Chapter 70: Best Friends?

The lessons with Meg and Sandy were progressing nicely. Lissa was beginning to understand the attraction of women for each other. There was a kind of emotional bond between two girls that just did not exist between a man and a woman, no matter how close they were or how much they loved one another. There was a kind of understanding, impossible to put into words, that all women shared, something that a man could never experience.

Part of the lessons involved what Sandy called "ambiguous flirting," little gestures and touches that could be construed as sexual or innocent depending on the context. Lissa recognized plenty of these tactics, since Meg used them on her roommates constantly. However, when used by an obviously straight girl, no one would attribute anything sexual to them at all. The point, in Lissa's case, was to get her secret admiree comfortable with these gestures, so that the shift wouldn't be so abrupt when Lissa graduated to more obvious moves.

Sandy also suggested getting the girl into debt, not of finance but of friendship. Lissa should look for opportunities to do nice things for her, always being kind and generous. If the girl started feeling obligated to repay that kindness, she would be more open to Lissa's feelings and more willing to do whatever it took to make her happy. She would want to please Lissa.

The third bit of advice was to make their friendship all about trying new things. At first Lissa would have to be the driving force, but once the girl got comfortable experimenting, then it was only a matter of finding an excuse to try out lesbian sex. At first their new experiences should be simple and basic: trying out a new recipe, or visiting some place together they had never gone before, or developing new hobbies together. Later, Lissa could look for more risqué experiments that would get them comfortable with one another's sexuality.

At the beginning of the second lesson, Sandy suggested she shave off her pubic hair like Meg and her, claiming that there was nothing tastier than a hairless pussy. Lissa was a little curious about how it felt, so the three of them went into the bathroom and did the deed. It felt surprisingly erotic, especially when Meg and Sandy ran their hands over her newly shaved pussy. She decided that from now on, she would keep it that way.

Each lesson ended with hands-on "in the bedroom" instruction, which was really just the three of them having sex together. Sandy and Meg showed off some of their favorite positions, and tried them out on Lissa to see how she liked them. At first hesitant, with each lesson she grew more and more comfortable. After a while she was starting to really enjoy herself. It didn't really matter whether the hands and mouths roaming all over her body belonged to a man or a woman, after all; physically it was the all same at least. In fact, Meg and Sandy naturally knew what felt good to a girl, so even in their short time together, sex with them was like being with an experienced lover. That was something that could only come after years of romance with a man.

She also felt a kind of thrill at the forbidden nature of the act. Every time she ran her hands over one of the girls' tits, or sucked on the nipple, or stuck her finger up inside the girl's pussy, she couldn't help but feel excited at the thought that she was doing something so contrary to the way she had been brought up. She had told herself she would never feel guilty again, and surprisingly, it worked. The guilt transformed itself into a kind of excitement.

The disgust that she thought she would feel was absent too. That disgust came mostly from her conservative upbringing, exactly what she was trying to escape from. That feeling reversed itself too, and she found that she really did enjoy the erotic contact between their bodies.

During these escapades, she spent as much time as possible eating the girls out. After the initial shock of licking their bodies, she found that sucking their tits or nibbling on their nipples or even tonguing them between the legs was just a neutral taste. She wanted to get used to the flavor of a girl's love juices.

Sometimes she focused her efforts on the clitoris, experimenting to see what worked the best to drive the girl into a frenzy. Other times, she shoved her tongue as deep inside her partner's cunt as she could. She felt a kind of power over Meg and Sandy when she brought them to orgasm with her mouth, and it delighted her to no end.

As they drove back from Sandy's place, Meg often added a few suggestions to the lesson that applied to girls who were roommates, since Sandy didn't know that it was Alya that Lissa was interested in. There were some of those ambiguous flirting gestures that could only be done in the privacy of their apartment, for instance, and only when the two of them were alone together.

She also suggested that Lissa start to take her clothes off in the apartment. Lissa joked that Meg only wanted to see her naked, and Meg admitted that that was partly the truth, but also it was to get Alya used to seeing her nude. They needed to be comfortable with each other's bodies.

