighs, she sucked in a breath and let out a low whistle.
"I ain't ever been this nervous before, Irene. What is it about you?" she wondered. She tentatively pressed down on the scrap of fabric with two fingers, enjoying the wetness she felt pooled there.
Irene shrugged her shoulders, shifting slightly to grant her curious fingers more access. "I don't know," she replied, "But I know exactly how you feel."
Trembling and shaking like a leaf, Lisa dug her thumbs into the waistband of Irene's underwear. In a tone barely above a whisper, she glanced up and asked, "May I?"
A sharp nod.
After a quick removal, Irene was as bare as the day she was born, looking like an incredibly sinful dream to Lisa. The woman above couldn't keep her eyes off Irene, tracing the entire length of her body like she was committing every line and curve to memory. Irene sighed and arched back, spreading her legs so Lisa could get a good look at how needy she was.
"Jesus," Lisa puffed out her cheeks, "What did I do to deserve this?"
Irene shifted once more, reminding Lisa that she didn't have all day, so if she could just get a move on it'd be much appreciated. "Lisa."
"Yeah," Lisa grinned, "Yeah, sorry. Just trying to figure out if I'm dreaming or not."
Irene bent herself up to take one of Lisa's cheeks in her palm and crush their soft lips together. "If it was a dream would I have done that?"
"Only in my most amazing ones," Lisa replied, then pensively, "Lie back."
Complying immediately, Irene reclined to let Lisa live out her wildest dreams. When she bent down to connect her mouth on the inside of Irene's thigh, the woman above sighed out and spread her legs even further apart like an offering. Pressing chaste kisses towards the center, Lisa made her way right between Irene's thighs and inhaled once before swiping her warm, wet tongue up the length.
She had meant to tease, drag this out all night and through the next day if possible, but there was no need. Lisa wanted Irene, and she wanted her now. She could drag this out later, they had a lifetime together after all.
Irene just about skyrocketed off the bed, not realizing how quickly the rush of arousal would decimate her. At first contact, she went into overdrive.
"Oh my God, Lisa," she breathed her name out like a prayer. Out of all the prayers Lisa had known and recited, this too was considered a form of worship. The only form she wanted to spend her Sundays worshiping. Along with every other day, if Irene was so inclined to let her.
With tears stinging her eyes, Irene pawed at Lisa's shoulders when she went to dip her tongue back down. "Can you—I want you up here," she pleaded, "With me." She needed to hold Lisa to make it clear to herself that this wasn't some elaborate fantasy she'd conjured up in her mind.
Dramatically groaning as if burdened by not being between Irene's legs, Lisa got one more lick up the slick, smooth skin to savor the taste as long as possible. Obeying the request, she then sat up next to Irene and brushed her wet lips over her collarbone, licking it up seductively and sighing in content. "I was right," Lisa drawled, "You do taste good."
Irene squeezed her eyes shut as Lisa traipsed her fingers down her stomach and back between legs. Sitting up on her side, she smiled widely at Irene's face that was adorably screwed up in what looked like agonizingly sweet pain.
"Irene," she singsonged, "Look at me."
When she glanced over at Lisa with pleading eyes, the former swiped two fingers through the wetness and inside slick walls with one quick movement. Irene's head rolled back on the pillow, the intense pressure immediately too much from where it coiled tightly in her gut beautifully. When Lisa began thrusting softly; dancing around the most pleasurable spot, Irene choked back gasps and moans, her voice stuck somewhere in her throat and unable to come out.
"Oh, baby," Lisa sounded dazzled, "You feel so good. You're so wet for me."
"Mhm," Irene nodded imperceptibly, too busy trying not to let this erotic moment in time end so soon. Trying to delay the inevitable demise of her pleasure was useless; especially with the way Lisa whispered sweet nothings in her ear and deviously pushed a third finger inside on a whim.
