PORT OF CALL
by K. Stoley
<small>Constructive criticism and chats welcomed by stoley8@bellsouth.net.
CHAPTER 1
The minutes seemed to drag on
into hours as Alyssa waited to be called for her interview. She was taking a step out of her ordinary
life and trying to get a position with a cruise line. Adventure and sailing the high seas for living was the ticket for
her. No more working in the dull, dusty
library of a small town where each day blended into the next. She was beginning to feel like one of the
old worn out books that she watched being reshelved every day. Her job was the total sum of the Accounting
Department, which basically meant that she was in charge of all accounts
payable and receivable from overdue book fines to the purchase of new
books. Each day she arrived at the
library at dawn and didn't leave until dusk, putting in long hours as part of
her duties. She was beginning to feel
like one of the children of the night and her pale skin reflected this lack of
sunlight. Her family consisted of her
mother and father and two brothers, both of which worked construction alongside
their father. Her mother remained a housewife,
because that is what her father wanted.
Alyssa had lived in this town for all of her 28 years and, although she
was attractive, she never seemed to date anyone for very long. Her brothers told her that she was looking
for Mr. Perfect and would never find anyone.
Her mother's response was that she didn't have to settle for less
either. Her mother had always been her
source of encouragement and had made sure that she had gone to the community
college to get her degree. She was
happy with her life, but she didn't want her daughter to have to settle if it
wasn't what she wanted to do with her life.
Alyssa wasn't sure what she wanted to do, she just knew that working in
the library wasn't it. So, when the
Recruitment Fair came to the local community college, Alyssa was one of the
first in line to get in. She walked
along the booths that had been set up for various local and national recruiting
organizations until she came to the Holiday Cruise Line booth. There as big as
life, was a poster of the deck of a ship with a group of people standing in
their starched white uniforms, tanned and smiling encouraging her to join them
in their fun. Alyssa walked directly
toward the table and began to leaf through the brochures, before she knew it, a
week later she was sitting in their offices in Miami waiting for her final
interview before receiving her assignment.
She had flown in this morning and had been met and taken directly to her
hotel to register before being bussed to the Cruise Line's offices. She had never been to Miami, let alone
Florida and couldn't wait to get out and see the sights.
The door opened and Alyssa looked
up as a tall dark-haired woman walked in.
She had the most striking blue eyes that Alyssa had ever seen. The woman walked with an assured grace,
comfortable in her tall body and with life in general. Her white shorts and pale blue polo shirt
contrasted well against her firm tanned skin.
Alyssa watched in awe as she strolled over to the counter and leaned
against it waiting for the woman behind it to look up.
"Hey, Kelsey! It's been too long, welcome back! You ready for another tour at
sea?" The receptionist looked up
with unveiled interest. "We've
missed you!" "Kelsey?"
Kelsey looked around at all
applicants that were waiting and thought, 'I'll just bet you have'. Her attention was caught by a blonde in
the corner who, to her embarrassment, was looking straight at her with a look
all to familiar to Kelsey. She looked
like a deer caught in the headlights, a 'newbie', scared to death and looking
for adventure on the high seas.
Unfortunately, what she would find is a lot of long hours and hard work
for very little thanks. But, the pay
was good and Kelsey loved the open air and the smell of the sea so she kept
coming back each season. Hearing her
name called again, Kelsey turned back toward the receptionist.
"Yes sorry, umm thanks
Sandy…I guess I'm ready to head back out.
The break never seems long enough though, does it?" Kelsey smiled down at the receptionist trying
to be polite. She had continually
rebuffed the woman's advances, but that didn't stop her from always
trying. Kelsey wasn't interested in
getting involved with anyone right now, at least not Sandy.
"No, I guess it doesn't, but
at least you aren't stuck behind this desk all the time." Sandy pulled out a packet and handed it to
Kelsey. "Here is your room and
duty assignments. Ship Orientation is
tomorrow at 10 AM in the ODR (officers dining room), you are expected to board
at 8 AM and get settled before the meeting." Kelsey nodded her understanding, nothing new just the usual
routine.
Sandy laid the packet on the top
of the counter but didn't let it go when Kelsey tugged on it. Kelsey looked up questioningly into the
hazel eyes and instantly knew what was coming.
"If you aren't doing anything tonight, maybe we can get dinner and
catch a movie before you ship out?"
Kelsey plastered a look of regret
on her face and shook her head, "Oh, I'm sorry. I've made plans to spend the evening with my aunt."
Sandy didn't seem pleased as her
eyes narrowed when she remarked.
"I didn't know you had any family, you folder lists your parents as
deceased."
"Yes, they are. My aunt is my only living relative and is
listed as my next of kin for emergency purposes." Kelsey replied trying hard to keep her
solicitous look on her face. One of
these days she was going to tell the woman off and be finished with her
constant fishing expeditions, but she didn't want to jeopardize her assignments
either. She knew that Sandy had pull
when it came to the assignment of rooms and duties. Kelsey had tried every other way to let Sandy know that she just
wasn't interested in her. It wasn't
because she was a woman, because Kelsey was a lover of all things female, just
not this one.
"Maybe when you get back
then." Sandy murmured and let go
of the packet and Kelsey whisked it quickly away before turning and waving
good-bye on her way out. 'Whew! Another
reprieve!'
Alyssa watched the interaction
between the women and for some reason was happy when the tall one turned down
the receptionist. She hadn't been real
thrilled with the way the redhead had eyed her when she first came in, too
pushy for Alyssa's taste. Alyssa had
never dated a woman before, but the idea was far from foreign to her. There were few opportunities in her town,
which was one of the reasons why she never had a date. Alyssa grinned thinking, 'If her brothers
only knew!' Caught in her daydream,
she didn't hear her name called the first time. The second time, she looked up and the receptionist was looking
at her impatiently as she called her name again.
"Oh, I'm sorry, that's
me." Alyssa quickly rose and went
toward the counter. Sandy looked at her
curiously before shaking her head and giving her directions on where to go for
her interview. Nodding in understanding
Alyssa finally thanked her and went down the hallway the woman had indicated.
"12-B, this must be the
room." Alyssa mumbled to herself
and smoothed out her shirt before knocking on the door and waiting for a
response. She heard a muffled voice
call “come” from behind the door and she turned the knob to open the door and
enter. The room turned out to be a
small conference room consisting of a table with a couple of chairs around
it. Seated on the other side of the
table was a man in an officer's uniform of the cruise line. He quickly stood smiling and looked down at
the packet and then back at her and said, "You must be Alyssa…"
"Yes, I am." Alyssa walked up to the table and stopped.
The officer held his hand out for
a handshake and introduced himself.
"Great, I'm Mark, Chief Purser.
Welcome to Holiday Cruise Lines.
Please, have a seat."
He waited until Alyssa was
comfortably seated before beginning.
"May I call you Alyssa? We
run a pretty informal ship in the Pursers office."
Alyssa nodded and replied,
"Yes, Please do."
"Great! I'm not sure how much they have told you,
but should you accept this assignment you will be attached to the Pursers
Office. With your background, we can
certainly use you." Mark replied
opening up the manila envelope with her name on it.
"So far all I've been told
are the basics about employment, salary, benefits, etc. They told me I would learn about the job
assignment itself at this interview."
Alyssa leaned forward on the desk excited with the knowledge that she
actually had the job if she wanted it.
At the last interview, they had left her to believe that nothing was final
until she received an actual assignment, and this was it!
"Well, then let me tell you
about your assignment then." Mark
answered happily and began to turn the papers in Alyssa's direction so that she
could follow along. "Your
assignment, as I stated before, is with the Pursers Office. Your duties will include manning the Pursers
Desk in the main atrium. Most of your
role will be to act as a cashier of sorts, cashing checks, exchanging currency
and things of this nature. You will
rotate with three other Officers on a set schedule. We are all a pretty friendly group and I don't mind any switching
of schedules between officers as long as it is noted on the rooster ahead of
time. Other than that, at the end of
each shift, the officer is expected to total out their transactions for the day
and log them in the computer system.
This will ensure that we have ample funds and various currencies
available for the passengers. Most of
which is kept in a safe and either myself or the Assistant Chief Purser, Monica,
have access to and in rare emergencies, the captain. But, we don't like to trouble him with the day to day running of
our office." Mark sat back smiling
and waited for everything to sink in before continuing, "So, do you have
any questions?"
Alyssa thought for a moment
before answering. It didn't sound like
that difficult of a job to her and actually it might be fun to actually talk to
the various passengers. In the library,
she never got to talk to anyone.
"Well, the job sounds good.
You've seemed to explain it fully."
"So, think you might be
interested in joining us this season?"
Mark waited for her response before going into the rest of the details
of uniforms and rules.
"Oh yes! I think I'd like that very much!" Alyssa was so happy that her smile must have
stretched from ear to ear. She was
going to sea!
"Terrific!" Mark rubbed his hands together in excitement
for the young woman. She seemed to be
an easily likeable person and would have no problem fitting in with his
staff. "Okay, next let me tell you
about your uniform, room assignment and the rest."
Mark pulled out more papers from
the envelope and went over them with Alyssa.
Since this was her first season with the Cruise lines she had been
assigned to room with an experienced officer who could show her the ropes. Alyssa had been assigned to bunk with the
Assistant Sports Director for the duration of this cruise. It was the Cruise line's policy to mix
their officers from the various departments so that everyone could get
acquainted and also get to know how other parts of the ship operated. Mark signed her slip for her uniforms and
after welcoming her again, sent her along on the next phase of her employee
orientation.
By late afternoon, all
arrangements for uniforms and essentials, medical releases and paperwork had
been filed and taken care of, and Alyssa was free until she was to report to
the ship at 8 AM the next morning.
Exhausted but exhilarated, Alyssa headed to her hotel room to call home
and change. She wanted to get something
to eat and check out the sights before it got too late. The call home was the hardest thing she
would have to do. It was for sure now,
that she would be gone for at least 12 months on this duty assignment. She wouldn't be able to see her family
unless they booked passage aboard her assigned ship. She could call and write, but that was about all the she would
have time to do. There were no side
trips unless for an emergency.
CHAPTER 2
Hanging up the telephone, Alyssa
realized that the only person she would miss would be her mother, but she
promised to call and write as often as possible. She could hear the catch in her mother's throat as they said
good-bye and the enthusiasm of an hour ago dimmed as Alyssa thought seriously
about the task she was undertaking. The
job itself was a 'no-brainer' as far as Alyssa was concerned, but what about
the hours in between her duty schedule.
She knew no one on this job and had never been one to make friends
quickly, and she would be far away from everyone she had ever known.
The doubt and fears began to
creep in causing Alyssa to second guess her decision. But, before she let these fears take root, she decided to get out
of the hotel room and take a walk over to the shops at Bay Shore. She bought a couple of trinkets to send back
home and ended up sitting down by the water to decide where she wanted to
eat. Deep in thought she didn't realize anything was wrong until she
felt her purse being ripped from her shoulder.
She held on as hard as she could to the one strap, but it broke and the
assailant began to run between the tables of diners at the outdoor café and
suddenly found himself sprawled out on the pavement. Rising from one of the tables was the tall woman from the Cruise
lines. She bent over and retrieved
Alyssa's purse and the man scrambled to get away from the growing crowd.
Kelsey had seen the whole thing
coming and got lucky when the man ran in her direction. She just stuck her leg out at the last
minute sending the thief flying threw the air.
She leaned down and picked up the purse as he ran away. She had no intentions of following him or
getting involved as she was shipping out the next morning and didn't need
anything to get in the way. Holding the
purse she looked over at the startled blonde and blew out a breath as she walked over toward her thinking, 'She
had better start getting a grip on life before she finds herself in trouble or
worse.'
"I think this is
yours." Kelsey stated matter of
fact and held out the purse by its broken strap. Close up she saw that she was average height, blonde and kind of
cute, but when she looked up into the brilliant green eyes, they caused her to
take a second look and then a third.
"Thank you. I never saw him coming." Alyssa gushed as the women stood looking at
her so intently. She could feel the
flush running up her cheeks at the close scrutiny. "Umm, my name is Alyssa."
Kelsey hadn't heard a word the
woman was saying and didn't realize that she was even talking until she saw her
expression change to that of embarrassment.
'Damn Kelsey! Pay attention yourself!' Kelsey scowled thinking.
"You need to pay attention
around here or you are going to get hurt." Kelsey's voice sounded more curt than she had intended it to, but
she had been caught off guard and was angry with herself.
"I'm sorry." Alyssa quickly replied to the woman. She hadn't even acknowledged the
pleasantries of an introduction and Alyssa was taken back at the brusque
behavior.
"Okay, but be more careful
and less sorry." Kelsey answered
and turned to walk away. She didn't
know why she was being so obnoxious right now and decided to take her moody
self away before said anything more.
"Your welcome!" Alyssa
murmured tersely under her breath as she watched the raven-haired woman walk
away. "I'm glad to meet you too."
Kelsey's back stiffed as she
heard the woman's comments, it was a pain to have such good hearing
sometimes. Now, she felt like a bitch
for acting the way she had to the woman.
Feeling guilty, Kelsey turned at the first row of stores and decided to
keep an eye on the woman to make sure there were no repeat performances
tonight, at least that is what she told herself she was doing. She watched the blonde intently as she got
up and went over to the nearby café and was seated at one of the tables. Kelsey waited long enough to watch the
blonde order her dinner and then left to pick up a few things. She figured the blonde was safe for the
moment as she waked away thinking, 'What did she say her name was? Oh yeah, Alyssa. Hmm, nice enough name.' Kelsey walked down to the drugstore to
stock up on some of the items she would need for the time being.
Alyssa looked at her purse strap
and knew that it was irreparable and shrugged.
She really didn't think she would need a purse for awhile anyway. Staring out over the ocean she remembered
the conversation between the woman and the receptionist and the remark about
having dinner with her aunt.
"Guess we know that wasn’t true." Alyssa couldn't help but wonder about the dark haired stranger
and if she possibly worked on board ship too.
Her musings were interrupted by the arrival of her dinner and she
concentrating on eating it. She hated
to eat alone and ate quickly and while she waited for her bill, she decided she
had enough excitement for one night.
Staring out over the water and the evening sky, she decided to just go
back to the hotel to get some sleep.
Kelsey returned to her lookout
spot and was slightly relieved to see that Alyssa was still there. She watched the young woman for a few
moments and noticed the sadness in her face as she sat alone. Kelsey was no stranger to that look, it was
one that stared back at her every time she looked into a mirror. 'Maybe she doesn't have anyone either' Kelsey
quickly shook off these remorse thoughts, 'Hey, it's not the end of the
world!'
Alyssa made her way back past the
shops toward her hotel. She was glad
that they had put her up so close to everything so that she wasn't stuck in her
hotel the entire time. Even with her little purse mishap, she was happy that
she had a chance to look around a bit before she sailed in the morning. 'I'm sailing in the morning!' She
kept chanting to herself with one huge smile on her face. So wrapped up in her own little world
again, Alyssa never realized that she was being followed again as she entered
the hotel lobby and took the elevator up to her floor.
Kelsey followed at a discrete
distance and smiled when she realized they were staying at the same hotel. 'Good, I won't have to go out of my way
playing Good Samaritan. I'm just
walking back to my hotel.' She told
herself as she followed the blonde into the lobby and waited for the next
elevator to take her up to her own floor.
CHAPTER 3
Kelsey was up at the crack of
dawn, packed and ready to get onboard and get settled. She knew the ship orientation by heart, but
it was mandatory for all officers to attend.
'Yipee!' she thought glumly and headed down to the lobby to find
a newspaper and a cup of coffee to kill some time.
Alyssa heard music playing in the
background and rolled over and fell back asleep. It wasn't until the phone rang that she jumped up awake, it was
her wake up call from the front desk.
She had used it as a backup in case she failed to wake up to the alarm
in the room. She quickly hung up the
phone and ran for the shower, grateful that she had the presence of mind to
call the desk or she would still be sleeping as the ship pulled out of the
harbor. Getting up early had never been
a favorite past time for Alyssa, who liked to sleep as late as possible in the
mornings. But, she knew that those
days were long gone with this new job.
She would be on a rotating schedule of shifts. The Purser's Desk was to be manned from 5 am to 9 PM every day,
seven days a week. Being new woman on
the totem pole, so to speak, she had a feeling she would be pulling a lot of
early morning shifts.
Alyssa caught the second employee
bus pickup to the cruise ship and stumbled on board with the rest of the
arriving crew. All her things had been previously sent to the ship except for
her overnight bag, which she carried.
As she waited on the dock to board the ship she rummaged through her bag
for her ID. Each ID listed,
beneath their photo, their name, rank and country of citizenship. 'Photo ID must be worn by all employees at
all times, and must be carried on their person even off duty.' Her mind quoting what she had read from
the Employee Handbook. Placing the
chain around her neck, the ID badge hung to almost her waist. Frowning,
she let it go. Enough time later to worry about the small stuff. When it was her turn to board, she showed
her ID and her paperwork and was directed toward her cabin. She had never been on a cruise ship before
and she could feel the excitement building as she walked down the passageway
looking for her cabin number. She knew that officers received better quarters
than other employees, but usually cabins that the paying customer wouldn't want. Either they were too small, or too out of
the way. Alyssa was surprised to find
that she had to go up two decks to find her cabin. She didn't think that the crew were actually bunked above the
level she was currently on and hoped that it wasn't a mistake. Now, was not the time to be running around
trying to find her cabin, orientation was in 30 min. and she had wanted to be
early to make sure she got a good seat.
She hadn't realized how long it would take to go through the boarding
process or that there were this many employees on a cruise ship. This was a whole new world for Alyssa and
she was constantly amazed at what she didn't know.
Kelsey made her way forward on
the Promenade Deck and was happy to see that she had gotten one of the better
officer cabins. She wondered if she had
Sandy to thank for this and if she shouldn't give in and go to dinner her just
once. Cringing at the thought, she
figured she would just enjoy her good fortune while it lasted and take the bad
with the good later. Entering the
cabin, Kelsey chose the bed farthest away from the door, remember past
nightmares with roommates that came in all hours of the night, usually drunk
and falling on the nearest bed, hers.
She would not only be jarred awake, but she would have to get up and put
her roommates to bed, before getting back in her own and trying to fall back
asleep while they snored in their liquor induced comas. Nope, this time she was taking the rack by
the window and going to get some sleep at night! Their gear was all sitting outside the door and she went and
pulled her familiar duffel bags into the room and began the task of
unpacking. She wondered who her
roommate would be this year and hoped it wasn't some starry-eyed newbie that
thought every night was made for a new conquest. The only rule that Kelsey loved about the Cruise line was that no
opposite sexes were allowed in employee's cabins. Kelsey smiled glad that she wouldn't have to put up with the new
recruits bringing home a new man every night.
Only with one roommate had Kelsey closed her eyes to the infraction and
allowed her to bring a man to the cabin.
It was one of the few friends' that Kelsey had ever made on her
voyages. Carol and her husband were
fresh out of college and both were working the season to save money to get
their own home. Carol and Kelsey had
set up a schedule where three nights a week Kelsey wouldn't come back to the
room until midnight. On those nights,
Kelsey spent a lot of time hanging out in the employee lounge and other creative
places while she waited until she could get back into their room. Her favorite place was on a deck chair in
the front of the ship where no one usually went. She could look up at the stars as the evening breezes washed over
her body. It was the nearest she ever
came to feeling at peace in her entire life.
With the billions of stars above her and the gentle caress of the wind,
she felt she wasn't alone. Kelsey had
many relationships in her lifetime, but none had ever made her feel that way,
which is probably why she had given up searching for someone to complete her
world. Now at 33, she just did what she
had to, to live and left the foolish ideas of romance to the youth. Kelsey felt a presence at the door and
turned, to face her new roommate, a quick spark tingled her heart and startled
her, instantly jolting her out of her reverie.
This sudden uncertainty allowed her to shut down all emotions and
inwardly she groaned, "Oh great! Babysitting detail!'
Alyssa stood looking from the
paper in her hand to the number of the door and then back to the tall
raven-haired woman that stood in her cabin.
'No, please tell me this isn't happening! Tell me, that I'm not going to spend the next year of my life
with 'happy' here!' The two women stood looking at each other
with neither one making the first attempt to break the silence. Finally, Ayssa cleared her throat and asked,
"Promenade B4?"
"Yes."
"I think this is my
cabin." Alyssa replied
uncertainly, afraid to enter the room and not sure of what to do otherwise.
Kelsey's patience did not seem to
be at it's best today and her reply was anything but cordial. "Are those your bags in the
corridor?"
Alyssa looked down at her things
next to the door and nodded without speaking.
"Well, then I guess you’re
in the right place." Kelsey
replied flippantly and finished her packing.
She silently kicked herself for her behavior and didn't look at the blonde
as she struggled to pull her things into the room and stood looking around
unsure of herself.
Kelsey turned to face the woman
and maintained her composure to calmly instruct her new roommate. "That bed is yours and this dresser and
the closet on the right behind you. You
need to hurry and unpack as ship orientation is in 20 minutes in the
ODR." Not waiting for a response
from the blonde, Kelsey walked past her and out the door and headed down to the
briefing, wondering what it was about the woman that made her act so stupidly.
Alyssa sat down on the edge of
her assigned bed and felt a rise of panic well up in her. Taking a deep breath, she got herself under
control and let her anger take over.
Getting up she yanked her suitcase up on the bed and began to pull out
her things and shove them into drawers.
Opening up the closet, she noticed her new uniforms and placed the few
other dressy items that she had brought next to them on the hangers. Finished, she shoved her suitcases under her
bed and looked at her watch. She had 5
minutes to get to the Officer's Dining Room for orientation. Hesitating at her dress, she remembered that
her roommate hadn't changed into her uniform either and grabbed what she
assumed was her cabin key off the dress and went in search of where she needed
to be. She finally found a stream of
people heading in one direction and tagged along, hoping they knew where they
were going. Arriving at the
orientation, Alyssa took a seat in the back next to a group of women who seemed
friendly enough and introduced themselves.
They were all from one department and worked the various lounges. Alyssa was glad that she seemed to find some
friendly faces and possible future friends and looked around the room to find
her roommate sitting up near the front talking to a group of people who all
looked as equally tanned and fit as she did.
She began to wonder what exactly their assignments were.
"Hmmm…honey, don't even
bother there, nothing but ice."
Alyssa turned to face the accented voice that she heard next to
her. The woman's badge said that her
name was Karen and she was from
England.
"What?"
Karen pointed toward Alyssa's
roommate. "Kelsey. Yeah, she is gorgeous, but a dead end for
sure. Now Terri, the brunette next to her,
she is really a nice yank!" Karen
winked and smiled at Alyssa.
Flushed and embarrassed Alyssa
stammered, "No, you don't understand….she's my roommate."
"KELSEY?"
Alyssa nodded to the woman.
"You are one lucky yank!" Karen patted her on the arm proudly and turned
to tell the group of her new discovery.
All the women laughing and congratulating Alyssa, which made her feel
very uncomfortable. She wasn't sure
what she had expected, but certainly not this, she had expected there to be
some gay women on the cruise, but not everyone she met! 'This is too funny!' Alyssa thought
smiling and looked back over at Kelsey and saw that she was looking directly at
her with a very unhappy look on her face.
Alyssa quickly lost the smile and looked away as the speaker approached
the microphone. The entire orientation
was spent with Alyssa trying to pay attention and not look over at her new
roommate. She wasn't being very
successful, but on more than one occasion, she found those blue eyes looking
right back at her.
After the orientation, lunch was
served and the women began to talk about the opening of the season party that
evening in the crew's lounge. It was
B.Y.O.B and most of the women had planned ahead and brought alcohol on board
with them. Alyssa had never thought
about that when she packed as she had never been much of a drinker. The woman assured her that there would be
plenty to go around and that she should just show up. After lunch, the crew was released to meetings in their various
departments. Alyssa parted ways with
her new friends with a promise to show up at the party later that evening and
headed toward the Purser's office.
Kelsey watched as the women watched Alyssa walk away from their group
and the whispering that went on among the little gang. 'Damn, of all the groups to attach
herself to…she goes out of her way an picks the worst! Lord knows what they've already told her.' Kelsey shoved her papers in her portfolio
and headed toward the equipment room with her team. There were still schedules to decide upon and events to plan, she
knew that she had a full afternoon ahead of her. She wouldn't be able to talk to Alyssa and warn her until later
that evening. 'Let's just hope she
doesn't have a problem with it, cabin switching at this late date would cause a
world of trouble for both of them.'
CHAPTER 4
Alyssa actually enjoyed the
afternoon she spent with the other officers in her team. She got a copy of her schedule, which didn't
look too bad, but as she has thought, she had a lot of early morning shifts. From what she had learned, being an officer
had it's advantages. Their days were
markedly shorter than the average crewmember.
An average crewmember worked anywhere from 12 to 16 hours a day, where
an officer only worked 10 to 12, with one day a week off to go ashore. She found that some crew members never went
ashore due to their visa status, but being an American with a passport, meant
she could get off at any of the stops along the way. Alyssa had dinner with her co-workers before heading back toward
her cabin to change for the party. She
was looking forward to spending some time making some friends to go ashore
sightseeing with. Alyssa hadn't seen
her roommate since the orientation and when she entered the empty cabin, she
assumed Kelsey was still with her teammates.
Quickly, showering and changing into Khaki shorts and a black tank top,
Alyssa dabbed on some perfume for good measure and headed toward the Crew's
lounge.
It had been a long exhausting day
for Kelsey and she wanted nothing more than to relax and get things organized
for tomorrow's passengers. Her days of
idle relaxing were over now that her tour had started. As Assistant Sports Director it was her duty
to see that every schedule and activity was planned and manned throughout the
entire cruise. The first cruise was
usually the hardest, getting everyone adjusted and then after that they pretty
much followed the same pattern for each
cruise. She had a good crew working
with her this season and things should run pretty smoothly once all the bugs
were ironed out, which is what they had been trying to do this afternoon and
evening. It was later than Kelsey had
thought and she hurried toward the cabin hoping at best to find Alyssa sound
asleep, but at worst wide awake and ready wanting to talk. As soon as Kelsey entered the cabin and got
one whiff of the air, she knew the worst would have been preferable to what was
probably happening. Throwing her things
on her bed, she headed back out the cabin door toward the party. Kelsey looked down at her watch, it was
already 11:30 PM and the party had been in full swing since about 9:30 PM. "Damn!" Cursing under her breath,
Kelsey hurried toward the Crew's Lounge.
Knowing the party of women in question, it was anyone's guess as to what
had already transpired this evening.
She just hoped that her fears were unfounded and that Alyssa was
actually more intune then she gave her credit.
Kelsey entered the smoky lounge
to loud music and a packed room of partygoers having a good time. Kelsey relaxed until she heard a roar of
cheers over the din of the room and looked toward the corner. On a table in the
back stood a very drunk Alyssa trying to sway seductively to the music as a
group of men and women circled the table cheering her on to take her clothes
off and handing her drinks to keep her primed.
Alyssa looked completely out of touch with what was going on and was
just following the crowds lead as to what to do next. Kelsey took a deep breath and let it out slowly before she made
her way through the crowded room. 'This
isn't going to be fun.'
CHAPTER 5
Kelsey took a deep breath and
made her way through the crowded room of partygoers and slid in between the
revelers that surrounded the table Alyssa stood atop. 'Here goes nothing!'
"Well roomie, I think you've
had enough excitement for one night."
The tall raven-haired woman reached a hand up to help Alyssa down off
the table, but her arm was jerked around stopping her. Spinning around quickly, Kelsey faced a
blonde-haired man and the look on her face gave him reason to think twice about
what he was doing.
"Hey, no harm mate. We was just having a spot of fun with the
'newbie'. He raised his hands in a mock
surrender and backed off. Kelsey looked
at the group around the table before resting her eyes on one of the women that
she knew was behind this. "I think
this 'newbie' has had enough. I don't
want any trouble, I just came to collect my roommate."
"Maybe she isn't ready to
go, isn't that right love?" Karen
reached up to hand Alyssa another drink and looked back at Kelsey
challengingly. Kelsey shook her head
slowly and looked up at the blonde to see if what Karen said could possibly be
true. Alyssa's expression was one of
confusion as she first looked toward Karen and then at Kelsey. The full affect of the alcohol was finally
beginning to hit her. Kelsey watched as
the confusion turn to fear and then something else that triggered a response in
her. Kelsey quickly pushed the drink
away from the blonde and reaching up again, she pulled Alyssa down off the
table and over her shoulder firemen style.
Turning, she roughly pushed her way through the crowd, her stride and
demeanor dared anyone to stop her. Even
carrying the weight this way, was a struggle for the strong woman, but she kept
moving until the fresh air hit her in the face and she began to hear Alyssa
moaning. Quickly setting Alyssa on her
feet, she followed the blonde as she ran for the rail, and almost climbing over
it in her attempt to litter the high seas.
Kelsey held on to Alyssa so that she wouldn't fall overboard and waited
until the woman could stand on her own on the deck.
"Feeling better?" Kelsey asked sarcastically, keeping her arm
around the woman's waist to steady her.
"Just peachy!" Alyssa responded snidely to Kelsey's tone of
voice wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
"Good, because you are going
to feel a lot worse come morning."
Kelsey replied dryly and began leading the blonde back toward their
cabin.
Alyssa didn't feel like
commenting on Kelsey's humor and stumbled along until they reached the cabin
where she quickly threw herself down on her bed.
"I wouldn't do….."
Kelsey called out to the prone woman.
Alyssa lay still for only a few moments before jumping up and running to
the bathroom.
"…that." Kelsey shook her head and began to get
changed for bed. After about twenty
minutes and no sign of Alyssa, she went into the bathroom to find the woman
sitting on the floor sound asleep with her head resting against the vanity.
Leaning down, she lightly shook
Alyssa and grasped her by her arms in an effort to pull her to her feet. "Come on, time to get into bed."
"No, this is good!"
Alyssa slurred sleepily. "I like
it here."
"Come on...I promise you
will like it better in bed."
Kelsey replied and tugged the woman to stand and steadied her by
grabbing on to her belt in back, and began directing Alyssa back toward the
bedroom.
"Oh yeah…I will?"
"Yes, I promise." Kelsey replied as she fought to maneuver the
tottering woman through the narrow bathroom door without sending both of them
down onto the floor in a heap.
"With you?" The garbled
response caused Kelsey to stumble and almost drop the young woman. She stopped dead in her tracks and she
looked down at Alyssa, whose eyes were still closed in a dreamy haze of alcohol
induced sleep. Kelsey knew that if
Alyssa actually knew what she was saying she would definitely be
embarrassed. Thinking about it, a
mischievous smile crossed her lips and she figured paybacks were in order.
"Is that what you would
like?"
"Will you be nicer to me or
mean like you have been?" Alyssa's
voice was raspy and slurred, but her words cut through to Kelsey's heart. She hadn't really been very nice to the
woman and it wasn't entirely Alyssa's fault.
She didn't understand why she touched off this spark of anger either.
"Yes, I will." Kelsey
murmured without realizing she was actually speaking the words out loud.
"Good…then oh yes, that's
exactly what I want!" Alyssa's
voice sang out loudly as she tried to propel herself toward the bed and only
succeeded in stumbling and almost falling.
Kelsey grabbed her and held her tightly against her as she tried to get
Alyssa to the bed without dropping her.
Kelsey was beginning to feel guilty about the conversation and decided
to stop it right here. Finally, getting
her positioned next to the bed, Kelsey let Alyssa fall backward onto the bed.
"Well, why don't you get
some sleep and ask me again tomorrow."
Kelsey removed the woman's shoes and lifted her legs onto the bed.
"Chicken!" Alyssa giggled and was sound asleep before
Kelsey pull the covers over her.
"You got that
right!" Kelsey murmured and turned
to get into her own bed. Sleep did not come as easily for Kelsey as she lay
listening to the light snoring of her roommate. Finally, her mind was so exhausted from tormenting itself that
she fell into asleep to the rhythm of Alyssa's heavy breathing.
CHAPTER 6
Alyssa was rudely awaken to the
sound of two short, but very loud, blasts of the ship’s horn and sat up
quickly. Instantly regretting this
action, she fell backwards on to the bed with a thud. "Oh….My….God!" she moaned.
"Good morning Ms. Party
Animal!" Kelsey's voice sang out
wryly. "And how are we feeling
today."
"Just shoot me now!" Alyssa's voice was a thick plea from beneath
the pillow she had pulled over her face to block out the world. Her head was playing a tune that only her
stomach seemed to understand and she wished they would both just be quiet this
morning.
Kelsey leaned down and lifted the
pillow slightly watching Alyssa's eyelids clench tighter as the sunlight hit
them. "Unh-uh, that nice little
horn you just heard was the warning that the passengers will be boarding in an
hour. You have approximately 30 minutes
to get to your duty station. So, I 'd
get hopping into the shower if I were you." Kelsey let the pillow unceremoniously drop back down and turned
to tie her shoelace. Alyssa had a clear
view of a long tanned leg attached to the foot that rested on the other bed. Following the long leg upward, she noticed
that her roommate was dressed in what must be her working uniform of navy
shorts and a white polo shirt with the cruise line emblem on it.
Alyssa moaned more at where her
mind seemed to be wandering than at the banging that was going on in her
head. Slowly she sat up contemplating
her distress. Kelsey pick up her
agenda and notebook and turned toward the noise, she wondered if maybe the
woman wasn't going to be able to handle the after effects of last night after
all.
"Are you going to be
okay?"
"Just ducky! I think I need a cold shower!" Alyssa replied trying to smile to offset the
sharpness of her words. Her stomach was
doing a fast dance in time to the pounding in her head and the flush that accompanied
her new thoughts was not helping the situation.
"I wouldn't take a cold
one…unless you love shocking your system to death. I usually reserve that pleasure for the coffee they serve in the
ODR." Kelsey chuckled and turned
toward the door to leave. Alyssa would
be okay, definitely hurting, but the wiser for her misery.
Alyssa sat on the edge of the bed
with her head bowed wishing Kelsey would hurry up and leave so that she could
be sick with a modicum of dignity, but if the woman didn't hurry, this was not
going to be the case.
"Good luck today!" Kelsey called out as she opened the door and
closed it softly. Chuckling at the
sight of her roommate, she made her way down the hall toward the Officer's
Dining Room.
The door slammed loudly and Alyssa
was up and running to the bathroom to make good on her prediction. 'Oh, God and they call this fun! I think I can do without all this excitement
in my life!' After a few minutes of
rest, she rose to her feet shaky, she turned the water on and stripped for her
shower. Alyssa let the warm water run
down her body until she felt reasonably human and finished her shower. Dressed and ready for duty, she looked in
the mirror and marveled at how the uniform made her look more mature and
confident. 'Amazing what a uniform
will do for your morale!'
