A Little Downtime
24 Feb 2022Kodeyne
Alison hummed softly as she sat curled up on the squishy softness of the big sofa. She sipped black coffee and lazily swiped at the screen on the datapad.She looked as Ophelia quietly came out of the en-suite. Ali knew she was still moping about the encounter with Mikael; nothing, it seemed, would lift her out of it.
"Hey, girl..." Ali patted the cushion next to her, nodding at the other mug of coffee on the table. Ophelia wandered over and plunked herself down, snuggling up and lifting the steaming mug. She sniffed it suspiciously.
"Is there whiskey in this?"
"Oh yes. Just the way you like it, dear. Two measures of bourbon and a teaspoon of honey. "
"Thank you." She planted a kiss on Ali's cheek. Sighed and leant into her shoulder.
"Look at this, 'Lia," said Alison, brandishing the datapad, "seaside holiday apartments on Baltha'sine. Guaranteed privacy, access to a white sand beach with clear blue sea, nothing nasty lurking in the water. Azure skies and sunshine. Wouldn't that just be a perfect place for a little break? "
"Ummm...."
"Would you like to go, dear? Just you and me."
"Dunno...."
"Please say yes..." Alison continued, and paused, feeling slightly ashamed of herself, "...because I've already booked it."
" Ali! " Ophelia protested, sitting up and banging her mug down on the table.
"Oh, 'Lia! Please! I need a vacation, you definitely need one. It's for a week, we can leave early if you really don't like it, but I'm not going on my own!"
"And how do we get there?" snapped Ophelia, looking flustered.
Alison blinked, then smiled and gestured all around.
"Uh, what are we sat in?"
Ophelia blushed. "Oh. Yes, of course. Big fuck-off starship."
Ali laughed, gently took Ophelia's face in her hands and kissed her. "The lease starts tomorrow. So hadn't we better get moving?"
From Big Bad Wolf to the shuttle, from the shuttle to the taxi; Ophelia had insisted on wearing a baggy top with a huge hood to conceal her face. "Because otherwise people will stare at me!" was her reasoning. Alison had refrained from pointing out that people would probably stare more with her dressed like that...
Alison had barely unlocked the front door of the apartment before Ophelia shot inside, dropped her bag and thumped against a wall, throwing back the hood and started hyperventilating. Ali ditched her own bag, carefully embraced the other woman and spoke gently.
"It's okay, girl. Breathe. Breathe! We're safe! No-one here but us."
It took about five minutes for Ophelia to get herself under control. She curled up on the couch, hood over her face. Alison quietly sat, holding her hand, until she sensed that Ophelia had dozed off.
"Oh, my precious 'Lia," she whispered sadly, then stood, shook herself and went to inspect the apartment.
The main room, where they were now, had a kitchenette at the back and a bedroom adjoining. At the front, sliding glass doors opened out onto a semicircular deck that had a modestly-sized oval pool and sunloungers. The faint humming sound was the only evidence of a device derived from the shield tech used in starships; an unseen field that filtered out harmful UV rays from the sun, and also kept annoying bugs out. It did block any breezes too, but filtered ventilation got round that. There was also a physical canopy that would lower if the weather did turn.
And turn it did. Barely an hour after they arrived, thick grey clouds rolled in and put down some of the heaviest rain Alison had ever seen. She sat in an armchair, catching up on a novel she must have started weeks ago, but hadn't had time to pursue. The muffled rumble of the downpour roused Ophelia; she sleepily wandered out onto the deck, rested her hands on the canopy and stared at the sheets of water lashing across the landscape. Alison lowered her datapad and gazed thoughtfully at the slender figure silhouetted against the murky light. The two of them had been close since childhood; and although Alison accepted her beloved’s strange ways, it still escaped her how someone who could walk alone into a fight with three professional assassins could also be so terrified of going out in public. She had quietly done some research into what Ophelia’s condition could be, but nothing seemed quite to fit; or it could be a mix of so many things that trying to decipher it all got Alison down.
The next day dawned clear and warm. By the time they got up, the heat from the sun had turned the puddles from yesterday’s rain into a distant memory. The canopy retracted and Alison happily changed into a classic cobalt-blue bikini. Ophelia changed somewhat more reluctantly. “Come on, girl,” exclaimed Ali, “let’s get some healthy sunlight into you!”
“But I like being pale and interesting!” complained Ophelia, even as she donned a strapless black bikini. Hair tied back, Alison clambered onto the sunlounger, novel to read and a tall glass of gin and juice to hand. Had a little shiver of pleasure as the sunshine bathed her. Nearby, Ophelia yanked the shade of her lounger over and curled up, trying to doze in the heat. Although absorbed in her reading, Alison occasionally glanced sideways, where Ophelia was turning back and forth on the lounger, trying not to look fidgety. Eventually, the blonde woman rose and made her way to the pool. Slipped into the water and began to swim slowly, alternating between circuits and laps, content to be doing something; she hated being awake and doing nothing.
A gentle splashing signaled her exit from the water. As she padded past, Ali looked up. Saw rivulets of water, sparkling in the light, running down the pale flesh. Watched muscles moving under skin. Her heart gave a little flutter and she caught her breath. When together, they would kiss and cuddle, and they slept in the same bed. But, apart from that one time in the hotel, sex had simply never seemed important. Yet now, Alison watched Ophelia toweling herself dry and realised that, suddenly, she desired her, physically. She slowly sat up and moved to sit next to Ophelia, their hips touching and Alison sliding an arm around her waist, gently caressing. Ophelia raised her eyebrows and smiled, touching her nose to Alison’s and following that with a kiss.
“Why, Alison, dear,” she said archly, “are you trying to seduce me?”
“There’s no trying about it, my love. I am seducing you!”
They wrapped their arms around each other and slowly sank down onto the lounger, for a good old smooch. After a while, Ophelia sat up, took Ali’s hand and led her into the coolness of the bedroom. Shedding their garments, they lay entwined on the bed, hands exploring and stroking. Moving slowly against each other’s thighs, excitement building until the climax exploded in their heads, leaving them gasping and clinging to each other. There were no words; mere words seemed inadequate to express what had just occurred. Looking into each other’s eyes and fingers touching their faces, knowing now that they might be two people, but they were one soul, inseparable and utterly committed. Breathing softly together, a blissful doze overcame them both.