Mack and Amelia

Mack was buzzed. The loud music and its thumping bass was dizzying as she walked from the bar out to the patio. "I just need some fresh air," she mumbled to herself, as she left behind the three other people that she started out the night with. Once outside she felt like she could exhale and sat down in a vacant corner. It was a relief to feel the late night breeze wash over her drunken body. The sky was black with bright, small stars scattered about. Being as drunk as she was, it was difficult to discern between the natural starlight and the twinkling of the lighted strands hanging around the patio. The loud music had faded but was only replaced by the sound of city traffic.

As she sat wishing for complete silence, thoughts swirled through her head of the events that led her to the bar that evening in the first place. She hadn't been this drunk in over ten years, but she was feeling that she just needed to get out of her own head for awhile. Mack had recently become romantically interested in someone at work and was frustrated on a daily basis about the lack of progress she was able to make. Her and Amelia split what seemed like forever ago and if for no other reason she needed some sex in her life, although that was never her main motivation. Perhaps a night out would give her the ability to hit the reset button and she could try a new approach with this woman. What better way to get out of your own head than knocking back a dozen or so drinks and hanging with 200 other lesbians in a crowded, noisy, stuffy bar. Her intention was to just have a few drinks and maybe play some pool. Although that is how the night started, it quickly turned to interested parties buying her drinks, as they vied for her attention. It was a losing battle for them, even for the one at least 20 years her junior. Mack had only one person on her mind.

Mack was easy to look at and most people looked, especially women. She had an athletic build, and she was tall. Not too tall, not the kind of tall that intimidated others or made her or anyone else feel awkward, just tall enough to make the observer have to take an extra few seconds to gaze at her from top to bottom. She had wispy short dirty blonde hair that fell lightly on her sharp, pronounced collar bones. Her bronzed skin only faded slightly when the summer sun surrendered to fall and then winter. If she looked at you for any length of time, you would be instantly drawn in by her bluish/green, deeply thoughtful eyes. Mack was a quiet type, not shy, but reserved. She seldom smiled. It wasn't a natural look for her, but when she did, she lit up the room. She dressed in a way that made it rather difficult from afar to immediately pinpoint her gender. When she was out of the office, she would typically be found wearing blue jeans, torn in all the right places to reveal just enough skin to make it interesting. Same goes for her button-down shirts, unbuttoned just enough and her sleeves rolled up to expose her muscular forearms and a wrist tattoo. She donned a single silver ring before she went to social gatherings. What hand and finger it fell upon depended on her mood.

She sat outside for a good amount of time before her companions came looking for her. "Hey," one of them shouted as they spotted her from the door, "we are getting ready to do a shot, come on!" Mack just sighed deeply, wishing at this point she was home in bed, but she rallied for the team and joined everyone inside for a round of slippery nipples. The sambuca would haunt her for days to come, and Mack knew it, but she proceeded anyway.

It was nearing last call. Mack was ready to go home three drinks ago, but Like A Virgin blared from the DJ booth and the entire group all darted to the dance floor like moths to a flame. When the song was over and everyone was sweaty and breathless, they headed for the door, desperate for fresh air. Once out on the sidewalk, Maria, Tee and Jess stood around chatting, mostly about the cute prospects they had encountered throughout the evening. Mack, on the other hand, was busy wondering how she was getting home. I can't drive, she thought, definitely not...I don't want to walk, too tired and too drunk. That just left one option, getting a ride. Mack was hesitant to ask Maria for a ride because she knew that Maria was interested in her and it would just be awkward, in a car, alone, late at night, driving back to an empty apartment... Mack loved Maria. She thought she was smart and fun and loved hanging out with her, but there was not even a shred of attraction there. Not on Mack's part anyway.

So, after much internal debate, even annoying to herself, Mack thought, Oh screw it. I just need to get home.

"Maria, can you give me a ride?"

"Absolutely!"

Maria was more than happy to oblige, just being that close to Mack in the car, even for a short ride, was a complete turn on.

Maria had not been able to stop thinking about Mack since they met at a friend's backyard BBQ last summer. They had many mutual friends, so they saw each other on somewhat of a regular basis. Maria knew it was a longshot. Actually, she knew it would never happen, but a girl can dream. It was enough to just be friends, but certainly if the opportunity ever presented itself, Maria would be ready and willing.

