Chapter 3: First Date
Tree on grassy field during autumn. Scenic view of fog covering landscape in background.
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“What about this one?” Alex called from his bed next to the closet across the dorm room. He was holding up a strappy sundress.
“I don’t think so,” Brooke answered flatly. “I’m feeling the beginnings of a migraine coming up and that thing is torturous to get on and off.” She rummaged through her dresser drawers, dressed in her most comfortable sports bra and trying to ignore the dull ache slowly spreading out from behind her eyes.
“If you don’t feel good, why don’t you just cancel?” Brooke was touched at the concern in Alex’s voice.
“I really don’t want to miss this date,” Brooke responded, hoping that her nerves were listening. “Avery’s already way out of my league, I might not get a second shot.” She sighed dreamily thinking of the feeling of those thick ebony tresses curling through her fingers.
“Hey, you’re a catch, don’t sell yourself short,” Alex said. Brooke smiled at him as he held up a white lace crop top. She crossed and took a closer look: loose, stretchy, but still formal-looking.
“It’s perfect, thanks Al.” Brooke pulled the top over her head and sidestepped so she was facing the back of the door to look at herself in the mirror. Her eyes couldn’t help but fixate on the areas where she carried extra fat, her stomach, her hips, her thighs. But the jeans/crop top combination made her boobs and butt look good enouth, and the lace hid her belly nicely. Combing her fingers through her tangled, dirty blonde hair, she compromised and twisted it into a messy bun on top of her head. She added some green and gold bohemian earrings to bring out her eyes. Turning back towards her best friend she asked, “How do I look?”
“You look smokin’ hot!” Alex said, making a circle with his thumb and forefinger. “You’d better get going, isn’t Avery supposed to be picking you up any minute now?” Brooke picked up her phone and saw that it was 7:00 already, and that she had an unread text.
Avery Black: Here
Brooke hurriedly popped a Nurtec tablet onto her tongue, then grabbed a light cardigan, her purse, sunglasses, and weed pipe. She threw Alex a side hug on the way out the door and nearly fell when she tripped on some of the clothes scattered on the floor. “Promise I’ll clean this up later.”
“Don’t worry, I‘ve got it. Come back with sexy details!” he called after her, as she hurried down the hall towards the elevators. Brooke struggled to catch her breath during the short elevator ride so she wouldn’t look flustered.
As the doors parted, Brooke’s eyes beheld a vision of beauty. At first she thought Avery was dressed head to toe in black, but after a second look she realized that the shirt under her leather jacket was actually very dark purple, high-necked but clingy. Avery held a helmet in one hand, a second leather jacket in the other. She looked up at the sound of the elevator arriving and grinned, dazzling white teeth on display.
“You ready?” Avery called as Brooke made her way, wobbling slightly, towards the motorcycle. Her anxiety was flaring at the prospect of actually getting on the thing, but she felt pulled onward, toward Avery, as though there was an invisible rubber band connecting the two of them attached at the center of her chest. Brooke felt her head drawing upwards until their eyes met, and then she froze, captivated by the fire in Avery’s golden eyes. They were so bright Brooke could’ve sworn they were actually glowing. They stood like that for just an instant, then the taller woman captured Brook’s lips in a hot kiss that left her breathless and blushing for all the right reasons.
“Nice to see you too,” Brooke said, and Avery chuckled low in her throat.
“Let’s get going,” Avery said, glancing at the sun hanging low in the sky as she wrapped the second leather jacket around Brooke’s shoulders. She slid her arms into the sleeves, which fell an inch past her fingertips, as she realized that this wasn’t just an extra jacket, it was Avery’s. It smelled like her. Brooke tried to be discreet as she breathed deeply, the warm jacket somehow tamping down her anxiety, and not for road rash reasons. Avery slid the helmet over Brooke’s head, brushing a stray lock of hair off her cheek as she did and leaving a trail of tingling sensations behind.
They climbed onto the bike. With her hands clasped tightly around Avery’s waist, Brook could feel the heat of her date’s body blazing through all the layers of leather and fabric between them. She pressed herself even closer, the warmth relaxing her tense muscles.
