Gemma shifted beside her, and Rory’s body was turned on again. This was ridiculous. It was like she was a teenager again and trying everything she could do to get into her girlfriend’s knickers. She thought back to Gemma as a teenager, how she had always been there to support her in everything she did. Every hockey game, every sports day. She remembered Gemma’s face when she told her she was gay. Her head swam as she realised Gemma was the first one that she spoke to about her sexuality and again about her sexual identity. Perhaps the perfect woman had been in her life all along, but she hadn’t noticed.
Rory squeezed her eyes shut and tightened her arms around her girlfriend. Now that Gemma was here, in her arms, she would do anything she could to keep her here. She recalled how Gemma had so lovingly accepted her insecurities about making love. How easily she had found a way for Rory to tell Gemma she didn’t like something. When they had finally made it to bed last night, Gemma’s fingers had hovered over Rory’s entrance. Rory had immediately said ‘red’, and Gemma had stopped. But there was not judgement in her eyes, no disappointment. Just love and care.
She sighed audibly and then cringed as she hoped she hadn’t woken Gemma. She waited for a second, but her lover’s breaths were still deep and even, and she relaxed again. Where did they go from here? Rory had envisaged her journey would take years and had steeled herself to bealone for that as she discovered who she was, but in a couple of months she had cut her hair, revamped her wardrobe and started to sculpt the body she wanted. She thought back to the moment in the changing room earlier today when Emily had offered her a binder. She knew what they were and knew trans men used them to sculpt their chests. A few weeks ago, she would have said that she would definitely need one as she hated her breasts. But now she was expressing herself differently, she had come to accept them again as part of her. A grin crossed her face as she remembered just how much Gemma liked them as well. She frowned. Could it really be as simple as it had been? To find herself so quickly when she had been searching for so long?
“Are you awake?” A soft voice interrupted her thoughts.
“Mm yeah.” She kissed the top of Gemma’s head and gently caressed her back.
“Well, shh your brain and go back to sleep.” Gemma kissed the side of Rory’s neck. Rather than the expected wave of heat that would shoot to her clit, a gentle feeling of love engulfed her.
“I need to turn over.” Gemma wiggled around and pressed her bottom into Rory. Usually, when they shared a bed, they had pyjamas on, but tonight they had simply fallen asleep after loving each other so thoroughly and neither of them had bothered with clothes. Rory loved that there was nothing between them, even though it was a hot night.
“Do you want a cuddle?” Rory asked gently. Sleeping like this was new to both of them, and she didn’t want to assume that now they were dating that she would have unfettered access to Gemma’s body.
Gemma snuggled her head into the pillow and reached for Rory’s hand. With a bit of shuffling, Rory settled withGemma wrapped in her arms and her nose pressed into the mass of Gemma’s brown hair. She inhaled the familiar scent of her shampoo and relaxed into the contact. Just then, Gemma wriggled and pressed her bum into Rory's hips. The wash of desire she had been expecting earlier shot through her. Her arm lay across Gemma’s waist, and her fingers twitched with the need to cup Gemma’s breast.
“Don’t you dare.” Gemma’s voice held an amused warning.
“Okay, I’ll be good.” Rory kissed Gemma’s bare shoulder and sighed in resignation. The shiver that rippled through Gemma told Rory that if she started something, Gemma wouldn’t complain. Too much. But the rational side of her reminded her she needed to be up for work in a few hours.
Reluctantly, she relaxed her hand.
“Come over this weekend?” Her voice was almost pleading. “I want to spend time with you.”
The chuckle that erupted from Gemma’s chest ricocheted through Rory and filled her with joy.
“Oh, I’ll be here.” Gemma lifted Rory’s hand to her mouth and delicately kissed her fingers. “And you’ll have all weekend to ‘spend time’ with me.”
The meaning in Gemma’s voice was clear, and Rory guessed at the implications. Realising her eyelids were drooping, she settled into their embrace and let sleep claim her.
Rory ground her teeth at the family getting off the train before her. They were struggling with a pushchair and what looked like a mountain of children and equipment. With a sigh, she dashed to the other end of the tube carriage andbypassed the chaotic scene that was threatening to detain her even longer. It had been one of those days that she wanted to forget, and she strode home as quickly as she could. As soon as she was through the ticket barrier, she swung her backpack onto her shoulders and set off for home. Gemma was coming over, and Rory had hoped that she could get back in time to make her girlfriend dinner before she arrived.
They had spoken about going to the gym, but Rory was bone-tired and just wanted to collapse in front of the TV with Gemma and ignore the world for a bit. Her brogues clicked on the pavement as she walked, and her lungs burned. She realised she was almost running home and checked herself. No matter what had happened today, she would not run home and hide. She would walk home in a controlled manner and spend the evening with her girlfriend.
Having decided that she was definitely not running home to hide, she stopped at the shop to get a bunch of flowers for Gemma and continued her journey in a more sedate fashion.
As she opened the door to her house, her senses were immediately assaulted by the scents and sounds of someone being there. Her body relaxed, and she dumped her bag in the hallway along with her shoes and went in search of the intruder.
She saw Gemma facing away from her and realised that she was the most welcome intruder into her home that she’d ever had. Not that Gemma was an intruder really, in fact it felt more like Rory’s home when Gemma was there than when she wasn’t.
For a moment, Rory took in the sight of her girlfriend bopping along to the music playing as she washed something in the sink. Rory didn’t think she would ever tire ofwatching her. As usual, her fingers itched to caress those curves, to pull Gemma towards her and bury her face in the warm, inviting skin of her lover. Her body ached to be held, to be soothed. She sighed, but then had a flash of realisation that she now had someone to hold her, she had someone to soothe her frazzled nerves. Rory cleared her throat and spoke over Chappell Roan singing at them from the speaker.
“Hey.”
Gemma spun around, and her face lit up with joy. Quickly, she dried her hands on the towel and then launched herself at Rory. Throwing the flowers in the vague direction of the counter, Rory caught Gemma and held her to her chest as Gemma locked her legs around Rory’s waist. Their lips quickly met, and Rory moaned into the familiar feeling of Gemma’s warm lips on hers. Gemma tasted of white wine and home, and Rory lost herself in the kiss. Rory spun them around so that Gemma’s bum could rest on the countertop. Despite all the training she was doing, Rory couldn’t hold her girlfriend for long and keep kissing her, not when Gemma made her legs feel like jelly.
Once she was settled on the counter, Gemma cupped Rory’s face with her hands and pulled her close. Every part of Rory’s bad day being erased by the feeling of Gemma’s lips and tongue caressing hers, loving her, soothing her. Rory lost herself in the kiss. Unlike her, Gemma was just in a pair of loose trousers and a vest top, and it was very easy for Rory’s fingers to slide under the top and caress the smooth, warm skin of Gemma’s back. Rory buried her head in Gemma’s skin and inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with the scent of her girlfriend and letting the aroma ground her. Gemma’s fingers raked through Rory’s short hair as she held her. Now she was sitting on the counter, Gemma wasslightly taller, and Rory loved the feeling of being held and comforted.
“You wanna tell me what happened?”
Rory kissed the bit of Gemma’s neck closest to her lips and then stood up. She looked Gemma in the eyes.
“How do you know something’s up?” She settled her hands on Gemma’s hips as Gemma wound her arms around Rory’s neck and gave her a quick peck on the lips.
“Because you’re my best friend and girlfriend, and I know your ‘something’s happened but I don’t want to share it with anyone cos I’ll look weak’ face.” Gemma smiled, and Rory felt the tightness that had been in her chest all afternoon loosening.
“Can I get wine?”