With Lisa's breath fanning across her face and a talented thumb rubbing across her clit, Irene faltered and knew it was stupid to delay this any longer. Lisa dipped her head to capture a nipple between teeth, swirling it with her tongue and releasing it with a soft pop. Flicking it intermittently, she was enjoying every breathy moan dropping from Irene's lips.
Irene managed to choke out, "Lisa, I, I- I'm right there." Her lower half was rhythmically thrusting off the bed to meet the frenzied movements and Irene was right on the cusp when—
From downstairs, the front door slammed open.
Irene's eyes that had been squeezed shut flew open at the loud bang. Her blissful orgasm dissipated immediately as Lisa's hand pulled away at the intrusive noise. Nervous, wild eyes flew up to meet Irene's.
"Is that?"
She didn't need to finish her question, Irene already knew. Nodding, Irene scrambled off the bed and tried desperately to retrieve her various items of clothing from where Lisa had flung them. Exasperated that they were strewn every direction, she quickly flung her closet open and tugged on a robe.
From down in the living room she heard, "Irene, I know you're here." It was Hank and he sounded—
"Jesus, is he drunk?" Lisa was still perched at the head of the bed, half naked and looking like a deer caught in headlights.
"Yes," Irene hissed. "Get dressed," she demanded. Finally snapping into reality, Lisa swung her legs over the bed and started collecting her own items of clothing.
"Stay here," she pleaded. "I'll get rid of him. Don't move, I mean it."
Lisa nodded, looking incredibly sick to her stomach as she pulled her dress back over her head.
Irene padded lightly over to her door and shut it quietly behind her, making her way to the top of the landing where she glanced down at Hank's waiting figure.
"Ah, so the princess is home," he slurred, "Could've fooled me with how quiet you were being. Who else is up there? The guy you've been fucking?"
He gripped the stairwell in an attempt to climb them, but instead lost his balance and stumbled backwards. Irene swiftly ran down the steps and grasped his collar to tug him towards the door. "Hank, please, come on. I'll call you an Uber but you can't stay here."
"No," he swatted at her, "I told you that you're making a mistake. Don't be fucking stupid and tell your friend up there to fuck off and let a real man take care of you." He punctuated his disgusting statement with a pointer finger jabbed sharply at her collarbone.
"I told you I'm not seeing anyone else. Now, please, Hank. Let me go back to bed," she begged.
Hank got right in her face, breath ragged and reeking of cheap beer and whiskey, "I said, tell your friend up there to fuck off."
Irene squared her shoulders and stood her ground, punctuating her response with as much poise as she could muster. "My 'friend' up there is a woman who brought over some wine and chocolate to comfort me. Nothing more," she lied. "And she's not too keen on seeing you drunkenly make a fool of yourself. Nor am I. So if you could kindly fuck off, it would be much appreciated."
After being on the brink of elevated bliss three seconds prior to Hank storming in, she wasn't much in the mood for pleasantries. He'd ruined her first night of freedom, so typically arrogant and selfish of him.
He sucked in a breath, unsteady on two feet. "Well," he stumbled out, "I would like to see this friend of yours, so I know whether you're a lying bitch or just a bitch."
"No," she was quick to deny his advances towards the stairs, "She fell asleep an hour ago, I haven't woken her up to go home yet."
"You've always been a shit liar, sweetheart. Don't play games with me." He used uncanny force to push her to the side and march up the stairs, this time without stumbling backward.
"Hey," he raised his voice, pounding on the bedroom door, "This is my fucking house and I want you out of my bedroom." Lisa swung the door open, having made the bed and shoved all of Irene's scattered clothes out of sight. In that moment, Irene could have kissed her in front of Hank for the poise she maintained as he snarled in her face.
"Hi, Hank, is it? Yeah, sorry, fell asleep after one too many glasses of wine."
Hank looked perplexed, peering between the two of them as if he could tell what they'd been doing all evening. "I know you. I met you yesterday. Why are you here?"
"Hank," Irene nearly felt like screaming, "Can you leave us alone? I made it very clear I don't want anything to do with you anymore."