That brought up thoughts of Allison. She remembered how nice it felt to go without clothes with her stepmother, even going so far as touching. She had never really thought of it as anything sexual, even when hugging, or massaging each other's shoulders, or rubbing suntan lotion on each other's chests. Now that her lesbian tendencies were awakening within her, she thought how much more fun it would be to do the same things while allowing herself to feel those sapphic pleasures. She wondered whether she would get an opportunity at Christmas vacation, which was now only a couple of weeks away.

As usual, Meg dropped her off on campus. So as not to appear to be leaving and arriving home at the same time every couple of days, Meg and Lissa always met at a prearranged spot to drive to Sandy's place, and afterward Lissa always walked home from campus so that Meg would arrive first. It seemed to work; neither Alya nor Monique suspected any kind of arrangement between their two roommates. Lissa didn't mind walking, even in the chill December air.

This time, Meg had some other errands to run, so she wouldn't be home until later. That suited Lissa well; she remembered that on Thursday nights Monique also usually got home late, which would leave Lissa alone with Alya. With that cheerful thought she hurried home, anxious to try out some of the suggestions Sandy had made.

As it turned out, there was no need for Meg to drop off Lissa on campus tonight, because the apartment was empty when she arrived. No matter; Alya would be home soon enough. It gave her time to fix dinner, a recipe that she hadn't made in a long time but that was new to Alya. She would pretend it was the first time she had made it and ask Alya if she would be her guinea pig and try it out. Fortunately, there was just enough time to throw the ingredients together and put it in the oven to bake before her roommate would arrive home.

Alya arrived right on time, just as Lissa had expected. What she hadn't expected, though, was Alya's condition when she walked in the door. The girl looked like she had just come in out of a torrential downpour, with chattering teeth, icy red cheeks, ice particles clinging to her hair, and water dripping off the ends.

"What happened?" Lissa exclaimed in shock.

Through her shivering, Alya managed a weak laugh. "You know that big tree by the hill? I was walking under it, and suddenly it decided to drop a big load of snow right on top of me."

"Alya, that tree's half a mile away. Did you walk the whole way home soaked like that?"

Alya nodded, then sneezed.

"You're going to catch pneumonia!" said Lissa. "Come on. Let's get you out of those soggy clothes."

Alya didn't protest, so Lissa hurried over and took her hand to lead her into her bedroom. She noted with alarm just how cold the girl's hands were. She immediately gripped them in her own and started rubbing them.

"I'm fine," Alya told her, but it was obvious that she enjoyed the attention.

"No you're not," Lissa insisted. "You're an ice cube." She released Alya's hands and put her own to the girl's cheeks, which were, not surprisingly, just as cold. She held her hands there until a bit of warmth returned to them. "Too bad we don't have a fireplace," she commented. "The best thing for you would be to lie down in front of it for an hour or so. But never mind that. Come with me."

She took her hand again, and this time brought her into the bedroom. Alya's fingers, which were too numb to be of much use, fumbled at the zipper of her coat. Lissa helped her unzip it and remove it, discovering that the moisture had seeped through into her clothes as well. Her shirt didn't quite drip water, but it looked on the verge of doing so. Alya sat down on the bed to take her shoes off, but Lissa immediately knelt in front of her.

"You don't have to do that," said Alya with a smile, but Lissa ignored her and helped her out of her shoes and socks. The girl's feet were just as cold, if not colder, than her hands, so Lissa immediately set to work rubbing them as well.

"It's okay, really," Alya protested. "You don't have to rub my feet."

"I don't mind. Besides, maybe I'll come home one night in the same condition, and then you can repay me."

Alya laughed. "Okay, it's a deal."

Lissa continued to attend to her roommate's feet until she felt the cold slip away, replaced by their natural warmth. She found that she didn't mind doing something like that for Alya. Sandy had suggested, after all, that she look for chances to do nice things for her, and this seemed like a perfect opportunity.

