Aaliyah had always been a patient girl, even in her teenage years. When she turned thirteen years old, she had asked her grandmother to buy her a simple white cake that had her name on it and her age. That was all she dreamed of but her grandmother had been struggling with some finances and everything had to be done by budget. Aaliyah knew this when she asked for the cake, it was after all a small thing to ask and in some instances, they cake would be bought without having to say anything. On the day of her birthday, her grandmother had said "Happy birthday Liyah, I know you asked for a cake but I do not have any money to get it for you. It is disappointing but surely I will be able to buy it at the end of the month" Aaliyah wasn't disappointed because she knew that things were hard. She had expected her day to be similar to all the days she'd had since the passing of her parents but Miss Jones, her sponsor, walked in with a large cake that spilled sweets when cut. It was magical, Miss Jones salvaged her birthday. Although Aaliyah was happy, she was after all a little girl, her grandmother felt badly for not having money to give her what she had asked for so Aaliyah told her that she would wait for her to buy the birthday cake that she had asked for.
She waited and waited and waited but the cake never came. Her grandmother had even forgotten as the twins celebrated their birthday with a two tiered cake and after that she still waited. Months passed without her special cake and soon she forgot about it.
"What do you want on your fourteenth birthday?" her grandmother had asked her as it was nearing and that's when Aaliyah remembered the cake she had asked for.
"I'd like a white frosted cake with my name written on it and my age" she had informed her grandmother and she witnessed as her grandmother's face went blank. She also remembered that she hadn't kept a promise, it was a mere promise but she couldn't keep it.
On her fourteenth birthday, her grandmother had told Miss Jones to refrain from buying her a cake as that was her duty so Miss Jones agreed and bought a gift card. Her grandmother bought two similar cakes with only the age difference, Aaliyah was elated as she thought her grandmother had forgotten. She would never forget that birthday as she got to eat a whole cake alone as she didn't have friends.
Seven years later, Aaliyah still possessed the same patience as she had been waiting for Racheal to finally text or even call. Usually Aaliyah would switch off her phone as it irritated her plus she didn't really have anyone to use it on but now it was the most exciting thing, she couldn't stop looking at it and the time. It was an exhilarating feeling waiting for someone to text, especially when you don't know their intentions. Aaliyah had even showered with her phone as she didn't want to miss the call meanwhile Cordelia shook her head in amusement as she had never seen the young girl so excited.
"You need to relax" Cordelia said.
"I am relaxed" Aaliyah lied, she was far from being relaxed.
"If you say so" she rolled her eyes and continued with her work.
Cordelia was jealous of the entire situation. She wanted Aaliyah all to herself and she will have her but it would be hard if Aaliyah has someone else in her mind. Racheal angered the older woman without even doing much. In normal cases, Cordelia would've flirted with the young doctor and maybe even slept with her as she was charming but now she didn't care about the young beautiful daughter because she already had someone keeping her on her toes and now she gets to watch her gush over another woman.
The young girl had noticed that Cordelia wasn't being her normal self when she simply greeted the girl, showered and came back in fully clothed without their usual banter. She wouldn't dare say it out loud but she missed fighting with the older woman and learning more about her. She knew that the only person capable of entertaining her from Racheal was Cordelia but she was in glum mood so Aaliyah waited.
It was now close to dinner time and Cordelia still hadn't said more than ten words to young girl while the young girl still waited patiently for a phone call. Aaliyah had made up a few scenarios, justifying why she hadn't called yet. Perhaps there was an emergency or the young doctor was still working somewhere in the hotel but she would go out to look for her as it was really advised for them to leave their rooms although permitted.
Cordelia liked the silence that hovered over them, it was comforting unlike the awkward silence that she was accustomed to. People would usually stop talking whenever she entered a room while the girls she slept with would keep quiet to avoid sounding stupid to the older woman. Well she never really cared for their thoughts as she already knew they weren't the smartest people to roam the earth but at least they weren't that horrible at sex. With Aaliyah, she wanted to listen to her thoughts and get a piece of her mind but she didn't mind the silence either.
"Why are you so quiet?" Aaliyah asked the older woman.
"I have a lot going through my mind" she said honestly and by a lot she meant Aaliyah.
"Silence suits you" Aaliyah smiled
"If it really did, you wouldn't be trying to make me speak" she smirked and the young girl chuckled, an intoxicating chuckle in Cordelia's ears.
