Free and Captured

Maranda closed Holly’s laptop and set it in the empty space next to her on the bed. She turned and faced Holly, lifting her body of the bed and onto Holly’s outstretched legs, straddling her thighs. She lifted Holly’s chin in an effort to help her friend’s eyes find her own. Holly sat there, still as stone, with her heart beating out of her chest. She loved Maranda, she had admitted that to herself months ago, but this moment, she could have sworn would never happen. And yet, as Maranda lifted her chin, she looked away, avoiding Maranda’s eyes. “Look at me, Holly…” Maranda whispered. 1

Holly hesitated until finally her eyes lifted slowly from the nowhere she had been staring. They wandered up Maranda’s body, all too aware that it was resting on her own. She followed Maranda’s figure from her hip bones to her stomach, her belly button peeking out from between her boxers and light blue tank top. Her skin was the color of faded leather, no doubt from the countless hours spent on the beach, and even more time spent sitting on her surfboard as a mere glimpse resting on top of the ocean. Her tan body was warm on top of Holly’s and her nerves grew as she forced her eyes to defy gravity and continue up Maranda’s body, reaching her breasts. Two perfect, perky breasts, not too big and not too small. Maranda always said they were just right for her: “Big enough to get the boys’ attention and small enough to stay out of the way”. Holly decided Maranda was right, they were faultless. With Maranda’s nipples protruding through the tank top desperate to be freed, Holly started to get wet. She wiggled underneath Maranda’s weight, hoping she didn’t notice the sudden warmth radiating off her body, but the growing heat between her legs couldn’t be ignored much longer. 2

Holly forced her mind not to wander and strained to continue the journey upward. She reached the neck and watched as Maranda swallowed deep, a nervous habit they both knew she had. She followed the veins and arteries up Maranda’s neck to her chin and paused on those irresistible lips. They were thinner than Holly’s own and slightly chapped but they were stunning. Holly had spent countless nights dreaming of those lips on hers, imagining the soft kisses that would linger, the deep passionate ones that would leave her seeing stars, and all the ones in between. Each one distinct from the other and each one bursting with love. She didn’t want to, but she did, even though she could have spent hours on those lips, Holly continued her journey. She traveled up Maranda’s face, her nose, and then her cheekbones, just distinct enough to give her that exotic look that drove Holly crazy, maybe even envied. 3

She gathered every detail, every pore until she had no choice but to unearth Maranda’s eyes. But she froze and instead, marveled at Maranda’s clear, blemish free skin. She watched the worry lines on her friend’s forehead stress becuase she had her “serious” face on. She even noticed the birthmark just visible at her hairline, partially covered by the salt stained dirty blonde hair that rested in tangled mess down to Maranda’s shoulders. She would have been a solid brunette if she didn’t spend so much time in the sun, whereas Holly was bleach blonde no matter what the season. Maranda wasn’t ashamed of her birth mark; in fact, she loved it and was never afraid to let it show. “It gives me individuality, my own personal physical trademark” she would tell Holly. Holly loved that about her friend, that she liked being different and absolutely shone with confidence. 4

Unable to stall any longer, Holly took a deep breath and found them; two radiant eyes staring back at her with a depth that seeped deep into her soul. Maranda’s eyebrows were arched, opening her eyes wide and drooping just slightly on the outside giving her face a sense of longing. An emotion that Holly knew all too well. Holly gazed into Maranda’s eyes, gathering their beauty and mentally recording every detail because this was a moment she knew she never wanted to forget. She wasn’t just looking at Maranda like it was any other day, she was reading her, seeing her for the girl she truly was. She saw the tragedy that Maranda had fought years ago, the pieces of her life she had to pick up alone. She saw the scars that a bruised and broken family life had left and the triumphs of what she has overcome in her short life. Maranda was finally letting her in and the gateway: her eyes. Holly focused on Maranda’s eyes, peering into the doorway that had finally been unlocked and began working from the outside in, taking in every nanometer just to be sure not a single speck escaped her sight. 5

The outside of Maranda’s irises were darker than the rest, though Holly couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She racked her brain for any sort of analogy so that she could paint them in her book later, until finally she settled on the color of the ocean. Not the ocean on a cloudless summer day, no. It was the color of the ocean at dusk: a dark dense blue, with a strong suggestion of gray and a hint of silver. Almost black, but if you looked closely enough you could catch the hint of blue left over from the daylight. Yeah, Holly thought, that’s it. 6

The next layers of her eyes, now they were a blue that Crayola had yet to define, and probably would never get right anyway. It was the blue you see in the morning sky when the day starts anew after a night of storms and wind and hell; a sky of rejuvenation and hope. Holly knew she would spend hours mixing colors to get that one shade right, but in the end it would be perfect for her re-creation. 7

Moving closer to the center, Holly focused on the colors surrounding the dark center of Maranda’s eyes. Around the pupil, so faint that she had never seen it before, was a ring of gold sprinkled with varying shades of yellow. It reminded Holly of the color of the sun just after sunrise, burning bright with all its energy and with the confidence to welcome a new day. It was mesmerizing, and as cliché as it sounded, Holly could swear it twinkled. 8

It took all the strength she harbored to move on from that compelling speckle of gold and into the dark, unforgiving center of her friend’s eyes. But it wasn’t as fearful as Holly had expected, the abysmal black that was anticipated was glossed over and even welcoming. It was here she saw Maranda’s nerves finally show and her sorrows finally float to the surface. She stared into the darkness of Maranda’s pupil and saw more pain and suffering than she had ever known. So this is where she hides, Holly thought and instinctively reached for her friend’s hands, interlocking her fingers with Maranda’s.9

