Hey everyone! I've been getting some e-mails lately on when I'm going to get the next chapter of The Keeper out and I just want to apologize for the long wait. I did get a ways into it when I ran into a writer's block and am still inflicted with it. I can't say for sure how long it will be, but I would rather make you guys wait for a well written chapter than hurry through it and have you guys (and myself) hate it. So, sorry for the wait and it'll be a little longer, but I promise it'll be worth it.
Wild Cat
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
The Keeper 5
“You want me to what?” Katerina asked on Thursday afternoon. The nineteen year old lifted her eyebrows high as her mouth opened slightly.
“Meet my mother before we go to dinner,” Bella repeated as she bit her lip. Her and Katerina were at the park again. They sat on the swings, enjoying the breeze that lightly blew around them.
“Look, Bella, I’m really not—do we have to do this before our date?” she asked.
“I don’t want to keep lying to my mom, so I’m going to tell her soon. However, I want her to meet you and let her get to know you better before I do.”
“I’m really not great with parents,” Katerina replied.
“Why?” Bella asked. She didn’t meant for that to sound so blunt, but she wanted to know. Katerina avoided her eyes.
“It’s a long story, but I never got along with mine,” she said shortly. Bella frowned, then walked over to her and grabbed her hands in her own.
“Hey, look at me,” she said softly. Katerina hesitated, then she met Bella’s eyes.
“My mom is really great. She’ll love you, I promise.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because you’re my friend and she trusts me to make good decisions, which includes who I hang out with. So, if I say you’re a good person, then she’ll take my word for it,” Bella explained. “Besides, you’re a pretty hard person to hate.”
Katerina smiled.
“You are way too charming for your own good,” she said. Bella laughed.
“Is that a yes?”
She sighed.
“Will it have to be a long time?”
“Not really. I just want her to meet you for now. Getting to know you will come later,” Bella answered.
“Okay, but only for a minute. Tomorrow is about us,” she said. Bella smiled and kissed her fingers she was holding.
“Deal.”
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“Damn it!” Bella hissed as she threw down the fifth top she had taken out of her closet. It was fifteen minutes to seven on Friday and she still hadn’t decided on what to wear. She’s gone through several outfits, but none of them seemed right.
Bella sighed. More than anything she wished that Kayla was here to help her. They always helped each other get ready for dates. This was the first time Bella had not asked, for obvious reasons. Also, she wished she could call Katerina to ask what she was wearing, but Bella knew enough about dating to not do that.
She eventually chose a nice pair of blue jeans without any holes, a plain white tee shirt with a light yellow zip up cardigan that hugged her torso sexily, but still looked classy. It would keep her warm in the air conditioned theater, but not heavy enough to make her hot if they ate outside. For shoes she decided on ankle high black two inch high heel boots.
She put on lip gloss, mascara, blush, and sprayed a hint of her Fantasy perfume from Britney Spears, then did a once over in the mirror. Her hair was crimped, Bella’s favorite hair style on her. Overall, Bella thought she looked pretty good.
Then, she hear someone coming up the stairs two at a time and, before she could wonder who it was (her mother never ran up the stairs), her door burst open and in walked her best friend.
“Hey, Bells,” Kayla said, barely glancing at her friend. Instead, she went straight for Bella’s movie collection and searched through it.
“Kayla, what are you doing here?” Bella asked, taken aback by her sudden entrance. Although both of them could just walk into each other’s houses without even thinking of knocking, Bella could not think of a better time for Kayla to not be at her home.
“I need—ah! I found it,” she exclaimed as she pulled her movie Dirty Dancing that Bella had borrowed and was going to return to her, but always forgot. “Stephanie and I are chilling at my place later and I wanted to watch...this...” she trailed off as she finally looked at her friend. Her eyes roamed her body, taking in her outfit and makeup. She raised her pierced eyebrow.
“Are you...going on a date tonight?” she asked. Her voice held surprise and a little bit of hurt, which Bella figured was from not telling the blue eyed girl.
“N-n-no,” Bella stuttered, going slightly red and hoped her blush covered it up. Kayla took a few steps closer so she was very close to Bella, who wanted to back away as her stomach clenched with small amount of fear. Then, Kayla inhaled through her nose.
“What are you doing?” Bella asked as she backed away. She felt a little freaked out.
“Fantasy,” Kayla replied shortly, putting her hands on her hips and half glaring at Bella.
“What?”
“You’re wearing Fantasy perfume. From Britney Spears. You only wear that on dates,” she said crossly.
“I-I do not,” Bella replied. She didn’t sound convinced herself. Kayla scoffed.
“I was with you when you bought it. You told me that you loved the way it smelled and wanted to save it, so you promised to only wear it on dates,” she explained.
“Well...I changed my mind,” Bella protested.
“Bullshit. Why didn’t you tell me you were going on a date?” Kayla demanded. She looked pretty upset and Bella felt a knot of guilt rise up in her chest.
“Look, can we talk about it later?” Bella asked, looking at her alarm clock. Katerina was about to arrive.
“Are they picking you up? Who is it?” Kayla asked, temporarily pushing her hurt and anger aside as her curiosity overrode them.
“Later, please?” Bella asked. Kayla narrowed her eyes.
“You don’t want me to know? Is it Justin? I know that I don’t like him, but you could have at least told me that you were going out with him,” Kayla accused.
“No, it’s not Justin,” Bella said as she suppressed the sudden urge to laugh at her friend’s guess.
“Who then?”
Bella sighed in defeat. She wanted to tell Kayla, if not only to stop the questions. However, the doorbell rang before Bella could open her mouth.
“Bella! Your friend is here!” the two blonde’s heard Diane yell up the stairs.
“I’ll be down in a minute!” Bella called back. “Kayla, I promise to explain later, but please don’t say anything tonight.”
“Promise to explain later?” Kayla said. She didn’t want to wait, but from the pleading look that her friend was giving her, Kayla knew she could for Bella.
“I swear.”
“Thank you,” Bella said with a sigh. She checked herself out in the mirror one more time and turned to the door. She heard Kayla right behind her.
“I’m guessing you won’t stay up here...will you?” she asked Kayla, who gave her a look that said, “you have got to be joking.” Bella sighed.
“Fine, but remember, not a word,” she said.
“Okay, we better not keep him waiting too long.” Bella laughed. “What’s so funny?”
“You’ll see,” Bella replied. The two girls made their way down the stairs and Bella took a deep breath before she made the final steps into the entry way where Katerina had just walked in.
Katerina looked breathtaking, as usual. Bella actually stopped walking and barely felt Kayla bump into her. She had on a pretty, blue flowing skirt with cool, white swirling designs that went to her ankles. Her top was a simple white blouse and she was wearing a necklace with a small white seashell on it; her hair was in a part up pony tail. Bella smiled at her as she found her feet began to work properly.
“Hey,” Bella said quietly, trying hard not to check Katerina out so openly in front of Kayla and Diane.
“Hey, Bella,” she replied and returned the smile. Diane cleared her throat after a few seconds of silence.
“Oh, right. Katerina, this is my mother, Diane Peterson. Mom, this is Katerina Markos,” Bella introduced.
“Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Peterson,” Katerina said, shaking Bella’s mother’s hand warmly with a friendly smile.
“And you as well, Katerina, but please call me Diane,” the mother replied. “I have heard a lot about you.”
Bella blushed.
“Mom,” she groaned, but Katerina only smiled.
“I hope all good things.”
“Nothing but,” Diane said. “So, what are you girls doing?”
“Dinner and a movie,” she answered.
“That’s nice. What movie?”
“Bella chose The Day the Earth Stood Still,” Katerina answered, looking Diane in the eyes as she answered. Bella could sense she was nervous and stopped her hand from taking Katerina’s just in time.
“And what restaurant?”
“A nice seafood place I know of, down by the Bay,” Katerina replied.
“Nice? I’m not dressed for nice,” Bella said, silently cursing her outfit.
“Oh, no,” Katerina said, her eyes back on Bella again, a blissful smile on her face.
“You look beautiful.”
Bella blushed and bit her lip to stop smiling too widely.
“Holy shit!!” cried Kayla in shock. Everyone turned to look at the teenage to see her mouth open and eyes wide.
“What?” Diane asked, taken aback by the teenagers sudden use of profanity. However, Bella knew exactly what she was swearing about and shot Kayla a look that could kill. It reminded her friend of the promise she kept to stay quiet. Kayla burst into a grin and shook her head disbelief.
“Nothing. I’ll—uh...wait for you to get back later to talk about the...thing,” Kayla said, still grinning stupidly. She made her way to the door and slipped in between Katerina and Bella.
“You are in so much trouble,” she whispered discretely to Bella. Kayla winked at her friend and left.
“What a strange child,” Diane sighed. “Well, you two have fun. Bella, one am is your curfew.”
“Okay, thanks mom. Love you,” Bella said, kissing her mother’s cheek. Then, her and Katerina followed Kayla’s lead out the front door.
“It was nice to meet you, Katerina.”
“And you as well, Diane.”
“What was with Kayla?” Katerina asked when the door clicked behind them. They walked to her newly purchased car. Bella sighed and hung her head.
“I’m pretty sure she just figured us out,” she answered.
“How?”
Bella explained to her what happened in her bedroom on the way to the restaurant. Katerina chuckled when she finished.
“Kayla is pretty smart. She would have figured it out sooner or later if you didn’t tell her,” she said.
“I know...but I didn’t expect her to find out this way; on our first date of all things.”
“Judging by her reaction, I’d say she’s just fine with it,” Katerina assured Bella, who gave her a small smile.
“I always knew she would be.”
“So, don’t worry about it until later,” Katerina said as she took Bella’s hand in her own and smiled sweetly at her, one in which Bella returned.
They reached the restaurant in fifteen minutes and they were seated immediately because Katerina had a reservation.
“This place is really nice, Katerina,” Bella said looking around the restaurant which was called Alioto’s on 8 Fisherman’s Warf. She felt underdressed as she saw the other customers in dinner dresses and suits.
“I know, that’s why I chose it.”
The waiter was polite and smiled at them as he asked them what they wanted to drink. Both of them had water.
“Do you like crab?” Katerina asked Bella, who looked up from the menu.
“I love crab,” Bella answered.
“Good,” Katerina said, then turned to the waiter. “She’ll have the crab Cioppino Alioto's shellfish stew, with clams mussels and shrimp in a spicy tomato sauce. And I’ll take the... shrimp fried prawns breaded in muddica.”
“Very well. Anything else?” he asked. Bella, surprised by Katerina ordering for her, glanced at the menu to see what she was getting. Her jaw dropped open at the price.
“That’s all for now, thank you,” Katerina said to the waiter, who nodded his head, took the menus, and left.
“Katerina, I can’t afford that,” Bella whispered. Katerina rolled her eyes and sighed exasperatedly at her.
“You don’t have to. I’m paying,” she said.
“Not for the whole thing you’re not,” Bella said, frowning.
“Well, I am. I’m also paying for the movie, popcorn, soda, and ice cream afterwards if you want,” she explained.
“First of all, I can never eat that much in one night even if someone paid me to. Second, you just bought a car, you can’t afford to take me to these kinds of places and expect to pay for all of it,” Bella said, scowling. “I don’t want you to become broke just because you want to impress me. Spending time with you, no matter what we’re doing, is all I want.”
Katerina tried fighting off a smile, but failed and chuckled at her girlfriend.
“Bella...you don’t ever need to worry about my finances,” she said.
“I can and will if you insist on spending well over a hundred dollars on one date—”
“No, no. You don’t understand. You never need to worry about my finances. I am very well off. I have enough money to last me through this life and the next if I wanted,” Katerina cut her off. Bella stared at her, not believing her.
“But—but you live in that—”
“Tiny apartment?” she finished. “I don’t want or need a big place to live. I live alone, so why would I? I’m not one for luxuries, either. I grew up extremely poor, so there are a lot of things I learned to deal without.”
“If you grew up poor, then where’d you get the money? You didn’t win the lottery, did you?”
This elicited another laugh.
“No, not the lottery. I lived with my aunt from when I was twelve to when I was fifteen before she was killed in a car accident. She was extremely wealthy and left all of her money to me in her will,” Katerina explained.
“Why did you live with your aunt and not your parents?” Bella asked. She saw Katerina’s body tense and her jaw go tight.
