Chapter 4
Nicole's parents lived a short ferry ride followed by a short drive away. The line wasn't long, and soon Mika was pulling the rented Audi into the driveway of a gorgeous medium sized house. It was in a heavily wooded lot. The trees were bare, but for a couple of evergreens on the perimeter, but Lauren could picture how lovely the trees would be in spring. Even with the barren branches surrounding it, the house was impressive. It had polished wooden decking that ran down a few feet to a placid waterway. There was a jetty extending from the deck, but no boats were moored to it.
There was a furious barking from inside the house as they approached. It changed to a whine when Nicole's parents emerged, leaving the small dog inside.
Mika and her late wife's parents were all in tears when they hugged. They seemed tears of shared loss rather than heavy grief, as though the source of Nicole's parents' sadness was Mika's loss, and hers was theirs. Tears of closeness. When Mika drew back, she wiped her face, then introduced Lauren as "my girlfriend."
This was the part Lauren had dreaded. These people had no reason to love their daughter's wife's partner. But they did. They hugged her as they had Mika - without the shared tears, but Lauren found she had trouble holding her own back.
Their names were Rick and Morgan, and after introducing themselves they took both women inside. Morgan offered coffee, but Mika shook her head. "I want to catch the next ferry," she said.
"We'll see you later, sweety," said Morgan. "You will stay for dinner?"
"Of course," Mika said, then left Lauren with her in-laws.
This was the second trial that had concerned Lauren. Would she be interrogated or punished once she was alone with these strangers, whose daughter's place she was - in a sense - trying to take? But the inquisition didn't happen. Rick and Morgan seemed genuinely lovely people.
"Would you like coffee?" Morgan asked again. "We keep tea for Mika's visits, but no one else we know really drinks it. You're welcome to it, of course."
Lauren smiled. "I liked Mika's tea from the first, and it's growing on me even more, but I'm a coffee girl at heart. I'd love a cup."
Rick led her into the spacious living room, taking a seat on the couch with her, but with a good distance between them. Friendly, not intimidating. He asked what she did for work, and his eyes didn't glaze over too badly when she described it.
Morgan took the chair across from them after delivering their coffees. She served it on a tray with milk and sugar. Lauren added milk to her coffee, then sat back. The small Yorkie, Sean, who seemed perfectly calm now, had followed Morgan into the room, but had decided that he couldn't avoid greeting the newcomer any longer. He leaped up onto the couch between Rick and Lauren, and curled up against Lauren, panting, when she petted him.
"How did you meet Mika, dear?" Morgan asked.
Lauren suppressed a grin. This was the interrogation, but it didn't sound like a hostile one.
She explained about Mandy's apartment hunting. She mentioned Mandy as a friend, not an ex. She talked about sitting outside talking to Mika for hours at the table in the center of the yard.
"That is a pretty house they own," Morgan said. "She owns, I mean. You'd think after five years I'd get used to that, but I guess a mom never does. I'm happy she found someone, dear. She's needed to move on with her life."
"I don't know how much you know about me," Lauren said. "Has Mika talked about me?"
It was Rick who answered. "She called us from Japan," he said. "She seemed very nervous. She told us that she'd met someone..."
Morgan picked up the story before Rick could continue. "We were so worried!" she said. "Well, I was worried. She calls us from Japan saying she's met a girl, of course I thought she meant a Japanese girl. So she'd be moving! I love that girl! I don't want her to leave."
"'Course, I didn't know that she was panicking," said Rick, "because I waited to hear what she said. She met you here. She seemed to glow when she talked about you, so we knew it was serious."
"I'm very serious about her," Lauren said, "but I want you to know that she still loves Nicole, and I'll never try to change that. I think she has a big heart with room for another, but I don't want to replace your daughter."
"I think you wouldn't have come here if you did, dear," Morgan said. "You know about her need to visit Nicole, and you seem okay with it."
"I'm very okay with it," Lauren agreed. "Could you... if it isn't rude of me to ask, could you tell me about Nicole?"
"Oh, sweety, of course we can," said Morgan.
Rick stood with a grunt. "I'll get the photos."
The next couple of hours found Lauren looking at photos, aided by Sean, who didn't care whether he was sitting beside her or on her lap, as long as she didn't stop petting him.
She saw a girl she'd never met grow into maturity, increasingly coming to resemble the wedding photo and Mika's sculpture. Photos of her playing soccer, a much younger Rick giving her a piggy-back ride in her club uniform. Waving down from a tree house at an unfamiliar home. A photo of her scowling with her arm in a cast.
"That look is because her best friend was on vacation and couldn't be the first to sign her cast," Morgan said. "I think they were girlfriends for a time when they were sixteen, but we weren't supposed to know. They stayed friends, though. Nicole didn't come out to us until she turned eighteen."