Alyssa spent the majority of the
morning working alongside the Chief Purser until it was time for the Passenger
Orientation in the Lido Lounge. She sat
with her group to the side of the stage and noticed Kelsey sitting on the other
side of the podium talking with a striking blonde. She briefly wondered who the woman was, but was soon distracted
by the audience that filled the room. The
passengers were excited and impatiently waiting to get this mandatory orientation
to be over so that they could start their vacations. There were only two mandatory meetings for the passengers, this
one and the lifeboat drill, which would happen later that day. The room soon hushed as the Cruise Director
took the stage and introduced himself.
He did his usual welcoming bit and then began introducing his
staff. As the introductions went
along, Alyssa soon found out that the striking blonde was the Sports Director
and also Kelsey's boss. The woman spoke
briefly before introducing Kelsey. As
the tall raven-haired woman took the stage, Alyssa noted how beautiful she
actually was, as applause and whistling from the audience followed her
introduction. She was obviously a
favorite with the passengers, many of whom seemed to know her. She waved to a couple of them and took over
the microphone, describing the activities available and telling a few anecdotes
that had the audience relaxed and enjoying themselves. The woman was obviously suited to her job
and Alyssa was amazed at how personable her roommate could be, thinking "yeah, too bad she wasn't more
personable to me!'
When it came time for her own
introduction, Alyssa just stood and smiled at the audience until she heard a
loud wolf-whistle from the back of the room.
Embarrassed, she looked to the back and saw Karen standing behind the
bar smiling innocently. She looked down
at her feet as she felt the heat rise up her face and looked back up to find
two very blue and very serious eyes staring at her from across the room. Not liking the feeling she was getting from
the look, she returned her focus to the floor for the remainder of the
orientation and fretted. 'What did I
do? Why did I get that look? I
didn't ask Karen to do that! Damn,
what's her problem anyway?'
The Orientation was finally
complete and Alyssa went back to her duties.
She didn't finish until almost 11 PM and gratefully made her way back to
the cabin. She hadn't even wanted to
think about eating anything but aspirin the entire day. Feeling nauseous and closed in, she felt
the need to get some air and took a walk around the deck, but found herself
continually stopped by passengers asking if she could help them cash travelers
checks at that late hour. Finally,
tired of saying no and apologizing, she headed out to the top deck up to the
bow of the ship where the winds were the strongest. It was quiet up here as most of the passengers preferred the
gentle winds from the sheltered lower decks, but Alyssa like the way the rough
breeze whipped her hair back and smelled strongly of the sea. She went as far forward as she could and
leaned against the rail looking up at the multitude of stars in the sky. She could hear the slap of water as the ship
parted the seas before them. She looked
down over the rail to watch as the bow cleanly sliced through the dark
waters. For no particular reason she
began to think of her mother and felt a bit homesick. She missed being able to tell her mother about all that had been
going on and what she was doing. She
didn't really miss her brothers or father in the slightest because they
represented the oppression that she was trying to escape. Her mother was different. She had always been the one to praise and
encourage her in whatever endeavor she chose.
Alyssa also know that it was due to her mother's efforts that she had
been allowed to do some of the things she had, like college and taking this
job. Her father would have rather she
just settle down and get married or continued [tjg1]working
at the library, but Alyssa had wanted so much more out of life.
"You aren't going to jump
already are you?" Alyssa started
when she heard the deep voice behind her until she recognized its familiarity
and turned to see Kelsey sitting in a deck chair in the shadow of a smokestack.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know
anyone was up here. I hope I didn't
disturb you." Alyssa hesitated
moving as the woman stood and began approaching her. She wasn't sure what personality she would encounter this
evening. The woman was so confusing,
one moment she was helpful and the next angry with her for some unknown
reason. She'd be darned if she could
ever figure her out.
"No, I don't own the space,
I just come up here to enjoy the view."
Kelsey instantly wished she hadn't been so flippant with that remark
but, it was said and, she couldn’t take it back. Alyssa fell silent unsure of how to respond to the woman and just
kept looking out over the star filled night.
"See that? That's the North Star, it's the brightest
one, so sailors use it to navigate by."
Kelsey wasn't sure why she was giving the blonde an astrology lesson,
but just felt the need to slow down and break the ice.
"Then what about that one,
it's just as bright?" Alyssa
pointed to another light in the sky and heard a soft chuckle from next to her.
"That's a plane. If you watch it long enough, you will see
that it moves."
Alyssa strained to watch it and
sure enough, it moved. "Wow! I never realized you could see planes way
out here."
'You'd be surprised what you can
see on a clear night."
The two women fell silent again,
Alyssa trying to think of something to say that didn't sound stupid and Kelsey
debating how she should approach the issue of Karen and her little
buddies. Finally, Kelsey just took the
bull by the horns and started talking frankly.
"I need to tell you
something and as your senior officer, its kind of my job to do it. This is your first cruise and well, things
aren't always the way they seem. We are
all thrown together for a long time, in close quarters, and it's easy to
misconstrue feelings and friendships. I
think you need to be careful with the people you associate with on the
ship. They aren't always what they
appear to be." Kelsey tried to
explain things without really mentioning any names and realized that it wasn't
coming out the way she had intended.
Alyssa almost thought that Kelsey
had known some of her thoughts earlier that morning, but soon realized she was
talking about Karen. At first she felt
stunned when she thought Kelsey was talking about her and then when she
realized that wasn't the case, she felt the familiar walls of constraint and
recrimination that she would get from her family and it rubbed her the wrong
way. These all added up to her taking
offense to everything and answered her roommate a little too hastily and
harshly. "If you mean earlier
today, I had no control over that situation.
As for my friends and the other night, it wasn't their fault that I
didn't watch how much I was drinking. I
think I'm old enough to take care of myself right now and I take full responsibility
for what happened. Does being senior
officer give you the right to tell me who can and can't be my
friends?" Alyssa bit her tongue on
the last barb and couldn't believe she had actually said it. But, when she let her fear and anger take
control of her brain it had always spelled disaster for her and this time was
no exception.
Kelsey's eyes narrowed at the
backlash she was receiving after trying to help Alyssa. "As your senior officer it is my duty
to help you become adjusted to life aboard this ship and to show you the
ropes. I have neither the time, nor
desire to play nursemaid to anyone. And
just for the record, it is frowned upon for junior officers to socialize with
crewmembers during duty hours. What you
do on your own time or between cruises is no concern of mine. As far as I'm concerned this conversation is
over and my job where you are concerned is done. You are on your own, I hope you enjoy the company!" Kelsey let everything go and even said more
than she had realized she was thinking.
Taking a step back she almost apologized, but instead, turned on her
heels and walked away.
Alyssa stood stunned watching the
tall woman walk away from her. She
wasn't sure where that all came from, but she knew that most of it she
deserved. The last barb had hit home
and it made her feel more alone than she had felt in a long while. She stood looking out over the rail for a
long while contemplating what to do and kicking herself for being such a jerk. Now, she had a roommate who hated her. 'Why didn't she just keep her mouth shut
and let things go!' Because she was
tired of always giving in and letting everyone else have control. She needed to make a stand, but she didn't
need to stand on top of the person trying to help her. Shaking her head sadly, she made her way to
the cabin and was relieved, but secretly disappointed, to find Kelsey had not
returned to the cabin. Tired, she
stripped and climbed into bed falling instantly to sleep. She slept so deeply that she didn't hear
Kelsey come in an hour later. Kelsey
had purposely gone to her office and stewed over the events of the
evening. She could have handled the
situation better, but somehow, the blonde's rebuff had hurt and she had reacted
emotionally instead of using her head.
But if Alyssa didn't want her help then, Kelsey wouldn't bother her
anymore. Slipping into bed she tossed
and turned until dawn and finally gave up and took a shower. She was dressed
and walking into the Officer's Dining Room as Alyssa's alarm sounded.
CHAPTER 8
Kelsey purposely stayed away from
the cabin when she knew that Alyssa would be there, coming in late every
evening after the woman was already asleep and leaving the cabin early before
she woke up. She had thought, if
nothing else, her warning had gotten through when she noticed that Alyssa had
steered clear of Karen and her bunch until today, when she saw Karen hand the
blonde a note which she read and nodded an affirmative reply. Today was the first Port of Call stop in St.
Martaan and Kelsey knew that Alyssa was free in the afternoon to go into town
with her friends. Kelsey had a sinking
feeling that was exactly what the group had planned. She also knew exactly where they would take Alyssa during her
first excursion. There were two sides
to the island, the French and the Dutch.
She knew the group would head to their usual hangout on the French side
where the beaches were a bit more colorful, to say the least.
Finishing her duties, Alyssa hurried
back to the cabin to change. She was
excited about her first excursion into town.
She had never been out of her own state before, let alone to a new
country. She was thrilled when Karen
had invited her to join them for a beach party. She put her bathing suit on under her shorts and tank top and
grabbed her bag with a change of towel and long sleeve shirt, and ran down the
corridor toward the launches. Karen,
Pam and another woman were waiting for her at the gangway and they boarded the
tenders to shore. Climbing toward the
back of the launch, Alyssa didn't notice Kelsey until she was seated and the
vessel was underway. Kelsey looked
briefly at her and then turned away to look out over the water. Alyssa felt a pang of regret, but quickly
pushed it down and turned to the group that was already laughing and carrying
on.
As expected, Kelsey saw Alyssa
board the tender along with Karen and her usual entourage. She tried not to stare, but caught the
blonde's eye briefly before looking away.
She kept her eyes focused on the shore until they boat docked and they
were going ashore. She could see that
Alyssa wore her bathing suit under her khaki shorts and white tank top, and it
confirmed her suspicion of exactly where the group was headed as they boarded
their bus. As much as she hated to,
Kelsey turned and boarded the bus heading in the opposite direction. She just hoped that Alyssa knew what she was
doing and would be all right. Kelsey
spent the two hours going through the shops and having lunch. Finally, bored with her solo excursion, she
headed back toward the ship. She went
directly to the cabin and showered and changed before going down to her office
to check on things. It was dinnertime
and growing dark and Alyssa had yet to return to the ship. The last launches left the island at 7 PM
and it was 6 PM already. Kelsey made
her way to the deck above the launch docking and looked down at the passengers
disembarking and noticed Karen and the other two women, but no Alyssa. She scanned the group and wondered if she
had missed the blonde earlier. Heading
back down to the cabin, she still found it empty with no sign of her
roommate.
"She's a big girl and can
take care of herself. It is not your
responsibility to watch every step she takes.
She is probably down in one of the crew cabins thumbing her nose up at
regulations!" Kelsey paced the
cabin talking to herself and reminding herself to stay uninvolved. "You don't need this kind of
trouble. Things are just starting to go
smoothly and you don't need to get yourself involved with anyone!"
After a few moments of
self-incrimination and berating she spat out, "Bite me!" and went out
of the cabin down to the crew's lounge where she found Karen and her crew still
partying.
"Excuse me, have you seen
Alyssa?" Kelsey stood her whole
5'10" above the group with her hands on her hips and a no bullshit look on
her face. Karen looked up and smiled,
but somehow the smile didn't look very receptive.
"Well, let's see…."
Karen drawled in her English accent while a smattering of nervous giggles could
be heard from one of the other women with Pam.
"You could say we all saw her!" Karen broke out into laughter at that comment and it set Kelsey's
blood boiling. She picked up Karen by
the collar and pulled her out of her seat sending the chair flying backwards.
"What did you assholes do to
her?" Kelsey's blue eyes were
almost black, but Karen was just drunk enough to stupidly see it as a
challenge.
"What the hell is it to
you…you don't have exclusive rights to her…or do you?" Karen was grinning and looking over at her
friend and winked. "Didn't seem so
today, did it Pam?"
Before anyone had an idea or
thought process to answer the question, Kelsey had Karen up against the wall
and was definitely 'in her face'.
"I'm going to ask you one more time. Where is Alyssa?"
Karen sobered at the intensity of
Kelsey's actions and knew she was playing games with the wrong woman. Her stomach knotted, but she wasn't about to
let her friends see her back down to anyone.
"How the hell should I know!
We were having a party and she split!"
Kelsey tightened her grip on
Karen's shirt and looked Pam directly in the eye. "Is that all?"
The woman paled visibly and replied, "We didn't see her when it was
time to come back to the ship. I don't
think she's come back yet."
"Damn!" Kelsey swore
under her breath and pushed Karen back against the wall and hurried from the
room to the launch area. She was at the
gangway when she heard someone calling her name and turned to see Pam running
toward her.
"Wait!"
"What? I don't have time right now!" Kelsey was angry and was ready to throw
someone over the side, it didn't really matter whom at this point.
"Hey, I just want you to
know that I tried to stop what was going on, but I was outvoted. We were at the beach sunbathing, you know
the nude one…..and everyone was partying and drinking and Karen was trying to
get Alyssa drunk again and succeeded in getting her to loosen up enough to go
topless. She seemed to be having fun
so I didn’t think too much of it and then I went with Kellie to get more beer. When I got back, I could tell that Alyssa
was upset, she had put her top back on, but I knew something had happened. Karen acted like nothing was going on, I
tried to talk to Alyssa but she wouldn't say anything. We were sitting having another beer when the
bus pulled up at the stop and Alyssa just jumped up and grabbed her bag and ran
for it. I tried to go after her, but
Karen said to let her go and I'm sorry, but I did."
Kelsey watched the woman look
away regretfully, but it didn't matter to the tall woman, she was seeing red
about that time. "So, you just let
her go because Karen told you to? My
God woman, don't you have a brain? I
don't know what happened, but you can rest assured I'm going to find out and if
any of you have done anything to Alyssa….you all had better start growing
wings, because someone's leaving this ship without benefit of a
ride!" Kelsey turned and walked
down the gangway and took a seat. She
was only one of two passengers headed back to the island. The crewmembers had been listening to the
entire conversation and looked at Kelsey worriedly.
"Let's go!" She barked and they quickly launched the
tender back to shore without comment.
Kelsey jumped from the boat
before it had even been secured and headed down toward town where the buses
unloaded. She wasn't sure where to even
start looking when she saw blonde hair walking up the street slowly, her head
bend looking down at the sidewalk and not where she was going. Kelsey stopped and waited for the woman to
reach her without moving or saying a word.
Alyssa almost bumped into Kelsey when she realized someone was in front
of her looking up and seeing familiar blue eyes was all it took unhinge the
blonde and she pushed the tall woman away crying.
"Well, go ahead! Say it!
'I told you so'!" Alyssa's
eyes were red from crying as she spat the words out with a vengeance.
"Hey, I came looking for you
because I was worried, not to reprimand you!" Kelsey tried to keep her voice even to calm Alyssa down.
"Well, don't worry! I can take care of myself!" Alyssa moved past Kelsey and began walking
down the street, this time with a purpose.
Kelsey turned and in two quick
strides had caught up to the woman's shorter legs. "Why are you mad at me…I'm not the one who hurt you!"
Alyssa stopped dead and swung
around to face the taller woman, "Who said anyone hurt me? Is that what
they said? What did they tell
you?"
"Easy!" Kelsey replied and grabbed Alyssa by the
arm to stop her. This turned out to be
a mistake and Alyssa pulled back quickly whispering through gritted teeth,
"Don't touch me!"
"Okay! I won't touch you, but slow down for a
moment and talk to me. What the hell
happened today?" Kelsey waited for
a response from Alyssa, but all the blonde did was turn and begin walking back
toward the boats.
"Alyssa?"
"I don't want to talk about
it. Nothing happened." Alyssa threw over her shoulder and picked up
her pace. Kelsey kept right along side
easily and kept pushing the issue.
"If nothing happened, why are you so angry and why are you out here
alone?"
"What do you need to hear
it? Okay, you were right! They weren't nice to me and they aren't my
friends, okay! I was just the butt of
someone's joke. Does that make you feel
any better?" Kelsey could see that
there was no reasoning with the woman and just pushed her to board the launch
back to town.
"No, it doesn't make me feel
better in the least." Kelsey
whispered under her breath and sat down opposite Alyssa and didn't say anything
more. The ride back was in done in
silence and when they re-boarded the cruise ship Kelsey walked Alyssa back to
the cabin and then went in search of some answers.
Alyssa was glad when Kelsey left,
she wasn't in the mood to relive the afternoon's events. It had been Alyssa's first experience at a
nude beach and between the beer and the encouragement from the other woman, she
had stripped off her top along with the rest of them. It was a wild but exciting experience for her. She had been careful not to drink as much as
she had the other night and was feeling slightly buzzed, but no worse. Pam and Kellie left to get more beer,
leaving Karen and herself alone on the beach.
They group had settled away from the other bathers and Alyssa had been
relieved early with the privacy. It
wasn't long before she felt a shadow over her and opened her eyes to see Karen
leaning over her. Before she could say
anything Karen's lips had descended upon hers and she was trying to deepen the
kiss. Alyssa hadn't fought the new
sensation until Karen's hand began to pinch and roll her nipple hard. It hurt and when Alyssa tried to push Karen
off, Karen increased the intensity of the kiss. Finally, pushing Karen away, she sat up breathlessly and grabbed
for her top. Struggling into it, Karen
watched laughing and remarked, "Oh my God! You're a virgin! Jeez, what are you doing saving yourself
for Kelsey? Well, forget it honey…she
ain't interested in your type!"
Alyssa didn't answer, but she
could feel her face growing red. Karen
continued laughing and when the others had returned she was afraid that Karen
would say something and they all would be laughing. As the conversation went on, the tension was building and Alyssa
was sure that every time Karen opened her mouth she was about to ridicule her
in front of everyone. When Pam asked
her if she was alright, she tried to ignore the comment in hopes that Karen
hadn't heard it either. Finally, she
couldn't take it anymore and when she saw the bus pull up, she just grabbed her
things and ran. She didn't care where
it was headed as long as it was away from that group. She rode around the island the remainder of the day, crying and
berating herself for being so blind and stupid. What she couldn't explain was the fact that, at first, the kiss
hadn't bothered her. It wasn't until
Karen had added pain to the sensation that she had reacted against it and
Karen. By the end of the day, she was
tired, confused and headed back toward the cruise ship wondering just what did
Karen meant by, "not interested in my type". Was it women, or me in general? It saddened her to think that it would be
either. When she had seen Kelsey and
knew she had been looking for her, she had exploded and all her fears had come
to the surface. She struck first before
she allowed anyone else to hurt her again.
Alyssa stepped out of shower and
dressed for bed, still relieved that Kelsey hadn't come back. Maybe she just didn't want to be with her
right now. Whatever, the reason it didn't
matter, Alyssa curled up into her bed and made a promise that she wouldn't get
involved with anyone, not even as a friend.
She would do her job and stay strictly to herself. She fell asleep thinking, 'it didn't
matter what she did or where she went, nothing would ever change for her. There must be something wrong with me.'
CHAPTER 9
Kelsey found Karen, as usual, in
the staff lounge with her friends. She
noted right off that they were not drinking and were huddled together
talking. The room was fairly crowded
and noisy, but as soon as Kelsey stepped through the doorway, all conversations
quieted and everyone watched her as she walked directly toward Karen. Karen looked up cockily, but Kelsey saw her
flinch when she got close and knew that she had her attention. Kelsey calmly sat down at the table with the
three women, when Pam attempted to get up and leave, Kelsey leveled her a look
and quietly said, "Sit down!"
Pam’s response was to drop back down in her seat and look back at the
tall women in fear.
Turning her attention back toward
Karen, Kelsey moved her chair closer to the woman in an attempt to intimidate
her and she could tell by the woman's demeanor that it was working. "Now, that I have your attention, I
want to know exactly what happened on the beach today! Don't get smart with me either because I'm
in no damn mood right now!"
Karen just looked at Kelsey and
didn't respond, but Kelsey could see that she was gearing up for a full-blown
battle and wasn't about to be very cooperative. "Who the bloody hell do you think you are strolling in here
and demanding anything from me!"
Karen's voice was loud enough for the entire room to hear clearly and
all talking stopped as their attention was on the table in the corner.
Kelsey leaned forward a little
more and kept her voice at an even timbre, but there was no mistaking her
anger. "I'm not looking for a
fight, but if you want trouble, I'll be your worst nightmare! That's who I am!"
Karen’s laugh was more like a
sharp bark. "Let me tell you
something, Miss High and Mighty! Your
little girlfriend was flaunting herself all day on the beach and when someone
called her bluff, she panicked."
"Let's get one thing
straight. She is my roommate and
assignee, not my girlfriend. I'm here
as a senior officer, to find out what happened. I have no personal stake in this at all!" Kelsey's patience was beginning to quickly
drain away and she wanted nothing more than to remove that smug look from
Karen's face. She looked at the blonde
and held her breath as she saw a malicious look cross her face.
"Yeah right! You must be losing your touch to let a
virgin get away from you, or is that what you are so mad about?" Karen stood up laughing and challenging
Kelsey's patience to the max. "That's
it! You think I got there ahead
of you and you're pissed!"
Kelsey stood up and towered
slightly above the other woman.
"What the hell is it with you?
Does every woman you meet have to be a conquest for you?"
"Look whose
talking!" Karen looked around
Kelsey to the group at the table and shrugged her shoulders. "I'd say that's calling the kettle
black."
Kelsey realized that she was not
going to get anywhere with Karen, except make a scene, which is exactly what
the woman seemed to want. Kelsey just shook her head sadly at Karen. "You really are one sorry excuse for a
woman. I feel pity for you." Kelsey looked at the women at the table to
let them know that she included them in the same statement. The other two women looked away sadly and
Kelsey almost felt sorry for them, but it was their choice to be friends with
Karen, no one had forced them into the situation.
"You pity me? I pity you…you've got your work cut out for
you with your girlfriend. She doesn't
know what the hell she wants, but I will say, she is a fairly decent kisser and
she really has nice tits!" Karen
smiled smugly and cupped her hands making a gesture to let Kelsey know that she
had first hand physical knowledge of both of these facts.
Kelsey's anger was hotter than
she could remember it being in a long time and didn't like the way she was
feeling. She didn't need this hassle,
nor did she think that she should feel this strongly about the situation. She hated Karen and everything that women
like her stood for, but that was no reason to get into a fight. With
her hands clenched into fists at her side, she stiffly turned and began walking
away until she heard something whispered loudly behind her that sent her over
the edge.
"Too right! Perky little tits they were too! I tell you, I had my hands on them and she
was beginning to respond nicely…half a chance and I could have had her singing
my praises!" Neither of the women
were looking at Karen as she talked to them, all attention was focused on
Kelsey's response. Karen had gone too
far this time, and they both knew it.
They were quickly becoming ashamed and embarrassed to be associated with
the woman, she had never really acted this badly in front of everyone
before. They both knew that she hated
Kelsey because since the woman had joined the crew, Karen had tried everything
to get Kelsey to notice her and she had flatly refused and never hid her
feelings of dislike for the blonde.
This had been a bone of contention for the past three years and now, it
was going to a head, a nasty one for sure.
No one expected Kelsey to do what
she did, but afterward, they had to admit that it was the perfect reply. Kelsey turned around and just backhanded
Karen across the face. Karen fell
backward into her chair from the full effect of the blow. Kelsey's voice was razor sharp and there
was no mistaking what she was saying.
"If I ever see you near Alyssa or hear you speak of her or any
other woman in that manner, I will personally tear you apart. I suggest you go back to your cabin and
start packing because before I'm through, you will have one-way ticket back to
England! We don't need your kind aboard
this ship!" Kelsey spun on her
heels leaving Karen sitting surprised and dazed holding the side of her face. A
few cheers were called out to Kelsey and she walked out and Pam and Kellie
quickly got up and followed her out the door.
They weren't about to lose their jobs for Karen or anyone else for that
matter.
CHAPTER 10
Kelsey opened the cabin door to
darkness and tiptoed to the bathroom.
Closing the door halfway, she flipped on the light and used it as a
nightlight to see in the main cabin.
Kelsey walked over to Alyssa's bed and saw that the woman was sound
asleep. In sleep, Alyssa's face was
unmarred by the events of the day and she looked at peace, but the box of
half-empty tissues on the nightstand told another story. 'Damn it, why couldn't you listen to
me!' Kelsey thought angrily and
grabbed her things to go into the bathroom to change. Climbing into her bed, her mind was racing, but her body was
exhausted from the adrenaline rush of earlier and she finally fell into a
restless sleep.
As hard as Alyssa tried she could
not get out from under the heavy darkness that pressed against her. She was finding it hard to breathe and was
beginning to panic. She tried pulling
at what was holding her down, but only grabbed air. It seemed to wrap around her body of it's own accord and she
could feel it pressing against her face cutting off her air. She could feel her lungs burning as they
became starved for air and she could hear her heart beat loudly in the
darkness. She began to fight in earnest
and screamed as she could feel the darkness tightening its hold on her and her
world began to quake.
"Alyssa, wake up! Alyssa!
Your dreaming…wake up, honey!"
Kelsey had grabbed the thrashing woman to try to calm her down before
she hurt herself. Her arms and legs
were flailing and twisting with the sheet.
Kelsey realized what Alyssa was fighting and began pulling the sheet
away from her body and freeing her arms and legs, once that was complete she
could feel the blonde's body began to relax and she pulled her into her arms
and called to her. Green eyes fluttered
once and then opened and Kelsey smiled when recognition lit up in them.
Alyssa was fighting with all her
strength and suddenly the cloth began to lift and she could feel the cool dark
air caress her overheated body. She
felt a comfort from the darkness, it touched her but, she wasn't afraid and it
was then she heard someone calling her and followed the voice. Opening her eyes to semi-light, she looked
directly into blue eyes that changed from worried to relieved.
"Are you okay?" Kelsey heard the deep soft voice ask and she
felt confusion cloud her mind.
"Huh?"
"You were having a
nightmare, do you remember?"
Kelsey watched as the confusion turned to remembrance and the eyes
closed against the memory. "Its
okay, it' over now."
"Damn." Alyssa
whispered and opened tear-laden eyes.
"That was so real."
She took a deep breath and tried to slow her breath and her heart rate
down.
"Do you want to talk about
it?" Kelsey continued to sit on
the edge of the bed leaning over Alyssa.
Her hands still holding the woman's arms lightly and debating moving,
but she didn't want to let go of the connection. The hip that she rested on was beginning to cramp, but she didn't
care and remained still.
Alyssa thought for a long moment
looking up at the ceiling. She wasn't
sure how to explain what had happened to her.
It seemed so real, but yet she felt so foolish now. Kelsey shifted to try to alleviate the ache
that was now running from her hip down to her foot. Alyssa sensed her distress and shifted over closer to the wall in
an unconscious effort to give her more room to sit. "I'm sorry. I didn't
mean to make you sit all hunched over like that."
"It's Okay." Kelsey smiled and shifted further up on the
bed to get off her hip and looked down and realized she couldn't see Alyssa's a
face in the darkness at this distance.
Kelsey finally just switched hips and leaned down on an elbow on the bed
so that she could see her face and waited for Alyssa to speak. When Alyssa didn't answer for a bit, she lay
her arm along Alyssa's as it rested across her waist.
"If you don’t want to talk,
I understand."
Alyssa shook her head but kept
her focus on the ceiling as she began to explain. "I was trapped in the
darkness and it wrapped around me and I couldn't breath. The harder I struggled the tighter the
darkness held me until I could feel my lungs burning." Alyssa voice was still shaky from the
experience and she didn't look at Kelsey until the end when she added, "I
feel really stupid now. I don't know
what came over me. I don't normally
have nightmares!"
"Hey, it's not stupid at all
given the circumstances today."
Kelsey hadn't meant to let Alyssa know that she knew more about what
happened today or what she had done in the staff lounge earlier. She didn't want the woman to get offended by
her protective attitude. She was still
trying to deal with that one herself.
"You talked to Karen didn't
you?" Alyssa focused her attention
on Kelsey's arm on top of hers and wouldn't look the woman in the eye. She kept her voice neutral, as she wasn't
really sure how she felt about it.
"Yes, are you
mad?" Kelsey hoped the answer
would be no and she didn't give out any more information than necessary.
"I guess not. So, she told you, huh?" Alyssa could feel the flush rising in her
cheeks and wanted to look up to see if Kelsey was laughing at her and wondered 'So, are you going to make fun of me
too?'
"I don't know exactly what
happened except that she hurt you and that was enough." Kelsey answered and thought about her next
step. "And, I don't think you will
have to worry about her much anymore.
I'm going to see that she is dismissed and sent packing to
England!" The bitterness in
Kelsey's voice was unmistakable and Alyssa shivered wondering if she was mad
because it happened to her, or that it happened in general.
Kelsey moved closer and squeezed
the arm she held. "There is
nothing more to worry about. I don't
think you will have any trouble from Pam or Kellie either."
"No, Pam and Kellie weren't
even there when it happened."
Alyssa's voice was low, almost a whisper as if speaking of it made it
more real.
Kelsey's anger spiked as she
thought about all the possibilities of what actually did happen. Finally, she took a chance and asked,
"Did she hurt you?"
Alyssa looked up surprised at
Kelsey. 'Karen didn't tell her!' And when she noticed the worry begin to
creep back into the blue eyes, she quickly shook her head and looked away. "It wasn't that bad."
"Meaning?"
"At first she just kissed me
and then things progressed until she pinched my…umm...you know…umm…boob really
hard." The flush fully infused her
face and she wished it wasn't so warm in the room.
"Is it okay?" Kelsey asked quickly looking from the green
eyes down to the chest and back up.
Alyssa grinned as her face reddened and shook her head affirmative. "It's just a little tender that's all."
"Damn her!"
"I'm sorry." Alyssa looked away afraid to see the anger
and disappointment in the other woman's eyes.
She had wanted to prove herself to everyone and had, instead, shown how
naive she really was. 'I'm such a
jerk!'
Kelsey's anger waned at the catch
in Alyssa's voice and she lifted the blonde's face toward her. "No, you have nothing to apologize for,
you did nothing wrong."
"You tried to warn me, but I
was too stubborn to listen."
Kelsey stood up and smiled down at
Alyssa. "Unfortunately, we all do
that sometimes."
"I guess so. I just wanted to prove I could take care of
myself and instead, I prove just the opposite." Alyssa shook her head disgusted.
"Well, it's your first tour
and we all learn the hard way. Now, I
think it's time that Karen learned a valuable lesson." Kelsey moved toward the door and stopped
when Alyssa called out.
"Wait! What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to have a talk
with the Staff Director about a one-way ticket for Karen."
Alyssa shook her head, she just
wanted to forget the whole matter and not have anyone else know about what
happened. It was bad enough she had to
tell the story to Kelsey. "I
really rather you didn't get involved and just let this go."
"It's too late, I'm already
involved. As your senior officer, I
have a duty to report Karen, and it's about time she was put in her place.
There is no room for people like her on this crew." Kelsey turned toward the door with a
purpose. She wasn't thrilled that
Alyssa was still trying to cover for Karen and wondered, "She can't still want Karen?'
Alyssa bristled at the comment
reacted harshly. "Well, I wouldn't
want you to shirk your duty or anything, but I'd rather things were just
forgotten."
Kelsey looked back at Alyssa and
her blood flared at the rebuff.
"Well, you should have thought about that before you got yourself
involved in grown up things you weren't ready to handle."
CHAPTER 11
Kelsey walked down the corridor unsure of whom she was
madder with, Alyssa or herself. 'Maybe
Alyssa isn't gay!' Kelsey thought
suddenly stopping in her tracks. Every
signal indicated Alyssa was interested, then again, maybe she is just beginning
to figure it all out for herself? 'Damn! Not a great introduction.' Now the anger was finally focused on who it needed to
be...Karen. Picking up her step once
again, she headed to the Staff Director's Office with a purpose.
Alyssa fell backwards on the bed after the door firmly
closed behind Kelsey. 'Man, all I
keep doing is mess things up. But, what
is Kelsey's problem? Why does she
always take everything so personal?' Alyssa
lay thinking for awhile but all she was getting in return was a headache. She got up to shower and dress, and then
headed out for an early morning walk on the deck. She was sure that any moment she would be getting a call to
report to the Director's office.
Stopping at the rail she looked out over the wide expanse of ocean and
shook her head. "Great soon
everyone will know what a dolt I am."
'But, I don't appreciate the comment about not being grown up. Just because I'm not experienced doesn't
mean I don't understand.'
"Damn! I'm from a small town, people didn't run
around with Lesbian tattooed on their foreheads!" It was one of the reasons she had taken this
job, to get away from the small town mentality and the need to meet different
people. "Well, I can't say I
haven't fulfilled the latter wish. I've
certainly met some different people, very different indeed!" Frowning, she leaned against the rail and
let her mind reflect over her current situation. After a silent inner argument, she came to the decision that
enough was enough. She was tired of
always being on the short end of everything. 'I'm going to show them I'm no one's patsy anymore!' "You wanna play hardball, well then
Let's play! I'm going to give as good
as I've been getting!" Talking
outloud to no one and everyone, she slapped her palm against the top off the
rail, spun around and headed down toward the Officer's Dining Room for
breakfast. 'Gotta fuel up for
battle!' Alyssa thought smiling at her decision.
Kelsey emerged from the Director's office and headed out
toward the deck. She needed some fresh air after her go-around in the
Director's office. Standing against the
rail she took a deep calming breath and let the early morning breeze wash over
her. After all the arguing and
complaining, Karen would still be able to stay aboard with only a warning and
loss of shore privileges for the next two weeks. Kelsey had been livid, but was beginning to calm down burdened
with the futility of it all. "Well
Alyssa, it looks like you are going to get your wish after all." Feeling a sense of loss she turned and
headed down to the cabin to shower and get ready for work. Luckily she would be busy all day with a
sporting contest. They were to be at sea
for the day and had scheduled a shipboard athletic contest to keep the passengers
amused. It was usually a fun day and
anyone who didn't want to lay in the sun or stay indoors usually showed up for
the function, either to participate or cheer on the various teams.
CHAPTER 12
Kelsey watched as the contestants vied for points laughing
at their antics and announcing the winners as they finished. During one particular race, she leaned on
the rail and looked down at the pool area instantly regretting her actions. Karen looked up from serving her drinks and
saw Kelsey looking down at her and waved, the smug smile on her face said it
all. Kelsey started to turn away until
she saw Alyssa walking along the pool headed toward Karen and herself. She quickly wondered which one of them it
was. Alyssa wore a loose fitting black
tank top over gray sports bra and a pair of white shorts. Kelsey subconsciously appreciated how the
shorts accented her newly tanned legs.
Karen saw the change in Kelsey's focus and the look on the taller
woman's face. She turned to see Alyssa
walking past her station and quickly moved to intercept her.
"Hey girl! How
are you doing?"
Alyssa was stopped short of her goal when a figure stepped
in front of her blocking her progression.