“Things weren’t working out for me at home, so I decided to live at my mom’s sister’s house, where she graciously took me in as her own daughter.”
“What do you mean things weren’t working out?” Bella wondered. Katerina sighed, folded her hands, and leaned forward towards Bella.
“Bella...I won’t tell you all the details tonight. I’m not quite ready for that just yet but I’ll give you a background of my childhood,” she said. “Growing up for me was hell. Like I said, my parents were very poor. My mother was, or probably still is, an alcoholic without a job. My father...well, when he was home and not out partying or at the factory, he would shoot up heroin and sometimes he’d get into meth, neither of them at all pleasant or cheap. My father’s brother lived with us and he was, as well, a drug user without a job, so he only took what little money we had. It wasn’t uncommon for me to shoplift some food just to get something to eat at night.
“When I was twelve, something particularly bad happened that made me realize that I couldn’t stay there anymore. I knew my mother had a sister that I’d never met and I called her up, begging for her to take me in. She did so without any questions. Her name was Rosemary. Do you remember my aunt’s wedding that I was talking about?”
Bella nodded.
“Well, I had known Christi before, but never their other sister. Apparently, they had a falling out many years back before I was born. Christi and my mother are more alike than Rosemary and her sisters. Her wedding was only a few weeks before my Rosemary died.
“But, before she died, she treated me like royalty and showed me the love and compassion I never had at home. I loved her more than I ever loved my parents. When she died, it hit me very hard. The lawyers told me that all the money and the three estates she owned were mine, but I didn’t care. I just wanted my aunt back. I was told I had to move back in with my parents, something I refused to let happen. I knew they’d only go after the money my aunt left me and I never wanted to go into child services. So...I ran away.”
Bella, who’s mouth had been open slightly the whole story, raised her eyebrows at the last statement.
“You ran away?” she asked.
“Yes. When I was fifteen, I hitchhiked my way to South Carolina; my hometown is Little Earth, Maryland. There, I lied about my age being sixteen, got a job, and convinced the owner to allow me to live above the restaurant where I was a dishwasher for reduced wage. I worked very hard and even worked as a waitress whenever someone called in sick.
“After a year and a half, I earned enough money to buy a very, very crappy car and drove across the country to New Mexico, the car broke down after I got to San Francisco, where I worked at a hotel as a housekeeper for a year until I could finally access my bank account, where my aunt’s money resided.
“From there, I didn’t want to live in New Mexico anymore after about a year and chose to move to San Francisco, a city I’ve always wanted to go to. So, after a few weeks of living in that apartment with nothing to do, I decided to start my own self defense business for young women, just a few students a couple times a week. I learned self defense from one of the waiters at the restaurant in South Carolina; his dad owned a martial arts school. However, I’ve only ever really worked through my teenage years and I had nothing to do most days, so I decided to get a job at another hotel, since I liked doing that better than waitressing. That’s where I met you and...here we are.”
Bella was silent after hearing Katerina’s life story. So much had happened to her in only four years. She couldn’t imagine how hard her life must have been.
“Kat...” Bella whispered.
“You don’t need to feel sorry for me. Yes, my life has had many, many low points, but I am happy with the way things turned out. There are many things I’ve done that I’m not proud of and regret, but running away was never one of them. It was the smartest decision I’ve ever made,” Katerina said.
Bella didn’t even think about it as she leaned across the table and gently kissed Katerina. She tried to convey how much she cared about her. There wasn’t any tongue, but it was one of their best kisses that left both of them smiling when it was over.
“Thanks,” Bella whispered.
“For what?”
“For telling me. I always knew you were hiding something about your past because you never liked to talk about it, but I knew you’d tell me when you were ready,” Bella said. Katerina smiled and Bella returned to her seat just as the food arrived.
“So, back to how that story started, you don’t need to worry about me and money. I have way more than enough to spend on taking you out on quite a few of these dates,” Katerina said after the first few bites, which were absolutely delicious.
“I still feel like I should pay for some of this. Even if you’re wealthy, it’s still a lot of money to me and I feel bad for taking it.”
“Don’t ever feel that way. I want to do this. You really are the only person I’ve ever spent money on and, since I don’t give myself many luxuries, I plan to go all out on it,” Katerina responded. “Besides, I’m the one who asked you on this date, so it makes sense that I pay.”
“So...if I ask you on a date...”
“Nope, I still pay,” Katerina replied with a sly smile. Bella frowned playfully and reached over to grab Katerina’s hand.
“Thank you for tonight, but I’m still going to fight on paying for some dates,” she said.
“Hey, tonight is far from over. We still have our movie and whatever you want to do afterwards. We’ll have plenty of time since you don’t have to home until one.”
Bella chuckled and they continued their meal, talking about trivial things such as school, friends (never talking about Kayla’s epiphany), and Katerina would make plans for extravagant future dates which Bella would roll her eyes at, but didn’t admit that some of them sounded like a lot of fun. They did this throughout dinner and, to Bella’s and her stomach’s shock, dessert.
When the bill came, Katerina didn’t even let Bella see the amount and gave the waiter her credit card. She signed quickly the receipt and slipped him forty dollars for the tip and thanked him for being a good waiter, which Bella did as well.
They left the restaurant with a half an hour to spare before the movie started. They drove to Golden Gate Theater and talked about nothing in particular while they waited in line for tickets and popcorn and soda. Katerina insisted even though Bella protested she couldn’t put anything else in her mouth.
They sat in the back of the theater and talked about the different movies they liked and debated which soda was better. Soon, the lights dimmed and the previews started. It was more than natural to the two girls for Katerina to wrap her arm around Bella’s shoulders and for Bella to lay her head against her shoulder.
Like pieces to a puzzle Bella thought as she inhaled Katerina’s scent. Bella knew this was going to soon become her favorite place in the world.
The movie was pretty good. She could feel Katerina tense at the right moments, which made her smile. Bella had seen the 1958 version, so she knew how it would end. During the movie, Katerina would take her hand that was around Bella’s shoulders, and lightly use her fingers to graze Bella’s neck, ears, and cheek, making Bella shudder. Her touch was electrifying and she would use her own hand to trace the designs in Katerina’s skirt.
When the alien was being interrogated by the Secretary of Defense, Bella felt Katerina lean down to her ear, her breath tickled her skin and gave her goose
bumps.
“You picked a strange movie,” she whispered. Bella turned her head to face her, their lips on only inches apart.
“Do you like it?” Bella asked, her heart pounded in her chest.
“I do...” Katerina answered, but she wasn’t thinking about the movie. Neither was Bella.
Bella raised her right hand and placed it on Katerina cheek, her skin warm and smooth against her own. Katerina closed her eyes, sighed quietly, and leaned into her touch. They both inched forward until their lips met in a soft, yet spine tingling kiss. Bella was still blown away by how amazing Katerina’s kisses made her feel; no one else had ever done this to her.
Katerina’s mouth opened and she traced Bella’s lips with her tongue. She opened her mouth gladly and felt her tongue snake inside. Bella lifted her own and their tongues caressed in a passionate and sensual kiss, one that had caused Bella to melt in her seat. She brought her hand to Katerina’s shoulder and pulled her in closer. She wanted to feel as much of her as she could and the stupid armrest was in the way. Katerina’s free arm wound itself around Bella’s side, her hand running up and down her back. Bella pushed her tongue into the dark haired girl’s mouth and searched it gently. She didn’t do it purposefully, but she grazed the roof of Katerina’s mouth with her tongue. When she did, Katerina’s hand on her back dug her nails into her skin, not painfully, but aggressively passionate, which made Bella’s heart flip and her center twitch with arousal. She did it again and Katerina had the same reaction. To Bella’s excitement, she realized she had found a sweet spot.
Neither of them knew how long they made out, but they had to pull away eventually for air. Bella was actually dizzy when she opened her eyes due to the fact that her entire world in her mind spun rapidly. She stared as much as she could in the dark into Katerina’s deep brown eyes and noticed that the lights turned on; the movie was over.
“Want to get out of here?” Katerina whispered, her husky voice trembled. Bella could only nod.
They stood and quickly walked out of the theater. They practically sprinted to the car and jumped inside, their lips met in a fervor over the gear stick.
“My place?” Katerina asked breathlessly through kisses.
“Pelican Overview is closer,” Bella replied. She almost groaned in protest when Katerina pulled away to start the car. They held hands during the five minute car ride to an outlook over Golden Gate Park. Bella could barely think straight when Katerina would run her fingers up her bare forearm. There were a few other cars, but there were at least five parking spaces in between each one.
Right when the engine shut off, Bella unbuckled herself and quickly captured Katerina’s lips with her own. The kiss was very passionate and heated. Bella felt electricity pump from her heart to her toes and up to her brain, causing fireworks to explode behind her eyelids. She moaned as Katerina moved closer to her, which turned into a groan when Katerina pulled away.
“Damned car,” she growled, glowering down at the gear stick between them. Bella suddenly remembered what one of her dates tried to pull outside of her house when they made out in his car; Bella stopped him and went inside after that.
She pulled Katerina in for another kiss, this time, grabbed her shoulders and made her follow her over the gear box to the passenger seat. Bella’s hand left one shoulder and searched for the lever on the right side and pulled it up. She pushed with her back and the back of the seat was pushed down. Neither of them broke this kiss as they laid down. This was the first time they had done this lying down and Bella unintentionally pulled away to gasp at the feeling of Katerina’s body pressed against hers. Her arousal increased incredibly and she began to tremble.
The gasp quickly became a whimper when Katerina, for the first time, wandered away from her lips to her neck. Her tongue did wonders on her body and Bella moaned audibly and arched her back slightly when Katerina nipped where her neck and shoulders met with her teeth. Never in her life had she been so turned on. Her hands went to Katerina’s back and felt her muscles clench and unclench every few breaths. Katerina stayed in that spot as she licked, kissed, and gently nipped her skin.
Bella soon wanted to taste Katerina’s skin and brought her back into a kiss, occasionally she hit the roof of Katerina’s mouth, which caused the older girl’s body to tremble and moan.
After a while, she left her mouth and planted butterfly kisses along Katerina’s jaw. She reached her ear and sucked the earlobe into her mouth, gently flicking it with her tongue.
“Oh, God,” Katerina whispered breathlessly. Bella smiled and, after gently biting it, left her ear and went down her neck. She opened her mouth and allowed her tongue to explore her girlfriend’s skin, which tasted better than she could have imagined. She wound her way across her throat; she felt it vibrate beneath her tongue when she moaned. She reached her pulse and actually felt it pound against her lips. She smiled at the effect she had on Katerina, who decided she wanted Bella’s lips.
They kissed again for a long while as steamed began to fog up the windows of the Impala. Bella felt Katerina shift above her and suddenly, felt Katerina’s thigh press against the crotch of her jeans. Bella moaned as a burst of arousal hit her hormones and she felt it leak out of her vagina and onto her underwear. Almost every single inch of her body and brain screamed at her to allow Katerina to do what both of them were thinking of.
However, much to her libido’s frustration, Bella’s common sense won over. She pulled away from the kiss, both girl breathed as if they had just ran ten miles.
“Kat...” Bella gasped.
“I know,” Katerina replied. She placed her forehead on Bella’s shoulder. Bella knew she was trying to calm herself down.
“I’m not ready for that,” Bella whispered.
“I know. I’m not either...but the things you can do to me—” she said, but didn’t finish. She didn’t have to, Bella knew exactly what she was trying to say.
After a minute, their breathing had calmed down for the most part and Katerina slowly extracted herself from Bella’s embrace.
“I’m sorry. Maybe we shouldn’t have come here,” Katerina said quietly.
“You’re sorry? I was having an amazing time,” Bella said honestly, a slight chuckle in her voice.
“Really? Do you realize how close I was to losing control?” she asked.
“I was, too. I truly have no idea how I was capable of stopping.”
“I don’t think I could have if you didn’t,” Katerina replied. Bella smiled and sat up slightly.
“I think you think that you did something wrong, when, in reality, you just paid me a big compliment,” Bella said. Katerina gave her a confused look. “It’s nice to know that I have some power over you in the physical aspect of our relationship.”
Katerina laughed, more out of relief, Bella figured.
