Generations: The Long Game

Freedom

They both just stared at one another for a long moment. "Wait, what? You do?"

"Yes, I thought it was fairly obvious. Siobhan, I have loved you since that moment in the car park. I thought that was why you started keeping your distance physically when we were together. I really thought you knew."

Siobhan just shook her head. "No, I kept my distance because I thought you would reject me, and I would lose the greatest friendship of my life. The only thing that mattered to me this last year. Seriously, Viv, I didn't think you would want me."

"I do"

They both laughed. For two women who spent the last year doing nothing but talking, they had allowed a huge gap in their communication to go unnoticed. "So, what do we do now?"

Vivian stood up and got as close to Siobhan as she could without touching her. She was so close she could feel Siobhan's breath on her neck. "I don't know about you, but I am going to bed," and with that she padded off toward the stairs. Siobhan stood there for a moment completely flustered by Viv's proximity before she realized that was an invitation. She practically ran after her causing Viv to giggle as she sped up the stairs.

When they got to the landing Vivian teased her by letting her get close but not letting her touch before she took off for the room. Siobhan bolted after her. Viv let her catch her right aside the bed. She leaned down and placed the softest kiss on her lips. She let her fingers trace over the lines of Siobhan's face and down her neck. As the kisses became hungrier, she pulled back gently and drank in the vision of this woman she had only dreamed of loving this way. She was looking for confirmation that this was okay, and Siobhan answered, "yes, I'm ready." It was all slow and calculated and deliberate from that point on. Vivian was going to make her feel every minute of the desire she had for her in the last year. Not one inch of her mind, body or soul would ever question if she wanted her again.

Siobhan felt a dull thud in her head. Why had she allowed herself to drink so much? She could barely open her eyes. The light was just too bright, but when she realized the shower had just turned on, she sat right up. She made her way into the bathroom. She was unsure if it was left unlocked for her or because Viv thought she was sleeping. Either way she was in here now. She pulled the curtain and stepped into the shower without a word. She was being braver than she thought was possible, but something about Vivian made her comfortable enough to be a little brazen. She began to kiss the dark-haired woman and was met with equal amounts of desire, passion, and love. Neither of them could deny their feelings now. They let themselves be engulfed by the overwhelming need. They worshipped each other's bodies until neither of them could stand and even then, they couldn't find it within themselves to disentangle.

As Siobhan reached to turn off the shower, they heard Jamey padding around and they both froze. They couldn't allow him to find them both naked in the shower. Vivian quickly wrapped a towel around her body and moved to the bedroom to dress. Siobhan froze and hid in the shower. Was this what she had been reduced to? Hiding from a four-year-old in the shower. As soon as she heard them descend the stairs, she moved quickly to make herself presentable for the day. Before she met them in the kitchen she had done a full face, her hair was perfectly in place and her clothes were immaculate. Vivian smiled to herself as she wondered if she would ever see her dressed down because at this point, she had only seen her naked or dressed to the nines.

Handing Siobhan her breakfast she asked, "do you ever just wear jeans and a t-shirt?" Siobhan choked a little on her bite of food. Was Vivian saying that she didn't have to look this way to be presentable for her? She had been expected to look perfect for so long it had never occurred to her that maybe that was not... normal.

"You would be okay with that?" Vivian was perplexed by the question at first, but then she realized this was what she thought was expected of her. It pained her to realize how much of Siobhan's life had been dictated by other people. Her mother was a tyrant, her father a hypocritical religious zealot, and then Roger. She had been in therapy a year, but Viv realized some of the "reprogramming" could only really happen in realtime. In moments like this.

She waited for Jamey to move to the living room before responding. "Beautiful, you don't have to look "perfect" for me or for anyone. You are allowed to dress down if you want to. You are also allowed to dress this way if you want to. I will find you beautiful no matter what you wear even if it is nothing at all."

Siobhan was floored. She didn't quite know how to react to this, but she liked the idea of having the freedom to just do as she pleased. "I am going to take a taxi to my car. Are you alright if I come back and stay the night again?" Viv raised an eyebrow. "Beautiful, I would love that." Something inside her just melted at the pet name. She looked to see that Jamey hadn't reentered the kitchen and place a soft kiss on Viv's lips. "Okay, see you soon"

When she got to hers she went into the bathroom pulled her hair up into a loose bun and washed her face clean. She went into the wardrobe and pulled on an old t-shirt from uni and slipped it on before pulling a pair of worn jeans over her hips. She packed an equally "dressed down" outfit for tomorrow in a bag before preparing to head back out. She hadn't gone outside in her "house clothes" in many years, and stepping back out of the house was a bit daunting. She made it to the car and began to drive when a smile crossed her face. She was free. From the tyrants of her life. From Roger. From the restraints of her own mind. To live how she pleases and to love who she wanted.