Ambivalence (Unfinished)

Corinne watched the brush slide through Iris's silky hair. They were sitting in Iris's room after a short jog. Corinne's face was flushed from exertion, and she reclined back on the bed. 1

"So did you have any plans for tonight?" Corinne asked.2

Iris turned away from the mirror and looked at her. "Not really, I'll probably stay home. You?"3

"I'm thinking about going out, I hadn't decided yet," Corinne replied.4

For the six months that they had been roommates, Corinne had secretly been attracted to Iris, but was unsure of how to proceed. She ran her fingers through her own hair, feeling the dampness on her scalp. She watched Iris at the mirror for a few more seconds, then stood and walked to the doorway. "I think I'm going to go take a shower now," she said, then walked down the hall.5

Iris watched Corrine walking further away from her, wondering if she was aware of her stare. The back of her shirt was drenched with sweat, a big circular clump in the middle. She wondered what it would taste like to lick the sweat off of her back, to clean her, to caress her, to… Iris held the thought, feeling guilty and ashamed. She had just broken up with her boyfriend of 2 years a month ago. I can’t be attracted to girls, she thought. What will people think?6

“Save some warm water for me,” Iris meekly replied, trying unsuccessfully to suppress the fantasies of joining her.  She sighed and continued to brush her hair out of habit.7

While undressing in the bathroom, Corinne wondered how it would feel to hold Iris under the warm water--the droplets kissing their skin as they embraced. She turned the faucet, stared at the spray from the showerhead for a moment before stepping into the tub. Her pale skin turned pink from the onslaught of hot water on her tender skin. She closed her eyes and daydreamed to the percussion of droplets hitting her head like summer raindrops on a roof.8

Lost in reverie, she jumped when the curtain parted slightly to reveal Iris's large, brown eyes staring at her.  9

Adrenaline raced through Corinne's blood, making her pulse increase as she stared, shocked, into Iris's eyes. Iris closed the curtain, shifted her eyes down to the floor, and blurted, "Sorry, I should've knocked, I was just going to see if you knew what happened to my face wash."10

Disappointed, Corinne replied, "I'm sorry, I think I used the last of it but forgot to tell you."11

"Okay, I'll just pick up some more later," Iris called as she shuffled into the hallway and closed the door. 12

Ten minutes passed and a quiet knock sounded at the door. Corinne was done showering and wanted to let Iris know. “I saved some hot water for you,” she said.13

“Thanks…” Iris replied, trailing off. “You can come in if you’d like”.14

The door opened and Corinne walked in wearing nothing but a red towel, her short, wavy, shoulder length brown hair dripping water down her torso. Iris tried not to stare at her soft, supple breasts that dipped down to show cleavage. Corinne was at least a C cup, to Iris’s barely B’s and she found herself both attracted and curious. She looked away with a consternated look on her face, shunning away the moments thought of cleavage and sighed.15

“What’s the matter?” Corinne asked.16

“I’ve just been thinking about my break up with Jason,” Iris replied. “He always wanted me to grow out my hair, so I did, for him. I never really liked it, or how much time it takes to maintain.” She turned to face Corinne now. “Will you cut it for me?” Her intent gaze was sincere.17

Corinne stood speechless for a moment. She had never cut anyone’s hair before and wasn’t sure if she could pull it off. “I… I’m not a hairstylist. I’m afraid I’d ruin your beautiful hair!” She was torn between her love for Iris’s soft, black locks, yet knew she had the kind of face that could pull off any hair style.18

“Oh, come on!” Iris urged, “It’s good to try something new!” Her eyes were pleading. “I just really want to free myself from Jason… Cut it all off!”19

“I’ll try,” Corinne said, hesitantly. “Weren’t you going to take a shower?”20

“You’re right… I’ll hop in and do that first, then I can get the scissors and you can cut my hair when it’s wet.” Iris jumped up to give Corinne a hug. "I really appreciate this, you're the best!" She walked out of the room and went into the bathroom, took off her clothes and stepped into the tub, leaving Corinne to wonder what exactly might happen next.21

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