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She had this mischievous look in her eyes as the door swung closed behind Julia. It was something about that stare that left her standing there in the doorway, the awkward tension swirling between them, pulling them. Did Erin feel it too? Was there really something crackling in the air between them or was she just desperate to be looked at like she was worth something, anything?
That woman, that gorgeous woman standing in front of her with her white tank slightly untucked as she sucked in a breath, had to have another reason to look at her like that. Gosh. How long had it been since someone looked at her like that? It was addicting, alluring, even more intoxicating than that tequila she just finished.
Julia looked up long enough to catch a glimpse of herself in the mirror behind Erin. It snapped her back to reality like a fastball to the face. Her shirt was still askew, revealing more cleavage than she ever wanted to see on herself. Hastily tucking her shirt back in, stray strands of hair fell from her bun. She hurriedly tried to tuck them back in, avoiding Erin’s eyes at all costs. She looked like a mess, and not a hot one.
Once again, she was reminded of the toll life had taken: boobs that sat just a little bit lower than they used to, shades of brown bone-tiredness under her puffy eyes, skin that somehow grew just a little bit more flexible each day.
She pulled her hair away from her face, tucking one more strand back into her bun as she walked to the available sink to wash her hands. She gave Erin a friendly smile. I’ve lost my damn mind. Just as Julia reached for the handle to the faucet, Erin turned to her. With a firm, unwavering grace, she pushed Julia against the vanity.
It happened so fast: the water rushing into the sink behind her, the heaving of her chest, Erin’s lips so close to her face. Erin pressed both hands around her hips, holding her there for a moment as she stared into hazel eyes, their lips just a breath apart.
Julia gasped as her stomach flipped in the air and landed at what felt like was the bottom of her toes. Erin’s breath smelled like hints of pears and honeysuckle, even more enticing than the vanilla that hugged around her. Her eyes were even brighter shades of green that close up–swirling yellow fragments dancing within the verdant landscape. It was a color all on its own, no competition to even the most beautiful forest lined sunsets.
Julia froze for a moment, stuck in the thought of tracing Erin’s freckles like constellations to a place where she could get lost forever. No, this isn’t right. She had just one sip too many and was imagining it all. She should go back to her already messy life before anything was done that couldn’t be undone.
And that was when it happened.
Erin moved her left hand from her hip just briefly and Julia swayed as if that hand was the only thing holding her up, as if that was all that tethered her to this Earth. Her fingers slid almost unnoticeably behind Julia’s ear as she pulled her into a kiss, soft but fast, as if she was making sure there was no time to let her mind talk her out of it.
Their lips collided and Julia’s breath hitched in slow motion, the push and pull of soft skin caressing every nerve in her body. Erin’s hands trailed down her arm and rested on the dip of her waist, pulling her closer and closer with every steaming breath.
The world around them disappeared. It was too easy to release every inhibition as she melted deeper into Erin’s taste, as her hands desperately held Julia’s body. She hadn’t felt that alive, that wanted, that desired in so long.
How long did it last? How long did they share a breath as their hands and legs tangled around each other? Seconds? Minutes? All Julia knew was that at some point her lips ended and Erin’s began–two liquid forms crashing into each other and becoming one–and she used that information to bridge a world of pure wonder.
When Erin pulled away, Julia tried to hide the fact that she was out of breath. Not because they kissed for long, but because she hasn’t been kissed like that in a very long time. When was the last time someone took her breath away? When was the last time someone touched her so carefully like that? She hadn’t had anyone look at her the way Erin’s eyes met hers, bright and wanting. She felt like the most important person in the room, even when they were surrounded by so many others.
Julia reached down and held the edge of the counter, steadying herself before she let her thoughts ruin the moment. Erin began to take a step back, as if she had just realized she waited for a stranger in the bathroom, hoping she’d follow her. As if she’d never done anything like that before, but could that boldness come naturally? Could the way her tongue slid into Julia’s mouth be the first time for her?
“I’m so sorry,” Erin staggered, her breath surprisingly in match with the beat of Julia’s heart. “I’ve wanted to do that since that moment I saw you.”
Julia couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It was almost too much to take in. Lost in thought once again, she was speechless. Then, she watched the regret settle onto Erin’s face.
Erin pulled her hands away from Julia as if they were sunburnt from being just a thin layer of cloth away from flesh, begging for the aloe she held at her own sides. Julia wished Erin’s hands actually touched bare skin. She wished she could feel the warmth of her fingertips trace every curve. She felt that warm wanting bloom deep within her.
For the first time in years, Julia let go of reason. She reached out her hand and grabbed Erin’s wrist as she turned towards the door to leave. Their eyes met as Julia slid her hand from her wrist, up her goosebump lined arms, down her side, and rested it just below her waist. The thought of her warm skin beneath that thin layer of satin tickled at the back of Julia’s mind. She wanted so badly to touch it, to taste her salty skin.
“Me too,” she whispered, and in one swift motion, she pulled Erin back to her. Their hips pinned together as she slid her hands into those brown curls.
They were back to sharing space, once again lost within the vista of their lips. Julia hadn’t kissed someone in so long, hadn’t wrapped her hands around the soft part of their neck as her tongue explored their mouth. Oh, but it felt good, and she wondered why it took her this long to realize how ignited her body could still feel.
Everything grew deeper. Julia pushed Erin’s body against the counter, never wanting her hands to stop exploring the terrain of her body. Erin arched her body firmer, as if she was afraid Julia would disappear if the contact faltered just once.
She let her fingers rest where Julia’s pants met her blouse, lightly twirling her fingers in her shirt before lifting it and touching bare skin. Her warm hand slid so effortlessly to her back, teasingly trailing lower and lower; it seemed like their bodies were puzzle pieces, finally finding the perfect fit. Julia let out a breath of air. The way that single touch set a fire ablaze within her was an unfamiliar flutter of bee wings taking flight within her stomach.
Suddenly, a knock at the door reverberated in their ears and they both froze. Julia’s hands remained curled in Erin’s hair, holding her close. Erin’s left hand gripped Julia’s neck as her right wrapped around the curve of her behind.
“Jules,” Greg called from behind the door. “Everything okay? We’re closing in five.”
“I’ll be right out!” she called, trying to hide the fact that now she was really out of breath, and for more reasons than one.
As the realization of their actions crashed into her, Julia pulled away from Erin. Buzz be damned. She was on the last part of a free fall roller coaster–that feeling of your stomach floating within your chest as you plummet–except she thought she was on the carousel.
Erin steadied herself against the counter, bracing her wobbly legs. Julia was relieved that this, whatever it was, didn’t just affect her. But quickly it became too much. She couldn’t be here. Not making out with a random woman in a bathroom. Not now, of all times.
Yet, as she looked back at Erin apologetically, she felt herself wanting to sink deeper into those eyes. She wanted back that reckless feeling that would allow her to crash into Erin again, only blazing hands mapping the way. She wanted to get lost in something other than herself.
Closing her eyes, Julia took a deep breath, hoping to pull herself together enough to walk out without flushed cheeks and lingering regret. When she worked up enough courage to stand without leaning, all she could think of was how Erin’s touch sent warm shivers down her back, how her stomach flipped when their bodies touched, how she wanted more.
