Love Will Keep Us - Book 5

1969

As both women held hands and walked onto the Oakland army base, Lena glanced to her wife smiling. She of course had visited the base recently when looking for Julius, but Stef had not been on it since 1969. It had been 16 years since she and Mike left this base as she now could see the home she once occupied.

"Wow, feels weird, right?" Lena glances to Stef whom she can't read right now as she squeezes her hand tighter. "You ok, babe?"

"Yeah, love. Yeah. Just, I didn't know how I'd feel when we got here. Seems a bit surreal."

"I know. I didn't either. This is where you were standing when I first saw you, you know." Lena smiles as Stef now turns to look at her furrowing her eyebrows. "I saw you talking to Jenna and her creepy husband, Jack."

"Oh god, not Jack." Stef laughs as she flushes slightly.

"Yup. And you looked so...so innocent and tame. Now that I think about it. You had a long brown dress that went to your ankles, and if I'm not mistaken, it was up to your neck. Your hair was out, long passed your shoulders. I could barely see your face. I didn't know what to think when I saw you, but you were different. I wondered if you were Mennonite or Amish even, but it didn't make sense cuz I hadn't seen anyone dressed like that."  Lena smiles as the blonde looks at her continuing to hold her hand.

"I remember I was so scared of you and Tess. Man, was I, but I was drawn in at the same time, if that makes sense."

"What?" Lena asks confused as they walk closer to the two homes they once lived in.

"Yeah. When you ran out of the commissary that day because Jenna was saying stupid, racist shit with her stupid ass friends...I went looking for you. I mean I knew you lived next door and I found you sitting with Tess. I saw you crying and I felt horrible. I mean I even remember the day we got here and you came out of your home. I gotta admit you were the most beautiful person I had ever seen, Lena. I didn't understand my feelings then but of course I do now. You were...you had those tube tops you wore with those shorts. Jesus Christ. I used to see you from my kitchen window."

"You did? You ...you saw me?"

"MM, yeah. Sketching in your backyard, babe, sunning yourself. I used to get real hot. Now I know I was horny."

"Oh my god." Lena laughs. "I didn't know you could see me." She blushes.

"Oh I saw you, baby. And you were sexy as fuck. Big time."

"You were too, you know."

"Oh god, please. I couldn't even say the word sex until I met Julius and he corrupted my mind. Do you know I didn't know what going down on a woman was? Julius had the time of his life filling my head with a bunch of nonsense!" Stef laughs at the memory as they now stand in the backyard of what once was Lena's house.

"It's ok babe. I mean I didn't always know either. And you were sexy, beautiful, sweet and kind. You were. Even in your long dresses. And your voice? Oh my god! When I heard you, my heart stopped. I was struggling with so much loneliness that one evening I heard you and your voice was so soothing. I could've sat and listened for hours."

"Oh man. Seems like a lifetime ago, mm?"

"Yeah it does."

FLASHBACK

"Stand still, Stef! How am I ever gonna get this sketch right?" Lena giggles as Stef is standing in the middle of her spare room wearing one of Lena's tube tops and a pair of shorts. Stef was too nervous to dress like this in public yet, and Lena had been begging her as since the first time she sketched her had been at the beach and she hadn't asked Stef's permission.