She hadn't seen the Karen until now and instantly regretted coming this
way. She put on a fake smile and began
to play the game. "Me, Oh, I'm
doing great!" Until now, her day
had past smoothly and the dreaded call to the Director's office had never
come. She began to wonder what exactly
had happened with Kelsey's threats. After
her shift had ended her curiosity got the better of her and she went back to
the cabin to change out of her uniform before heading over to the forward deck
to where the Shipboard Olympics were being held.
"Oh, that's not what I heard this morning in the
Director's office. Seems your
girlfriend doesn't think so either."
Karen was pushing all sorts of buttons to get a rise out of the young
woman. She owed her for the trouble she
had caused her. She had almost lost her
job this morning and wanted a little paybacks.
"Jealous?"
Alyssa countered back spitefully.
She just wanted to get Karen off her back permanently and let the woman
know that she wasn't interested in playing her games.
"For what, keeping you virginal?" Karen whispered laughing at the barb.
"Who said I was?"
"Ha! Don't go and try to tell me that you and her have
gotten together. No way!" Karen replied looking at Alyssa closely for
a hint of the truth in her eyes.
"No? Well,
maybe you should ask her that."
Alyssa smiled a coy smile and looked up to see Kelsey looking down at
them with a scowl. Against her better
judgement she waved up at the tall woman and blew her a quick kiss. She heard the intake of breath from the
woman next to her and she knew that her action had the desired effect.
Kelsey had been watching the interaction between the two
women intently until Alyssa turned her attention upward toward her. What happened next completely floored the
dark-haired woman and she took a step backward as her breath caught in her
throat. 'What the hell.....'
As Karen looked from Alyssa up to Kelsey, the blonde could
tell that the woman next to her was becoming extremely irate. Alyssa quickly winked at her and attempted
to walk around the waitress.
Karen grabbed Alyssa's arm tightly and stopped her
dead. "Well, since you are giving
it up for that trash, how about you and me get together tonight after my
shift."
Alyssa tried to pull her arm free, but the woman had a
tight grip on it and Alyssa could feel the anger rising within. She stopped for a moment and looked at Karen
coolly before responding. "With you, why ever would I want to do
that? What makes you think I would
settle for less?"
Alyssa sidestepped Karen when she shifted backwards in surprise
at the blonde's rebuff. She quickly
headed on shaky legs toward the stairs and began to climb to the upper
deck. Reaching the top of the stairs
she came face to face with Kelsey and looked up in cool blue eyes.
"I'm not even going to ask what that was about, but
are you okay?" The low smooth
voice held a faint quiver and Kelsey bit her tongue to keep her voice from
cracking.
Green eyes continued to stare blue and the blonde shrugged
her shoulders replying, "Yes, I'm fine." Alyssa didn't break eye contact, which disconcerted the taller
woman and made her stammer. "Are
you...you sure?" With a quick nod
of her head, she moved away toward the far end of the deck and Kelsey watched
as she sat down at an empty table and looked out over the ocean. 'Damn, what the hell was that all about?' Kelsey heard her name called and turned her
attention back to the contest. She
didn't have time for this right now, she had a job to do. During the course of the next hour she
couldn't help but glance over where the blonde was sitting.
Alyssa's legs were still shaky, she took each step
carefully focusing on walking away coolly without giving away her
weakness. She couldn't believe what she
had just done and the look in Kelsey's eyes had floored her. She had expected anger and a lecture from
the tall roommate, but instead she saw a flicker of something she just couldn't
put her finger on and it made her stomach flutter. Reaching for a deck chair, she sat and focused her eyes on the
water, afraid to look toward Kelsey for fear the woman would still be watching
her with that look. Finally, Alyssa
diverted her attention from the ocean to the competition being held. After a bit her eyes wandered toward the
tall woman in charge and she watched in rapt attention at the way Kelsey
carried herself. There was an assured
grace that showed she was comfortable in her own skin. 'I wonder what that would feel like, to
actually be at the point in life where I have that kind of confidence?'
CHAPTER 13
Alyssa's mind wandered over these thoughts until she felt
an unfamiliar sensation and her eyes refocused to find the object of her musing
looking straight back at her. She
quickly averted her eyes blushing.
After a few of these episodes, Alyssa kept her focus out over the ocean
until deciding it was time to eat lunch and then do some laundry.
Kelsey checked with the office and finished locking up the
equipment before heading back to the cabin to find Alyssa already there. "Hi, I decided it was time to do some
laundry." Kelsey nervously greeted the blonde as she came out of the
bathroom.
"You too?" Alyssa lifted the towels and pointed
toward the laundry bag on the bed. Both
women laughed and Kelsey offered, "if you wait a minute for me to get my
laundry I'll join you."
"Sure, sounds good." Alyssa sat down on the bed and waited while Kelsey hustled around
getting her things together. The two
women headed down the crew laundry and found that they weren't the only ones
with that idea. All the machines were
taken and Kelsey groaned silently when she saw Karen, Pam and Kellie sitting on
top of the running machines talking.
The chattering stopped instantly as the three's attention became focused
on the two women in the doorway.
"Well, well....look who's here. The big bad wolf and her pet!" Karen called out smartly. Pam and Kellie looked at each other and
sighed tired of their friends behavior.
"Karen come one...knock it off." Pam replied offhandedly.
Karen gave her a look of pure venom before sliding off the machine and
leaning against it boldly. "You 'doing'
her laundry too?" Karen asked
Alyssa who at first began to shrink behind the taller woman, but then knew that
she needed to stand on her own now or forever suffer this abuse.
"Bite me." Alyssa stood her ground against her
desire to hide behind Kelsey. Kelsey
looked down at her grinning as Pam and Kellie chuckled softly in the
background. "You go girl!"
"Ooh spunky little thing aren't you. Guess we all are when we're in the middle of
it." Karen replied looking sharply
at her two friends' lack of support.
Pam and Kellie shrugged their shoulders in indifference to the woman's
attitude.
"Karen, I'd stop while I was ahead if I were
you." Kelsey laughed and leaned
against the doorjamb.
"Why? What are
you going to do about it?" Karen stood defensively in front of
Kelsey. Her demeanor asking for the
taller woman to start something.
"Me? I'm not
going to do anything, but I can't speak for Alyssa."
"Ha! Her, little Miss. Innocent couldn't raise an
eyebrow let alone anything else!"
Karen brushed off Alyssa as a minor nuisance and no big
threat. This infuriated Alyssa and she
stepped around Kelsey. "Maybe
that's because you're not worth the effort."
"Oh little girl.....how would you know?" Karen snorted and looked around the room
chuckling. The other two women were
trying to distance themselves from the conversation and were quietly folding
their clothes.
"You don't have to kiss a dead fish to know its going
to stink!" Alyssa turned and left
with Kelsey staring after her surprised and a little impressed. Grinning back at Karen she left to catch up
with her roommate. The chuckling that
followed Alyssa's comment was cut short by curt angry words that neither woman
could clearly make out. But, the tone
of the voice that spoke was enough for them to understand all they needed to
know.
Alyssa turned toward the stairs to go back to her cabin
when Kelsey caught up and stopped her.
"Come on, I know an open laundry that the passengers rarely use so,
we can sneak in there."
"Lead the way."
Kelsey and Alyssa spent the quarter of an hour quietly
doing laundry. Neither one wanting to
be the first to begin the discussion on what had just happened, and easy easily
becoming lost in their own thoughts.
Kelsey watched the young woman and saw a new depth to her that she
hadn't given her credit for before. She
had already counted the blonde off as a bit of fluff fresh off the farm,
someone she would have to spoon-feed through her first cruise. But, after today, she saw a strength of
character that she was totally unprepared for.
There was still a naive quality about her, but that only made her seem
more genuine and desirable. 'Jeez,
did I say that....desirable?' That
thought made Kelsey squirm uncomfortably as she hadn't seen the emotion coming,
or maybe she had and had just tried to ignore it. Kelsey came out of her reverie to find two green eyes staring
straight at her with slightly bewildered look.
"What?"
"That's what I asked.
You were staring at me and I thought you wanted something." Alyssa's response was an innocent one, but
the play on words wasn't lost on the older woman and she groaned silently.
Shaking her head quickly, Kelsey was relieved that her
dryer took that moment to stop and she moved to retrieve her clothes. "No, just off daydreaming, sorry."
"No problem."
Alyssa went back to folding her clothes with the feeling that Kelsey
wasn't totally truthful and a strong curiosity to know why. She took the opportunity to check out her
roommate and realized that when they weren't fighting, they got along very
well. 'I guess that's an oxymoron if
I've ever heard one.' Alyssa's
thoughts were in a whirl with possible scenarios until she finally got hold of
her senses and returned to the present.
"Last load?"
Kelsey asked motioning to the washer that Alyssa had just started.
"Yes, thank God!
I can't believe how many dirty clothes I've accumulated in less than a
week!"
"It seems that way because you don't bring that many
on board to begin with. So we tend to
run out quicker." Kelsey's
attitude was pleasant and friendly and Alyssa wondered what had happened to the
woman of earlier, the one she had first met at Bayside that had basically blew
her off. She sat reflecting on how
different Kelsey actually turned out to be.
She had tried to warn her about Karen and had even been there when she
had gotten drunk. Alyssa realized that
she had been looking at everything in a negative light and that Kelsey had
actually gone out of her way to be kind to her. 'But why?' The
possibilities were flying through Alyssa's mind and she wondered if the tall,
blue-eyed woman actually cared more than as a mentor. 'You're living in a fantasy world again, get a grip. She's not interested in that way! Is she?' Alyssa's mind was in a whirl and she tried to convince herself
she wasn't being realistic in these thoughts.
"Hello.....?"
"Huh?"
"I asked if you were going to sit here all
night?" Kelsey watched the
changing expressions on the young woman's face and would have given anything to
know what was going on behind those smoky green eyes. She was both intrigued and unsettled by the look she saw there. It was as if she was looking right through
Alyssa to herself and disconcerted Kelsey quickly spoke up breaking this
connection.
Alyssa looked up surprised to find that so much had passed
around her without her knowledge. She
wasn't usually this dense to her surroundings.
'No, just the last two times she was around this woman. First on the pier in Miami and now!' Embarrassed with this knowledge she lowered
and shook her head quietly saying,
"Actually, I was just thinking about getting something to
eat."
"Interested in some company?"
"Sure!"
Alyssa stood up and got her things together. "Where shall we eat?"
"Well, we have two choices." Kelsey replied as she turned to lead the way
off the deck. We can eat in the ODR or
pizza down at the back grill."
"It's such a nice night, how about pizza
outside?"
"Works for me!
Let's drop these off in the cabin first." Kelsey led the way back toward their cabin and then down to the
grill on the lower leeward deck of the ship.
The Pizza station was situated in the corner of the restaurant and open
24 hours. They got their trays and
found a table outside near the rail.
The night was balmy with a light tropical breeze and the sky was full of
stars. They quickly ate and decided to
take a stroll around the deck to unwind before heading back to the cabin. They spent the next hour walking and talking
about themselves and life in general.
Actually, Alyssa did most of the talking with Kelsey's occasional reply
of understanding. Their rapport, for
once, was comfortable and easygoing.
Leaning against the rail and looking out over the cloudless
sky, Alyssa questioned Kelsey about the names of the various stars. When the conversation lagged for a bit,
they just stared out at the sea and stars in companionable silence until Kelsey
spoke up breaking the quiet.
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure."
Alyssa turned to face the raven-haired woman and waited for her
continue.
"Why did you sign up to work on a cruise ship? It can't possibly be for the pittance they
pay us! You obviously have a college
education and you could have worked anywhere, why here?" Kelsey leaned on her elbow against the rail,
which brought her on a closer eye level to the shorter woman.
Alyssa looked out over the sea for a moment before
answering Kelsey. "I come from a
very small town where everything is set according to tradition. Things are complacent and always happen in
the same fashion generation after generation.
I didn't really fit into their preconceived mold of what I should
be. I always knew that I was different
and I knew that if I didn't break away quickly, I could easily be swallowed up
in that endless cycle. So, I signed on
to see new places and meet different people."
Kelsey nodded her head in understanding before
smiling. "I guess you've met quite
a few 'different' people since coming aboard." She wasn't exactly sure if Alyssa's
definition of different was the same as she had in mind and decided to throw
out a line and see where it led.
Alyssa looked into blue eyes and saw the questions waiting
behind them and didn't bat an eye when she responded, "Different yes, but
technically the same. I've known that
for a long time".
"I see."
Kelsey voice was no more than a whisper as she looked into sober green
eyes. She had her answer, now what was
she going to do with it.
CHAPTER 14
Alyssa looked up from her paperwork surprised to see Kelsey
standing in front of the counter. She
had left early that morning for her shift while the taller woman still
slept. "Good Morning!"
"You were up and about early." Kelsey had heard the blonde leave that
morning, but had fallen right back to sleep until her alarm woke her.
"Yeah lucky me, I got the early shift
today." Alyssa's smile was
infectious and Kelsey couldn't help but respond to it in kind. "That means you get off early then,
right?"
"Yes, I'm finished around noon, why?"
"I was wondering if you wanted to go snorkeling in
Trunk Bay this afternoon?" Kelsey
had been hesitant in asking the young woman unsure of what her response would
be after her last outing with Karen.
"Sure, I'd love to.
I've heard that it's one of the best spots in St. John." Alyssa was excited at the prospect of
spending the afternoon snorkeling, but more excited about who she would be
spending it with.
Kelsey's eyes lit up at the positive response. "Great, but I don't get off until 1
PM. How about we meet back in the cabin
around 1:15 PM?"
"Okay, sounds good to me."
"Great!"
Kelsey replied drumming her fingertips on the desk. The two women stood in silence for a moment,
both at a loss of what to say next. Kelsey stood shuffling her feet and finally
broke the silence. "Well, I...I
better get to work. I'll see you around
1:15 PM."
Alyssa watched as Kelsey headed toward the stairs before
calling out, "Kelsey!" When
the raven-haired woman turned back toward her expectantly, she felt tongue tied
at what she wanted to say and quietly said, "Thank you for asking
me."
"My pleasure!"
Kelsey replied instantly relieved as the tension flowed out of her
muscles. With a quick wave she turned
to head up the stairs to the sports deck.
"My pleasure indeed.'
Alyssa knew that there was more to Kelsey than just a
beautiful face and she desperately wanted to get to know her better. "That's putting it mildly!" Alyssa
whispered to herself. "You want to
get to know her 'a lot' better."
Smiling at these thoughts she began whistling as she shuffled through
her paperwork and helped passengers throughout the morning. Even when Karen sauntered by later that
morning, Alyssa's good mood could not be shaken.
The redhead leaned against the counter with a cocky
attitude and asked, "So, you want to go swimming with me this afternoon on
deck?" Alyssa did everything she
could to catch herself from laughing, but a twitter of mirth had already
escaped, as she shook her head no.
Karen's posture shifted and the blonde could tell that the woman before
her wasn't in the least bit pleased with her attitude. "What does Ms. High and Mighty have you
doing some more chores for her?"
Alyssa stiffened at the comment, she was tired of the
woman's demeaning attitude toward her.
"Actually I'm going ashore to do some snorkeling. Oh, but that's right, you can't go ashore
can you?" Alyssa voice dripped of
sarcasm as she stood face to face with her tormentor. She could see Karen's face change to a deeper shade of red and
knew that she was playing with fire, but didn't care. She was going to give this woman as good as she had gotten in
return.
"Now if you will excuse me." Alyssa moved down the counter glad for a
passenger's interruption. Karen didn't
hesitate long before stalking away.
Alyssa hoped for good, but she knew better.
CHAPTER 15
They boarded the crowded tender to take them to shore. Kelsey could feel the heat of Alyssa's thigh
on her own and inwardly groaned. They
were forced to sit closely, as the tender was full of passengers. Not that Kelsey really minded, but the
presence of the blonde was very distracting and her thoughts kept roaming to
areas best left alone given the present circumstances. She tired to focus her attention on
answering Alyssa's questions and giving her a brief sightseeing tour as the
launch headed toward shore.
The noise in the open boat was loud and on more than one
occasion, Kelsey had to lean closely to answer the blonde. The warm breath on the blonde's ear sent a
shower of goosebumps down her arm. 'Breath
deeply, take it easy, just breath!' Alyssa
kept reminding herself and focused on the soft timbre of the voice next to
her. As the boat came closer to the
shore it lurched with the tide and Kelsey quickly put a hand on Alyssa's thigh
reflexively to protect. Alyssa could
feel the touch of skin on skin and the heat reaction tingled. Kelsey didn't remove her hand until the
tender was completely docked and they got up to follow disembarking
passengers. Alyssa could still feel the
warmth from the hand that had lain on her thigh and she was sure if she looked
down a handprint would be seared onto her flesh. She followed the tall woman toward the side of the boat and
Kelsey got off first and turned to reach out a hand to help the blonde out of
the boat. The bus trip to the bay was
quiet between the two women as they pretended to concentrate on the tour
guide's presentation. Kelsey had heard
it so many times she could recite it in her sleep, but she didn't move her eyes
from the man and listened as though it were for the first time.
Reaching the bay, there were only a few passengers who
disembarked to go snorkeling. The two
women collected their gear and picked out a spot on the open beach, stripping
down to their bathing suits they headed toward the water. Alyssa appreciating the view of Kelsey in
her one-piece navy blue suit. It suited
her dark hair and long body perfectly.
When Kelsey turned to help Alyssa with her gear, Alyssa's breath caught
at the shade of blue in the other woman's eyes. All this was not lost on Kelsey as looked down at the blond woman
and smiled. Kelsey had been doing all
she could not to get caught checking out the blonde, but it was hard. She looked very good in her two-piece sport
suit. 'Damn! If I didn't know better, I wouldn't think
she had a shy bone in her body!'
Kelsey dove underwater to cool her overheated thoughts and
motioned for Alyssa to follow her. The
two soon set up a smooth rhythm and floated lazily along enjoying the
underwater beauty that surrounded them.
At one point, Kelsey caught hold of Alyssa's hand and drew her attention
to a school of brightly colored fish that swam slowly around a sea urchin
rooted to a clump of coral. She kept
hold of Alyssa's hand as they swam along the rock wall where an arch was cut
out it and the sun's rays shown through the water behind the arch lighting up
the sea life that lived nearby. Alyssa
nodded her head enthusiastically in silent appreciation of the sight before
her. They continued to snorkel around
the site until Kelsey motioned she was going back up.
"That was so cool!"
"I thought you would like it. Someone showed it to me about a year ago and
it's become my favorite spot."
Kelsey replied pushing her snorkel gear up onto her head. "Ready to head back and relax in the
sun a bit?"
"Yeah, sounds like a good plan."
Alyssa swam behind Kelsey until they reached the shoreline
and she fell into step next to the taller woman. Kelsey spread out the blanket she had brought and looked over at
Alyssa digging her towel out of her bag.
"Want to share?"
Kelsey motioned to the blanket next to her as she rolled her towel to
use as a headrest.
Alyssa looked over at Kelsey and down at the towel in her
hands, as a stab of uncertainty shot through her. Kelsey's eyebrow quirked up in question causing Alyssa to finally
react. She dropped her towel and sat
slowly down on the edge of the blanket.
Alyssa kept her focus digging through her bag nervously. Finally, she knew it was in vain and looked
over at the taller woman who lay back with her eyes closed. She shrugged at her silliness and rolled her
towel as Kelsey had and lay back enjoying the suns rays. As the sun warmed her body, Kelsey roused
herself to realize she had fallen asleep.
She felt a light pressure on her hand and squinted to look down to see
Alyssa's last two fingers entwined with hers.
She wasn't sure who had initiated the movement, but couldn't help
smiling in response. Looking over to
her left she was met by two green eyes squinting back at her.
"Hey, I must have fallen asleep." Kelsey's voice
was deep and slightly husky from sleep.
"Me too. What
time is it?" Alyssa murmured. She could feel the touch of the woman next
to her and didn't move for fear the connection would be severed. Kelsey leaned over to retrieve her watch out
of her bag and Alyssa could feel the woman's hand sliding away and
instinctively squeezed her fingers trapping the other fingers. Kelsey looked down at their hands and then
back up at Alyssa hesitating briefly before moving her fingers to completely
grasp the woman's hand. With her other
hand, Kelsey pulled her watch out of her bag and rolled over to face the
blonde. "It's almost 4:30 PM. We
will have to head back soon.
Hungry?"
"Starving!"
Alyssa lowered her head embarrassed at her quick response to the
question. Kelsey gently lifted the
blonde's chin with her hand and smiled into sparkling green eyes.
"Did anyone ever tell you that you were cute when you
blushed?"
"No, they usually just laughed." Alyssa grinned lopsidedly and Kelsey
chuckled lowly.
"Well, they don't know what they were missing." Kelsey's voice trailed off to a murmur as she
leaned in and softly placed a kiss on the overheated cheek. She could feel the temperature rise under
her lips and she moved to place a similar kiss on her lips. Alyssa shivered in response and Kelsey
pulled back and looked into her eyes concerned that she had moved too
fast. Alyssa shook her head slightly
saddened for the loss of the soft lips upon her own and pulled Kelsey back to
renew the connection. The bond was
instantaneous and neither one knew who was the aggressor, nor did they
care. The kiss deepened dangerously as
the afternoon sun began to wane. It
wasn't until they heard the beeping of a horn did they break and become aware
of their surroundings. The beach was
empty and Kelsey looked down at the watch that lay discarded on the blanket.
"Oh shit! It's nearly 5:30 PM. The last tender to the boat is at
6." The raven-haired woman jumped
to her feet pulling Alyssa with her, together they scrambled pulling on their
shorts and shoes and gather their belongings.
"Will we make it?" Alyssa asked worriedly and looked up toward the empty road.
"If we can catch the next bus, we just might make
it. I know they give the last tender
fifteen minutes longer just in case a passenger is late." Kelsey grabbed the blanket and their bags
and led the way up to the road and the bus stop. They were up to the middle of the incline as the silhouette of
the bus appeared over the rise of the hill.
"Hurray!"
Kelsey reached back and grasped Alyssa's hand and pulled her up the hill
behind her. Their feet kept slipping
on the rocky trail threatening to send them skidding back downward at any
moment. Kelsey looked up to see the bus
stopped 20 feet ahead of them and renewed her effort to reach the top. "Great just what we need now to miss
the tender and lose our jobs!' They
finally reached the bus breathless and laughing. They ran to catch the tender back and the short trip was spent in
reflective silence as the reality of their situation fully hit them.
"Are you okay?"
Kelsey whispered as the deckhands docked the small boat to the large
cruise ship. Alyssa winked over at her
causing Kelsey to chuckle as she proceeded to gather their things. Kelsey moved toward the ramp and waited for
the blonde and helped her out of the boat.
They walked down the gangway and onto the ship with Kelsey following
behind Alyssa. The corridor was empty
and Kelsey reached over and tickled the blonde causing her to jump. Chuckling softly she attempted to avoid
retaliation from the blonde as they chased each other down the corridor. Laughing and teasing they barely came up
short at the main intersection to their cabin and almost ran into a fellow
officer.
"Hey, Kelsey!
I was just by your cabin. Mary's
been looking for you. She needs some
help with tomorrow's scheduling."
Alyssa and Kelsey sobered quickly trying to keep from giggle as the
officer remained waiting for Kelsey's response. Kelsey turned to Alyssa and grimaced apologetically. "Do you mind taking my stuff back to the
cabin? I need to take care of this,
tomorrow is out last full day at sea and it's one of the busiest for our
department."
"No problem, give me your stuff and I'll catch up with
you later." Alyssa took her
roommate's things and headed down toward their cabin. Kelsey turned to the officer and motioned for her to lead the way
before turning back to watch Alyssa's figure move away.
'Damn!' "Hey!"
Alyssa turned back toward the tall woman
questioningly. "What?"
"This shouldn't take too long. If you aren't starving and want to wait for
me, we can get some dinner together and maybe do something
afterwards." Kelsey looked at the
blonde and thought about how the later sounded and almost blushed. "I mean.....get a drink or catch a
show."
"Only that huh?
Well, okay I'll shower and wait for you to get back." Alyssa called back and turned without
waiting for a response from Kelsey. She
knew that Kelsey was watching her and made sure she gave her something to
see.
Kelsey stood speechless at Alyssa's reply and inwardly
groaned as she watched the young woman walk away. 'Jeez, I think I'm in trouble here!' Kelsey turned back toward the other officer
grateful that she was far enough ahead not to have noticed their conversation. Shaking her head amused she turned to follow
the other woman.
CHAPTER 16
Alyssa had fallen asleep on her bed when Kelsey quietly
entered the cabin. Smiling she headed
for the bath and quickly took her shower and returned to the cabin. Alyssa still hadn't stirred as she quickly
dressed and decided to wake the sleeping woman. Leaning over she gently shook the woman who awakened and sighed.
"Hey, sleepyhead!
Are you hungry or would you rather just go back to sleep? Which is it food or sleep?"
"Food!" A
sleepy voice called out as Alyssa roused herself and sat up.
"Then food it is, let's get going before they stop
serving in the DOR." Kelsey held
the cabin door open and waited for the other woman to proceed her.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Alyssa joked as she hurried out the door and
down the corridor. "I'm right
behind you!" Kelsey called out and
hurried after her.
The dining room was fairly crowded as they made their way
to an empty table. Dinner was an
informal affair, but shorts were frowned upon in the dining room after 5
PM. They both wore Dockers with polo
shirts, Alyssa favored navy pants and a white shirt, and Kelsey khaki pants and
a black shirt. Conversation over dinner
was easygoing with a heavy dose of flirting and both women were thoroughly
enjoying their evening. They finished
their meal and decided on moving the party to one of the piano bars to listen
to the music and talk.
They found a table toward the back and ordered bailey's and
coffee to complete their meal. The
crowd in the bar was fairly noisy and they had to lean over their mugs to hear
each other. Alyssa's eyes glistened
with tears of laughter as Kelsey regaled her tales of passenger mishaps from
past cruises. Kelsey's hand rested
lightly on Alyssa's as she spoke.
Neither woman noticed the arrival of Karen to the table until she stood
holding a tray and looking down at them.
"Oh, how cozy!
Don't you two look sweet!"
Kelsey jerked her hand back and looked up at the smirking
woman. Their mood instantly dampening
with the arrival of the redhead.
"What do you want Karen?" Kelsey's voice was laced with disgust as she
looked up coldly at the woman.
"Oh, I was just seeing if you wanted anything...but I
see you have the situation pretty well in hand, so to speak."
"No, thank you.
We are fine!" Alyssa's
voice spoke up for the first time causing Karen to turn surprised in her
direction. She had almost forgotten
about the blonde, so enrapt in her encounter with Kelsey.
"I'll just bet you are!" Karen's voice laced heavily with sarcasm
suddenly set Alyssa's nerves on edge.
"Oh Bite me!"
"Is that an invitation?"
"Don't you wish!" Alyssa snorted in contempt at the redhead and looked over at
Kelsey. "Are you about
ready?"
"Oh wait! We
haven't finished our conversation yet."
Kelsey turned to Karen and snarled.
"I think we have."
"Oh, but we haven't talked about this interesting
relationship which, by the way, won't set very well with the boss. You know the one about senior officers
fraternizing with junior ones."
Karen smugly wrapped her arms around herself. She was pleased with the turn of events. It was time the ice queen got a little spark
of reality shoved in her face.
"Don't even go there Karen. It's not a place you want to be!" Kelsey's voice was low and tense as she stood face to face with
the shorter woman. Looking directly at
the redhead, she didn't blink until the other woman looked away nervously.
Kelsey turned back to Alyssa and. "I'm more than ready to leave, this place seems to have
developed a stench." Following
Alyssa from the table neither woman saw the narrowed eyes and the look of pure
hatred that was focused in their direction.
CHAPTER 17
"How about a walk on the deck? I think I need to unwind." Kelsey looked at Alyssa questioningly and
when she received a nod, she led the way out into the night air. They walked silently along the rail as the
light evening breeze ruffled their hair and raised goosebumps on their
arms. Neither woman noticed as they
were each lost in their own thoughts.
Kelsey thought about the truth in Karen's taunts and knew that her
relationship with Alyssa was frowned upon for many reasons, one of which being
that the blonde was under her supervision.
The difference in their rank didn't matter as much as the perceived
possibility of sexual harassment claims.
Kelsey knew that this worry was unfounded, but what would her superiors
conclude. She also knew that Karen wouldn't
let this chance go, and retaliation was just her ticket.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Alyssa asked over the steady hum of the
large smokestack as they looked down onto the bow of the ship. Kelsey looked up into the bright light that
shown behind Alyssa shadowing her face and causing the tall woman to
squint. Reaching out for the short
blonde, she gently pulled her into the darkened recess of the large stack and
held her in her arms.
"Hmmm, not sure I should say."
Alyssa felt the deep throaty chuckle as her ear lay against
Kelsey's chest. "Oh
really?" Alyssa looked up at the
shadow of a grin that edged the taller woman's face. She knew that it wasn't the real reason for the quiet, but didn't
want to add more tension to the already heightened nerves. She wanted to give Kelsey the time she
needed to make her own decision without her influence. 'If I had my way, I would influence her
right back to the cabin!' With a
grin of her own her looked up to where she knew blue eyes sparked in the darkness.
"More than anything.
I want you to know that, but.....we may have a problem." Alyssa's heart sank at the verbal
acknowledgement of the situation.
Somehow if they didn't talk about it, it wouldn't make it real, but now,
it was and she was afraid of what the outcome would be.
"What are we going to do?"
"The only thing we can do. We have to step back and take things easy." Kelsey replied, dropping her hands and
stepping back to demonstrate her meaning.
"For how long?"
Alyssa's voice quivered at the thought that she may lose Kelsey just as
soon as she had found her. Alyssa
barely knew Kelsey and, until now, hadn't realized how deep her feelings
actually went. The one thing she did
know was, she didn't want to lose her now.
"I guess until I'm no longer your
supervisor." Kelsey sighed and
moved out of the shadows to lean against the rail looking out over the
water.
"That would mean all season....I don't want to lose
you...I can't." Alyssa's voice crackled out as no more than a whisper, but
the raw emotion underlying her words could not be missed. Kelsey immediately returned to the shadows
and drew the short woman into her arms once again. The blonde's muffled voice touched a cord in the taller woman
that she could not deny. "There
must be another way."
"We'll figure something out. I don't want to lose you either." Kelsey's lips sought out Alyssa's and their uniting spoke more
than words would ever convey. They
remained locked in each other's arms until Alyssa shivered against the night
air and Kelsey could feel her own flesh goosebump against the evening chill.
"Come on, let's go back to the cabin. It's getting cold up here." Kelsey moved out of the shadow's first and
keeping a short distance from one another, they walked back toward their cabin.
Getting ready for bed was a quiet affair. Alyssa was unsure what she should say after
her outburst on deck. She knew they
were in a hard situation and her behavior would only make it harder on Kelsey. Kelsey had been right, they had to remain
uninvolved or jeopardize losing their jobs and Alyssa wasn't ready to do that
to her friend. Shutting the bathroom
light, Alyssa came into the semi darkened room and saw that Kelsey was already
in her bed. Sighing, she looked at her
bed, closed the lamp next to it and prepared to crawl under her covers when a
hand reached out to stop her.
"Hey, come here." Kelsey's voice was no more than a whisper and her hand gently
pulled Alyssa over toward her bed. Alyssa
heard the rustle of covers and Kelsey tugged on the blonde's arm until she lay
down onto the bed.
"Stay with me tonight." Alyssa lay down onto the bed and Kelsey immediately spooned
herself against the woman's side.
"Sleep, tomorrow we will sort it all out." Alyssa nodded and swallowing hard rolled
over onto her side. Kelsey quickly
adjusted and molded herself against the shorter woman's body holding her close. Kissing Alyssa's cheek they both lay quietly
content in their new arrangement. Sleep
was a long time coming for Kelsey as she felt Alyssa's breath finally even out
as the woman fell asleep. Her mind
raced with possible solutions to their current problem, none of them very
satisfactory. Finally, she began to
doze off, her mind wrapped around the only possible answer she could find.
CHAPTER 18
Alyssa awoke with a start in an unfamiliar bed. She felt cold and empty and realized that
Kelsey wasn't with her. Looking around
she realized she was alone until she heard the Shower running in the next room
and relaxed back into the pillow with a relieved sigh. Closing her eyes she thought about the
night before and never heard the bare feet that padded toward the bed, until
soft feathery kisses were placed long her lips and she shivered with
delight. Opening her eyes she came full
faced with the most beautiful blue she had ever seen.
"Good morning sleepy head." Kelsey's voice purred deeply against her
lips and she pulled the woman closer to deepen the teasing kiss.
"Umm, I wouldn't mind waking up every morning this
way." Alyssa replied and stretched
within the confines of Kelsey's arms.
"Well then, I'll just have to see what I can do about
that won't I!" Kelsey replied and
got up off the edge of the bed.
"You'd better get moving if you are going to have breakfast with me
before our shifts."
Alyssa jumped out of bed quickly and hurried toward the
bathroom as she spoke. "I'm
up! I'm up...wait for me! I promise I won't take more than ten
minutes!"
"Take fifteen, but no more!" Kelsey chuckled as Alyssa saluted her and
ran into the bathroom closing the door.
True to her words, Alyssa was showered dressed and ready in fifteen
minutes flat.
Kelsey drew her into her arms for a quick kiss before
opening the door for her and following Alyssa down to the ODR for
breakfast. They kept a conscious
distance between them throughout the morning and on numerous occasions Alyssa
had caught herself almost reaching out to touch Kelsey as they talked over
their meal.
Parting to go to their separate duties, Kelsey felt a
tightening in her chest and had to remind herself, "Get a grip! You are on a ship together and share a
room! She isn't leaving!' Shaking her head nervously, Kelsey watched
the blonde as she walked down the corridor and disappeared around the
corner. Turning, she went down to her
office to start her day, but she couldn't deny she was shaken by her intense
feelings. 'Oh Boy! What are you going to do now Kel?'
Alyssa spent the day trying to focus on her job and not let
the worries that shrouded the two of them interfere with her duties. She was successful in conquering her
thoughts until late afternoon when things were slow and she was looking over
her totals for the day. Her mind began to wander as she thought about Kelsey
and the new avenue her life was taking.
'Isn't this why you took this job, to be free to live your life? Isn't this what you have been looking for
all your life?' Alyssa
unconsciously bit her bottom lip in concentration as she stared out over the
desk.
"Trouble in paradise already?"
Alyssa jumped at the voice and focused her eyes on the
woman in front of her. "Oh,
Karen...what do you want?"