The motorcycle ride was terrifying. Avery flew around curves with reckless abandon but always seemed to recover their balance just in the nick of time. Brooke spent the entire ride with her visor buried in Avery’s hair, scared to look up. When they finally arrived at wherever they were going, her heart was racing, her skin was flushed from the cold air, and her eyes were saturated with strange afterimages resembling black curls close up.
As Avery shut the bike off and fiddled with the dials in some way, Brooke climbed off the motorcycle clumsily, her legs shaking. She tripped. She felt herself fall forward. Felt the lurch in her stomach. But she never hit the ground. Somehow, impossibly, Avery seemed to have leapt off the bike and twisted around in time to catch Brooke and prop her back upright.
“Be careful!” she said, running her hands lightly down Brooke’s arms, checking for injuries, her brows furrowed in concern. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Thanks,” Brooke said, somewhat dumbstruck as she pulled the surprisingly comfy helmet off. How does she move so fast? Brooke knew her date was an athlete but even so…
She looked around for the first time. They were in a small parking lot, surrounded by grass, trees, and not much else. There were several trails leading away from the parking lot, and what looked like a trail map, but Brooke couldn’t see clearly. She was already tired. Crap.
“We’re going up to the overlook!” Avery said excitedly, securing the helmet in a compartment under the seat and pointing to a steep incline. “You can see the whole campus, it’s so beautiful at sunset.” Brooke’s heart dropped into the pit of her stomach and her eyes went wide with dread. Her hand went to the weed pipe in her pocket but that wouldn’t do much to get her through that kind of a hike. She was pretty certain that she was completely physically incapable of such a feat. Avery must have noticed, because her smile faltered, and her dark brows drew together gracefully. “What’s wrong?”
Brooke was sweating now. She hadn’t exactly been planning on having the ‘Hey, I’m actually an invalid, ask me anything!’ conversation 5 minutes into their first date. She scrambled for how to answer without opening the whole can of worms while Avery stared intensely into her eyes, as though she was trying to read her mind. She had to say something.
“I, um, I’m not in the best shape,” she said, blushing dark red. Avery just stared down at her, looking confused. “I, uh, I don’t think I can make the hike.”
“Oh.” Avery thought for a second. “I could carry you.”
“Ha!” Brooke laughed, looking down at all her curves. “I’d like to see you try.” Faster than she could blink, Avery swooped Brooke up into her arms, as if she weighed as much as a bag of feathers. Avery was holding her bridal-style, and Brooke could feel the rippling muscles of her arms flexing beneath her faux-leather jacket. Brooke felt warm and safe in her arms. Protected. She was close enough to smell Avery’s perfume and it was intoxicating, like cedar, pine needles, and the air after a heavy rain. She sighed, for a moment forgetting where she was, relaxed. Then she got a grip and looked up at Avery, perplexed. Brooke was 170lbs of dead weight. How strong is she? Avery smiled smugly.
“You were saying?” She said suavely.
“How… How are you this strong?” Brook blurted. Avery stood, rock solid, at ease, as though she wasn’t exerting herself at all. She just smirked.
“I’ll tell you… sometime.” Avery bent forward slightly, and Brooke, on instinct, wrapped her arms around her neck, startled by the sudden motion. Avery smiled, and Brooke kept her arms around her date’s neck as she picked up a picnic basket off of the back of the motorcycle and began loping up the trail to the overlook.
Brooke sighed contentedly as they sped up the hill. The sun was almost set, but thankfully the dense canopy blocked the harshest rays.
“So, what’s your major?” Brooke asked. Normally she would have beaten herself up for such a boring and impersonal opening line, but she felt unusually at ease with Avery, not anxious at all. It was a giddy, free feeling, and Brooke exalted in it. And in the scent of cedar in her nose.
“Agricultural science.”
“Agricultural science? Damn, so you probably actually understand what we’re doing in chemistry this week, huh?”
Avery laughed that seductive laugh. “Yeah, I do. Are you looking for a tutor?”
“I might be.” Brooke winked and couldn’t believe how smoothly she was able to talk to Avery. “How much do you charge?”
“I’m sure we could come to some kind of arrangement.”
Brooke giggled.
“What’s your major?” Avery asked.
“Studio art. Acrylic and oil pastel, for the most part, but I’m still experimenting with different media.”
“Nothing digital?” Avery asked.
