Joyce and Amanda walked down Central Street to Main Street at a leisurely pace. They didn’t talk much. They didn’t even stop to visit any of the shops inside the red brick buildings decorated with beautiful arched windows that lined up the sidewalk. They just walked as closely as they could without holding hands. Joyce desperately wanted to but would never dare on such a busy street in bright daylight. Instead, every time their arms accidently rubbed against each other, she took pleasure in the sensation of Amanda’s sweater against skin left bare by the sleeveless top she was wearing. She often glanced at Amanda, who met her gaze every time. The moment was almost magical.
Then the beautiful, blue mid-September sky they’d walked under quickly filled with dark clouds and rain started falling with the same intensity with which the sun had been beaming a few minutes earlier. Joyce and Amanda laughed as they rushed inside the first store they could reach, a nearby candy store.
“It must be fate,” Amanda said with the excitement of a child in…well, in a candy store. Joyce watched with amusement as Amanda, eyes wide open, took in the colorful sight of sweets all around them. Hard candy, lollipops, caramel, toffee, chocolate, truffles, the options were endless. The aromas that filled the air were mouth-watering. Anyone with a sweet tooth would find bliss in this shop, and Amanda obviously was among them.
“Pick something. Anything. I want to treat you to your favorite,” Joyce offered enthusiastically.
“Okay, but it will be hard to decide.”
“Take your time. We can’t go anywhere while it’s raining anyway.”
Joyce followed Amanda to each of the candy displays placed all around the store. She walked close behind her and breathed in the smell of fresh rain on her red hair. While the array of sweets that had Amanda so excited left Joyce almost indifferent, she salivated at the thought of kissing the neck exposed by her ponytail.
“I saw your sister and your niece last night,” Amanda revealed as she stood in front of a display showcasing homemade fudge.
“Oh?” Joyce simply asked, abruptly awakened from her own sweet fantasy.
“Yeah. They were at the Bagel Café when I stopped by to get dinner.”
Before she realized what she was doing, Joyce took a step back to put some distance between her and Amanda, the mere mention of her sister’s name sufficing to make her more self-conscious. She’d been entirely focused on Amanda before, but now found herself looking around the store to check if she spotted any familiar faces. She hated herself for it. “Did they say anything to you?”
“Yes. They said hi, of course.”
“Of course,” she repeated cautiously, hoping Barbara hadn’t said anything else but knowing her sister well enough to realize her hope was delusory.
“And then your sister said I should put an end to our relationship before we get hurt. Something along those lines, anyway. I can’t remember exactly. Our age difference really bothers her, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, it does,” Joyce confirmed with a deep sigh.
“Is that why it bothers you so much?”
She sighed again, wondering how the conversation had turned so serious so quickly. “I think so. I’m not certain. It doesn’t help, that’s for sure.”
“That’s what I figured,” Amanda said casually. She walked back to the section where they’d seen gourmet chocolate truffles and Joyce followed. “Personally, I don’t care what your sister thinks. You should know that. Your age doesn’t matter to me. I understand it’s not that easy for you to discard your sister’s opinion, but I really hope you can find a way to do it.”
“So do I. I’m really trying.”
“Good.”
“Good?”
“Yeah, good. What more can I ask for? Besides chocolate truffles, that is.”
She grinned and Joyce couldn’t help but smile back. The simplicity and the absence of pressure in her attitude were so refreshing and so exactly what she needed. She put enough pressure on herself. Amanda’s unconditional support was a blessing. “Truffles, huh? Are you sure that’s what you really want?”
“Yes. Everything else looks delicious, but these chocolate truffles are the only things I can’t live without today.”
Joyce chuckled. “Well, that settles it, then, doesn’t it?”
They ordered a box of four truffles and Amanda insisted that Joyce select one of them. The rain subsided soon after Joyce paid for the chocolate creations and they headed back toward Amanda’s condo. They’d barely made it to Franklin Street before the rain started again and Amanda invited her inside. She briefly hesitated before she accepted the invitation, wanting to spend more time with Amanda and to see her personal space.
