Strawberry Island (girlxgirl)

Moon Water

The thunderstorm began to pass and a calmness fell over the island. It was now 2 a.m and the girls were beginning to doze off, yet still managing to keep simple and non-revealing conversation.  

"Hey, It stopped raining." Clara yawned, somehow managing to jump to her feet and skipping to peek out the window. Florence sat up in her seat and rubbed her eyes, "Wow, thats amazing." She spoke sarcastically, though Clara had grown accustomed to Florence's dry humor. 

Clara opened the back door, looking over her shoulder with a mishevious twinkle in her eyes. It was as if Florence could read her mind, "Clara dont-". In less than a second, the blonde was out the door, jogging towards the crashing waves of the shoreline--Florence chasing close behind. "It's the middle of the night, Clara!" She hesitated to shout, in fear of waking her family, so the brunette opted for a quiet yet firm scolding-which fell upon deaf ears. 

Clara laughed as she let her bottoms slip off as she danced into the water, she only got far enough that the water met her upper thighs before stopping and motioning Florence to meet her. The brunette's feet made imprints in the wet sand as she walked with her arms crossed towards the blonde. 

"This is the best time to go swimming, you know." Clara swirled her hands in the water, smiling up at the cautious Ainsworth who made her way over to her, goosebumps covering her exposed body. "How? It's dark and freezing out?" Florence groaned, compelled to return back to her warm bed instead of standing in Lake Michigan at 2 in the morning. "Because of the moon water." She responded unphased by the odd situation that they were in. "Oh I get it- Evangeline broke you out of a hippie commune before bringing you here, didn't she?" Florence reasoned before beginning to turn back in the direction of Mulberry, she was then tugged back gently on the wrist back to face Clara. 

"Funny. But I'm talking about the effect the moon has on the water at night time. See- you can't tell where the sky meets the water, making it all look like a giant black abyss." Clara responded softly, mesmerized by the view. Florence didn't make a comment, she just stared at the outsider with a boggled and concerned look.

"No, I'm totally bullshitting you, I don't know what I'm talking about." Clara laughed softly to herself as she witnessed Florence's hardened expression crack into a smile. "You're unbelievable." She shook her head, humored. 

"So then why'd you come out here?" Florence prompted. "I just wanted to see if you'd follow me." Clara involuntarily crinkled her nose as she came clean. "Are you aware that you're horribly annoying." Florence rolled her eyes before beginning back towards the shore. "Are you aware that you're blushing." Clara hurried to meet her by her side, nudging her in the shoulder. 

Florence nudged the blonde back in response, accidentally knocking her onto her butt in the shallow 2 ft of water. Clara propped herself up on her hands as she gazed up at Florence from the water. "Sorry." Florence held both of her hands out to the partially submerged girl who graciously accepted by pulling her down and on top of her in the water. 

The brunette felt Clara's body beneath her, as the commotion in the water settled down. Their faces were inches apart, their breathing hitched in the back of their throats. "I thought you were too smart to fall for that cliche?" Clara raised an eyebrow at Florence who was biting the inside of her cheek out of embarrassment. "I suppose I made an exception." She didn't waste anytime before lifting herself up off of Clara. 

Both girls walked back to the guest house with their stomachs in knots, neither girl sure if what was going on between them was mutual. 

The back door of the guesthouse shut once more as the soaked girls left droplets of water and sprinkles of sand on the spotless wood floors, making their way to the laundry room to retrieve spare towels. 

They both dried off as much as they could before returning to the living room. The blonde sank into her seat on the couch and watched on while Florence patted her wet curly hair with a towel. 

Clara took a deep inhale then exhaled as she rose from her seat, she didn't break eye contact with the brunette's big green eyes as she walked towards her. The blonde lifted up her own long sleeve over her head and tossed it aside. Florence felt her stomach tighten at the sight of Clara's bare chest, she subverted her gaze to the floor.

 Clara sat next to Florence on the couch, she swiftly placed her hand on the side of the brunette's face, gently turning it towards the blonde so that their eyes met. Florence swallowed heavily as she felt Clara's thumb travel to her bottom lip, her touch relaxed the brunette, going on to reveal a small opening between her plump lips. An invitation, the blonde leaned towards Florence, diving into the passionate lock of their lips. 

A flood of sensations overwhelmed Florence, breathing in the lavender scent of the blonde every time she came back for air. Her palm on her thigh, her tongue tangled with her own, her hand caressing her cheek. Adrenaline rushed through Florence's veins but was suddenly upended at the tugging at the bottom hem of her shirt, Clara began to lift the fabric up the brunette's body. 

"Wait-uh no, I can't be vulnerable, Clara." Florence pulled her shirt back down, her body was tense and nervous. "Florence, talk to me." Clara leaned back, her hands returning to her sides. 

"Talk to me." She repeated softly.

"Clara, you don't understand, If and when I do lose all control, I become useless. Ainsworth's are not useless, we're supposed to be held at the highest standard. I am the eldest grandchild, I'll be the one to take control of the entire Ainsworth estate and all of its responsibilities at some point. I'll have to call all of the shots and make sure they're all the right ones, the last thing I am allowed to be is vulnerable- and it's starting to drive me fucking crazy." Florence ended her ramble with a sharp sigh as she caught her breath.

Clara was taken aback by the sudden openness of Florence, she had to take a few seconds to collect her thoughts before responding.

"You're feeling that way because you're human, you're not supposed to have control all the time. You can be vulnerable when you're with me, I don't mind, Florence." Clara reassured, her hand intertwined with the brunettes. "Just tell me what you want...right now. There's no consequences in this moment, right here." Clara tilted her head, her eyes were soft and kind as she spoke.

"I want you, Clara. Lets just go slow."

Clara nodded understandably.

 Florence took a deep breath and let Clara peel off her shirt once more. The space between them shortened, Florence felt Clara's wet body press against her, the blonde could feel every goosebump on Florence's exposed skin fade away. The kisses were soft and patient, thrusting the girls into a state of bliss.

Clara slowly unlatched her lips from the brunette's warm neck, pushing a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear, smiling as both of their sets of eyes lingered. "Florence, this right here is vulnerability. You're vulnerable right now and everything is fine, see."

Florence took a deep breath, swiftly tying her hair up in a bun before leaning closer to Clara, dropping her gaze to the blonde's full lips. Florence shut her eyes before crashing her lips into Clara's. The blonde winced, surprised by the charge taken by Florence, she couldn't help but grin as she felt a tingling sensation flood over her body under the touch of the brunette.