Chapter 1
Chapter 1Rachelle Sylvester took a sip of her Chardonnay trying to ignore the turbulence that was wreaking havoc on both the flight and her stomach. She had been in her seat for an hour and was growing uncomfortable. Lynn had fallen asleep on her shoulder and she didn’t want to wake up the young blonde woman. Rachelle’s sky blue skirt was running up her leg slowly but surely as Lynn moved her leg while she slept. Rachelle wondered if the movement was intentional.
Rachelle and Lynn were both recruitment advisors at a small college in New York. About two months earlier, Lynn had asked Rachelle out on a date. Rachelle was quite surprised by the invitation, they were good friends and she had never entertained the idea of being more intimate with Lynn.
Despite her internal reservations, she said yes. She hadn’t been out on a date in a long time and knew, at the very least, she needed to get out of her apartment for a while. It’s not like she didn’t get offers to go out, she got many offers from men she met at college fairs throughout the East Coast. She was intelligent, beautiful, young, and talented. However, since the age of 15 she knew that she could only feel passion for a woman.
Their first date was pleasant; dinner at their favorite restaurant followed by a movie. However, Rachelle felt the familiar vibes of friendship in the air. She took in the sight that sat before her; Lynn was wearing tight black jeans that lead to a black blouse that was quite see-through much to the delight of onlookers. She styled her short blonde hair in a barely-there pony tail. Rachelle knew that a beautiful woman sat before her, she also knew that she could only see this woman as a friend.
“Rachelle, you don’t seem into this.” Lynn said as she put her hand over Rachelle’s.
“I’m having good time, really I am.”
“But?”
“But we’re friends Lynn. I’ve cried on the phone with you after break ups, we’ve talked about finding the women of our dreams, it just doesn’t feel right.” Rachelle said.
Lynn squeezed Rachelle’s hand: “But I am here with the woman of my dreams, just give this a chance, let’s go out a few more times and if you still think it’s wrong then I will back off I promise.”
Rachelle began to stare out of the oval window. Although flying made her nervous, she always enjoyed these quieter moments on a plane. It was a chance to reflect on her life and all that she wanted. She always had a strong sense of ambition but she sensed complacency growing within her. She enjoyed her job and recently she had even gone out on a few dates. However, she could not pinpoint anything in her life that she was passionate about. She was looking forward to the trip she was embarking on. She needed the vacation.
Lynn’s head was slowly sloping down resting on Rachelle’s chest. Rachelle sat as still as possible, noticing Lynn’s head moving up and down along with her own white tank top. The feeling of Lynn’s head on her chest and the blonde’s hand on her thigh was making her feel both excited and uncomfortable. It had been a long time since she was this close to a woman and she did not want to share this intimate embrace with Lynn. She had agreed to go out on a few more dates with Lynn despite her hesitation. As she sat with Lynn over her, the images from that last night kept replaying in her mind: a drunken Lynn fumbling for her blouse, getting up to back away from the blonde, then boom the shattering of the glass against the wall...
“Lynn, wake up. I have to go to the bathroom”
Lynn barely opened her eyes in time to watch Rachelle get up and walk to the back of the plane. Her eyes were still filled with sleep as she watched the beautiful brunette make her way through the narrow aisle.
“You always do this Lynn. You always make her uncomfortable.” She said as she pounded her fist into her armrest. This trip was her last chance to fix her relationship with Rachelle. As she sat there stretching on the plane, she thought back to the night when their relationship took a bleak turn. They had gone back to Lynn’s place. Lynn was engorged by lust and being close to Rachelle was more than she could handle. Lynn was already tipsy and the few glasses of wine they shared put her over the top. She went for Rachelle’s mouth and kissed her while greedily unbuttoning her friend’s blouse. She was filled with anger when Rachelle pulled away and moved slowly away from her. Before she could think about what she was doing, it was too late, she picked up the bottle of wine and threw it at her small and feeble friend.
It was as if her mind went blank, she was forced back to reality when she noticed the tears in Rachelle’s eyes and the blood pouring from Rachelle’s arm. She sat down on her couch as Rachelle stormed out of her apartment. It took her almost a month to convince Rachelle to speak to her again. When she found out that her stepmother was buying a vacation home in Jamaica she saw it as the final chance to fix her relationship with Rachelle. She invited Rachelle to the house in Negril along with their two friends: Brenda and Jackie. While Brenda and Jackie agreed, Rachelle was hesitant. Lynn took it upon herself to ask their boss for vacation time for both her and Rachelle. She explained to their kindhearted boss that it was a surprise for Rachelle, a gift from her friends. Her boss gave permission and she booked the tickets. Now they were off to paradise and her goal was to win Rachelle’s heart. She decided to rest her head onto the small oval window. She tried to fall asleep...for real this time.
As Rachelle was heading back to her seat, she felt a hand softly grab her wrist. Brenda’s soft green eyes were staring back at her. They had met two years before at a college fair in Boston.
“Are you okay Rachelle? I saw Lynn sleeping on you.” Brenda said with concern.
Brenda has been protective of Rachelle since the first day they met. It was Brenda’s first college fair and she was less than thrilled when she saw a woman setting up her display on the adjacent table. “Look at her standing there like every student should just fall at her feet.” She said quietly to herself. The woman was from a rival all women’s college. “Great every lesbian and horny boy is going to skip my table and head to hers.” She thought to herself. She watched the young brunette quickly adjust her outfit as a student approached her. Brenda was intimidated by the confidence and grace as the brunette spoke of the majors at the college. The student was too busy staring at her breast to care about majors but the brunette didn’t seem to notice. The student made sure to point out her home phone number before walking away. Brenda was startled when she noticed the women turn and look directly at her.
“Hi, I’m Rachelle, this is my first time, at a fair I mean, and I’m kinda nervous.” Rachelle said with a chuckle.
Brenda couldn’t help but return the genuine smile with one of her own. She was surprised by what she saw when she looked into Rachelle’s eyes. Deep, beyond the confidence and swagger, she saw a hint of insecurity. Brenda instantly felt driven to protect Rachelle from misfortune and ease that insecurity. They spoke throughout the entire night and they were good friends from that moment on.
“Promise me you will have a good time on this trip Rachelle.”
“I will, I want to, I just don’t want to give Lynn the wrong impression and make her feel bad.”
“Look, it is not your job to protect Lynn, she needs to back off, this is about all of us going to Jamaica and having a good time.” Brenda said. She never liked the idea of Lynn and Rachelle together. Long before Rachelle introduced her to the tall blonde she had heard of Lynn. Lynn had quite a reputation on the road as a recruitment advisor. She was known to start affairs with students in the town she was in and leaving them on the side of the road, the young student never knowing what had hit her. She knew that Lynn felt strongly for Rachelle, perhaps a little too strong. Brenda was weary of Lynn but Lynn made every attempt to get on her good side, this trip was a nice touch.
“And if you need help having a good time, I’m sure Jackie will have no problem showing you a good time.” Brenda said with a look of mischief in her eyes. She appreciated this trip but had her own plans. She had noticed the attraction between Rachelle and Jackie and knew that the trip would help them realize it.
Rachelle smiled sheepishly at Jackie. Jackie, who was sitting next to Brenda playfully waved. Rachelle allowed her eyes to linger over Jackie’s body. She was fixated on Jackie’s red shirt and the way it crisscrossed at her torso. This trip may not be as bad as she thought.