Chapter 10

Walking up behind her, Sasha leaned in to Sienna’s ear, “Hey Wolverine.”

Sienna screamed and landed a solid punch on Sasha’s arm, “What the –” Sienna began, but stopped when she saw Sasha.

“You cut your hair!” Sienna stared hard. What used to be a messy mop was now shorter and sleeker. Her eyes couldn’t settle on one spot and was roaming all over Sasha’s face, which was no longer partially concealed by a baseball hat. Strong, straight eyebrows; sharp, handsome jawline; shockingly blue eyes; a pair of invitingly full lips that Sienna had never really noticed before, now curled up in a shit-eating-grin as Sasha watched Sienna react.

“You said you’d like it short,” Sasha began, “Come on, let’s head up, the food’s almost done.”

Sienna followed without a word. Had Sasha always looked this good?

“Welcome to la casa James…. The world’s tiniest bedroom through there, microscopic bathroom there, and what I have decided to be the very utilitarian entryway slash guest room slash living room slash kitchen slash dining room here. Sienna? You with me?” Sasha turned around to check that she hadn’t left her friend behind on the three floor trek up.

Sienna’s eyes snapped up and she blushed.

“Were you looking at my butt?” Sasha teased.

“You wish. You got new jeans — I was looking at the label,” Sienna covered as smoothly as she could, “so you live here now?”

“I do. Got a job with Lowell and Jacobs as a programmer for their portfolio risk management team. Hence the haircut — no baseball hats anymore…” Sasha moved over to the kitchen and checked the oven.

“Wow, that’s one of the biggest banks on the Street, Sasha, congrats.”

“I only need two more credits to graduate, I’ll do an independent study or something. I’m done with school!”

“And you were going to tell me this… when?”

“When you stopped ignoring my texts, which you did today. Thank you, by the way. Okay, careful, hot-hot-hot…” Sasha opened the oven.

For the second time that evening, Sienna stood in shock as she stared at what Sasha had just taken out of the oven. “You- you made lasagna?”

“Yes, ma’am! You liked it so much the last time I made it that I decided to make it again.” The shit-eating-grin returned.

“You made that dinner over Winter Break?” Sienna tried desperately to keep up with the surprises Sasha was hurling at her, “Huh, I did not see that one coming.”

“I swore everyone to secrecy — I wanted to see if you’d like it without knowing it was me.” Sasha served up two plates and motioned towards the small table by the kitchen. She placed the plates down carefully and pulled out a chair for Sienna.

“Wine?” Sasha asked, “I have both red and white.”

“You pick… ” Sienna settled into her seat and leaned forward to smell the food, “Sasha, this smells amazing. Wait, didn’t you have to go to work today?”

Sasha nodded, as she returned with two glasses of red, “Took off a little earlier than usual. I can pretty much code from anywhere, so my boss doesn’t care, as long as I get shit done. Mangia!”

Sienna dug in, smiling as she saw Sasha watching for a reaction. “Very, very good, Wolfy. Impressive.”

Sasha grinned, her stomach churning with excitement. If I’d known how awesome it feels to cook for Sienna like this, I would have done it a long time ago.

The two talked about this and that, skirting around Christmas and Sienna’s disappearing act. Before long though, Sasha felt compelled to get to the point. She had been anticipating this dinner — this moment — for six months. She’d played out this conversation in her head multiple times since Christmas. She took a generous sip of wine, “This is long overdue.”

Sienna raised her eyebrow.

“This dinner. I wanted to talk to you. But you did a Houdini.”

Sienna looked contrite, “Yeah. I did.”

“And it wasn’t because of the weather.” Sasha stated bluntly, but with a hint of a smile.

“No, it wasn’t. It was Anastasia. She was coming back, and I couldn’t find a way to reconcile wanting to spend time with you while she was around.”

Sasha put down her knife and fork and wiped her mouth with a napkin. “While you were chugging along on the Northeast corridor Amtrak that day, I was moving my stuff out of her apartment.”

Sienna didn’t say anything. She couldn’t; her brain was trying to battle the conflicted emotions of guilt, glee, and sympathy.

Sasha exhaled and said, “She actually broke up with me at Mrs Reilly’s thing. But it was headed there pretty much after Labor Day. Just incessant arguing. She had to go to L.A. for the holidays, so we had to wait until she was back for me to get my stuff. That’s why I had to meet up with her that day you stood me and Erik up for lunch.”

