Sapphic Voices Romance

The End Of Our Beginning

I saw her again today; this made the third Sunday in a row that we were both at the Laundromat at the same time. She smiled at me every time our eyes would meet and it made me wonder if there was interest there. She’s slim and blonde, not really my type at all, but there was something about her that drew my attention. Maybe it’s the way she always laughs while reading her book or the way she seems so friendly to everyone around her. She’s so alive and vibrant that it makes me want to be near her. When our eyes met, I was caught in deep pools of green. I have never been very confident when it comes to self-image but around her I am uncomfortably so. Would she ever be interested in someone like me? I could only answer my own questions because I was too timid to ever ask her. Still, this was the third week in a row that I’d seen her here and she did look my way a lot.

My whole wash cycle went by while I sat and wondered about my latest fascination. We’d never even exchanged names and yet I hadn’t been able to get her out of my mind since that first Sunday afternoon. She’s not like the others; usually I go more for the quiet ones, more like myself. The more I sit and think about her, the more I want to. By the time my clothes were ready for the dryer I had worked my infatuation into a crush. And still, she kept looking at me and smiling.

After I loaded my clothes into a dryer I found a nearby seat and pulled out my book. Hoping to put her out of my head but knowing I wouldn’t succeed. Suddenly she was there, sitting in the chair next to me.

She leaned over a bit. “What are you reading?”

Her voice isn’t high or low but pleasantly mellow and in between. When she leaned near, I could just catch the faint scent of flower petals. Around me I could hear the sounds of machines in spin cycle, rumbling dryers and even a few low conversations but the only one I was really aware of was talking to me. Just as quickly, I realized she was waiting for an answer.

I shut the book and showed her the cover. “It’s uh, The Magician’s Assistant by Anne Patchett.” I hazarded a quick glance at her face while I inwardly cursed my nervousness.

She gazed straight back at me and gave me a breathtaking smile. “Any good?”

I smiled shyly back while nodding and replying with a quiet ‘yes’. After a few seconds, I decided to take the initiative for once in my life. I looked back at her. “I was kind of surprised, it’s not my normal genre so I wasn’t sure if I’d like it.” I think I startled her for a second when I started speaking but her smile never wavered.

“Really? What do you normally like to read?”

Now this was a subject I felt comfortable with. “Well, I usually prefer science fiction or fantasy but I’ll read just about any kind of fiction. I’m not so much into horror or suspense but the rest I like.”

She cocked her head to the side, “What about non-fiction? Do you ever read that?”

I grimaced, “Not if I can help it, I read to escape and imagine. If I wanted reality I’d watch the news or read the paper.”

She laughed and I swear I saw her eyes twinkle. “I think that describes how I feel exactly.”

I played with my book some more and glanced at my watch. I only had twenty more minutes before my dryer was done. Without looking up from my busy hands I kept up the commentary. “So what do you do for a living?”

She settled into her chair a little more before answering. “Well, as of last Friday, I’m the assistant editor of the newspaper.”

And I thought my crush was bad before, I think I’m in love now. There’s just something about smart literary minded women that really attract me. She reads and is a newspaper editor. Gay or straight, I couldn’t believe that she’d be single. She seemed so excited about her job and I just couldn’t help myself, if she was happy, I was happy. “Assistant editor huh? Wow, that’s great! So how long have you worked there?”

She chuckled, “Oh, about two years. I originally wanted to be a reporter but later decided I wanted more control over what was being printed so here I am.” She waved her hand through the air as she finished speaking. “What about you, what do you do?”

I was so engrossed in watching her I almost missed her question. I cleared my throat, “Well, uh, I run BJ’s Books; it’s a little store across town. We sell specialize in used books, music and movies.”

She tilted her head at me again. “Really, I’ve been in there a few times and I don’t ever remember seeing you there. Did you just start in the last few months?”

Suddenly I was back to being nervous again so I started fidgeting with the book again as she sat quietly next to me. “You probably didn’t see me because I work really odd hours. I fill in whenever my regular employees have the day off or can’t work for some reason.” I gave her a nervous laugh, realizing something important we never got around to doing. I leaned over a little and held out my hand, as a lock of my dark hair fell across my eyes. “I guess I should introduce myself. My name’s BJ.”

She took my hand and laughed softly. “My name’s Sarah. So it’s your store then? That’s great!” She removed her hand from mine only to move it up and brush the stray lock of hair away from my face. It was then, while we were staring into each other’s eyes that I felt something. It was a connection, strong and subtle all at once. I wondered what she saw when she looked into my eyes. Does she merely see black pupils ringed with blue or does she see something more? Does she see my thoughts and emotions or maybe even my very soul? Then the moment was broken with the buzzing of the dryer. I looked down at my watch and realized my load was done. When I looked back up, the spell was broken but I could still feel that vague connection. I looked down at our joined hands and knew that she felt it to.

“Would you like to…”

“How about a…”

We laughed because we had started to talk at the same time. I nodded my head shyly.” Go ahead.”

She smiled at me. “Would you like to go for some coffee?”

I felt giddy with relief. She had asked pretty much the same thing I was going to. I know I’d never had as big of a smile on my face as I did at that moment. “Sure, I’d love to.” I glanced back at my dryer. “I have to finish this up first though. You mind waiting?”

Again with the smile. “Nope, not at all.”

I got halfway to my dryer when I remembered something. I turned around and caught her already looking at me. “Uh Sarah, what about your clothes?”

She gave me a strange look and pointed over near the door. There sat a basket of neatly folded clothing. When I looked at her in confusion she actually blushed. “I finished it right before I sat down to talk to you.” We looked at each other with complete understanding. I knew that my life was about to change.

After I finished my laundry and we each took our baskets to our vehicles she met me at my driver’s door. “How does the Jumping Bean Café sound?” When I nodded she went on, “You want to follow me there?”

I looked into those clear green eyes and knew I was hers. I could never deny her anything. “Sure, you lead and I’ll follow.” She smiled and turned away then, just as quickly, turned back and stepped in close.

It seemed like the natural thing to do as we leaned towards each other. The kiss was soft and sweet; everything I’d imagined it would be. It didn’t end so much as drift away. When I looked down at her again I saw something new in her eyes and I knew the same thing was shining in my own. I saw love and I saw our future. Slowly she backed away until just our fingertips were touching. When, at last, she broke that remaining contact, she gave me a quiet smile. “I’ll see you in a few minutes then?”

I just smiled back. “You lead and I’ll follow.” And that was the end of our beginning.


The End

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