“Oh, baby, you have a lot of power over me,” she said, her eyes hungrily roamed Bella’s laid out body. She blushed.
“I’d say it’s equal now,” she replied, pushing a few strands of Katerina’s hair out of her face.
Just then, Bella felt her cell phone vibrate as she received a text message. Katerina moved back to the driver’s seat and took a few breaths when she leaned her forehead on the steering wheel. Bella smiled at her as she pulled out her phone.
“It’s from Kayla,” Bella said.
Are you home yet? Come over when you get back.
Bella saw that the message was received at—
“12:55? Shit, Kat! I need to get home,” Bella cried. She didn’t want to be grounded.
“Damn it,” Katerina muttered as she started the car. She turned on the de-frost to get rid of the fog.
Katerina rushed to Bella’s house without getting pulled over or into a car accident. They arrived in the driveway five minutes after Bella’s curfew.
“Will you get into trouble?” Katerina asked. Bella shook her head.
“No, I’ll just tell her we hit traffic. There’s always traffic in San Francisco,” she answered.
“Still, I should probably bring you back a little early next time. I don’t want her to have any reason to hate me.”
“She won’t hate you,” Bella assured her. Katerina laughed.
“If you say so. You better get inside.”
Bella didn’t want the date to end. She doesn’t remember having so much fun on one.
“Thank you. I had a great time,” Bella said, squeezing Katerina’s hand. She smiled.
“It was perfect,” she said. They leaned forward and hugged intimately and gave each other a quick kiss, not wanting to get lost in it again.
“Will I see you this weekend?”
“Only if you want to,” Katerina answered.
“Is that even a question?” Bella asked and gave a her a “duh” look.
“Okay. Yes, you will. I’ll call you tomorrow,” she said (she had purchased a cell phone a few days ago so her and Bella could sort out the details of their date).
“Good night,” Bella said.
“Sweet dreams,” Katerina replied, stroking her arm tenderly. Bella looked into her eyes one last time before she exited the car. Katerina drove away when Bella was safely inside her house.
“You’re a few minutes late, Bells,” Diane said from the living room.
“Sorry, mom. We got caught behind an accident,” Bella said nonchalantly.
“Well, make sure to leave a little earlier next time,” Diane said, mimicking Katerina’s words. “Did you have fun?”
“It was a blast.”
“The movie?”
Bella smiled. They didn’t even see half of the movie.
“Good. But Kayla needs to talk to me about something, so I’m going to go to her place tonight,” Bella said.
“Okay, drive carefully,” her mother called as Bella grabbed her keys and walked out of the door.
Bella drove the very familiar drive to her best friend’s house, high on cloud nine the whole way. She literally couldn’t stop smiling. Not even the thought of explaining herself to Kayla could bring her down. Bella pulled up in front of Kayla’s house and walked across the grass to the door. She took a deep breath before she opened the door, but, as she placed her hand on the handle, the door opened and there stood Kayla, staring at her with an expressionless face.
Bella felt her stomach twist as she came crashing down to reality. Kayla simply turned around and headed up the stairs. Bella followed her, taking her shoes off at the entrance and eventually made it to Kayla’s bedroom. She shut the door behind her and looked everywhere but Kayla’s eyes. She could feel the stare from across the room.
Soon, she couldn’t take it anymore and looked up. Her face was still without any emotion, which made it difficult for Bella to decipher how she was feeling.
“So...” Kayla said. Bella swallowed hard in her suddenly dry throat.
“So...” Bella said.
A deafening silence settled in the room as two best friends stared at each other.
“Meet my mother before we go to dinner,” Bella repeated as she bit her lip. Her and Katerina were at the park again. They sat on the swings, enjoying the breeze that lightly blew around them.
“Look, Bella, I’m really not—do we have to do this before our date?” she asked.
“I don’t want to keep lying to my mom, so I’m going to tell her soon. However, I want her to meet you and let her get to know you better before I do.”
“I’m really not great with parents,” Katerina replied.
“Why?” Bella asked. She didn’t meant for that to sound so blunt, but she wanted to know. Katerina avoided her eyes.
“It’s a long story, but I never got along with mine,” she said shortly. Bella frowned, then walked over to her and grabbed her hands in her own.
“Hey, look at me,” she said softly. Katerina hesitated, then she met Bella’s eyes.
“My mom is really great. She’ll love you, I promise.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because you’re my friend and she trusts me to make good decisions, which includes who I hang out with. So, if I say you’re a good person, then she’ll take my word for it,” Bella explained. “Besides, you’re a pretty hard person to hate.”
Katerina smiled.
“You are way too charming for your own good,” she said. Bella laughed.
“Is that a yes?”
She sighed.
“Will it have to be a long time?”
“Not really. I just want her to meet you for now. Getting to know you will come later,” Bella answered.
“Okay, but only for a minute. Tomorrow is about us,” she said. Bella smiled and kissed her fingers she was holding.
“Deal.”
``````````````
“Damn it!” Bella hissed as she threw down the fifth top she had taken out of her closet. It was fifteen minutes to seven on Friday and she still hadn’t decided on what to wear. She’s gone through several outfits, but none of them seemed right.
Bella sighed. More than anything she wished that Kayla was here to help her. They always helped each other get ready for dates. This was the first time Bella had not asked, for obvious reasons. Also, she wished she could call Katerina to ask what she was wearing, but Bella knew enough about dating to not do that.
She eventually chose a nice pair of blue jeans without any holes, a plain white tee shirt with a light yellow zip up cardigan that hugged her torso sexily, but still looked classy. It would keep her warm in the air conditioned theater, but not heavy enough to make her hot if they ate outside. For shoes she decided on ankle high black two inch high heel boots.
She put on lip gloss, mascara, blush, and sprayed a hint of her Fantasy perfume from Britney Spears, then did a once over in the mirror. Her hair was crimped, Bella’s favorite hair style on her. Overall, Bella thought she looked pretty good.
Then, she hear someone coming up the stairs two at a time and, before she could wonder who it was (her mother never ran up the stairs), her door burst open and in walked her best friend.
“Hey, Bells,” Kayla said, barely glancing at her friend. Instead, she went straight for Bella’s movie collection and searched through it.
“Kayla, what are you doing here?” Bella asked, taken aback by her sudden entrance. Although both of them could just walk into each other’s houses without even thinking of knocking, Bella could not think of a better time for Kayla to not be at her home.
“I need—ah! I found it,” she exclaimed as she pulled her movie Dirty Dancing that Bella had borrowed and was going to return to her, but always forgot. “Stephanie and I are chilling at my place later and I wanted to watch...this...” she trailed off as she finally looked at her friend. Her eyes roamed her body, taking in her outfit and makeup. She raised her pierced eyebrow.
“Are you...going on a date tonight?” she asked. Her voice held surprise and a little bit of hurt, which Bella figured was from not telling the blue eyed girl.
“N-n-no,” Bella stuttered, going slightly red and hoped her blush covered it up. Kayla took a few steps closer so she was very close to Bella, who wanted to back away as her stomach clenched with small amount of fear. Then, Kayla inhaled through her nose.
“What are you doing?” Bella asked as she backed away. She felt a little freaked out.
“Fantasy,” Kayla replied shortly, putting her hands on her hips and half glaring at Bella.
“What?”
“You’re wearing Fantasy perfume. From Britney Spears. You only wear that on dates,” she said crossly.
“I-I do not,” Bella replied. She didn’t sound convinced herself. Kayla scoffed.
“I was with you when you bought it. You told me that you loved the way it smelled and wanted to save it, so you promised to only wear it on dates,” she explained.
“Well...I changed my mind,” Bella protested.
“Bullshit. Why didn’t you tell me you were going on a date?” Kayla demanded. She looked pretty upset and Bella felt a knot of guilt rise up in her chest.
“Look, can we talk about it later?” Bella asked, looking at her alarm clock. Katerina was about to arrive.
“Are they picking you up? Who is it?” Kayla asked, temporarily pushing her hurt and anger aside as her curiosity overrode them.
“Later, please?” Bella asked. Kayla narrowed her eyes.
“You don’t want me to know? Is it Justin? I know that I don’t like him, but you could have at least told me that you were going out with him,” Kayla accused.
“No, it’s not Justin,” Bella said as she suppressed the sudden urge to laugh at her friend’s guess.
“Who then?”
Bella sighed in defeat. She wanted to tell Kayla, if not only to stop the questions. However, the doorbell rang before Bella could open her mouth.
“Bella! Your friend is here!” the two blonde’s heard Diane yell up the stairs.
“I’ll be down in a minute!” Bella called back. “Kayla, I promise to explain later, but please don’t say anything tonight.”
“Promise to explain later?” Kayla said. She didn’t want to wait, but from the pleading look that her friend was giving her, Kayla knew she could for Bella.
“I swear.”
“Thank you,” Bella said with a sigh. She checked herself out in the mirror one more time and turned to the door. She heard Kayla right behind her.
“I’m guessing you won’t stay up here...will you?” she asked Kayla, who gave her a look that said, “you have got to be joking.” Bella sighed.
“Fine, but remember, not a word,” she said.
“Okay, we better not keep him waiting too long.” Bella laughed. “What’s so funny?”
“You’ll see,” Bella replied. The two girls made their way down the stairs and Bella took a deep breath before she made the final steps into the entry way where Katerina had just walked in.
Katerina looked breathtaking, as usual. Bella actually stopped walking and barely felt Kayla bump into her. She had on a pretty, blue flowing skirt with cool, white swirling designs that went to her ankles. Her top was a simple white blouse and she was wearing a necklace with a small white seashell on it; her hair was in a part up pony tail. Bella smiled at her as she found her feet began to work properly.
“Hey,” Bella said quietly, trying hard not to check Katerina out so openly in front of Kayla and Diane.
“Hey, Bella,” she replied and returned the smile. Diane cleared her throat after a few seconds of silence.
“Oh, right. Katerina, this is my mother, Diane Peterson. Mom, this is Katerina Markos,” Bella introduced.
“Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Peterson,” Katerina said, shaking Bella’s mother’s hand warmly with a friendly smile.
“And you as well, Katerina, but please call me Diane,” the mother replied. “I have heard a lot about you.”
Bella blushed.
“Mom,” she groaned, but Katerina only smiled.
“I hope all good things.”
“Nothing but,” Diane said. “So, what are you girls doing?”
“Dinner and a movie,” she answered.
“That’s nice. What movie?”
“Bella chose The Day the Earth Stood Still,” Katerina answered, looking Diane in the eyes as she answered. Bella could sense she was nervous and stopped her hand from taking Katerina’s just in time.
“And what restaurant?”
“A nice seafood place I know of, down by the Bay,” Katerina replied.
“Nice? I’m not dressed for nice,” Bella said, silently cursing her outfit.
“Oh, no,” Katerina said, her eyes back on Bella again, a blissful smile on her face.
“You look beautiful.”
Bella blushed and bit her lip to stop smiling too widely.
“Holy shit!!” cried Kayla in shock. Everyone turned to look at the teenage to see her mouth open and eyes wide.
“What?” Diane asked, taken aback by the teenagers sudden use of profanity. However, Bella knew exactly what she was swearing about and shot Kayla a look that could kill. It reminded her friend of the promise she kept to stay quiet. Kayla burst into a grin and shook her head disbelief.
“Nothing. I’ll—uh...wait for you to get back later to talk about the...thing,” Kayla said, still grinning stupidly. She made her way to the door and slipped in between Katerina and Bella.
“You are in so much trouble,” she whispered discretely to Bella. Kayla winked at her friend and left.
“What a strange child,” Diane sighed. “Well, you two have fun. Bella, one am is your curfew.”
“Okay, thanks mom. Love you,” Bella said, kissing her mother’s cheek. Then, her and Katerina followed Kayla’s lead out the front door.
“It was nice to meet you, Katerina.”
“And you as well, Diane.”
“What was with Kayla?” Katerina asked when the door clicked behind them. They walked to her newly purchased car. Bella sighed and hung her head.
“I’m pretty sure she just figured us out,” she answered.
“How?”
Bella explained to her what happened in her bedroom on the way to the restaurant. Katerina chuckled when she finished.
“Kayla is pretty smart. She would have figured it out sooner or later if you didn’t tell her,” she said.
“I know...but I didn’t expect her to find out this way; on our first date of all things.”