After a few minutes of rubbing the girl's feet, she stood back up. Then she reached for the bottom of her shirt.

"Hey!" Alya giggled, swatting her hand away. "I can manage by myself from here."

"You sure?" asked Lissa.

"I have been known to undress myself once in a while," said Alya. Then she sneezed again. "Oh dear," she said. "I hope I'm not coming down with a cold."

"You will if you don't hurry and get out of those wet things," Lissa insisted, but made no move to leave the room. She wondered if Alya would undress in front of her. She remembered Meg mentioning getting naked in front of each other. Besides, Lissa really was curious about the girl's body. With clothes on it looked great, and she suspected it looked even better without.

Unfortunately, it was not to be. "Do you mind?" asked Alya. "I'd like a little privacy."

"Of course," Lissa nodded. "Tell you what. I'll go fill up the tub for you. The best thing for you right now is a hot bath. You just come in when you're ready."

"That sounds nice," smiled Alya, and Lissa left the room, closing the door behind her. She headed into the bathroom and turned on the faucet in the tub, then stood in front of the mirror.

"This is it," she whispered to her reflection, quiet enough that her roommate was certain not to hear. "You've got Alya all to yourself tonight, and a good excuse to fawn all over her. Do your best." Then she sat down on the edge of the tub, pulled her foot out of her sandal, and dipped it in the water to test the temperature. She adjusted the faucet until she got it right, then took her foot back out.

Alya appeared in the doorway a moment later, dressed in her bathrobe. Lissa had secretly hoped that Alya would come in without any clothes on whatsoever, but hadn't really expected it, so she wasn't too disappointed. Lissa turned off the water and rose to her feet. "Perfect timing," she said. She walked over to Alya and reached for the sash of her robe.

"What are you doing?" asked Alya.

"Well, you're not going to get in the tub like that, are you?"

"Okay, what's the deal? Are you trying to get me naked or something?" Alya laughed.

"What? No, of course not. I mean, yes, but only to get you in the tub. Look, don't read anything into it that's not there; it's just that I'm perfectly comfortable with nudity. If it bothers you, I'll leave, but don't think I've got any ulterior motives." The truth was, she did have ulterior motives, but she wasn't about to admit it. "I guess it all started with my stepmother," she said.

"Oh?" asked Alya.

Lissa laughed. "It's not how it sounds," she said. "But never mind that. I'll tell you later. The last thing I want to do is keep you from your bath." She turned and headed out the door. Alya closed it behind her.

Lissa sat down on the couch, smiling. That last bit about Allison made for an enticing little mental image, especially leaving it unexplained like that. Let Alya think about that while she soaked in the tub.

In the mean time, Lissa needed to think of an excuse to go into the bathroom while her roommate bathed. She knew that if she could just get through the door, she could manage to get the girl talking, and pretty soon Alya would lose any self-consciousness she felt about being nude in front of Lissa.

Immediately, she came up with an idea. It probably wouldn't work, but at the very least it would give her something else nice to do for her roommate. She headed into the kitchen and filled the tea kettle with water. Alya was a fan of green tea. She drank iced tea every day during the summer, and during the winter she usually brewed up a pot as soon as she got home from classes.

She raided Alya's stash for the tea, and measured out the correct amount of sugar. She had watched Alya do it enough that she knew exactly how many teaspoons to use. Soon she had it all ready, so she poured it into a cup and brought it to the bathroom door. Then she knocked.

"Yes?" asked Alya from the other side.

"I've made you some tea," Lissa told her.

"Really? That's so sweet of you."

"Do you want me to bring it in so you can drink it in the tub?"

"No, that's okay. I'm almost finished in here. The water's getting cold anyway. I'll be out in a minute."

Well, it was worth a shot. Still, she had scored a couple of brownie points with Alya, so it wasn't a total waste. There would be other opportunities to get her clothes off. She headed back to the kitchen table and sat down to wait for her roommate.

She didn't have to wait long. Alya opened the door a couple minutes later, dressed once more in her bathrobe, and came over to sit next to her. Lissa immediately put her hands to the girl's cheeks, which were fortunately much warmer than they had been previously.