“Coffee?” Amanda offered as Joyce looked around her open concept kitchen and living room. No one else had seen her condo yet and she wished she’d put more time into decorating it now that Joyce was observing its bare walls.
“Yes, thank you.”
Amanda filled the coffee machine with water and ground coffee and pressed the start button while she kept an eye on Joyce’s every move. “I haven’t put much thought into decorating it yet,” she felt obligated to explain.
“It’s lovely as it is. Uncluttered, open. I love it.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. Your furniture looks great in the space. You could use one or two strategically placed pieces of artwork, maybe, but that’s all.”
“Thank you. But speaking of artwork, maybe you can help me decide where to hang Dingo’s portrait. I can’t decide by myself. It’s on my dresser right now, leaning against the wall, but I’d like to hang it somewhere.”
“Sure, I can help you with that. But don’t feel like you have to hang it because I painted it.”
“I don’t. I really want to hang it. Milk?” She poured coffee in two large coffee mugs and started pouring milk in her own.
“Yes, please.”
Amanda poured milk in the second coffee mug and handed it to Joyce. “Would you like to sit on the balcony? It’s my favorite place to sit. It’s covered, so I can use it even when it rains.”
“That sounds perfect.”
Amanda grabbed the box of truffles Joyce had purchased for her at the candy store and led the way to the balcony. She placed her coffee and the small box on the bistro table and moved the two matching chairs so they could sit side by side closer to the patio door and safe from the rain that was still falling.
“Wow. This really is a nice spot. You have a great view of the stream and the smell of the rain is wonderful,” Joyce declared as soon as she sat down.
They took sips of their coffee before Amanda dared to grab Joyce’s hand. Joyce let out a contented sigh at the touch and Amanda felt her own smile widen. “I’ve wanted to do this all afternoon.”
“Me too,” Joyce answered with a smile.
Amanda was delighted with the way the afternoon had turned out. She’d had a great time walking with Joyce and visiting the candy store. She’d even found a way to address her meeting with Barbara and Heather. She was glad she’d found the courage to invite Joyce to her condo. She appreciated the privacy it gave them. Even if they simply kept holding hands as they were doing now, she just needed to be alone with Joyce, to share a small space with her and no one else.
They sat and watched the rain fall as they savored their coffee. Joyce let go of Amanda’s hand only to caress the length of her forearm, slowly, from her wrist to the bend of her arm down to her wrist again. The sensation gave her goose bumps. It was by far the most intimate touch she’d experienced in her life, and she didn’t want it to stop. She closed her eyes and focused on the tingles Joyce’s fingers left behind as they traveled up and down her arm. She wanted to remember this forever.
“Aren’t you going to taste one of these truffles you couldn’t live without today?” Joyce whispered sensuously, the sound of her voice amplifying the feelings initiated by her fingers and sending powerful ripples of pleasure through her body.
“I’m not so sure what I can’t live without anymore,” she said honestly, her voice trembling.
Joyce snickered and, taking her hand from Amanda’s arm, grabbed the box of chocolates from the table, breaking the spell Amanda was under. “Come on, have one. I want to watch you eat one.”
“Okay.” Examining the box Joyce held out to her, she picked up the dark chocolate lava cake truffle between her thumb and her index finger, put it whole in her mouth, and savored it. She hummed loudly in pure ecstasy as Joyce watched her intently, her mouth slightly open. She was obviously enjoying what she saw.
“Is it really that good?” she asked teasingly.
“Even better,” Amanda answered once most of the truffle had melted in her mouth.
Joyce then took out the strawberry crème truffle she’d selected. “It does look good.”
“I’m sure it won’t be as good as mine because fruit and chocolate don’t belong together in my opinion, but sure, go for it,” Amanda said, continuing the playful banter she’d started at the store after Joyce had made her choice of truffle.
