Twice in a Lifetime Read online

  In her current state, Harriet didn’t feel a thing.

  Moments later, Sally withdrew her hand and the only sound in the elevator was their breathing, the smell of sex heavy in the air.

  “You know,” Harriet said, squinting up at Sally, her breath still scattered. “Lying on this floor reminds me of making love to you on the speedboat — it wasn’t exactly comfortable, but it was thrilling, just like this.”

  Sally smiled down at her, giving her another kiss before pulling back. “You think we’re exhibitionists? I’ve never been like this with anyone else.”

  “Me either. We bring it out in each other, clearly.”

  “Maybe you’re right,” Sally replied, staring at Harriet with such intensity. “I’ve been thinking about—” she began, but the elevator jolting broke the moment, and Harriet sat up, shielding her eyes as the lights came back on.

  “Shit!” Harriet said, her orgasm pushed aside, her heart suddenly in her throat. Were the elevator doors about to open with her semi-naked? Not if she could help it.

  Harriet pushed herself onto the balls of her feet and scrambled to pull her jeans up — but only succeeded in losing her footing and falling forward, tripping on her jeans and smacking her chin on the ground with a resounding thud. Her bottom teeth sunk into her top lip on impact, her mouth filling with the bitter, metallic taste of her own blood. She licked her lips, sucking it in, wanting to howl in pain — but there was no time to feel sorry for herself.

  Her head still throbbing, her clit still pulsing, Harriet pushed herself up onto all fours just as the elevator juddered again, then began its descent. She looked up and saw the panic in Sally’s eyes. But it wasn’t Sally who was half-naked, was it?

  “Take my arm!” Sally said, as Harriet did just that, staggering to her feet, gingerly feeling her mouth with her fingers. They came away covered in blood. Oh my god, she might faint. But she didn’t have time to faint.

  “Let me help,” Sally said, leaning forward, her hands shaking as she went to do up the buttons on Harriet’s shirt.

  But Harriet flicked her hand away: she still needed to pull her jeans up.

  She was still doing that when the elevator reached its destination, the robotic voice saying, “Ground Floor!”

  Ohmyfuckinggod.

  The door slid open just as Harriet jumped in an attempt to pull her jeans up fully, framed in mid-air when their audience was revealed: a man in overalls she assumed was the janitor, along with an attractive dark-haired twentysomething with a nose ring. Harriet landed with a thud as she secured her top button, smiling even though she was aware there was probably blood oozing from her mouth.

  “Trent! Kristy!” Sally said, her voice about five octaves too high.

  Harriet’s heart sank: Sally knew these people? Wonderful, just wonderful.

  “Thank god you’re here — we wondered if we’d be in there all night,” Sally said, moving to cover Harriet as she did up her shirt.

  “Looks like you found something to keep you occupied,” Kristy replied, a smirk very evident in her voice.

  How long till this was all round Sally’s building? Harriet smoothed her shirt down, now fully dressed, and took a deep breath, fishing in her jeans’ pocket for a tissue.

  She wouldn’t want to be Sally on Monday morning.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  “Remember when we were at the lake house that summer?” Harriet was lying with Sally in her double bed, her thin summer gray-and-yellow duvet kicked off, the sweat from their love-making still fresh on her body. She was holding Sally’s hand tight, never wanting to let her go, a haze of lust spritzed into the air around them. Sally had her bedside lamp on mid-glow, as if they were starring in a French independent movie.

  “Of course, how could I forget that?” Sally replied.

  Harriet took Sally’s hand and kissed it, smelling herself on her.

  “I remember the smell of sunscreen on you, when you were lying out flat on the speed boat in that bikini.” Sally paused. “You knew what you were doing in that bikini, didn’t you?”

  “Not really, I was only 18, but it was all I had at the time. I wasn’t sure how to respond having read those few lines of your journal — but it was enough to make me think you were what I wanted.” She paused. “I should have held onto you, shouldn’t I?”

