Trading Places

“I need to get dressed.”

Erica had just been woken up by her phone alarm.

“Why do you need to get dressed?” Franky’s face was a few inches away from Erica’s. She tucked some strands of blonde hair behind Erica’s ear, then trailed her finger down her neck. “You look perfect like that.”

Erica laughed. “Come on.”

Franky’s expression didn’t change. “I’m serious. When I woke up this morning, I thought I must have been dreaming. I’ve been laying here, just looking at you sleep.” Franky pulled the sheet off Erica’s breasts and covered them with her hands instead. She kissed Erica’s forehead, her eyelids, then her lips, gently at first, and then hard. Erica slid her hands down Franky’s back, on to her buttocks and pulled her close. They both sighed, and shifted their bodies slightly; Erica’s heart pounded against Franky’s, or was it Franky’s heard pounding against Erica’s? The room smelt of sex, and the sheets were still slightly damp.

“For work, Franky,” Erica said. “I need to get dressed for work. It’s Monday and as much as I’d like to, I can’t spend the whole day in bed like yesterday.”

“Why?” Franky kissed the side of Erica’s neck. “Why can’t you? Just call in sick.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not? You’ve done it before.”

“I’ve got a lot on today. If I go in I’ll be able to get everything done. Then I should be able to arrange to have the next couple of days off. So we’ll have two days together instead of one.”

Franky extracted her lips from Erica’s neck, looked down at her and smiled. “Ok, deal,” she gave Erica a devilish grin. “But it’s still early,” she very deliberately sucked her index and middle fingers and slid them inside Erica. “Don’t go just yet.”

“Ten minutes. Ah, Christ, Franky …”

******

Moseying around Erica’s apartment, Franky thought about the blonde all morning. Her body throbbed with the memory of her. But she also thought about Bridget and about the whole world that she and Bridget had belonged to together. There was a bit of her that couldn’t comprehend how it was that she was sitting on Erica’s couch, casually drinking a coffee, when she had thrown a bomb into her old life and washed it explode. She tried to imagine everything that had happened since she had left. Probably Bridget would have told Pauline, at least. And Pauline would have told everyone else. They would all meet up for drinks and talk about it and wonder and be shocked, and try to comfort Bridget. Although Bridget was such a strong woman she probably wouldn’t need much comforting. And Franky, who had for so long been an established part of the group, would have become the object of their gossipy, shocked exchanges. Everyone would have an opinion of her; their own emphatic version.

If she had left that world - and she supposed that she had - she saw no point in wallowing or dwelling on the things that she might miss. She intended to embrace the things she had now and the things she had to look forward to. As she sat on the couch and counted down the hours until Erica got home from work, she reflected on how little she knew about Erica. She still didn’t know much about her past or her planned future. She didn’t know what exactly had happened in her relationship with her ex-fiance, or about any other relationships Erica had had. She didn't know if Erica had been with other women before her, or how her friends and family felt about the prospect of her being with a woman. But the thought of the unknown did not scare Franky at all. In fact, the more she realised she had to learn about Erica, the more she longed for her. She couldn’t wait to find out everything there was to know.

Louise had given her the week off. That was a hugely generous gesture from her boss. Erica had sounded confident she would be able to take a couple of days’ leave. They may as well make the most of it, Franky thought. They should get out of the city for a couple of days and enjoy themselves. Or more importantly, enjoy each other.

Franky new exactly where she wanted to take Erica. She wanted them to get some fresh air and escape to the outdoors. Their entire relationship up to this point had existed only in Erica’s apartment. Prior to that all their interactions had taken place within the confines of a prison. It was time they broke the shackles and celebrated their newfound freedom. They needed to get out into the open spaces.

Nearly all Franky’s things were still at Bridget’s house but if it they only went away for two or three days she wouldn’t need much anyway. She took an hour to duck down to the shops and buy some things. At a more upscale store she bought a pair of skinny jeans and a satin shirt that she could wear out for dinner or drinks. She also had some more active pursuits in mind for the trip, so she went to Cotton On for some sweat pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt. In the same vein, she went to a sports store for some sneakers and a bag to pack her things in.

While she genuinely planned to spend time with Erica outside of the bedroom, Franky also couldn’t resist paying a quick visit to Club X for some supplies. Best to be prepared in case the mood were to strike them - she had a good feeling Erica’s inhibitions would be lessened when she was on vacation.

When Erica returned home later that afternoon she confirmed that she had procured two days off. She was both intrigued and receptive to Franky’s suggestion of a mini getaway. Franky kept their destination a secret but instructed Erica to pack something comfortable that she could hike in and something sexy to go out in. They agreed to leave first thing the following morning.

