Sheltered Fall

Fall mornings always felt so cold in the suburbs. School had let out for Thanksgiving break and Rebecca was going out of her mind. Not only was she bored as hell, she had found her cat Mitsy dead on the porch that morning, so she had spent most of her day laying in bed, trying to cry. Lunch cheered her up a little bit, but with next to nothing to do around the house, Rebecca's mood hadn’t changed much.

Rebecca didn’t have many friends. She had a few when she was younger, but now that she was seventeen and had college on her mind, all of her old friends seemed so immature. She ended up spending most of her free time studying or reading.

With nothing better to do, Rebecca decided to run in to town to her favorite bookstore. She always loved walking through those heavy wooden doors, the smell of old books and dusty carpets invigorated her body and mind. With a smile of anticipation, she grabbed her purse and headed out the door.

The autumn afternoon was much more pleasant than the bitter cold she had awoken to. It was still a little cold, but there was a warm breeze gently brushing the brightly colored trees. As she made her way to the bus stop, the mat of leaves crunched playfully under her feet, putting a big grin on her face. She knew she must have looked like a kid in a candy store playing like that, and her short haircut and big green eyes didn't help. She had always been a little shorter that the rest of the girls her age and, even thought she hated to admit it, she was a little less developed than she would like to be. She did have nice hips and the curves to match, but her body hadn't really changed much since adolescence.

The small suburb she lived in was spread thin enough that by the time she even got near the bus stop, her mind had drifted off in to the dreamy pastel landscape, the memory of her troubled morning drifting away. The wind started to pick up, from gentle breeze to a warm embrace, swirling leaves around like the fluttering of a snow globe. Amongst the leaves, a light rain began to fall, first of the season, heavy and sweet, like a kiss to match the wind's embrace.

It was then that Rebecca first saw her. Hidden behind a curtain of dancing leaves was a dark haired woman who clashed painfully against the warmth of fall. She was wearing dark clothes that were a little too revealing for the cold that still hung in the air. Her long straight hair seemed darker than it should be, as if dyed with obsidian and coal. She even had on dark make up and many piercings to tie together her ensemble.

As Rebecca approached the menacing looking woman, she couldn't help but wonder what her story was. She looked friendly enough under all of the dark trim, but Rebecca didn't want to risk finding out the contrary. The dark haired lady had a long slender body and even though she was considerably thinner than Rebecca, her breasts were at least a full cup size larger.

As Rebecca sat down, she felt the dark haired lady's eyes glaring at her, making her feel like she was the one out of place. But when Rebecca snuck a peak, she found the stranger was looking off in to the distance, puffing slowly on a cigarette, not like she liked it, but that it was part of her outfit. Rebecca had never smoked in her life and hardly spent any time around people that did, so before she knew it, the acrid smell was starting to burn her lungs. She tried to avoid it the best she could, scooting to the end of the bench, but it didn't help much. She didn't want to be a bother, but her head was starting to get a little fuzzy. She tried to stifle a cough, but the dark haired lady heard it... and laughed. Rebecca stirred in furious amazement as she watched the dark haired stranger took a long drag from her cigarette with a malicious grin on her lips, but before Rebecca could say anything, the lady dropped it and crushed it under her boot, savoring one last exhale. Rebecca gave her a weak smile but couldn't think of anything to say.

The rain started to pick up and the wind blew cold. For some reason, when Rebecca saw the dark haired lady shiver and rub her legs, she wished she had worn more layers so she could have offered her a sweater or something. She didn't know why she suddenly felt so philanthropic, there was just something unique about the dark haired girl, something exciting. She hadn't noticed it at first, but her companion had soft gentle features hidden beneath her makeup. It made Rebecca wonder why such a beauty spent so much effort trying to hid it.

An old lady hurried towards the bus stop, covering her head with a news paper. Rebecca scooted closer to her dark haired companion to make room, but the old lady just passed on by. There was a strangely relaxing warmth coming from the dark haired stranger, and even though she was embarrassed, it was way too cold out to scoot away just yet. Rebecca felt the stranger give her a sideways glance but made no move to protest. For a while they just sat there, sheltered from the rain, taking comfort in an impromptu embrace of warmth.

Rebecca's heart raced nervously for what felt like an eternity and she finally scooted back to her side of the bench. As the warmth drained from her body she wished she could lean back up against the dark haired lady, but it was just too awkward to try. A bitter could seemed to mock her even more, pouring down from the sky with the rain. Then without warning, she felt a warm hand on her leg, giving her a quick rub and a few pats.