  Harriet’s mind wandered back to the two of them, back to their young, supple bodies. Back to the years of lost opportunity. But it was no good dwelling on that now, because it was done. She couldn’t change the past, that much she knew. The only thing she could do was accept the past and embrace the future. Grasp it with both hands. Take this second chance at face value and run with it.

  “We were young, we didn’t know,” Sally replied. “I remember thinking back then I wished I was older, because then I’d know what to do, how to feel, how to make a move on you.”

  “Ha! The myth of with age comes wisdom?”

  “Something like that,” Sally replied, kissing Harriet’s hand back.

  “And what do you think now?”

  “I think when it comes to you, I’m always confused, mixed up. You play with my emotions, it’s just what you do.”

  “And has having sex for the past three hours made things any clearer?”

  “What do you think?” Sally said, nudging her with her elbow.

  “It doesn’t have to be confusing, though. We could try to make this work, you know that. We could do long distance, only it’s not that long if I’m traveling here all the time for work, is it?”

  Sally tensed up. “You know what I think about long distance.” She pursed her lips. “It’s hard work, it’s a lot of missing the other person, and it’s lonely.”

  “But just think of the amazing sex we’ll have when we meet up again.” Harriet gave her a wink, before placing a kiss on Sally’s warm, wet lips. God, this woman was gorgeous, and Harriet was leaving today. But she wasn’t going until this was sorted out.

  And by this, she meant them.

  “My point is I’m not some random person asking you to do long distance — it’s me, and I’ve been in your life almost forever. And if you think about it, we’ve been doing long distance for 17 years already, we just didn’t know it and we weren’t in touch.”

  “It didn’t work out very well, you see my point?”

  “It can now we know we’re doing it. I have business in New York; you could easily come and see me more often, too, and I promise to stay in touch, to be there for you, to give this a go.”

  Sally grimaced just like Harriet knew she would. “But where would it go in the long run? I can’t do it indefinitely, and neither of us are teenagers anymore, are we?”

  Harriet moved her top lip one way, her bottom lip the other. No, they weren’t teenagers, and she knew what Sally was saying: what was the point in going into something at her age if she didn’t think it was going to work?

  But Harriet wasn’t having it. “You’re coming at it from a glass-half-empty perspective — whereas I am very much a glass-half-full kinda gal. We’ll work it out, and you know why?”

  “Tell me.”

  “Because we want to, and because we’re worth it. And if it means I have to move to New York, then so be it.”

  “You can’t move to New York, your whole life and family and friends are in Chicago.”

  Harriet paused. “Then I have to work on you to move back to Chicago, be nearer your family as they get older.”

  “There’s a reason I moved to New York.”

  Harriet laughed at that. “I know. Then I guess I have to give you a solid reason to move back, don’t I?” She paused, running a finger down the side of Sally’s face.

  Sally sighed, closing her eyes on contact.

  “What do you say, will you give it a go? Not just for me, for you. Because despite your misgivings, I think you owe yourself some happiness and I think I’m the person who can give it to you.”

  “Bold claims.”

  “I’m a bold
kinda woman, haven’t you noticed that yet?”

  “I just did, a few minutes ago.”

  “I’m not letting you wriggle out of this one,” Harriet said. “Say yes, give us a chance? I know it didn’t work before and I know I was at fault, but I’m a different person now and this is truly what I want. If you say yes, I’m all in.” Were her words sinking in? Sally seemed to be listening, her eyes fixed on Harriet’s face the whole time she spoke.

  “It’s going to be on you more than me to travel, you know that, right?” Sally replied. “I mean, when we met was the first time I’ve traveled in ages for work. I’m a lowly designer. You’re the one with the expense account.” She paused. “Which is eerily reminiscent of our teenage years when you think about it, isn’t it? Harriet with the money and the swagger, and penniless me.”

  Sally sighed, looking up to the ceiling.

  Harriet reached out an arm and rolled Sally to face her, ignoring the petulant look on her face.