"I am only thinking about you. I don't want your mouth to smell bad just because you are too silent" Aaliyah lied, she missed the older woman.
"OH really?" Cordelia chuckled
"I mean...." Aaliyah was cut off by her ringing cell phone, she quickly picked it up without even seeing who the caller was.
"Hello!" she said cheerfully with a grin on her face which irritated Cordelia.
"Aaliyah Mills?" she heard a woman ask
"Yes and who is this?" she asked as she realised that the voice didn't sound like Racheal as she had a thick accent that enticed the young girl. This voice sounded low and maybe a little bit sad.
"I am Samantha Cole. I have been working with Miss Jones for quite some time now" The woman said and Aaliyah felt her heart beat rising. Why would she get a phone call from this woman? She wondered.
"How may I be of any assistance?" Aaliyah asked worriedly.
"Well, I was her attorney so I am ought to deliver some terrible news to her next of kin" Samantha said lowly.
"What do you mean?" Aaliyah asked and immediately, Cordelia looked at the woman and softened her face as it was evident that Racheal wasn't the caller. As selfish as it was, she was still happy.
"We have sent you a few emails regarding Miss Jones and because you hadn't replied to any of them, I realised that it would be better if I personally called you" Samantha said.
"What is the problem?" an irritated Aaliyah asked.
"Miss Jones was diagnosed with the corona virus and died last night" Samantha said sadly.
"No!" Aaliyah shrieked and involuntary tears started forming in her eyes. Cordelia was still watching in complete silence.
"I am so sorry. She was a formidable woman with great values" Samantha said.
"She has no one" Aaliyah cried
"Not entirely because she has you" Aaliyah heard Samantha say.
"She is only my sponsor" Aaliyah said.
"Regardless of that, she loved you dearly as you were like the daughter she had always wanted" Samantha assured the girl.
"How will I bury her if I am stuck in this quarantine bull shit?" Aaliyah asked and Cordelia realised what was happening, the girl had lost someone.
"Well, she had recorded a video message before her death and she said in explained everything you would want to know, It was sent to you via email" Samantha informed the girl.
"Wow" Aaliyah exhaled "Thank you Miss Cole" she said as she couldn't wait to listen to the video message.
"I will be in contact with you from now on as I have inherited you as my client. Ciao!" Samantha said and the line went dead.
Aaliyah got off her bed and started fishing for her laptop and when she found it she started pressing it while Cordelia was stuck in a painful trance. She didn't know what to do for the girl as she has never lost anyone close to her.
"Are you alright?" she softly asked the girl.
"I need to see this video. Do you know the Wi-Fi password?" Aaliyah asked, her mind was in a marathon as she couldn't comprehend how a lovely lady such as Miss Jones would die like that. It was evident that good people die horribly and in pain.
Cordelia stood from her bed and went to the girl's bed, she truly wanted to comfort the girl although she didn't know where to start. She sat next to the sniffling girl and hugged her, without saying anything. Aaliyah appreciated the gesture as she hadn't expected the woman to even care.
When she found out that her parents were killed in an accident, Aaliyah had no one comforting her because she was the middle sibling. The twins didn't understand what was happening but everyone was worried about them and because her sister was quiet known by the community, everyone held her close and told her that everything would be okay meanwhile Aaliyah stood in silence, alone, until her grandmother walked in. she hugged Aaliyah and told her she would be fine, she was a strong girl after all.
"Thank you Delia" the young girl breathed after a few minutes of a warm embrace.
"I am so sorry" Cordelia said
"Thank you" Aaliyah said. She was still holding on to the older woman, it felt so right to be in her arms.
"Do you need anything?" the older woman asked.
"I need to listen to this video message and I'd like it if you stayed" Aaliyah sniffled.
"Are you sure? I don't was to intrude" Cordelia said in a pit of intimacy. The kind of intimacy that lacked sexual tension but still sweltering. Cordelia had never felt anything like this.
"You are the only person I have at this moment" Aaliyah said "so please stay" a small smile formed on her face.
"Alright" Cordelia said as Aaliyah pressed a few buttons and found the video recording. She couldn't even contain her pain as she saw Miss Jones face attached to a blue bed. It was evident that the woman was very ill and all she could think about was the young girl. Cordelia was saddened by the template of the video, if wasn't already afraid of the virus then now she was surely terrified. Aaliyah pressed play as a tears fell from her face like a waterfall, a very thin waterfall.
