Wiped Clean

12. Jungle

TW: brief mention of childhood sexual assault

***

Annika

They had decided on a trip to the beach for the day. Annika had prepared a picnic of fruit salad and sandwiches, which they ate in between playing with Hallie, or supervising her while she swam. It was a calm day, and Hallie was an experienced swimmer, but Annika knew better than to let her guard down.

"She's such a cool kid," Caia said, plucking up a piece of watermelon. "Does she miss her dad?"

"She doesn't remember him," Annika said. "At first I showed her pictures and videos, but as time went on she stopped connecting. She could label him as dad, but there wasn't anything more to it than that. And when I learned about everything he had done, I stopped trying."

"Probably for the best," Caia said. "She has you, and you're such an amazing mother. You love her so much." Tears welled in Caia's eyes.

"Why do I get the feeling this isn't about me and Hallie?"

"I'll tell you a story if you tell me one."

"Okay," Annika said, smiling. "What would you like to know?"

"How did you end up married to a drug lord?"

"He was friends with my cousin. He was always very charismatic but for a long time, I wasn't interested. I prefer women, but I do like men, and he was persistent, and eventually I fell in love with him."

"Gee, how romantic."

Annika's lips formed a weak smirk, as though she was too distracted to put all her effort into it. "We dated for a while, then I got pregnant. We got married, and I had no idea who he was. I thought my husband was just a wealthy nightclub owner." She drew a deep breath then sighed. "What do you want to tell me?"

Caia nodded slowly, her attention on the horizon. "There are two reasons I was upset. One of them... I'll tell you one day. The other... I didn't grow up loved the way Hallie is. Not at all. I already told you my mother had me young. Well, she was fourteen, and a friend of the family..." Caia clenched her eyes shut, trying not to cry. "She never told me much about it, but I guess he had been grooming her for a while. She didn't understand what was happening so by the time she realised she was pregnant it was late term. So she kept me. I was a lot older when she met her husband, so it was just us, and whatever boyfriend she was seeing at the time."

"Shit," Annika breathed.

"I look nothing like my mother, just to add salt to the wound."

"I don't know what to say."

Caia's eyes cleared, and Annika knew she was uncomfortable. She looked away, watching Hallie play for a while. When she looked back, her eyes scanned Annika's body. "This is the first time I've seen your tattoo in its entirety and in the light." Her eyes were hungry, full of lust and need. The tattoo was barely covered by Annika's two-piece, black bathing suit. "It's a jungle," Caia said, running her hand down Annika's side.

Annika shivered, Caia's touch going straight to her core. "Maybe I'll give you a closer look sometime."

"How about tonight?"

"Maybe," Annika said, smirking. This woman would be the death of her.

They fell silent, both watching as Hallie built an elaborate sandcastle. Annika knew it would be a battle to get her to leave it by the end.

"I think I'm ready," Caia said quietly. "I want you to help me get clean."

Annika frowned. "What changed your mind?"

"You," Caia said. "And her. I..." She drew a deep breath.

"What?"

"It's nothing."

"It's not nothing," Annika pressed, turning toward her. She placed her hand on Caia's thigh. "What is it?"

"I like spending time with you. And I know that if I want to keep spending time with you, I can't be high all the time."

It was a simple statement, but one that filled Annika with hope. They were two weeks away from the end of the deal, yet Caia was willing to go through withdrawal because she enjoyed spending time with her. Perhaps that meant there was a future for them. That Caia saw past those two weeks.

"I'll help you," Annika said. "It's not going to be easy, and it will certainly test our... friendship."

"I've tried before. It wasn't pleasant. And you'll probably hate me by the end of it."

"I'm patient."

Caia leant her head against Annika. "Thank you."

They stayed at the beach a while longer, and as expected, Hallie was stubborn in her attempt to get them to stay. Being far more intelligent for her own good, instead of crying or throwing a tantrum, she pleaded her case with some very logical arguments. Ones Annika had to fight to refute.

In the end, it was Caia who had the winning manoeuvre.

"How about I play horsey with you when we get back?" Caia asked.

And that was that.

***

Short update, but I'm going to follow up right away with a longer one to make up for it. This part just doesn't really fit well with what's to come, which will be a much, much longer chapter. With a teeny tiny serving of smut ;) 

Hope you guys are having a good week so far! As always, vote and comment if you'd like to!