"'Course, we knew all along," said Rick. "We probably knew before she did. She never had time for boys. I think there's a photo of her with Maddy, hold on..."
He skipped ahead a few pages, finding a photo of Nicole, in her mid-teens but already startlingly beautiful, with a pretty dark-haired girl, each with her arm around the other's waist. "That was before there was anything romantic between them, I think," he said, "but who can know?"
"No, you're right," said Morgan, "because when they were dating, no one was allowed to see them together, so she'd not have let us take this photo."
They came to the photos of Nicole with Mika. Most of the early ones had clearly been taken by a friend holding Nicole's phone, but the two girls looked so happy. And more than a little drunk, in several shots. There was a photo of them at a sidewalk café, with a metal teapot between them, and several of them before stone buildings that looked ancient. These must have been at Oxford.
Of course there were wedding photos, including a copy of the one on Mika's wall. After that, several of them outdoors or at home, a few with Morgan and Rick. There was one of both of them wearing summer dresses sitting at the round table in Mika's yard. Their yard, then. Lauren's eyes filled with tears to see that, and though she tried to brush them away before anyone could see, Morgan picked up on it immediately. She took Lauren's hand, drawing her to her feet and hugging her.
"I'm sorry," said Lauren. "I didn't expect to..." She took a deep breath. "I wish I'd known her."
"She'd have liked you, sweety," Morgan insisted, releasing her.
The photos ended after that, which was upsetting in its own way, of course. Rick told her more about Nicole's studies, awards she'd won at school, how excited she was to get her scholarship, and how she'd been aggressively recruited even before she had her doctorate.
"She was brilliant," Rick said. "She never did anything by halves. She could have done anything she wanted. Some of those job offers must have been tempting, but she knew that the doctorate would open doors, and she knew exactly what she wanted to research. And she never gave a f..." He broke off, glancing at Morgan. "'Scuse me, dear. She never gave a flying fuck about what anyone thought to her being gay. Not once she'd come out."
"For the time she was with us, she did very well for herself," said Morgan. "Including finding your Mika. I wish they could have been together longer, but now I want Mika to be as happy as she was with Nicole." She smiled at Lauren. "I think she has a chance."
"'Course, it goes without saying," said Rick, "that we'll murder you if you hurt her. Right?" He grinned, not at all murderously.
"If I hurt her, I'll let you," said Lauren.
"She might have parents in Japan," Morgan said, "but she became our daughter in 2015 and she always will be."
"That's lovely," Lauren said, sincerely. "I know she feels the same."
"I love your house," Lauren said, a little later. "Being right on the water is amazing. Do you have a boat? Your jetty is empty."
"We do," Rick said. "It's in storage. Come back with Mika in June. We can go fishing, or just ride around."
"That would be fun," Lauren said. "I'm not sure about fishing, though."
When Mika returned in the late afternoon, her eyes were red-rimmed, but she was smiling.
"How are you, dear?" Morgan asked.
"I'm well," Mika replied. "I feel good about today." She moved over to Lauren, but barely glanced at her, still focused on Morgan. "I feel that I'm ready to accept that I can both miss her and be at peace with my life at the same time." Lauren felt her hand slip into hers, as if it was something so natural for Mika that she didn't even need to look for her. "I've always left the cemetery feeling sad. Today I was sad, while I spoke to her, but I left feeling comforted."
Morgan gave her a hug, one-armed to allow Mika to keep holding Lauren's hand, then bustled off to finish getting dinner ready.
"I want to make love to you tonight," Mika whispered to Lauren, who had to clamp her thighs together at the sudden spike of arousal.
"Are we okay for ferry times?" Lauren asked, out loud, but intending for Mika to consider if their plans required an exit at any specific time.
"It runs until late," said Mika, a quick nod acknowledging her concern.
Cars ahead of them left dark tire tracks on the floor of the ferry. Lauren wasn't looking forward to the short walk from the Audi to the interior of the ferry across wet steel plates in an icy wind, but it was over quickly.
Halfway through the journey, Mika insisted on going back outside to see the view. Though Lauren had expected the experience to be far too cold - and she wasn't wrong - the view of the city lights over the water was magical. Lauren asked a random guy to take a photo of them, handing him her phone and wrapping an arm around Mika, who learned into her.
When the phone flashed, Mika gave her a disappointed look. "Turn your flash off," she suggested, then asked the helpful guy, "could you do that again?"
"Are you sure there's enough light?" Lauren asked. At her girlfriend's raised eyebrows she said, "Right. Photographer. Silly me."
The guy with her phone took another shot. Lauren checked it, then thanked him. She turned the phone so that Mika could see it.
"Our first photo as a couple," Mika said. "It's good. Send it to me."
