The One to Hold Your Hand, page 18
“Believe it or not, Meredith’s personality was refreshing at first. What I grew to resent about her, I actually really liked at first. She always knew what she wanted, and she was relentless until she got it. She made it no secret that she wanted me, and I liked that feeling. It was the same thing when we started to date. It didn’t take long for her to start talking about our future as though it was something she was so excited for. I loved that about her until I realized we had much different views of what our futures looked like.”
Bette held her breath as she looked toward Reese, hoping she wouldn’t completely judge her for that answer. To her surprise, Reese simply nodded in understanding. “That makes sense. But I hope you realize you could get whoever you wanted. Any girl who gets to create a future with you is incredibly lucky, and she better realize how damn lucky she is. Your dream to work at your family’s shop isn’t trivial or dumb. It’s awesome. It’s a life that someone should be begging to be a part of, not trying to steer you away from.”
“Why won’t you date me?” Bette asked, laughing softly to try to lighten the mood, even though she knew deep down just how much she wanted to know the answer to that question.
Reese tilted her head and had her mouth slightly agape like Bette had just asked the dumbest question in the world. “You know I'd date you in a heartbeat.”
Did she though? Since high school, there had always been a reason they couldn’t be together. It didn’t really seem like Reese would date her in a heartbeat. Hook up with her? Yes. Be there for her unconditionally? Undoubtedly. But officially date her? Something always seemed to be holding her back from that.
“Then why aren’t we?”
Reese shrugged. “Life. Distance. Shit circumstances.”
“Distance isn’t going to be an issue for long. Even if you take that job and get a place with Rachel, you’ll be an hour away at most. That’s not bad.”
“Are you serious?”
The amount of surprise in Reese’s voice shocked Bette. Was she honestly questioning it?
“Of course I’m serious. Why wouldn’t I be?” Bette asked.
“Well, for one, you just got out of a relationship with someone who you once thought you could spend your life with.”
She had a point. Obviously, Reese would just assume she was being rash. But nothing could be rash with Reese. Not when they had been such an important part of each other’s lives since they were kids.
“Okay. I get how this looks,” Bette said. “But I mean it. I’d be with you in a heartbeat too.”
“How about we make a little deal? Take this next semester to focus on you. After meeting Meredith, I feel like it’s probably been awhile since you’ve really been able to do that. We’ll obviously stay in touch as always, but I don’t want you to make any decisions based on me. You deserve to make this time about you. Then when the summer comes, we’ll see where things take us.”
Bette couldn’t help but smile. Reese was one of a kind. That was for sure.
“I can’t wait to find out where it takes us.”
Chapter 16: Summer After College
“Let’s go on a road trip this summer.”
Reese looked up at her sister in surprise, momentarily forgetting about the notes she was studying for her last set of finals ever. “What?”
“A road trip. You know, where we travel the country, stay in random places, explore. Your job and our lease for our apartment don’t start until September. We have time. Might as well.”
“And how do you plan on paying for this road trip?” Reese asked with a laugh.
“Well, one of us has actually been working the past four years. Plus, I already talked to Mom and Dad, and they agreed to help pay for it.”
Reese put her notes to the side and sat up straighter. “You’ve been planning this?”
“It’s just a thought. We don’t have to. I just thought it might be fun.” Rachel snapped her fingers as if she had an epiphany. “Oh! This is the summer.”
“The summer?”
“The one where you and Bette finally stop playing games and actually get together, right?”
Reese had no idea where they stood with that. They hadn’t actually talked about it since she first mentioned it. Truthfully though, she knew Bette was the reason she wasn’t immediately jumping at the opportunity to take an all-expenses-paid trip for the summer. It wasn’t because she expected them to jump into a relationship, but more so because she was looking forward to spending time with her.
She shook her head when she realized she had yet to answer her sister’s question. “It’s not like that. The plan was never to just get back together. It was to see what happens when there is nothing standing in our way.”
Rachel’s face lit up like she had come up with a brilliant idea. “What if there was literally nothing standing in your way but the open road?”
“What do you mean?”
Rachel tossed a pillow at Reese so hard that it actually kind of hurt. “I mean, ask her to come on the road trip, stupid. What better way to figure out how you guys feel? Not that there is anything to figure out. Everyone knows you’re in love.”
Reese rolled her eyes and threw the pillow back. Obviously, she loved Bette, but the extent of their relationship was much more complex than that. There was always something standing in their way, and she couldn’t help but wonder what that meant. If it was some type of divine intervention saying that they shouldn’t be more than just friends. “Whatever. You would actually be cool with letting Bette crash our road trip?”
“More than cool. In fact, to prove it, I’ll text her right now and ask.” Before Reese could argue, Rachel had her phone out and was typing away. A few seconds later, a text came through to their group chat.
“Done,” Rachel said with a proud smile. “Now we wait.”
They didn’t have to wait long. Bette responded in less than a minute. Road trip? That sounds awesome. I have to talk to my parents obviously, but depending on what the plan is and what they say, I would love to come if that’s truly cool with you guys.
