Kindred Spirits

Part 10

Dinner was busy and Stevie didn't have a chance to speak to Joan again mostly because Joan kept avoiding her like the plague. Marie came in just as Stevie was sitting down and she smiled at the older blonde kindly as Marie made her way over to her.

"Hey, Stevie, hard day?" Marie asked, setting her tray down. "Where's Kath?"

"Back there." Stevie pointed toward the kitchen and then rested her head on her fist. "I think she hates me."

"Not from what I saw this morning." Marie said with a grin, but at the downtrodden response she felt compassion for the other woman. "Oh, honey, it can't be that bad, can it?"

"Yes, yes it can." Stevie sighed and swallowed, trying to get herself together.

She didn't need to cry here. The cafeteria was almost empty as most had their dinner, but Stevie still didn't need them thinking her too weak. She didn't know how much longer she could depend on Joan for her help.

"Well, it's only been a few hours. What could have happened since breakfast that could be that-"

"I kissed her, alright." Stevie whispered lowly but her words were filled with her anxiety. "More than that."

Stevie squeezed her eyes shut and pulled the hair net from her head.

"It was too much. I did something wrong." Stevie leaned forward on the table and lowered her voice even more. "I thought she wanted to, Marie, I swear. I wasn't trying to...to..."

Stevie's hands started moving in circles as she tried to express it correctly.

"Fuck. There's just this feeling with her. I feel safe. I feel protected. Not to mention she's fucking gorgeous."

"You really do have it bad for her, don't you?" Marie asked, leaning forward as her face was lit up with concern.

Marie had thought it was nothing more than a fling when she'd saw them together earlier. She hadn't judged it either. Hell, how could she? Kath deserved to have some fun in life as much as everyone else no matter what they said about her past. Marie just hadn't logically thought on Stevie's part it would be anything more than a few hot sweaty sessions in intimate quarters. Now she saw that this was already developing into something more.

"Yes." Stevie admitted, a pinkish flush kissing her cheeks as she smiled shyly. "I've never felt this way before. I know it's soon, but there's an endearing quality about her. I guess it doesn't matter though because I've fucked it up."

"I doubt that." Marie said, patting Stevie's hand. "Just tell me what happened in detail, and I'll help you figure out what might have happened. Maybe we can even figure out how to fix it."

Joan glanced up from her cleaning long enough to check on Stevie. She noticed Marie sit down across from her and gave a sigh of relief. At least now she didn't have to make an appearance. She would just claim she had been too busy with her work. She was about to turn around, but the pinkish glow to Stevie's cheeks enthralled her again. Joan knew she had been upset and felt relieved that someone who was not herself was there to help her. The best thing for Stevie was to move on. If things went well, she'd be gone sooner than later and back to her previous life. Joan would move on as well. They were on different paths. Joan had already planned it in her mind to get as far away from this place as possible once she was surely set free. There were too many terrible memories attached to corrections as well. She needed to find a quiet place far away from anyone who'd ever known her and spend whatever time she had left in solace. She didn't know why a pang of emotion ran through her as Marie and Stevie sat noticeably closer, and when Marie moved around the table and pulled Stevie into a hug, Joan felt this tingle run through her. What in the hell was that? It made her angry and equally frustrated that she couldn't place it? What was it? She couldn't place it, and it made her slam her hand down on the counter hard enough to cause physical pain.