Ignoring her, Lisa answered his question, "I'm here because my friend," she pointed at Irene, "broke up with her boyfriend this morning and needed some support. Is that okay with you?"
Hank huffed out a glowering laugh. "If I had to guess, I'd think you were the one she's been sleeping around with behind my back." He paused to hiccup. "But my girlfriend doesn't play for the other team." In his drunken stupor, he failed to notice the apologetic glances Irene was throwing at Lisa like confetti.
Irene seemed to grow a backbone. Shoving Hank roughly towards the stairs, she animalistically spit out, "I'm not your fucking girlfriend anymore, and if you're not out of my house in three seconds I'm calling the cops for trespassing."
He laughed in her face once more. "You're bluffing. You've never had the balls to do anything like that. It's why I liked you," he sneered, "you were easy to boss around. A decent lay too," he laughed to himself.
Irene slapped him for the second time since she'd known him, a knee jerk reaction for everything he'd taken from her. Her dignity, her pride, the last five years of her life. None of them belonged to him anymore.
Clutching his jaw and rubbing at the swollen redness, Hank smirked and shook his head. "You'll regret that too." Finally coming to his senses, he retreated slowly back down the stairs where he looked up at Irene one final time and walked out of the door. Neglecting to shut it behind him, Irene watched as his staggering figure walked off down the sidewalk.
After a moment of deafening silence, Irene walked down to the front door to lock and deadbolt it. Pressing her back flush against it, she crumpled down to the floor and placed her head in her palms. Light footsteps padded quickly down the stairs to crouch in front of her; a healing presence only Lisa could emit. Gentle hands pried Irene's own off her face, revealing that she was blinking back tears and trying so desperately to stave them off.
"Hey, hey, none of that," Lisa chastised. "Look at me."
Irene looked up and sniffled.
"It's okay."
"It's not," Irene sobbed. "He ruined everything."
Lisa scrunched her forehead cutely. "No, he didn't. I still had an amazing time with you." She lifted Irene's chin and pressed a kiss against her lips. "I promise."
"I don't deserve you," Irene banged her forehead against her knees. "I really don't."
"Shut up," Lisa huffed in reply, "Don't be silly." She pulled Irene into a standing position, tugging her towards the stairs. "Will you come lay with me?"
Irene wiped at her tears with the back of her hand and nodded silently. The two made their way back to her bedroom, where they lay together intertwined to bask in the hum of the settled house. Leo curled in a tiny ball on the pillow above their heads, too excited at having double the warmth to snuggle up to.
After a while, Irene asked, "Will you stay here with me tonight?"
Lisa hummed her confirmation, clutching at Irene tighter before reaching over her to switch the light off. Right before she closed heavy eyes, she tapped Irene's bottom lip and kissed it so gently that it brought a small cry from between her lips. The pair fell asleep like that; limbs and souls intertwined, hoping for a dream filled sleep that couldn't possibly be better than what reality had conjured up.
Irene had known love; felt love, but this was a different version. A better one. When she had been with Hank it felt like a haze had been clouding her better judgment, waiting for the day it cleared up and shifted into becoming that type of love people wrote novels about. But that day never came—and she knew now it was with good reason. Lisa was mesmerizing to Irene, feeling simultaneously like home and freedom.
When they met, her world shifted slightly on its access. Changing everything for the better.
When she awoke to an empty space in her bed, panic flooded her system. Throat constricting, she immediately assumed the worst. It was too much for her, she'll never want to see me again. You fucking blew it, great job.
Then she noticed the note on her nightstand. In Lisa's distinct scrawl, she'd written,
don't freak out that I'm gone, I just had to run home for some things before work. come see me today if you have time, cutie. miss you already
xo, lisa
ps, you and leo look real cute sleeping next to each other, can't wait to see it again tomorrow morning.
Irene clutched the note to her chest, buzzing inside with what felt like a hundred thousand bees in her chest cavity. This had been the second greatest thing she could have woken up to, the first being the person who had written said note.
"can't wait to see it again tomorrow morning"
Can't wait, indeed.