"Nothing, you just look so sad. What's the matter, disappointed
already?" Karen's smile was pure
condescension as she looked over the counter at Alyssa. Alyssa remained mute and just glared at the
woman.
"Oh, wait! She
didn't dump you already, did she?"
Karen laugh boomed out loudly in the empty atrium. Alyssa wanted nothing more than to wipe that
look off the woman's face. But, she
kept her peace for fear of loosing her temper totally and causing more
trouble. "Honey, you are just out
of your league!" Karen's chuckle
was cut off instantly at the sight of Kelsey standing at the end of the
counter. She hadn't heard the tall
woman's approach.
Kelsey walked over toward the two women, her eyes never
leaving Karen. Stopping inches before
Karen, Kelsey turned toward Alyssa.
"Are you finished up here?
Ready to go?" Turning back
toward Karen she paused before asking.
"Is there something specific you want? Or, are you just looking for trouble in general?" Karen's snicker had turned into a sneer as
she looked up into intimidating blue eyes and tired not to show her discomfort.
"Why, do you know where I can find any?" Karen's mouth was running faster than her
brain could register the danger in this confrontation.
"Right here!"
"Oooh, now I'm scared. I really am!" Karen
looked over at Alyssa in all her bravado and winked. Kelsey took a step
forward and got directly in to Karen's face.
"Oh, you don't know how scared you really should be....I've had
just about enough of you and your attitude!"
Karen leaned back against the counter in an attempt to look
nonchalant, but more in an attempt to get away from the taller woman's intense
stare. "Well, maybe you should do
something about it!"
Kelsey laughed dangerously and pushed Karen backward hard
against the desk. "Don't tempt
me!" Movement behind the woman
caught Kelsey's attention and she looked over saw fear in the wide green
eyes. Kelsey quickly moved over to the
side of the desk and softly spoke,
"Okay? Let's go."
Alyssa looked from the tall woman to Karen and noted the
hatred in the shorter woman's eyes and shivered in response. Kelsey touched Alyssa's arm lightly in
question and looked at the blonde worried.
Alyssa smiled and touched the hand on her arm before moving from behind
the counter toward the stairs. 'This
is never going to end. Karen is never
going to leave us alone.' Alyssa
tried to push these thoughts away and lighten the mood of the two women, but it
continued to hang over them like a dark cloud.
Kelsey followed Alyssa back to their cabin in silence. As soon as the door closed behind them,
Kelsey reached out for Alyssa.
"Are you sure you are okay?"
"Oh yeah, Karen's just worries me. She doesn't seem willing to let this go,
does she?"
"I know and to be honest, I'm not sure what to do
about it." Kelsey pulled Alyssa
close and kissed her forehead before the blonde snuggled against her neck.
"I suppose throwing her overboard is out of the
question?" The muffled request
tickled Kelsey's neck sending a shiver down her spine as she chuckled.
"It's a tempting thought, but I wouldn't want to
pollute the ocean, the fish don't deserve it!"
Alyssa laughed and pulled back to look into deep blue
eyes. "What are we going to do
about her?"
Kelsey watched as the bright green eyes because clouded
with worry and leaned down with a whisper.
"This." Kelsey meant
to touch the woman's lips in a light kiss of comfort, but she could no more
hold back her desires as she could what happened next. The women were instantly locked in an
embrace as lips and tongues raced across each other in a fevered rush. "Oh God!" Alyssa moaned as Kelsey
nipped along her neck and moved back toward the two lips she wanted badly. Oh, yes!"
Kelsey pulled back and looked into smoky green eyes for
confirmation that Alyssa knew what was happening. What she saw told her more than words ever could and she slowly
began to unbutton the shorter woman's uniform.
She slipped the white shirt back over the blonde's shoulders placing a
kiss on the creamy skin of her shoulder. Alyssa pulled Kelsey's shirt loose from her navy shorts and slowly
pulled it up over the taller woman's head rising on her tiptoes laughing. Kelsey quickly helped by yanking her shirt
the rest of the way and pulling Alyssa into her arms groaning at the touch of
skin on skin. She couldn't remember
ever feeling this way from just the mere touch of a woman. This wasn't just some woman, this was more,
and she knew she was hopelessly lost.
There would be no running from this encounter in the morning.
Alyssa gave in to the sensations that ran through her
body. She had never felt so alive and
so on fire as she did from Kelsey's touch.
This was what she had left home in search of, this was what she had been
denied growing up in her hometown, and this was so much more than she ever
anticipated. She was falling and
falling hard for Kelsey.
Kelsey pushed the shorter woman backward toward her bed and
pulled her down with her to lie on the bed.
She looked down into the heavy-lidded green eyes and paused. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I am."
Kelsey smiled at the response and slowly slipped a bra
strap down along soft skin until a creamy breast revealed itself. Leaning down she ran her tongue gently along
the warm flesh causing Alyssa to shiver in response. Alyssa could feel a hot flush run through her body and she
reached up to unhook Kelsey's bra behind her.
After a few awkward attempts, she successful pulled the bra toward her
and watched in fascination as breasts dangled down toward her. Her thoughts were focused on how it would
feel to just touch the darkened raised circle before her. She began to reach out until a loud knock
sounded on the door causing her to instantly pull back as though caught doing
something wrong.
Kelsey jumped up and grabbed her shirt quickly pulling it
on and motioning for Alyssa to do the same.
Alyssa grabbed her shirt, as a knock sounded again, and ran for the
bathroom. Kelsey looked around and saw
Alyssa's discarded bra on the floor and kicked it under the bed as she went to
answer the door. Opening the door, she
came face to face with her supervisor.
"What's up?"
Kelsey asked stepping back into the room to allow the woman to enter the
cabin.
"I don't know.
I was hoping you could tell me."
The Activities Director took a seat on the edge of the bed and looked up
at the raven-haired woman expectantly.
Kelsey looked back unsure of what exactly the woman was asking and kept
her face impassive.
"I'm not sure what you mean."
"I'm here because the Staff Director wants to see you
in his office immediately. He sent word
to me that I was to find you and send you there as soon as I did." She looked at Kelsey in anticipation, but
before she could continue Alyssa stepped out of the bathroom.
"Oh, I didn't realize you had company." Alyssa's
voice was calm and even as she tried to control her knees from shaking. She had heard most of the conversation from
behind the door and thought it would be best to reveal herself.
"Alyssa, this is my boss, Nancy. Nancy, this is my roommate." Nancy smiled at the blonde and looked back
at a nervous Kelsey curiously. 'Hmmm,
this is an interesting little scenario.
I don't think I've ever seen Kelsey flustered before.'
"Hello, I didn't mean to interrupt. I'll just grab my things and wait out on
deck." Alyssa looked at Kelsey who
nodded and grabbed her jacket and left.
After the door closed behind the blonde, Kelsey turned toward her
boss. "Did Hank tell you what this
was all about?"
"No, but he didn't seem real thrilled and Karen was
just leaving his office too. Now she,
on the other hand, seemed extremely pleased and that didn't make me feel too
comfortable." Kelsey drifted away
in her thoughts as Nancy waited for her to respond she noted that Kelsey's
blouse was misbuttoned. It didn't
take a rocket scientist to know what was going on given what she knew about her
friend's background. "Is there
something I should know?"
Kelsey shook her head and looked into her boss' face. "No, I'll handle this." "Are you sure?"
Kelsey nodded her head and sat to put her shoes on. "Yes, I don't want you to have to get
involved."
"Well okay, but if you need my support, you have
it." Nancy looked sincerely at
Kelsey and let her eyes tell the woman that it meant more than just the
obvious. Kelsey smiled at the redhead
and replied, "Thanks".
"Hey, you are one of my best employees. I'd be a fool to let anything happen to
you!" Nancy chuckled as she got up
and headed for the door. Pulling the
door open, she paused and turned back toward Kelsey. "I'm serious, let me know if you need my help."
Kelsey got up and moved toward the door. "Thank you, I will." Nancy stopped her before she got very hard
and Kelsey looked up at her questioningly.
Nancy pointed down to the missed buttons on the shirt and grinned,
"I think you'd better fix that first."
Kelsey looked down at her shirt and realized what the woman
was talking about. A flush crept up her
face as she studiously rebuttoned the shirt without looking up. Hearing a chuckle, Kelsey's headshot up to
find Nancy shaking her head in mirth before turning to walk down the
corridor. "Just great, already
everyone knows!" Kelsey walked slowly down the corridor toward the Director's
office and felt like she was walking the last mile. The slow pace gave her time to analyze her feelings and know
exactly how far she would go as she weighted the possibilities. 'Okay, worst case scenario......' She stood before the director's door and
without a doubt or hesitation knocked, she knew exactly what she was willing to
risk to keep her job.
CHAPTER 19
Kelsey sat for the next hour listening to the Staff
Director tell her of Karen's accusations.
Although, they were basically the truth, it was the context in which
they were presented that made Kelsey angry.
The Director had known Kelsey for the past three years and knew that she
was a good employee. Sexual preferences
had never been an issue with the cruise line, but relationships between senior
and junior officers were a bone of contention.
It was feared that harassment might result if these relationships were
allowed and that was something the cruise line liked to avoid. Being a junior officer under a senior one
was not an easy thing to do, and that accompanied with the possibility of
forcing someone to trade favors for favors had led to the incorporation of
rules against such relationships. He
stood with a dilemma before him. One of
his most troublesome employees had brought allegations against one of his best
employees and he had to take some form of action. Personally, he would like to send Karen packing back to England,
but she hadn't given them just cause.
She had come close, but there were never any corroborating
eyewitnesses. Case in point, it was
Karen's word against Kelsey's, but this time, Karen swore she had someone who
would back up her story. He had his
doubts and knew that it would be a fabrication on the eyewitnesses. He told Karen as much, she could either
prove her allegations or face the consequences of false accusations against a
senior officer. In a perfect world,
Karen wouldn't be able to find anyone to lie for her and he could dismiss her
on the spot. But, it was anything but a
perfect world and all he could do was get a handle on the situation and warn
Kelsey of what was pending.
"So, that's the whole of it. You and I both know that Karen is a troublemaker and a detriment
to the staff, but I have no solid proof to fire her. I want you to know what was happening and to find out your side
of the story too. Personally, I think
the whole regulation is stupid, but I have to abide by it or lose my job. I have to ask, are Karen's accusations
grounded? Is there something going on
between you and your junior trainee, Alyssa?"
Kelsey looked directly into his eyes and without skipping a
beat replied, "Yes".
Hank rubbed a hand across his face in reply. "I was afraid of that." He slapped his hand lightly on the desk
finally having to come to a decision.
"Well, I say bully for you.
But, the company says otherwise I'm afraid." Drumming his fingers lightly on the desk, he
watched Kelsey thoughtfully pausing and sizing up the situation. Finally, a thought came to him as he watched
Kelsey nod her head in defeat. She had
remained stoically quiet during the entire ordeal and he knew she would take
whatever the outcome and not bring anything to bear on her trainee.
"Well, then the only recourse Karen thinks I have is
to let you go." Kelsey's heart
dropped at those words. She knew that
she had been willing to let that happen to protect Alyssa. She was sure she could get a job on one of
the lesser Cruise lines if it came to that.
She wanted to protect Alyssa but, either way, it meant they would be
separated. Karen had ultimately gotten
what she had wanted.
"But, I'm not ready to give up just yet. I have an opening with another senior
officer who has asked me about the possibility of training a junior
officer. I told her that I might just
have someone for her." Hank smiled
pleased with himself and the look on Kelsey's face was almost priceless. If he hadn't felt so bad for what she must
be going through at this moment, he would have chuckled at this outcome.
"Who?"
Kelsey's voice was a raspy whisper and she cleared her throat in
irritation.
"Nancy. She
asked me just before you came in here."
Hank's face broke into a slight grin when the realization hit him that a
certain Activities Director had just duped him. Kelsey signed in relief knowing that things had already been
taken care of and that Hank and Nancy were actually working with her, and not
against her. But, she couldn't help
replying, "Nancy? I thought she
had it in her contract that she didn't train new recruits?"
"Well, let's just say that she has had a change of
heart all of a sudden and thought it would be fun to try her hand at it
again." Hank tried hard to hide
the grin that was quickly breaking into a smile.
"I think I'm out numbered here, and out smarted. Maybe, I should just keep my mouth shut and
let you two handle everything."
Kelsey shook her head wryly smiling.
"Good idea!
Now, do you want me to tell Alyssa or will you?" Hank stood up relieved that disaster had
been adverted and wanted to have a talk with Nancy. She had set him up and hadn't even seen it coming, he liked that
and thought, "I wonder if she
is seeing anyone?'
"No, I'll tell her but, what about Karen?"
Hanks grin faded immediately and his face took on a
frown. "I'm afraid there isn't
much I can do about her. Until she does
something publicly or blatantly against regulations we have to put up with
her. My advice is for the two of you to
stay as far away from her as possible and try not to put yourself in any
situations." Kelsey bristled at
the advice and stood up, but before she could respond Hank cut her off. "I know it's not fair, but my hands are
tied."
Kelsey just bit her lip and nodded. She may not like it, but she saw the truth
in what he said and didn't envy his position.
"Listen Kelsey, eventually she will make a mistake,
they always do. Don't think for a
moment that I won't send her little but packing back to London!" Hank stood up and slapped the manila folder
shut on his desk for emphasis. Kelsey
half smiled and nodded again opening the door and turning back to Hank. "Thanks for what you have done. I really appreciate it."
"No, problem. I
happen to think you are worth it and this is just one of those instances where
the rule doesn't fit the situation, but we all have a duty to follow
it."
"I understand sir.
Alyssa and I are going ashore and I'll explain it all to her. Thanks." Kelsey slipped out of the office and headed down toward shore
tenders to see if Alyssa was waiting down there. They really never said exactly where they would meet up when she
left the cabin. Rounding the corner,
she saw the blonde leaning against the rail watching the passengers come and go
from shore. The worry was etched
clearly on her face, marring her otherwise, soft features.
"Hey!"
Kelsey spoke softly from behind her and Alyssa spun around to face the
woman she had been waiting, waiting for all her life.
"Kelsey! What
happened, I was getting worried. I saw
Karen go ashore about twenty minutes ago.
I guess her restrictions have been lifted, am I right?" Alyssa looked up into blue eyes expectantly
and saw a cloud drift across them. She
bit her lip in angst and waited for the woman's reply.
Kelsey knew that she would have to tell Alyssa everything,
but didn't want to do it on the disembarking deck. "Later, let's just go ashore and get something to eat, I'm
starving." Kelsey led the way onto
the tender momentarily avoiding the inevitable.
On the ride over to the island Kelsey tried to change the
subject by giving Alyssa a brief overview of the private island owned by the
cruise line. Pleasure Island, aptly
named for it's lush vegetation and lack of commercial growth. The island
consisted of one small town where restaurants and bars dotted the streets. The locals lived either in town or in small
homesteads that dotted the hillside.
Kelsey chose one of the less crowded restaurants off the beaten track so
that they could talk in privacy. After
they had ordered, Kelsey took a long pull of her beer and leaned her elbows on
the table to look at Alyssa.
"Okay, I guess we need to talk now."
Alyssa's attention immediately focused on the serious woman
in front of her as her insides trembled in response. "So, what's the verdict?" She sat back trying to appear calm, but kept her hands clenched
tightly around her beer bottle to keep them from shaking.
"It's not as bad as that!" Kelsey grinned at Alyssa's serious composure
and reached across to squeeze her hand lightly. She could feel how tightly the blonde held the bottle and she
gently stroked the back of her hand to ease her tension. Alyssa grinned and set the bottle down to
grasp Kelsey's hand in her own. They
kept their fingertips touching. "I
thought when I saw Karen going ashore like that, that we had lost."
"No, not really.
I mean it still makes me angry that she is getting away with this shit,
but the director seems to be on our side." Kelsey's hand subconsciously clenched Alyssa's fingers tighter
when she talked about Karen and the blonde instantly responded by wiggling her
fingers. Kelsey's attention was caught
and she apologetically winked and returned her touch to its original light
caress.
"So, what did the director say?"
Kelsey sat back and ran a hand through her hair
hesitantly. She wasn't sure how Alyssa
was going to respond to the news that she would have to move to another
cabin. She looked up into questioning green eyes and replied, "He
thinks it would be better if you were reassigned to another senior officer for
the rest of your training."
Alyssa swallowed hard, but kept her gaze firmly on her tall
friend. "Who?"
"My boss, Nancy.
It seems she has gone against her oath of not training anymore to ask
for this assignment." Kelsey
smiled widely and Alyssa seemed to relax.
"She is really a nice person.
The only bad thing is that you have to move to her cabin."
Alyssa's spirits dropped, but she was determined to remain
upbeat about the situation. It could
have been a lot worse, they could have been separated permanently. "The important thing is that we kept
our jobs and don't have to separate permanently."
Kelsey shook her head firmly and leaned back crossing her
arms over her chest. "I wouldn't
have let that happen."
"You wouldn't, huh?" Alyssa replied as a slightly devious grin edged the corner of her
mouth.
"Nope!"
Kelsey replied nonchalantly looking at her watch and scowled. Picking up the check she rose to her feet
and fished in her pocket for her wallet.
"We're late, we better hurry and get back to the ship?"
"We didn't have much time did we?"
"No, that meeting took up all our time."
Kelsey laid two bills on the table and led the way out of
the restaurant. The two women walked
side by side, their shoulders occasionally rubbing as their gently swinging
hands brushed against each other. The
tone of their recent banter firmly etched upon their minds as they walked back
to the ship. The sound of music grew
louder as they passed an open deck bar.
The island was dotted with such places.
The little cafes main draws were there outside decks covered by palm
leaves. Ceiling fans swirled the
tropical breezes, cooling patrons as they sipped exotic drinks and listened to
the music of the islands.
A loud shout turned the attention of both women to the
entrance of the patio and saw Karen leaning against the post with a beer in her
hand. Kelsey could tell right away that
she had been drinking quite heavily.
"Well, well 'lookee' here.
Ms. Bitch and her pet, having one last fling before you have to
part? My, how romantic!" Karen laughed and tipped her bottle to drain
the last of the brew. Wiping her chin
sloppily with the back of her hand she motioned to the bartender for another
round before turning back to the two women on the sidewalk. "Well, why don't you let me buy you a
drink to celebrate!"
"Come on Kelsey ignore her, she's drunk!" Alyssa tugged lightly on Kelsey's sleeve to
try to get the tall woman moving again.
Kelsey nodded and they turned to move up the street once again.
"Well, color me surprised. I never would have expected you to be 'pw'
type!" The grating voice brought
Kelsey to an instant halt. Her jaw
clenched dangerously as her face turned to a stone mask. Alyssa stopped a few steps ahead and looked
back at her friend nervously. Suddenly,
the sound of Kelsey laughing brought a surprise look to the blonde's face. Kelsey broke into a grin and looked back at
Karen and then to Alyssa. "Go
ahead and hold the launch, I promise I'll be right along."
"What do you mean?"
"Trust me, I'm going to have one drink with my buddy
here and we will be right behind you."
Alyssa looked at Kelsey utterly confused and when the woman motioned her
along, she mutely complied and walked down the street toward the waiting ship
tenders.
Kelsey watched until Alyssa turned the corner before
turning back to Karen who watched her warily.
She walked calmly past the woman into the interior of the bar and looked
around. Catching the attention of the
bartender she nodded and walked over toward him and had a few words. Karen slowly made her way back into the bar
and watched from the other end of the bar.
Kelsey turned back from the bartender smiling and nodded in Karen's
direction before turning to leave the patio.
"PW'd all right!" Karen muttered to herself and gulped her beer in a rush to get
back to the ship. Turning, she moved to
exit the patio only to find her path blocked by a trio of women.
"Excuse me, I've got to get back to my
ship!" Karen demanded and
sidestepped to go around them. Her
heart dropped when the women smiled and moved in unison with her.
CHAPTER 20
Alyssa breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Kelsey's
figure hurrying down the street toward her.
Her face broke into a smile when the tall woman winked and walked past
her to jump aboard the tender. Turning,
Kelsey gallantly held out her hand to help the blonde step down onto the
waiting boat.
"I was worried about you," Alyssa whispered as
they moved to take their seats. Kelsey
nodded toward the skipper in thanks and turned toward Alyssa. "No worries, I promised you I'd be
right behind you." Alyssa
responded to Kelsey's good humor with a grin while they quietly enjoyed the
ride back to the ship. When the tender
bumped along side the ship, they quickly scrambled aboard. The deck hands worked
to hoist the tender back onto the deck, and the ship prepared to get underway.
Laughing and running up the stairs, the two women made
their way toward the upper deck railing to watch as the ship sailed out of the
bay under a full sunset.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" Alyssa said, softly laying a hand her
friend's arm. Kelsey turned to agree
with her, but the words died in her throat as she watched Alyssa's countenance
suddenly change. The blonde quickly
jerked her attention back toward the rapidly fading shoreline and stepped up
onto the bottom rung of the railing as the island grew smaller in the
distance.
"Wait!
Wh---where's Karen?" Alyssa
asked leaning farther out over the railing until Kelsey restrained her from
further movement. She quickly back down
and looked up at the tall woman worriedly.
"Don't worry I didn't touch her!" Kelsey replied with a chuckle, 'at least
not personally'.
"Then what happened?"
"I think she was detained by some friends. You know, I told her that her partying would
get her in trouble one day."
Kelsey leaned her elbows on the railing contentedly and breathed in the
fragrant night air.
"And I suppose you didn't have anything to do with
it?" Alyssa asked sarcastically
and bumped her shoulder against the taller woman.
"Who me?"
Kelsey's look of innocence was comical causing Alyssa to burst into a
light laughter. "Yeah, you!"
"I guess you could say she missed the boat one last
time." Kelsey tugged on Alyssa's
arm and headed inside. "Come on,
let's go eat. I'm starving!" Alyssa shook her head and followed, curious,
but more surprised that she didn't feel a bit guilty about what had happened to
Karen. Walking with her friend to the
Dining Room, she finally concluded, 'What goes around comes around, and sometimes
it comes around and smacks you right in the face!'
CHAPTER 21
As Kelsey and Alyssa finished dinner, Hank approached the
table. Alyssa apprehensively watched
him draw nearer and looked at her tall companion who sat completely relaxed and
smiling.
Hank sat down next to Kelsey and nodded toward Alyssa in
acknowledgement before turning back to the tall woman. "Kelsey. Have you by chance seen Karen?
She didn't show for her shift and no one seems to know where she
is?"
Kelsey looked over at Alyssa who sat wide-eyed and
nervous. She winked calmly and looked
back to Hank. "The last time we
saw her she was down at Trader Jacks with some friends."
"Damn! Do you
know if she made it back to the ship?"
Hank was getting tired of all the trouble Karen was causing this
cruise. Secretly, he hoped she had
missed the ship so that he could send her sorry ass back to England. But, outwardly, he appeared concerned regarding
one of his employees.
"I don't think she did. We saw her on our way back to the ship, and I warned her that we
were sailing soon. But, she was her usual colorful self, and I finally just
left the bar and headed to the dock.
Alyssa and I were on the last tender from shore, and I know she wasn't
with us."
Alyssa listened, amazed at Kelsey. She had told the basic truth, but somehow
it sounded a lot better than it actually was.
"Well, I guess I had better go put a call in and fill
out a report. Looks like Karen will not
be rejoining us." Hank stood up, a
ghost of a smile edging his lips.
"I may need your input in my report; where can I find you
later?"
"Either in my cabin or Nancy's. We have to move
Alyssa's things," Kelsey replied
with a grimace. She still wasn't keen
on the plan, but it was out of her hands.
"That's not necessary. I said that her direct supervision had to change, not her
location. Actually, at this point, it
seems to be a moot issue." Hank
grinned and saluted the woman before strolling off to his duties.
Kelsey looked over at Alyssa whose mouth hung agape in
surprise. She reached across and gently
pushed up on the woman's jaw to close her mouth. "Save that for later."
Kelsey chuckled and stood up.
"You ready to go?"
"Where?"
Alyssa asked. She was totally
confused with everything that had been happening since they passed Karen at the
bar.
"I thought maybe we could take a walk on deck before
turning in." Kelsey suggested
leading the way out of the Officers Dining Room.
"So then, I don't have to move?" Alyssa asked
trying to keep her voice low as she hurried to follow the tall woman in front
of her.
"Nope."
Alyssa finally caught up with Kelsey's long legs and
grabbed her arm to turn her around.
"Will you stop for a minute and tell me exactly what is going
on? Does this mean the Director knows
about us?" Alyssa bit her lip at
this sudden realization and for a moment worried about the ramifications of
being "out". She had a
momentary pang before she realized that it really wasn't such a big deal. She looked up at Kelsey and knew instantly that
she would shout this knowledge from the deck of this very ship if it meant she
could always be with the woman before her.
"Come on, not here." Kelsey grabbed Alyssa's hand and pulled her down the deck toward
the bow of the ship. It was a chilly
night and not many passengers were milling about. Most were either at the late seating for dinner or at the final
show that was beginning in the Promenade Club.
They went as far forward as possible, and Kelsey pulled Alyssa behind a
lifeboat divet to protect them from the strong cool breeze that blew over the
water that evening.
"Now, what were you saying?" Kelsey whispered huskily and pulled Alyssa
into her arms. Their kiss began slowly
and hesitant, but soon built up speed and intensity as their arms passionately
wrapped around one another in their attempt for a closer union.
"Whew! I guess
that answers my question."
Alyssa's voice broke and she cleared her throat in response.
"I'm sorry. Am
I going too fast?" Kesley asked,
worried that she was making the blonde feel uncomfortable.
"No, just trying to put all the pieces
together." Alyssa replied and lay
her head against Kelsey's chest. She
could hear the steady rhythm of the heart that beat within her chest, and it
comforted her.
"Can I ask you something?" Kelsey asked softly as she kissed the top of
the blonde head. "Hmmm?" Alyssa murmured nodding her head slightly,
not wanting to move from within the warmth of Kelsey's arms.
"Does it bother you that others, like Hank,
know?" Kelsey hadn't allowed
herself to dwell on the negative possibilities. She had just gone with the flow and pushed the rest down out of
her conscious thinking.
Alyssa looked up into the dim light to see two blue eyes
look intently back at her. She knew the
question was an important one and that she needed her answer to be an honest
one for both of them. Taking a deep breath
she settled her arms around Kelsey and looked directly into the worried blue
eyes.
"I'll admit when it first hit me that I was scared for
a moment, until I thought about exactly what "being out" meant. I find that I am not so terrified about
everyone knowing as I would be about losing you. I know that I may not know everything there is to know about a
relationship between women. I just know
how I feel when I am with you and how I feel about you. I know what love
is. I know that I love you, and I am
definitely not ashamed of that fact. I
would stand up there on the bridge and announce it to the entire ship if that
is what you want me to do." Alyssa
kept her eyes focused on Kelsey's and in the dim light she saw the worried
edges soften as she spoke of her feelings to her friend.
Kelsey's lips quirked into a smile, and she leaned down and
lightly kissed the upturned lips.
"I don't think that will be necessary, but thank you for
offering."
"No problem."
Alyssa smiled and snuggled back against Kelsey's warm chest.
"I love you too."
Alyssa heard the whispered words and felt the arms around
her tighten. She sighed and felt the
tears as they edged her eyes. She
hadn't felt this connected to anyone in her life. This was the closest she had ever felt to anyone other than her
mother.
"I never thought I would get this close to anyone, let
alone this quickly." Kelsey's
voice was low and steady as she looked out over the blonde's head and watched
the moon faintly illuminate the waves as the ship passed through them. "But, for some reason this just feels
so right for me."
"I know, it's hard to explain. The only way I can describe it is that I
don't have that dull ache in the pit of my stomach that I've always had in the
past. I feel like I'm where I'm
supposed to be." Alyssa tried to
explain what she was feeling, but felt she was falling short in describing all
the emotions that passed through her and shrugged her shoulders. "Does this make any sense?"
"Oh yeah, it makes perfect sense!" Kelsey replied laughing and easing the
tension between them.
"So, I take it we still get to share a cabin
right?" Alyssa asked coyly and
stepped out from the shelter of the lifeboat.
The wind instantly sent a chill up her spine and she shivered. Kelsey nodded and let Alyssa take the lead
of the conversation. She knew what she
wanted, but she also knew that it was Alyssa's decision that had to take
precedence. "I'm freezing! What do you think the chances are of going
down there and warming up?"
"Ooh, I think the chances are looking very
good." Kelsey reached out for
Alyssa's hand and they began walking back toward the stairwell. "Just how warm are we talking?"
"Well, I guess that depends on you, now doesn't
it?" Alyssa replied and grasped
Kelsey's hand tighter. Kelsey nodded,
momentarily speechless but recovering quickly, she led the way inside and took
the shortest route back to their cabin.
Closing the door behind her, Kelsey suddenly felt nervous
about what they were about to do. 'You
would think I'd never done this before.'
She thought about Alyssa and realized, 'but she hasn't'. The ramification of her responsibility made
her feel inadequate at best, and she sighed.
'Nothing like a little pressure to spark the ole romance.'
"What's wrong?
If you don't want to do this, it's okay." Alyssa's voice was trembling with embarassment. She hadn't wanted to pressure Kelsey into
anything. She had thought the tall
woman had the same feelings she did but, 'maybe I've read things wrong?'
"NO! I mean...no that's not it at all. I want to be with you more than
anything. It's funny but I guess I'm a bit nervous about it too," Kelsey
admitted and grinned, slightly embarrassed.
"I'm ready to jump out of my skin, but I never would have thought you'd be
nervous. You are so experienced!" Alyssa cringed at how that must have
sounded and apologetically shrugged. "I mean, I've never done this before,
but you have right?"
"Yes, but it's because you haven't that I guess makes me nervous. I want
your first time to be very special and...what if I can't make it that?"
Kelsey voice trailed off quietly as she voiced her greatest fear.
"I don't really think I have any expectations that just being with you
hasn't already filled. The physical part is just another dimension to who you
are, and, yes, I want to share it, but I don't think it would ever be as
important as what I feel just being in the same room with you. Does this make
any sense?" Alyssa looked at Kelsey for some sense of comprehension to
what she was trying to explain.
Kelsey smiled a bit relieved and nodded. "Yes, actually it does. It makes
me feel a little more comfortable too, thank you. How do you always seem to do
that?"
"What?" Alyssa drew closer to Kelsey and allowed the taller woman to
put her arms around her and hold her closely. She loved this part more than
anything, so far. The warmth and security that Kelsey offered was just one of
the things that Alyssa treasured about their relationship. It didn't hurt,
either, that the woman was a total knock out, too.
"Always trying to make things easier for me." Kelsey snuggled closer
to the shorter woman and kissed the top of her head. She could smell the sweet
smell of Alyssa's shampoo. It was a fresh smell that would always remind her of
the young woman in her arms.
"It comes naturally I guess." Alyssa smiled and looked up into deep
blue eyes, and her next thoughts were instantly blown away. As Kelsey's lips
drew nearer, Alyssa's thoughts ended abruptly. 'Holy Moly!'
The touch of their lips was like the first time for Kelsey. She reveled in the
softness and outlined the contours of those lips with her tongue before gently
asking for permission to enter. This permission was eagerly granted and both
woman were soon swept along in a flood of emotions and sensations. Pulling back, Kelsey's breathing was erratic
and with a raspy voice asked, "Do you want to slow down?"
"Only when we get to the good part. I'll let you know when that is."
Alyssa's voice was husky as her lips cut off further conversation
and her body pushed against Kelsey's.
Kelsey began walking backwards toward the bed with Alyssa firmly planted
against her. When the back of her legs
hit the edge of the bed, she slowly sat down drawing Alyssa with her.
Kelsey slowly unbuttoned Alyssa's shirt, slipping it off
her shoulder and she chased the departing garment with her lips. She quickly followed each article of
clothing with lavish attention to the bare skin that appeared.
"Oh my god!"
Alyssa called out as Kelsey's tongue and lips encircled her breast and
moved their way across her body. There
wasn't a part of her skin or soul that Kelsey hadn't touched and brought to new
heightened awareness.
"Okay...okay!"
Kelsey pulled back and looked up worriedly into smoky green
eyes. "Do you want me to
stop?"
Alyssa smiled sexily and huskily whispered, "Oh no,
you can just slow down now."
Alyssa pulled Kelsey back toward her and began to kiss her
long and deep. As their passions rose,
Alyssa quickly found herself sprawled across the taller woman's body. Surprised how well their bodies molded
together. Alyssa felt sensations that
she had never experienced before and she was moved to a boldness that she wouldn't
have expected. Kelsey hadn't expected
it either, but her surprise turned to enjoyment as the smaller woman took
charge of their lovemaking.
Alyssa nipped lightly along Kelsey's collarbone, sending
shivers down her spine. And, when the blonde's fingers fumbled with the buttons
on her shirt, she reached up to help.
Her hand was quickly brushed away, and Alyssa shook her head no and
continued on with her exploration.
"Let me."
Kelsey nodded and lay back allowing all her senses to feel
and react to everything that was being done to her by this incredible
woman. 'Now, who was the inexperienced
one?' Kelsey's inwardly chuckled at her
thoughts as the novice left her inhibitions behind and taught the older
experienced one what love could be.
CHAPTER 23
"Good morning, sleepy
head."
"Mmmmm" Alyssa moaned,
smiling, and blinked her eyes awake to the deep throaty voice above her. The first things she focused on were the
bright blue eyes of her new lover.
"Good morning, yourself."
Kelsey leaned down and kissed
Alyssa lightly on the lips. "How
are you?"
"Perfect!" Alyssa groaned as she stretched her body
out, causing the raven-haired woman to lightly run her hand down the taunt body
before her. At the touch, Alyssa
instantly wrapped herself around Kelsey and began kissing her neck.
"Whoa honey!" Kelsey
pulled away from the sensations that the blonde evoked in her body. "We have to get ready for docking. Remember, we're back in Miami today."
"So soon?" Alyssa moaned and released Kelsey's body
reluctantly.
Kelsey leaned over kissing Alyssa
more intently and looked down into deep green eyes. "Unfortunately, yes.
We have a lot of work to do before we can leave the ship tonight."
"Why leave?" We could just stay in tonight," Alyssa
drawled sexily.
"Yeah, we could. But, I thought you'd like to see something
of Miami before we have to leave again," Kelsey replied offhandedly as she
sat up on the side of the bed.
"You know Miami?"
Alyssa sat up surprised and extremely curious about her new lover. 'Actually',
she thought, 'I don't know very much
about her background'.
"You didn't think I was born
on this ship did you?" Kelsey
slipped on a button down shirt, standing up as she began to button it and,
thinking better, just shrugged and left it open.
