Cherry (GirlxGirl)

Chapter 8

I soon sat next to Cherie in my car, her in a passenger seat with a large basket in her lap. I looked over at her. Her hair was tied back into a messy pile of red, a white and blue bandanna wrapped around her head. She turned to look back at me, and grinned through her sunglasses. I grinned back, starting the car and heading towards the local park.

I shut the car door behind me, stepping away. Cherie joined me, and we started walking, looking around. Only a few people were there; a man playing with his dog, a woman and her toddling daughter. A couple sat by the pond in the center, feeding the ducks. 

"I've barely come here since I was a kid. It's been so long."

"Same. What a shame, right? It's so beautful."

We meandered around the grassy area for a while, looking at the trees and birds before settling for a soft corner of the park, laying out the blanket so that half of it was in the sun and half of it was in the shade. I took off my shoes and placed them in the corners of the blanket so it wouldn't blow away. Cherie did the same, then plonked down the basket and rolled onto the shaded half of the blanket. I settled next to her in the sunny part. 

I shut my eyes against the sun, and it heated my face and settled warmly over my body. I let out a breath, relaxing. It had been an eventful weekend-the most interesting I'd had in a while. All this new information about my family. Cherie turning my life upside down. The night at the club...not to mention running into David and being reminded for the first time in weeks of my life with him and Kevin from so long ago. It was brought back to the front of my mind. I remembered exactly what those times had felt like. I could feel it now-the lightness and freedom, but the crushing weight of everything that happened around you. It was a good weight, though. I felt so fulfilled, so complete. I would be lying if I said I hadn't loved it. That I missed it at times. That's one of the things that makes it hard to resist. Sure, I was better now. But what if I went back? I knew that I had escaped for a reason. But god, was it tempting sometimes to go back. It was so easy. I didn't care about anything, anyone but myself and that was so simple. 

"God, I need to get out more. This is so fucking nice. Hey, I gotta put some sunscreen on, I don't want it getting all over you." Cherie said.

I opened my eyes. "Right, yeah. You need help?"

"Sure. I burn like an infant, I swear." She pulled a spray-bottle of suncreen from her bag. We stepped away from the blanket, and she stood, holding her arms out and scrunching up her face. "Ready."

I smiled, and sprayed the mist over her arm, and across her chest. "Ah, it's cold." she flinched. 

"Shush." I finished her upper half and did her legs, her skin getting wet and shiny as I sprayed it. "Turn around." 

She turned around. I got the back of her arms done and sprayed the back of her legs, bare from the loose tank top and small shorts she was wearing. She turned back around when I was done, pulling her shirt up to right under her bust. "Get my stomach too, I'll probably be pulling my shirt up anyway." I complied. She spun around like she was dancing, and I finished her back.

"Okay, hold out your hands." She did. I sprayed some into her open palms. "Now just put that on your face and you're good." 

"Right. Always forget that part." She started rubbing her hands onto her face, sitting back down. "You need any?"

"Nah, I don't burn much."

We took a moment to enjoy the sun and quiet of the park. We couldn't hear much else but the wind, the leaves moving, birds and the cars driving by periodically. It was extremely calming. The breeze stirred my hair, and the sun felt perfectly warm shining over my face and body. I fell back, laying down and sighing in contentment. The wind sounded like heaven between the leaves of the trees. I was only down for a moment when something plopped onto my stomach. I opened my eyes, grabbing the saran-wrap covered sandwich that Cherie had thrown onto me. I looked at her.