Would you Swallow all your Pride?

Chapter Thirty: Carmine.

"What is it?" Billie Dean squeezed Venable's waist a little, encouraging her to keep going. But Wilhemina didn't say anything. So, Billie snuggled just a tiny bit closer. "Wilhie..." Her hand fell a little to Venable's back, causing Wilhemina to let go of it and rest it on Billie Dean's hip. And then, there they were. And that was organic, natural, wanted. So Wilhemina only closed the gap, hand slipping to Billie's back and pulling her into a hug. Billie Dean blinked in surprise, but gladly held Venable in her arms, had caressing her lower back while she felt Wilhemina's caressing up closer to her neck. Red hair tinted the pillows and brushed against Billie's face, and in that moment Venable allowed herself to just be; she rested her forehead on Billie Dean's neck, smelling Floratta Blue mixed with her own lavender. What a beautiful combination. Billie stayed there, heart beating fast, hand caressing the soft cloth of Venable's pajamas. She took a deep breath, nose burying into red hair. I will soon love that woman. Billie Dean could feel it, deep inside her chest. A minute passed, then two. And Venable didn't think it would be possible for her to ever feel relaxed with her body against another person's like that; so vulnerable, with the walls so low. But she did. And sleep crawled inside a little more until Billie Dean heard a faint snore. She's asleep. Wilhemina Venable had fallen asleep in her arms. Not falling for that woman was a hard task.

When the morning arrived, sun rays creeped inside the purple bedroom through the gaps of the curtain. Billie Dean was the first one to stir from her slumber—the house was, after all, a foreign place so far. Even though she opened her eyes, Billie didn't move any other muscle; Wilhemina was hugging her from behind, tightly, nearly clinging onto her as if she were afraid Billie Dean would leave in the middle of the night. Billie wouldn't dare disrupting such a precious thing. Wilhemina's arms held her by the waist, and Billie Dean was quite sure she could feel the nearly unnoticeable movement of Venable's body as her lungs filled with air time and time again. She's tight against me. In a matter of seconds, Billie was well awake. As she took a deep breath, Billie Dean allowed one of her hands to gently trace the skin of Venable's arm on top her waist; she followed the path of her delicate veins, of her skin and knuckles, fingertips barely brushing over the expanse. Honey eyes closed again, focusing on how utterly comforting it felt to be held like that, by someone she trusted. Yes, Billie Dean had shared a bed with her fair share of women, but one night stands were just that: one night stands. Wilhemina Venable... she was something else. My chest feels so full. It was all too sweet and too bitter at the same time... had Emma ever woken up like that? In Venable's arms? In that moment, Billie Dean decided that if she had, it simply didn't matter. Eventually, Billie let her hand rest on top of Wilhemina's and caressed it with her thumb. Her ears picked on the sound of the birds outside, on the light snores Venable let out, on the lovely lavender scent of the bedroom and on the velvety feeling of the blanket on top of them. How was it possible that everything was so entirely Wilhemina? Lost in her thoughts, Billie Dean's eyes opened when she heard Venable's breathing change. Soon, the arm on top of her didn't feel so heavy. At first, Wilhemina's mind jumped to Purpura; she assumed it was her she was cuddling, but Purpura seemed to had gotten way bigger than she was the night before, and her skin didn't feel quite the same. And so, slowly but surely, Venable's conscious downed down, and she held herself not to flinch way because it felt oh so good to hold someone like that after so damn long. Specially when that someone was Billie Dean. Her cheeks tinted. Venable gulped, wondering if Billie was still asleep until she felt the soft caress of her thumb on her skin. And her ears began to buzz from nervousness and excitement and something else she couldn't quite point to. With her heart struggling not to come out of her mouth, Wilhemina closed her eyes and rested her head against Billie Dean's spine, right on the spot where her own resembled roots way more than bones. She took a deep breath. And Billie Dean could feel her legs wanting to turn into something awfully similar to jello when Wilhemina pulled her closer. Gladly, she scooted back. Their bodies glued together. What are we doing? Billie Dean couldn't help but wonder.