"No, I just didn't give it
much thought," Alyssa replied, mesmerized by the long legs that seemed
endless as they grew past the hem of the shirttail.
"Hello? Are you still with me?" Kelsey snapped her fingers with a smirk on
her face. Alyssa shook her head and
looked up flushed.
"Yeah....sorry."
"It's okay, but if you want
to see more...you'd better get up and get in the shower with me," Kelsey
threw back as she walked toward the bathroom.
Her parting gesture before closing the door behind her was to remove her
shirt and throw it back onto the bed hitting Alyssa square in the face.
The blonde quickly scrambled to
get off the bed and pulled the shirt out of her eyes. She hurried to the door and hesitated briefly before pulling it
open and slipping inside. Kelsey was
already in the shower with the water running and Alyssa cautiously opened the
curtain and found herself being pulled inside and into strong arms. They spent the next hour soaping each other,
kissing freshly cleaned skin until they both became water logged, and hurriedly
dried each other off. Rushing around
trying to dress, the two women giggled like kids as they tripped over each
other. Finally dressed, they grabbed
their portfolios and literally ran down the corridor, late for their duties.
CHAPTER 24
"Glad you could join
us." Nancy called out as Kelsey
tried to slip into the back of the room.
The older woman tried to keep her face blank; but, when the corner of her
lips curled, she turned back to her clipboard and continued calling out
assignments.
Kelsey quickly took an empty seat
and pulled the bill of her cap down farther over her eyes. 'Great! Now I will never hear the end of this
one! At least no one saw us
together.' Kelsey sat back and
started to relax until she saw Alyssa peek her head into the room and wave at
her.
The raven-haired beauty groaned
inwardly and refused to look over at her boss.
But, she heard the woman cough in her attempt to cover up her mirth.
"Excuse me." Alyssa softly spoke and headed toward
Kelsey.
"You have my
portfolio." Alyssa pointed toward
the case on the floor next to Kelsey's chair.
Kelsey sighed and leaned down to pick up the case to hand it to the blonde.
"Sorry." Alyssa whispered and handed Kelsey her
case. Kelsey felt bad and could hear
the hurt in the blonde's voice. 'Damn!
It isn't her fault.' Kelsey
touched her hand and smiled. "It's
okay." Alyssa's countenance
lightened and, nodding briefly, she hurried out of the room.
Kelsey put the case on the floor
next to her chair and looked up for the first time. She noticed the room was quiet and everyone was looking back at
her, including Nancy.
"What?" Kelsey barked out loud causing Nancy to
snicker. Kelsey just shrugged her
shoulders and shifted lower in her seat to brood. Having sympathy, Nancy gathered everyone's attention and finished
her 'end of cruise' instructions and everyone began to file out, leaving just
herself and Kelsey in the room.
"Go ahead say it! I know you are dying to!" Kelsey barked before Nancy had a chance to
even turn around. Nancy slowly shifted
back on her heels and looked at her friend and coworker. She noted the rosy cheeks and the sparkle in
the deep blue eyes. She had to admit
that the young woman was looking better than she had in a long while. Outside of the obvious irritation, there
seemed to be a relaxed calmness about the tall woman. 'Looks like someone has
finally come full circle.'
"The only thing I've got to
say to you is, it's about damn time!"
"What?"
"I said it's about time you
joined the rest of the human race and got a life!" Nancy chuckled at the bewildered look that
turned sheepish, an endearing look that she had never seen on the tall woman.
"Who said...."
"Don't even go
there!" Nancy quickly interrupted
Kelsey and looked her in the eye.
Kelsey backed down laughing,
"Okay, Okay I give up!"
"So you two serious?"
Kelsey paused for a moment
reflectively before looking up and strongly acknowledging, "Yes, I believe
we are."
"Good! Now get your butt moving and finish your
assignment so you can take your woman off this bucket." Nancy waved her hand at Kelsey before
turning back to her inventory checklist.
Kelsey walked over and hugged her
friend briefly. "Thanks for
stepping in to help us."
"No problem." Nancy tried to shrug off the deed as though
it was no big deal. But, Kelsey knew
better. She knew how much Nancy valued
her hard won status, and to be recognized as upper management meant she didn't
have to supervise anymore. "Yes, it was, and we appreciate it."
"You're welcome. Now get
going before I make you find all the missing inventory before you can
leave." Nancy waved her clipboard
at her threateningly.
"I'm outta here!" Kelsey waved and hustled out the door and
down to her office to finish her paperwork and get ready for tomorrow's new
passengers. They had one night free
before sailing on a new cruise.
CHAPTER 25
Locking her desk and tossing her
final tally report in the Chief Purser's in-basket, Alyssa smiled and headed
out of the office. She hurried down
the almost empty corridors, the passengers had all disembarked and only the
housekeeping staff could be found as they methodically cleaned and prepared
cabins for the next cruise.
Alyssa arrived at the cabin to
find that housekeeping had already changed their linens and towels. Kelsey hadn't returned yet and she quickly
packed what she thought she might need for overnight. Not knowing what Kelsey had planned for them for the evening,
Alyssa changed into Khaki pants and a white polo shirt. 'This
should cover just about anywhere we might go.'
Alyssa thought as she looked over her shoulder in the mirror to make
sure her shirt was tucked in.
"Nice view!" Kelsey's deep throaty voice drifted over
from the doorway and Alyssa looked up surprised to see the woman. She hadn't heard Kelsey arrive as the tall
lanky frame leaned against the open doorway grinning.
"Kelsey!" Alyssa could feel her cheeks flush as she
turned away from the mirror. Kelsey
chuckled and closed the door as she came fully into the room.
"What? Can I help it if I was just appreciating the
view?" Kelsey pulled the
embarrassed and squirming blonde into her arms and kissed her until she felt
the woman stop trying to get away.
Pulling back Kelsey looked down into deep green eyes. "You aren't use to someone paying you
attention are you?"
Alyssa thought for a moment
before replying. "No I guess
not. My brothers enjoyed the attention
more than I did. I'm use to being seen
and not heard."
"Too bad, you miss a lot
that way." Kelsey kissed the tip
of the shorter woman's nose before releasing her and moving to grab her duffel
bag.
"Well, when it came to the
male attention in our household, it was probably better that way." Alyssa sarcastically replied zipping up her
bag.
"A bit
overwhelming?" The tall woman
asked without turning around and continued to pack a change of clothes.
"You could say that. My father had a firm belief of a woman's
place in this world. Let's just say it
involved being barefoot in a kitchen."
Alyssa sat down on the edge of her bed waiting for Kelsey.
"Yikes, I feel sorry for
your mother." Kelsey grabbed the
handles of her bag and turned to pick up Alyssa's bag. "Ready?"
"Yep! Lead on, my tour
guide!" Alyssa's frown of a minute
ago turned into an instant smile as she looked into sparkling blue eyes. Kelsey paused for a moment and looked down
at her new lover. "Did I tell you
that I'm glad you decided not to stay in the kitchen and go sailing
instead?"
"I'm glad I did,
too," Alyssa replied, reaching up
to lightly touch Kelsey's cheek.
Kelsey's eyes locked with Alyssa's and given the choice, she would have
stayed there forever lost in the deep green pools. Finally, shaking herself out of her reverie, she moved toward the
door and opened it. "Let's go have
some fun!"
"I'm right behind
you!" Alyssa grabbed her backpack
and followed her raven-haired beauty down the corridor toward the gangway to
the pier. She didn't say anything as
she followed the tall figure down the dock toward the back parking lots. As they passed the guard shack, Kelsey waved
and moved toward a jeep parked in the corner.
"Here we are." Kelsey unlocked the doors and threw their
bags in the back. "Come on, hop
in."
Alyssa looked at the vehicle. It
was exactly what she had expected Kelsey would drive and slid into the
passenger side. "Nice jeep."
Kelsey grinned and started the
engine. "I know, it seems kind of
foolish to have a car when we are at sea so much, but I like having the freedom
when we are in Miami, and I hate cab drivers." Kelsey pulled out of the lot and headed down the pier past the
cruise ships and out onto the Boulevard.
Neither woman said much as they drove along the water. Alyssa sighed
disappointedly when the road turned away from the water. After about twenty minutes of driving,
Kelsey turned down a side street of modest homes and when the road ended, she
stopped. Hopping out of the Jeep,
Kelsey ran around and opened the door for Alyssa. Following behind the tall woman she walked up to the old house.
The style of the house was a
southwestern adobe hacienda with the exception that in back an addition had
been added to the top of the otherwise flat roof. Kelsey opened the gate that
led within the surrounding walls. and Alyssa found herself in a little garden
of tropical foliage. The sound of water
falling drew her attention to a fountain in the middle of the garden. The woman
atop the fountain had her arms upturned to the heavens as the water cascaded
from her hands and down into the pool at her feet.
Kelsey turned to see the blonde's
reaction and smiled when she encountered the look of awe on Alyssa's face. "Wow!
You live here?"
"Yes, Come on." Kelsey grabbed her hand and pulled her
through the archway. Before her eyes
could adjust to the cool dark interior of the courtyard, they were greeted by a
cheerful voice.
"Ola! Did you have a pleasant sail?"
"The usual." Kelsey shrugged her shoulders as a dark
haired woman came out from one of the doorways and gave her a big hug. Stepping back Kelsey pulled Alyssa forward
and made the introductions.
"This is my Aunt
Katherine. Aunt Katie this is Alyssa,
my friend from the ship." Alyssa
noted that Aunt Katherine had the same raven hair as Kelsey, but she was shorter
and her eyes were a paler blue. Katie
looked Alyssa over and smiled, "A good friend, I hope!"
Alyssa blushed, and Kelsey rolled
her eyes at the woman and laughed,
"You are bad! We're going
up to my place." Kelsey pushed
Alyssa ahead of her to continue through the courtyard.
"I will get to see you again
before you leave, won't I?" Katie
stood with a hand on her hips and a twinkle in her eye. Her lips twitched with mirth as she loved to
tease her niece about her escapades.
Women were one weakness they both had in common which is probably why
they had been friends since the day Kelsey had come to live with her.
Watching the two young women
ascend the stairs to the back apartment, Katie could see the slim waif that had
arrived on her doorstep many years ago.
She was a tall gangly child with large expressive blue eyes, eyes that
had seen too much pain for such a young age.
Kelsey had been a solemn eight-year-old who didn't say much for the
first few months, which was understandable.
Kelsey's parents had basically abandoned her along the roadside in their
quest for the ultimate good time.
Luckily, they had left her with friends of Katie's, after a few months
and no word from Katie's sister and her brother-in-law, they called her.
Katie immediately sent a plane
ticket for her niece and it wasn't until after Kelsey arrived in her home did
she learn of the couple's death in a car accident up in Canada. Her sister, Rachael, had always been a free
spirited soul with a love of life.
Katie had hoped when Rachael had met Ben and became pregnant that it
would settle her down. Her hopes of a
stable life for the baby seemed to be coming true until Kelsey turned
five. Rachael and Ben began leaving the
child with friends more and more as they traveled farther and longer, until
they stopped coming home altogether.
Katie looked at the two as they disappeared inside and shook her head
sadly. She also knew about Kelsey's
fear of getting hurt again. 'Maybe one day.' She thought as she went
back to her writing.
CHAPTER 26
Kelsey led the way up the stairs
to her apartment. Crossing the living
room, she walked to the French doors to the balcony and opened them to let some
fresh air into the closed apartment.
"It's not much, but it has a great view." Stepping out onto the balcony she motioned
Alyssa to follow her.
Alyssa stepped out into the
blinding sunshine and looked out over the treetops to the ocean behind the next
row of houses. "Nice!" Alyssa leaned both hands on the rail and
breathed in the slightly salty air.
Kelsey came to stand behind her, her arms encircled the shorter woman's
waist and she kissed the side of her neck and murmured in agreement, "Mmmm…yes, it is nice."
Alyssa twisted herself around to
face Kelsey without breaking out of the circle of her arms. Leaning up, she began to nibble on Kelsey's
bottom lip. Kelsey responded to the
subtle teasing and captured the blonde's mouth with her own. After a few moments of rapt concentration,
Kelsey pulled back and looked around her.
"I suggest we move inside before the neighbors get more of a show
than they bargained for!"
Alyssa giggled and moved back
inside the apartment. Kelsey quickly
followed and pulled the blonde back into her arms for a more intensive
exploration of her each other's senses.
Slowly and sensually they left a trail of clothing on their journey to
the bedroom. Lying under a lazily
swirling ceiling fan, their body temperature rose dangerously close to erupting
into a fire of lust as they kissed and teased bodies until they were weak with
spent passion. As their bodies slowly
cooled down, Kelsey held Alyssa in her arms and absently drew circles on the
woman's bare back as they talked.
"You never talk much about
your family. Is your Aunt your only
family?" Alyssa rolled over and
rested her chin on Kelsey's breast and looked her intently in the eye.
"The only family that
counts." Kelsey replied, quickly
looking away. Alyssa could sense the
tension that suddenly infused the body beneath her. "I'm sorry. I didn't
mean to pry. If you don't want to talk
about it, it's okay."
Kelsey sighed and shook her head
slightly before losing herself in deep green eyes. "It's not that, it's just that I really never had a family
until I came to live with Aunt Katie.
My parents weren't the nurturing kind."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, my parents didn't
like to be tied down to one place too long.
I'm surprised they stayed as long as they did. When I was five, they had finally had enough and left me with
friends and took off exploring. That was
the last time I saw them and the first time I met Aunt Katherine. She was my mother's sister, but they had
fought a few years before I was born and it wasn't until then that I got to
meet her. I've been with her ever
since."
"What happened to your parents?" Alyssa asked softly, not wanting to
interrupt the reverie she saw the dark woman's eyes.
"They were killed in a car
accident in Canada." Kelsey
replied, shrugging her shoulders slightly.
Alyssa noted this gesture was one that Kelsey adopted when she was hurt
or embarrassed.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be, they died doing
what they loved the most." Kelsey
grinned slightly and kissed the tip of Alyssa's nose and moved down to capture
the lips. Rolling Alyssa under her, she
quickly cleared her mind of unpleasant memories and lost herself the soft, warm
body beneath her.
CHAPTER 27
Kelsey awoke to darkness and a started at the unfamiliar
pressure against her chest. Looking down to see blonde hair splayed out across
her body, she gently stroked the soft hair to still the low moaning coming from
Alyssa. As her heartbeat slowed back to
normal she continued stroking the hair.
"Shhh....it's alright"
Kelsey soothingly whispered, but couldn't stop the thought from entering
her head. 'I really hope so.'
Morning dawned bright and sunny like a typical South
Florida morning. Kelsey realized the
weight on her chest was gone and quickly looked around for Alyssa. She found the blonde curled on her side next
to her still asleep. Kelsey couldn't
resist and again reached out to stroke the soft blonde tresses that lay against
the pillow next to her. She marveled at
the silkiness and strength of the hair and how it matched the woman next to
her. There was a quiet strength beneath
the inexperience and naivete of the young woman. Alyssa was quickly growing on Kelsey, which was something she hadn't
let anyone or anything do in a long time.
There was not the usual burning lump in the pit of her stomach that had
accompanied the ones before the blonde.
Kelsey was feeling totally comfortable and at peace, and this scared
her.
Alyssa cracked open an eye to the early morning sunshine
and looked up at the figure lying next to her.
She had awoken to the sensation of someone touching her hair and she
realized that Kelsey was absently stroking her head. She looked up to find a face deep in thought but, etched in
sadness. Alyssa felt an instant let
down. 'Have I disappointed her
somehow? Is she having second thoughts
now?' Alyssa's heart pounded in her
fear of failing and losing Kelsey. The
fear was real and genuine, she had come to feel that the woman was a part of
her now. She couldn't see herself or
her future without seeing Kelsey there.
Kelsey felt the sensation of eyes on her and glanced over
toward Alyssa. The look she saw in the
far away green eyes struck a cord deep within her. She saw a tear develop and teeter on the blonde's eyelid. 'Shit!'
"Hey, what's the matter? Are you okay?"
Kelsey slid down in the bed to get closer to Alyssa. All of a sudden it was imperative that she
find out what the problem was.
"Nothing."
Alyssa quickly reached up to wipe the tear away and rolled over onto her
back and looked up at the ceiling. She
was afraid to look into the blue eyes, afraid that her worst fear would be
realized.
CHAPTER 28
Kelsey pulled the woman toward her and leaned down to peer
into her face. When the blonde tried to
look to the side Kelsey gently grasped her chin and pulled the face to look at
her. The green eyes she would always
drown in, looked lost to her now and she found herself pleading for an
answer. "It's not nothing, please
talk to me."
Alyssa saw fear register in Kelsey's blue eyes and she
sighed. 'I guess it is better to
know now than to fool myself any longer.'
"You are having second thoughts about us aren't
you?" The questioning green eyes
bored into Kelsey for any hint of a response and the tall woman knew she had to
handle this carefully or risk losing Alyssa.
"Why do you ask that?"
"Because I saw the look in your face just now. I'm not
what you are looking for. You need
someone sure of who they are and knows how to make you happy. I just seem to always be causing you
trouble." Alyssa took a deep
breath and continued before Kelsey could open her mouth. "I won't make it hard for you. I won't hold you to anything."
Alyssa moved to get up and get dressed, but Kelsey grasped
her arm tightly and pulled her backward onto the bed. "Wait! Is that what
you want?"
Alyssa just looked at the raven-haired woman. She was torn
between wanting to scream no and Kelsey's look that was seared into her
conscious. She pulled away and got out
of the bed wrapping the blanket around herself. She walked toward the window and looked out. Her heart gave-way to her mind and she
gently shook her head without turning around and asked, "No, but what
about you?"
"I'll admit I was having some concern about our
relationship, but it was never about not wanting you. It was just the opposite.
I've never felt so at peace with anyone before and the thought scared
me. Not because of you, but because of
me. I don't want you to go anywhere,
but I won't stop you if you want to go."
Kelsey finished softly laying her heart on her sleeve and waited for the
stabbing sensation to begin.
Alyssa slowly turned around to face the raven-haired
beauty. "No, I don't want to be
anywhere but here. I didn't want you to
feel you were trapped in something you didn't want."
Kelsey reached out her hand to Alyssa and the woman slowly
waked toward the woman as she reclined on the bed. "Oh, I think I want this more than I've wanted anything else
in my life. For the first time I don't
feel a gnawing pain in my gut that always made me feel I wasn't in the right
place. Now, I actually feel like I'm
where I belong, with you. Does that
make any sense?"
Alyssa looked down into Kelsey's blue eyes and replied,
"Perfect sense." Alyssa
leaned down to kiss Kelsey softly until the woman pulled her into her on top of
her and returned the kiss with a fervor that surpassed their lovemaking of the
night before. She unwrapped the blanket
that encased Alyssa, and the early morning hours were spent showing and
confirming just how much they meant to each other. Exhausted, they soon fell asleep in each other's arms and didn't
wake until the late afternoon shadows descend upon the room.
CHAPTER 29
Kelsey looked over at the clock and groaned causing Alyssa
to stir within her arms. "What's
the matter?" She asked hoarsely
rolling off Kelsey and onto her side.
Kelsey grinned and stretched. "It's almost 4 PM, my aunt will be calling up here soon to
see if we are still alive and invite us to dinner."
"Don't you want to have dinner with her?"
"Sure, do you mind?" Kelsey asked hopefully.
"No, not at all."
Before Kelsey could respond they heard her name being
called out. Alyssa giggled as Kelsey
got up wrapping the blanket around herself and opened the front door.
"Dinner right?"
"Don't be a smart ass young lady. I just want to make sure you come up for air
occasionally." Alyssa could hear
Kelsey's aunt's voice tauntingly respond.
"Dinner will be in an hour.
Give the poor girl a break and feed her!"
Alyssa burst out laughing as her cheeks flushed red at the
woman's total unabashed attitude of the situation. She buried her face in the pillow when she heard Kelsey
chuckle. "We will be down at
5." Kelsey closed the door and ran
back to the bedroom leaping onto the bed and Alyssa.
"So you find that funny huh?" Kelsey began tickling the blonde as she writhed
beneath her in her attempt to evade the questing fingers.
"Stop!
Stop! You are going to make me
wet myself!" Alyssa cried out
trying hard to control herself.
"Ohh, we wouldn't want that now would we? We have to sleep in this bed again tonight!"
Kelsey nipped lightly at Alyssa's ear and in a warm, sexy voice whispered in
her ear. "Sleep, being an optional
word!" Kelsey kissed Alyssa
soundly before releasing her and watching her run quickly toward the bathroom
and shut the door.
"Don't be too long, we need to be downstairs in an
hour and I want to take a shower."
Kelsey called out as the door closed.
She stretched her long body out on the bed and signed contently. She lay there thinking about how things had
turned out and smiled to herself. 'Maybe
things will be okay, Alyssa's different.'
"Hey, you keep day dreaming you are going to miss out
on your shower." Kelsey looked
over and sat up quickly when she saw a naked Alyssa standing in the doorway of
the bathroom and heard the water running behind her. She stood casually leaning unashamed against the doorjamb.
"Well don't just sit there with your mouth open, come
on!" Alyssa laughed and turned
back into the bathroom. Kelsey heard
the shower door open and close before she came to her senses and rushed to get
off the bed. Cursing under her breath,
she fought with the bedclothes that threatened to keep her trapped and away
from the blonde in the shower. Ripping at them haphazardly she finally freed
herself and ran to the bathroom. The room
was fogged in steam and she couldn't see the blonde through the shower doors,
but she knew she was there. Pulling
open the shower door she quickly entered the steamy shower and reached out for
the woman she desired.
CHAPTER 30
Hurrying down the stairs, late as usual, they ran across
the courtyard and entered the house to the aroma of freshly cooked tomato and
garlic. Alyssa's stomach growled in
response to the enticing smells causing Kelsey to chuckle and push her forward
into the house.
"Well, it's about time!" Kelsey's aunt stood at the stove with one
hand on her hip and the other shaking a wooden spoon at the women.
"Sorry, we got detained." Kelsey replied smartly and approached her
Aunt giving her a quick peck on the cheek.
"So I gathered."
Kelsey turned in the direction her aunt was looking to find Alyssa
blushing furiously. Kelsey chuckled and
walked over to Alyssa and pulled her forward.
"Don't worry honey, you are among friends
here." Aunt Katie turned toward
the stove and motioned with her head for the women to join her. "Kelsey do me a favor and strain the
pasta and Alyssa could you get the bread out of the oven and slice it for
me?"
"Aunt Katie's had a few romps of her own when she was
young." Kelsey informed Alyssa as
she lifted the steaming pot and carried it to the strainer in the sink.
"What do you mean, 'when I was young'?" Katie swatted the tall brunette in the
backside with her spoon. "I'll
have you know that I can still turn a few heads!"
"Aunt Katie, when was the last time you had a
date?" Kelsey asked quickly
avoiding another swat from her Aunt's cooking utensil.
"Tonight."
"What?"
Kelsey stopped with the bowl of pasta in her hand and stared at her Aunt
in disbelief. Alyssa looked from one
woman to the other, totally confused.
Katie pointed to the table where four places were set and
waved her spoon threateningly at both women.
"And I'll expect you both to be on your best behavior, especially
you Kelsey. I'll have none of your
practical jokes this time!"
Kelsey brought the bowl of strained pasta toward the stove
where her Aunt began ladling sauce on top of it. She watched her Aunt's expression and smiled. She noticed her Aunt had a rosy glow and the
usual worry lines were gone, replaced by upturned lines of happiness. Katie looked up into her niece's face and
frowned. "What?"
"This is a serious one, isn't it?"
"At my age honey, they are all serious....but yes,
this one is very serious." Katie
took the bowl from her niece and walked over to the table to set it down. Kelsey looked over at Alyssa and saw the
confused look on her face.
"It's been a long time since my Aunt has dated, let
alone brought someone home."
Alyssa nodded her understanding and watched as Kelsey turned her Aunt
around to face her. "Too
long."
Katie scoffed at the remark but couldn't resist hugging her
niece tightly when Kelsey put her arms around her. "I'm glad you are and Alyssa and I promise to behave
tonight." Kelsey winked toward
Alyssa.
"I'll bet! Let's just wait and see!" Katie pushed Kelsey away nervously and
continued putting the food on the table as she glanced at the clock.
"Now, would I do that?"
"Yes!"
Both Katie and Alyssa spoke out in unison and the three women burst into
laughter. They continued laughing until
the doorbell sounded and Katie almost dropped the plate she was holding.
Kelsey walked over and took the plate gently from her hand
and pushed her Aunt toward the door.
"Go let her in and we will finish up in here."
Katie smoothed her top and pushed back her salt and pepper
hair and took a long look at Kelsey before leaving the room. Kelsey watched and grinned at her Aunt's
obvious nervousness, but when she continued to stare at her, Kelsey grew
concerned. Before she could remark,
Katie turned and let the room quickly. Kelsey looked at Alyssa and shrugged at
her Aunt's bizarre behavior. It had
definitely been a long time since she had seen her Aunt act this way toward
anyone, maybe she was finally coming out of her self-induced exile.
"What's going on?" Alyssa voice asked quietly next to Kelsey. The tall raven-haired woman hadn't realized
her lover had moved closer and reached out to put her arm around her and
squeezed lightly.
"It's good to see my Aunt dating again. It's been a long time since she has been out
with anyone and longer since she's invited anyone home."
"Why?"
Alyssa asked then quickly regretted prying. "Sorry, it's none of my business."
"No, it's okay.
I just don't talk about it in front of Katie. It was too upsetting...it's been a long time." Kelsey looked through the doorway and didn't
see any sign of her Aunt or her guest.
She returned back to Alyssa and as they put the rest of the food on the
table she relayed her Aunt's story.
CHAPTER 31
"When I first came to live with my Aunt she had a
partner. They were together for almost
twenty years. I always thought of them
as a matched set and I thought they would always be that way. I mean Jean was a much a part of my life as
my Aunt. She knew things about me
before my Aunt did. She had this
uncanny way of knowing when I had something on my mind and asking blunt
questions that usually hit right on target and I could talk to her."
"What happened to her?"
"One day I came home from college and found my Aunt
sitting at the kitchen table crying.
When I asked what happened, she handed me a note from Jean. It seems Jean had met someone and decided to
follow this woman to California. I
didn't even know there had been any problems between the two of
them." Kelsey shook her head still
not believing after all these years.
"Your poor Aunt." Alyssa felt sympathy for Katie
and could understand where Kelsey got her reluctance to trust others. She had seen the damage first hand with her
Aunt.
"Aunt Katie was devastated, she knew they Jean had
been reserved for awhile, but she just figured they were getting older and
settling down. It seems that Jean
thought they were settling down into old age and didn't want any part of
it. It wasn't bad enough that she left,
but she left with someone ten years younger than Aunt Katie with nothing more
than a note of good-bye. After that my
Aunt just gave up and withdrew into her own world here. I came home as often as I could to visit,
but it was even hard for me to be here.
Finally, we were able to put it behind us and go on." Kelsey looked over at Alyssa and frowned
slightly .
"Did you ever hear from her again?"
"No, and I wouldn't want to. After what she did to Aunt Katie, I don't want any part of that
woman!" Kelsey put the last of the food on the table and leaned against
the doorway deep in thought.
Alyssa walked over and put her arms around the taller
woman's waist and looked up into deep blue eyes. "So, it makes sense now."
"Hmmm, what does?"
"Why you were so reluctant to get involved with
me. Are you always suspicious of
everyone you meet?" Alyssa asked
smiling to take the edge off her words.
"I guess I am.
I saw what my Aunt went through and I swore no one was going to do that
to me. I wasn't going to let anyone
mean so much to me that I would be devastated like that." Kelsey replied firmly and looked down into
green eyes and her features instantly softened. "I guess that theory is out the window!" Leaning down she captured Alyssa's soft warm
lips and gently kissed away and uncertainty and fear she felt. They were locked together in their embrace
of arms and lips until they heard throat clearing from behind them and both
women jumped apart.
"Don't you two ever give it a rest?" Katie entered the room chuckling softly
followed by a woman about the same height as Katie and Kelsey. Alyssa sighed slightly at the thought of
being the runt of the group, but her attention was quickly focused on the new
woman. She was a striking blonde with
golden highlights and bright green eyes that twinkled with mischief, but her
demeanor was smooth and controlled.
Alyssa thought she was probably one of the most beautiful women she had
ever encountered. 'How wonderful for
Katie, she is a very lucky woman.'
"Hello Kelsey."
The voice was soft and silky with a deep resonance that
made Alyssa drift along with it. Her
day dreaming quickly ended as she was jerked back to the present by the audible
intake of Kelsey's breath. Alyssa
looked up at Kelsey and shivered at the look on her lover's face before Kelsey
turned and abruptly walked out of the room.
CHAPTER 32
"Kelsey???"
Alyssa called out but the tall woman didn't stop, her shoulders were
stiff as she walked out the door.
Alyssa turned to Katie confused.
"I'm sorry, I don't know what's going on?"
"That went well." Jean replied sadly and blew out the breath she had been
holding. "But, I guess it was to
be expected."
"Alyssa, this
is Jean. She is an old friend of
mine." Katie introduced the blonde
woman and Alyssa stood stock-still. 'The
Jean? This is the woman that walked out
on both of them.'
"H-hello."
"I take it Kelsey told you." Katie watched the expression on the young
woman's face and knew that her niece had already told her about Jean. Alyssa nodded without saying anything.
"I...I..."
Alyssa didn't know what to say, part of her wanted to run and find Kelsey but,
the other part was afraid of what she might find.
"It's
okay, we didn't think this would be easy." Kate replied and reached out to grasp Jean's hand as the other
woman's eyes teared from Kelsey's rebuff.
"I've
hurt her badly. I've hurt you both so
badly." Jean turned to Kate and
eagerly allowed herself to be engulfed in a hug from the tall older woman. Looking over Jean's shoulder, Kate looked
directly into Alyssa's eyes and Alyssa could see both the torment and the
pleading in the blue eyes. "Go
find her, she is going to need you. She
doesn't know it and will fight it, but she does need you. This is going to be hard for her to
accept."
Alyssa nodded and hastily left to find her tall lover. She looked around outside and couldn't find
any sign of Kelsey. Finally, she
decided to go up to the apartment to check for her and to wait, if need
be. Opening the door she came face to
face with a very angry woman who hastily threw clothes in her overnight
bag.
"Kelsey! I've
been looking everywhere for you! What
are you doing?" Alyssa tried to
stop her from packing to talk with her.
Kelsey whipped her arm away angrily.
"I'm going back to the ship, you can either come with
me or stay, it's up to you!"
Kelsey moved around the small apartment pulling together her things.
"You can't just leave like this," Alyssa replied concerned. "What about Jean?"
"What about her?
I told you I didn't want anything to do with her ever again. Just because my Aunt wants to fool herself,
that doesn't have anything to do with me!" Kelsey tossed Alyssa's bag on the bed toward her.
"Kelsey, I know you are upset, but you just can't
leave without talking to your Aunt."
Alyssa pulled her bag toward her, but did not begin to pack hoping that
time would help Kelsey calm down and be reasonable.
"I can't, huh?"
Kelsey replied grabbing her duffel bag.
"I would hope you wouldn't." A voice from the doorway called out
softly. Kelsey and Alyssa both looked
up to find Kate standing in the door with Jean just behind her.
Kelsey's eyes softened for a moment, but she didn't move
nor respond to her Aunt. Alyssa thought
for a brief moment that Kelsey was ready to calm down and talk, until Jean
spoke up. "Please Kelsey, give me
a chance to apologize and explain."
Kelsey's face-hardened at the sound of the woman's voice
and she tightened her grip on her bag replying, "You have nothing to say
that I want to hear." With those
words, Kelsey pushed passed the two women and ran down the stairs toward her
Jeep, tossing her bag into the vehicle she climbed in after it. In a few seconds, the Jeep roared to life
and the sound of squealing tires heralded Kelsey's departure.
"Damn!"
Alyssa breathed and quickly threw her few things into her bag. "I've got to get back to the
ship!"
"Wait! We will
drive you!" Jean replied and
looked to Kate for her response. Kate
nodded and they waited for Alyssa to pack her bag and the three women headed
down the stairs toward Jean's car.
CHAPTER 33
Alyssa didn't see the Jeep in the employee lot as they
drove toward the crew's entrance to the ship.
Luckily, there was only a skeletal crew at the boarding area and the
three women slipped onto the ship easily.
Alyssa tried to control her steps and she hurried toward their stateroom
with the two women close behind.
Throwing open the door she whispered a prayer which fell on silent ears
as she found the cabin empty.
"Shit!"
Alyssa breathed out and sat down on her bunk. "Where do you think she went?" She looked up at Kate for some answer to
what was happening. It tore her up
inside that Kelsey had so easily pushed her aside and left. Alyssa knew the woman was hurting, but she
had hoped that, just maybe, she had meant enough to Kelsey so that the tall
woman would at least talk to her.
"I don't know, with Kelsey it could be anywhere. She is a very closed person." Kate replied sadly and sat down across from
the blonde. Jean sat down next to Kate
and placed her hand on her past lover's knee.
"She has a lot of hurt bottled up inside of her and I'm the cause
of a good part of it, I'm afraid."
Alyssa looked at the older blonde and saw the sad look in
her green eyes. They looked older than
their actual years and brightened only slightly when Kate took her hand in her
own and squeezed it. A tear slipped
down the smooth cheek as watery eyes looked up at Alyssa in a need to explain.
"I was growing older and thought I needed more out of
life. Then a young woman began to pay attention to me, at first, I felt
flattered. Slowly I began to deceive
myself that it was love and that she really loved me. It didn't take me long to realize that real love was what I
already had with Kate and Kelsey, but it was too late. I had already burned my bridges and couldn't
face what I had done, so I just stayed away."
"What made you come back?" Alyssa's voice was hesitant in it’s request.
"It was a combination of things really. I had finally stopped running and realized I
was going to be 50 and I was alone. I'd
been alone ever since I left Kate and it was my pride that was keeping me
alone. So, I took the chance and I
called Kate. We talked for a few months
before we agreed to meet, we've been seeing each other for three months now and
I have to say I'm more in love with Kate than I was the first day I laid eyes
on her." Jean reached over and
kissed Kate lightly on the cheek as a spark light up the sad green eyes. Alyssa watched it set off another spark in
familiar blue eyes and felt a pang in her chest. A deep sense of loss had filled her and she wondered if she had
lost the chance for a love that deep. 'Would
Kelsey ever realize, like Jean did, before it was too late?'