Quite the opposite of Mack, Maria was not the monogamous type. She had little interest in settling down, ever. Her desire for Mack was perhaps the longest her attention span had ever fixated on the same person. Maybe tonight, she thought to herself as they walked to her car.

It was quiet on the drive to Mack's apartment. There was some classic rock on the radio, the volume high enough to hear, but low enough not interfere with conversation, should there be any. Mack was losing her buzz and complete sleepiness was overcoming her. Maria was fantasizing about the 50 different scenarios that could bring the two of them together, at long last, in the same bed. Maria had no interest of course, in taking advantage of Mack's overindulgence of alcohol. She would want her sober, at least pretty close to it, if they were to ever blur the boundaries of their friendship.

Mack eventually attempted some idol conversation to try and keep herself awake. "Did you dance with anyone at the bar tonight?"

"Yeah, I danced with Kris, I always dance with Kris. We always meet up one way or another out on the dance floor. No chemistry between us other than our terrible dance moves. As long as I have known her, I have never understood her relationship with Ivy. They are always together, although I am quite sure they are not a couple. I don't know why I care, I just can't figure the two of them out. Do you know what their deal is?"

"Nope, no idea," Mack replied, struggling to keep up with Maria's endless nervous chatter. "They have come in to the bar together and left together for as long as I can remember. There has never been any sign that they are romantically tied together, I guess they just like playing pool together. And, if either of them have a romantic relationship with someone else, it is a really well kept secret."

With that final thought, they pulled in to Mack's driveway. Mack was beyond relieved that the car had stopped moving and that she was moments away from laying on her bed. Mack reached over and put her hand on Maria's knee and thanked her for the ride. Mack was handsy like that, meant nothing to her, but it sent shivers up Maria's spine and wild sensations through her body, especially between her legs. She was so excited by that simple touch that it almost made her vocalize the pleasure. Mack jumped out of the car and headed to her front door, completely unaware of the effect she had just had on Maria.

Maria had to take a few deep breathes to get her head right to drive. She was hoping that the exhilaration happening throughout her body right then would last until she got home. She wanted Mack in a bad way, but that not being an option, she would go home and finish what Mack had started. This would not be the first time she would fantasize that she was with some unattainable woman. She ended her night satisfied, alone, but satisfied.

"Thank God tomorrow is Saturday," Mack said, talking to her cat Lucki. It was nearly 4am. Mack proclaimed to her cat that tomorrow would be a Netflix binge day. She hadn't had a binge in bed day since she and Amelia broke up. "Lucki, you'll hang in bed and watch the first 3 seasons of GOT with me later, won't you? Of course you will."

Amelia had been out of town working since shortly after her breakup with Mack. She had the opportunity to work temporarily a few hundred miles away, so under the circumstances at the time, she took it. Her primary residence was still the apartment she and Mack shared. All of her belongings were still there and she hadn't even started to figure out where she would be hanging her hat, post breakup. All she knew was that she missed her city and her friends. Being away served it's purpose but she was ready to head back home. The only reason she wasn't back yet is that she had no idea how to navigate the unchartered waters with Mack. Amelia often wondered if they could possibly find some way to be friends and still share the apartment. She found herself drifting away imagining all the possibilities.

"Amelia!," her co-worker, Mike, shouted at her. "What the hell, are you asleep?"

"No, no. I'm not asleep, what's the problem?" Amelia tries to shake off her daydreaming.

"The coffee pot is burning up over here, you didn't smell that? Damn!"

"Jesus, no. Sorry. I was thinking about Mack and what I'm going to do about getting back home."

"Just go A, figure it all out when you get there. You are miserable here. Time to get back to your life. The one you love, remember that one?" Mike had listened intently to Amelia's stories of disappointment and heartbreak over Alex since they started working together. He had done his best to be a good listener.

Amelia remembers. She loved Mack, she really did. But Mack was just insecure and it didn't sit right with Amelia. She thought at one time they would marry, but Mack just needed too much from her, she couldn't deliver, or just wasn't willing to deliver what Mack needed.

Amelia was very charismatic. Everyone loved her, and most women were instantaneously attracted to her. It was more her personality than her looks. At first glance Amelia did not stand out in any way. She had short strawberry blonde hair, average build, a light pale complexion, typical of red heads. She was smart and well-spoken and could carry on any conversation with anyone, anywhere, about anything! She made people comfortable, maybe that was what drew people to her. She could pick up on an insecurity and make it disappear within someone. It was quite magical to those that experienced it.

