Last Night in Waterloo

Chapter 3

"Therese Belivet may I introduce, these are my friends Fred Haymes, John "Jack" Robinson and my twin sister Lilith Ritter.",Carol introduces to each other.

After the food was ordered and in front of her and a heated conversation is underway, she decided to take a closer look at the twin sister. Unlike the woman she is in love with, Lilith's style of dress is rather Dark Academia and more somber than her own. The facial features are almost completely identical, but her eyes do not harbor the same warmth and vivacity found in Carol's. Still, they seem alike in many ways, even if her hair is slightly darker than her sister's.
Therese is saddened by the fact that she can't sit right next to Carol. All this only by prior interruption at the previous dinner, which was interrupted by Jack against the lovers' will. Conversations about various topics are held, but Therese's shy streak comes up again which she thought she had lost for good by Carol's absence of over a year. It is now as if she is meeting another Carol with a different personality, changes in being and outward appearances, even if it can only be an illusion in the young woman's young heart. But it is still Carol and no other. It will be Carol in thousands of cities and the woman who will be in her heart and mind forever, no matter what else may happen. Lilith may be like a 1:1 copy of her, but it is not Carol. One thing the young woman is sure of is that she will enter both heaven and hell together with Carol.

"So Ms. Belivet, what do you do for a living?", Therese was asked by Lilith after some time when Jack and Fred took leave for professional reasons. It's just her, Carol and Lilith now. She never thought about how she would react to meeting Carol's sister in person. All she learned from her was only that she lives in Washington and that their relations with each other are leaning towards the bad. But everything Carol told her about her was just a lie that Therese blindly believed without any questioning. How then to believe in what else she told her. Was everything Carol said just a manipulation and a huge fib she put on her to keep her with her, to take advantage of her and to satisfy her own loneliness in her life.

Carol's foot slides out of her red high heels without anyone seeming to notice, and keeps tenderly stroking the bare flesh of Therese's calf with her toes. She doesn't just stay in that single spot, but wanders higher and higher, sneaking under the soft fabric of her brown skirt. Therese's breathing becomes more agitated than it should be here.  But still Carol shows no inhibitions in this situation and instead drives forward with her game.

"I work at the New York Times as a photojournalist. What about you Ms Ritter?",she answers slightly breathlessly while Carol's toes rub lightly and tenderly over the inside of her thighs up over the damp fabric of her panties.

Why is Carol doing this to her? She should be pissed at everything Carol has done to her so far and probably will do to her. But somehow she still manages to blow Therese's thoughts out. She tries as best as she can to keep her breathing even or her moaning restrained.

"Oh really? Impressive profession. I work as a psychiatrist and have my own practice in downtown Buffalo. And call me Lilith. It's enough that my patients call me that.",Lilith tells, laughing darker than Carol ever did in Therese's presence, but still she doesn't seem to be a bad person either, and the laughter genuine and not an approach of acting, or so Therese thinks. As soon as these words are spoken, the feeling of Carol's feet against Therese's bare skin suddenly disappears. A loss of warmth and sexually attractive comfort.

Carol also laughs briefly while looking jealously at her sister. As if she is trying to steal Therese away from her and make her her personal property.
Lilith seems to sense the rising anger at her own person and tries to calm her sister down a bit, but so that only those present at her table have the chance to hear her words: "Carol don't be jealous. I'm just having a conversation with your little girl and nothing more. I have Molly and I love her. Have you forgotten that big sister?"
In reply, she shakes her head just slightly, causing a few strands of Carol's golden hair to fly through a brief breeze for a moment. Her lips move briefly to one of her sister's cheeks, kissing it briefly after stroking it for a moment with one of her winger. Likewise, Therese wonders who this Molly is. Maybe a sister of Sappho or another sister she doesn't know anything about. But she didn't dare to ask either of them, because at best this is not a topic in this heterosexual society. None of the women turn their attention to Therese, who quietly observes them like laboratory rats and tries to explain their actions. Yet all she wants is to be given this kind of attention, even if it is only for a brief moment. Also secretly that Carol's foot finds its way to her again.
Lilith and Therese look at each other without exchanging another word while Carol feels more and more uncomfortable in her own skin and turns her gaze more often to the white dial of her watch.

An uncomfortable silence spreads more and more between the three women.

"It's already late. I should go, after all, I have another important meeting with a wealthy patient tomorrow morning. You two have a nice evening. And Therese maybe you visit me sometime. I know a few stories about Carol that would definitely interest you," the blonde says goodbye after giving them both a quick hug, just before she quietly disappears from the Oak Room with a wink.

Now it's just Carol and Therese and the money on the table she left to pay for their meal.

The outstanding bills were quickly settled and both have since left the restaurant together. A cab is already waiting for one or both of the ladies to finally get in so that the driver can finally move on, but they just look at each other and are undecided about what to do with the rest of the evening and the following night.

"Now it's just the two of us. Do you want to-? I mean you don't have to. Maybe join me for a coffee or an iced chocolate, the way you like it, at my apartment on Madison Avenue?",Carol asks Therese while looking at her nervously and shyly.

Nervously Therese just looks at her dark heels and plays with the zipper of her small handbag. Too many thoughts come into her head like a raging hurricane, devastating any possible formation of a clear thought. Only Carol is predominantly plagued by the nagging feeling of fear and ignorance. Every single millisecond and complete second without a word of approval or pure rejection feels like an eternity for the women and as a destruction of every happy moment that could still happen between them.

"No, Carol," Therese answers softly.

In retrospect, she would prefer ignorance to this rejection. Dejected and hurt, she looks at Therese one last time and tenderly strokes her cheek.

"I guess that's it. I'm sorry for what I did to you my darling. I love you so much," she says as she looks into her lover's eyes and her own are filled with tears.

Therese is frozen into a statue, unable to form a single word. Everything in her wants to hold Carol tightly in her arms and never let go. They kiss differently than Carol did with Lilith. Neither of them deserves this pain. But how many more obstacles will be placed in their increasingly dangerous path?

The fur Carol has always worn since they met blows lightly in the wind as Carol tries to get into the yellow cab. She has already given up. Everything she has ever fought for has failed. Carol's will to fight has gone out. Therese can't stand all this anymore and quickly joins her on the seat next to her before Carol could finally close the door of the cab.

"Where to, ladies?" the cab driver asks politely.

Carol seems to be caught in a state of shock while her eyes are still watering heavily. So Therese has no choice but to answer the open question:

"Could you please drive to 3th Broom Street?",Therese answers briskly and a few seconds later the cab starts to drive to her apartment.