"Much better," she said. "You had me worried."

"I think you're more worried than I am," Alya grinned, then sneezed again. "On the other hand, maybe you're right to be concerned," she laughed. "Looks like this might turn into a cold after all. Damn it. I have a date with Matt tomorrow." Then she stared at Lissa. "Sorry," she said. "I wasn't thinking."

"Don't worry about that. I'm completely over him. Tell you what. Tomorrow if you're not feeling well enough to go out, I'll go rent us some movies and we'll watch them instead. You can even invite Matt over if you feel like it."

"Really? You'd do that for me?"

"Absolutely. We're friends, aren't we?"

"And it wouldn't bother you if Matt came over?"

"To tell you the truth, I'm secretly hoping he catches your cold, then it turns into something more severe, preferably fatal. For him, not you, I mean."

Alya laughed. "And here I was thinking I had the old Lissa back. You know, the nice girl that wouldn't hurt a fly."

"Well, the new Lissa cares just as much about you as the old one did."

"Thanks," said Alya with a smile.

Now was a good time to bring up an idea she had come up with a couple of days ago, when Sandy had talked about trying out new things. "So Alya," said Lissa. "Do you have your classes all figured out for next semester?"

"I've got a tentative plan. Why?"

"Well, I was thinking about taking a tennis class, but I don't think it would be as fun without a dedicated partner." Lissa had tried to come up with an idea for a class to take with Alya that satisfied two criteria: first, something that could develop into a hobby, and second, something physically exerting so that they would shower together in the locker rooms afterward. She had skimmed through the list of physical education classes that the university offered and decided upon tennis.

"You mean a spoiled rich girl like you doesn't know how to play tennis?" Alya teased. "I thought rich girls always belonged to sports clubs and spent all day playing tennis and racquetball and soaking in a jacuzzi."

"Well, my family does have a hot tub," she confessed.

"Aha!" Alya grinned. "Well, one out of three isn't bad I guess."

"So will you do it? Come on, it will be fun. I was going to ask Matt to take the class with me, but then we broke up."

"I'm sorry," said Alya, and from the look on her face, she seemed sincere.

"I told you, don't worry about that. Tell you what. You can make it up to me by taking his place." And not just on the tennis court, she thought.

Alya laughed. "Since you put it that way, how can I refuse?"

"Oh, thank you!" Lissa exclaimed, then threw her arms around her roommate and hugged her.

"Careful, or you're going to catch my cold."

The timer sounded on the oven.

"Oh, dinner's ready," Lissa announced. "It's a new recipe I'm trying out. Since you're probably not up to making dinner, would you like some of mine?"

"You don't mind?" asked Alya. "I mean, do you have enough?"

"Plenty. I always make enough for leftovers, so sharing isn't a problem."

"Thanks."

Lissa retrieved the dish from the oven, a kind of Italian casserole similar to lasagna, but with fettuccine noodles instead, and diced eggplant. She served it onto two plates, and the girls ate dinner together, in bright spirits despite Alya's illness.

Alya went to bed early that night. She even skipped her usual bedtime studying, not really feeling up to doing much. With the sneezes coming more and more frequently, she probably wouldn't be able to concentrate anyway. She took some cold medicine before going to bed, which at least helped with the sniffling and sneezing, and she managed to sleep all night, only waking once when Monique came into her room to go to bed. Usually Monique turned on the light briefly to get her bearings, but tonight she left the room dark. Through her half-conscious haze, Alya was rational enough to suspect that Lissa had briefed Monique on what had happened, and told her not to disturb her.

Unfortunately, in the morning she felt even worse than she had in the evening. When her alarm went off, she merely groaned and punched the snooze. Monique yawned and sat up. Since she got up at the same time as Alya, they only set one alarm between them.

"That's not like you," Monique commented. "Usually you're wide awake in the mornings."

"Mommy, do I have to go to school today?" Alya groaned, not quite sick enough to lose her sense of humor.