"Let's get back inside first," Lauren suggested. "My fingers might fall off in this cold."
"That would be bad," Mika agreed. "I'm going to need those fingers pretty soon."
Perhaps they hadn't stepped back as far as Lauren had thought, or perhaps Mika had raised her voice a little too high to counter the sounds of the wind and the engine, but Lauren thought she saw the helpful guy's shoulders shake with a laugh.
The day had been long and stressful, especially for Mika. Not only had she visited her late wife's grave, she'd queued in line for the ferry and made the crossing four times.
It must have been an expensive trip, too. The ferry had probably cost her as much as the flight. Then she'd paid for Lauren's flight and two nights in a hotel at the airport that can't have been cheap.
The hotel didn't have a hot tub, but the shower was comfortable and big enough for two. If they were planning to break their intimacy fast anyway, Lauren suggested, showering together might be a way to do that without risking falling asleep. Mika gave her a thoughtful smile, then a nod.
Lauren had far too much fun soaping down Mika's body to pay attention to her own, but that was fine, because Mika did the same for her. Though she was fairly certain that Mika used four times as much soap on her breasts as anywhere else. When she pointed that out, Mika retorted, "Well, yes, but that's because there's more to cover."
After rinsing Mika off, she pulled her close to kiss. With a couple of weeks of voluntary abstinence while sharing her life and her bed with Lauren, Mika was especially passionate. The hunger in her kiss made Lauren's heart race. Her beautiful, sexy, feeling girlfriend wanted her, and she was eager to oblige, dropping to her knees to kiss Mika's pussy lips.
She drew her fingers over Mika's sex, lubricating them in her wetness rather than the shower water, then worked them carefully into Mika as she caressed her with her tongue. When she was sure that her fingers were gliding smoothly inside her, she began to move them more forcefully. Mika groaned as she tongued her clit.
Pushing Mika into the corner of the shower for support, Lauren lifted one of Mika's feet to her shoulder, giving her fingers and mouth freer access to her sex. Then she suckled her clit as her fingers pumped inside her. Mika was far too desperate for her to allow for much finesse, so Lauren pushed her until she came hard, her whole body spasming, flooding Lauren's lips, which was a novel and exciting experience. Lauren used her free hand to keep Mika pressed into the corner of the shower, so that she wouldn't collapse or slip as she convulsed.
Lauren kept moving her fingers as she lowered Mika's foot back to the floor of the shower. Then she eased out of her and stood.
Mika's eyes were unfocused, but she returned to herself after a moment. "I hope you hadn't planned to keep your hair dry," she said, grinning, with a rasp in her voice.
"Guess that's what happens when you're on your knees in a shower," Lauren agreed.
Mika's eyes had recovered their sharpness and now narrowed in amusement. "Don't go away," she said. "I get to do you now."
"Do me?" Lauren scoffed.
"Have my wicked way with you," Mika said. "Make love to you. Fornicate with you. Shag you. Boff you."
"You seem a little punch-drunk," Lauren said.
"Possibly," Mika agreed.
"Let's get out of the shower and you can do me in the big comfortable bed."
Mika pouted, clearly not wanting to wait, but she turned the water off.
Lauren towelled off quickly, drying her hair only enough to stop it dripping, then wrapped a warm dry towel around herself and climbed into the king-sized bed. Her lover followed a moment later, wrapped in her own towel.
Once in bed, Mika unwrapped both towels, her warm, damp body nestling against Lauren's. One hand began to caress Lauren's pussy as their lips met. Fingers dipped into her, shallowly at first, then more deeply as they became slick with her arousal.
Soon Mika's fingers were deep within her. They moved slowly, curling against her inner passage, exploring, Lauren's breathing becoming heavy. Their tongues met as her body pushed into her lover's hand.
Then Mika's other hand brushed her clit. Her muscles clenched involuntarily, propelling her pussy forward as she groaned into the kiss. Mika's fingers pressed firmly to either side of her clit, then the fingers inside her began to move, Lauren's sex manipulated from within and without, her arousal surging at the touch.
Lauren was already turned on from the shower, and Mika wasn't giving her any quarter. She was being driven relentlessly toward her peak. As her body drew close to its breaking point, she wrapped her arms around her lover, kissing her passionately, Mika's breasts digging into her own.
She broke her lips free from Mika's, crying out as she fell into climax. Her sex clenched her lover's fingers, her hips pushing her into Mika's other hand as she quivered in pleasure.
Even when the last aftershocks had faded, Lauren didn't release Mika, only relaxing her hold enough for Mika to fit her body to Lauren's for sleep.