Alyssa looked out the window as the two women hugged and
kissed. She was feeling like an
intruder and wished she knew where Kelsey had gone. They continued to wait until the afternoon shadows began to
deepen and finally, it was time for Kate and Jean to leave the ship. It would sail in a few hours, with or
without Kelsey. Alyssa waved as the two
older women walked toward their car and went back to her cabin. She stopped along the way to ask if anyone
had seen Kelsey, but none had. The
cabin was still empty when she returned and she threw herself down on the bunk
and cried herself to sleep. She didn't
care if she attended the new cruise orientation or not, nothing mattered at the
moment except Kelsey.
CHAPTER 34
Kelsey roared down the street until she could get herself
under control and eased off the gas pedal.
She let the car hover around 60 as she whipped down the causeway toward
the docks. The cruise ships came into
view along side of her, but she roared on past them and didn't stop until she
came to her favorite hideaway. Parking
the Jeep she pushed through the door into the darkened smoky interior. She could hear a clicking from the darkness
and headed toward it.
"Well, well!
Look what the cat dragged in!
Long time no see Kelsey."
The tall woman briefly smiled at the face across the pool table.
"You still here hustling the baby dykes?"
"Very funny. I
don't remember you complaining!"
The other woman replied with a laugh.
She was blonde, tall and leaned against her cue stick with the ease of a
self-assured woman. Kelsey walked
around the table and gave the blonde a hug.
"It's been awhile, Linda."
"That it has!
So, you here to reminisce or shoot pool?" The blonde grinned and handed her a cue.
"Rack'em!"
Kelsey and Linda finally conceded the game in a tie and
retreated to the bar as the place began to fill up. "You're still good!
I didn't think they had pool tables on your yacht."
"They don't, and it's a cruise ship not a
yacht." Kelsey remarked as she
leaned against the bar looking out over the room. A couple of women caught her eye and smiled and she returned the
smiles, but didn't linger. Tempting,
but she didn't want to be bothered tonight.
Linda nudged her shoulder and indicated a table full of women looking
her way with undisguised interest.
"God, we're we that young once?"
Kelsey chuckled lowly and looked away from the table of
women to her old friend. "Yeah,
but we were never that free to be who we really were."
"Ain't that the truth. So, when do you ship out again?" Linda pushed a beer in front of Kelsey and waited for the woman
to answer.
Kelsey peered down and pulled her watch toward the light to
see the dial. "About an hour
ago."
Linda watched the taller woman and was startled at her calm
response. She watched the struggle
cross her face briefly and then fade again, replaced by the familiar stoic
facade.
"Well, then....you want to go around again?" Linda decided that Kelsey was a big girl and
also knew that if her friend wanted her advice, she would have asked for
it. She saw the telltale signs of
flight, but that was Kelsey's baby and none of her business.
"Yeah, go ahead and rack'em. I've got to make a phone call first." Kelsey walked off toward the payphones as
Linda watched the tall figure appreciatively.
Sighing she got up and headed toward the pool tables muttering to
herself. "Give it up girl, she's
out of your league."
CHAPTER 37
Alyssa woke to the gentle rocking of the ship. The room was dark and she squinted to see
the alarm clock on the nightstand next to the bed. It was 1:20 a.m. and she sat up quickly and looked over at the
empty bed next to her. Her eyes were
tired from crying herself to sleep and the fresh tears that were forming did
nothing to help. Laying back down she
realized that Kelsey was gone without even giving her a chance to
understand.
Alyssa closed her eyes as a tear slid down the side of her
face and lay uncaring, praying for sleep to over take her once more. Weary from emotion and tears, it wasn't long
before Alyssa was fast asleep.
The cabin door creaked open as the morning's light just
broke over the horizon. The ship bumped
gently against it’s moorings and from the porthole you could see the first
sliver of orange when the hot tropical sun began to rise over the island.
Walking over to the sleeping woman, Kelsey looked down at Alyssa and saw the
swollen face and knew that she had been the cause of it all. She felt a pang burn through her chest, but
she quickly put all feelings inside and locked them away.
Weary of everything, Kelsey walked over to her bunk and sat
down. Running a hand over her gritty
eyes, she planned what she needed to do.
First, a shower and then check in with everyone. She had to call in a few favors to reach the
island before the cruise ship. She had
flown out just before 3 p.m. and had landed just as the ship pulled into
port.
She had made up the excuse of a death in the family to keep
her from getting fired for missing the ship.
In a way, she hadn't lied; there had been a death of sorts. Her trust in letting someone get close to
her had died when Jean walked back into her aunt's kitchen. She couldn't believe that after all they had
been through at that woman's expense, Kate would welcome her with open arms. 'Well, maybe Aunt Kate, but not me!' Kelsey pushed off the bed and went to take a
shower.
Alyssa awoke to a funny sensation and looked around the
bright cabin. Everything seemed to be
in order, but yet something felt strange.
Shaking her head she looked over at Kelsey's bed and sighed. Getting up she headed toward the
bathroom. Pulling the curtain to the
shower back she noted that the walls were wet.
"What the heck?"
Looking around she found a damp towel hanging from the back of the
door. "Could it be?" With a hitch in her chest and a smile on her
face she jumped into the shower and finished in record time. Dressed, she hurried down the corridor in
search of Kelsey.
CHAPTER 38
Kelsey entered Nancy's office when she heard the response
to her knock. "Hello, glad you decided to join the cruise!"
"Better late than never!" Kelsey grinned and sat in a chair across
from the desk.
"Are you okay?"
"Sure, I'm fine." Kelsey looked out the window and focused her attention on the far
away horizon.
"I was told there was a death in your family, someone
close?" Nancy watched Kelsey's
evasiveness and knew that everything wasn't so fine.
"Nothing to worry about. I'm back and everything is fine." Kelsey stood up and walked toward the window. "I just have one request. Do you think you could find alternative
accommodations for Alyssa? It's just not working out." Kelsey looked everywhere but into Nancy's
discerning eyes. "Okay, care to
tell me what is going on?"
"Nothing, we are just opposites and I think Alyssa
will be more comfortable with someone her own age." Kelsey walked toward the door.
"Okay, I can take care of that, but....?"
Kelsey interrupted by quickly asking, "So what do you
want me to start on?" She just
didn't want to talk about it anymore.
Kelsey just wanted to get on with life, such as it was.
"Okay, you can start with passenger orientation and
then we'll follow the usual schedule."
Nancy knew that Kelsey had deliberately changed the conversation and
that could only mean one thing. She
wasn't about to let it slide this time and called Kelsey on it. She waited until Kelsey had reached the door
before speaking. "And Kelsey,
don't think this conversation is by any means over."
Kelsey turned quickly and looked back at Nancy, a rebuttal
burning her lips, but when she saw the look in her friend's green eyes, she
just nodded stiffly and left. Kelsey
knew that Nancy wasn't going to let this one go, but she would deal with it
later. Right now, she just wanted to
focus on her job and forget about everything and everyone.
CHAPTER 37
Alyssa hadn't found Kelsey anywhere and no one seemed to
have seen her either. She was stuck in
the Purser's office most of the day and had to cover half of the next shift due
to the illness of one of the crew. They
had split the shift between her and another Assistant Pursuer. She didn't get back to the cabin until
almost 9 p.m. and hoped that Kelsey would be there. Alyssa opened the cabin door in anticipation, but her heart
quickly dropped when she saw that the one side of the cabin was completely
empty. Closing the door behind her, she
noticed a piece of paper lying on her pillow and hurried over to pick it up,
instantly recognizing the handwriting. 'I
knew it! She is onboard!' Her brief happiness quickly reverted to pain
as she read the note.
'Sorry, I didn't get a chance to
talk to you first, but I got in early this morning and you were still
asleep. As you can see I've asked to
be assigned to another cabin. I thought
it was best before things got out of hand between us. I didn't want you to be hurt thinking things were other than they
are. My Aunt's behavior has reminded me
of my promise to myself. I'm not
looking for anything permanent because it only brings grief and never works for
me. I've talked to Nancy and I think it
would be better if you roomed with someone closer to your own age and
interests. I'm not what you need.'
Alyssa read and read the letter and each time she grew more
livid until her cheeks burned red.
Slamming the paper on the nightstand she left the cabin with a
resounding banging of the door and marched down the corridor. She was a woman on a mission and nothing was
going to stop her from having her say.
Kelsey sat back in her chair in corner of the crowded staff
lounge. It was a rare occurrence for
her to be sitting with her staff and they were amazed at first when she had
accepted their invitation to join them.
But they had always gotten along and she was actually enjoying their
company, it kept her from having to spend the evening in her own company
alone. The shots of Tequila had gone
around quite a few times and Kelsey was feeling pleasantly mellow. Drinking by the crewmembers was definitely not
encouraged, but officers were usually left to their own devices as long as they
kept it below decks.
Kelsey had sensed before she had seen the blonde when she
entered the room, turning she watched the short figure move with a purpose that
could only spell trouble. Kelsey downed
the shot in her hand and waited for fate to reach her. She kept her eyes focused on the glass in
her hand when Alyssa stopped just off her right and nudged her shoulder. Looking up blurry blue met bright green and
she winced at the daggers that were being thrown in her direction.
"Can I speak to you?" Alyssa voice was sure and steady and belied the anger that lay
just beneath the surface.
"I'm a little busy at the moment. Can we talk in the morning?"
"No, now would be a better time."
Kelsey's eyes narrowed at Alyssa's attitude and she could
feel her hackles rising, before she could stop herself she blurted out a
retort.
"I think not!
I'm busy right now!"
"Yeah, right!
Too busy, or too chicken to face me.
Instead you leave me some lame note have the gall to tell me what I need
and what I don't need. If you haven't
noticed, I'm old enough to make up my own mind about what I want in my
life. You have no right to tell me whom
I can and can't love!" Alyssa
could feel the tears stinging her eyes and quickly turned and left the room
before she embarrassed herself more than she already had. She could feel all the eyes upon her back as
she exited the room as quickly as possible.
When she turned the corner of the corridor she broke into a run and
headed out on deck. She needed some
air, it was getting hard to breath.
CHAPTER
"What are you going to do now?" Nancy leaned over and asked quietly. Kelsey shrugged her shoulders lightly and
kept her eyes lowered. "I never
pegged you for a quitter!"
Kelsey's eyes flashed upward in warning at Nancy, but the
woman wasn't phased in the slightest.
She held her challenging look until Kelsey's resolve began to fade. She realized what she had done was wrong,
she should have told Alyssa to her face and not left a note. She thought for a moment and realized, 'What
are we talking about here, that's not what's wrong. What is wrong is that she blamed Alyssa for everything she
couldn't cope with her own life. She
continually pushed people away in an effort to hide from her own feelings and
fears. Now, she realized she had pushed
the wrong person away.'
"Damn!"
Nancy watched with a slight grin on her face as Kelsey move
quickly in the direction Alyssa had fled.
Whispering to herself in silent prayer, "Don't blow this one
Kel."
CHAPTER 39
Alyssa leaned backward against the cabin door and realized
that her knees were actually weak. So
much had happened in the past 24 hours that she wasn't sure where she was
anymore. The one thing she did know was
that Kelsey was back and willing to try again.
A sliver of doubt began to creep in and Alyssa couldn't help wondering
if she could be what Kelsey needed.
Could she match up to the high degree of loyalty that the woman would
demand? All her life she had always found a way to mess up a good thing. Would this be any different? Would one
misconstrued action or wrong word mean instant betrayal to Kelsey?
Worried, she pushed off the door and headed for a quick
shower and a long sleep. When the
tension drained out of her so did her strength and she found herself extremely
tired. Last night's tossing and turning
and lack of sleep left her with no reserves to run on. Turning on the shower she began to shake the
negative thoughts from her head. Alyssa
was determined to do whatever it took to keep Kelsey, this was a promise she
made to herself. She took courage
whenever she reminded herself of how far she had come in the past month. She wasn't the same person that left her
family and small town to strike out on her own. She had found her own sense of identity and had been able to live
her life freely and openly for the first time.
Alyssa no longer had to feel her father's sense of
disapproval, as if she were defective because she didn't fit his idea of a
woman. She hadn't been interested in
settling down with a local boy and raising children. He hadn't liked her going to college and working at the library,
but had given up on her by the time she had left home to join the cruise ship. Only her mother had supported her desperate
attempt to get away. Alyssa knew what
her father would say if he knew about Kelsey, but she wondered how her mother
would feel. With these thoughts in her
mind she finished her shower and got into bed.
The brightly colored hues of dawn edged their way over the
horizon. Kelsey leaned against the
railing and closed her eyes. If she
concentrated hard enough she could almost feel the sun's warmth penetrating the
darkness and chill of early morning.
She opened her eyes and watched as pink turned to red and then to yellow
when the bright sun broke fully over the distant horizon giving color to the
once blackened sea. Dawn had always
been Kelsey's favorite time. It was a rebirth, a second chance to change
whatever had happened before and the last chance to do something right then at
that moment. She continued to watch the
ship cut through the waves as a breeze lightly ruffled her hair. It was going to be a nice day and the
weather would be perfect for their first port of call.
Looking at her watch, Kelsey wondered if Alyssa would be
free to go into town today. She didn't
think it would be wise to take her snorkeling.
'Especially after what happened last time!' The tall raven-haired beauty chuckled to
herself remembering the two of them on the beach and how they spent their
afternoon. Coming back from her revere,
Kelsey stood up fully realizing that she needed to take things slowly this
time. She wanted to romance and court
Alyssa, to show her that she was serious about their relationship. As nervous as she was about the step she was
about to take, she knew that it was time to let her heart begin again. Time to take it out of the mothballs and let
it live again. Shivering slightly at
the fear she felt, she swallowed pushing the feeling down and shook her
head. 'No, no more looking back,
only looking forward!' With this
resolution in her chest, she confidently took the first step to go down to the
deck below and wait for her future.
CHAPTER 40
Alyssa hurried up the stairwell toward the promenade
deck. She was late, as usual. Opening the outer door she found Kelsey
leaning against the railing with her arms across her chest as if protecting
herself from some unforeseen attack.
Kelsey's eyes were focused on the door as she waited for Alyssa. The angst that was written on Kelsey's face
quickly disappeared when the blonde head poked out of the doorway. 'Whew!' A silent breathe of air
slipped out of Kelsey as she waited for Alyssa to join her at the railing.
"I'm sorry, I'm late.
I overslept!" Alyssa
apologized breathlessly.
"What happened to your alarm?" Kelsey asked, a slight grin tugging at her
lips.
"It doesn't matter how loud or where I put that stupid
thing, you know I never hear it until it's been playing for a good twenty
minutes. I should just set the darn
thing ahead so that I will wake up on time!" Alyssa replied frustrated with herself.
Kelsey chuckled and tugged Alyssa toward the stairs and
opened the door for her. "Let's go
eat, I'm starved".
"Food? Lead
the way. I'm right behind you!"
Kelsey let Alyssa ramble through most of breakfast only
half hearing what the blonde was actually saying. She had let her mind wander as she thought about how she should
ask Kelsey to spend the day with her.
Alyssa's chatter continued and Kelsey smiled and nodded at the
appropriate intervals. When Kelsey
realized what she was doing, she quickly sat up thinking, 'God, what was she
talking about? What have I been
agreeing with?'
"And so, after we take over the ship, I think we
should sail it to Tahiti. Don't you?"
"Wha-a-a?"
Alyssa couldn't resist and began laughing at the look of
terror on Kelsey's face. "I was
wondering when you would actually join the conversation."
"I'm...I'm sorry.
I guess my mind wandered."
Kelsey looked down sheepishly feeling her face slightly warmed by her
embarrassment.
"Am I that boring or did you have something on your
mind?" Alyssa watched Kelsey's
eyes snap up to meet hers and she knew it was the latter.
“NO! I mean No,
it's not you. I was just thinking about
something." Kelsey shifted uncomfortably in her seat and wondered why she
felt so awkward and nervous. It was
like she had never asked a woman out before!
"Care to share?"
"I...well, I was wondering if you would like to spend
today with me on the island sightseeing or something?" Kelsey reined in her nervousness and looked
up at Alyssa squarely waiting for an answer.
"Oh, I wish I could.
I would love to, but I'm on the schedule from noon until 7 p.m.
today." Alyssa was saddened by the
prospect of having to work instead of spending the day with Kelsey. Even though she had wanted to take things
slowly, she still wanted to spend as much time with the woman as possible. "Damn, it's not fair that I have to
work!"
Kelsey grinned at Alyssa’s frustrated anger and reached
across the table to touch her hand.
"Well, then how about a late dinner after you finish your
shift? Maybe we could take in the late
show or something in the lounge?"
"Yes, that would be great!" Alyssa's gloom faded quickly at the prospect
of seeing her blue-eyed beauty later that evening.
"Okay! How
about I pick you up at your cabin around 8 PM to give you time to
change?" Kelsey looked at her
watch and realized that she had to get down to her office to unlock the
equipment for the morning's activities.
"Sounds good to me.
I take it you are working this morning then?" Alyssa replied motioning toward Kelsey
looking down at her watch.
"Unfortunately yes!
We have our own version of a mini Olympics competition up on the sports
deck this morning. There is a college
track team on this cruise and it seems they challenged the crew to a series of
events. So, guess who was volunteered
to play?" Kelsey grimaced as she
made the last statement causing Alyssa to laugh.
"Do you mind if I come up and cheer you on?"
"No, not at all!
We can use a cheering section, although I have to warn you, our cheering
section will probably be outnumbered by theirs. I think they brought all their relatives with them on the
cruise!" Kelsey smiled pushing her
chair back and standing up. She waited
for Alyssa to walk in front of her as they headed out of the dining room and
out on deck toward he stairs. They
proceeded up the first flight of stairs toward the sun deck.
Kelsey paused with her hand on the railing as Alyssa began
to climb the second flight upward.
"I have to unlock some equipment and get a few things ready. How about you go on ahead so you can get a
good seat and I'll see you on deck in a few minutes?"
"Okay, I'll make sure I get a front row
seat." Alyssa chuckled heading up
the stairs to the top deck. Kelsey
watched the blonde with rapt fascination until she realized that she was
beginning to get strange looks from some of the passengers. She quickly turned and headed back inside
and down the corridor to her office.
CHAPTER 41
Alyssa sat comfortably in the shade of the upper deck
looking down upon the basketball court ringed by a track where the events would
take place. Kelsey was right about the
other teams cheering section. They were
already spread out and across the deck and making noise. Alyssa looked around her at the smattering
of crew that showed up for the event.
Seeking friendly faces they gathered together around one table and sat
chatting as they waited. Alyssa looked
up when someone took the chair next to her.
"Hello Nancy!
How come you aren't playing?"
Alyssa asked smiling brightly at Kelsey's boss and friend. Although she really didn't know her that
well, she liked this woman.
"Oh no! That's
one of the privileges of rank. You get
to select who has to enter and then sit back and watch the whole damn
thing. I am too old to play games, I'd
be tripping over my own feet."
Nancy laughed and sat back comfortably as the players began to assemble
out on the court.
Alyssa’s breath caught in her throat when she saw Kelsey
walk onto the court tossing a basketball lightly between her hands. She was wearing a cutoff shirt and boxer
shorts that left a lot of her long tanned legs exposed. Between the never ending legs and the bare
midriff, Alyssa stared at the exposed skin and watched as muscles moved beneath
their well-tanned exterior.
Nancy heard the catch in Alyssa's throat about the same
time she saw Kelsey enter the scene.
She had to admit that the tall raven-haired woman was definitely
stopping a few hearts at that very moment.
Looking over at Alyssa's pink cheeks and open stare she leaned over and
whispered, "Uh honey, close your mouth or you're going to start
drooling!"
Alyssa quickly snapped her jaw shut and looked at the
grinning woman. She could feel her
cheeks flush red with embarrassment and began to stutter, "I...I..."
"Don't worry Alyssa, I already know." Nancy smiled warmly and placed her hand on
the young woman's arm. "And I
think it's done a world of good for that one." Nancy's head nodded in the direction of Kelsey, who was walking
toward them. Stopping just below the
railing, Kelsey shaded her eyes from the sun and looked up at the two women
standing there. "Will you hold
something for me?" Alyssa quickly
nodded and Kelsey removed her watch holding it up to Alyssa. Their fingers touched briefly and Alyssa
felt a spark run through her arm and she took a sharp breath inward. Kelsey grinned and winked up at the blonde
before turning her attention toward her boss.
"You know, you should be down here too! This is not at all fair!" Nancy laughed and replied, "Who said
life was fair. When you're the boss
then you get to sit back and watch everyone run around."
"Very funny!
Well, I had better go and get this over with, but you owe me!" Kelsey called over her shoulder jogging out
onto the court.
The game turned out to be a close one, much to everyone's
surprise. Even the crew that thought
the odds were against them, but the closeness of the game gave them renewed
determination and they fought down to the last basket. The final score was 46 to 50 in favor of
the college team. The next event was a
15-point volleyball game, which the cruise crew easily won by a score of
15-10. The final event was the obstacle
course. The team with the best time
would win not only that event but, the series.
So far the college team was in the lead by 3 minutes. Waiting for her turn to run the course,
Kelsey came up on deck and sat next to Alyssa, her chair in the sun. The rays glistened off the sweat on her skin
as she wiped her face with a towel and took a couple of sips of water.
"Tired?"
"A little, but don't let those kids hear
that!" Kelsey whispered
conspiratorially. "They're
whooping our butt!"
"You guys still have a chance to win!"
"Maybe, but we had better make up some time. They have me running last and I'm not sure I
have enough strength left to get through the course let alone do it
running!" Kelsey chuckled and
looked out over the rail as the next heat began. There were two more and then it would be her turn. She looked up at the board and saw that they
still had two minutes to make up. The
women cheered each heat as the crew made up 1:30 of the 2:00 minute
deficit.
"Well, here goes nothing!" Kelsey muttered standing up flexing to
loosen her stiffening muscles.
"You can do this Kelsey!" Alyssa encouraged the tired woman. Kelsey just grunted in reply as she walked
down the stairs to the deck below.
Alyssa stood up and leaned down over the railing to catch the taller
woman's attention. Kelsey approached warily,
but with a grin on her face.
"What?"
"Just do your best Kelsey that's all anyone
expects. Win or lose you guys did a
terrific job today." Alyssa looked
down sincerely into blue eyes.
"Maybe I just need a little incentive." Kelsey replied teasingly and watched the
blonde's expression change from sympathetic to playful.
"Oh yeah? Just
what incentive would it take?"
Alyssa's mind raced with the possibilities of what Kelsey would say next. She couldn't keep the excitement out of her
eyes anymore than she could fight the upward curve of her mouth.
"Well, let's see.....how about a backrub tonight after
this is all over."
"That's it? A
backrub?"
"For starters!"
Kelsey chuckled backing away from the surprised blonde. Alyssa saw the challenge in the blue eyes
and countered, "You're on! But,
not only do you have to finish....you have to win!"
"Ohhh, you are going to have to pay dearly
now!" Kelsey's low laughter
followed the tall woman as she walked toward the starting line.
"I'm counting on it!" Alyssa whispered out loud to no one in particular. She sat back down when she heard Nancy
chuckling from behind her. She had
forgotten that they were not alone.
Turning to look at the other woman she shrugged her shoulders in reply.
"Oh-oh, look who Kelsey is racing against!" Nancy's smile turned into a grimace. Alyssa looked down on the track to see the
captain of the track team warming up for the final event. He was a cocky jock with a 'win at all cost'
attitude. This afternoon's events were
more than just games to him, it was a matter of school honor. He had been playing rougher than his
teammates and Alyssa didn't like the feeling she was getting.
Kelsey smiled up at the small group that was cheering them
on and waved at Alyssa. She looked
over at her opponent and let out a silent groan. 'Just great, Mr. Testosterone!' Turning her concentration to the course in front of her she knew
that she would have her work cut out for her.
She would have to watch her footwork through the tires, crawling under
the makeshift limbo pole and then walk the length of a balance beam. The next
segment required that they successfully make three baskets before reaching the
barrels where they would lift four of them, one at a time, and place them on a
platform. It wasn't that they were
heavy, just big and awkward with no handles to hold on to. The final leg of the race would be running
around the track three times.
When the whistle signaled the start Kelsey took off like a
shot and maneuvered the tires without a hitch.
She almost threw herself onto the ground as she frantically began
crawling under the limbo pole. At the
balance beams they were even until they hit the barrels. Kelsey dropped one giving the team captain
the advantage and he had a lead over her of a few feet as they began running
around the track. She knew that she
needed to catch him before the last lap or she wouldn't have the strength for
that final push. She could feel her
lungs straining as she pushed her tired muscles to go faster thinking, 'I'm
going to regret this in the morning!'
The captain looked back and found that Kelsey had just
about caught up with him and as they rounded the final turn toward home she had
pulled into step next to him.
Frustrated, he kept watching her instead of the track and he missed a
step stumbling into her lane taking them both down hard onto the track. Kelsey tried to untangle herself, but he had
landed on her ankle and when she moved it, the pain shot right to her
brain. Finally, detaching themselves
they both tried getting up to finish the race. Kelsey gritted her teeth at the burning pain that shot through
her leg and she tried to hobble toward the finish line. Nearing the tape she made a last ditch
effort and threw herself toward the plastic ribbon, but came in just seconds
behind her opponent.
Kelsey lay breathing hard and afraid to move her foot too
far. Alyssa and Nancy were down the
stairs in a shot and standing over the fallen woman. Nancy touched Kelsey's leg causing the dark haired woman to swear
under her breath. "I thought
so." Signaling to a crewmember she
sent him to the infirmary for a wheelchair to transport Kelsey down there.
"Are you okay?"
Alyssa blurted out and kicked herself simultaneously when she saw the
strained look on Kelsey's face.
"Dumb question huh?"
"No, and no."
Kelsey replied gingerly trying to sit up. Gritting her teeth she had almost stood when the chair arrived
and she was ceremoniously dropped into it.
She knew it wasn't broken because she had this feeling before. It was just going to one heck of a sprained
ankle. "I'm okay. I don't need a wheelchair!" Kelsey's complaints could be heard all the
way down the corridor until they reached the infirmary and Nancy looked down at
her and said, "Shut up, we’re already here!"
The ship doctor examined and x-rayed her ankle giving her
the news that she already knew. It was
sprained but not badly, three weeks on crutches and she would be fine. Kelsey surprised everyone when she looked up
grinning at Nancy and Alyssa.
"Guess this means we switch places for the next three weeks!" Nancy's jaw snapped shut when she realized
what this injury would mean. She would
have to cover all of Kelsey's events while the raven-haired beauty sat behind a
desk doing paperwork.
"Paybacks are a pain aren't they?" Kelsey's voice trickled into a deep chuckle
when she saw the comprehension on her boss' face.
"Damn!"
"Yes, yes, yes!
I guess you will have to referee that basketball game tomorrow
afternoon. Those kids can sure run up
and down that court now can't they!"
Alyssa tried hard not to laugh at Nancy's predicament, but when the
older woman groaned in mock agony, her laughter mixed with Kelsey's.
CHAPTER 42
"Roll over."
Alyssa asked nudging Kelsey's shoulder as she sat next to the reclining
woman on the bed. Kelsey looked up
questioning for only a moment before complying and rolling onto her stomach
carefully lifting her foot and settling it gently back on the elevated
pillows. The raven-haired beauty
groaned when fingers kneaded her shoulders deeply.
"I thought you said I had to win?"
"Well, I think under the extenuating circumstances,
you did win! If he hadn't of almost
broken your ankle you would have beat him!" Alyssa's voice and hands betrayed the anger she felt at the young
man and Kelsey grunted painfully. "Hey,
easy honey.....I tried to win, honest I did!"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you." Alyssa leaned down and gently kissed the
bruised shoulder.
"Yes, that's better!" Kelsey sighed and gave in to the wonderful sensation of Alyssa's
fingers running down her back and across her neck, now gently easing tired and
tight muscles. With every touch and
stretch of her aching muscles, the stiffness and tired feeling faded and
Kelsey's body became alive with renewed awareness. Alyssa's fingers blazed a trail of fire across her back until
Kelsey couldn't take anymore. Slowly
she rolled over onto her side and grasped the young woman's hand, slowly
bringing those burning fingertips to her lips placing feather light kisses
across them. Kelsey's eyes never left
the green eyes next to her intently watching for any hint of displeasure. Instead, the cool green eyes turned into
brilliant pools of jade as they deepened with desire. Kelsey rolled to her back pulling Alyssa down across her
chest.
Alyssa followed her heart and leaned down to kiss the lips
beneath her. Their taste was sweeter
than anything she had ever experienced.
She wanted more and deepened the kiss with slow and steady
deliberation. She wanted nothing more
than to be lost in this warm and inviting world forever. A moan escaped from between their lips and
neither woman knew who was responsible, or if it was a joint affirmation of
what they were both feeling. Alyssa
leaned up and looked deeply into blue eyes that blazed with unspoken passion.
"Are you sure this is what you want?" Alyssa's voice was husky with desire and
need.
"Yes. I am,
are you?"
Alyssa paused for a moment and took a deep breath as tears
stung her eyes. "Yes." The quiet yet strong reply was followed by a
silent admission, 'more than you will every know!' The women's lips rejoined in their haste to sense, touch and
taste everything about each other.
Hands moved in random fashion across flesh and became frustrated at the
barrier of clothing. Deft fingers
worked buttons and snaps until both women were tearing clothes off themselves
in an effort to feel the touch of flesh on flesh. Naked and consumed in their passion they touched each other,
committing to memory the feel and the responses evoked from their
exploration. Kelsey gently rolled over
taking Alyssa with her, the briefest flinch of pain crossed her eyes when she
moved her leg and Alyssa stiffened in response.
"No, it's nothing." Kelsey gently replied and rolled over onto Alyssa's body and felt
the familiar groove of where their bodies fit so perfectly. She leaned down and began placing kisses on
the blonde's face, lingering at the corners of her mouth before taking
possession of it. Alyssa's hands idly
drew circles across Kelsey's smooth skin and ran her hands down as far as they
would reach across the taller woman's hips, ruing the fact of being too short
to cup the smooth cheeks and pull them toward her.
Kelsey's hands cupped the breasts beneath her as her tongue
gently toyed with each nipple. Alyssa’s
breathing caught in her throat as her body responded and her nipples hardened
in anticipation. Kelsey drew a nipple
deeply into her mouth and sucked gently, until she felt the blonde shiver in
response. The sensation brought an
instant heat to the Alyssa's core.
"Oh my God!"
Alyssa moaned and ran her fingers through the long, soft raven hair,
gently pulling the head closer to her breast.
Kelsey ran a hand down Alyssa's side and gently guided it over her
heated sex. She could almost feel the
throb of blood as it rushed to the woman's core and with each stroke of her
hand it brought her closer to her goal.
Alyssa shifted to allow freer access to her body as she craved more of
Kelsey's touch.
Kelsey continued to divide her attention between the two
creamy breasts that she loved and the hot sex beneath her hand. She pulled up to kiss Alyssa as she made her
way toward her final goal, pushing into her body with her finger and her
tongue. Her tongue mimicked the
movement of her finger as it crossed over sensitive nerves and lightly rimed
her entrance. As Alyssa moaned and
moved in time with Kelsey she thrust her finger into the entrance with a steady
rocking motion that Alyssa quickly picked up with her whole body.
Alyssa could feel the pressure building and her body
temperature rise to the point of explosion and she moved her hips faster in
response to the frenzy her mind was feeling.
Her one goal to crest the peak and plunge over its rocky top was matched
by Kelsey's desire to take her there.
The final moment came in a rush with both women crying out
in joy with the release. Kelsey could
feel Alyssa throbbing all around her fingers, she stilled their motion and
gently withdrew to cup the aching mound.
Hugging Kelsey closely to her body Alyssa waited for her breathing to
return as a tear gently tracked down her face.
Kelsey looked up in time to see the tear and gently caught
it with her tongue and smiled. "I
don't know if you are ready to hear this or even want to, but I love you!"
Alyssa's eyes darted quickly and intently to the
questioning blue ones above her.
Nodding through her tears she replied, "I think I've been ready to
hear that since the first day I met you!"
Kelsey rolled over onto her back to ease the stress on her
ankle and brought the blonde along cradling her to her chest. Alyssa listened to the strong steady beat of
the heart beneath her and looked up resting her chin on Kelsey's chest. "So, are you ready to hear that I love
you too?"
Kelsey smiled broadly, "I never thought I would be
able to say this to anyone....Yes, for once in my life I truly am!"
"Good! Are you
ready for me to show you?"
Alyssa's eyebrows arched up and down adding emphasis to her
statement. "After all I did say
whatever you wanted was yours. Is this
something you might want?"
"Yes, please!"
CHAPTER 43
Kelsey awoke to a dull throbbing in her ankle and slowly
stretched out her leg to find a comfortable position. It was going to be a long week ahead of her trying to maneuver
around the ship. Looking down at a
still sleeping Alyssa, she drew the blonde body closer to her and regretted
that she wouldn't be able to go ashore for awhile. She knew the injury well, the less she moved around on it now,
the quicker it would heal. It wasn't as
bad as the last time, she estimated she would be up and around, albeit limping,
in about a week. 'Just call me
gimpy!' she sighed thinking about being stuck behind a desk for the entire
week.
"Are you okay?" A muffled sleepy voice asked from
her shoulder as Alyssa began to awaken.
"Yes, I'm fine, just whining to myself about having
desk duty for the next week!"
"Well, at least I'll always know where to find
you!" Alyssa's eyes were still
shut but her lips curved into a mischievous smile.
"Oh yeah?
Don't be so sure!" Kelsey
retorted sassily. "I'm pretty good
with crutches, I've had lots of practice!"
"Yeah, but can you run with them?"
"No, not very well." Kelsey looked down questioningly. A green eye popped open and she saw the twinkle in them and knew
Alyssa was having fun with her.
"Well, then I guess I won't have to worry about
chasing you too far!" Kelsey could
feel Alyssa chuckling softly over her statement.
'Cute, very cute.' Kelsey thought before
replying. "Who said I'd be running
'away' from you?"
"Touché!"
Alyssa replied and kissed Kelsey softly on the lips.
CHAPTER 44
The next three weeks passed uneventfully, and no matter how
much Alyssa tried to reason with Kelsey, she would not contact her aunt and
talk with her. Sensing that Kelsey was
getting angry, the blonde backed off of the subject, for the time being.
Kelsey could tell that Alyssa was growing restless from
spending their weekends aboard ship. The topic of her aunt seemed to increase
as each weekend approached, but she had no intentions of contacting her aunt
now or in the near future. When she
found a new place, she would send for her things, but in the meantime she was
sure her aunt would keep them for her.
It was the least she could do!
Finally, after being badgered enough to make her almost
lose her temper, Kelsey suggested they spend the weekend in a hotel near
Bayshore and just relax and catch up on their sleep. True to her words, the two women spent a lazy Saturday lounging
around the pool and enjoying the nighttime activities down at Bayside.