They stayed still for moments that passed by like years until Holly noticed her own reflection in Maranda’s eyes and had to remind herself to stop gawking. 10

Maranda let Holly’s attention detail radiate throughout the room and center on herself. She knew that Holly wouldn’t look at her, really look at her until she had done just that. That was the way Holly was, she had to take in all the details first. Every single nicety and abnormality had to be recorded first, and then she could finally see something as a whole. “The mind of an artist…” Maranda would sigh every time Holly would become transfixed like this. But now, with Holly doing it to her, as though she were the artwork, Maranda didn’t want it to stop. She could feel Holly taking note of every curvature, color and shape of her until it tingled in her bones. She needed Holly to see her, wholly and completely and, this was her way of doing it. And when she was done, she would truly see Maranda, for perhaps the first time since they met 4 months ago. She owed this to her friend, after months of indecisiveness and signals going all wrong, she owed this one, deliberate truth to Holly.11

Holly blinked after what seemed like hours and looked at Maranda. Not at her eyes, or at her cheekbones, or even those enticing lips, but at her as whole. Maranda started to grin, aware that Holly had finished her book keeping, because she instinctively knew that it had worked; that her friend had seen her. Her grin faded and she peered back at Holly, but not at her eyes, no. She found Holly’s lips. 12

Holly wanted to say something, anything. She wanted to comfort Maranda, to let her know how much she truly cared for her, appreciated her, admired her, and loved her. But, she couldn’t find the words, and just as she opened her mouth to say something, anything, her mouth went dry. She saw Maranda’s grin recede and her eyes focus on her lips. 13

Holly’s mind began to race, thinking from about everything from wondering if she remembered to brush her teeth to whether she had turned off TV in the living room. She remembered watching the last few minutes of CSI: Miami while Maranda was in the shower, but couldn’t recall if she had turned it off before running to grab Maranda an extra towel. Her mind raced several circles before Holly realized she was getting dizzy. This always happened when she was nervous. She could never focus on one thing, it was exhausting. Holly struggled to re-focus and snapped back to reality to find Maranda just as she had left her, peering onto her lips with the look of a wolf about to devour its prey. A look void of any uncertainty and full of assurance and purpose.14

Maranda knew what she wanted. She finally knew she wanted Holly. Both girls had spent months confused with how they felt towards their new instant other halves. It was unspoken, but the tension was always there; a constant feeling that they always wanted to go further than where they lay. Maranda didn’t know what to do with those new emotions and as a result, threw Holly a whole whirlwind of curveballs. Holly took each shot in stride, at least on the exterior, but Maranda could only guess the battle that her friend was fighting inside. They were both torn. But now, and as of earlier this week, Maranda had finally come to her senses and there was no denying it. She wanted Holly.15

Hearts fluttering, Maranda bent down to kiss Holly and time stopped. Lips barely touching, neck’s aching towards each other, nerves shouting, time had stopped. They sat still, breathing each other in until their bodies could take no more and finished the deed. Their lips touched delicately at first, testing the waters. Maranda’s lips were gentle, but led with intent, finding their place on Holly’s. The kiss was soft and supple and Holly found herself drowning in bliss.16

Suddenly, Maranda pulled away, and looked at Holly with eyes that asked “Is this okay?” Holly responded by snaking her hands through Maranda’s sun bleached hair and pulled her lips back onto her own. They kissed passionately, letting out months and months of indecision and questioning. All flooding out in answers formed as a kiss. Maranda nibbled on Holly’s lower lip, and Holly’s heart nearly burst out of her chest; she wanted more. She parted Maranda’s lips and slipped her tongue into her mouth, desperate to explore the inside and to know her friend inside and out. 17

Maranda’s arms clenched around Holly’s neck in a desperate attempt to get even closer than they already were. Holly reached around Maranda’s back to do the same, pulling her hips into her own the holding on tight for the ride. They stayed lip locked, kissing hard as Maranda’s hips began moving involuntarily against Holly’s. Holly breathed out a sigh of pleasure and the tingling in between her legs grew unbearable, an uncanny combination of pleasure and pain.18

Holly wrapped Maranda’s legs around her waist and gently pushed her until she lay on her back, so that she could hover above her, never once breaking their kiss. Holly stayed suspended over Maranda for a moment, loving being in control for a change, and then gently lowered her body so that their breasts touched and their legs lay intertwined. Maranda moaned in desire and it only made Holly hotter and desperate to feel every inch of her friend. As if on cue, Maranda reached her hands under Holly’s loose t-shirt and lifted it up over her head, breaking lips only momentarily. Holly returned the favor, running her hands over Maranda’s stomach until she finally peeled off her tank top and tossed it off to the side, unaware that it landed on top of the laptop that had started this whole dance19

They continued undressing and kissing every inch of each other, letting their lips linger where moans and heavy breathing directed. They made love until they were both out of breath and collapsed in each other’s arms diagonally across the bed. Maranda kissed Holly’s forehead and held her even tighter, as though she were afraid of ever letting go. Holly looked up, taking no time at all to find Maranda’s gorgeous cobalt eyes and kissed her deeply, her lips pressing hard against Maranda’s.20

It was unspoken, because mouths and minds were occupied, but it was obvious. The room held no tension, no confusion, and none of the unrelenting questions that both girls had constantly upheld. Instead, it was peaceful, drenched with the feeling of comfort and relieve from two girls, two friends and now, two lovers totally enamored with each other.