Disclaimer : Characters and situations are all from my imagination.
Warnings : Sex and love between women
Feedback : Constructive criticism and feedback, both welcomed at geonncannon@gmail.com
Copyright © 2010 Geonn Cannon
The sky turned deep purple, fading into orange near the horizon. The subtle shift in colors was reflected in the calm waters, transforming abstract silhouettes into moored boats bobbing in the harbor. As the day dawned, the east-facing windows of the island became golden with light. There were a handful of people on the street, one here and a couple more there, but the majority of the islanders were still fast asleep in bed.
Nadine Butler's leg extended from under the blankets, wearing ankle socks because her toes got cold even in the dead of summer. Her limbs were tangled with those of her partner, Miranda Powell, and Nadine was pressed tight to Miranda's side. Her head was on Miranda's chest, and Miranda was turned slightly to have both her arms wrapped around Nadine. Miranda had to leave for work soon, leaving Nadine behind to sleep another hour or so before joining her at KELF. The light coming from the window changed a fraction at a time, gradually lightening. Miranda stirred, stretching and turning to look up at the alarm clock to see how much longer she had to cuddle. Not nearly enough, as always. She kissed the top of Nadine's head, and Nadine pressed tighter to her. Miranda closed her eyes and drifted off again, her last waking thought was that it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if she was late to work.
A few blocks south of Nadine and Miranda, on the main street of town, the lights were still on in the apartment Amy Wellis shared with her partner Kate Price. Amy was asleep in their cramped bedroom, wearing only her boxer shorts with the sheets pushed down to the foot of the bed by her midnight kicking. She woke when her alarm went off, signaling the start of another day baking cookies and selling coffee. She slapped the alarm silent before she sat up and looked at the empty bed next to her. She stretched her arms over her head, groaned, and scooted to the foot of the bed.
She sat for a moment, blinking the sleep from her eyes, and took the robe off the back of the door as she passed. She shrugged into it, already knowing what she would find when she reached the living room. The lamp next to the couch was the only light in the apartment, other than the glow coming from Kate's laptop. Kate herself was curled on the couch, hands between her knees, sleeping peacefully.
Amy bent over the back of the couch, brushed Kate's hair away from her cheek, and lightly kissed her until she woke up. Kate blinked and swore she was just resting her eyes, and Amy smiled as she revealed it was morning. Kate had been chasing another deadline, and it was another night when they were just ships passing on the way to the bed they shared. Kate apologized, and Amy crawled over the back of the couch and settled on top of her. The apology would be made with kisses and a shared shower before Amy went to work and Kate finally trudged off to bed. They would make up the time apart another night.
Jill and Patricia Hood-Colby had been up for fifteen minutes. Jill sat on the edge of the bed in a slip, fresh from the shower with her hair brushed back out of her face. Patricia passed her as Jill pulled on her pantyhose, still in her nightgown, hurrying to get to the shower before Michael woke up and stole all the hot water. Jill had a few papers left to grade, which she would complete over breakfast. She stared blindly across the room, planning the rest of her day. She and Michael would head to the school, and she would use her lunch break to run her errands. Jill went to the vanity beside the bathroom door to apply her makeup.
Patricia came out of the bathroom while Jill was finishing with her makeup. She said she would go wake Michael, but Jill put a hand on Patricia's hip and stopped her. Patricia turned to face Jill, and they embraced in front of the mirror. She kept her hand on Patricia's side, remembering the hospital and the rehab and the cane. She kissed Patricia, careful not to smudge her lipstick, and they whispered 'I love you's to each other. Patricia brushed her cheek over Jill's before Jill let her slip free and to go wake their son.
A few blocks from downtown, Molly Page had finally gotten to sleep on the second-hand couch in Shane's living room. She woke when nature called, and she stumbled half awake to the bathroom. She bumped the walls with her shoulders as she went, closing the bathroom door and sitting in the dark so she wouldn't blind herself. When she was finished, she left the bathroom and went down the hall to the bedroom where Shane was currently asleep.
