Blue Raspberry 1: Warm
Title: Warm
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: Blue raspberry 1 (keeping warm), malt (Summer Challenge 336: It's the right idea, but not the right time. - John Dalton), pocky chain.
Word Count: 1285
Rating: PG-13.
Summary: Gina and Lily.
Notes: See, not all Gina's pre-Ivy relationship choices were terrible. just most of them For International Femslash Day 2011, and the malt challenge this weekend.
The activity fair was bustling as usual. Gina wasn't quite sure why she was here-- it wasn't like there was anything new, but Olivia enjoyed the fair, and Gina liked being out in the sun, if it came to that. She strolled among the other students, smiling to some, nodding to a few.
The girl knelt at a blanket labeled with one of the community organizations, head bent, straight black hair drawn back into a ponytail, olive skin set off with a dull yellow tank top. She was laughing, teeth white and even.
Maybe the activities fair had other uses.
--
The girl's name was Lily, and she saw through Gina's pretended interest in her organization right away. "It's all right," she said, laughing as Gina flushed hotly. "If you want to ask me out, just do it."
"All right," Gina said, managing a smile. "Do you want to go out?"
Lily looked at her, laughter bright in the merry sparkle of her eyes. "All right," she said. "Let me give you my number."
Gina offered a pen-- Lily took it, then turned her hand over and wrote her number on the back. "So you don't forget."
As if she could.
--
For their first date they went to the film festival that some of the students had put together, sat hip-to-hip on a blanket. It was ostensibly a showcase, although how anyone had managed to get anything filmed in the three weeks school had been in session was a mystery to Gina.
Not that she was paying attention anyway. She was too close to Lily, to her arm pressed against Gina's, skin warm and soft, her bare feet, toes wiggling.
She confessed this, a few weeks later, and Lily laughed. "You know, I was staring at you the whole time too?"
--
Being with Lily felt like swimming, like floating on her back, water cool beneath her and the sun above her, a pleasant contrast that gave her chills. Lily's hands were gentle, her fingers clever, and her hair made a midnight curtain around them when she bent to kiss Gina beneath her, her hands soft on Gina's chin-- like sun, her attention, warming.
The slope of Lily's breast was cool at first beneath her touch, her hips smooth, but Gina knew how to warm her.
It always ended with the pair of them tangled together under the sunlight, warm and safe.
--
They were happy in fall, dancing through the swirling leaves, laughing together. They were happy in winter, hand in gloved hand, bundled up against the cold and the snow, noses red until they could get to the student center and hot chocolate. And then there was spring, and...
They weren't not happy. But the more time they spent together, the more Gina felt that Lily was another Olivia-- a friend, a good one, the kind she'd always wanted and never gotten.
But Lily was not a lover, or at least not for Gina, no matter how they tried to pretend.
--
"I'm sorry," Gina said, in the awkward silence that followed. "It's me."
Lily shook her head, put her finger on Gina's lips. "No," she said, smiling sadly. "It's both of us. I've known this was coming."
Those words hurt, but not as much as Gina had thought they would. She closed her hands, trying to warm cold fingers. "So... but we can still be friends, right?" She hoped her voice didn't sound as pathetic as she thought it did.
"Of course," Lily said, moving her hand to Gina's cheek. "Of course we can. Friends."
"Friends," Gina said, and smiled, wanly.
--
Gina got the word just before she moved to New York.
It shook her. She couldn't help it. Lily was in love-- real love this time, with a girl named Bridget, and Gina had no one.
She couldn't tell anyone. Her parents didn't know about her. Olivia was gone; nothing more than an email or two each month. And Lily...
Lily was not the problem. Lily was happy. Gina was glad for her.
If Gina wanted what she had... well, she wasn't going to get it by pining.
She wrapped her arms around herself, and tried not to feel cold.
--
"Letter for you," Bridget said, tossing it on the counter and going for the coffee.
"Thanks." Lily slid her forefinger under the flap. "It's from Gina," she added.
"Oh?" Bridge leaned back against the counter. "How's she doing?"
"Better that before."
"Good," Bridge said, smiling. "I liked her."
Lily smiled at her lover, then went back to the letter. "Oh! She has a girlfriend!"
Bridge straightened. "Really? Better than the last one, I hope?"
Lily shrugged. "Can't be worse. Her name is Ivy."
"Ivy. Sounds promising."
"It does," Lily agreed, and hoped with all her heart that it would work.