As good as the hotel was, they had only coffee in the room. Lauren brewed herself a cup before taking a shower. Her hair was badly tangled from the previous night's shower and subsequent activity, so she used the hotel shampoo and conditioner - probably a mistake, but she didn't want to tear her hair out by the roots.
After she'd used the hotel dryer, she combed her hair through one more time, then returned to the living room. Mika was just beginning to stir, and she stood for a time watching the narrow face of the woman with whom she was now completely, irrevocably in love.
When she stroked Mika's cheek, Mika smiled. Without opening her eyes, she captured Lauren's hand in her own, brushed it with her lips, then stretched.
"There's only coffee," Lauren said, surprised to hear how husky her voice sounded. "Would you like some?"
Shaking her head, Mika released her hand. She pulled down the sheet, Lauren, feeling a thrill as her gaze took in the slender naked body, the small patches of fuzz on her sex. "I drink coffee occasionally, but never hotel coffee," she said. "They have tea at the breakfast buffet. I'll get a quick shower."
"Do you want me to pack your things?" Lauren asked.
"That would be lovely," said Mika, her elegant accent finally noticeable as she moved closer to wakefulness.
Lauren had picked up a second round of the spicy sausages at the breakfast bar with a few more eggs and gravy. For some reason, she was hungry. Surely it couldn't have anything to do with last night's lovemaking? She grinned inwardly. Maybe they could develop their own exercise program...
There was an unusual look on Mika's face. Possibly slightly anxious, though she didn't seem upset or tense. A couple of times she seemed like she was about to speak, but then looked back at her own plate.
"What is it, honey?" Lauren asked. "It looks like you want to say something."
Mika looked up. Her shoulders twitched in a slight shrug, her expression chagrined. "Yes," she said. "I do. I want to ask you to do something for me."
"Anything, Mika, you know that," Lauren said.
"I want you to come with me. Before we leave today," Mika said. "I want to introduce you to Nicole. I know, it's daft, but it would mean a lot to me if I don't feel I'm hiding anything."
"Of course I will," Lauren replied. "It doesn't sound... daft? at all."
The cemetery was huge and picturesque. Mika held Lauren's hand as they walked through the placid paths. A middle-aged couple stood looking at a grave which was surrounded by a low wooden fence. Lauren glanced at the name on the headstone as they passed and did a double-take, though she kept walking.
"That's not him, is it?" she whispered to Mika, leaning close.
"It is," Mika said. "And his son."
"Nicole's in good company," Lauren murmured.
"In another six weeks the cherries will bloom. That was a more significant criterion than her famous neighbor," said Mika. "That, and how her parents can visit her at any time." Her steps slowed as she approached a modest headstone close to a bare-branched tree. "We visited often in 2020. Of course, I had to drive, since travel was shutting down, and I wouldn't have risked a flight anyway. I would stay with Rick and Morgan, but I wore a mask the entire time and slept in Nicole's old room, which they didn't enter. God, that was a hard year." She wiped at her eyes and shook her head. "But here we could be in the open, free from restrictions, though we still wore our masks religiously. We were here when the cherries were blooming just before April."
Nicole's name was on the simple headstone. Mika lowered herself to her knees, then sat on her heels. Lauren attempted to emulate her posture, sitting beside and slightly behind her. It wasn't comfortable, but she thought she could bear the awkward pose for a time. Mika reached for her hand, seeming to sense rather than see where Lauren was, just as she had done the previous day. Lauren took her hand, holding it gently.
"Hello, love." Mika's voice was soft. "I told you about Lauren yesterday. She's here with me now. I wanted her to meet you." She paused before continuing. "You and I were going to grow old together. We had so many plans. It's always going to hurt that it can't happen. But I think I've found the woman I will grow old with. She's special to me in a different way than you were, but I want to be with her. You were never a jealous girl, so I'm sure you'll understand. Even though I've fallen in love with her, I want you to know that I'll always love you."
Lauren barely suppressed an exclamation, but did squeeze Mika's hand, feeling the pressure returned.
"Next year I'll visit on the seventh, and spend St. Valentine's Day with Lauren. You'll never become less to me, but I need to celebrate her becoming more. I would like to go forward with your blessing."
Mika fell silent, remaining still, her head bowed. Lauren had heard much that had made her heart overflow, but for Mika's sake she needed to stay calm. Several minutes passed, then, suddenly, Lauren felt a sense of peace settle over her. It couldn't be supernatural, so it had to be her reaction to Mika finding her own serenity. She didn't know how she was aware of that, but it was borne out a moment later. Mika released her hand and stood, she made a small bow, then turned to Lauren, offering her hand to help her rise, her face seeming perfectly tranquil, seeming at ease within herself in a way that Lauren didn't think she'd ever seen. She didn't look back once as they moved back through the cemetery, the fenced graves now unobserved.