“Judging by her reaction, I’d say she’s just fine with it,” Katerina assured Bella, who gave her a small smile.
“I always knew she would be.”
“So, don’t worry about it until later,” Katerina said as she took Bella’s hand in her own and smiled sweetly at her, one in which Bella returned.
They reached the restaurant in fifteen minutes and they were seated immediately because Katerina had a reservation.
“This place is really nice, Katerina,” Bella said looking around the restaurant which was called Alioto’s on 8 Fisherman’s Warf. She felt underdressed as she saw the other customers in dinner dresses and suits.
“I know, that’s why I chose it.”
The waiter was polite and smiled at them as he asked them what they wanted to drink. Both of them had water.
“Do you like crab?” Katerina asked Bella, who looked up from the menu.
“I love crab,” Bella answered.
“Good,” Katerina said, then turned to the waiter. “She’ll have the crab Cioppino Alioto's shellfish stew, with clams mussels and shrimp in a spicy tomato sauce. And I’ll take the... shrimp fried prawns breaded in muddica.”
“Very well. Anything else?” he asked. Bella, surprised by Katerina ordering for her, glanced at the menu to see what she was getting. Her jaw dropped open at the price.
“That’s all for now, thank you,” Katerina said to the waiter, who nodded his head, took the menus, and left.
“Katerina, I can’t afford that,” Bella whispered. Katerina rolled her eyes and sighed exasperatedly at her.
“You don’t have to. I’m paying,” she said.
“Not for the whole thing you’re not,” Bella said, frowning.
“Well, I am. I’m also paying for the movie, popcorn, soda, and ice cream afterwards if you want,” she explained.
“First of all, I can never eat that much in one night even if someone paid me to. Second, you just bought a car, you can’t afford to take me to these kinds of places and expect to pay for all of it,” Bella said, scowling. “I don’t want you to become broke just because you want to impress me. Spending time with you, no matter what we’re doing, is all I want.”
Katerina tried fighting off a smile, but failed and chuckled at her girlfriend.
“Bella...you don’t ever need to worry about my finances,” she said.
“I can and will if you insist on spending well over a hundred dollars on one date—”
“No, no. You don’t understand. You never need to worry about my finances. I am very well off. I have enough money to last me through this life and the next if I wanted,” Katerina cut her off. Bella stared at her, not believing her.
“But—but you live in that—”
“Tiny apartment?” she finished. “I don’t want or need a big place to live. I live alone, so why would I? I’m not one for luxuries, either. I grew up extremely poor, so there are a lot of things I learned to deal without.”
“If you grew up poor, then where’d you get the money? You didn’t win the lottery, did you?”
This elicited another laugh.
“No, not the lottery. I lived with my aunt from when I was twelve to when I was fifteen before she was killed in a car accident. She was extremely wealthy and left all of her money to me in her will,” Katerina explained.
“Why did you live with your aunt and not your parents?” Bella asked. She saw Katerina’s body tense and her jaw go tight.
“Things weren’t working out for me at home, so I decided to live at my mom’s sister’s house, where she graciously took me in as her own daughter.”
“What do you mean things weren’t working out?” Bella wondered. Katerina sighed, folded her hands, and leaned forward towards Bella.
“Bella...I won’t tell you all the details tonight. I’m not quite ready for that just yet but I’ll give you a background of my childhood,” she said. “Growing up for me was hell. Like I said, my parents were very poor. My mother was, or probably still is, an alcoholic without a job. My father...well, when he was home and not out partying or at the factory, he would shoot up heroin and sometimes he’d get into meth, neither of them at all pleasant or cheap. My father’s brother lived with us and he was, as well, a drug user without a job, so he only took what little money we had. It wasn’t uncommon for me to shoplift some food just to get something to eat at night.
“When I was twelve, something particularly bad happened that made me realize that I couldn’t stay there anymore. I knew my mother had a sister that I’d never met and I called her up, begging for her to take me in. She did so without any questions. Her name was Rosemary. Do you remember my aunt’s wedding that I was talking about?”
Bella nodded.
“Well, I had known Christi before, but never their other sister. Apparently, they had a falling out many years back before I was born. Christi and my mother are more alike than Rosemary and her sisters. Her wedding was only a few weeks before my Rosemary died.
“But, before she died, she treated me like royalty and showed me the love and compassion I never had at home. I loved her more than I ever loved my parents. When she died, it hit me very hard. The lawyers told me that all the money and the three estates she owned were mine, but I didn’t care. I just wanted my aunt back. I was told I had to move back in with my parents, something I refused to let happen. I knew they’d only go after the money my aunt left me and I never wanted to go into child services. So...I ran away.”
Bella, who’s mouth had been open slightly the whole story, raised her eyebrows at the last statement.
“You ran away?” she asked.
“Yes. When I was fifteen, I hitchhiked my way to South Carolina; my hometown is Little Earth, Maryland. There, I lied about my age being sixteen, got a job, and convinced the owner to allow me to live above the restaurant where I was a dishwasher for reduced wage. I worked very hard and even worked as a waitress whenever someone called in sick.
“After a year and a half, I earned enough money to buy a very, very crappy car and drove across the country to New Mexico, the car broke down after I got to San Francisco, where I worked at a hotel as a housekeeper for a year until I could finally access my bank account, where my aunt’s money resided.
“From there, I didn’t want to live in New Mexico anymore after about a year and chose to move to San Francisco, a city I’ve always wanted to go to. So, after a few weeks of living in that apartment with nothing to do, I decided to start my own self defense business for young women, just a few students a couple times a week. I learned self defense from one of the waiters at the restaurant in South Carolina; his dad owned a martial arts school. However, I’ve only ever really worked through my teenage years and I had nothing to do most days, so I decided to get a job at another hotel, since I liked doing that better than waitressing. That’s where I met you and...here we are.”
Bella was silent after hearing Katerina’s life story. So much had happened to her in only four years. She couldn’t imagine how hard her life must have been.
“Kat...” Bella whispered.
“You don’t need to feel sorry for me. Yes, my life has had many, many low points, but I am happy with the way things turned out. There are many things I’ve done that I’m not proud of and regret, but running away was never one of them. It was the smartest decision I’ve ever made,” Katerina said.
Bella didn’t even think about it as she leaned across the table and gently kissed Katerina. She tried to convey how much she cared about her. There wasn’t any tongue, but it was one of their best kisses that left both of them smiling when it was over.
“Thanks,” Bella whispered.
“For what?”
“For telling me. I always knew you were hiding something about your past because you never liked to talk about it, but I knew you’d tell me when you were ready,” Bella said. Katerina smiled and Bella returned to her seat just as the food arrived.
“So, back to how that story started, you don’t need to worry about me and money. I have way more than enough to spend on taking you out on quite a few of these dates,” Katerina said after the first few bites, which were absolutely delicious.
“I still feel like I should pay for some of this. Even if you’re wealthy, it’s still a lot of money to me and I feel bad for taking it.”
“Don’t ever feel that way. I want to do this. You really are the only person I’ve ever spent money on and, since I don’t give myself many luxuries, I plan to go all out on it,” Katerina responded. “Besides, I’m the one who asked you on this date, so it makes sense that I pay.”
“So...if I ask you on a date...”
“Nope, I still pay,” Katerina replied with a sly smile. Bella frowned playfully and reached over to grab Katerina’s hand.
“Thank you for tonight, but I’m still going to fight on paying for some dates,” she said.
“Hey, tonight is far from over. We still have our movie and whatever you want to do afterwards. We’ll have plenty of time since you don’t have to home until one.”
Bella chuckled and they continued their meal, talking about trivial things such as school, friends (never talking about Kayla’s epiphany), and Katerina would make plans for extravagant future dates which Bella would roll her eyes at, but didn’t admit that some of them sounded like a lot of fun. They did this throughout dinner and, to Bella’s and her stomach’s shock, dessert.
When the bill came, Katerina didn’t even let Bella see the amount and gave the waiter her credit card. She signed quickly the receipt and slipped him forty dollars for the tip and thanked him for being a good waiter, which Bella did as well.
They left the restaurant with a half an hour to spare before the movie started. They drove to Golden Gate Theater and talked about nothing in particular while they waited in line for tickets and popcorn and soda. Katerina insisted even though Bella protested she couldn’t put anything else in her mouth.
They sat in the back of the theater and talked about the different movies they liked and debated which soda was better. Soon, the lights dimmed and the previews started. It was more than natural to the two girls for Katerina to wrap her arm around Bella’s shoulders and for Bella to lay her head against her shoulder.
Like pieces to a puzzle Bella thought as she inhaled Katerina’s scent. Bella knew this was going to soon become her favorite place in the world.
The movie was pretty good. She could feel Katerina tense at the right moments, which made her smile. Bella had seen the 1958 version, so she knew how it would end. During the movie, Katerina would take her hand that was around Bella’s shoulders, and lightly use her fingers to graze Bella’s neck, ears, and cheek, making Bella shudder. Her touch was electrifying and she would use her own hand to trace the designs in Katerina’s skirt.
When the alien was being interrogated by the Secretary of Defense, Bella felt Katerina lean down to her ear, her breath tickled her skin and gave her goose
bumps.
“You picked a strange movie,” she whispered. Bella turned her head to face her, their lips on only inches apart.
“Do you like it?” Bella asked, her heart pounded in her chest.
“I do...” Katerina answered, but she wasn’t thinking about the movie. Neither was Bella.
Bella raised her right hand and placed it on Katerina cheek, her skin warm and smooth against her own. Katerina closed her eyes, sighed quietly, and leaned into her touch. They both inched forward until their lips met in a soft, yet spine tingling kiss. Bella was still blown away by how amazing Katerina’s kisses made her feel; no one else had ever done this to her.
Katerina’s mouth opened and she traced Bella’s lips with her tongue. She opened her mouth gladly and felt her tongue snake inside. Bella lifted her own and their tongues caressed in a passionate and sensual kiss, one that had caused Bella to melt in her seat. She brought her hand to Katerina’s shoulder and pulled her in closer. She wanted to feel as much of her as she could and the stupid armrest was in the way. Katerina’s free arm wound itself around Bella’s side, her hand running up and down her back. Bella pushed her tongue into the dark haired girl’s mouth and searched it gently. She didn’t do it purposefully, but she grazed the roof of Katerina’s mouth with her tongue. When she did, Katerina’s hand on her back dug her nails into her skin, not painfully, but aggressively passionate, which made Bella’s heart flip and her center twitch with arousal. She did it again and Katerina had the same reaction. To Bella’s excitement, she realized she had found a sweet spot.
Neither of them knew how long they made out, but they had to pull away eventually for air. Bella was actually dizzy when she opened her eyes due to the fact that her entire world in her mind spun rapidly. She stared as much as she could in the dark into Katerina’s deep brown eyes and noticed that the lights turned on; the movie was over.
“Want to get out of here?” Katerina whispered, her husky voice trembled. Bella could only nod.
They stood and quickly walked out of the theater. They practically sprinted to the car and jumped inside, their lips met in a fervor over the gear stick.
“My place?” Katerina asked breathlessly through kisses.
“Pelican Overview is closer,” Bella replied. She almost groaned in protest when Katerina pulled away to start the car. They held hands during the five minute car ride to an outlook over Golden Gate Park. Bella could barely think straight when Katerina would run her fingers up her bare forearm. There were a few other cars, but there were at least five parking spaces in between each one.
Right when the engine shut off, Bella unbuckled herself and quickly captured Katerina’s lips with her own. The kiss was very passionate and heated. Bella felt electricity pump from her heart to her toes and up to her brain, causing fireworks to explode behind her eyelids. She moaned as Katerina moved closer to her, which turned into a groan when Katerina pulled away.
“Damned car,” she growled, glowering down at the gear stick between them. Bella suddenly remembered what one of her dates tried to pull outside of her house when they made out in his car; Bella stopped him and went inside after that.
She pulled Katerina in for another kiss, this time, grabbed her shoulders and made her follow her over the gear box to the passenger seat. Bella’s hand left one shoulder and searched for the lever on the right side and pulled it up. She pushed with her back and the back of the seat was pushed down. Neither of them broke this kiss as they laid down. This was the first time they had done this lying down and Bella unintentionally pulled away to gasp at the feeling of Katerina’s body pressed against hers. Her arousal increased incredibly and she began to tremble.