"Come on." The dark haired lady smiled. "The bus is late and it's way too cold to be waiting out here for it. Do you want to go get some coffee?"

"Sure." Rebecca replied before even giving it any thought. She hardly knew this woman and she didn't even like coffee, but anything was better than staying out in the cold. She covered her head with her arms and followed her strange companion in to the storm.

Even after living so long in such a small neighborhood, Rebecca found out that it still had it's surprises. Hidden down a road that appeared to have nothing more than another long row of cookie cutter style houses, turned out to be a small strip mall with a nail salon, pet store, convince store, laundry mat and a cozy looking cafe. The cafe had a strange look to it, like someone had put a bunch of antique furniture in a modern looking building, but it did have a warm atmosphere, and more importantly, it had a warm temperature.

Rebecca was greeted with the unfamiliar scent of brewing coffee and boiled milk. It wasn't a bad smell, she was just startled by how intoxicating the aroma was. Not knowing what she liked, she had her companion order for her while she went to go find a seat. A few moments later, the dark haired lady returned with their drinks and some muffins and they started to talk.

Over the course of about four cups of coffee, just one for Rebecca, she found out a lot about her dark haired acquaintance. Her name was Kimberly but all of her friends called her Kim. She was a 22 year old college student home on Thanksgiving vacation. Her major is biology, but she spends most of her time in drama classes. She isn't much of an actress, it was just a way to hang out with her friends and get out of the monotony of lectures. She liked a lot of European punk bands whose names either made no sense or were too hard to pronounce. She liked the punk scene, but her fashion sense was mostly for show. She spent a lot of her free time volunteering at an animal shelter and helping out her friend's mother's bakery.

Rebecca talked about herself as well, talking about how she liked the path she choose with getting ready for college and everything, but sometimes she wished she had more time and energy for things like friends or guys. That sometimes she couldn't tell the difference between her being lost in her studies, or hiding behind them. She wasn't sure if it was the sudden rush the coffee was giving her or the warmth she felt with her new friend, but Rebecca found herself pouring her life's story out to someone who less than an hour ago was nothing more than a total stranger.

"So, where were you headed anyways?" Kim asked as she reached the bottom of her fourth cup.

It took Rebecca a moment to remember the answer. "I was headed in to town to kill time in my favorite book store."

Kim laughed. "Book store? You really are a nerd aren't you."

Rebecca hated the term nerd. "Yeah? Well, where were you headed?"

"Nowhere really, just trying to enjoy my vacation." The dark haired lady answered as she tried to get the last drop of coffee out of her cup. "If you were just heading in to town to kill time, would you rather come hang out at my parents house?"

"Sure." Rebecca, not needing even a second to think it over. There was something unexplainable about Kim that made her feel at ease around her. Something playful and fun she hadn't felt since childhood.

The rain had let up a little which made the walk to Kim's house a little more pleasant. The house Kim's parents lived in was the same cookie cutter copy style house as all of the others in their little corner of suburbia, but somehow knowing who lived there made it seem to stand out from the others. Kim's father was off at work, but her mother was there to greet them at the door. Kim's mom looked like she could have been the good twin sister if Kim was the evil one. After a quick introduction, Kim dragged Rebecca up to her room before her mom could talk the girl's ear off.

Kim's room was the complete opposite of what Rebecca had been imagining. Other than a few punk rock posters on the walls, the room looked that of a normal teenage girl, maybe even preteen girl. There were stuffed animals on the shelves, bright colored furnishings with stickers and pink and fluffy trim everywhere it could fit.

Kim looked around and sighed. "Yeah... I haven't really had a chance to redecorate since I left for college."

"I think it's cute." Rebecca forced a smile, feeling a little unsettled.

"You're cute." Kim snapped sarcastically.

Rebecca felt the blush on her cheeks. Kim's house must have been a lot warmer than it felt. With her heart fluttering, she flopped down on to Kim's bed, staring up at the ceiling. She wondered what it must have been waking up every morning to this sight. It wasn't like she didn't like her child hood, she just wondered how two girls from the same little neighborhood could have turned out so different. The bed had the perfect balance between firmness and softness, and her bed sheets smelled so fresh and lively. She had never felt relaxation like this before.

In to her vision came a whirl of dark silk then Kim's mischievous smile. "Wow, that didn't take long at all."