"I'd like to come back when the trees bloom," Lauren said, softly.
Mika's face turned toward her. She wore a huge smile. "So would I. We'll meet Rick and Morgan here."
"You... uh... did mean for me to hear what you said, didn't you?"
"I did, love," Mika said. "I didn't want to keep you a secret from Nicole, even if her presence is only my wishful fantasy, but I don't want to keep any secrets from you, either. Come to think of it, you're a bit of a fantasy, too."
Lauren rolled her eyes, holding her girlfriend's hand tightly. "You're thinking about my boobs again, aren't you?"
"I'm always thinking about your boobs, darling," Mika said. "Well, most of the time. Often, anyway. Sometimes. Yes, they cross my mind once in a while. I even got you a tee shirt to remind me."
"I think it's you who's daft," Lauren observed. "I love you anyway."
"I love you too," Mika said, "and I am so happy to be able to admit that."
She seemed lighter. Lauren wondered whether she'd planned in advance to take her to visit the grave. She hadn't mentioned it earlier. Whenever she'd made the decision, it was clearly a good one. Mika had resolved a conflict within herself that she might not even have realized was still holding her down.
They had lunch at a different waterside restaurant before flying home. "I think you're right," Lauren said. "We should come back here for those few days we promised ourselves. If we come here to visit the grave with the cherry blossoms with Rick and Morgan, we could take a few days extra."
"Indeed we could," Mika agreed, "if you have the holiday time available."
"I do," Lauren said. "If we're here for a few days it would be better to drive. You should let me pay for lodging, though. You've taken care of this whole visit."
"Uh, love, there's something we need to talk about," Mika said. She seemed embarrassed, and didn't continue for a long time. Lauren had taken several forkfuls of the fish she'd ordered before Mika seemed finally to psych herself up to continue. "I told you about Nicole's job, and the startup going public?"
"You did. She had vested stock, and you said she did well from it."
"That's right, and she did," Mika said. "Even after the IPO, she thought the technology had potential, so she held onto the shares. They dropped a little after the IPO, but she had faith. I wish she'd been able to see how right she was. During the pandemic, when virtually every other sector of the economy was in dire straits, biotech exploded, some companies more than others. Hers was one of the ones that shot through the roof. You don't need to worry about me paying for a hotel or two."
"Mika?" Lauren asked. "How much money are you talking about?"
"I haven't really touched it, because it's too much for me to think about," said Mika, "and because it felt... it felt like I was taking advantage of Nicole's passing. I wanted to keep working because I needed to stay busy. I could have used it to quit and focus on sculpting, but it was hard to feel that I had anything worthwhile to say while I was grieving. I feel like I'm finally ready to move beyond that, which is your doing." She paused for a moment. "How much? Nicole left a fifth to her parents. I'm sure she didn't think they'd inherit from their daughter; that isn't how things work. It was probably a line item, ensure their names were on the form in case I passed before her. Or maybe she thought it would help with funeral expenses in the incredibly unlikely event she passed first. They bought a house."
Lauren felt her eyes widen. "Holy fuck," she breathed. "The house I saw?" The place on the island had to be worth a few million.
"I helped persuade them that Nicole would have wanted it," she said, "because she would. She loved her parents. They know she would have wanted to be there for them if she could. Not using the money won't bring her back."
Lauren felt shaken. "I had no idea. I think I understand why they would have such a hard time putting the money to use. Or why you do."
God, that would have been so hard for her. Not only did she have to deal with Nicole's death, but she had to think about how her wife's passing had made her wealthy. Her survival guilt would have increased by an order of magnitude. Lauren knew without needing to be told that she'd have given every penny to have had her back. No wonder she'd still been suffering so deeply five years later.
"I think I'll be able to see it less negatively now," Mika said. "You've made it possible to see a future, without losing my past. And maybe I will cut the business back and take some time for creation. I feel that I'd like to put some of it to work in Nicole's memory, though. Maybe you can help me think of something."
"I'll try, of course," said Lauren. "But, you know, I still want to pay for our next trip."
After spending one more night at Mika's, Lauren stopped staying over as a matter of course. Not that she didn't prefer sharing Mika's bed, but her girlfriend no longer needed her for support, and they both felt their relationship should progress naturally. The distance was deliberate. It was what Lauren had planned, and they talked about it. Lauren didn't want Mika to feel that she'd pulled back because she didn't want to be with her. But to this point they'd never really been in a position for a normal relationship, and she didn't want Mika to feel like she'd been trapped into one with her. Nor, to be honest, did she want to feel that Mika's need had shaped how she felt. She was fairly sure that wasn't the case, but how would she feel five years from now if she didn't allow space between them? Ten years from now?
