Try
“What is this garbage?” Peridot furrowed her forehead.
Lapis inserted a disk into the TV player, and immediately popped up the main menu for some teen drama soap opera.
“It’s really good, I promise,” Lapis vouched. “I know you don’t watch a whole lot of TV, but we can cuddle the whole time if that makes up for it.”
“I thought that was to be expected?”
Lapis smirked as she scooted the shorter girl closer on the couch, and kissed her lips. “I knew that would convince you to watch it with me.” She pressed play, and tossed the remote to the other side of the couch.
“I’m not that predictable.”
“You sure about that?” Lapis teased.
“Of course, I’m the most unpredictable person in the world,” Peridot exaggerated with a hint of sarcasm.
Going over to Lapis’ place that night was a very smart choice. After her quick detour at the convenience store, Peridot looked at the two beers she bought, and threw them away in the garbage bin. What was she thinking anyway? She never drank casually for fun, it was very much unlike her. Why did it matter to her so much, whether she drank or not? Peridot sighed. She should have never gone out with her roommates to begin with, and stopped doing so after the night she met Lapis.
About an hour ago, she escaped the hell which was now her home. She hoped Pearl and Amethyst were not at each other like dogs by the time she went back, whether that would be tonight or tomorrow. As much as sleeping in her own bed sounded like bliss, cuddling with Lapis sounded just as great, if not better. Even though Lapis shared a room with another girl, her roommate could not care less whether Peridot stayed or went. Even so, Peridot felt somewhat uncomfortable around Lapis’ silent roommate, Blue Pearl.
But that night Blue Pearl had gone out with friends, and Lapis’ two other elusive housemates were still out. Peridot still had yet to meet them or even see them. Those two always either stuck in their room while Peridot was present, or were out for extensive periods of time. They were your classic ghost housemates. The blonde did make some observations about their behavior, noting they were not very organized people, by the way they left belongings scattered around the house. There was one detail in particular, which bothered not just Peridot but Lapis as well. At random times, her housemates could loudly be heard through the walls when having sex. The blonde experienced that the first day she helped her girlfriend move in. Based on what little she knew of them, Peridot had no interest in getting to know them.
Peridot was thankful no one else was around, since she was pretty annoyed with people in general, besides Lapis. Before turning on the TV, Lapis turned out all the lights and snagged a couple down blankets to curl up in, setting the mood just right.
The show started to play with a very annoying narrator voice, introducing the latest episode.
“Shouldn’t we be watching the pilot episode instead of starting at season two?” Peridot questioned.
“No, this is when it actually starts to pick up. The first season was just okay, but this is when the juicy series plot actually kicks in.”
“If you say so.”
The name of the show was called Camp Pining Hearts, which she thought was rather a dumb name. The shorter girl quickly figured out the backstory, which was set at a summer long high school camp up north. All the campers were required to wear uniforms, and were placed onto one of four teams, all which held a huge rivalry. It followed six main characters total, all with particular personalities which set them apart from the other campers. All in all, the show was not as bad as Peridot originally thought it would be.
“Is Paulette always this desperate for Percy?” Peridot interrupted the episode while Paulette, one of the main characters, was confessing to her crush.
“No, she gets a bit better by mid next season. By then she doesn’t completely obsess over him. I don’t want to spoil too much of the plot though.”
“There’s a plot to all this?”
“Believe it or not there is, just watch.”
So Peridot followed her girlfriend’s advice and watched the sappy soap opera. It was funny, actually. The longer the show progressed, the more intrigued she felt towards the cast. It was not horrible.
“I don’t care if you’re on the yellow team Percy. We can make this work.” The fictional character said on screen.
“It’s the color war Paulette. Does that mean anything to you?”
“Don’t fall for it Percy, it’s a trap!” Peridot heard herself say. Lapis laughed, letting out that cute snort she sometimes did.
“I thought you said this is all garbage?” Lapis teased.
“I partially take that word back. It’s not as bad as I originally thought it was going to be. It’s just painful to see Percy make these decisions, like agreeing to go on a walk with Paulette alone, or refusing to just ignore her altogether. I just wish Paulette would stop.”
“Stop… what?”
“Stop whatever she’s doing.”
“You’re so silly Peridot.”
“Silly?” The blonde was perplexed. “Is that a bad thing?”
“The opposite actually, it’s a cute thing.”
“I’m not really cute at all,” Peridot blushed and ran her fingers through her hair.
Lapis grabbed and substituted Peridot’s hand for her own, stroking her blonde hair admirably, and slightly messing it up.
“Of course you are, and I’m not going to believe anything you say against that.” The blue haired girl made her move leaning in on the couch, pushing Peridot back.