******

Erica stayed awake long enough to see that they were leaving the city on the M1 but then, as she always did when being driven anywhere, she fell asleep. When she was jolted awake for a moment, she saw that they were surrounded by hilly and forest-like terrain.

“Where are we?” she asked.

“It’s a mystery tour,” Franky said, with a smile.

Erica drifted off to a half-sleep and when she woke up properly noticed an old church by the road amongst the woody landscape. “Eadmund with an A,” she said sleepily.

“He lost his head,” said Franky, beside her.

“What?”

“He was an Anglo-Saxon king. The Vikings caught him and killed him and cut him up and scattered his body all over the place. His followers couldn’t find him and there was a miracle. The head shouted, ‘Here I am,’ until they found it.”

Erica smiled, impressed as always by the breadth of Franky’s knowledge. “I wish that bunches of keys did that. I’ve often wished my house keys would shout, ‘Here I am,’ so that I won’t have to search every single pocket of everything I own to find them.”

Franky began to slow down the car and followed some signs that led to a car park located in a clearing within the bushland. Erica didn’t recognise the site but the name on the signs was familiar to her. They were at the foot of the 1000 Steps, a well-known walking trail in the Dandenong Ranges.

“Keen for a walk?” Franky asked as she pulled into a parking space and switched off the engine.

“Sure,” Erica said warily. They were both wearing their active wear so she had thought it probable they would be doing something energetic, but she worried this might test her fitness. She was in great shape courtesy of her healthy eating habits but she didn’t exercise frequently. She saw the eagerness on Franky’s face, however, which made her more than willing to go along.

Franky collected their phones and wallets and put them in a small carry bag she had found at Erica’s house. They got out of the car and Franky took Erica’s hand as they walked to the start of the hiking trail.

“A word of warning, I might not be able to keep up with you,” Erica said. “I’ve never done a big hike like this before.

“You’ll be fine. I know you’ve got good stamina,” Franky winked at Erica. “Besides this isn’t as strenuous as it sounds. It’s steep, but it’ll only take us about half an hour to get to the top.”

Franky released Erica’s hand when they reached the trail so they could both concentrate on keeping their balance on the hike. As the name suggested, there were a lot of stony steps along the way and they were slippery at times. As Erica suspected, the steepness of the walk was a test for her fitness. Regardless she was able to keep up with Franky and resisted the urge to stop and catch her breath at the shady rest stops that occasionally appeared along the path.

They both got into a zone as focused on the hike, getting lost in the rhythm of their steps. As they approached the summit, Erica was almost startled when Franky broke their reverie.

“I climbed Mt Bogong when I was in high school,” she said. “It was on a school excursion. I was so stoked that my foster parents actually let me go. I thought because it’s the highest mountain in the state it’d be the best hike I’d ever do. But when I got to the top, I felt nothing. I looked around but …” She made a contemptuous gesture. “There was nothing spectacular about what I saw from up there. I didn’t have any magical feeling.”

They climbed the final step and walked out onto a small glade. It provided a spectacular view of the ranges with its lush green forest and bushland.

“But this. This is the landscape I love,” Franky said with a smile, puffing from the exhaustion of the walk. She moved behind Erica and put her arms around her waist. They admired the view together. “When I first did this hike, I thought it was one of the most breathtaking spots I had ever seen. On paper some other hikes might sound more impressive because they’re the highest or the most technically challenging, but to me the thing that matters most is the feeling that you get when you look out from the top. This is the place that gave me that magical feeling I was looking for.”

“It’s incredible,” Erica said between heavy breaths as she looked out across the landscape.

“I wanted to bring you here, Erica, because I feel the exact same way about you. I’ve been with women that sounded like they’d be perfect for me on paper, but when I was with them I didn’t feel any spark. It’s totally different with you, though. I get a magical feeling when I’m with you. That’s the most important thing to me. Now that I’m with you I never want to let you go.”

Erica turned in Franky’s arms. She looked at her with a smile that was beautiful and genuine. A feeling of extraordinary joy rose up in Franky at seeing that smile. Erica kissed her on the mouth, firmly: a pledge. “I’ll never let go,” she said. She held Franky’s head and kissed her mouth, her jaw and the hollow of her neck. “Ever,” she whispered. They remained locked in an embrace for several minutes, letting the feeling wash over them.

“Come on,” Franky said eventually, releasing Erica from her arms. “Let’s head back down. Wait until you see where we’re staying tonight…”