“Nah, not really,” Brooke answered. “CottageCore is my aesthetic. I’m kinda old school that way.” Avery stopped short and looked down at her. “What is it?” Her date leaned down and kissed her deeply and Brooke forgot where they were. She felt like she was floating. When Avery eventually broke the kiss, Brooke’s lips reached up towards hers longingly, as if they had a mind of their own.
“So am I,” Avery answered, and continued up the path. Brooke had forgotten what they were talking about.
They reached the summit in about 10 minutes, the trees parting to reveal a stunning vista. The sun was well on its way to setting by then, the sky a wash of oranges, reds, and purples. Avery set Brooke down gently, found a soft patch of grass, and started setting up their picnic. Brooke wandered closer to the edge of the overlook, and, sure enough, was treated to a bird’s eye view of their entire college campus. From so far up, the old brick buildings looked majestic, the trees small tufts of orange and red.
“Dinner’s ready,” Avery said, snaking her hands around Brooke’s waist from behind. Brooke relaxed into her date’s arms. Avery looked over her shoulder and they stood there for one perfect moment, enjoying the view, and each other’s touch. “It’s all vegan, I hope that’s okay.” They turned and walked arm in arm over to the picnic blanket and sat down.
“More than okay, I’m vegan too!” Brooke smiled but Avery’s face fell.
“I wish I could be fully vegan.” Brooke wanted to probe further but Avery looked upset and she was worried it might upset her further. So instead she said,
“Most vegans I know make at least a couple exceptions. I still eat honey and I’ll eat fish occasionally if I know they’re sustainably wild-caught.”
“Really?” Avery’s tone is skeptical. “How many vegans do you know?”
“At present, just you and me, but I grew up in Humboldt county, so, over time, a lot. It’s not a black and white issue, and some animal product practices are definitely worse than others.”
“Like factory farms.”
“Exactly.”
“Remarkable.”
“What is?”
“You are.”
Brooke looked down at the food and her stomach gurgled gently, a wave of nausea kicking in. She sat down on the blanket opposite Avery and fidgeted nervously with the pipe in her pocket. What if she hates stoners? Could I even date someone who wasn’t cool with weed? I guess this is the test. But maybe I should save it for the second date? Her mind was spinning with anxiety. How long had it been since one of them had spoken? She really should say something. Avery reached across and put her hand on Brooke’s arm. Brooke looked over at her… and pulled out the pipe and weed.
“I brought this, if you want,” she managed. “No pressure or anything though, if you don’t want to!” she added hastily.
“You read my mind,” Avery said, smiling. She held out her hand and Brooke handed her the baggie with her paraphernalia and watched as she expertly filled the bowl and lit it, inhaling deeply. Avery passed the pipe back and Brooke took her own hit. They passed it back and forth until the bowl was finished, sparks tingling in their fingertips when they brushed together, then started in on the food. Brooke’s nausea having been tempered by the cannabis, she enjoyed the meal greatly. Avery had made tofurky sandwiches with mustard, veganaise, and lots of lettuce; carrot sticks with roasted red pepper hummus; a giant bag of jalapeno potato chips; and a quart of lemonade to drink. It was all delicious, but Brooke still had to remind herself to eat every time Avery’s dazzling eyes fixated on Brooke’s lips, shades of gold swirling faster as the date went on.
Over the course of the meal they got to know each other better. Avery told Brooke about having to take over her family’s business at 16 after her parents’ untimely death. Brooke wanted to ask how they died, but she sensed it wasn’t the time, and let the subject change. Brooke told Avery about her ambitions to become one of the iconic portrait artists of their generation. She wished she’d brought her sketchbook and pastels so she could capture the way the sunset reflected in Avery’s dazzling golden brown eyes. They talked the evening away, eyes rarely leaving each other’s.
“I don’t really have a coming out story,” Avery was saying. “My family kind of always assumed or—hoped that I’d be attracted to women, and were relieved when they were right.”
“That’s fascinating,” Brooke said. “But your parents were straight, right? Why would they assume you’d be gay? Not that that’s how anything works, but you know what I mean.” Brooke hoped she was making sense.
“I guess, they kind of always knew I would be taking over the family business someday and they had some… Let’s say they had some overly traditionalist ideas about gender roles.”
“Well, that I can relate to. My mom can only process queer couples when one is clearly more masculine and the other more feminine.”