The gasp quickly became a whimper when Katerina, for the first time, wandered away from her lips to her neck. Her tongue did wonders on her body and Bella moaned audibly and arched her back slightly when Katerina nipped where her neck and shoulders met with her teeth. Never in her life had she been so turned on. Her hands went to Katerina’s back and felt her muscles clench and unclench every few breaths. Katerina stayed in that spot as she licked, kissed, and gently nipped her skin.
Bella soon wanted to taste Katerina’s skin and brought her back into a kiss, occasionally she hit the roof of Katerina’s mouth, which caused the older girl’s body to tremble and moan.
After a while, she left her mouth and planted butterfly kisses along Katerina’s jaw. She reached her ear and sucked the earlobe into her mouth, gently flicking it with her tongue.
“Oh, God,” Katerina whispered breathlessly. Bella smiled and, after gently biting it, left her ear and went down her neck. She opened her mouth and allowed her tongue to explore her girlfriend’s skin, which tasted better than she could have imagined. She wound her way across her throat; she felt it vibrate beneath her tongue when she moaned. She reached her pulse and actually felt it pound against her lips. She smiled at the effect she had on Katerina, who decided she wanted Bella’s lips.
They kissed again for a long while as steamed began to fog up the windows of the Impala. Bella felt Katerina shift above her and suddenly, felt Katerina’s thigh press against the crotch of her jeans. Bella moaned as a burst of arousal hit her hormones and she felt it leak out of her vagina and onto her underwear. Almost every single inch of her body and brain screamed at her to allow Katerina to do what both of them were thinking of.
However, much to her libido’s frustration, Bella’s common sense won over. She pulled away from the kiss, both girl breathed as if they had just ran ten miles.
“Kat...” Bella gasped.
“I know,” Katerina replied. She placed her forehead on Bella’s shoulder. Bella knew she was trying to calm herself down.
“I’m not ready for that,” Bella whispered.
“I know. I’m not either...but the things you can do to me—” she said, but didn’t finish. She didn’t have to, Bella knew exactly what she was trying to say.
After a minute, their breathing had calmed down for the most part and Katerina slowly extracted herself from Bella’s embrace.
“I’m sorry. Maybe we shouldn’t have come here,” Katerina said quietly.
“You’re sorry? I was having an amazing time,” Bella said honestly, a slight chuckle in her voice.
“Really? Do you realize how close I was to losing control?” she asked.
“I was, too. I truly have no idea how I was capable of stopping.”
“I don’t think I could have if you didn’t,” Katerina replied. Bella smiled and sat up slightly.
“I think you think that you did something wrong, when, in reality, you just paid me a big compliment,” Bella said. Katerina gave her a confused look. “It’s nice to know that I have some power over you in the physical aspect of our relationship.”
Katerina laughed, more out of relief, Bella figured.
“Oh, baby, you have a lot of power over me,” she said, her eyes hungrily roamed Bella’s laid out body. She blushed.
“I’d say it’s equal now,” she replied, pushing a few strands of Katerina’s hair out of her face.
Just then, Bella felt her cell phone vibrate as she received a text message. Katerina moved back to the driver’s seat and took a few breaths when she leaned her forehead on the steering wheel. Bella smiled at her as she pulled out her phone.
“It’s from Kayla,” Bella said.
Are you home yet? Come over when you get back.
Bella saw that the message was received at—
“12:55? Shit, Kat! I need to get home,” Bella cried. She didn’t want to be grounded.
“Damn it,” Katerina muttered as she started the car. She turned on the de-frost to get rid of the fog.
Katerina rushed to Bella’s house without getting pulled over or into a car accident. They arrived in the driveway five minutes after Bella’s curfew.
“Will you get into trouble?” Katerina asked. Bella shook her head.
“No, I’ll just tell her we hit traffic. There’s always traffic in San Francisco,” she answered.
“Still, I should probably bring you back a little early next time. I don’t want her to have any reason to hate me.”
“She won’t hate you,” Bella assured her. Katerina laughed.
“If you say so. You better get inside.”
Bella didn’t want the date to end. She doesn’t remember having so much fun on one.
“Thank you. I had a great time,” Bella said, squeezing Katerina’s hand. She smiled.
“It was perfect,” she said. They leaned forward and hugged intimately and gave each other a quick kiss, not wanting to get lost in it again.
“Will I see you this weekend?”
“Only if you want to,” Katerina answered.
“Is that even a question?” Bella asked and gave a her a “duh” look.
“Okay. Yes, you will. I’ll call you tomorrow,” she said (she had purchased a cell phone a few days ago so her and Bella could sort out the details of their date).
“Good night,” Bella said.
“Sweet dreams,” Katerina replied, stroking her arm tenderly. Bella looked into her eyes one last time before she exited the car. Katerina drove away when Bella was safely inside her house.
“You’re a few minutes late, Bells,” Diane said from the living room.
“Sorry, mom. We got caught behind an accident,” Bella said nonchalantly.
“Well, make sure to leave a little earlier next time,” Diane said, mimicking Katerina’s words. “Did you have fun?”
“It was a blast.”
“The movie?”
Bella smiled. They didn’t even see half of the movie.
“Good. But Kayla needs to talk to me about something, so I’m going to go to her place tonight,” Bella said.
“Okay, drive carefully,” her mother called as Bella grabbed her keys and walked out of the door.
Bella drove the very familiar drive to her best friend’s house, high on cloud nine the whole way. She literally couldn’t stop smiling. Not even the thought of explaining herself to Kayla could bring her down. Bella pulled up in front of Kayla’s house and walked across the grass to the door. She took a deep breath before she opened the door, but, as she placed her hand on the handle, the door opened and there stood Kayla, staring at her with an expressionless face.
Bella felt her stomach twist as she came crashing down to reality. Kayla simply turned around and headed up the stairs. Bella followed her, taking her shoes off at the entrance and eventually made it to Kayla’s bedroom. She shut the door behind her and looked everywhere but Kayla’s eyes. She could feel the stare from across the room.
Soon, she couldn’t take it anymore and looked up. Her face was still without any emotion, which made it difficult for Bella to decipher how she was feeling.
“So...” Kayla said. Bella swallowed hard in her suddenly dry throat.
“So...” Bella said.
A deafening silence settled in the room as two best friends stared at each other.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
The Keeper 4
“Hey, Bella. Do you want to go shopping right now?” Alyssa asked Bella. Alyssa, Kayla, and Bella were walking out of the school, most students roamed the parking lot to head home for the day in their cars.
“Sorry, I can’t,” Bella replied and pulled her keys from her backpack.
“Why?” Kayla asked, her friends confused. Shopping was their best and favorite hobby, also it was a girls only activity most of the time. The boys couldn’t keep up with them.
“It’s the 14th,” Bella answered simply and shortly. Both of her friends had a flash of realization in their eyes and nodded without a single word of protest.
“Okay, we’ll see you tomorrow then,” they said, then left. Bella sighed and headed to her car. She sat down and started the engine, the song Krazy by Pitbull played and she turned it up.
After Bella left the school’s property, she drove to Janice’s Floral Shop about a mile and half away East from the school and went inside. She grabbed a single red rose.
“Hello Bella,” said Janice when Bella stepped up to the counter to pay. She smiled warmly in reply.
“Hey Janice,” Bella greeted.
“How have you been?”
“Same old, same old. How is Richard?” Bella asked, referring to the woman’s husband.
“He’s just fine, thanks for asking.”
Bella paid the couple dollars, bade Janice goodbye, and walked back to her car. She drove west of the floral shop and, fifteen minutes later, drove into the dirt parking lot of a small church called Memorial Lutheran Church. The building was white with green shudders and a few stain glass windows that needed to be cleaned. The garden needed to be weeded as well, but Bella didn’t pay any attention to the negligence of the building. She walked the very familiar path that she took on the fourteenth day of every month for nearly five years.
She stopped in front of a knee high granite headstone that was about twenty yards from the church. It wasn’t extravagant, but it was fairly simple in curved handwriting. Bella knelt in front of it and placed the rose on the top of the slab of stone. She looked at the front of it and traced the letters of the first name.
Keira Samantha Peterson
January 21, 1992 March 17, 2004
“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”
“Hey Keira,” Bella whispered as she felt the sense of loss and sadness fill her heart. Bella stared at the grave of her twin sister and sighed. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a lighter. She leaned down and lit the in ground candle her family had placed there as part of the burial arrangement. The cylinder walls kept the flame safe from being blown out immediately. She placed her lighter back in her skirt and sat on the grass a foot away from the stone.
“So, kind of a lot has happened since I last spoke to you,” Bella said out loud as if speaking to someone standing in front of her. “First of all, mom went on some kind of diet...again.” Bella chuckled. “She bought a book on blood types and it tells you what kinds of foods that are beneficial or bad for your body along with all these other things about exercise. She took us both to donate blood and find out what our blood type is. Mine is O positive. According to the book, I should exercise vigorously and eat more red meat.
“Also, for Christmas, mom and I visited Grandma Bellatrix and Grandpa Henry,” she continued. “It was all right and they wanted to know all about school. I wish you could have been there to deflect some of the attention off of me. I don’t know how an only child does it for their whole life. Attention is kind of annoying, to be honest.
“However, the biggest thing that’s happened is...I think I’m a lesbian.”
Bella paused and took a deep breath, glancing at the cloudless sky and watched a few birds fly overhead.
“I’m surprised, but I bet if you were here, you wouldn’t be. You always had this weird habit of knowing things about me that I didn’t,” she said. “I know you’re wondering, and yes, I do have a girlfriend. It sounds strange, girlfriend, but good. She’s really great, Keira. It’s Katerina, if you can believe it, the co-worker whom I’ve become good friends with. You would love her. She’s smart, beautiful, strong, confident, and independent.”
Bella proceeded to explain how their relationship began the previous night and how she fears that her feelings are coming at her too quickly. She told her deceased twin about the physical part of it and how it feels.
“I have no idea how this will turn out. I care about her and I know she cares about me, but I don’t know how mom will react. We’ve never really talked about gay people, but she’s never said anything about hating them. She’s pretty conservative, which is why I’m worried. Even if she is fine with it, Katerina is a few years older than I am. Granted, she’s nineteen and I’m almost seventeen, but she does have her own place and I can see mom having a slight problem with that. She’d probably be really strict and not allow me over there until she really gets to know Katerina. I can tell Katerina will take some persuading to meet mom. For some reason, I don’t think that she is very big on meeting parents. I don’t know why...” she trailed off and wondered about her girlfriend. “But we have our first date on Friday. I’m really excited, but also nervous. It’ll be a dinner and a movie. I get to choose the movie and she gets to pick the restaurant. I hope it goes well. I know, I know. Just be myself. That’s what you would always tell me.”
Bella paused and decided to move onto school and what’s going on with her friends. She kept it simple since she’s already told her sister the major things. After a half an hour, she stood and rubbed at the imprints the grass left on her bare legs.
“I’ll see you in a month,” Bella said. “I’ll let you know what happened with Katerina and I on our date. Maybe by then mom will be doing some other crazy new idea. I love you, Keira, and I miss you every day.”
She ran her fingers along the granite and then turned and walked back to her car.
``````````````
“Horror or comedy?”
“Oh, please. This is a given. Horror is so much better than comedy.”
“But I love to laugh.”
“So do I, but getting that skin crawling, spine tingling fear is much more entertaining.”
“You are twisted.”
“You just figured this out?”
Bella and Katerina laughed together. They were discussing movies during Bella’s free period on Tuesday. They were eating ice cream at the same park and debating which genre was better. Bella has always loved horror and Katerina was a fan of comedies.
“Okay, okay. Jordana Brewster or Reese Witherspoon?” Bella asked.
“Depends. Jordana Brewer was hilarious in DEBS, but I loved Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama,” Katerina answered. Bella raised an eyebrow.
“What’s DEBS?” she asked.
“Oh, my God. It’s hilarious. It’s a comedy that is completely ridiculous, but the love story is so cute,” she replied. “We’re so going to watch that next time you’re over at my place.”
“What’s it about?”