"Did you even press record?" was the first thing Miss Jones asked in a weak voice. It wasn't the voice the Aaliyah was accustomed to as Miss Jones had a strong personality that was accompanied by a strong voice. Aaliyah chuckled at the question.
"Okay so I know that I don't look my best right now because some stupid doctor refused to allow me a change of clothes just for this recording. How stupid" Miss Jones rolled her eyes, painfully. "There is so much I want to say to you but I don't have much time, I hoped to have more time with you but as fate has it I got sick therefore don't forget to follow covid protocols" she chuckled "Okay on a serious note" Miss jones straightened her face and said
"You have always been the daughter I have always wanted, from the day I saw you at that debate meet. I heard a few women talk about how you became orphaned by a terrible accident but I saw how strong you were, so resilient and proud. I could see the pain in your eyes but I could also see your strength.
I know it seemed like I picked you because you were smart and orphaned but the truth is, I picked you because you showed me that pain doesn't mean pause. I paused when my husband left me because I couldn't bare him children, I was in so much pain and years later I met you, saw you and loved you because you deserve love, all kinds of love.
I know that you will wondering why good people such as your parents die, well to tell you my honest opinion, I think that good people are taken from this world because we don't deserve their goodness or we didn't appreciate it when they were still here but that doesn't mean we have to live our lives trying to overcompensate in their names. You Aaliyah have been over compensating since the day I met you. You refused yourself happiness and adventure just because you lost the two people you loved the most, it was a sad thing to watch as I knew that the world can bring some goodness if you allow it to. If you are watching this it means I am dead and that means you will be working very hard, trying to make me proud so I am telling you that I want you to have some fun, which is my dying wish. I want you to fall in love, get hurt, get played, and have plenty so sex because I know you are a twenty one year old virgin. I want you to meet people who will truly make you happy.
Don't cry for me as I had a great life and the last years of my life were amazing and it was because of you. You showed me life through your eyes and it was a beautiful experience. You are beautiful, amazing and smart so don't let anyone try to convince you otherwise. I know that you are sad because you will not be able to bury me but I had donated my corpse to science when I was only your age, you wouldn't have buried me even if the virus wasn't here.
Because you are the only person in my life, you have inherited everything that belonged to me therefore Samantha will assist you with that. She is an amazing attorney, you'll like her and I know she is also gay so maybe you guys will click. Oh I have always known you liked girls, don't worry dear because I have had my taste of women too, it is a great thing to experience.
Take care of your family but especially yourself, you deserve some happiness and with that I am saying goodbye for the last time. I love you dearly.
Press stop you idiot!"
After the recording stopped, Aaliyah found herself smiling. It was odd because she was truly saddened by her death but the words she had said comforted her. Miss Jones has always been someone she looked up to and now that she was gone, she wanted to make her proud in a way that commemorated her. When Miss Jones had suggested she wanted to sponsor the girl, Aaliyah refused as she didn't want to seem like a charity case but Miss Jones was persistent as the girl had something in her, something she didn't possess.
Cordelia had been shocked about everything she had learned about the girl from that single Video. During the video, she would look at the girl whenever Miss Jones said something about her but what really caught her attention was the fact that the girl was a virgin. It was rather odd, most people liked sex and it was very rare to meet a twenty one year old virgin in this time and age as most people start indulging in sex at a very young age. She herself had had sex at the age of seventeen, it wasn't the best sexual experience but it did happen.
"Tell me about her" Cordelia said, she was only trying to make the girl feel better.
"Oh she was a very extraordinary woman" Aaliyah smiled "She stepped in when my parents died she took me in, not because I didn't have anyone but because she thought I was special and deserved more"
"She sounds amazing" Cordelia said.
"She was, I wanted to be like her when I reach her age" she chuckled
"Alone and wealthy?" Cordelia smiled
"No, smart and wealthy" she laughed
"Oh, I see" Cordelia exhaled "it seems like you already have accumulated all those things at the age of twenty one so what's next?" Cordelia asked the younger girl.
"What's next?" she mimicked.
"Yes. You wanted those things, they were also your life goals hence I am asking" Cordelia said and for the first time Aaliyah didn't know what to say, what would her life be like after graduating? She wondered.
