By Wednesday night, Amanda was getting scared Joyce might never call. She sat alone on her balcony and watched the rain fall. The smell reminded her of her afternoon with Joyce. Her memories of the kisses they’d shared were still comforting, but they were becoming tainted with worry. She’d started analyzing every move and every touch, looking for something that might have upset Joyce. She cursed her lack of experience. She’d been so blinded by the pure bliss these new sensations had brought her that she’d become oblivious to Joyce’s feelings and reactions. She’d clearly missed something. Or…maybe Joyce simply regretted kissing her. She was about to call her to find out when her phone rang.
“Hello,” she answered with apprehension.
“Hi,” Joyce started timidly. “Sorry it took so long to call.”
“It’s okay. I was wondering if I’d done something wrong, but I’m glad you called.” She played nervously with the glass of iced tea resting on the table in front of her. She heard Joyce sigh deeply.
“You didn’t do anything wrong. But I’ve been dealing with something, and I thought I should figure it out before I saw you again. Unfortunately, I can’t. Not on my own. I think it might be easier to talk it out with you. That’s what I should have done from the start, I know. But I’m learning, I swear.”
Joyce’s nervous chuckle was strangely comforting. It made her sound insecure, which meant she needed reassurance. She wanted to talk things through with Amanda, which meant she was open to her opinion. That was positive. Not as positive as if Joyce had called to tell her she’d missed her and needed to see her right away, of course. So, while this all was definitely a little scary, all in all it was positive. Probably.
“I’ll be happy to talk it out with you, Joyce. Whatever it is. And you’re right; you should never try to deal with things by yourself. Especially if they relate to us. No secrets, remember?”
“Yes, I remember. I already feel better now that I’ve heard your voice, actually,” she said softly.
“Good,” Amanda whispered.
“So will you meet me at my house tomorrow after work? I’ll make dinner.”
“Just for the two of us, right?”
This time Joyce’s laughter was more sensuous than nervous, which made Amanda smile with pride. “Yes, I promise.”