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: Blue raspberry 1 (keeping warm), malt (Summer Challenge 336: It's the right idea, but not the right time. - John Dalton), pocky chain.
Word Count: 1285
Rating: PG-13.
Summary: Gina and Lily.
Notes: See, not all Gina's pre-Ivy relationship choices were terrible. just most of them For International Femslash Day 2011, and the malt challenge this weekend.
The activity fair was bustling as usual. Gina wasn't quite sure why she was here-- it wasn't like there was anything new, but Olivia enjoyed the fair, and Gina liked being out in the sun, if it came to that. She strolled among the other students, smiling to some, nodding to a few.
The girl knelt at a blanket labeled with one of the community organizations, head bent, straight black hair drawn back into a ponytail, olive skin set off with a dull yellow tank top. She was laughing, teeth white and even.
Maybe the activities fair had other uses.
--
The girl's name was Lily, and she saw through Gina's pretended interest in her organization right away. "It's all right," she said, laughing as Gina flushed hotly. "If you want to ask me out, just do it."
"All right," Gina said, managing a smile. "Do you want to go out?"
Lily looked at her, laughter bright in the merry sparkle of her eyes. "All right," she said. "Let me give you my number."
Gina offered a pen-- Lily took it, then turned her hand over and wrote her number on the back. "So you don't forget."
As if she could.
--
For their first date they went to the film festival that some of the students had put together, sat hip-to-hip on a blanket. It was ostensibly a showcase, although how anyone had managed to get anything filmed in the three weeks school had been in session was a mystery to Gina.
Not that she was paying attention anyway. She was too close to Lily, to her arm pressed against Gina's, skin warm and soft, her bare feet, toes wiggling.
She confessed this, a few weeks later, and Lily laughed. "You know, I was staring at you the whole time too?"
--
Being with Lily felt like swimming, like floating on her back, water cool beneath her and the sun above her, a pleasant contrast that gave her chills. Lily's hands were gentle, her fingers clever, and her hair made a midnight curtain around them when she bent to kiss Gina beneath her, her hands soft on Gina's chin-- like sun, her attention, warming.
The slope of Lily's breast was cool at first beneath her touch, her hips smooth, but Gina knew how to warm her.
It always ended with the pair of them tangled together under the sunlight, warm and safe.
--
They were happy in fall, dancing through the swirling leaves, laughing together. They were happy in winter, hand in gloved hand, bundled up against the cold and the snow, noses red until they could get to the student center and hot chocolate. And then there was spring, and...
They weren't not happy. But the more time they spent together, the more Gina felt that Lily was another Olivia-- a friend, a good one, the kind she'd always wanted and never gotten.
But Lily was not a lover, or at least not for Gina, no matter how they tried to pretend.
--
"I'm sorry," Gina said, in the awkward silence that followed. "It's me."
Lily shook her head, put her finger on Gina's lips. "No," she said, smiling sadly. "It's both of us. I've known this was coming."
Those words hurt, but not as much as Gina had thought they would. She closed her hands, trying to warm cold fingers. "So... but we can still be friends, right?" She hoped her voice didn't sound as pathetic as she thought it did.
"Of course," Lily said, moving her hand to Gina's cheek. "Of course we can. Friends."
"Friends," Gina said, and smiled, wanly.
--
Gina got the word just before she moved to New York.
It shook her. She couldn't help it. Lily was in love-- real love this time, with a girl named Bridget, and Gina had no one.
She couldn't tell anyone. Her parents didn't know about her. Olivia was gone; nothing more than an email or two each month. And Lily...
Lily was not the problem. Lily was happy. Gina was glad for her.
If Gina wanted what she had... well, she wasn't going to get it by pining.
She wrapped her arms around herself, and tried not to feel cold.
--
"Letter for you," Bridget said, tossing it on the counter and going for the coffee.
"Thanks." Lily slid her forefinger under the flap. "It's from Gina," she added.
"Oh?" Bridge leaned back against the counter. "How's she doing?"
"Better that before."
"Good," Bridge said, smiling. "I liked her."
Lily smiled at her lover, then went back to the letter. "Oh! She has a girlfriend!"
Bridge straightened. "Really? Better than the last one, I hope?"
Lily shrugged. "Can't be worse. Her name is Ivy."
"Ivy. Sounds promising."
"It does," Lily agreed, and hoped with all her heart that it would work.