“There’s this secret government agent training academy for girls that call themselves DEBS. This group of four girls who are seniors are put in charge of capturing a dangerous criminal, Lucy Diamond, who is played by Jordana Brewster. Amy, the main character, begins to fall for Lucy and they sort of runaway together for a little while. The government academy is far-fetched along with the weapons and technology, but it’s hilarious,” Katerina explained.
“I am so game,” Bella said with a smile.
“Speaking of movies, have you decided on one you want to see on Friday?” she asked.
“I’m having some trouble. What kind of movie do you want to see?”
“That’s up to you.”
“I know, but I don’t want to pick a movie you’re going to hate. We should both enjoy it.”
“Well, romantic comedy would be good for the mood, however a horror is always fun to snuggle up to,” she said as she played with a strand of Bella’s hair.
“All right. I’ll look through the paper and see what’s playing,” she said. A comfortable silence enveloped them. They sat close on a bench and watched the cars and people pass by, but both were very much aware of the other’s presence.
Bella thought back to yesterday when she visited Keira’s grave and felt her heart twist in pain. She missed her twin more than words could ever express, even after five years. Their birthday was coming up and that was always a difficult time for Bella. For twelve years she shared it with her best friend, someone who was even closer than her and Kayla were. It was painful and hard to celebrate it alone.
Bella and Keira were the stereotypical twins. They were identical to the last freckle, both of them even had the same birthmark on their hip, something that was fairly uncommon even with identical twins. They had that sixth sense that only twins seemed to have; they finished each other’s sentences, always knew what the other was feeling without them telling each other.
Although it was easier to speak about Keira, Bella did it as little as possible and only when asked about it, which is why she has yet to tell Katerina about her.
Thinking about Keira made Bella realize how little she knew of Katerina’s past. She rarely spoke of it and it always seemed to be a touchy subject. She knew she was home schooled and that she grew up in a small town, but she never gave any specifics. Bella planned on asking her during their dinner. For now, she was content with just being with Katerina.
Bella finished the last bite of her ice cream and sighed happily as she
stared into the sky.
“So, tell me more about your friends,” Katerina suddenly said, turning and facing Bella completely. Bella looked at her, slightly taken aback.
“Uh...what do you want to know?” she asked.
“Well, how long have you and Kayla been friends?” she said. Bella smiled and explained to her how they became friends in pre-school and remained that way for years. She told her about their far and in between fights, all of them over within twenty four hours.
“Wow, so, you guys share everything with each other?” she asked.
“I haven’t told her about us, if that’s what you’re asking,” Bella replied. “I want to, but...”
“Yeah, I get it, it’s hard. But, if you guys are as close as you say and you care about each other as much it seems, then she’ll love you no matter who you are.”
“I know she will. There’s like, a one percent chance that she won’t. That’s not what’s stopping me.”
“Then what is?”
“I’m not quite sure. Maybe I’m just not ready.”
“And that is a very good reason. There is no point in rushing it, you’ll only regret it,” Katerina advised.
“Who was the first person you came out to?” Bella asked. Katerina smiled as she remembered.
“Before I really came out to anyone, I wanted to see if I really was a lesbian, which I had no idea how that was going to happen, however. I’ve always known that I’ve never been attracted to boys. When I was fifteen years old, I was at my Aunt Christi’s wedding. Her maid of honor was her best friend and her daughter, Lauren, and I hung out the whole night since we were the same age. Well, while we were eating, I noticed that she was flirting with me, which shocked me at first, but then I was happy. I flirted back and it soon became incredibly obvious that we were in some way into each other. I completely forgot that my family was there when I would touch her arm when I talked or when let our knees touch under the table,” she explained. “After a few hours of this, she asked if I wanted to take a walk and I excitedly accepted. We left the building and walked along the lake where the ceremony was held. We were quiet even though we had talked the whole night.
“Suddenly, she pushed me against a tree and got really close to me. She whispered, asking me if I was interested in kissing her. She phrased it like that too. She didn’t ask if she could kiss me. She simply asked ‘would you like to kiss me?’ I was so nervous I couldn’t even speak, so I nodded. Then, she leaned in a kissed me. I knew instantly that I would never be with a boy and that I was, in fact, a lesbian.
“Well, while we were making out, we heard someone say ‘oh, my God. Katerina?’ We parted and looked to see my cousin Bethany staring at us. With her was her boyfriend and they were both shocked. Bethany’s mother, the bride, and my mother were very close so I knew that if Bethany said anything, Christi would say something to my mom. She knew I was a lesbian and I made her swear that she would never tell her mother or anyone else.
“So, I outed myself on accident, but Bethany kept her promise and left to give us some more privacy, but I was too shaken up to continue.”
Bella contemplated Katerina’s story before she replied.
“Did you have a relationship with Lauren?” she asked, deciding that was the only thing she would ask at the time.
“No. She went to a different school than I did and soon her family moved to Virginia.”
Bella didn’t push her luck by asking any more questions. This was the first really specific memory that Katerina has given Bella of her past before they met. She was a patient person, but Bella’s curiosity was going to get the best of her soon.
```````````
“So, what do you say to pizza and movies?” Bella’s mom asked her that night. Bella glanced up at her mother from her Calculus textbook. Her mother was Bella in twenty two years. The same blond hair and striking green eyes as well as the same build.
“Tonight?” Bella asked.
“Yes, tonight. Do you have plans?”
“No, but I’d love to have pizza and watch movies,” Bella said with a smile. She loved it when her mom randomly wanted to veg out with her daughter. “But what about your diet?”
“I think I can give it up for one night. Once you’re done with your homework, order the pizza, and I’ll pick up the movie,” Diane said with a smile. Both of them women very much enjoyed the other’s company. Bella has never pushed her mother out of her life or tried to rebel against her. They have been close Bella’s entire life and Bella had no plans on changing their relationship.
“Gross! Why are we watching this?” Diane exclaimed, putting a hand over her eyes.
“No, no. You have to watch this part!” Bella laughed, pulling the hand away. Diane opened her eyes and watched Josh Hartnett chop off the head of one of the villagers on a children’s swing set with an ax.
“Bella, this was a horrible choice of a movie,” the woman growled at her daughter, feeling her toes curl with disgust.
“Oh, come on. Who doesn’t enjoy a gory vampire movie every now and then?” Bella said, her laughter still bubbling.
“I don’t. How you are my daughter I’ll never know,” the mother said, shaking her head.
Bella had decided to rent 30 Days of Night where a town in Alaska doesn’t get any sun for thirty days and there isn’t any around for eighty miles, which makes it an ideal place for vampires to come and ravage the towns’ inhabitants in some of the most gruesome ways.
Blood and flying heads had no effect on the teenager at all. She’s never had a problem with gory movies and loved the suspense they held, the thrill of not knowing what’s around the corner. Her mother was never a big fan of them, but since Bella agreed to watch one of her movies, Diane put up with the movie, viscera and all.
“Yeah, but you love me all the same,” Bella replied to her mother’s joke, smiling.
“Of course. Nothing will ever change that,” Diane said, smiling at her daughter. Bella smiled back, but felt a slight tug in her chest.
Would Diane accept Bella’s relationship with Katerina, or would she be disgusted with her daughter? Bella, without really watching the movie, stared at the screen deep in thought, her mind creating more scenarios. Diane could become angry and forbid Bella from seeing her girlfriend, however, Bella chose to push that thought away. Another reaction could be a strained acceptance, but then she would act weird or distant from Bella. She wasn’t sure which of the negative outcomes she liked best.
“Bella!” came a sharp voice and a small push on the shoulder. Bella pulled herself out of her head and turned to her mother.
“Yeah?”
“If you’re not going to pay attention to this thing you call a movie, do you want to change it?” she asked.
“No, sorry. Just kind of spaced for a second. Did you need something?”
“I asked if you wanted more marshmallow’s?” she repeated.
“Sure, thanks,” Bella replied. Her mother grabbed their plates and forks, then went to the kitchen. Their favorite snack to eat during movie nights was to put marshmallow’s in the microwave and cook them until they become so chewy that it takes five minutes to chew one bite. What was really amusing was watching the marshmallow’s grow huge, something the two women called “blowing up marshmallow’s” and putting a toothpick in the sides to watch them fence each other.
Bella absentmindedly grabbed a small handful of popcorn and tossed some into her mouth as she watched the screen, her mind wandering again.
Diane walked into the room and sat down as she placed the, gooey, hot marshmallows on the coffee table. She started eating her own and watched the screen for a minute before she noticed that Bella was, once again, not paying attention to the movie. This was not like Diane’s daughter at all. She loved movies and was usually in tune with them as she would often point out details no one else would normally see. Instead, tonight she had twice stared at the screen with a far off look in her eyes.
The older woman grabbed both remotes, paused the movie and shut off the television screen, then turned on the lamp next to the sofa they were sitting on. These actions pulled Bella from her head and realized what her mother had done.
“What’s up? Why’d you stop the movie?” she asked.
“Bells, is there something you want to talk about?” her mother asked, facing Bella and giving the teenager her full attention. She saw Bella’s eyes widen slightly out of shock and, what appeared to be, panic. A stab of worry shot through the mother, but she didn’t allow Bella to see it.
“Why do you ask?” Bella dodged.
“You’ve been acting...a little out of character tonight. Even during dinner you were quieter than usual. I am just wondering if there is something you wish to talk to me about,” Diane answered, as she suspicions were confirmed. Her daughter was hiding something and the dodge proved it.
“I’m fine. Just a little day dreamy today,” Bella said, telling her mother only half of the truth. Diane sighed and stared at her daughter for a moment, trying to figure out what Bella would be hiding from her.
Diane was not naïve enough to believe that Bella told her every aspect of her teenage life; however, she did trust Bella to tell her the big things that would come up, either seeking advice, comfort, or just to let her know what’s going on.
“Are you sure? You know you can talk to me.”
“Thanks, mom. I’ll be okay, I promise. I’m just a space case,” Bella laughed, hoping it would get Diane off the subject. It did. Diane smiled and decided to turn the movie back on. Her mother was in no way convinced.
Bella almost let out a sigh of relief. Lying was hard work...and it made her feel like shit. Bella knew she had to tell everyone and soon. She couldn’t keep this up.
“Sorry, I can’t,” Bella replied and pulled her keys from her backpack.
“Why?” Kayla asked, her friends confused. Shopping was their best and favorite hobby, also it was a girls only activity most of the time. The boys couldn’t keep up with them.
“It’s the 14th,” Bella answered simply and shortly. Both of her friends had a flash of realization in their eyes and nodded without a single word of protest.
“Okay, we’ll see you tomorrow then,” they said, then left. Bella sighed and headed to her car. She sat down and started the engine, the song Krazy by Pitbull played and she turned it up.
After Bella left the school’s property, she drove to Janice’s Floral Shop about a mile and half away East from the school and went inside. She grabbed a single red rose.
“Hello Bella,” said Janice when Bella stepped up to the counter to pay. She smiled warmly in reply.
“Hey Janice,” Bella greeted.
“How have you been?”
“Same old, same old. How is Richard?” Bella asked, referring to the woman’s husband.
“He’s just fine, thanks for asking.”
Bella paid the couple dollars, bade Janice goodbye, and walked back to her car. She drove west of the floral shop and, fifteen minutes later, drove into the dirt parking lot of a small church called Memorial Lutheran Church. The building was white with green shudders and a few stain glass windows that needed to be cleaned. The garden needed to be weeded as well, but Bella didn’t pay any attention to the negligence of the building. She walked the very familiar path that she took on the fourteenth day of every month for nearly five years.
She stopped in front of a knee high granite headstone that was about twenty yards from the church. It wasn’t extravagant, but it was fairly simple in curved handwriting. Bella knelt in front of it and placed the rose on the top of the slab of stone. She looked at the front of it and traced the letters of the first name.
Keira Samantha Peterson
January 21, 1992 March 17, 2004
“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”
“Hey Keira,” Bella whispered as she felt the sense of loss and sadness fill her heart. Bella stared at the grave of her twin sister and sighed. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a lighter. She leaned down and lit the in ground candle her family had placed there as part of the burial arrangement. The cylinder walls kept the flame safe from being blown out immediately. She placed her lighter back in her skirt and sat on the grass a foot away from the stone.
