Cherish [GirlxGirl]

Chapter 9

I climbed the stairs to Cherish's apartment slowly. My legs were tired as it had been a long day standing on them, moving from one department to the next. It was as if the whole island suddenly needed loans and they all showed up the same day. All I craved was a meal, a bath and the comfort of Egyptian cotton sheets. I could get all those things downstairs in my own apartment but it lacked the added warmth of her arms. I'd have to wait for those arms though; she had a late showing of a house and wouldn't be back for an hour.

I used the key she had given me a year before. It was originally meant to be used for emergencies or when she was away but lately it had been re-purposed. The smell of the food she had cooked before she left greeted me at the door. Jamaican stew peas she had told me in a text. My mouth watered as I breathed in deeply. My stomach responded my groaning loudly. My last meal was breakfast and that had been at 6 a.m. Hungry as I was I opted to have my shower first.

I pushed off my pumps and placed them neatly to the right of the door then placed my bags on one of the small dining chairs. In her bedroom I undressed dropping my clothes in an untidy heap on the end of the bed. I showered, taking the time to let the water cover my body, head to toe, dried off in one of her thick cotton towels and pulled on a plain black t shirt and a pair of shorts; no underwear.

In the kitchen I filled my plate with stewed peas, rice, plantain, green banana and garden salad. She hadn't lied when she said she was in a "cooking mood" and went all out. There was enough food here to invite Georgie and Alex over for dinner and still have leftovers tomorrow. I positioned myself at at one of the table, facing the door. Mostly because I'd hoped to see her come in before I finished . She didn't.

Instead I finished my meal alone and cleaned the wares she had left in the sink before heading to the bedroom. After folding my clothes and placing them neatly on a chair, I turned the fan on and got in bed. My phone had messages from her, telling me where everything was. Little did she know I had figured it all out on my own. There was also a message from him. He called me beautiful, said he missed me and was thinking about me; naked versions of me. I responded with a smile and changed the subject; asked him about his day and his daughter. It was awkward to flirt with him from her bed. What kind of person would I be if I was comfortable doing that. I had dated multiple people before but not like this. This was very different because of how each one made me feel. How I longed for the presence of each one in a different way. How sometimes, without sex being involved, I could be with them and feel at ease.

I heard the sound of the front door closing and the jingle of keys as I began to drift into sleep. I closed my messages and rested the phone on the side table in anticipation.

She smiled as she walked in.

She said. "You look comfortable."

I nodded. "I am."

She chuckled softly and sat next to me; kissed my lips softly. "Did you eat?"

I nodded, kissed her again.

She asked,"Had enough?"

I nodded once more. Kissed her again, this time longer, this time holding her chin with my right hand.

She bit her lip when I stopped.

She asked, "is that your way of saying thanks?"

"No. That was my way of saying I missed you."Thank you will come a little later." I said with a wink.

She got up immediately. "Let me get a shower then and we can work out this gratitude."

I smiled sweetly as I watched her head off to the bathroom.