"What didn't take long?" Rebecca asked, thoroughly confused.

Kim looked at Rebecca, at her bed, then back to Rebecca. "Oh nothing... how about we change out of these wet clothes."

Rebecca looked down and realized she had caused a damp mat where she was laying. She jumped up looking apologetic. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it." The dark haired woman grinned, tossing her a change of clothes. "Here, put these on."

Rebecca looked down at the dark outfit in her hands, thinking to herself that this must be the only style Kim had in her wardrobe. Without an offer of where to change, Rebecca started awkwardly stripping down in front of her new friend, hopping she wasn't breaking any boundaries this early in the friendship. By the time she was down to her bra and panties she realized that Kim was staring at her.

"Um..." She asked nervously.

"How old are you really?" Kim blurted out, her voice full of disbelief.

Rebecca went to cover her nearly flat chest with her arms but when she realized what Kim was referring to, her face went red. She had never in a million years thought she would be showing her panties to anyone that day, so when she had gotten dressed that morning, she didn't put any thought to which undergarments she should wear, which she was now regretting. She didn't even know why she still had the damned things, but there she was, half naked in someone else’s room, wearing teddy bear print panties meant for someone half her age.

"I didn't... I, um..." Rebecca stuttered.

"Don't worry about it." Kim grinned. "I think they suit you."

There it was again, that fluttering feeling. Trying to hide the red tint on her skin as quickly as she could, Rebecca threw on the pair of jeans and the hoodie Kim had lent her.

"Sorry I don't have more for you to wear, I left most of my clothes back at my dorm." Kim said as she started to undress herself.

Rebecca turned her gaze away, but curiosity slowly seeped in to her mind until eventually, her eyes slid back to Kim's changing form. Her long slender body was adorned in creamy soft skin that ached to be touched. Even with her back turned, when Kim removed her bra, it was clear that her breasts were larger than Rebecca’s. When they were both dressed, they moved on to a couch while Kim put on some music from her favorite band. Rebecca had heard some punk before, but this was completely different. It was like someone took a great band and cut their funding. The songs were loud and hard to understand, but she could hear the talent and spirit behind the showmanship. It wasn't bad to say the least.

Rebecca found her eyes growing heavy and she had to fight to stay away. She didn't know if it was the heater's warm touch lulling her to sleep, or maybe the hypnotizing beats coming from Kim's computer, but whatever it was, she found herself slipping deeper in to the couch, leaning closer to the source of warmth by her side. She felt a warm heavy pressure envelop her, and she was out.

A gentle nudging at her neck eased Rebecca from her unplanned slumber. She opened her eyes to a sea of dark flutter, Kim quickly retreating to her side of the couch.

"Sorry, I just love that song." Kim blushed, biting her lip.

"What do you mean?" Rebecca asked, wiping away the strange dampness from her neck.

Nervous trembles turned to whimsical mischief. "You were just so cute leaning on me like that, and I might have... smelled you a little."

"Smelled me?" Rebecca gawked.

"Kissed your neck..." Kim continued

"Kissed my... what?" She was getting a little nervous herself.

"Felt you up..." Kim said matter-of-factly.

"The hell?!" Rebecca shot up off the couch, covering herself and feeling dirty.

"That last one was a joke." Kim laughed, rolling her eyes.

"So... you didn't kiss my neck?" Rebecca asked shyly.

"...only a little." Kim answered, avoiding her gaze. "Like I said... you just looked so cute and... yeah."

Rebecca burned with embarrassment, but somehow, she really wasn't all that angry about it. She felt a little betrayed, but the idea of someone going out of their way just to kiss her excited her. She hadn't ever considered girls in that way before, but maybe this dark haired enigma was exactly what she needed in her life right now. A strange sense of daring sparkled to life deep within her.

"Where exactly did you kiss me?" Rebecca toyed, hiding her true intentions with false hurt in her voice.

Kim looked flustered, "Just a light one on you cheek... and a little on your neck."

"Where on my neck...?" Rebecca mused.

Kim motioned to the side of her neck but Rebecca shook her head. There was something strange urging her to tease Kim further, something she didn't understand, something she needed to explore. "Just show me."

"Like... kiss you again?" Kim asked timidly.

Rebecca leaned her head back, presenting her neck up for Kim. "Why not? You've already done it before."