“So, kind of a lot has happened since I last spoke to you,” Bella said out loud as if speaking to someone standing in front of her. “First of all, mom went on some kind of diet...again.” Bella chuckled. “She bought a book on blood types and it tells you what kinds of foods that are beneficial or bad for your body along with all these other things about exercise. She took us both to donate blood and find out what our blood type is. Mine is O positive. According to the book, I should exercise vigorously and eat more red meat.
“Also, for Christmas, mom and I visited Grandma Bellatrix and Grandpa Henry,” she continued. “It was all right and they wanted to know all about school. I wish you could have been there to deflect some of the attention off of me. I don’t know how an only child does it for their whole life. Attention is kind of annoying, to be honest.
“However, the biggest thing that’s happened is...I think I’m a lesbian.”
Bella paused and took a deep breath, glancing at the cloudless sky and watched a few birds fly overhead.
“I’m surprised, but I bet if you were here, you wouldn’t be. You always had this weird habit of knowing things about me that I didn’t,” she said. “I know you’re wondering, and yes, I do have a girlfriend. It sounds strange, girlfriend, but good. She’s really great, Keira. It’s Katerina, if you can believe it, the co-worker whom I’ve become good friends with. You would love her. She’s smart, beautiful, strong, confident, and independent.”
Bella proceeded to explain how their relationship began the previous night and how she fears that her feelings are coming at her too quickly. She told her deceased twin about the physical part of it and how it feels.
“I have no idea how this will turn out. I care about her and I know she cares about me, but I don’t know how mom will react. We’ve never really talked about gay people, but she’s never said anything about hating them. She’s pretty conservative, which is why I’m worried. Even if she is fine with it, Katerina is a few years older than I am. Granted, she’s nineteen and I’m almost seventeen, but she does have her own place and I can see mom having a slight problem with that. She’d probably be really strict and not allow me over there until she really gets to know Katerina. I can tell Katerina will take some persuading to meet mom. For some reason, I don’t think that she is very big on meeting parents. I don’t know why...” she trailed off and wondered about her girlfriend. “But we have our first date on Friday. I’m really excited, but also nervous. It’ll be a dinner and a movie. I get to choose the movie and she gets to pick the restaurant. I hope it goes well. I know, I know. Just be myself. That’s what you would always tell me.”
Bella paused and decided to move onto school and what’s going on with her friends. She kept it simple since she’s already told her sister the major things. After a half an hour, she stood and rubbed at the imprints the grass left on her bare legs.
“I’ll see you in a month,” Bella said. “I’ll let you know what happened with Katerina and I on our date. Maybe by then mom will be doing some other crazy new idea. I love you, Keira, and I miss you every day.”
She ran her fingers along the granite and then turned and walked back to her car.
``````````````
“Horror or comedy?”
“Oh, please. This is a given. Horror is so much better than comedy.”
“But I love to laugh.”
“So do I, but getting that skin crawling, spine tingling fear is much more entertaining.”
“You are twisted.”
“You just figured this out?”
Bella and Katerina laughed together. They were discussing movies during Bella’s free period on Tuesday. They were eating ice cream at the same park and debating which genre was better. Bella has always loved horror and Katerina was a fan of comedies.
“Okay, okay. Jordana Brewster or Reese Witherspoon?” Bella asked.
“Depends. Jordana Brewer was hilarious in DEBS, but I loved Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama,” Katerina answered. Bella raised an eyebrow.
“What’s DEBS?” she asked.
“Oh, my God. It’s hilarious. It’s a comedy that is completely ridiculous, but the love story is so cute,” she replied. “We’re so going to watch that next time you’re over at my place.”
“What’s it about?”
“There’s this secret government agent training academy for girls that call themselves DEBS. This group of four girls who are seniors are put in charge of capturing a dangerous criminal, Lucy Diamond, who is played by Jordana Brewster. Amy, the main character, begins to fall for Lucy and they sort of runaway together for a little while. The government academy is far-fetched along with the weapons and technology, but it’s hilarious,” Katerina explained.
“I am so game,” Bella said with a smile.
“Speaking of movies, have you decided on one you want to see on Friday?” she asked.
“I’m having some trouble. What kind of movie do you want to see?”
“That’s up to you.”
“I know, but I don’t want to pick a movie you’re going to hate. We should both enjoy it.”
“Well, romantic comedy would be good for the mood, however a horror is always fun to snuggle up to,” she said as she played with a strand of Bella’s hair.
“All right. I’ll look through the paper and see what’s playing,” she said. A comfortable silence enveloped them. They sat close on a bench and watched the cars and people pass by, but both were very much aware of the other’s presence.
Bella thought back to yesterday when she visited Keira’s grave and felt her heart twist in pain. She missed her twin more than words could ever express, even after five years. Their birthday was coming up and that was always a difficult time for Bella. For twelve years she shared it with her best friend, someone who was even closer than her and Kayla were. It was painful and hard to celebrate it alone.
Bella and Keira were the stereotypical twins. They were identical to the last freckle, both of them even had the same birthmark on their hip, something that was fairly uncommon even with identical twins. They had that sixth sense that only twins seemed to have; they finished each other’s sentences, always knew what the other was feeling without them telling each other.
Although it was easier to speak about Keira, Bella did it as little as possible and only when asked about it, which is why she has yet to tell Katerina about her.
Thinking about Keira made Bella realize how little she knew of Katerina’s past. She rarely spoke of it and it always seemed to be a touchy subject. She knew she was home schooled and that she grew up in a small town, but she never gave any specifics. Bella planned on asking her during their dinner. For now, she was content with just being with Katerina.
Bella finished the last bite of her ice cream and sighed happily as she
stared into the sky.
“So, tell me more about your friends,” Katerina suddenly said, turning and facing Bella completely. Bella looked at her, slightly taken aback.
“Uh...what do you want to know?” she asked.
“Well, how long have you and Kayla been friends?” she said. Bella smiled and explained to her how they became friends in pre-school and remained that way for years. She told her about their far and in between fights, all of them over within twenty four hours.
“Wow, so, you guys share everything with each other?” she asked.
“I haven’t told her about us, if that’s what you’re asking,” Bella replied. “I want to, but...”
“Yeah, I get it, it’s hard. But, if you guys are as close as you say and you care about each other as much it seems, then she’ll love you no matter who you are.”
“I know she will. There’s like, a one percent chance that she won’t. That’s not what’s stopping me.”
“Then what is?”
“I’m not quite sure. Maybe I’m just not ready.”
“And that is a very good reason. There is no point in rushing it, you’ll only regret it,” Katerina advised.
“Who was the first person you came out to?” Bella asked. Katerina smiled as she remembered.
“Before I really came out to anyone, I wanted to see if I really was a lesbian, which I had no idea how that was going to happen, however. I’ve always known that I’ve never been attracted to boys. When I was fifteen years old, I was at my Aunt Christi’s wedding. Her maid of honor was her best friend and her daughter, Lauren, and I hung out the whole night since we were the same age. Well, while we were eating, I noticed that she was flirting with me, which shocked me at first, but then I was happy. I flirted back and it soon became incredibly obvious that we were in some way into each other. I completely forgot that my family was there when I would touch her arm when I talked or when let our knees touch under the table,” she explained. “After a few hours of this, she asked if I wanted to take a walk and I excitedly accepted. We left the building and walked along the lake where the ceremony was held. We were quiet even though we had talked the whole night.
“Suddenly, she pushed me against a tree and got really close to me. She whispered, asking me if I was interested in kissing her. She phrased it like that too. She didn’t ask if she could kiss me. She simply asked ‘would you like to kiss me?’ I was so nervous I couldn’t even speak, so I nodded. Then, she leaned in a kissed me. I knew instantly that I would never be with a boy and that I was, in fact, a lesbian.
“Well, while we were making out, we heard someone say ‘oh, my God. Katerina?’ We parted and looked to see my cousin Bethany staring at us. With her was her boyfriend and they were both shocked. Bethany’s mother, the bride, and my mother were very close so I knew that if Bethany said anything, Christi would say something to my mom. She knew I was a lesbian and I made her swear that she would never tell her mother or anyone else.
“So, I outed myself on accident, but Bethany kept her promise and left to give us some more privacy, but I was too shaken up to continue.”
Bella contemplated Katerina’s story before she replied.
“Did you have a relationship with Lauren?” she asked, deciding that was the only thing she would ask at the time.
“No. She went to a different school than I did and soon her family moved to Virginia.”
Bella didn’t push her luck by asking any more questions. This was the first really specific memory that Katerina has given Bella of her past before they met. She was a patient person, but Bella’s curiosity was going to get the best of her soon.
```````````
“So, what do you say to pizza and movies?” Bella’s mom asked her that night. Bella glanced up at her mother from her Calculus textbook. Her mother was Bella in twenty two years. The same blond hair and striking green eyes as well as the same build.
“Tonight?” Bella asked.
“Yes, tonight. Do you have plans?”
“No, but I’d love to have pizza and watch movies,” Bella said with a smile. She loved it when her mom randomly wanted to veg out with her daughter. “But what about your diet?”
“I think I can give it up for one night. Once you’re done with your homework, order the pizza, and I’ll pick up the movie,” Diane said with a smile. Both of them women very much enjoyed the other’s company. Bella has never pushed her mother out of her life or tried to rebel against her. They have been close Bella’s entire life and Bella had no plans on changing their relationship.
“Gross! Why are we watching this?” Diane exclaimed, putting a hand over her eyes.
“No, no. You have to watch this part!” Bella laughed, pulling the hand away. Diane opened her eyes and watched Josh Hartnett chop off the head of one of the villagers on a children’s swing set with an ax.
“Bella, this was a horrible choice of a movie,” the woman growled at her daughter, feeling her toes curl with disgust.
“Oh, come on. Who doesn’t enjoy a gory vampire movie every now and then?” Bella said, her laughter still bubbling.
“I don’t. How you are my daughter I’ll never know,” the mother said, shaking her head.
Bella had decided to rent 30 Days of Night where a town in Alaska doesn’t get any sun for thirty days and there isn’t any around for eighty miles, which makes it an ideal place for vampires to come and ravage the towns’ inhabitants in some of the most gruesome ways.
Blood and flying heads had no effect on the teenager at all. She’s never had a problem with gory movies and loved the suspense they held, the thrill of not knowing what’s around the corner. Her mother was never a big fan of them, but since Bella agreed to watch one of her movies, Diane put up with the movie, viscera and all.
“Yeah, but you love me all the same,” Bella replied to her mother’s joke, smiling.
“Of course. Nothing will ever change that,” Diane said, smiling at her daughter. Bella smiled back, but felt a slight tug in her chest.
Would Diane accept Bella’s relationship with Katerina, or would she be disgusted with her daughter? Bella, without really watching the movie, stared at the screen deep in thought, her mind creating more scenarios. Diane could become angry and forbid Bella from seeing her girlfriend, however, Bella chose to push that thought away. Another reaction could be a strained acceptance, but then she would act weird or distant from Bella. She wasn’t sure which of the negative outcomes she liked best.
“Bella!” came a sharp voice and a small push on the shoulder. Bella pulled herself out of her head and turned to her mother.
“Yeah?”
“If you’re not going to pay attention to this thing you call a movie, do you want to change it?” she asked.
“No, sorry. Just kind of spaced for a second. Did you need something?”
“I asked if you wanted more marshmallow’s?” she repeated.
“Sure, thanks,” Bella replied. Her mother grabbed their plates and forks, then went to the kitchen. Their favorite snack to eat during movie nights was to put marshmallow’s in the microwave and cook them until they become so chewy that it takes five minutes to chew one bite. What was really amusing was watching the marshmallow’s grow huge, something the two women called “blowing up marshmallow’s” and putting a toothpick in the sides to watch them fence each other.
Bella absentmindedly grabbed a small handful of popcorn and tossed some into her mouth as she watched the screen, her mind wandering again.
Diane walked into the room and sat down as she placed the, gooey, hot marshmallows on the coffee table. She started eating her own and watched the screen for a minute before she noticed that Bella was, once again, not paying attention to the movie. This was not like Diane’s daughter at all. She loved movies and was usually in tune with them as she would often point out details no one else would normally see. Instead, tonight she had twice stared at the screen with a far off look in her eyes.
The older woman grabbed both remotes, paused the movie and shut off the television screen, then turned on the lamp next to the sofa they were sitting on. These actions pulled Bella from her head and realized what her mother had done.