Joyce smiled, placed the entire truffle in her mouth, and moaned exaggeratedly. “Oh it’s so good,” she said with a hand placed in front of her mouth, still full of chocolate. “Are you sure you don’t want to taste?”
Amanda glanced at the box, not understanding Joyce’s question. She was certain she’d seen her place the whole truffle in her mouth, so how was she supposed to taste it? When she met Joyce’s gaze again, she understood. Her gray eyes, recently filled with humor, sparkled with a new kind of light as she leaned toward Amanda.
Amanda swallowed with difficulty and focused on Joyce’s mouth as she slowly closed the gap between them. When Joyce’s soft lips gently pressed against hers, she was surprised by her own groan of pleasure. She’d never been kissed before. Already overpowering, her gratification skyrocketed when Joyce’s lips parted and her strawberry-flavored tongue teased her mouth open. Their tongues met and entangled with sweet and smooth chocolate. It felt and tasted better than anything she’d dreamed of and she soon surprised herself by deepening the kiss. She needed more. She kept exploring Joyce’s mouth long after any taste of strawberry crème truffle was gone. Joyce welcomed her eagerness, encouraging it with moans and whimpers she devoured.
When Joyce broke away from the kiss, she automatically leaned forward, reaching for her mouth again, stopping only when she realized they were both out of breath. They stared at each other as they caught their breath, smiling with satisfaction. “Thanks for sharing,” she managed to say.
Joyce’s low chuckle had never sounded so sexy. “Anytime.”
“Like now, maybe?”
“I could handle now,” Joyce replied before she pressed her lips to hers again. This time the kiss didn’t start slow; it went directly to the same depth and intensity where they’d left the first one. Moans mixed with heavy breathing and soon she was overcome with a level of arousal she couldn’t have envisioned. She wanted more, so much more it almost scared her, as if she’d lost control of her mind and body. Joyce pulled her lips from hers to catch her breath again, but Amanda kept kissing her skin, moving down to her neck, trying to reach under the silk scarf that was in her way. That’s when she felt Joyce’s hand on her chin, forcing her to tear her mouth away from the tender skin of her neck and look at her.
“What? Did I do something wrong?” she asked, panting.
“No. Of course not. But I think we probably should stop,” Joyce said as she held her face with both hands, staring at her mouth. She wanted her too, Amanda was sure of it. “As much as I want this to keep going, I think we should take it one step at a time. Today, our first kiss, was a big step, don’t you think?”
“Yes, you’re right. It was a huge step. You don’t regret it, do you?”
Joyce smiled tenderly. “No. I wanted it. I had a pretty good idea it would happen today. And I know I won’t regret it. But…”
“But you might regret what could happen next if it happened right now?”
Joyce hesitated and bit her lower lip before she spoke. “Maybe. I don’t know, but I don’t want to risk it.”
Amanda sighed deeply. She knew that Joyce having regrets later would hurt worse than stopping what they were doing now. Besides, the kisses they’d shared would easily keep her daydreaming and whistling for days, perhaps even weeks. And if she was completely honest with herself, she was a little scared of what they’d been about to do next. She had no experience and was terrified it would show. In the end she had to admit Joyce was right. “One step at a time, then?”
“Exactly. One beautiful, perfect step at a time,” Joyce repeated. She brushed her lips against Amanda’s so softly that they barely touched. Amanda was shocked at the power the light kiss had on her body, which was so alert the slightest caress sufficed to inflame it again. Joyce stood up and walked inside. She reluctantly followed her. They kissed again at the door and Joyce left, promising she’d call to make plans for their next date.
That night, Amanda went to bed and saw Dingo’s portrait still resting on her dresser. She smiled because she knew beyond the shadow of a doubt there would be plenty more opportunities for Joyce to help her decide where to hang the painting.