The problem for Mack was that Amelia was just too willing to be "magical" with others, even at the expense of Mack's feeling. Amelia knew that, she knew that it hurt Mack, each and every time. But Amelia was incapable of changing it. She wanted what she wanted, and she couldn't handle a questioning partner. Amelia loved the attention, she loved knowing women wanted her and she loved coming to their emotional rescue when needed. She wouldn't cross the line by cheating sexually, but she cheated emotionally often. Amelia would try to defend herself, she felt because she wasn't having sex with anyone else, that somehow relinquished her from wrongdoing. Mack knew there was more than one way to be intimate, and she didn't want to spend her life competing with other women.

Amelia set a date and let her boss know she would be going back to the main office Monday. Now all she had to do was inform Mack. She decided to start the conversation later that evening via text. Sometimes they communicated better that way and it would be a good ice breaker, since they had only talked a few times since the split, and that was about the bills and Lucki.

Later that night the first text was sent out.

Amelia: Hey, it's me. Are you home?

Amelia, in her egotistical way, assumed she would get a response right away. She knew Mack well. She knew she was home. It was Wednesday. Mack is always home on Wednesdays because she has a zoom class that she teaches. A fair amount of time passed before there was a text back.

Mack: Yes, I'm home. Why?

Mack responded without any emotion or sign of surprise at hearing form her. If it is possible to show no affect in a text, she did just that. Mack ended the relationship, but not because she didn't love Amelia. She did love her and still loves her. She wishes she could move on, but it has not been an easy road. That is why she was so happy to find interest in someone at work, she thought maybe, just maybe she had hope of getting over Amelia.

Amelia: I wanted to let you know that I am coming back home. It's time. We need to talk about the apartment."

Mack: So…talk.

Mack had nothing to say. She wasn't leaving the apartment. It was her apartment first. Amelia moved in with her.

Amelia: I want to come back and live in the apartment. There are three bedrooms, we should be able to co-exist until I can find a place.

Mack was both relieved and sad that she wasn't talking about this as a long term arrangement. It was hard not to want to be around Amelia, even when she hated her. The thought of permanently being away from her was so hard at times that she had considered many times recently of offering to be strictly roommates. When she was feeling strong, she thought it could work, but when it came to her feelings for Amelia, strength was in short supply. She would fall back in bed with her in a minute during those weak moments.

It was so hard for Mack to reply. She wanted to tell her to just go screw herself and that she would ship her belongings somewhere. But, she also wanted to see her again. She missed her.

Mack: Well, come back then. You can have the guest room; I am not dismantling the office.

Amelia: Ok, sounds good...thanks Mack. I appreciate you being civil about this.

Mack had one last thing on her mind before ending this conversation.

Mack: Yeah, you're welcome. And Amelia...when you start fucking around again, which I know won't be too long, don't plan on doing it here. You can take the members of your harem somewhere else. Not negotiable. Night.

Amelia rolled her eyes and shook her head in annoyance. Jesus Mack, give it a rest, she thought.

Amelia rolled in the drive at about 2pm on Saturday. She was arriving a little later than she had planned. She got to talking to a woman at a rest stop and time got away from her. Shit, she thought, what did I do with her number? She riffled around the car seats and console looking, finally finding her gas receipt on the passenger’s side floor. On the back was a number and woman’s name. This woman told her she had a cabin up North with an open-door policy, so Amelia wanted to keep that option open for a weekend getaway sometime. It was not hard for Amelia to keep her calendar full.

The apartment was quiet when she let herself in. She expected Mack to be there, but she wasn't. She put her bags in the guest room, grabbed herself a beer and just stood in the kitchen trying to imagine what being back was going to look like. "Hey Lucki," she exclaimed, "I missed you! Did you miss me? Did Mack have any wild parties while I was gone? Any girls up here rolling around with her?" Lucki walked on by as if to say, "It's really none of your fucking business now, is it?" Amelia knew better. She knew Mack was true blue, she knew their breakup was way too fresh for Mack to have someone else in her bed or to be in someone else's bed. Wouldn't happen.

Mack got home about an hour after Amelia had arrived. She saw her car in the driveway. She did some self-talking, reassuring herself that she could do this. "We can live platonically in the same apartment for a few weeks," she said under her breath, "how hard could it be?" She didn't waste any more time, she hopped out of the car rather gingerly, hoping that she could keep from becoming putty in the hands of Amelia, like everyone else was that came in contact with her. "I can do this," she repeated over and over as she approached the door.

