Love is a Place Ch. 01: The Puzzle - Sex Stories

Love is a Place Ch. 01: The Puzzle

... Let me at least change my jacket."

Samantha watched as Sarah quickly swapped her jacket for a more fitted coat that gave her waist some definition, dashed a bit of extra eyeliner on and popped on some rarely used lipstick. Samantha observed how her jeans were quite form-fitting.

"Okay babes, let's go!"

Moments later, all six of them piled out the door for the walk down Park Street to the venue.

Samantha slipped her arm through Sarah's almost straightaway, earning her a smile from her friend. Samantha felt her chest rising with extra satisfaction. She thought that maybe this feeling might be what other people meant by happiness, maybe even love. Even as they advanced through the crowds at the venue's entrance, something that would usually cause Samantha's chest to bend, the taste of Sarah's fingers entwined with hers meant the floaty feeling never faded.

For much of the actual concert, Samantha drifted, as if in some sort of trance. It was not unlike the effect of the pills prescribed to her for much of her childhood, but instead of her sensations being deadened everywhere, like a blanket being pressed down, they were massively heightened within a very close radius. The radius within which Sarah sat. In which she breathed, she smiled, she stroked Samantha's skin. Samantha was fully focused on her friend, acutely aware of her: the way she would reach back to tuck a stray curl of hair behind her ear, of the honey taste of Sarah's hand on hers, her pulse, the ...

... momentary tang of emptiness when they would let go to applaud the end of a song, the mango singing pressure when her hand returned to hers. Samantha had never tried alcohol but she wondered if this sweet sensation, this gorgeous flavour, could be likened to intoxication. The music washed over her but she was barely conscious of it. In fact when it finished, she hardly noticed, until she realised that Sarah had been smiling at her for some time.

Samantha was still in a daze when Dr Summers came down the aisle.

"Hi there!" Dr Summers began, "did you enjoy it?"

"Kate! Hi! Yes, it was great! You?" Sarah was talking, Samantha noticed.

"Yeah, fantastic! Did you recognise Priya up there?"

"No! Priya? Your girlfriend?"

"Yeah! The cellist? First full performance with the band! So proud of her!"

"She was brilliant. They all were. Please tell her," Sarah was speaking, but Samantha was nodding.

"I will! I'm going to head backstage and see her now, but lovely to see you. You're a beautiful couple, by the way!"

"Wait, what do you mean?" but Dr Summers was gone.

They waited until most of the crowd had dispersed. Keith and Lydia said their goodbyes; they were headed back to his flat for the night. Amanda, Louise, Sarah and Samantha made their way slowly back up through the town centre, Amanda and Louise saying goodnight outside a popular bar when they spotted some friends of Louise inside.

And then it was just Sarah and Samantha walking home side by side under the ...