  “Listen to me,” Harriet said, her gaze fixed on Sally’s face and not allowing her to look away, no matter how hard she tried. “Stop making excuses. Yes, I travel more for work, but that’s good where we’re concerned. And if I’ve got more money right now, so what? Money doesn’t mean a thing if you don’t have the right person to spend it with. I know this from first-hand experience. So please, don’t use money as an excuse not to do this. I want to do this, and I think you do, too. And I don’t care how much it costs.”

  Sally sighed. “I can’t deny what this makes me feel and what you make me feel. But I also can’t ignore my feelings on long distance love — it doesn’t work, and that hasn’t changed just because you’ve grabbed hold of my heart again.”

  “I’ve grabbed hold of your heart?” If Harriet’s heart had a tail, it would be thumping on the floor right now.

  “You have, which makes it problematic.”

  “How about if we don’t call it long distance? We just chat when we want to, and when I’m in New York, I’ll come and see you. No pressure, no labels. We’ll start off casual — but exclusive — and see how it works.”

  Sally narrowed her eyes at that. “Casual but exclusive?”

  Harriet nodded. “Just see how it goes.” She could see the cogs working in Sally’s brain. Was she going to say yes? Harriet felt like her entire life was resting on the tip of Sally’s tongue.

  “Is that a yes? We can put a deadline on it if it makes you feel better. We can, say, date till Christmas, and if it’s not working out we can call it quits.”

  “I’m not putting a deadline on it, that makes it sound like a business deal. This is not a business deal.”

  “Glad to hear it,” Harriet said, staring into Sally’s eyes once more. “But it is a deal? One you agree to?” She bit her lip and took Sally’s hands. “You know, sometimes the only transportation you need is a leap of faith.”

  “When did you get so poetic?”

  “I’ve been working on it,” Harriet said, with a wink.

  Sally smiled at her, and then, slowly but very surely, nodded.

  Harriet beamed, happiness flooding her system: it was as if Sally had just thrown back her heart shutters and finally let the light in, the light that had been missing for half a lifetime.

  “Was that a yes? Did the great Sally McCall just say she’d try casually seeing me once every few weeks?”

  Sally slapped her on the arm, her laughter filling the air. “It’s a yes, you idiot, just to make you shut up.”

  Harriet kissed her and the contact made her head swim. When they came up for air, Sally took hold of her chin to make sure her words sank in.

  “But if you let me down or make me regret this decision, there will be hell to pay, got it?”

  “Hell is a terrible debt collector, so I hear you loud and clear.” Harriet paused, gathering every ounce of sincerity she had and sprinkling it on her words. “I already let you down once. I don’t plan on making the same mistake twice.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Sally was woken up by a banging on the door. She cracked open an eyelid and took a moment to realize she wasn’t alone. Harriet had her back to her, but she was starting to roll over when Sally opened her other eye. The banging stopped, then started again. Sunlight was trying to slither into her bedroom, but her blackout blinds were doing their job well.

  “What’s that noise?” Harriet mumbled, rolling over and squinting at Sally. “You don’t have a girlfriend, do you? Am I about to get beaten up by a jealous lover?”

  Sally smiled, giving Harriet a kiss on the lips. She tasted like sour candy. “Not that I remember. But then, I am forgetful.” She jumped out of bed and grabbed some underwear from her chest of drawers. She could feel Harriet’s gaze on her, and when she glanced back, even in the hazy light, there was a languid smile on her lover’s face.

  “Stop looking at me,” Sally said, suddenly self-conscious. Although after last night when Harriet had tasted every inch of her, she had no idea why.

  “I can’t help it,” Harriet said, as the banging continued.

  “Alright, I’m coming!” Sally yelled, pulling on a blue shirt and then grabbing her denim shorts. “Let me go handle this.”

  “Okay,” Harriet mumbled, rolling over.

  Sally opened her bedroom door and scooted past her mustard sofa, nearly tripping on her sheepskin rug as usual, getting to the front door just as the banging began again. She yanked it open and standing there was her aunt, a wide grin on her face, her shiny copper hair up in a bun.

