Still Water

What You do to Me

The two spoke for hours. Astrid's picnic was completely devoured save for the wine and there were no other people left on the beach. Elicia looked dazzling in the moonlight. The teen didn't know what it was about the woman but she was completely enthralling. Astrid couldn't take her eyes off her—not that she knew why.

There were moments in which the teen could be rather oblivious to her own feelings, and sitting on the beach with the raven-haired beauty, she was currently in one of those moments. It was 10:30 P.M. and a slight chill had crept into the air, likely coming from the coast. Suddenly, a wild and uncharacteristic thought drifted across the teen's mind.

"Do you want to continue...whatever this is," she gestured vaguely to the space between them, "back at my house?" Both girls were surprised by her forwardness, Elicia arching her eyebrow at the proposal. "I'm sorry, I-That came out of nowhere. Ignore me." Astrid stammered.

"What if I was going to say yes?" The Latina inquired with a cautiously crafted smirk. Caught off guard, the brunette's eyes went wide.

"You're serious?" The teen confirmed. Elicia shifted her gaze to the blanket and nodded demurely. Well, that was not expected, Astrid wheezed. There's no turning back now, though. "Then you can follow me home." She declared as she began to repack the picnic basket. The raven-haired girl helped her fold the blanket back up, and Astrid pulled her Astros shirt over her head. The teen bundled the items into her hand and slid on her shoes before heading up the embankment to her car. She threw her things in the back seat, then climbing inside and waiting for Elicia to approach in her car.

The drive home was quick and the roads were empty. Astrid threw her car into park at the curb before retrieving the empty basket and blanket. She held the front door open for the Latina and then followed her inside. For once, the teen actually managed to toss her keys onto their designated table by the door and she felt very impressed with herself.

"Make yourself at home," the brunette told the girl who she noticed was still standing in the entry, unsure. "I'll be right back. I need a moment to put on something that's presentable," Astrid excused herself and then climbed the stairs, taking them two at a time.

Astrid chose the only pajamas she owned that included pants (image above). Real clothes are too much effort, the teen justified, and purple is one of my more flattering colors. Satisfied with her appearance, the teen returned to her guest who was now seated on a sofa in the living and looking no more comfortable than when she'd arrived. "You look afraid to move," she chuckled, "loosen up, Licia." Astrid's hand flew to her mouth, When did we reach the nickname level?

"No one's ever called me that before," the Latina commented, the tone of her voice revealing nothing. Astrid took this as a bad sign and opened her mouth to apologize, but Elicia beat her to it. "Don't worry, I liked it," she reassured. The brunette visibly relaxed. 

"I've never been in a house this big," her guest continued, "It's a bit intimidating." Astrid took Elicia's hand for the second time that night and led her to the kitchen where she had left the ravaged picnic basket. The teen recovered the wine from the wicker container and placed it on the counter.

"Want ice with it?" She asked her guest. The other girl shook her head as Astrid retrieved two fresh glasses from a cabinet and poured them each a cup. Elicia took the glass eagerly from the teen. "This house makes me feel small, and I hate it" Astrid admitted. "It's not my style at all. I don't want you to get the wrong impression of me. While I may be a trust fund baby, I don't feel the need to live a frivolous and extravagant life. My tastes are simple. This luxurious cesspit reminds me of everything I stand against." The Latina furrowed her brow.

"If you hate this place so much, then why don't you leave it?" She questioned. Astrid sighed, taking a long sip from her glass.

"Family," she replied without hesitation, and Elicia seemed to understand as she let the matter go and brought her own glass to her lips.

"I'm glad you're not like that. My parents were blue-collar workers—my brother and I learned to appreciate everything that we had; nothing was taken for granted and nothing was ever wasted." The Latina explained, emptying her glass before continuing, "I went to school with 'trust fund babies,' as you called them, and they made my life a living hell because half of my clothes were my brother's hand-me-downs." And she's strong, too, the teen admired.

Astrid refreshed her guest's glass and tucked a strand of her wet hair behind her ear. It was one of her worst nervous habits; Elicia immediately picked up on it. "You don't make me feel like that," she reassured the small girl, meeting her pained eyes intently. The temperature of the room seemed to skyrocket under the weight of her gaze. Astrid's throat went dry.

"Then how do I make you feel?" She questioned. It was almost as if the words slipped out of her mouth without her brain's permission, but she couldn't bring herself to regret the question. The teen had to force herself to swallow a laugh when the Latina took two large swigs from her glass. That is not a promising sign, deduced the brunette.

Elicia's voice was shaky as she spoke. "You make me feel cared for," she began, sounding unsure of herself, "I have known you for all of two minutes, but you have gone out of your way to make me feel welcome. There's something about you—" Elicia cut off abruptly. Astrid recognized the look of panic in her eyes from the night before. She wasn't going to let her get away this time.

"I feel it too, you know," the teen confessed with conviction as she allowed her focus to shift to the marble island. In her periphery, she could see the Latina polish off her second glass of wine before pouring herself a third. Either she's a raging alcoholic or she's trying desperately to avoid something, Astrid mused as she picked at her cuticles. I'm not sure what, though. 

The teen observed Elicia losing her inhibitions and made a note not to finish her glass. One glass of wine was enough to make her tipsy, and she didn't want to do anything she would regret tonight.

Sighing, she tried to better express the jumble of thoughts in her head. "I guess I've been drawn to you since the moment I saw you in Gene's store. Honestly, Elicia, I'm pretty damn confused. I don't go out of my way to have relationships with people. I've never been a humanitarian or a people-pleaser; it's not in my personality. A couple of friends of mine—morons, really—thought that you might be attracted to me. I guess it might the same for me, which would explain things if I were a lesbian. I'm not a lesbian, though. However, they may have been right to look outside of the box for an expla—" Elicia let out a strangled laugh, cutting the teen off.

Astrid gave her a reproachful look, this does not look good. The Latina came closer until she was centimeters away from the brunette, who was now trapped between her and the counter.

"Just shut up," the raven-haired beauty demanded as she closed the space between them. Their bodies were pressed together and their cheeks brushed. Elicia leaned into her ear and husked, "Tocarme." Astrid's heart and mind were racing. She had never wished more that she had taken French instead of Spanish.

Fucking hell! What do I do? the teen panicked. Carefully, she brought one hand to the Latina's waist to steady her and the other in between them to push her back. It was then that their eyes once again met. Elicia's heated gaze sent a wave of heat through her body. The teen had never felt like this before, and she had absolutely no idea what to make of the feeling; Elicia offered her no help.

"Elicia, you're drunk and you're vulnerable. I think that we should get you to bed before we do things that can't be taken back," Astrid coaxed gently. Thankfully, the Latina was compliant as the smaller girl half-carried-half-dragged her up the stairs and to the guest room two doors down from her room. 

Sighing in relief as Elicia collapsed into the bed, Astrid snuck out of the room. Please, Dear God, don't let her remember any of this when she wakes up, she pleaded, heading downstairs before placing a frantic call to the one person she knew would still be awake: Virginia Townsend.