In a flash, the blonde was lying down on the sofa with her girlfriend on top of her. Her heartbeat was racing so violently, there was no questioning Lapis could feel her pulse. She gulped.
“I’d say this is much better, what about you?” She wrapped the down blanket around them both like a burrito. “I was wondering if you were going to make a move, or just complain about Camp Pining Hearts the whole time.” Her face was so close to Peridot’s, their noses were barely touching.
“It’s not… It’s not bad at all.”
“There it is, the truth is finally out.”
“And it’s not half as bad when you’re watching it with me. It’s nice.” There was no questioning that Peridot was looking at her girlfriend’s lips. Girlfriend. Lapis Lazuli was her girlfriend, and she was Lapis’. Even just a few years ago, she could not have imagined being with such a funny, sarcastic, yet sweet girl. If she decided not to leave home to go to school, her mother would have likely still kept her at Diamond CO., whether she liked it or not. She would never have had the same freedom or known her current housemates, despite their drama. And she especially would have never met Lapis at that lesbian club downtown. She never expected any of that to happen when she mustered the guts to leave, but it was all worth it. Especially in this particular moment, being directly underneath Lapis.
Her girlfriend’s violet eyes were sparkling against the light of the TV, as she placed her pink lips on Peridot’s mouth. Instead of flinching like before, Peridot warmly welcomed the kiss, letting Lapis lead the way.
Lapis was straightforward and direct in the way she kissed. It was confident, and Peridot liked it more than she was ever willing to admit, while stuck underneath the tan skinned girl. It was not too soft, yet not too hard or sloppy. It was comfortable.
She let Lapis’ tongue enter and explore her own. Peridot was not used to it, but she did not mind. Lapis pulled back slightly, allowing her girlfriend the ability to breathe. The blonde maneuvered an arm out, grazing her hand through blue hair and holding the back of her girlfriend’s head steadily. Both of Lapis’ arms snuggly kept Peridot in place on each side, minimalizing her ability to move around. Their torsos lined up perfectly against each other, despite the height difference. Peridot could feel every move Lapis made as if these motions were part of her. Though if they were truly a part of her, it would not feel so unexpected and exciting.
The trailing lips moved down to a certain spot on Peridot’s neck, which she was already acquainted with, recalling the laser tag encounter. This particular place changed the game entirely for Peridot. Did she even want to call it that, a game? Either way, it made her shift uncontrollably.
Lapis sensed this right away, and removed her leg, which wound up snug between Peridot’s legs. The blonde was so focused on trying to be a good enough kisser, that she did not notice it grinding there in the first place. “Are you okay, with this?” Lapis halted the action. She was not a hesitant person, but there was a pinch of uncertainty when she asked.
“Okay with what?”
“You know,” Lapis moved her eyes from one side to the other, before landing on Peridot. “This.”
“I am perfectly content with kissing, if that’s what you’re signifying.”
Slowly Lapis moved back off with the blanket, puzzling Peridot. Did she say something amiss?
“I… sorry, Peridot.”
“Of what? Lapis, did I say or do something that made you uncomfortable?” If she did, she wanted to know.
“I was getting a little carried away.”
Peridot’s eyes trailed from Lapis to staring blankly at the bright TV. Camp Pining Hearts was still playing, but she paid zero notice to the scene or the words exchanged.
“I didn’t mind, really. I mean, I don’t mind.”
Lapis appeared evidently upset. “But I do. We were moving too fast, and I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“Y-you weren’t causing me to feel uncomfortable,” Peridot stuttered, a few beats too late.
“I know this is new for you, you’ve told me that yourself. Even if it’s not new for me, I want to do the best I can to respect that.”
“Respect what?” Peridot was now full-blown confused. “I have no clue what you mean. Are you talking about boundaries?”
The blue haired girl shook her head, “Yeah. I don’t want to cross anything that I shouldn’t.”
“We have never openly talked before about anything you’re insinuating. It’s true. I’ve never been together with a girl before you, and the whole physical aspect is new territory, as much as I don’t want to admit. I do prefer the speed we are moving at,” she took a deep breath and exhaled. “But I’m just not ready to go any further from what we normally do.” Peridot was so embarrassed. Lapis must think she’s some sort of prude now. But it was the truth, and she knew if she faked it, then it would become uncomfortable.
A big meaningful smile stretched across Lapis’ face. “Thank you for being honest with me Peridot. If I’m to be honest with you, this is the first time having this conversation. You mean a lot to me, and I want to do the best I can to respect your wishes. Apart from that, deep down I’m not in a place to move forward physically, though I really want to. Its best if we continue to move at the pace we usually do, and if that changes we’ll talk about it again,” Lapis stuck out a hand. “Deal?”