  Sally frowned at her, going to check her watch before realizing she didn’t have it on. “What are you doing here? We did say midday, right?”

  “Charming,” Paula replied, almost yelling her reply. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

  Panic slithered through Sally, but there wasn’t much else she could do. “Come in,” she said, stepping aside and closing her eyes. This wasn’t going to go well, was it?

  Paula stepped past her, giving her a kiss on the cheek, looking enormous in her living room — or perhaps that’s just how Sally perceived her. She assessed the sofa, the TV crouched on the small wooden table, Sally’s painting of Chicago hung on the far wall. Paula stood in front of it and gave a whistle: the painting depicted a view of the main stem of the Chicago River, with the famous Wrigley Building and Tribune Tower.

  “This is amazing — you should commission these, too. They’d sell like hot cakes at home.”

  But Sally, still half asleep, just nodded. She’d heard that from her family for a while now, but she only painted for herself.

  “But we did say midday, right?” she blurted out again, scratching her head and yawning. She really hadn’t had much sleep.

  Paula nodded. “We did, but I was up early, so I thought I’d come early and you could show me your neighborhood.”

  “Right,” Sally said.

  “Are you going to come back and get naked with me anytime soon?” Harriet shouted from the bedroom.

  Every hair on Sally’s body stood up as she closed her eyes, shaking her head. She didn’t need a mirror to know her cheeks were the color of beetroot — she could feel it.

  If Paula had been grinning before, her mouth was now wider than ever as she clamped her hand over her mouth. “Well, well, you sly dog!” her aunt said, starting to laugh. “You’ve got a woman in your bed! Sorry, I thought you said you weren’t seeing anyone, so I didn’t think I’d be interrupting.”

  “I wasn’t till last night,” Sally said. “And now I kinda am.” She paused. “Actually, it’s Harriet.”

  Paula put a hand on her hip, a furrow in her brow. “Harriet from Chicago, Harriet?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Harriet who you’re not talking to and nothing’s going on?”

  “That’s the one,” Sally said, smiling.

  The one who fucked my brains out earlier. The one I was hoping might get to do the same this morning.

  “McCall!” Harriet shouted again. “Get you
r butt in here!”

  Sally put her index finger in the air. “You mind if I just go and shut her up, then we can carry on this conversation?”

  Paula laughed, rubbing her hands together. “By all means. Better yet — how about I go get us some coffee and pastries from that café on the corner, give you two time to recover. Unless I’m interrupting something right now?” Paula added, raising an eyebrow.

  Sally spluttered, shaking her head. “No! We just woke up, you’re not interrupting. A coffee would be lovely.”

  “Okay,” her aunt said. “You’ve got 15 minutes to make yourselves presentable, and then I’m coming back. Does that work?”

  Sally nodded. “Perfect. Thanks, Paula.” She walked her to the door. “And promise me one thing?”

  “What’s that?”

  “No messaging Dad to tell him what just happened. This is something between us. Lesbian bonding and all that.”

  “My lips are sealed,” Paula said, giving her a wink. “What happens in Queens, stays in Queens.”

  Sally closed the door and took a deep breath, then walked back through to the bedroom, where Harriet was laying on top of the covers, legs spread, naked. She wiggled an eyebrow and crooked a finger in Sally’s direction.

  “What took you so long?”

  “My aunt being at the door and hearing you calling me to come back in and get naked.” Sally waited for her words to sink in.

  Harriet’s eyes got bigger as she sat up. “Your aunt was here? Just now?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Harriet covered her face with her hands. “Oh, shit,” she said, laughing. “I guess she doesn’t think we’re just friends anymore.”

  Sally crawled onto the gray-and-yellow bedding on her hands and knees, kissing Harriet’s lips before laying down, her head on Harriet’s shoulder. She flicked her gaze upwards and stared at her. “Friends with benefits, maybe.”