“What’s up? Why’d you stop the movie?” she asked.
“Bells, is there something you want to talk about?” her mother asked, facing Bella and giving the teenager her full attention. She saw Bella’s eyes widen slightly out of shock and, what appeared to be, panic. A stab of worry shot through the mother, but she didn’t allow Bella to see it.
“Why do you ask?” Bella dodged.
“You’ve been acting...a little out of character tonight. Even during dinner you were quieter than usual. I am just wondering if there is something you wish to talk to me about,” Diane answered, as she suspicions were confirmed. Her daughter was hiding something and the dodge proved it.
“I’m fine. Just a little day dreamy today,” Bella said, telling her mother only half of the truth. Diane sighed and stared at her daughter for a moment, trying to figure out what Bella would be hiding from her.
Diane was not naïve enough to believe that Bella told her every aspect of her teenage life; however, she did trust Bella to tell her the big things that would come up, either seeking advice, comfort, or just to let her know what’s going on.
“Are you sure? You know you can talk to me.”
“Thanks, mom. I’ll be okay, I promise. I’m just a space case,” Bella laughed, hoping it would get Diane off the subject. It did. Diane smiled and decided to turn the movie back on. Her mother was in no way convinced.
Bella almost let out a sigh of relief. Lying was hard work...and it made her feel like shit. Bella knew she had to tell everyone and soon. She couldn’t keep this up.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Oops!
Wow...just wow you guys. I was re-reading The Keeper, chapter 2 to review a few things and I realized that I forgot to add something to the end. It was not supposed to end like that. In chapter 3, when Katerina shows up at the restaurant, and one of Bella's friends asks what she's doing there, Katerina answers that Bella invited her last night when she took her home...there's a real scene to that answer and I'm sorry for forgetting to put that in. So, this is the REAL ending to The Keeper, chapter 2.
They parted and went back down stairs. Neither of them had any idea as to how long they were gone.
“Finally! What the hell were two doing up there?” asked Alyssa. Everyone looked at them and Bella blushed.
“Bella was still not feeling well, but everything is fine now,” Katerina said easily, grinning from ear to ear. Bella couldn’t help but smile the same way.
“Are you sure? Do you need to go home, Bella?” Alyssa asked.
“No, I’m fine. Just some random thing. It’s nothing,” Bella said, her heart bursting with ecstasy.
“Okay, whatever. Come on, you’ve missed half of the movie,” Kayla said. Bella and Katerina sat in their original places, only this time, Bella welcomed the feeling of Katerina pressing against her.
Bella and Katerina would sometimes gently massage their hands and sides, where no one could see them. Bella paid no attention to the movies that were playing. All she could do was revel at Katerina’s touches.
However, halfway through When A Stranger Calls, Kayla looked over at them and Bella quickly pulled her hand away from Katerina’s, her heart pounding. Kayla turned away without looking suspicious. That’s when Bella started wondering when or if she was ever going to tell her friends. She knew she had to tell Kayla at some point, but she was afraid. And her mom. Bella dreaded that conversation. She didn’t know how her motherwould react. Bella and her mother are very close and, a year ago, Bella promised to tell her when she got into a relationship and when she felt she was ready to have sex. But...could she tell her mom this? She knew she wanted to be with Katerina, but she was new to being with a girl and didn’t exactly know how to go about it. She would have to remember to ask Katerina, but not tonight. She didn’t want to ruin this evening.
Sooner than Bella wanted, the movie night was over and everyone began leaving. Bella and Katerina got in her car as Bella drove to Katerina’s apartment. They held hands the whole way. Bella would glance over at Katerina to see her looking at Bella, never taking her eyes off of her. This made Bella’s heart flutter in her chest.
“Bella...what are we?” asked Katerina when Bella pulled into the parking lot. Bella sighed.
“I don’t know...what should we be?” Bella asked.
“Well, I certainly wouldn’t mind you being my girlfriend, but whatever you want us to be, I’m perfectly okay with, as long as I’m with you,” Katerina answered.
“Girlfriend...” Bella said quietly, staring at the steering wheel.
“If you don’t want that, then I understand,” Katerina said.
“I’ve never had a girlfriend before,” Bella said, still speaking quietly.
“I know, but it’s not a bad thing, honestly,” Katerina said, placing a hand on Bella’s shoulder. “But, if you don’t like it, then we won’t be girlfriends.”
“No...it’s fine. It sounds good; right even. I do like the sound of it,” Bella said after a minute, looking over and smiling at Katerina, who’s face lit up like Fourth of July.
“Really? You want to be my girlfriend?” she asked. Bella leaned forward and gave her a kiss.
“Really,” she said when they parted. Katerina was smiling, but then it faltered. “What’s wrong?”
“What about your friends? Your parents? What are you going to tell them?” she asked. Bella didn’t reply immediately.
“I don’t know. For now, until I figure things out, I won’t tell them. If you don’t mind,” Bella said.
“Not at all. This is your decision, whatever you want,” Katerina said.
“Thank you,” Bella said.
“I know this is hard, but it’ll get better soon. I promise,” Katerina said. Bella smiled at her.
“As long as you’re with me, I know it will be,” she whispered. Katerina smiled back. They hugged tightly and Bella breathed in her scent, trying to imprint it in her mind until she saw her again.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” Katerina said.
“Hey, you should come with me and my friends for lunch. You can meet us at El Lorro’s, it’s a Mexican restaurant, around twelve thirty,” Bella said, smiling, making Katerina smile.
“Sounds great. I’ll see you then,” she said. She leaned forward and they kissed for a while, but Katerina eventually pulled away, shaking her head. “I wonder if I’ll ever get used to these kisses.”
“Same here,” Bella said, absolutely breathless, still amazed at how Katerina could make her feel.
“Good night, Bella,” Katerina said.
“Good night, Katerina,” Bella replied. Then Katerina was gone.
Bella drove home and, when she pulled into her driveway, she was amazed she hadn’t gotten into an accident since her thoughts were far from driving. Bella walked into her house, still in a dream like state.
“Hey honey, how was Alyssa’s?” her mother, Diane Peterson, asked when she was inside.
“It was great,” Bella said, grinning like a complete idiot.
“What is it?” Diane asked, noticing the glassy look of happiness in her daughters eyes.
“Nothing, I just had a really good time. I’m going to go do some homework,” Bella said. She kissed her mother on the forehead and ran up stairs to her room, all thoughts of homework were long gone.
Again, sorry for that! Hope no one is confused. If you are, just comment and I'll answer ASAP! :)
Wild Cat
They parted and went back down stairs. Neither of them had any idea as to how long they were gone.
“Finally! What the hell were two doing up there?” asked Alyssa. Everyone looked at them and Bella blushed.
“Bella was still not feeling well, but everything is fine now,” Katerina said easily, grinning from ear to ear. Bella couldn’t help but smile the same way.
“Are you sure? Do you need to go home, Bella?” Alyssa asked.
“No, I’m fine. Just some random thing. It’s nothing,” Bella said, her heart bursting with ecstasy.
“Okay, whatever. Come on, you’ve missed half of the movie,” Kayla said. Bella and Katerina sat in their original places, only this time, Bella welcomed the feeling of Katerina pressing against her.
Bella and Katerina would sometimes gently massage their hands and sides, where no one could see them. Bella paid no attention to the movies that were playing. All she could do was revel at Katerina’s touches.
However, halfway through When A Stranger Calls, Kayla looked over at them and Bella quickly pulled her hand away from Katerina’s, her heart pounding. Kayla turned away without looking suspicious. That’s when Bella started wondering when or if she was ever going to tell her friends. She knew she had to tell Kayla at some point, but she was afraid. And her mom. Bella dreaded that conversation. She didn’t know how her motherwould react. Bella and her mother are very close and, a year ago, Bella promised to tell her when she got into a relationship and when she felt she was ready to have sex. But...could she tell her mom this? She knew she wanted to be with Katerina, but she was new to being with a girl and didn’t exactly know how to go about it. She would have to remember to ask Katerina, but not tonight. She didn’t want to ruin this evening.
Sooner than Bella wanted, the movie night was over and everyone began leaving. Bella and Katerina got in her car as Bella drove to Katerina’s apartment. They held hands the whole way. Bella would glance over at Katerina to see her looking at Bella, never taking her eyes off of her. This made Bella’s heart flutter in her chest.
“Bella...what are we?” asked Katerina when Bella pulled into the parking lot. Bella sighed.
“I don’t know...what should we be?” Bella asked.
“Well, I certainly wouldn’t mind you being my girlfriend, but whatever you want us to be, I’m perfectly okay with, as long as I’m with you,” Katerina answered.
“Girlfriend...” Bella said quietly, staring at the steering wheel.
“If you don’t want that, then I understand,” Katerina said.
“I’ve never had a girlfriend before,” Bella said, still speaking quietly.
“I know, but it’s not a bad thing, honestly,” Katerina said, placing a hand on Bella’s shoulder. “But, if you don’t like it, then we won’t be girlfriends.”
“No...it’s fine. It sounds good; right even. I do like the sound of it,” Bella said after a minute, looking over and smiling at Katerina, who’s face lit up like Fourth of July.
“Really? You want to be my girlfriend?” she asked. Bella leaned forward and gave her a kiss.
“Really,” she said when they parted. Katerina was smiling, but then it faltered. “What’s wrong?”
“What about your friends? Your parents? What are you going to tell them?” she asked. Bella didn’t reply immediately.
“I don’t know. For now, until I figure things out, I won’t tell them. If you don’t mind,” Bella said.
“Not at all. This is your decision, whatever you want,” Katerina said.
“Thank you,” Bella said.
“I know this is hard, but it’ll get better soon. I promise,” Katerina said. Bella smiled at her.
“As long as you’re with me, I know it will be,” she whispered. Katerina smiled back. They hugged tightly and Bella breathed in her scent, trying to imprint it in her mind until she saw her again.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” Katerina said.
“Hey, you should come with me and my friends for lunch. You can meet us at El Lorro’s, it’s a Mexican restaurant, around twelve thirty,” Bella said, smiling, making Katerina smile.
“Sounds great. I’ll see you then,” she said. She leaned forward and they kissed for a while, but Katerina eventually pulled away, shaking her head. “I wonder if I’ll ever get used to these kisses.”
“Same here,” Bella said, absolutely breathless, still amazed at how Katerina could make her feel.
“Good night, Bella,” Katerina said.
“Good night, Katerina,” Bella replied. Then Katerina was gone.
Bella drove home and, when she pulled into her driveway, she was amazed she hadn’t gotten into an accident since her thoughts were far from driving. Bella walked into her house, still in a dream like state.
“Hey honey, how was Alyssa’s?” her mother, Diane Peterson, asked when she was inside.
“It was great,” Bella said, grinning like a complete idiot.
“What is it?” Diane asked, noticing the glassy look of happiness in her daughters eyes.
“Nothing, I just had a really good time. I’m going to go do some homework,” Bella said. She kissed her mother on the forehead and ran up stairs to her room, all thoughts of homework were long gone.
Again, sorry for that! Hope no one is confused. If you are, just comment and I'll answer ASAP! :)
Wild Cat
Keeper Updates
Hey Everyone,
I just want to let you all know that I probably won't have The Keeper, part 4 updated until late next week. I am starting my J Term for college on Monday and will be moving back into school this weekend, so it's been kind of busy scrambling all my stuff together while celebrating the holidays and all. My New Years was great, in case anyone was wondering. Anyways, just thought I'd get everyone up to speed since I've had a few e-mails asking when the next chapter of The Keeper will come out. I really like this new chapter so far and hope you guys like it too :) Ciao!
Wild Cat!
I just want to let you all know that I probably won't have The Keeper, part 4 updated until late next week. I am starting my J Term for college on Monday and will be moving back into school this weekend, so it's been kind of busy scrambling all my stuff together while celebrating the holidays and all. My New Years was great, in case anyone was wondering. Anyways, just thought I'd get everyone up to speed since I've had a few e-mails asking when the next chapter of The Keeper will come out. I really like this new chapter so far and hope you guys like it too :) Ciao!
Wild Cat!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all had a great year and have an even better one this time around! :)
Love,
Brianna
Love,
Brianna
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