Free The Long Weekend by Clare Lydon Page B

mess out. But it hadn’t been quite that easy.
    ***
    Stevie’s body glided as her thoughts spun. Today, her trainers were coated in magic dust and she was flying. She felt gracious, unbeatable. Perhaps it was a sign. Perhaps today was the day to take the plunge, to fully reconnect with Vic. Yes, she’d found it hard to forgive. But the bottom line was she didn’t want to be with anyone else, so perhaps it was time to get back to being with the woman she loved.
    Stevie raced on in her body, letting her thoughts settle this time. If there was one thing she was sure of, it was that she wanted to sleep with Vic – she missed her so badly. She grinned at the prospect and ran on, feeling invincible.
    Yes, today she could tackle anything. Stevie picked up her speed and angled her face into the sun. Today, she’d decided to run home.

Tash & Laura
     
    Laura woke with a sore head and sore thigh muscles. How much had Vic and Stevie heard last night? She pulled the duvet up over her head and closed her eyes.
    On the light blue pillow next to her, Tash screwed up her face and wiped some dribble from her mouth, before grunting and turning the other way.
    Outside, the sea was grinding against the shore, the sun trying to peer in through the gaps in the curtains. It looked like another sunny day with another walk on the agenda. From the sounds drifting up the stairs, someone was already up and getting ready.
    Laura stuck her tongue out of her mouth. Furry.
    Laura turned her head to the right. Had she had the forethought to bring a glass of water upstairs? She had not. She stared at the empty space on the bedside table. Her chest felt claggy too, like she’d smoked 20 Benson & Hedges.
    “Why are you awake?” Tash asked without opening her eyes.
    Laura turned her head, smiling. “I thought I was being quiet.”
    “You don’t even blink quietly.”
    In response, Laura moved a foot to her right until it connected her to Tash’s body. She rubbed it up and down her leg and felt the press of her lover’s lips on her head in return.
    Whenever Laura was awake and in bed with Tash, she liked some part of their bodies to be connected. In winter, she wrapped herself around Tash like bindweed, clinging to her very own human radiator for warmth. In the summer it was just a foot, a hand or a hip, before sleep took her and she rolled away. But whenever they were both awake, her first thought was always to touch Tash.
    Laura hoped their relationship never ended because she knew she could never just be friends. The compulsion to touch Tash and kiss her had been ever-present since the moment they met inside that dank, depressing flat. Laura didn’t imagine it was something that would change anytime soon.
    Laura moved closer to Tash and shifted her arm to just above her head, the cue for her girlfriend to lift her head and settle into her arm nook.
    Tash duly obliged.
    “So how much do you think the house heard last night?” Laura said, kissing Tash’s fiery ginger hair.
    “Enough to make them jealous as hell?”
    Laura broke into a wide grin, looking pretty pleased with herself.
    Tash shifted her face back onto Laura’s shoulder and breathed in her lover’s morning smell, kissing her bare neck. “And I don’t know what you did to me last night, but my calves are really tight.” Tash reached down to rub them.
    “I don’t recall any complaints last night.”
    “None here, no ma’am,” Tash said. “If anyone asks, I’ll recommend you without hesitation.”
    “Good to know.”
    “Beautiful, sexy, great line in multiple orgasms. Almost illegal tongue skills. How’s that for a personal ad?” Tash flicked her eyes up towards Laura, who tilted her head to consider the question. “Also, wicked spot forming on chin,” Tash added.
    Laura frowned. “I was just adjusting to my stud status and then you had to go and spoil it, didn’t you?”
    Tash reached up and kissed her girlfriend. “I love you and I love your spot.” She placed