Mom and The Maid

Chapter Three...

 Valorie 

Carolina brushes my shoulder as she rushes to the kitchen. The smell of her perfume lingers in the air around me long after she leaves. I close my eyes for a brief second taking in her scent.

"Valorie, would you be a dear and go check on Carolina? She seemed a little flustered, don't you think?" I opened my eyes, and Katrina tilted her head to the side, and smirked. Whether she knew what I was thinking or not, I couldn't help but feel my face get hot.

"Y-yeah, sure." I turned on my heels, and went to find Carolina.

As I round the corner leading into the kitchen, I find Carolina leaning against the counter with her hands braced against the granite counter top. Her head is down, and from 6 feet away, I can hear her taking deep, shallow breaths.

"Get it together, Carolina. Focus. Don't. Think. About. Valorie..." She says this mantra 3 more times, before pushing off the counter, and turning towards me. She jumps, and her face turns bright red.

"H-h-how long have you been standing there...?" She whispers

"Long enough." I gloat. She looks down at her feet, and I walk up to her. Her breath hitches in her throat, as I touch her arm. 

"Carrie..." She looks at me and I completely melt into a puddle of nothing. Her big, bright blue eyes meet mine, and I am at a loss for words. Then I do something that shocks us both.

I lean in, ever so slowly, to her all the while staring down her lips. They part, and before I know it, I'm kissing her. I don't know why--no. I do know why I did it. I am attracted to Carolina Novak. 

I was 18 when I got this job, and Carolina was only 14 years old. It started out as a sisterly love, but the a couple years later, when she told me she liked girls, I knew it was more than what I thought it initially was. She felt ashamed of being who she was, and a little bit of that sisterly love showed, and I told her that she shouldn't hide from what she feels. I was the one who told her to open up to her parents, and her friends at school. She succeeded with the parents, even though it didn't go how she wanted it, but she never told me if she came out at school. I figured if she didn't, that was something that she would do if she felt it was necessary.

Standing here, in front of her now, with our lips touching, I know that this is what I want. Whether she feels the same or not, it won't hurt my feelings; right now, this exact moment means everything.

She suddenly pulls away, and her eyes are filled with passion, and a hint of confusion. She opens her mouth to say something, but thinks better of it, and runs out of the kitchen. I'm still standing here, listening to her and Katrina talk about her day at school, and unpacking boxes. I'm still standing here, with my thoughts bouncing off my brain, not knowing what I should do. Should I confront her later? Should I forget it happened? No. I don't think even if I tried, I couldn't just simply forget  what had transpired in the kitchen of my boss. I will, however, speak with her later. What I will say, I haven't figured out yet, but I know that I need to. 

I turn to go help them finish unpacking when I hear Katrina ask where I ran off to.

"She went to do the laundry. She said that dad wanted it at least started by the time he got home." The quickness of how she said that, let me know that she does not want me to help them unpack. I don't know whether I should be relieved, or saddened. One thing I do know, though, I do have a load of laundry that needs to be done.