***
A month later, they had the whole trip planned out, including what places they wanted to see and where they would stay. They even did their best to figure out a driving schedule, even though they knew it would probably change.
“Let’s go, bitches,” Rachel shouted as she climbed into the car. “We’ve got places to see, boys to meet, relationships to… well, whatever it is you two are doing right now.”
Reese glared at her sister. She and Bette had yet to talk about what was actually going on between them, and she didn’t need Rachel making it any more complicated than it already was. When she looked at Bette to see her reaction, she didn’t seem the least bit fazed by Rachel’s words. She just wore that same sweet smile she had been since they started planning this trip. Reese had to look away because she knew how easy it would be to get swept away by that smile. She could already feel the usual bubbling in her stomach that Bette always gave her.
She pointed toward the car. “Do you want to be the copilot to start or should I?”
“You got this,” Bette said as she opened the back door of Reese’s jeep. “I’ll play DJ Bette to start.”
“Fine. Just no Taylor Swift,” Reese said with a groan, knowing Bette all too well.
Bette threw a hand over her chest as though she was disgusted by Reese’s words. “You would be lucky to have such a queen play in your car. Plus, you have to agree that it’s better than the EDM music Rachel is going to make us listen to.”
“Touché.” Reese laughed and shook her head as she opened the door and slipped into the front seat of her car. This was sure to be an interesting trip.
***
“Vegas, baby!” Rachel shouted as Reese drove onto the Las Vegas strip and tried to focus on finding their hotel rather than the sight of her sister fist bumping out of her sunroof.
They were only a little over a week and a half into their trip, but they had already done so much. Visiting The Bean in Chicago had been fun, but not nearly as cool as watching a concert at Red Rocks in Colorado. Even though none of them had heard of the band they went to see, it was still amazing; part of which may have been due to the edibles they had consumed for the first time. A few other small stops broke up their time in the car and reminded her just how much she loved spending time with her two best friends. There was no one in the world who made her happier than them, and she honestly couldn’t think of a better way to spend her last summer before officially becoming an adult.
“Here it is!” Rachel shouted once again, distracting her from her thoughts, which was a good thing since she was pointing out the hotel they would be staying in—Treasure Island. It was far from being the fanciest spot on the strip, but none of them understood spending a bunch of money on a room they wouldn’t even be in much.
After giving their car to the valet and unloading their bags, Rachel looked between Reese and Bette, shooting them each a mischevious grin that made Reese nervous. “I have a little surprise for you guys.” She pointed a finger at Reese as though she was about to lecture her. “Mom and Dad don’t know this so don’t tell them. I got another room in addition to the one that they paid for.”
Reese lifted an eyebrow. Where the hell was she going with this? “And why did you do that?”
Rachel’s grin only grew wider with the question, and Reese had a feeling her answer was probably going to be awkward for everyone. “Well, you know what they say—what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. I’m planning on getting lucky on this trip and what better place than Sin City? I thought this might give you two a chance to figure things out as well.”
Reese felt her face flush and her whole body heat up from embarrassment. Rachel’s lack of a filter definitely served to try to make things weird between her and Bette on this trip. It hadn’t worked yet, but she wondered what would happen now that they were sharing a room just the two of them. She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t thought about kissing her multiple times already, especially in those times she didn’t have complete control over herself. How could she not? Bette had always been beautiful, but had somehow become even more breathtaking throughout college. Plus, it had been way too long since she tasted those lips. A year and five months to be exact, but who was counting? She definitely wasn’t. She certainly hadn’t spent multiple occasions dreaming about what it felt like to run her tongue along Bette’s bottom lip and to hear her moan as their tongues met and began their inevitable battle for control.
“Oh yeah. I definitely made the right choice,” Rachel said with a laugh before running her thumb just below Reese’s mouth. “Just thought I should help you wipe that drool from your face, Sis.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but was stopped when a hand landed on the small of her back that sent tingles up her spine. “Well, I for one, am all about taking full advantage of the Las Vegas experience,” Bette said in a sultry voice that Reese didn’t expect.
The tingles shot down her body and landed right in her center, making her feel more turned on than she had felt in a really long time. How did Bette do that? How could she make Reese feel so much by doing so little? And after all this time?
Those thoughts continued to run through her mind as they went to their room and got ready for dinner and their night out. Reese couldn’t stop herself from sneaking peeks at Bette as she shimmied into her tight black dress. Her mouth went dry as Bette finished off her outfit with jewelry and a pair of high heels that would have killed Reese if she ever tried to wear them. Heck, she was pretty sure just the sight of Bette in those high heels might be the death of her.
Bette sat down on the edge of one of the room’s queen-sized beds as she struggled to get the shoes on.
Without even thinking about it, Reese dropped down in front of her and tightened the straps that Bette had been fumbling with. After taking care of her shoes, her eyes instinctively ran up the length of Bette’s long legs. God, those Division One field hockey workouts had been good to her. Since the last time they were together, Reese had almost forgotten exactly what those legs could do to her. It was all coming back to her now though. Heat rushed through her as her eyes continued their path upward, slowly taking in every inch of the woman in front of her until their eyes finally met.