Later that night they languished in bed talking about their
childhood, their families and their coming to this point in their lives. Alyssa tried to explain to Kelsey what it
was like growing up in a small town and in a household where women were
considered only good for one thing. She
didn't want to be someone's wife or mother; she wanted more. At the time, she wasn't sure exactly what it
was she wanted, but she knew it wasn't what her mother had. Alyssa told Kelsey about how her mother had
fought her father so that she could go to college.
She also told her about the scene with her father when she
had left to take her current job on the cruise ship. The day she left, she had come outside with her mother and her
suitcase. Her father had been working
on the lawn and when he saw them, he just scowled and walked back into the
house. He had never once, in her
entire life, complimented her on anything she had accomplished, but was always
the first one to recognize a mistake or a shortcoming. It seemed her whole life, she had fallen
short of his expectations, but Alyssa couldn't change her heart, even if she
tried.
Her brother was no better, he was cut from the same mold as
their father. Growing up in their small
town, if she turned down a boy who asked her out, her brother found out
quickly. As soon as she got home, he
would always confront her in front of the rest of the family. This little bit of information, never sat
well with her father and was considered just another disappointment from his
daughter. Alyssa couldn't help
wondering why her brother felt the need to report these happenings to their
father. He was always her father's
favorite and she had grown to accept it but, for some reason, Tom always felt
the need to reinforce that attitude.
In her father's eyes, Alyssa was a total failure because
she had not been able to do the one thing that he expected of her, to secure a
husband and a family of her own. So,
that day, Alyssa had set out to prove him wrong, and from them on, to take care
of herself. She would make something
more out of her life and then maybe, one day, he could be proud of her.
Her mother had driven her to the station and saw her off on
the bus to the airport. Her mother had
hugged her tightly and smiled knowing that she would have done the same thing
if the opportunity had been afforded her when she was young. Sighing, she smiled and waved as the bus
pulled out. If Alyssa could have seen
behind the bus, she would have watched a much older woman walk wearily back to
her car and slowly drive home.
Kelsey, on the other hand, had to be prodded into talking
in any depth about her family. It
wasn't one of her favorite topics, although it did seem easier talking about it
to Alyssa. Kelsey tried to paint her
childhood in a positive light, but the blonde could see through the facade to
the loneliness that had surrounded the young woman for most of her life. Kelsey's parents had done the best they
could, given their lifestyle and penchant for wandering. Having a child was the wonderfully right
thing to do, but they soon discovered it had come with a price. Something they proved unable to pay in the
end, and left their daughter behind to be raised by someone else.
'Some couples are not meant to have children', Alyssa thought, 'they were
definitely one of them!' She almost
commented as much outloud, but stopped suddenly when the thought struck her,
'but then, there wouldn't have been a Kelsey.' That was something Alyssa didn't want to think about right now
and focused her attention back on Kelsey.
CHAPTER 45
Kelsey awoke to the light streaming in the window and
stretched lazily. She felt Alyssa shift
next to her and the young woman's hand snaked across her chest and held on to
her. Kelsey smiled at this subconscious
action and looked over at the alarm clock.
"Shit!"
"Wha-a, what's
wrong?" Alyssa sat up in bed
quickly as the body under her arm jerked upright and jumped out of bed. Kelsey ran a brief hand through her hair and
began running around the room picking up her clothes.
"We're late!
Hurry up and get dressed or we are both going to be out of work!"
Alyssa looked over at the nightstand and blinked a couple
of times to clear her vision. She
could'nt believe what she saw and rubbed her eyes to look again. The time hadn't changed and the clock read 4
PM.
"Damn, how did that happen?" Alyssa was out of bed throwing on the
nearest clothes she could find as Kelsey started throwing their clothes
haphazardly into their two duffle bags.
"I guess we forgot to set the alarm last
night." Kelsey chuckled as they
raced around trying to find their shoes and the rest of their things.
"We're not going to make it are we?" Alyssa asked worriedly as she rang for the
elevator.
"We'll make it!"
Kelsey replied pushing Alyssa into the arriving elevator car. She punched the button several times in a
futile effort to make the doors close quicker.
As they exited out into the lobby, Kelsey gave Alyssa her keys and told
her to go get the jeep as she headed for the desk to check out.
Blinking, momentarily blinded by the afternoon sunlight,
Kelsey spotted Alyssa parked near the curb and sprinted toward the jeep. Alyssa slid over into the passenger seat as
she saw Kelsey coming her way. Kelsey
slid behind the wheel, threw the jeep into gear and sped away from the curb.
Heading down the causeway they saw that the first of the
passengers were already arriving and Kelsey squealed the jeep's tires as she
turned into the employees lot and beached the vehicle in the first available
space she found. The women took off at
a run with their duffle bags in hand, headed for the gangway and trying to
avoid the passengers mingling about.
Heading up the passageway they both fished through their bags until they
found their ID's and put them on. There
were no officers around, so their lateness went unnoticed except by the crew
who laughed and told them to hurry.
Racing down the corridor toward their cabin, Kelsey fished
out her keys and unlocked the door pushing Alyssa quickly inside and following
her. Tossing her bag and herself onto
the bed, Kelsey sat down out of breath, and began to chuckle as she rubbed her
ankle.
"I don't think I was suppose to exercise it quite so
strenuously this soon!"
"Are you okay?"
Alyssa asked and sat down next to her concerned that she may have reinjured
the ankle.
"No, I just have to get use to sprinting again. We had better hurry and get cleaned up. We probably should have reported for duty an
hour ago!" Kelsey grinned and
began stripping off her clothes as she left a path heading for the shower. Alyssa followed suit and soon both women
were vying for soap in an attempt to shower together.
"If we had more time, we could have almost enjoyed
this." Kelsey replied and kissed
Alyssa lightly before stepping out of the shower and wrapping a towel around
her. "No kidding!" Alyssa replied and turned to shut the spray
off. She accepted a towel from Kelsey
and wrapped herself up and followed the taller woman out of the steamy
bathroom.
Throwing things around in their haste, they quickly dried
off and donned their uniforms for work.
"Ready?" Kelsey called
out as she stood with her hand on the doorknob waiting.
"Almost!"
Alyssa replied as she hopped around trying to get her foot in her shoe
and tuck her blouse into her slacks at the same time. Unsuccessful, she tottered over and fell into Kelsey causing both
women to start giggling. The giggling
continued as Kelsey scrambled to help Alyssa finish dressing and slapped her on
the butt lightly as they headed out the door.
Alyssa jumped into the hallway and turned around with a
devious smile. "Oooh,
paybacks!" Kelsey waved her hands
in front of her in an attempt to ward off the approaching blonde. "Don't forget, we are late for
work." The taller woman maneuvered
to keep herself out of reach of the blonde who continued to pursue her in a
threatening manner. Alyssa was just
about within striking distance of the tall raven-haired woman when her chuckle
of triumph was cut short due to Kelsey's backward momentum being abruptly
halted as she crashed into a solid figure.
Alyssa instantly crashed into Kelsey forcing the tall woman backward
into the figure again. Chuckling,
Kelsey righted Alyssa before turning to apologize to the man who looked at them
strangely. Before she could open her
mouth, Alyssa was standing next to her stammering.
CHAPTER 46
"Da...Dad, what are you doing here?"
Kelsey felt her stomach drop and chest tighten in response
to Alyssa's greeting. Looking up she
noticed that there were three other people standing behind the tall blonde
headed man. The older woman looked
around her husband and her eyes lit up at the site of Alyssa and she walked
around the stoic man toward her.
"Alyssa honey...is that really you?"
"Mother?"
Kelsey looked up at Alyssa's father who just stood watching
his wife hug their daughter. His face
showed only sternness and when he turned his attention toward her, she felt a
chill run up her spine. Irritated she
straightened up to her full height and looked back at him until he looked
toward his daughter again. Looking past
him, Kelsey noted a shorter version of Alyssa's father with the same
condescending look on his face and cold blue eyes. Next to him stood a mouse of a woman with brown hair who smiled
nervously at Kelsey before turning her attention back toward the family.
"I didn't know you were all coming down to
Miami." Alyssa looked nervously from
her mother to her father.
"Your mother thought it would be a good idea if we
took a vacation and came to see exactly what you do here. I'm not so sure myself." Alyssa's father's voice was one of
belittling condescension, which instantly irritated Kelsey. Kelsey noted the rigidity in Alyssa at her
father's voice and saw the slight fear creep into her eyes. She slowly stepped sideways toward the
blonde and put herself effectively into the situation.
Alyssa's parents looked over at Kelsey as her brother and
his wife looked on curiously from behind.
Alyssa gratefully pulled on Kelsey's arm to further include her into the
group and introduced her to her family.
"This is Kelsey, my um-roommate." Not looking up at Kelsey she kept her focus
on her parents. "This is my
mother, my father, and that is my brother Tom and his wife Amy."
The silence was awkward until Alyssa's mother spoke
up. "It's nice to meet you
Kelsey. I've heard a lot about you from
Alyssa's letters. You are her senior
officer, I believe? I'm glad we finally get the chance to meet you."
Kelsey smiled over at the woman warmly. She liked all she had heard about her from
Alyssa and knew that she was a good person.
"Yes, I am and it's good to finally meet Alyssa's family
too." Kelsey looked from the kind
green eyes up into cold blue ones as she looked at Alyssa's father
challengingly.
"Yes, well, I think we should find our cabin now. I'm sure that Alyssa has a job to do,
right?" Mr. Anderson replied
effectively dismissing the two women and turning to continue their journey down
the corridor.
"Yes, actually we need to go report for
duty." Kelsey replied and tugged
on Alyssa's arm to get her into motion.
The girl stood in shock looking back and forth between her mother and
Kelsey as though she were trapped in a dream.
"Maybe we can all get together later when you are off
duty." Alyssa's mother replied
hopefully. Tom stepped past them to
catch up with his father to discuss which direction their cabins were in. Without further comment to the women, they
two men headed off down the corridor leaving Alyssa's mother and sister-in-law
behind. Alyssa's mother patted her
daughter's arm and soothingly replied.
"You two go on to work and we will get together later. Don't worry about it."
Alyssa nodded and gave her mother a brief hug before
smiling at Amy and giving her a hug too.
"I'm glad we got to come and see you. I've missed you." The
young woman whispered as she returned Alyssa's hug. Alyssa pulled back smiling at Amy, "Me too. I'm glad you are here." Kelsey looked at her watched and cringed,
they were seriously late now.
Orientation was in about twenty minutes and neither had checked in for
their staff meetings. Kelsey smiled
warmly back at the two women and gently tugged on Alyssa's sleeve to get her to
follow her. "Come on, were
late."
Coming out onto deck and leaving her family in search of
their cabins, Alyssa had a sudden attack of claustrophobia and quickly walked
toward the rail taking in large gulps of air.
Gripping the rail tightly, she felt like she was going to be sick. Kelsey immediately stepped next to her and
put her hand on her back, lightly rubbing it. "Are you going to be
okay?" Alyssa's face was white
with a light sheen of perspiration and Kelsey was sure the blonde would be
leaning over the side soon.
Alyssa nodded briefly and took another deep breath of air
before speaking. "I'm okay, it
just took the wind out of my sails I think.
I really didn't expect to see them here of all places. Why are they here? Why didn't they write and tell me they were coming. What are we going to do now?"
"Take it easy, there is nothing to do now, but get to
work. It will be okay, I promise. Come on, we have to get going before we
really get into trouble. We will handle
the rest later." Kelsey replied
soothingly and released the young woman.
It wouldn't pay to start people talking again, not now, especially with
Alyssa's parents aboard. They were
going to have to be careful, for Alyssa's sake.
CHAPTER 47
Kelsey stepped out onto the deck momentarily blinded by the
sun's rays as it made its slow decent across the afternoon sky. Slipping her sunglasses down from their
perch on top her head, the tall raven-haired beauty looked around cautiously
until her eyes hit upon a lone blonde sitting at a corner table on the
patio. Satisfying herself that the
woman was indeed alone, she began to walk in her direction. As she got closer, her steps involuntarily
halted when she noted the look on Alyssa's face. Alyssa stared out over the ocean with such a look of sadness
that a stabbing pain went straight to the pit of Kelsey's stomach causing her
to wince. She had a good idea what was
causing Alyssa's despair, but what she didn't know was, how much a part she
played in that emotion. 'Kelsey! It
doesn't matter because we are going to see this through to the end. You are not going to quit, this time you
fight for what you want.' Kelsey
straightened up to her full height; with deliberate strides she walked up to
Alyssa and put her hand on her shoulder looking her straight in the eye.
"Are you okay?"
Alyssa blinked out of her fog of thoughts and looked up at
the contact she felt at her side. Blue
eyes looked back at her intently. It
took Alyssa a few moments for her brain to register that she was being asked a
question. "Huh?"
Kelsey quickly dropped into the chair next to her and put
her hand over the clenched fists that Alyssa held in her lap. "What's wrong? Did something happen today?" Alyssa looked down as her fingers that
somehow intertwined with Kelsey's and didn't respond right away. Her thoughts were a jumble of confusion and
fear; she wasn't sure what she wanted to say.
Alyssa wasn't sure how much fear she wanted to admit to Kelsey. She loved this woman, but it didn't stop her
from feeling fear at the thought of her parents finding out about their
relationship. The guilt that was
associated with that admission is what Alyssa was fighting at that very moment. 'If she truly loved Kelsey, it shouldn't
matter what her parents thought, should it?'
"Come on Alyssa talk to me." Kelsey pleaded
softly. Her own fears giving rise to
insecurity and thoughts that maybe her love ashamed or having second thoughts
about their relationship. "Talk to
me, at least give me that much."
Alyssa looked up at the last remark and tears began to form
in her eyes. She tried to blink them
away as they began to blur her vision of the two beautiful blue eyes that were
locked on her own. "You don't
understand."
Kelsey's stomach hit bottom at those three words and she
knew that her fears were realized.
"I see."
"No, you don't see." Alyssa tried again, but couldn't face looking Kelsey directly in
the eye. She took a deep breath and
tried to refocus on what she needed to say.
How she needed to explain how hurtful her family would be to them.
"Yes, I think I do.
Your little adventure is over, you've had fun, but it's over and you
hope I won't make a scene. Well, don't
worry about that, I won't say or do anything in front of your
family." Kelsey pushed her chair
back and stood up slowly, every part of her being ached with a loss that seemed
all to familiar to her. First her
parents, her aunt, and now Alyssa.
Kelsey was suddenly jerked back to the present and had to catch herself
when she found her arms full of this blonde woman that clung to her like a
second skin.
"NO! NO! That isn't the way it is at all!" Alyssa's muffled sob into Kelsey's shoulder
hit the taller woman in the gut again and she tightened her arms around her
lover holding her tightly. "Talk
to me then Alyssa, please!" After
a few moments of quiet tears, Alyssa extracted herself from Kelsey's hug and
moved over toward the railing looking down into the water. Kelsey followed and stood next to her, not
touching, but waiting for the blonde to speak.
"I will admit that I am afraid of telling my family
about our relationship, but not for the reasons you think. I love you.
I am not ashamed of you or my feelings.
I just know though what my family is capable of and how hurtful they can
be. I don't know if I am strong enough
for that."
"I am not afraid of anything they will say or do. Trust me, it wouldn't be the first time I've
heard those things. I've developed a
pretty thick skin over the years." Kelsey replied lightly before sobering
and asking, but what about you. Are you
ready for what they might say or do?"
"I don't know?"
Alyssa looked up into Kelsey's eyes trying to relay her sincerity and
fear without saying it outloud.
"You know you don't have to say anything to them if you don't want
to. I'd have no problem with
that."
"But, then it would mean that I don't love you enough
or think seriously enough about us to stand up for who I am." Alyssa finally began to edge around the real
reason for her fear. "Who told you
that?" Kelsey shook off the
question when she saw the confused look Alyssa gave her.
"Listen to me.
I am secure in who I am and whom I love. I don't feel the need to wear a sign proclaiming myself gay any
more than a straight person does to proclaim themselves hetero. I don't do labels. So, if you do not feel comfortable telling your parents about us,
then don't. If the time comes when it
is right for you, you will tell them and I'll be right her along side you to
support you in every way I can. Do you
understand?"
Alyssa nodded through her tears and looked up wondering
what she ever done right in her life to find someone like Kelsey. "I love you, you have to believe
that. I know that they will never
understand, nor accept any of this. I
know that I'm being foolish because that should be their problem and not mine,
but I just can't hurt them either. For
as much as I need them to be okay with who I am, I know that it goes against
everything they have ever believed in and were taught to believe. They are extremely religious people and I
know they will never change. I'm not
sure I can face their rejection or hurt just for the need to tell them I'm
gay. I know if the time ever came where
I would have to choose I would without hesitation. And, you don't have a problem with this?"
"No, It is more than okay. As long as we are together, I don't care who knows and who
doesn't. I just want to be with
you." Kelsey smiled coaxing a
similar response out of Alyssa. The
blonde grinned and began to chuckle looking out over the water.
"Now what?"
Kelsey asked warily as she watched Alyssa's grin widen. "Well, I'm glad you feel that way
because my family has invited us to have dinner with them tonight and I sort of
said yes."
"Sort of, or did?" Kelsey asked grimacing at the thought of an evening with Alyssa's
father.
"Did?"
The sound coming out of Kelsey's throat was a cross between
a growl and groan as she rolled her eyes and resigned herself to her fate for
the evening.
"Thank you! I
promise I will make it up to you...anything, you name it!" Alyssa enthusiastically replied and hugged the
taller woman tightly before releasing her and stepping back, suddenly
registering where they were.
"Oh, count on it honey! I will extract my payment...later!" Kelsey growled threateningly and looked
predatorily at the blonde woman.
"Promises....promises!" Alyssa teased finding
herself excited at the prospect of Kelsey's threats.
"Oh trust me dear, I always make good on my
promises!" The tall women leaned
in close and whispered in Alyssa ear, the warm breath causing the shorter woman
to shiver. Kelsey chuckled happy at the response she was always able to
elicit from her lover.
"Oh yes!"
The whisper escaping the young woman's lips before she could stop it,
causing Kelsey's chuckle to deepen.
"If we are going to have dinner with your family, I
suggested we go get cleaned up. Anyway,
I think you could use a cold shower!" Kelsey replied and turned to go inside. "Very funny!"
Alyssa replied dryly as she followed the taller figure to their cabin.
CHAPTER 48
Kelsey sat between Alyssa and Tom, which put her directly
across the table from Alyssa's father, Mr. Sands. The evening seemed to be going smoothly with Alyssa and her
mother carrying most of the conversation.
Kelsey was getting use to being stared at by Alyssa's father as she
answered Tom's questions about the ship and their duties. 'Maybe this won't be so bad
afterall'. Kelsey concluded as they
sat over dessert and coffee.
"So, Kelsey is it?" Mr. Sands' voice rose over his wife's conversation and the table
instantly silenced. Alyssa stiffened
perceptively as Kelsey lay down her fork and her cool blue eyes looked up
cautiously.
"Yes, it is."
Kelsey made an effort to keep her voice level and even turn the corners
of her mouth upward in an attempt to smile.
"You seemed to have traveled quite a bit for your age,
which is nice I'm sure, but don't you think its time you get a real life and
settle down." He lifted his
napkin, wiped his hands as if touching something detestable, then folded it
neatly and set it down next to his plate before looking up to hear her reply.
"This is a real life Mr. Sands." Kelsey answered, her voice seemingly calm,
but her hands gave her away as they clenched themselves into tight fists in her
lap. She felt more than saw Alyssa
shift uncomfortably in her seat and knew she had to remain in control for her
sake. Kelsey knew that letting this get
out of hand would only hurt Alyssa in the end, but yet, she wasn't going to let
him walk all over her either.
Alyssa's father snorted at the reply and rebuffed her
answer as a silly response. "Be
sensible, this is no life for a young woman.
You should be thinking about doing something real."
"Mr. Sands, I am perfectly happy with what I do for a
career. I have no desire to find a
husband and settle down as you put it."
Kelsey's voice ended with a slight edge to her words and that was not
lost on the older man. Alyssa watched her
father straighten his back and knew that this conversation was far from
over. Closing her eyes she held her
breath and said a silent prayer that Kelsey wouldn't allow him goad her into
losing her cool.
"And I suppose these are the type of thoughts you fill
my daughter's head with? It's no wonder
she hasn't come to her senses yet."
Alyssa's father looked at his daughter to emphasize this last point.
"No, actually I think your daughter is old enough to
make up her own mind and decide what she wants to do with 'her'
life." The inflection in Kelsey's
voice clearly pointing out whose life they were talking about. She then had to almost bite her tongue to
stop from saying anything further.
"I'm sure you think that is true, but you've known her
all of what three months? I think her
family is the best judge of what is best for her." Alyssa's father chuckled at her naive
assumptions.
"Sir, I mean no disrespect, but don't you think Alyssa
is of an age when she should determine the course her own life
takes?" Kelsey asked with a sharp
edge to her question. She knew she was
egging him on to make a bigger ass of himself and that he would eventually come
right out and say what she was expecting him to say.
"Unfortunately, that is what is wrong with today's
society. We leave too much freedom in
the hands of our children and they make a mess of everything. I believe that it is a parent's
responsibility to guide and direct their child in the right paths. Without this guidance, we will have a total
breakdown of the morals and values that has taken generations to
build." The righteous indignation
was evident upon his face as he sat forward in his chair expounding his
beliefs.
"Does this apply equally to your son too?" Kelsey asked, putting one more log on the
already kindled fire.
"I believe women are not capable of making the same
rational decisions that men do. My son
for example, knows exactly what is expected and needed from him and there is
little direction that he requires."
"I see, so what you are saying is that Alyssa, being a
woman is not smart enough to know what is best for her life and needs you to
map it out for her?" Kelsey's
voice was now full-blown sarcasm and the women at the table looked back and
forth between the two contestants in semi-shock. No one had ever challenged this man on any subject before,
especially not one that he felt this strongly about.
Mrs. Sands watched Kelsey take on her husband and although
at first, she was nervous, she was beginning to enjoy the woman's strength and
determination to fight on her daughter's behalf. Mrs. Sands looked over at her daughter curiously and noted the
look of fear and admiration on her daughter's face. A startled noise caught in her throat when she saw the next look
that Alyssa gave to the tall woman. Her
brows furrowed in concentration as she tried to assess the situation in this
new light.
"My dear young woman, you are a prime example of what
happens when women are left to make choices for themselves. You drift around aimless on this ship
instead of preparing for the future and building a family. I take it you are a headstrong girl and your
parents were not able to control you."
Mr. Sand's voice ended in a sneer at the slur he cast on her family.
"I assure you after my parents died, my aunt did a
very good job of raising me."
"I'm sure 'she' did her best but, afterall, she
didn't have the same kind of help then if your father had been
involved!" His reply came smugly,
proving his point that women were not capable decision-makers.
Kelsey leaned forward on her elbows and smiled fully without
a hint of humor. "My parents, like
many others, were too self-centered with their own wants in life to worry about
me!"
"That's a shame, you can see where that kind of
thinking leads."
"John."
Mrs. Sand's voice was a quiet plea that was answered with a look of
stern disapproval by her husband.
"Yes, I can see where a lot of parental thinking leads
these days." Kelsey replied
smoothly and gripped the edge of the table loosing her battle of control.
"I think we had better say goodnight and turn in, we
both have early call in the morning."
Alyssa's voice quivered in her attempt to take control of the situation
and end the current conversation before it escalated into something much
uglier.
"Yes, lets!"
Kelsey replied instantly.
"Alyssa, I think this evenings talk has made it
apparent that it is time for us to think seriously about your returning home
with the family at the end of this cruise." Mr. Sand's replied looking at his daughter coolly. The look on his face said that there would
be no discussion of this decision and that it was more a statement of fact
rather than a question. "You have
had your little romp of fun and now it is time for you forget about all this
childish play and concentrate on your future and settle down."
Alyssa stood up, her checks flush with a mixture of anger
and fear. "I have made my decision
father."
"Good then, this is settled, you agree with
me?" He asked amusingly. He knew that his daughter had never been a
match for his authority and had always crumpled at the slightest chance for a
confrontation.
"No, not at father, I think you already knew what my
answer would be, I've made that perfectly clear! Are you ready Kelsey?"
Alyssa walked over to her mother, kissed her lightly on the cheek and
smiled at her sister-in-law across the table before turning to walk away.
'Well, how to you do!' Kelsey exclaimed silently as
she watched the stiff little figure leave and the utter silence that had fallen
across the table. Kelsey also knew
that she wasn't the only one surprised by Alyssa's actions. Mr. Sand's face was a rigid mask of angry
and disbelief. Smiling, at Mrs. Sand's,
Kelsey turned and, for once, was hurrying to follow Alyssa out of a room.
When they reached the outer door to the deck, Alyssa
wrenched it open and scrambled though it drawing in great gulps of night air
into her lungs. She needed to breathe
fresh air for fear she would be physically sick. 'What had she just done?
Where had that come from?'
Alyssa felt a hand on her back and stopped her forward movement to allow
Kelsey to move closer to her. Kelsey
put her arm around Alyssa's waist and led her out toward the railing behind a
lifeboat davit where they would have some privacy.
"Are you okay?"
Alyssa nodded, not trusting herself to do more than take
deep breaths at the moment. Her stomach
was doing violent flip-flops and she was afraid of what the ensuing result
would be.
"It's okay honey.
Just breathe slowly before you start to hyperventilate. Nice and easy now." Kelsey soothed as she lightly rubbed
Alyssa's back to calm her down. Alyssa
was her idol at the moment. She knew
that what Alyssa had just done was nothing short of miraculous for the young
woman. Kelsey doubted that Alyssa had
ever stood up to her father at any point in her life until this evening. Silently sighing, she also knew what this
pivotal point would mean in the coming days.
Alyssa had taken a stand and now she would have to be strong enough to
defend it at whatever the cost or give in to her father's demands.
Kelsey waited until Alyssa breathing slowed and the young
woman leaned backward against her heavily, her short body sagged against the
strain that had overtaken it.
"Come on, let's call it a night and go back to the
cabin." Kelsey put her hand under
Alyssa's elbow and led her down he deck toward their cabin.
"Could we just take a walk first, it's such a
beautiful night." Alyssa asked
looking up at the star filled sky.
Kelsey had to admit that the display of lights was spectacular this
evening, without any clouds to mar their view. The deck was unusually quiet and empty this night and when the
reached the front of the ship, Kelsey pulled a deck chair out near the rail and
sat down, pulling Alyssa to sit in front of her, she pulled the young woman
back to rest against her chest.
Wrapping her arms warmly around the Alyssa as the young woman nestled
her head under Kelsey's chin.
Kelsey whispered softly in Alyssa's ear and pointed out the
various constellations that she could find.
"Beautiful isn't it?"
Alyssa's head nodded in affirmation and softly, but firmly,
replied, "Yes, it is and he isn't going to take this away from me
either."
"Okay, honey whatever you want to do. I'm on your side." Kelsey replied and squeezed the body tighter
in her arms in an attempt to let her know she was safe.
"Thank you."
The reply was barely a whisper and Kelsey almost missed it,
but leaned down and kissed Alyssa's temple.
"Anytime baby. I love
you."
"I love you too!" Alyssa turned her body to wrap one arm under Kelsey's and around
the woman's waist. She lay her head on
the taller woman's breast and listened to the strong heartbeat beneath her ear
knowing she could never give this up. A
tear trickled slowly out of the corner of her eye and down her cheek to
eventually dry in the soft tropical breeze that blew over the quiet couple.
A shadow deepened, but went unnoticed by the couple as they
lay in each other's arms looking out over the sea under the starry sky. A knowing pair of eyes watched for a moment
before retreating back from where they had come, but with a better
understanding of the situation before them.
Their suspicions now affirmed, the shadowed figure walked back inside
deep in thought of how to handle this newfound knowledge.
CHAPTER 49
The sun was just peeking over the horizon when Kelsey awoke
with a shiver. Through half closed eyes
she peered out at the sea as the swells gently lapped the big ship. She felt warmth pressed against her side in
the chill of the morning air. Kelsey
knew the cold wasn't so much from a dip in temperature as it was the dew that
hung in the morning air. Her joints
were stiff from lying in one position and Kelsey swallowed a groan as she
shifted to look down at the blonde in her arms. She couldn't believe they had fallen asleep out on the deck. Kelsey grinned thinking, 'this is a pleasant
change'. She had been drunk and
alone the last time she had slept out on deck.
Leaning down she kissed the top of Alyssa's head and
murmured in her ear. "Honey, we
have to get up now. We really need to
get back to our cabin before the passengers see us."
Alyssa's head popped up and looked around sleepy and
confused. "Where?" Her voice
was thick with sleep as she blinked to fully awaken. "How did we get here?"
”Let me refresh your memory." Kelsey leaned down and captured Alyssa's
lips in a sensuous awakening.
"Mmmmmm, I remember now."
Alyssa's voice drifted off as a grin spread across her face. She stretched carefully and extricated
herself from Kelsey's embrace. Standing
she put a hand down to help Kelsey to her feet.
"Ugh! I'm
getting too old for this romantic stuff!"
Kelsey stretched the kinks out of her back. "Well, if you are too old to keep up, maybe I should
reconsider my options." Alyssa
chided and turned to walk stiffly toward the interior door. Kelsey's low rumbling laughter could be
heard across the morning air as she replied dryly, "Somehow I don't think
I'll have any problem!"
"I think your right!"
The two women hurried back toward their cabin to get ready
for work. "So, what's on the agenda for today?" Kelsey finished dressing and was sitting on
the edge of the bed waiting for Alyssa to come out of the bathroom.
"Lunch with my parents and an afternoon
sightseeing. Care to join
us?" A blonde head quickly popped
through the doorway with a hopeful look.
Kelsey tired to look contrite, but couldn't erase the grin
from her face and shook her head.
"Sorry I have to work until 3 PM today." Alyssa walked over to the dresser without looking
at her friend. "So, then I guess
we won't see you until dinner." A
groan could be heard from behind her and Alyssa turned and walked toward the
sound. Sitting in Kelsey's lap she
threw her arms around the taller woman's neck and looked at her somberly. "You know you don't have to do dinner
if you don't want to."
Kelsey looked up at the blonde in her lap and smiled, she
would go through hell to be with Alyssa, so what was another meal with her
father? 'Living hell!' Kelsey chuckled to herself and kissed the
end of Alyssa's nose. "And miss a
meal with my favorite girl? I think not!"
Alyssa stood up relieved and happy that she wouldn't have
to face her family alone for the entire day.
It meant a lot to have Kelsey by her side through all of the past few
days. "I am free for breakfast if
you are interested?"
"Are you on the menu?" Kelsey looked up seductively and reached out to grab Alyssa back
to her, but the nimble blonde side stepped and stood at the cabin door
waiting. "Maybe for dessert later
if you are good!"
"Ooh, you ask too much my love!" Kelsey and Alyssa walked out the cabin door
laughing and feeling more like their old selves. For a moment they are able to forget the troubles that face
them. They knew that the battle with
Alyssa's father had just begun. But,
for the next twenty minutes, they were able to enjoy their meal and each
other's company in peace.
CHAPTER 50
Alyssa boarded the tender with her parents, brother and his
wife in relative quiet. Their lunch had
been fairly uneventful, but there was the feeling of an underlying tension that
ran like a swift current just beneath the surface.
They walked through the colorfully decorated marketplace,
toward their tour bus. Alyssa could
tell by the look on her father's face that he regarded the merchants and their
wares as a nuisance and looked neither looked to the left or the right, but led
the family directly toward their goal.
Alyssa's mother smiled and pointed at various objects as they walked and
she nodded in agreement, but they didn't falter in their steps, but kept moving
ahead. 'Oh, this is going to be
fun....NOT!' Alyssa thought to
herself as she boarded the bus behind the rest of her family. They had paired off as couples and taken
seats toward the back of the bus leaving a row between them, which Mr. Sands
indicated Alyssa should sit. 'This
is not good!' Nothing was said as
the bus pulled out of the lot and headed up into the hills to begin their
tour. The bus was sparsely populated
with the majority of the passenger seated in the front near the tour guide.
"Now, that we are just family, this might be a good
opportunity to tell you the plans I have arranged. As soon as the ship docks in Miami, I have a ticket for you to
return home with us. Your old job at
the library is still available and you can start back there next Monday. The sooner we get this nonsense over with
and our lives back on track, the better!"
Mr. Sands stated emphatically as Tom nodded his head in agreement. Alyssa looked to her mother, who mirrored
her own disbelief. "But John, I
thought we agreed that we were going to ask Alyssa if she wanted to
return?" Mr. Sands snorted and
replied, "That was your idea Linda, I never agreed to anything. Personally, I think its time for a firm
hand."
"Dad's
right! What's Alyssa doing working on a
Cruise ship for cryin'out loud and, what's up with that Kelsey
woman?" Mrs. Sands put her hand up
to stop her son from any further rhetoric.
"What's wrong with your sister working and having friends?"
Mrs. Sands looked at her daughter encouragingly. "Nothing, it just seems something isn't right here. I'm just trying to say that they seem pretty
tight for only knowing each other six months." Tom looked at his sister with a look that even she wasn't sure
what it meant.
"Enough Tom! I
think this is something best left between your father and I." An angry grunt turned everyone's attention
back to Mr. Sands who looked at his wife with much displeasure. "John, please, let's not make any
scenes."
"I'm not making the scene, you are. Maybe you should listen to your
son!" The agitation in his voice
rose a level causing those closest to the family to look over curiously. The tour director called back concerned,
"Everything alright back there?"
"Yes! Just a private family discussion, do go on with
your little talk!" Mr. Sands
called back dismissively waving him off as an intrusion.
Mrs. Sands looked down embarrassed at her husband's
brusqueness. "Oh, John! You can be such a shit sometimes!"
"Excuse me, What did you say?" Mrs. Sands slipped further down in her seat
as her husband continued his rude and abusive behavior, focusing his attention
on his wife.
"Hold it!"
Alyssa's voice cut through the heated air like a cold knife. She had never been one to raise her voice
before, especially in the presence of her father, causing everyone to turn
their attention back toward the topic of the whole argument. "What about
what I want! You have all fail to
recognize the fact that I'm an adult with a mind of my own!"
"One you have not used very wisely young
lady!" Mr. Sands answered sarcastically
looking out the window at their destination.
The bus came to a stop as Alyssa rose up and stood looking down at her
father. "I think I've had enough
of this conversation!" Alyssa
turned and walked up the aisle just as the passengers were leaving their
seats. For the rest of the tour she
stayed away from her family who, in turn, hung back from the tour on their
own. Her mother and sister-in-law
conversed with each other as her father and brother lagged silently behind
them. Alyssa stayed up toward the front
with the tour guide, with whom she was familiar with from previous tours. When it was time to return to the bus, she
sat in the front seat with the guide and when her family boarded she continued
her conversation ignoring their presence.