It wasn't a perfect plan. Mika worked weekends, and Lauren worked weekdays. They'd try to get together on Friday and Saturday nights for dinner, which would invariably lead to Lauren spending the night at Mika's. On Saturday morning, Lauren would lie in bed with a cup of tea supplied by her girlfriend, only to watch her dress in a dark suit, grab her equipment and leave her alone in the house.
She was far from lonely on the nights she didn't spend with Mika. She spent occasional evenings with co-workers, even Rachel, whose embarrassment had turned into an awkward friendship. Rachel was not out at work for family reasons, but she had a string of funny stories about past encounters and a recent affair with a married woman that she could share with the office's only out lesbian. She was a natural comedian, and her one-liners had caused more than one beer snorting mishap.
"You should probably find a better outlet than a frustrated straight woman, you know," Lauren said.
"She wasn't frustrated when I left her," Rachel said. "I guarantee that."
"Bet she is now," Lauren stated.
"Oh yeah, I bet she is," Rachel agreed. "Problem is, so am I."
Lauren was looking forward to the trip she and Mika had planned. She had a week's time off booked for the last week of March. That should be perfect for cherry blossoms, and there happened to be a symphonic event on the Thursday. Of course, Mika had managed to acquire tickets. Lauren didn't ask how, but this time she suspected she knew. Mika had contacts in the art world, and likely a willingness to pay for an overpriced resold pair of tickets.
They headed to the coast on Sunday evening, Lauren's Lexus guaranteeing a comfortable drive. The weather was cool, but much milder than it had been five weeks earlier. Lauren had found them an inn which had king-size rooms with whirlpool baths. She'd booked it at a corporate rate, but it was still pricey. They would return on Friday, after the event, as Mika had a wedding on the Saturday.
Cherry trees were blooming all around the city, not just in the cemetery. Rick and Morgan met them on Monday, Sean bouncing along on a leash, recognizing and greeting Lauren and Mika. They paid their respects to Nicole, then told stories about her, still standing around her resting place. Though the storytelling couldn't include Lauren, she found the tales interesting, and was gratified to see the affection the three shared. Mika's belief - was that too strong a word? - in Nicole's presence made the stories more meaningful, as they were sharing with her, too.
The trees in the cemetery were in full bloom, and the view in all directions was charming, made bittersweet by the presence of so many headstones.
Still with Nicole's parents, they ate lunch, then toured the Japanese Gardens, which had a very impressive collection of cherry trees of different species, each grouping having a slightly different color. Though there were few falling blossoms, compared with what Lauren had seen in videos of streets in Japan or even DC, there were some. She didn't comment on the one that had lodged in Mika's hair, instead capturing the sight on her phone. Without flash.
Each evening ended with a relaxing soak, followed by sharing their warm, relaxed bodies in the large bed.
On Thursday they washed each other's hair. Lauren suggested visiting a hairdresser, but Mika said she'd prefer to have Lauren take care of her. She'd brought the shampoo and conditioner she used on her fine black hair.
Under Mika's direction, Lauren washed her hair. Then Mika twisted her hair into a towel before washing Lauren's. Each combed and dried the other, Lauren finding that brushing out Mika's hair was as sensual an experience as Mika brushing hers has been. Somehow each stroke felt that she was showing her affection for the woman who sat with her back to her, her features relaxed.
With hours to kill before the concert, they donned their "matching" tee shirts, small tits and boobies, and spent their final afternoon in the city, holding hands as they walked the pier.
They returned to the room with time for Mika to work on their hair. She twisted Lauren's hair into a slightly different knot than she'd shown her before, producing two pins with a green flower design and short strings of green beads.
"I bought these in Mito for you," she said, after Lauren had admired her work. "I've been hoping to have a chance to use them."
"They're beautiful, Mika," Lauren said, "but I hope it's the last gift you brought me. I still gave you nothing for Christmas."
"There is no more," Mika said, "but you've given me much more than a hairpin. You've given me a new future." She grinned. "And don't forget your strip tease before the camera," she said, straightening her hair with a brush.
She twisted her own hair into a knot, using a much plainer pin. "I am going to have my hair dyed," she announced, "when we get home. One of my clients has a really interesting style. I need to find who her hairdresser is."
The event was audiovisual and casual, so Lauren had brought a black off the shoulder minidress, while Mika's green dress was a little longer. Mika wore longer heels, bringing her close to Lauren's height in her low pumps, and kept her hand tucked into Lauren's arm as they moved through the crowd.
Back in the inn, Lauren ordered a bottle of white wine from room service, an extravagance she'd never allowed herself before. But then, she'd never spent the night in a hotel room with a woman before Mika. She started the tub filling, then took her girlfriend into her arms and kissed her until the wine arrived.