By the way Bette looked at her, Reese could tell she had noticed exactly what she was doing. It was a mixture of surprise and desire that made her want to forget about their plans for the night, push her back onto the bed, and have her way with her. Instead, she forced herself to stand up and reached out a hand for Bette to take. As Bette stood eye to eye with her, Reese couldn’t get herself to look away. It was like she was under a spell that she had no interest in breaking. She pushed a stray strand of hair behind Bette’s ear, relishing the way she sighed as she closed her eyes and leaned into Reese’s hand.
Unable to handle the mounting tension, Reese rested her hand behind Bette’s head and closed the distance between them, not wasting another moment before kissing her lips. The kiss was everything she dreamed it would be, plus so much more. Bette’s warm mouth on hers had her whole body on fire. She ran her tongue along Bette’s bottom lip just as she had imagined doing, her body buzzing when she was granted entrance. Unlike her daydreams, she was the one to moan at the first touch of their tongues. She couldn’t help herself. Her whole body was alight with anticipation of what was to come.
Unfortunately, what came was Bette breaking the kiss way too soon. “What are we doing?” she whispered as she kept her forehead pressed against Reese’s.
“Making the most of tonight?” Reese asked, desperate to give any answer that would get Bette’s lips back on hers.
“Good enough for me,” Bette said before pulling her into a kiss that was somehow even better than the first.
***
Bette smiled when she felt Reese’s hand slide into hers as they walked into the club. It wasn’t the first time that night Reese held her hand. She had held it all through dinner as well. Bette wasn’t sure what to expect after their impromptu make out session in their hotel room, but she liked the direction the night seemed to be taking. Sure, she wished she knew what it all meant for them beyond this one night, but she wasn’t thinking with her brain too much at the moment, and other parts of her were more than happy with what the night could hold.
Reese continued to hold her hand after they each took two shots and ordered drinks. They then followed Rachel through the crowd so she could get closer to the stage where her favorite DJs were playing. Bette couldn’t care less about the DJs, but what she did care about was the way Reese pressed her body up against hers as they played and the way her fingers dug into her sides as their hips undulated against each other.
The more they danced, the more their bodies began to sweat and something about the sweat from their bodies connecting had her extremely turned on. She couldn’t even remember the last time she felt this turned on, but she had to imagine the last person who had made her feel this way was the very same person she was dancing with right now.
The whole room disappeared, and it was just her and Reese. All she saw was the look in Reese’s eyes as she stared at her like she wanted to devour her. All she heard was the sound of her heart beating. All she could feel was… well, everything. Reese’s fingers, still digging into her sides. Reese’s mouth, which now planted kisses along her neck. The feeling of how Reese’s body reacted as she moved her hands down onto her ass and pulled them even closer together. She felt all of this throughout her whole body. It was like Reese crawled inside of her and touched each and every part of her. At this point, she couldn’t even tell what was real and what was a residual effect of the actual touches.
Reese moved one of her hands to below Bette’s dress, then glided it underneath the dress to burn a path back up Bette’s bare leg, before running a finger along Bette’s ever wetting center. “Let’s go back to the room,” Reese said in a husky whisper that made Bette worry she might come right there in the middle of the dance floor.
“But… what… about… your sister?” She had to force the words out because she could barely breathe.
Reese nodded her head as she let out a slight laugh. “I think she’ll be just fine.”
Bette moved her body just enough so she could look in the direction of Reese’s head nod where Rachel was currently in the middle of an intense make out session of her own. She knew Rachel was more than capable of taking care of herself, so she didn’t fight it when Reese grabbed ahold of her hand and dragged her off the dance floor and out of the club.
Luckily, the club they had chosen was at a hotel across the street from their own so it didn’t take long for them to make it back to their hotel room. As soon as they made it inside, Reese pushed her up against the wall and grinded her body against Bette’s as she continued to kiss her neck just as she had been doing in the club. Before Bette knew what was happening, Reese pulled her dress over her head. She wasted no time removing Bette’s bra and underwear as well, making sure she kept her lips on some part of Bette’s body at all times.
She kissed her way up to Bette’s ear, which she then licked and bit, causing Bette’s whole body to melt. Luckily, Reese had a strong hold of her or else she would have completely lost it when she heard the next words to come out of Reese’s mouth. “I want…” Reese cleared her throat as if she was nervous to say it, like she worried what Bette’s reaction might be. “I want you to… to ride my face… if you’re okay with that.”
The words shocked Bette. In all of their times together, they had never done anything like that, and from what she gathered, even though neither of them had been shy about having sex throughout college, they also hadn’t been very adventurous with any of their sexual partners. That didn’t mean she wasn’t up to it now. If she was going to try something new, she wanted it to be with Reese—the one person she always felt safe with no matter what.