The wait seemed to take forever but finally Rebecca felt Kim lean in and place her lips a hairs width from her neck.

"Come on, don't stop now." Rebecca teased, feeling light the light brush of Kim's lips as her throat bumped against it.

There was another moment of hesitation before Kim finally let her timid lips press gently in to Rebecca's neck. It was the strangest thing she had ever felt in her life, a warm wet tickle that made her breath flutter and her heart skip a beat. Her hands were twitching and her body tensed up, but somehow everything felt calm and relaxed. She wasn't sure how to react, but she knew she liked it.

"Something like that." Kim said in a forced calm voice. "Nothing special right?"

"Sure..." Rebecca replied, silently catching her breath.

"Would you like some more coffee?" Kim asked quickly, changing the subject. "I know it's late and it wouldn't be as good as the coffee we got earlier, but it's a pretty good blend."

"Sure." Rebecca answered, not caring one way or another. She just wanted to understand why the room was spinning so fast.

Rebecca didn't know how long it was supposed to take to make coffee, but after ten minutes she was starting to get worried. Stepping cautiously through the unfamiliar house, Rebecca headed down the hallway towards the kitchen, finding Kim sitting on the floor head in her arms.

"Are you alright?!" Rebecca called out as she ran to her friend.

Kim's face went red. "Yeah." She stammered, "I was just... the coffee. And I..."

That's when Rebecca noticed the redness in Kim's eyes. "What's wrong?"

"It's... I don't know." Kim replied, shaking her head. "What's going on between us?"

"Well..." Rebecca didn't know how to answer, so she just talked. "We've only know each other for a few hours now, but I feel like I've known you my whole life. At the least, we're close friends. At the most... maybe more."

"More?" Kim stared at her.

Now it was Rebecca's turn to turn red. "I don't know what I was saying. We're close friends, other than that, I don't know either."

Kim sucked at her coffee, desperately trying to ground herself. There was a long pause before her next question. "What if we were... something more?"

Rebecca looked away. "I don't know."

Kim sat her cup down and put her hands on Rebecca's shoulders, turning the timid girl towards her. Before Rebecca knew what was happening, Kim's lips were pressed up against hers, the alluring scent of coffee clinging to her lips. Rebecca felt the same heart racing flutter making her head spin with surprised pleasure. She couldn't tell how long the kiss lasted, but it felt like an eternity crammed in to an instant. This is what Rebecca was expecting of a first kiss. Just a suddenly a the kiss started, it ended, with Rebecca's lips tingling with fuzzy pleasure.

"What about that?" Kim asked in a breathy sigh.

"I don't know..." Rebecca replied, her eyes closed. "I think I liked it."

"What about... me?" Kim asked, her voice painfully searching for the answer.

Rebecca smiled weakly. "I think... I like that too."

Kim pulled the young girl in to a tight hug. "Sorry I'm acting so weird. It's just, you started to remind me of my last ex girlfriend and I didn't want to lose you too."

"Last girlfriend?" Rebecca shot her a sharp look. "So am I just her replacement or something?"

Kim's face panicked with apology. "Oh no, not at all. She was nothing like you. It's just I felt something I have felt in years and that brought back bad memories along with the good. I didn't mean to compare you to her."

"That's fine." Rebecca replied reassuringly. "I really don't know what to think right now. Hell, I didn't even know you were... like that."

"What, a lesbian?" Kim raised her eyes. "You're not?"

"I don't know... never thought I was." Rebecca blushed.

"Well, there's only one way to find out, right?" Kim grinned. "How 'bout you think it over tonight, come back tomorrow so we can return each other's clothes and then maybe we’ll go get some more coffee or something. Sound good?"

"Sure." Rebecca answered, not needing to think it over. "And you were wrong about one thing."

Slight panic shot through Kim's body "What that?"

Rebecca replied with a mischievous grin. "That coffee you made was the best thing I've ever tasted."


End


Author’s notes

Guess what bitches, I’m back. Not that any of my readers will probably read this. (I’ll just have to post some new stories in more popular categories.) Anyways, I got the idea for this story in basic training one day, waiting in the rain, and the wind started to pick up and the brown leaves started blowing through the air in all directions like sakura blossoms. I’ll probably post the next chapter in a few weeks, after I get some of my other stories finished, but the more interest and feedback means the faster it gets posted so yeah…

Anywho, I’m still stuck in AIT for a few more months, but at least basic training is done and over with and I’ve got internet every night.