Knowing that their time in the whirlpool bath was going to be prodigious, Lauren had brought a bottle of the bath oil that Mika used. There was enough left for this one last bath. She prepared the tub while Mika poured the wine. Then they began to undress each other slowly, breaking when Lauren kissed Mika's newly-revealed nipples, and when Mika sucked Lauren's tongue, her hands curled around Lauren's breasts.
Mika feigned disappointment at the lack of a garter belt and stockings.
"Maybe you should get your own," Lauren suggested. "You could wear them under your suit when you shoot a wedding."
"Would you ever let me leave home in the morning if I did?" Mika asked.
"Oh yeah," Lauren responded. "Then I'd lie around all day imagining taking your clothes back off in the evening."
"Hmm. There might be some merit to that plan."
In the bath, Lauren tugged at Mika's hand until she moved to her, then turned her around and settled her in her lap. Their wine glasses and bottle rested beside them.
"I have an idea for you," said Lauren. "You can feel free to ignore it, but I think you might like it."
"What's that, love?" asked Mika.
"You want to use your resources to honor Nicole's memory, you said."
"Mm, yes," Mika replied, noncommittally.
"What about endowing a scholarship in her field?" Lauren said. "I did a little research before our trip. You give money to the university to invest, and they use the returns to fund a scholarship in her name. You specify the stipulations. Right now might be a perfect time for a scholarship to help gay or trans kids get ahead. Stipulate that it's for queer students in biotech, say, or biochem. You could endow more than one, for a different minority, or any minority. Help someone follow in Nicole's footsteps."
"I... think I like that idea," said Mika. "Let's talk about it when we get home. I'd like to see what you learned in your research."
"Alright, honey," said Lauren. She lowered her lips to Mika's neck, finding her pulse point and suckling. Mika shivered against her breasts.
"Am I going to need to wear a scarf again on Saturday?" Mika asked.
"Probably," Lauren admitted.
"Hmm, alright." Mika leaned further back, giving her easier access to her chin and throat. "I love the way your boobs are cushioning me here, but I wish I could touch them."
"I'm sure we'll have time for that," Lauren said, then drew her teeth over her girlfriend's neck. As she shivered, Lauren ran a hand down her side, then across her thigh to caress the soft fuzz of her pussy. Mika gasped softly in her lap.
Lauren's fingers explored slowly, before coming to rest on either side of her clit. She began to push them into her in a rhythm that Mika's hips soon picked up. She pushed back, until she was rocking against Lauren's hand.
Kissing her neck again, Lauren brought her other hand up to cup Mika's breast, toying with her nipple as she moved. Mika's soft moans excited her. She began to rock her own hips, pushing her lover harder against her hand. Mika's breathing deepened, soft groans accompanying each exhalation.
Mika's hand reached up and behind her to grab Lauren's hair, tugging her away from her neck, as she turned her head. She pressed her mouth to Lauren's, the kiss instantly becoming fiery. When she came she gasped into Lauren's mouth, the bathwater rippling as her body shook.
Much later, in bed, Mika nestled against Lauren's back. One hand was wrapped around Lauren, idly caressing her breast. Lauren was weary, but satisfied.
"Hey, Lauren?" Mika's voice was gentle, close to her ear.
"Yes, honey?" Lauren brought up a finger to stroke against the hand exploring her breast.
"I meant what I said about wanting to grow old with you," she said.
"I know, Mika," Lauren said. "I want the same."
"Then move in with me. I miss you when you're not home."
Home. The house she lived in had never felt like home. Not when her ex lived there, and not since. Certainly not since she'd been dating Mika. Mika felt like home. But...
"Moving in with my ex left me a little U-Haul-avoidant," she said. "Are you sure we're ready?"
"I'm ready to make a lot of changes," Mika said. "I'm going to reopen my workshop. I'm going to cut down on the business. We both know we want to build a life together. I think we're ready to do that. You couldn't live with your ex because of what you discovered about her..."
"Yeah, she was a slob," Lauren interjected.
"You know I'm not a slob," Mika said. "I don't think there's much about me that you don't know, and you know I'll tell you anything else. Is there really a risk to avoid?"
"When you put it like that, I guess not," Lauren replied. "And I missed you too when I was at my place. So yeah, I want that."
Lauren spent the weekend at Mika's, but returned to her house on Sunday to begin cataloguing what to move and how, and what to sell. Most of her furniture would have to go. Her lease was up in June, so she'd have to start disposing of the furniture soon.
By the weekend, she'd moved most of her clothes, considering herself officially moved on Saturday. The first day of growing old together.
She was partway through moving clothes into the closet space Mika had assigned her when she noticed that the spot where the sculpture had been was now empty. She hadn't seen it in a while, since Mika left a scarf covering it, but now the space was bare.