Out of the corner of her eye she could see her father's anger displayed
prominently across his face. His brow
frowned so tightly that his eyebrows almost met in the middle and by the purse
of his lips, Alyssa knew that the real battle had just begun. Sighing softly, she sat back in her seat as
the return tour began and looked out the window wishing Kelsey were with her
right now.
The rest of the tour went on with Alyssa only hearing the
monologue from a distance, she continued looking out the window deep in her own
thoughts of exactly how far her father was planning on taking all this. She knew he was capable of many things, but
could he actually force her against her will?
Probably not, but he could cause enough trouble for her that she would
lose her job and worse, she could lose Kelsey.
Growing up, she had seen her father in action when someone back home had
crossed him in business. What if he
caused her to lose her job? She knew
Kelsey would not just sit by and let that happen. What would happen if he caused both her and Kelsey to lose their
jobs? She couldn't let that happen to
Kelsey. She knew how much her friend
loved her work. Where would Kelsey
go? She couldn't even get Kelsey to
talk to her aunt, let alone, go back to her apartment there. 'No!
She wouldn't let that happen, she couldn't!' Worse, what if he found out about the two
of them. The thought of that brought a
sudden chill up her spine causing her to shiver in the warm tropical air. The tour guide looked over at her quizzically
and she smiled and feigned attention until he returned to his monologue.
When the tour ended and the bus pulled up to the drop off
spot, Alyssa got off the bus first and quickly headed back to the tender. She didn't wait for her family and took a
seat in front near the driver keeping a comfortable distance between herself
and her family.
CHAPTER 51
As the tender approached the big ship, Kelsey leaned over
the railing of the upper deck to watch its approach. As it neared, she could make out the blonde head she had been
anxiously waiting for. When the launch
came alongside the ship, Kelsey saw that Alyssa's family was seated in the
back, far away from her friend. "Oh
Boy!" Kelsey muttered under her
breath and by the looks on everyone's faces, that was putting it mildly. Heading down toward the disembarking area
she looked through the returning passengers for Alyssa, but never saw her. When the blonde's family came into view,
Kelsey stepped back into the crew area and waited until they passed by. Up close the faces didn't look any friendly
and she had no desire to meet up with them at the moment. Turning down the crew passageway, she made
her way toward the stairs and ran up them toward their cabin deck. Nearing the cabin door she could hear shuffling
coming from with and upon entering found Alyssa packing her suitcase.
"Hey, what gives?
What are you doing?" Kelsey
could feel a knot of fear tightening in her throat and her breathing became
restricted. Alyssa turned a tear
streaked face toward her and just shook her head and looked away. Kelsey walked over and took Alyssa by the
arm and pulled her around to force her to face her. "What happened? What
did they do?"
"Nothing!"
Alyssa took a deep breath and knew she had to remain in control if she
were going to be able to do this.
"We just discussed the situation and they are right, my place is
back home with them."
"WHAT??? I
don't believe that for a moment!"
Alyssa turned a defiant face toward Kelsey and pulled
angrily away from her grasp. She was
not upset with Kelsey, but the world, her family, and what she was being forced
to do. "Who am I kidding? Adventure on the high seas! It was a romantic fairytale, but reality is
that I don't belong here. I've done
nothing but get in trouble and mess everything up. Haven't I already proven that?"
"No! This
isn't the real reason at all. Talk to
me, tell me what happened today."
Alyssa walked over to the porthole and looked out in an effort to remain
focused on her objective and not give in to the feelings that were coursing
through her like tidal wave.
"Nothing happened, except that I came to my senses."
Kelsey stood silent for a moment, she could feel the tears
burning through her building anger. She
couldn't believe Alyssa's attitude. 'Wasn't
what they had worth fighting for?' Alyssa was going to just give up and let
her family win again. "So, I guess
that's it, you've made up your mind.
Tell me one thing....what was I?
Some experiment, a science project to see if you really liked women or
what?" The biting tone of those
words caused Alyssa to cringe as her heart burned with an intensity that she
never knew existed. "Or do you
just enjoy ripping out someone's heart in an effort to make them hurt as much
as you do?"
Alyssa's heart burst with useless anger and pain as the
tears coursed down her cheeks unfettered, and quickly spun around to deny
Kelsey's words. "You know that
isn't true!" Looking up into teary
blue eyes, Alyssa knew she could not let Kelsey believe these things, she could
not do what she thought she must and blurted out the truth. "I.....I love you, that is why I am
leaving!"
"You love me?"
Kelsey shook her head confused and threw her arms around taking in the
suitcases. "Then, what the hell is
all this?"
"I have to go, it is better this way..."
"How can you leaving me be better.....better than
what?" Kelsey moved closer to
Alyssa but stopped when the women put her hands out in a silent plea not be
touched. "Talk to me Alyssa,
please!"
"You don't understand my father, when he gets
something in his head, he will move heaven and earth to get what he wants. I won't let him hurt you." Alyssa attempted to explain the situation,
but she also knew that, until you've have lived under his influence, it would
be hard to believe what he actually capable of.
"What can he do to me? He can't hurt me!"
"Maybe not physically, but there are other ways. What will you do if you lose your job? He can see to that quite easily!" Alyssa replied emphatically and began to throw
more clothes into her suitcase.
"Although I doubt he can do that......I'll can always
get another job on one of the other cruise lines!" Kelsey couldn't understand why Alyssa
thought that this would make a difference.
"Where will you go in the meantime? Would you go back to your aunts?"
Kelsey was beginning to confirm what she had first thought
motivated Alyssa to do what she was doing.
She thought about what Alyssa was asking of her and didn't flinch when
she responded. "Yes, if that is
what it would take for you to stay."
"I can't ask you to do that!" Kelsey blew out a breath relieved that she
at least had Alyssa thinking about alternatives. " No one is asking you
to. I'm telling you that I would do
whatever it takes to keep you with me.......if that is what you really
want."
"I don't feel like I have a right to have what I
want." Alyssa's arms hung limply
at her side as she looked down into the mess she was making out of her
packing. "That sounds a lot like
your father talking. You do have a
right to your own life, you know?"
Kelsey's voice had lowered an octave as she regained control over her
own emotions and proceeded with caution.
Alyssa nodded her head, "I know you're right. I'm just so frustrated right now!" Kelsey rubbed her hands together in an
unconscious response to her delight in being given an opening to offer a plan
of action. "Okay, then lets start
with this....what do YOU want?"
Kelsey took Alyssa by the shoulders and sat her down on the opposite
bed, squatted down before her and held her chin up so that she could look into
the clouded green eyes. "If you
really want to go, I won't stop you."
Alyssa felt a tear slip onto her cheek as and she slowly
shook her head. "No, I want to
stay with you...here." Kelsey slapped
her hands on her thighs and stood up.
"Good, then that's what you are going to do. We take this one step at a time. First, we unpack." Kelsey began pulling the clothes out of
Alyssa's suitcase and began stuffing them in the dresser drawer.
"Wait! You're
going to make more of a mess than I did!"
Alyssa began lightly laughing as she pulled the clothes back out to
neatly fold them and put them away. She
hadn't wanted to leave Kelsey or the ship, but also didn't want to put her
friend through any more hardship because of her family. She was going to have to trust her heart and
her heart said overwhelmingly to stay with Kelsey.
Kelsey stowed the empty suitcase back under the bunk and
turned back to Alyssa. "Okay,
what's next?"
"Uhmmm, dinner with my parents?" Alyssa wasn't sure if she was pushing her
luck, but she also knew she had to confront them and did not want to do this
alone. "Delightful!" The sarcasm in Kelsey's voice was
undeniable, but the smile on her face told Alyssa that it wasn't said in
anger. Looking at her watch Kelsey's
smile turned grim. "We had better
get ready it's almost 6 PM."
"Are you sure you are ready for this?"
"With you, yes....without you, never!" Alyssa smiled crookedly and looked at her
friend, who winked and replied,
"Okay, but last one in the shower gets to sit by your
father!" Both women scrambled over
each other in their haste to get into the bathroom, finally Kelsey lifted the
shorter woman off her feet and set her behind her and hopped into the shower
first.
"No fair! You
cheated!" Alyssa cried out as
Kelsey stood fully clothed feeling pretty smug about her maneuver. "You bet! He's your father!"
"Don't remind me!" Alyssa groaned as she slid a deceptive hand into the shower and
turned the cold water tap on fully.
Kelsey shrieked as the cold water drenched her clothes and scrambled to
get out of the path of the icy water.
"Ooh, you will pay for that one!" The tall woman peeled off her wet clothing as Alyssa giggled
quickly adjusting the water temperature and pushing a naked, shivering Kelsey
back under the warmed water. Stepping
back Alyssa moved to close the shower door when a hand reached out and yanked
her under the water. "Paybacks are
a bitch aren't they?" Kelsey's
deep rumble vibrated against Alyssa's cheek as she clung to the women in an
attempt to get out from under the flow of water. Finally giving up, Alyssa peeled off her clothes and tossed them
into the sink and joined her lover in the rapidly heating water. Maybe the cold water would have been a
better choice, at least it would have kept them from being so late to dinner.
CHAPTER 52
"Well! Well, we thought maybe you had decided not to
join us after your little escapade today." Mr. Sands' voice of welcome instantly set Kelsey's teeth on edge
and she ground them together in an effort to remain silent. But, she didn't need to worry as Alyssa
surprised everyone by standing her ground and speaking up to him. "We can just as easily leave if you
insist on continuing with this discussion."
"You are making a scene! Sit down!" Tom's attempt at authority undermined the
small triumph that Alyssa had just won, leaving Kelsey firmly rooted on her
feet glaring at him. If looks could
kill, he would certainly have been dead.
"Shut up Tom!"
Mrs. Sands spoke up and reached up to touch Kelsey's hand breaking her
heated glare at Tom. "I'm sorry,
please stay?" Kelsey's face
softened at the beseeching look she received from Alyssa's mother and knew
instantly where the blonde got her baleful looking green eyes. Kelsey looked to Alyssa for a response or a
sign of what the young woman wanted to do.
Alyssa finally relented and smiled at her mother and shrugged to Kelsey,
who without a word pulled out her chair and sat down. Looking across the table she found herself, once again, sitting
opposite Mr. Sands. 'Oh, just lovely!'
"I'm sorry mother, but I feel that I have right to an
opinion in this situation afterall, Alyssa is my sister. What she does certainly affects the family,
but it also affects me!" Tom's
voice parroted his father's pompous tones, which were quickly beginning to
grate on Kelsey's nerves. "Tom, let's not start this again!" Mrs. Sands rubbed her brow tiredly and
looked over at her son in warning.
"What did you expect Linda? He has been embarrassed by this whole situation!" Mr. Sands spoke up on his son's behalf.
"What situation?" Alyssa cried out, "just what am I doing that is so
terrible?" She looked between her
father and her brother, and a slight tremor ran through her when she thought of
her relationship with Kelsey. 'Does one of them know something?' Angrily, she turned away from these thoughts
and jutted out her chin in defiance. 'Let
them say whatever they want! I don't
care anymore!'
Kelsey felt Alyssa's hand grasp her leg under the table and
begin to apply pressure. As the
conversation continued, the pinch kept getting tighter and tighter until Kelsey
was biting her lip in an effort not to shout out. Finally, unable to take anymore, Kelsey reached down pried the
fingers off her leg one by one, and returned Alyssa's hand back into her own
lap. Rubbing her leg, Kelsey could feel
the blood begin to flow back into the affected area and knew that she would
have a nice bruise by the morning.
"Where should we begin?"
"Tom!"
"No Linda, let the boy speak. He is the only one who seems to have any
sense around here anymore!" Mr.
Sands sat back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest and nodded
toward his son like a king presiding over his servants.
Tom leaned forward resting his elbows on the table with a
false sense of security. He had his
father's approval and that was all he needed to fuel his fire. "Mother, you have to understand that
I'm only worried for Alyssa. I mean
working on a cruise ship, come on! What type of people is she going to meet
here? Most of the crew can barely speak
English and the passengers are only here for a good time! This job here is a dead end."
"If I chose to believe that, which I don't Tom, why
should it matter so much to you?"
Alyssa voice was a study in calm anger.
She gritted her teeth to speak slowly and clearly in an attempt to keep
herself from exploding.
"It matters to him because he is your brother and it's
his responsibility to look out for you."
Mr. Sands looked over at his daughter shaking his head in
frustration. "It is the way it's
always been in this family and if you insist on remaining single, it's how it
will continue to be."
"You've got to be kidding?" Alyssa stood up at the table and leaned over
the table in an effort to keep the level of her voice down. "I don't need a keeper!"
"I think you do!" Her father's voice was approaching a level of anger that she had
rarely seen, it made her afraid and angry for being afraid.
"Well, maybe that's your problem!" Alyssa's words
poured out before she could stop them.
Her father leaned closer to the table, his eyes flashed with anger
causing her to step back slightly as a intense wave of fear washed over
her. Kelsey noted the slight shiver
that ran down Alyssa's back just before she turned and ran from the room. Watching the retreating figure, Kelsey was
driven by a need more powerful than any good sense she should have exercised in
her effort to protect her lover and friend, and she turned with slow
deliberation to face Alyssa's family.
"Not only are you both totally unbelievable, I think
you fail to recognize the fact that Alyssa is an adult with the right to chose
for herself. Come out of the dark ages
and get with reality. I really think
this conversation and dinner is way over.
Oh but, thank you for the lovely time!" Kelsey turned to follow in Alyssa's direction, but was instantly
stopped when Tom walked around the table to intercept her.
"What I want to know is what exactly is your story
lady. What could you possibly want with
my sister?" Kelsey saw red as her
blood began to crest into her cheeks and she knew when it hit her brain she
would be off like a shot. In a
controlled rage she stuck her finger in Tom's chest and pushed him
backwards. "If I were you, I'd get
out of my face and my business!"
"Excuse me?"
Tom replied standing back up to Kelsey.
"I think you better...."
His threat was interrupt by the presence of his father who walked over
between the two and spoke directly to Kelsey.
"I don't know just who you think you are? This is a family matter, none of which is any your concern!"
"She is family!"
A voice from behind caused the trio to turn to the two forgotten women
behind them. "And at this moment,
more family than either of you will ever be!"
"Stay out of this Linda, you don't know what you are
talking about!"
"Enough! I've
had enough of your bullying and condescension toward me! I won't let you ruin our children's lives
too. I've seen what you have done to
our son and I won't let it happen to Alyssa.
Do you hear me? She is an adult
with a life of her own. You do not own
her, neither of you! Tom, you had
better start rethinking who you are shaping your life after before you lose
your wife too!" Amy who hadn't
said word up until this time stood up and moved toward Mrs. Sands, "She's
right Tom. I love you, but I won't live
under your thumb!"
Mrs. Sands shook with anger and fear at her outburst. She had never gone against her husband's
wishes, but for once, it felt good and she felt empowered for the first time in
a long time. Turning toward, Kelsey her
face softened and her flush cheeks dimpled into a smile. Kelsey could see the softened features of
Alyssa in a few years and her heart fluttered at the thought of her lover. "Kelsey, go to Alyssa, find her and
tell her that I love her, and I just want her to be happy. I know her home is here on this ship with
you and that is okay with me, just promise me that you will both keep in touch
with me."
Kelsey looked into green eyes that glistened with a
knowledge that left the tall woman speechless.
'Does she know? But, how?' Their gaze remained locked until Mrs. Sands
winked and stepped up to Kelsey and softly said, "Go to Alyssa and see
that she is alright." Kelsey
nodded silently and turned to go in search of her love.
CHAPTER 53
Kelsey searched until she found Alyssa on the forward
deck. She stood facing out to the sea
as the wind whipped her hair back from her face. Stepping up into the soft light that shone from the running
lights dotting the top deck, Kelsey could see the tear tracks that ran down
Alyssa's cheeks. She felt a pang in her
heart from the pain she saw etched on the wet face. Kelsey wrapped her arms around Alyssa from behind and rested her
chin atop the blonde head. "You
okay honey?"
Alyssa lifted her shoulders slightly, she was at loss to
describe the feelings that ran through her tonight. In one moment she felt exhilarated at standing up to her father
and in the next, she felt as if her whole world was coming apart. "I don't know how to feel?"
"I guess that depends on what you want to do with your
life? I see you have two choices, you
can go home with them.....or stay here with me." Kelsey's voice remained steady as the low warm tones soothed
Alyssa's jittery insides. "As if
there were ever a decision to make!"
Alyssa laughed lightly to clear the tension from her voice. "I'm going to miss my
mother." This was the only regret
that Alyssa would have, that she wouldn't be able to talk with her mother after
this.
"Well, there is no reason why you can't keep in touch
with her...afterall she is your mother."
"I don't think that my father will allow that after
tonight." Alyssa's laugh took a
bitter twist and her face slid into a frown along with her spirits. "I don't really think that will be a
problem, especially after tonight. You
left before the good part, your mother took off after your father and your
brother, and basically chewed them a new one!" Kelsey chuckled slightly as
she envisioned the sight of the short graying blonde woman standing with her
hands on her hips going to town on the two taller men. They had both stood with their mouths agape
as this once docile creature became a wildcat.
And Amy's first words were just an added bonus. Kelsey relayed the conversation that had
taken place in the dining room after she had left.
"Do you really think my mother knows?" Alyssa couldn't believe what she was
hearing, but she had always hoped that of anyone, her mother would be the one
to understand. As she listened to
Kelsey relate her mother's words, Alyssa leaned back into her tall lover's
comforting embrace. She knew then that
no matter what happened, this would always be her safe harbor.
CHAPTER 54
Alyssa stood watching the passengers milling about as they
waited to disembark. She caught sight
of her family down on the lower deck when they came out from the forward
lounge. All of the passengers had to
attend a mandatory meeting in assigned places to fill out their customs
declarations. This made the
disembarkation run smoother with less need for every piece of luggage to be
inspected. Most passengers didn't make
purchases over the limited allotment but those that do, can declare them and
pay the extra tariff. While this took
care of the majority of travelers, there were always a few who tried to slip
past customs with either illegal items or more than their allotment. Even though not everyone is caught, the
penalties are stiff enough to keep the average traveler on the straight and
narrow.
Alyssa watched her family, hesitant about confronting them
again but didn't want her mother to leave without at least saying
good-bye. Her opportunity came when she
saw her father talking to her mother and then he walked back inside. Alyssa took a deep breath, descended the
stairs and crossed the deck toward the three figures standing against the
rail.
"Mother?"
Alyssa voice was soft and hesitant as she waited as the three turned
around to face her.
"Alyssa! I'm
so glad you're here. I didn't want to
leave without seeing you first."
Mrs. Sands pulled her daughter aside and enveloped her in her arms. She felt Alyssa's stiff body relax against
her, she smiled hugging her daughter tighter and whispered in her ear,
"Don't worry darling, everything is going to be okay as long as you are
happy. You are happy?" Mrs. Sands pulled back quickly to look down
into Alyssa's bright green eyes and knew the answer even before her daughter
nodded her head. A tear gently slipped
down her daughter's cheek and smiling warmly Mrs. Sands reached up and wiped it
away.
"But, how? How
did you know?" Alyssa asked one of
the questions that had been plaguing her throughout the night. "Who...?"
"I saw you out on the deck that night after you fought
with your father." Mrs. Sands
confided and reached up to tuck an errant lock of hair behind her daughter's
ear.
"You did? Does
it bother you?" This was possibly
the hardest question that Alyssa had ever had to ask her mother, but she needed
to know the answer.
"Well, yes and no.
Part of me worries with the path that you have chosen, but the other part
sees the love and happiness in your face since you've met Kelsey. I won't deny that I would have wished that
love could have been for a man, but only because I know that life won't make
things easy for you. You know that I
don't ever want you to be hurt but, I am comforted in knowing that with Kelsey
by your side, you will be safe."
Mrs. Sands sighed at the last remark and hugged her daughter back to her
tighter. "And you know that you
will always have me in your corner. If
you two ever need me, I will always be there!
You are my baby girl and I could never love you any less than I
do."
"Thank you mother, you don't know how much that means
to me." Alyssa hugged and held her
mother peacefully until the older woman broke the spell. "I think your brother has something he
wants to say to you."
"Does he know?
Does Daddy?" Alyssa's
rapid-fire questions were immediately halted when Mrs. Sands whispered
"No...no, that is our little secret until you feel ready to tell
them", and put her arm around her daughter turning them around in unison
to walk back toward the waiting pair.
Alyssa nodded her head and looked up at the pair with
uncertainty clouding her green eyes.
Tom nervously shifted his weight from one foot to the other as Amy
smiled and reached out to give Alyssa a hug.
"I'm glad we got to see you before we left. It really has been good seeing you
again."
"Yes, I just wish it had been under better
circumstances." Alyssa
apologized. "I'm sorry, that was
partially my fault." Tom spoke up
causing the three women to turn to face him.
He briefly looked out at the water embarrassed and not knowing exactly
what to say. Gathering his thoughts, he
turned back to his sister. "Look,
I'm not going to pretend that I understand what you see in this type of
life". Tom paused looking around
trying to find something to emphasize his point. Finding nothing, he turned back to his sister contritely.
"But, I realize it isn't my place to make that decision for you
either. You are an adult and capable of
making up your own mind. I'm sorry that
I came on so strong and bullheaded.
That wasn't fair to you."
"You've been doing it my entire life." Alyssa retorted finding it difficult to let
go of her resentment. "I guess
I've been listening to Dad for too long."
Tom's face broke into a grin and the tension among the small group eased
when the women began chuckling. Tom
reached out hesitantly, unsure if his sister would reciprocate his
affection. But, when she engulfed him
without hesitation into a bear hug, he knew they were finally moving in the
direction of patching old and new wounds.
Stepping back, Alyssa ruffled her brother's hair as Amy slipped her arm
through her husbands and smiled up at him.
He looked down at his wife and realized that maybe his father didn't
hold all the answers after all. He had
almost lost something he held very precious because of that misconception. Leaning down he placed a kiss on his wife's
cheek and smiled at her apologetically.
Alyssa watched the interaction with amusement and thought, 'well what
do you know, maybe reality really has sunk in and there was hope for him".
CHAPTER 55
Kelsey was busy with a few last minute duties so that she
would be free to go ashore as soon as the last of the passengers has left the ship. Kelsey knew that her friend would be saying
good-bye to her family and decided that they needed some privacy. After she finished here, she would head down
to the cabin to pack her bag and wait for Alyssa. Alyssa had asked her the night before where they were going this
weekend. Kelsey hadn't answered her
because she hadn't really thought much about it. During the course of the evening she had tossed and turned with
just that question on her mind.
Finally, while she took the inventory and locked down the equipment, she
began to realize what she needed to do.
Maybe it was the past week with Alyssa's family that had shown her just
how fragile the bonds of a family actually are. Too quickly they can become irreparably severed for good.
Stowing the last of the athletic equipment away, Kelsey sat
down to finish her reports. As the
clock ticked the morning away she found herself daydreaming more than
working. Her mind kept going back to
her childhood and the happiest times that she spent hadn't been with her
parents, but with her aunt. On the
other hand, so had some of her most painful times. Kelsey couldn't stop her mind from returning to the day that Jean
had walked out without telling her why.
It wasn't until many years later that Kelsey could finally acknowledge
to herself that it hadn't been her fault, but she still carried the scars of
that abandonment. She had gone through
the normal range of emotions that a child does when a parent leaves. For all intense purpose, Jean had been more
a parent to her than her own parents had ever been. Shaking her head to clear these oppressive thoughts, Kelsey put
her head down to concentrate on the papers before her. She really needed to complete the inventory
and repair forms necessary to prepare for their next sailing. The more time she spent at work meant there
was less time she could spend with Alyssa.
This thought fueled her resolve and she quickly completed the paperwork
and with a satisfied sigh, she left the office and headed back to the cabin.
Alyssa stood at the rail with her family until the last possible moment and she had to return to work. She suspected that her father was staying away purposely and secretly she was relieved, Alyssa had no desire to have another confrontation with him. Alyssa wanted to part with her family on peaceful terms and really didn't feel a need to speak with him before they left. She thought about it and acknowledged that she didn't have anything further to say to him.
"Well, I hate to cut this short, but I need to get
back to duty. We have to close the
books after each cruise before we can leave the ship." Alyssa turned to face her mother and saw the
soft sadness in her eyes. "I don't
know when I will see you again."
Mrs. Sands replied. Alyssa could
feel the tears burning her eyes and she quickly looked out over the water in an
attempt to gain control of her emotions.
Alyssa felt a touch on her shoulder and looked up into her mother's
loving eyes and instantly fell into her embrace. It was as if she was a child again and all was well with the
world as long as she was in her mother's arms. Alyssa realized it was one of only two places she had ever felt
safe and loved. She instantly thought
of her raven-haired beauty and felt the hot tears spring to her eyes.
"You know I love you and I want for you to be
happy. I think being here and with
Kelsey makes you happy. Don't ever give
that up." Mrs. Sands' voice was
soft and warm against Alyssa's ear as the tears ran unheeded down the young
woman's cheeks. Alyssa nodded unable to
speak past the emotions that filled her.
The two women just stood in their embrace until Alyssa could regain her
voice again. "I love you mother."
Pulling back from their extended embrace, Alyssa hugged her
sister-in-law and brother in turn. The
three of them stood looking at each other for a brief moment before Mrs. Sands
spoke again. "You will come to see
us sometime won't you?"
"What about Daddy?" Alyssa
asked quietly looking between her mother and her brother for a response.
"Don't worry about your father, I'll take care of
everything. It's time he learn that the
world doesn't revolve around him."
Mrs. Sands' voice was filled with confidence and strength. Tom smiled at his mother's grit, shrugging
his shoulders he laughingly replied,
"Well, okay then, I guess that settles that!" The trio erupted in smiles and laughter
lightening the mood on deck.
CHAPTER 56
Kelsey looked over at her silent passenger and reached out
to place a hand on the woman's knee.
"You okay honey?"
Alyssa squinted in the late afternoon sun as she looked
over at her lover. The sun was to the
taller woman's back causing her to be no more than an outline, but Alyssa never
felt more comforted by that presence than she did at this moment. "Yes, I am. I was just wondering where we are headed?" Alyssa had been watching the passing scenery
and had a very good suspicion of where they were going, but didn't want to
believe it until she heard it directly from Kelsey.
"We are going to visit my Aunt......and
Jean." Kelsey replied hesitating
on the last part. "Can I ask
why?" Alyssa asked trying to keep
her voice from sounding overly excited.
She didn't want to do or say anything that might influence Kelsey or
make the woman change her mind. She
knew that Kelsey was taking a huge step today toward resolving issues and
possibly burying the pain of her past.
"I guess because I realize that life if short and it's
not my place to deny my aunt her choices.
If this is what she feels makes her happy, who am I to tell her its
not." Kelsey answered without
taking her eyes from the road. Alyssa
could see Kelsey's hands gripping the steering wheel just a little bit tighter
and reached over to gently run her finger tips across the whitening knuckles. Kelsey grinned and flexed her hands to relax
them before placing her right hand on Alyssa's knee and keeping it there. "I'm glad, I think this is a good
thing and, I've missed your aunt."
Alyssa professed grinning like a supremely happy cat napping in the
sunshine. Kelsey returned the smile as
best she could as she contemplated what she was about to do.
Pulling into the driveway as the sun dipped behind the
house, and paused in the shadows of the house.
Normally, she would have pulled completely into the courtyard, but
didn't feel comfortable to do that just yet.
Getting out of the jeep, Kelsey was almost positive she had seen someone
run into the house from the heavily shadowed side of courtyard. Leaving their bags in the car Kelsey took a
deep breath and waited for Alyssa to join her and turned to walk up toward the
house. Kelsey briefly looked up at her
old apartment and didn't notice that anything had changed. Alyssa slipped her hand into Kelsey's giving
it a brief squeeze and holding on to it as they walked. Kelsey had to smile at the simple gesture
and the warmth and encouragement that it brought to her. Reaching the last archway to the house,
Kelsey paused and Alyssa gently tugged on her arm as she proceeded into the
cool darkened patio. As her eyes
adjusted, Alyssa barely caught Kelsey's whisper, "Well, here goes
nothing."
The two women's footsteps echoed over the flagstones as
they made their way toward the kitchen door.
Before they reached the doorway, a figure appeared emerged wiping her
hands on her apron and quickly brushing her hair back from her forehead. "Kelsey is that you?" Kate's voice broke on last of the sentence
as tears sprung to her eyes. She stood
uncertainly of what do and then looked over to acknowledge Alyssa who smiled up
at her. That smile broke her reserve
and she stepped forward to embrace the young woman. "I've missed you Kate." Alyssa blurted out as the tears once again filled her eyes. "I've missed you too." Kate replied pulling back and looking over
at Kelsey. "Both of you."
The residual of Kelsey's hurt and anger had dissolved at
the sight of her aunt. She had felt a
sense of loss being apart from the tall woman and was beginning to feel like
she was home again. Kelsey instantly
stepped forward into her aunt's embrace.
Alyssa noted movement from inside the doorway and looked up to find Jean
looking our hesitantly. Alyssa smiled
up at the woman. "Hi."
Kelsey stepped back from her aunt's embrace and a shiver
ran through her body. She attributed to
the sudden lack of warmth from her aunt's departure, but part of her wondered
if it wasn't the Jean's appearance and the memories it brought. She looked up at Jean expressionless and
watched as her aunt walked over to draw the woman out into the courtyard.
"Kelsey, its good to see you again." Jean smiled at Alyssa to include her, but
returned her focus back too Kelsey and waited for her reply. Kelsey looked down at her feet trying to
sort through the range of emotions that
were tormenting her. Part of her wanted
to run, but a stronger part needed some answers. There was a child still left inside of her wondering why she had
been abandoned twice, was it some fault of her own? She looked up and her clouded blue eyes told a story all their
own. "I need to talk to you."
"I think it's time." Jean replied quietly never taking her eyes from the lost blue
ones before her.
"Why don't I go inside and make some coffee. We can have it out here on the patio."
Aunt Kate offered and turned to go into the house. "Can I help you?"
Alyssa's voice called out hesitantly.
She didn't want to leave her lover, but she wanted to give the two some
privacy. Aunt Kate turned around with
a smile, "Yes, I'd love the company."
Alyssa looked back at Kelsey and whispered, "Do you
mind?" Kelsey half smiled and
replied, "No, you go ahead. I
guess we have a lot to talk about."
She looked down into understanding green eyes that were filled with such
love that Kelsey felt a burning within her soul. "Yes, you do." Alyssa smiled and gave Kelsey a quick
hug before following Kate into the house.
Kelsey's eyes followed Alyssa until she was lost in the shadows of the
house and finally turned to look at Jean.
It was time to face her demons and put them where hey belonged. The two women stood looking at one another
in silence until a tiny voice asked, "Was it me?"
"No!"
Jean's voice was strong and effective in startling Kelsey out of her
shell and she instantly reached out to the young woman. The elder woman's reach fell short of her
goal and she looked away shaking her head, the tears quickly filling her
eyes. Turning back to the tall young
woman she asked, "Is that what you thought?"
Kelsey couldn't trust her voice and she knew the slightest
quiver would break the resolve that she was trying to maintain. Instead she nodded her head yes and focused
her eyes just above the graying head.
"That couldn't be furthest from the truth. What I did was irresponsible. I was young and foolish and I never though
about how my leaving would affect you.
You and your aunt had each other and I thought you both would be okay,
but you weren't were you?"
Kelsey felt the burning in her chest churn up the hurt and
resentment that she had kept buried so deeply.
"No, we weren't. How could
you just walk away like that? How could
you leave my aunt just like that, without so much as an explanation? The least you could have done was tell her
to go to hell, because that is exactly where she spent that following
year!" Kelsey's voice grew
stronger as the anger poured out of her.
"And you?"
The timbre of the woman's voice was even with a touch of sadness and she
watched the young woman struggle for the words to express her pain.
Kelsey turned away and gripped the railing to the patio and
looked out into the courtyard. Taking a
few moments to calm herself, she turned around and levelly asked, "Do you
have any idea what it is like to watch your family one by one leave you, and
then wonder if the shell of the woman left before you hated you because of
it? I had plenty of time to wonder
because there was no one who could tell me that answer?" Kelsey stopped speaking when she realized
that Jean stood mutely before her with tears running down her cheeks
unheeded. Kelsey could not remember a
time she had ever seen the woman cry, even the time she had seen her
accidentally cut herself and the wound had required eight stitches to close
it. Now the woman stood before her
taking the punishment that she felt was due her.
"I am so sorry Kelsey. I never meant to hurt you and make you believe that my leaving
was in anyway your fault. I was young
and stupid and I ran from everything that had ever meant anything to me. It didn't take me long to realize the
mistake I had made, but by then, I was too embarrassed and angry with myself to
do anything about it. After that, I
just thought you were better off without me and I stayed away. But, believe me, I loved you like my own
daughter, I still do." Jean paused
a moment to take a ragged breath and wipe the tears from her eyes with the back
of her hand. "You know your Aunt
is one special lady, I don't think I could be as forgiving as she is, but I'm
glad that she is because I don't ever want to lose her again. I'll spend the rest of my life making it up
to her...to both of you, if you will let me."
Kelsey looked into the pleading brown eyes and knew that
she didn't hate Jean. The hurt was
still there and she wasn't sure if that would ever go away, but she knew that
she also felt a peace in knowing it hadn't been her fault. "Do you still hate me?" Kelsey's attention refocused on the warm
brown eyes when Jean softly spoke.
"I never hated you."
"Can you forgive me?"
Kelsey hesitated and honestly thought about it before
replying, "I hope so." Jean
stepped forward with open her arm, Kelsey didn't hesitate this time and stepped
into the embrace.
"So do I" Aunt Kate's voice came from the doorway
to the house as she stepped out onto the patio carrying a tray of cups and a
coffeepot. Alyssa followed behind
carrying another tray of assorted desserts.
Setting the trays down on the table she took Alyssa by the hand and they
walked over to where the other two women stood. Kate pulled Alyssa into a group hug with her lover and Kelsey and
said, "There has been enough pain
and sadness in this family to last two lifetimes. It's time we look at what we have and not what we don't have and
just be happy." There were
murmurs of agreement from the rest as they hugged one another and began to put
the past behind them. Kelsey looked
down at the women in the circle, her eyes were caught by glistening green ones
looking up at her with love. In many
different ways it would be a new beginning for all of them. But for Kelsey and Alyssa, they knew that
their beginning and end lie within each other's heart.
The
End....
ÓK. Stoley