Chapter 8
The kisses were slow and tender. Joan's fingers ran through Vera's hair, Vera's hands were pulling her closer. It was a melding of two lonely souls. Joan could feel a swell within her of longing, but also a sense that in the moment things were out of her control and she was oddly at peace with it. It was blissful to simply sit hip to hip in nature and enjoy each other in such a personal way.
In what seemed like the right time to pull away, Joan smiled at Vera. "I have something for you."
Vera went to lean in again to gather more of Joan's touch and smell, but Joan pushed herself to her feet. "No, really. I have something for you. Come.
Joan didn't even think to wait for Vera to catch up as she made her way back into the house, she was too excited to do something romantic for Vera to prove that she did care for her. At the last second she thought called over her shoulder, "just wait in the living room. I won't be long."
It wasn't until Vera heard water running for quite a long time that wondered what Joan could possibly be up to. She walked around Joan's magazine-like living room, fingering the books and picking up Joan's personal photographs to stare into a younger, softer looking Joan. Just as she dusted a fingertip over a smiling Joan, she felt a hand on her shoulder which caused her to startle and nearly drop the picture frame.
"How old are you here?" Vera asked.
"Nevermind that, Vera." Joan took the picture of herself in a happier time and placed in face down on the credenza. She took Vera's hand and led her away and up the stairs.
As Vera walked through the entryway to the bathroom, she turned to Joan with a surprised look on her face.
"I drew you a bath," Joan tried hard to hide her excitement.
Vera looked at the claw foot tub and back again at Joan. Her hand fluttered to her throat, "I don't..."
Joan pushed past her, "There's a candle as well. It says here, 'artisanal vanilla frosting'.'"Joan paused, "that's pretentious". She tossed the blown out match onto the vanity.
As she turned to face Vera she tried hard to read her facial muscles. The seduction of the common population was so foreign, such unknown territory to her. She wanted to give precise directions or take control and physically handle Vera, but this was an experiment in living outside her box. "There's...uh...bath stuff. I'm not really sure. I thought you'd like it."
Vera looked at her feet, "no one's ever done something like this for me. I don't know what to say."
Joan grasped the opportunity to take control and approached the shy creature standing in wait. "You can thank me. You can relax and enjoy yourself. I want you to take advantage of this offer." Joan smiled gently down at her. "I'll leave, take your time." She pivoted and exited but left the door ajar.
She was able to stand at such an angle in the hallway that she could see Vera slowly start to undress. With a smile, she went back to the kitchen to fill two glasses with some champagne and assemble an assortment of delights for Vera's enjoyment, then sat the table, had a shot of vodka to build courage and waited for what seemed like an eternity.
When Joan felt like enough time had passed and she would not look too eager, she called up to Vera, "I've got birthday champagne. Would you like some?"
No answer came for quite a long time and Joan quickly assumed that the bath idea maybe was too forward, and her attempt at being deliberately provocative was too much. After she thought she'd have to wait for Vera in the kitchen and started the champagne herself, Vera finally replied. "Sounds lovely. Bring it up." Joan really had to hold back the urge to take the stairs two at a time.