She pulled back the blankets on her side of the bed, climbing under them just as she remembered that she had been in the living room. Shane woke at the disturbance and rolled over. She didn't say anything, she just stared and waited. Molly kissed her forehead and whispered an apology. Shane's posture relaxed, and she put her arms around Molly to pull her close. Shane settled with her head on Molly's shoulder, both of them already falling back to sleep. Molly didn't care about the bed, although it was much more comfortable than the couch. It was so much easier to fall asleep with her girlfriend in her arms.
On the eastern shore of the island, Alex Crawford was still wide awake. The picture windows in Rachel's cabin gave a gorgeous view of the sunrise over the water. The room was still dark, however, with dark green walls and a large four poster bed that made Alex feel like she was in the middle of the forest. She ran her fingers down the curve of Rachel's hip. The sweat had already dried, and her skin felt cool to the touch. It was their first night off together in almost two weeks, and neither of them was interested in sleep. After a few hours, though, Rachel begged for at least a cat nap to refresh herself. Alex was willing, but impatient.
She slid a hand down over Rachel's stomach and kissed her neck. Rachel stirred and pressed back against her as Alex's hand slipped between her legs. Rachel moaned, and Alex bit her earlobe as she rubbed with three fingers. She opened Rachel with two fingers, spreading them wide before pressing the middle finger inside. Rachel arched her back and Alex slipped her free arm between Rachel and the mattress.
Rachel brought her hand up, tracing her fingers over Alex's biceps and shuddering as she began to rock her hips faster. Alex whispered in Rachel's ear, and Rachel nodded her response. She bit her bottom lip and slid her hand down Alex's hand to grip her wrist. Alex added a second finger and Rachel's legs tightened around her hand as her body tensed and then slowly relaxed. She turned her head and Alex kissed her, pulling Rachel until she was on her back. Alex covered Rachel's body with her own, resting her hands on the mattress on either side of Rachel so she wouldn't smother her with her weight. Rachel chuckled, and ran her hands down Alex's back to cup her ass. They both decided sleep was overrated, especially on joint days off.
Across town, Miranda's alarm began to quietly bleat. She stretched out an arm and switched it over to the radio, making sure the volume was turned down before she withdrew her hand. Nadine was already awake, and kissed Miranda's shoulder as she rearranged herself against Miranda's side. They whispered good mornings, and Nadine reluctantly let Miranda out of her embrace. Miranda dropped her feet to the floor and stretched, and Nadine reached out and brushed a hand down her spine. Miranda arched her back and squirmed at the touch and then turned to look at Nadine.
Miranda was framed by the window, her hair shining golden in the new sun. Nadine smiled and rearranged the pillows. She was in her usual sleeping apparel; a tank top and shorts, and the blanket was twisted enough that Miranda could see a long stretch of thigh, and her belly where the shirt had pulled up. Without her glasses, her hair tousled and fanned over her forehead, she looked utterly adorable and innocent.
She bent down and kissed Nadine's lips before she got up and went across the room. She took her cell phone from the charger and flipped it open, dialing a number. Nadine frowned, wondering who she could be calling at such an hour. Miranda leaned against the wall and winked at Nadine. Nadine listened as Miranda spoke to the receptionist and concocted a lie about feeling ill and postponing the start of her workday until closer to noon.
When the call ended, Nadine held her arms out and Miranda crawled onto the bed. Nadine laughed, and Miranda pulled the blankets up over them both. They grew serious during their kiss, Miranda pinning Nadine to the bed and sliding between her legs. When the kiss broke, she brushed Nadine's hair away from her face, ran her fingers down Nadine's cheek and over her bottom lip. She smiled. "Good morning."
Nadine said, "Good morning," and pulled her partner down for another kiss.
Another day had begun on Squire's Isle.
Author's Note:
* Nadine, Miranda, Kate and Amy all appear in On the Air and various short stories available on my website.
* Jill and Patricia appear in various short stories available on my website (start with "Doing Laundry on Valentine's Day"!)
* Alex and Rachel appear in World on Fire , and Rachel makes a cameo in On the Air .
* Molly and Shane appear in Gemini