“Deal,” Peridot was already sitting up, and reaching to shake Lapis’ hand. But instead of shaking it, Lapis grabbed it, and pulled her in for a hug.
“There, we’ve properly talked about it now.”
“You’ve probably never experienced anyone like me before.” The blonde felt a twinge of embarrassment and shame, for not being enough for her girlfriend. She knew Lapis was holding back for her, and deep down Peridot felt that pressure to be enough. But she could not, simply because she was not ready.
All her lonely life, she grew up around a sheltered environment which told her to not have sex until love or marriage. While there was nothing inferior with that choice, Peridot did worry about what Lapis believed and if it would ultimately clash.
“You’re right, I’ve never experienced a girl like you before,” Lapis replied, still holding Peridot. “But that’s a good thing. Sometimes you can be extremely stubborn and systematical, but you’re a good person. More than I could ever be.”
“That’s not true, at all!” Peridot stammered, moving back. “Let’s see, you’re sweet, caring, and thoughtful,” she was counting with her fingers. “Like the very first night we met, or how you made that kid Steven feel better during laser tag. Me, I’m too selfish and I wish I was more like you.”
“But the way I acted around your friends… Even though I don’t trust them, I was still rude on multiple occasions.”
“You aren’t rude to people for no reason,” this was a thought that crossed the smaller girl’s mind from time to time. Maybe Lapis knew something about her housemates, which she was withholding.
“You’d be surprised.”
“Somehow, I don’t believe you.”
Averting her eyes, she looked aimlessly to the dark void of the house. “I knew Amethyst and Jasper from the club.”
“From the same club we both met?”
The tan girl nodded. “They weren’t people I worked with. Those two used to go to that club all the time, every weekend. More than once, they both have been kicked out for being over the top disrespectful to others and to staff. I’ve witnessed them getting into fights, and threatening to hit a bartender for refusing to serve them more alcohol. I admit, they’ve toned it down. Perhaps if you throw Pearl and Garnet into the mix, the dynamic becomes more stable. Thank goodness they don’t seem to recognize me though. The reason I didn’t tell you while we were beginning to date, was because it might’ve made things awkward.”
Peridot moved her head up and down slowly. “For them, it might have.” Mentally she agreed, it was probably best if Lapis did not bring it up with them in the future. It made sense why initially she was wary of her housemates.
Her girlfriend gave a long sigh. “I’m getting pretty tired of working at that place. Lately it feels like I’m running solely on caffeine and my survival instincts, with having to work and juggle school.”
“But you don’t have to be working,” Peridot returned. “Didn’t you say you’re well off already?”
“My mother is,” corrected Lapis. “She’s already doing enough, agreeing to pay for my education and housing.”
“So why waste your energy at a place you don’t even like working, instead of investing it all on this invaluable opportunity to go to school?” The blonde did not intend to passively give advice to her girlfriend. Her question came from a true lack of understanding.
“Because at least I know where Malachite is now.”
Peridot’s course of thought took a few steps back. That explained it.
“When I get off of work, I sometimes go the long way to my car, to pass by the bar she works at. I don’t know why. It’s not like she cares about me or mom, and I have more negative memories of her than good.”
“Have you seen her anymore from passing?”
“Only once,” her violet eyes turned wistful as they landed on Peridot. “I want to talk to her, I do know that much.”
“I can be there for you, if you do,” Peridot said automatically, as if she was itching for a chance to help or comfort her girlfriend.
Breaking out a smile, Lapis reached out with one hand and stroked Peridot’s cheek. This innocent and loving contact caused the fair skinned girl’s cheeks to redden.
“I know you want to be there for me, and that’s another reason why you are a good person, whether you believe it or not. But this is something I should do solo, if I ever figure out what to say.” Lapis did not seem convinced by her own words either, but the blonde knew she would stick by them.
“Well, I’m always here for you.”
“Another example of why you’re amazing.”
After a few more minutes passed, both girls resumed watching the teen drama, realizing they had talked through a couple episodes. It was almost midnight and they were both dozing off, cuddling on the long couch. Half mindedly, Peridot reached for her phone charging on the coffee table. She pressed the power button, realizing it was turned off. The device flashed its welcome display before the lock screen. A new text message from a number she did not recognize. Promptly, she opened it, before being taken aback.
It was her own mother, Yellow Diamond.
Eyes freezing on the text, her heart began to race. What did she want? Did she find out about the money? How did she even find her anyway?
All of the questions one could think swarmed Peridot’s critical brain. But she was brought by a soothing pulse, and soft breathing. Lapis was now asleep, holding her. Like magic her nerves were soothed, not rid of, but reduced.
Peridot made a decision, one not to be taken lightly, to text her mother back the next morning. It was late, and she did not want to say anything unwise while half-asleep. Turning her phone off again, she put it back on the table.