Gemma had to give it to Brad. His friend’s band was pretty good, and the crowd at the pub seemed to enjoy their music. It amused her that the local pub was called simply that, ‘The Pub’. It had been a pub for as long as anyone could remember but went bust during COVID. Once the lockdown was lifted, a banker and his husband retired from the city, bought it, and made it into a hip, queer-friendly space that everyone loved. Key to their success was the live music on Friday and Saturday nights. The Pub was always packed, and tonight was no exception. She looked to the bar, where Brad and Rory were getting drinks. She still had to take a second look at Rory as she was adjusting to her new haircut.
“She looks even hotter now!” Teagan’s voice was barely above the music, and Gemma struggled to hear her. Once the words registered in her brain, she had to stifle a grin.
“I guess.” She tried to sound nonchalant but obviously failed.
“Oh pishhh.” Teagan wafted her hand around in a tipsyattempt at a wave. “You can’t keep your eyes off her. Please tell me you’re fucking her?”
“Keep your voice down, will you?” Gemma shouted back to her.
“Oh, come on Gemma!” Teagan put her empty beer bottle down and wrapped an arm around her friend. Gemma felt Teagan swaying against her and wondered how long she and Brad had been drinking before they had met up for pizza earlier. Admittedly, she and Rory had been delayed because of their impromptu make-out session in Rory’s bedroom. Gemma’s body still tingled with the thought of Rory pressed close to her. The ghost of Rory’s fingers trailing along her spine and around her middle lingered in her memory. She hadn’t realised how many erogenous zones she had until Rory found and caressed them all. She felt her body heating again and wetness pooling in her knickers. It was like they were back at the opera and Rory was turning her on with a look. But this time Rory wasn’t running away. It was Gemma who was putting space between them.
“I mean it, Teagan. Nothing's happening.” Gemma shook her head resolutely and regretted the decision. She hadn’t realised how much she’d had to drink. She needed to lay off the drink unless she wanted to make a colossal tit out of herself.
“But you want it to,” Teagan shouted into her ear. Just then, Brad and Rory returned to their table with more drinks. Before Gemma could say anything to Rory, Teagan grabbed Gemma by the hand and dragged her to the loo. This was their go-to place on double dates when Teagan was trying to set Gemma up with someone and they needed to talk privately. After Teagan closed the door to the toilets and shut out the music, she turned to Gemma.
“Let’s try again, Gemma. You want her, and she wants you. What’s going on?”
Gemma mumbled under her breath, looking in the mirror under the pretence of checking her makeup.
“Nothing, well almost nothing, okay something.” She sighed. “We may have made out on her bed a little this afternoon.”
Teagan squealed and clapped her hands like a demented seal asking for fish. Two other women, who had just exited a cubical together, gave a nod of approval before leaving the toilets, and Gemma dropped her head.
“So, details?” She pulled herself up on the counter that housed the sinks and pulled Gemma closer. “And why the fuck are you here instead of making out with Miss Hot and Gorgeous out there?”
“Because we were meeting you and Brad and didn’t want to be late?” Gemma shot back.
“Nice try love, but that’s not it.” Teagan waved her hand in a vaguego onmotion. “Spill”
“Well, she was in a pair of jeans and a sports bra.”
“Oh, I bet she looked yummy.” Teagan fanned her face and grinned.
“Hmm, she did,” Gemma heard her voice take on a dreamy quality and swallowed to get it back to normal. The vision of Rory in just her bra from earlier swimming in her mind, forcing all the liquid in her body south again. “Well, we kinda kissed and made out but…” Gemma threw her head back and groaned. “I froze, T, I just didn’t know what to do. I mean I know she doesn’t fully see herself as a woman but more masculine and I didn’t know how to touch her and what to do so I blathered on about having my period…” Her voice trailed off and she let her head fall forward onto Teagan’s shoulder.
“You’ve been a lesbian all the time I’ve known you and had many, many girlfriends.” Teagan teased. “You should know by now how women work.” Teagan winked in an exaggerated fashion, and Gemma rolled her eyes again.
“Be serious, T!” Her voice was exasperated. She checked to see that all the cubicles were empty before speaking again. What she was about to say was private, and she didn’t need anyone overhearing.
“I didn’t know if she wanted to be touched the way other women had been touched, you know.” She dropped her head forward. “Normally I’d be caressing her breasts and nuzzling into her cleavage. You know I’m a boob girl.”
Teagan giggled and waggled her eyebrows at Gemma. When she and Brad had been on a break, Teagan and Gemma had both chatted up the same girl in the pub, mostly because she had fantastic tits.
“But I’m so scared of doing something wrong.” Gemma walked into Teagan’s arms and welcomed the hug that engulfed her. Teagan, it seemed, had realised the seriousness of Gemma’s problem. Of course, Gemma hadn’t shared everything with her friend and so hadn’t told Teagan about how Rory had freaked out when Gemma had run her hands through her hair or how fully Rory wanted to accept her masculine side. The last thing she wanted was to have Rory run away from her again. Gemma felt a tightening around her heart and knew that despite her efforts, she was falling pretty hard for Rory and didn’t know what to do.
“Have you asked her?”
“Huh?” Gemma stood back and looked at Teagan as if she were speaking a foreign language.
“You know, have you talked about it? When you put the brakes on this afternoon, did you tell her you didn’t want to upset her?”
“Umm, no.” Gemma felt her cheeks blush as she remembered exactly what they had done that afternoon. It had been bliss being in Rory’s arms, with Rory’s fingers dancing over her skin and Rory’s mouth and tongue caressing hers.
“Uh-huh.” Teagan smirked. “So you just made out instead!”
Gemma didn’t feel the need to respond to that as she was sure the burning of her cheeks would do that job for her. Could it really be that easy? She looked at herself in the mirror as Teagan used the loo and wondered about everything that had happened to them over the past few weeks. The same thoughts whirled in her brain as she pushed through the crowds of people and back to their table. Her heart flipped at the smile that Rory sent her way. It was not a broad, beaming smile that was more teeth than sincerity, but a soft, sexy smile that told her that Rory had eyes for no one else but her.
She was tired of hiding her feelings for Rory, so instead of sliding in next to her, she confidently went to Rory and slid an arm around her waist. The heat of Rory’s body burned into her own, and Gemma could see the tiny droplets of sweat on her forehead. She had seen Rory like this at the gym several times, but now it hit differently. Was this what Rory would look like if they had sex together? For a moment she allowed her imagination to provide her with an image of Rory’s sweat-slicked body pressed against her in bed, and she had to bite back a moan. She looked into Rory’s deep-brown eyes and for a moment saw a question in them before a flash of desire sparked. In her heels, Gemma was the same height as Rory, and so it only took Rory a second to lean forward and ghost a kiss over Gemma’s mouth. She felt Rory’s fingers splay across the small of her back and pull her closer. Gemma willingly moved towardsRory and took the chance to deepen the kiss. She heard someone moan and for a moment thought it might have been her until she realised it was Rory.