Mika headed straight for the shower when she returned, giving Lauren a quick kiss. She didn't take long, emerging wearing her red robe a few minutes later.
"Mika, where's the bust?" Lauren asked.
"I'm looking right at it," Mika said, dropping her eyes from Lauren's face.
"No, you boob-obsessed Brit, where's your sculpture?"
"I knew what you meant," Mika retorted. She became serious. "I moved her to my studio. I'll see her every day, and my clients will, too. I think that's a respectful way of easing her out of our personal space. I have something I'd like to replace it with. If you agree."
She moved to a chest, and took a package out of a drawer. It was enfolded in tissue paper. She presented it to Lauren, two-handed. Lauren took it, carefully removing the paper. She assumed from the size and feel of the object that it was a photo, but it wasn't. It was a framed pencil drawing.
In the drawing, an incredibly lifelike Lauren had her hair up, wearing the hairpins Mika had given to her on their trip. Only the very top of the robe was visible, but the outline of a crane showed it was her blue robe. She'd never worn the robe with her hair like that, so clearly Mika hadn't drawn it from a photo. Pencil portrait Lauren wore a mischievous smile that Lauren did not recognize from the mirror.
"This is wonderful, Mika," she said. "You did this completely from observation? Do I ever look like that?"
Mika moved to stand beside her, studying the drawing before looking up into her face. "Indeed you do," she said. "Not right now. When we're joking around, or when you're undressing me with your eyes, yes. When I see you like that, I know I'm in for a smashing time. I'm sure no one else will make that connection." She frowned. "Mandy might?"
"Honey," Lauren said, "I've never felt about a woman the way I feel about you. I'm sure I've never looked at one the way I look at you. And it's over a decade since she and I were together. Whatever the look you've drawn me wearing, Mandy won't have seen it. You can safely hang it in the living room, if you want, but I think it would look great on the shelf."
Mika's smile was tender as she nodded toward the shelf. "Go ahead," she said.
Lauren set the picture frame down in the space. "Now I guess you will always be expecting a smashing? time."
"I always do, love." She stepped up to Lauren, who looked down at her affectionately, then took the belt of her robe and pulled it free.
Mika's robe drifted open as Lauren's lips met hers. A moment later, Lauren pushed it over her shoulders, hearing a soft swish as the silk glided to the floor. She stepped back, breaking the kiss, to observe the slenderly beautiful naked woman before her. Her heart surged with lust, but tempered by love. She wanted Mika, but she wanted always to have her. Now she knew that was their future.
"The first day of growing old together," she said, softly.
"Uh, what, love?" Mika queried.
"I'm officially moved in. This is the rest of our life," Lauren said.
Mika grinned. "If this is the official start of our life together, you are wearing far too many clothes."
"That's a problem you can fix," Lauren said. "I'm not going to stop you."
They kissed as Mika undressed her, then Mika stepped back to admire her handiwork, just as Lauren had done. "I would like to draw you nude sometime," she said. "Or paint, or photograph, or all of the above."
Lauren propelled her to the bed, pushing her down onto it. Mika moved up, then held out her arms to her. She moved onto Mika, threading her legs between Mika's thighs, pulling one of Mika's legs up so that she could fit their pussies together. Supporting her body above Mika's, she rocked her hips, grinding against her while barely moving her body.
Breath whooshed out of her girlfriend at the feeling. She lifted her hips to increase the friction, Lauren's sex sliding against hers, the wetness between them building.
Mika's hands came around her neck, pulling her head down. Lauren leaned forward as much as she could without losing the perfect contact of her pussy against Mika's. Her lips met her girlfriend's, and her breasts quivered as Mika's nipples pushed lightly into her.
Both women were making soft moans as their arousal built. Mika lifted her hips further, and Lauren found that she could lower her body more. Her breasts cushioned against Mika's chest, and their kiss grew ever more intense. The warm, wet feel of Mika's sex caressing her own was electric. She began to doubt that she could hold off her own climax until Mika was ready. Mika's hands slid down her back in a long caress.
Then Mika groaned, and her body began to rock beneath Lauren's. She was close. Lauren moved her hips further, her body now sliding against hers, her breasts rolling against Mika's chest. She felt the pressure of Mika's firm nipples dig into her soft flesh, and Mika's caresses became harsh as her fingernails dug into her back.
Mika gasped into the kiss, then her pussy slammed upward as she came. Lauren stopped trying to hold herself back. Within moments her own climax took her. She snuffled as she tried to maintain the kiss while her lungs needed air.
She collapsed onto her lover, whose body still twitched beneath her. Mika broke the kiss, touching her lips to Lauren's neck. "You do that so well," she said.
"We do, love," Lauren said. "And I think we're going to enjoy growing old together."