“Why didn’t you tell me before she came back?”

“It wasn’t really over yet, and I honestly just wanted to focus on fixing things between you and me.”

“So your ‘clean slate’ comment was really about a clean slate.”

Sasha nodded. “I wanted us to be friends again on our terms, with or without Anastasia in the picture. Labor Day, awful as it was, was a huge wake up call. I handled the last three years foolishly. And I regret it very much. I’m sorry.”

“Wolfy, you never have to apologize to me. But thank you for saying that: you are forgiven…” Sienna toasted her with her wine glass.

Sasha continued, “My friendship with you should be non-negotiable. That’s the deal for all future girlfriends.”

Sienna heart broke with that last sentence. Oh, I made this thing up in my head about the two of us and it’s not true…. Clinging to the moral upperhand, she stated flatly, “You still should have told me.”

“Yeah, like you should have told me about Sydney… and Alex…” Sasha raised her eyebrows.

Sienna knew she had cornered herself. Without thinking through it fully, Sienna launched into her defense, “I didn’t think you’d care. And what if I had told you? It’s not like anything could have happened, you were with Anastasia! And then it’d be out there, and the possibility of being with you would be real. And the idea of being with you is too big. It’s too overwhelming. It’s hard to explain…” Sienna scrunched up her face and looked away.

Sasha was astonished. “You want… to be with me?” Sasha shook her head in disbelief.

Sienna felt trapped. She had said too much, admitted too much. Shit. #filtersfail. Sasha’s shaking her head. She wants you as a friend, not a girlfriend, idiot. Now Sasha knew the truth and it would all get weird, just as things had a chance of getting better. Sienna got up, “I didn’t mean it like that. Just forget I said anything.”

Sasha stared at her glass of wine, completely paralyzed with joy. Sienna was saying something about leaving which jolted her back into the moment, Sasha looked up, “Sienna, wait.”

Sienna was headed for the door. “Sasha, it’s ok. I’ll get over it. Just think of it as a stupid crush, ok?”

Sasha’s heart was exploding, “Well, you having a crush on me would be stupid. Wait, hang on! Sienna, please don’t go.”

Sienna fumbled the locks on the door. She doesn’t want me to have a crush on her. Oh this really couldn’t get any worse. “Jesus, how many locks do you have on this door?”

In five efficient strides, Sasha was at Sienna’s side. She planted a hand on the door and turned to Sienna, “I don’t want you to have a stupid crush on me. Because I want more than that. I want you to want to be with me. Because I want to be with you.”

Sienna froze. Wait, what?

Sienna looked at Sasha’s arm braced against the door. Then, she felt Sasha’s other hand touch her hip. It slid around until it held the small of her back. Sasha pulled her forward. Sienna gasped. Sasha’s face was inches from hers.

“Do you want to be with me?” Sasha whispered. Sienna watched those words come out of Sasha’s lips, and looked back up into her eyes.

With a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, Sienna shook her head from side to side, and watched Sasha’s eyes register doubt before finally turning the shake into a nod, “I do.”

“Okay then,” Sasha said quietly, “I’m going to kiss you now, Sienna Logan.”

Sienna whimpered as Sasha’s lips pressed into hers. Whoa… The union of their mouths unleashed wordless confessions of mutual yearning and years of suppressed desire; it defied expectations and was beyond any metaphor or description that mortals could contrive. In that moment, Sienna understood an emerging and immutable truth: time would henceforth be divided between life before kissing Sasha and life after kissing Sasha. And kissing Sasha was revelatory… beautiful… sexy… and perfect.

Sienna opened her eyes, “More.”

Sasha smiled. She wrapped Sienna in her arms and kissed her again. They nipped at each other’s lips gently, and then more firmly. When their tongues met, both women moaned, and the kiss grew in confidence as it went on… and on… and on. Sasha broke for air first, “Where did you learn to kiss like that?”

“It’s an innate talent. Pity it took you this long to figure it out.”

“Me? You were ready to run for the hills just now.”

“Details, details. Now what?” Sienna kissed Sasha again.

Sienna nodded. Warm tendrils of happiness snaked their way throughout her body.

“I want more kissing.” Sasha grazed Sienna’s ear with her lips.

“Sasha, that’s not quite what I had in mind.” Sienna raised her eyebrows.

Sasha’s heart stopped. Oh no. “Sorry,” she took a quick step away from Sienna.