Amelia had taken a shower and was just in a robe, unpacking her suitcases. She figured Mack would be getting home soon. She was excited to see her, even though she knew it could be contentious. She was being a bit calculating as she decided what she was going to wear, or not wear, for their reunion. The Mack she knew would melt away over certain things she might see her wearing or certain colognes she wore. She wasn't even sure why she was thinking this way. They were not together anymore; Mack made that crystal clear. She had been so fed up with Mack's insecurities that in the end, she could barely look at her, but "here I am," she thought, "doing everything I can think of to turn her on."

Mack walked in the door, and not coincidently, Amelia walked out of the guest room, drying her hair with a towel. She was wearing only tight, short, navy TOMBOY boxers.

"Oh hey,", Amelia said, trying to sound casual, "I didn't hear you pull in. Sorry, let me go grab my clothes."

Mack stood, unable to move as the temperature in the room seemed to rise to an uncomfortable level. She was irritated with herself as she took in the aroma of Amelia's cologne. The smell of that cologne alone was enough to make her wet. She licked her nervous, dry lips, which further accelerated her sexual auto pilot. "Nope, nope, nope, this is not going to happen. Not!" While Amelia was in the guest room getting dressed, Mack proceeded to the kitchen to make dinner, just as she would on any other typical evening. She was desperately trying to act as though Amelia wasn't there. A few times she had to tamper down her own heat with a splash of cold water to the face. "Jesus," she kept thinking, "what is the power this woman has over me?"

After a bit, Amelia joined her in the kitchen. "Did you make enough of that for two?," Amelia asked.

"Sure, there's plenty," Mack replied, happy for the distraction from her own thoughts. They shared some of Mack's homemade soup, mostly in silence. When it just got too deafening, Mack spoke. "It's good to see you Amelia. How was the trip back home? Did you drive straight through?"

"Yeah, yes, straight through." Amelia did not know why she lied, maybe just feeling a little guilty about taking that woman's number and considering going up North. Too soon maybe, even for her... "Long drive, pretty beat. Probably just turn in early. Maybe we can spend some time together tomorrow and try to figure things out a little."

"Sure, of course. Tomorrow," said Mack feeling secretly disappointed that the night was ending so early.

Amelia headed off for the guest room and Mack stayed behind to clean up before heading to bed. Just as Mack shut off the lights and turned to exit the kitchen, Amelia was coming in from the living room. They bumped right into each other, each one startled and a bit frazzled by the physical touch. "Sorry," Amelia said first, I just came out for a beer."

"It's fine, enjoy your beer. I’m showering and going to bed," said Mack as she tried to just act annoyed that Amelia had bumped into her, when in fact she was savoring the feeling of Amelia's breasts crashing up against her chest.

Mack tossed and turned for hours. She laid in bed reliving her whole relationship with Amelia, from start to end. She knew that ending it was the right thing to do. She wanted a relationship that felt secure, not one in which she felt like she had to question her partner's loyalty to her. She did not want to wonder everyday if Amelia was going to cross the line with one of her many admirers. It was emotionally exhausting, and she never understood why her love and admiration for Amelia never seemed to fill her with what she needed, she craved it from others as well. Mack drifted off with a million thoughts in her head.

"Mack. Mack," Amelia whispered, sitting on the edge of the bed that she used to share with Mack.

Mack awoke, groggy and confused. "What?"

"I spilled my damn beer all over my bed. Can I sleep in here? It's too late to go looking for dry bedding."

"Fine," Mack said, just wanting to go back to sleep.

Amelia crawled into the familiar bed, feeling a deep sense of comfort as she snuggled in under flannel sheets and comforter that they bought last year. Amelia smiled as she thought about them not having power last year, and how they spent a fortune on that bedding to try and stay warm at night until power was restored. They spent a better part of those 4 days in bed keeping each other warm. Good memory. Such a good memory that she had a lapse in judgement and moved closer to Mack, spooning her, but still several inches from making physical contact. She put her left arm up over her head, she did not want to accidently touch Mack's head and wake her. Her right hand was resting on her own leg but the longer she lay there, that close to Mack, the more intense the urge became to reach out and touch her.