“That’s annoying. Guess I’ll have to forgo the makeup when I meet her, then, huh?” Brooke chuckled, blushing slightly.
“Awfully presumptuous, aren’t you?” She smiled so Avery would know she didn’t mean it.
“We’ll see. How did your dad react when you came out?” Brooke looked down at her hands where they rested in her lap.
“I- don’t know. He left years before I even realized I was gay.”
“That’s awful. Sorry I brought it up. We don’t have to talk about him if you don’t want to.”
“Thanks.” Brooke looked up. They talked on for what felt like hours.
Just as the first stars were appearing above them, Brooke leaned forward and they kissed beneath the darkening sky.
Brooke could feel the THC dancing along her nerves, sending tingles up and down her extremities. Or maybe it was just how close she was to Avery. Judging by the passion with which she kissed her, her date felt the same.
Avery gripped Brooke’s waist tightly, lifting her upper torso off the ground altogether. Brooke delighted in the feeling of being held in Avery’s strong arms, molding their bodies together. Brooke tried, briefly, for dominance of the kiss, but Avery made it clear that she was in charge. Brooke, filled both with overwhelming trust and desire, eagerly gave over control. It felt like they were moving in slow motion, through a cloud of cedar-scented steam. Brooke ran her fingers through Avery’s thick curls. They felt like smooth satin flowing through her hands.
Avery set her down gently, using one hand to prop herself up, the other exploring slowly down the curve of Brooke’s waist. She broke their kiss and pulled back a couple inches. Brooke barely held in a whine. Avery locked eyes with her, her face questioning, and her hand paused, resting gently right between Brooke’s waist and her hip. Brooke nodded suggestively, closing her eyes and leaning up to recapture Avery’s lips.
Brooke’s skin felt electrified everywhere Avery’s hand roamed. Her own hands were almost as adventurous, snaking up under Avery’s shirt. She wasn’t wearing a bra, so Brooke could feel every inch of her small, firm breasts. Her fingers found Avery’s nipples already hard and gave them a small squeeze.
Almost instantaneously, Brooke felt herself lifted and twisted smoothly and abruptly, so that she was sitting upright, in Avery’s lap, her legs straddling her waist. Their lips had broken apart again, and Avery’s eyes looked like liquid gold, almost glowing as they met Brooke’s.
“Can I–?” Avery started.
“Yes!” Brooke gasped, desperate.
Avery’s left hand wrapped around Brooke’s lower back, slipping up under her shirt; while her right hand undid the top button of Brooke’s jeans, pulling the zipper down in one smooth motion. Brooke grasped her wrist and pulled it towards herself. Avery’s fingers quickly found her clit through her underwear and stroked over the spot agonizingly lightly, teasing. Brooke moaned slightly in frustration. Avery started slowly tracing circles over Brooke’s clit, slowly increasing in speed, all the while gradually kissing her way down the side of her neck. It seemed to take almost no time at all before she could feel an orgasm building.
Avery had made her way down to the base of Brooke’s neck, where it met her shoulder; and she hovered there, sucking on the spot gently. Brooke felt the barest brush of teeth on her skin, and she came, the orgasm spreading through her whole body, convulsing in ecstasy.
But then she felt cold grass under her back and Avery’s warmth had vanished. Opening her eyes and looking around blearily, Brooke spotted her about 15 feet away, her back pressed against a large fir tree, a distressed look on her face, muttering to herself too quietly for Brooke to hear. She took a couple deep breaths and walked back over to Brooke.
“We should probably get going,” Avery said, her voice slightly hoarse. “It’s getting dark.”
Brooke was completely taken aback. What had happened? Had Avery not been into it? Her face fell. Avery, suddenly right in front of her, lifted her chin with one finger, and kissed her tenderly, lingering for several seconds.
“I…” she paused, looking frustrated.. “I really like you.” What was she going to say? Brooke didn’t care as long as Avery kept looking at her like that. She kissed Brooke once more before picking her up, and walking them back down the trail to where she’d parked her motorcycle.
Avery drove her back to her dorm and gave her a goodnight kiss that left her breathless and blushing when she walked in. Alex insisted on going over every detail immediately.
That night, Brooke relived the experience in her dreams, and slept for 11 hours straight. And, for once, when she woke up the next morning, she wasn’t feeling completely terrible.