Sienna shook her head and grinned. She stepped towards Sasha, and started undoing the buttons of Sasha’s shirt.

“Sienna, what…” Sasha felt herself being herded backwards towards her bedroom. She was too distracted by what Sienna’s fingers were doing to really object.

“What I meant was… I had naked kissing in mind. In fact,” Sienna’s hands shook as she undid the last button, “I’m thinking we should round the bases tonight, Sasha James. But if I take this shirt off and see that you have a tattoo of Anastasia on your chest, it’s back to running for the hills.”

Sienna pulled the shirt off. She stared at Sasha’s breasts, small and pert, with surprisingly delicate pink nipples.

“I’ve never had much in that department…” Sasha said a little self-consciously as she felt Sienna’s eyes on her chest.

“Shhhhhh, you are perfect” Sienna covered them with her hands and squeezed.

Sasha sucked in a big breath, she felt herself shaking with lust. It was almost too much.

“Sasha, have you been working out?” Sienna traced her fingers around Sasha’s delts and down over her abs.

Sasha shrugged, “Not really.” Oh yes I have and thank you for noticing. How do you like them apples!?

“I want to see more,” Sienna unbuckled Sasha’s belt and starting pulling her pants down.

“Uh, Sienna…” Sasha was having a hard time keeping up with how quickly Sienna had completely disrobed her.

Sienna pushed Sasha onto the bed and took her own clothes off.

Sasha just sat on the bed and stared, open-mouthed. Her eyes short-circuited as they attempted to take in the sight of Sienna, in the nude, standing before her. “Wha-?”

Sienna’s heart was thumping like a jackhammer. She felt glorious, standing in front of Sasha, naked. She straddled Sasha’s thighs and started kissing her again, “Shhh…. Sometimes, I think we talk too much… just kiss me Sasha.”

“Oh my god,” Sasha didn’t know where to look or touch first, and it didn’t help that Sienna’s flesh on hers was stunting her ability to think. Sienna’s hands were buried in Sasha’s hair as she landed kisses everywhere on Sasha’s face. Sasha immediately reciprocated: kissing and nipping indiscriminately: Sienna’s eyebrows, along her jawline, down her neck, all over her breasts, full and firm. Sasha pulled Sienna down with her and rolled on top. “You are off-the-charts beautiful, Sienna,” Sasha murmured as she made her way down Sienna’s body. Sienna couldn’t respond, she was struck dumb with the exquisite pleasure of Sasha’s body lying on hers: every point of contact (and there were many) screamed with electric sensuality.

For Sasha, it was the Sienna she had always known: Sasha kissed the birthmark on Sienna’s right shoulder and knew immediately to look for and kiss the other one on the inside of Sienna’s forearm; Sasha knew to press her lips harder against Sienna’s ribcage — it would have been too ticklish otherwise. But yet it was new: Sienna’s breasts were beautiful orbs Sasha eagerly explored; the slight slope of her hips and the valley leading to her mound were smooth, firm, and eminently kissable; and then there were Sienna’s legs — long, muscular limbs that were begging to be licked and stroked.

“Ooooh, Sasha,” Sienna cooed as Sasha slid her hand up and down the inside of her thigh, she could feel Sasha’s warm breath approach, “Oh yes, Sasha, oh yes….”

Sasha’s mouth parted Sienna’s slit and began its sensuous exploration. Sienna gasped when she first felt Sasha’s tongue stroke her folds. Clusters of pleasure gushed through her body. It felt like Sasha’s hands and tongue were everywhere, “Unghhhhh, oh fuck Sasha, yessssss,” Sienna felt like someone had plugged her directly into an electric grid and it felt amazing. A small pulse of adrenaline flared at the tip of her clit. As if she sensed it, Sasha started sucking right on the tip. “OH HOLY HELL, SASHA, right there….”

Sasha needed no further encouragement, sucking and squeezing her lips simultaneously. Sasha thrust two fingers inside, pushing deep into Sienna’s slick, hot core.

Sienna bounced her hips in response, and dug her fingers into Sasha’s hair as she thrust into Sasha’s face. Wherever her skin made contact with Sasha’s, Sienna felt a shiver of unbounded joy. Combined with Sasha’s tongue and fingers, Sienna was a goner.

It felt like forever and it felt like a split second: the build up to her orgasm was this new, powerful, and beautiful tension of muscles contracting and capillaries opening and nerve endings firing… until it imploded into her center and rippled out again… and again… and again.