"I really don't know" she said honestly.
"You need to think about it and expand your horizons. Miss Jones said some wise words because there is some beauty in this horrid world, you just have to find it" she preached and the young girl found herself paying full attention. Perhaps it was time for her to get out of the little box she had locked herself in and start experiencing life. She had no idea where she would start as a virus has kept everyone locked down but at least she had a new goal
After a few moments of silence, Cordelia looked at the young girl and found that she still looked beautiful regardless of how she was crying her eyes out not so long ago. Miss Jones was telling the truth about the girl, she is strong, Cordelia thought.
"So a twenty one year old virgin?" Cordelia chuckled with the intention of lightening up the sour mood.
"I knew you would asked about that" Aaliyah chuckled.
"I am only curious" Cordelia shrugged.
"That killed a cat" Aaliyah said.
"Cats have nine lives, let it kill me because I shall wake up again" Cordelia smiled.
"Alright! I haven't had any sex because I haven't met the right person to have it with plus I am too busy to have sex" she rambled as her face turned red.
"You are blabbering Aaliyah" Cordelia smirked
"You are so annoying" Aaliyah playfully shoved the older woman
"Ouch!" she squealed and the young girl laughed, she felt so much better although her heart was still in pain. Cordelia pushed the girl, playfully, and started pinching her while loud laughs filled the room. It was the moment when Aaliyah realised that perhaps everything will be okay regardless of the loss she had just suffered. Miss Jones only wanted the girl to be happy and successful.
"Stop it Delia!" Aaliyah shrieked and the older woman stopped with tears in her eyes, from the laughter she just shared with the young girl. Usually, in this position, she would be hearing sexual moans and cries of pleasure but in this case she was laughing with the young girl while hovering over her.
Aaliyah felt it, the tension between them. It was as if the world had stood still, she has never felt like this before and the fact that Cordelia was staring deeply into her eyes made her feel the burning need to lean in and kiss the woman. She had no idea how she would do it but she had seen it in a dream, it seemed easy to her or maybe the older woman would lead the way as she already has some experience.
The older woman could feel it too, the air was thick with their extracts of passion. She had never felt anything like it, it was refreshing but also terrifying. She studied as the young girl raised her head to kiss her, it was in slow motion. A part of her wanted to get off the girl and stop her from kissing her but another part was also leaning in and closing the gap between them, after all this was all she had dreamed of since she saw the girl. Only a little peck on the lips, she said although she knew that she would want to go deeper with the girl.
Aaliyah closed in and kissed the older woman, it was such a foreign feeling and yet it felt so right. Cordelia's lips were so soft they melted into the girl and their eyes closed as they shared the moment of passion. Sparks were flying as both women held on to each other. Cordelia lead the kiss and Aaliyah fell deeper into her trap. The kiss had started a fire inside her, a fire she didn't wasn't to extinguish although it was spreading to her entire body.
Abruptly, Cordelia stopped kissing the girl as her sense came rushing into her. She looked at the girl as she felt her lips go cold, they were comfortable in the girl's plump lips and now they were left alone and cold.
"Delia" the girl breathed as she didn't know why the older woman stopped kissing her.
"I cannot do this" Cordelia said as she got off the girl.
"What?" Aaliyah asked softly.
"I do not want to be woman who takes advantage of a grieving girl" Cordelia said as she straightened herself up.
"But you are not" Aaliyah begged. She wanted to be kissed again and only by the older woman.
"I am. You don't know what you are doing and I am not capable of giving you what you think you want" she warned the girl.
"All I want is to kiss you" Aaliyah confessed
"All I want is to ruin you and leave you begging" Cordelia said and the young girl felt a familiar lump form in her throat "I am not a good person Aaliyah and my entire life is based on ruining good girls like you. I don't want to do that to you because I know there is no escape" she said honestly.
"Ruin me how?" Aaliyah asked.
"I want to fuck you" she leaned in "I want to fuck you so bad, I want to hear you scream name in pleasure and then leave you wanting more. You will want more because I am a horrible person but you will not find me because I always leave"
"Oh..." the girl said, feeling Cordelia's breath on her neck.
"I am not the woman who indulges in romance, I don't even believe in love" she said as she stood up "I am truly sorry" she finished and walked away from the girl, took her black mask and walked out the door leaving the girl flushed and conflicted.