The more Amelia studied the outline of Mack's body, the heavier her breathing became. She was flooded with thoughts of their past experiences in bed. She either had to get out of their bed or touch Mack and hope she would reciprocate, but just going to sleep now was not an option.

She put her arm under the covers and placed her hand on Mack's waist, touching the waistband of her underwear. Mack had a t-shirt on, it was raised up, revealing her soft, smooth back and stomach. Amelia's hand was on her body and she was nearly frozen with fright of where this was going. Suddenly and unexpectedly, Mack grabbed Amelia's hand. Amelia was sure that her hand would be flung off from Mack's body. Mack took Amelia's hand in hers, and there were several moments of no movement whatsoever. It was pitch black, deadly quiet, and other than the labored breathing of both women, time was still.

Mack rubbed Amelia's hand approvingly. They both exhaled and gave in to the passion that was flowing through both of their bodies. Mack stayed on her side and Amelia made contact with her and their bodies were now fused together. Amelia did not know where to start. She had missed Mack so much, she just wanted to envelop her.

She brought her lips to Mack's ear. "God, I missed you," she whispered. Mack did not reply with words, but rather just a soft moan as her body shifted slightly to move in closer to Amelia's slow and deliberately gentle thrusts. With every motion of their hips, the fire inside of them roared out of control.

Amelia kissed Mack's neck, then sent her tongue sliding down her shoulder while massaging her breasts. Mack was so ready to feel Amelia inside of her, but she didn't want this moment of what seemed like newness to end. Amelia's hand slid from her breasts, as slowly as possible down to her hip. She spent little time there because she could feel the heat radiating from between Mack's legs, Mack begged Amelia with subtle movements to slide her hand in to her underwear. Mack rubbed her waistband, then slid her hand between her legs. Mack moaned with clenched teeth; she was ready to explode but she was not going to give it up so easily. Amelia's fingers found their way inside of Mack, not completely, just enough to wet them and tease Mack with what was to come. Amelia was overcome with lust after finally feeling with her fingers how much Mack had missed her. Mack was so wet after Amelia had slid her fingers slowly in and out of her, that the sheets were absorbing what Mack could not contain. Mack could not stay still any longer. She tried to just be still and take it all slow, but she wanted Amelia on her and in her, and she could not wait another second. She flipped herself over and pulled Amelia on top of her. She spread her legs as far as she could to get Amelia's whole body as close as possible and wrapped her legs around her back. Amelia was pumping herself into Mack, and with each thrust Mack was closer and closer to climaxing.

Mack was throbbing, she could feel herself readying to let go like she never had before, but before she let that happen, she grabbed Amelia by the shoulders and flipped her on to her back. She was going to be on top. She was taking control. She sat on Amelia's belly, her naked body against Amelia's soft skin. Amelia was caught off guard, but she surrendered to it. Mack grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head. She held them there for a few seconds, only releasing them with the unspoken understanding that Amelia did not move them. Mack leaned forward and whispered in Amelia's ear, "I loved you so much."

Amelia wondered if she heard her right. Loved?

Mack made her way with her lips and tongue from Amelia's shoulders to her thighs. She caressed her breasts with her hands as she moved along with her mouth. She used her teeth to pull Amelia's boxers down to her knees. Amelia wiggled her way out of them from there. Mack buried her head between Amelia's legs, licking her feverishly, putting her tongue inside, then putting one finger inside, then two, it was maddening for Amelia. She wanted more. She wanted to be full, she needed it. Mack knew it but teased her a bit longer. Amelia was begging for penetration. Mack had hit all the right spots with her tongue allowing her to fill Amelia as she desired. Amelia screeched in complete ecstasy. Amelia succumb to orgasm so fast that Mack barely had time to enjoy being inside of her. Amelia collapsed, unable to purposefully move any extremity. Mack sat up on her knees and crawled her way back to Amelia and sat on her face, she braced herself on the headboard and Amelia’s tongue did what it was summoned to do. When their bodies could not endure anymore, they drifted off, without unnecessary words, drenched in pure satisfaction and warm comfort.

Amelia awoke the next morning in an empty bed. Mack was gone. She stumbled into the kitchen, still kind of reeling from their night together, a night that lasted into the morning. She needed coffee badly. As she reached for a cup, she was faced with a note.

A – Found your gas receipt after dinner last night. I have gone out of town until Sunday. Please don't be here when I get back. - Mack