Chapter 74: Alya Conquers Lissa

Lissa's sadness at leaving her family, especially her brother and sister, was tempered by the anticipation of seeing Alya. Five minutes after her flight took off, she started thinking about her roommate, and from that point forward she couldn't get her out of her mind. She had pretty much forgotten all about her during the vacation, but now that she would be returning to the now familiar apartment, the girl once more came back into her thoughts.

She wondered why she was so obsessed with the girl. Of course she liked her, and the thrill of the conquest was enjoyable. When she was honest with herself, she realized that their friendship, though based upon a lie, wasn't a lie at all. Still, Lissa had never been the type of girl to obsess over someone. Not even Matt had taken over her thoughts so completely, even when he was her boyfriend.

When the plane landed, Lissa found herself hoping that Alya had already returned from Christmas vacation, and would be waiting for her in the apartment.

As it turned out, Alya had returned, and when Lissa opened the apartment door she found the girl sitting on the couch talking with Monique. They glanced up at her and immediately fell silent. The air had a certain tension, and Lissa wondered what was wrong. But the girls both wore smiles on their faces.

"Hi, guys," Lissa said cheerfully, trying to hide the fact that she had noticed something going on.

"Hi, Lissa," said Monique. "Did you have a nice vacation?"

Did she ever! But she wasn't about to mention the details. Instead, she dropped her suitcase on the floor and plopped down in the comfy chair. "So what's up?" she asked.

Monique and Alya glanced at each other for a moment. Then Monique rose to her feet. "Well, I'm off to the library. I'll see you two later tonight."

"Bye," said Lissa.

Monique grabbed her bag from the kitchen table, then headed for the door. "Good luck," she told Alya, just before disappearing outside.

To Lissa's eyes, it was quite obvious that Monique wanted Alya to be alone with Lissa. And Alya's quietness during this whole time meant that something was bothering her, or at least she had something weighing on her mind. Monique's last comment suggested that it was something she needed to talk with Lissa about.

"What did she mean by that?" asked Lissa.

"What? Oh, Monique and I were talking about ... things."

"What kinds of things?"

"Um ... well..."

"Come on, Alya. You know you can tell me anything."

"I know." She patted the couch beside her, where Monique had sat. "Come sit by me?" she requested.

Lissa slipped over to her, wondering what was going on. Before the break, she could always tell exactly what Alya was thinking. Of course, that was because she was mostly thinking what Lissa wanted her to think. Now, though, Lissa found herself completely lost.

"I noticed there was something going on before I came in," Lissa said. "You guys got really quiet all of a sudden. What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing's wrong," said Alya hurriedly. "I think ... I think for the first time, things are right. At least I hope so."

"Okay, so what's right?" Lissa grinned.

"Well, that's the part that's kind of hard to say."

"But you said it to Monique, didn't you?" As she spoke the words, she realized that there was a bitter tone to them. That surprised even her. Did that mean she was jealous?

"Oh, but that's different," said Alya, and Lissa's jealousy spiked. So Alya was confiding in Monique things she couldn't confide in Lissa. She knew it shouldn't bother her, but it did.

"All right, if you don't want to tell me, that's fine," said Lissa, making as if to get up off the couch. But Alya hurriedly put an arm around her.

"Lissa, please. Sit here next to me." She said it so sweetly that Lissa could not refuse. But there was still that spark of bitterness haunting the back of her mind.

Alya sighed. "Look, I just needed a little advice," she said. "And the reason I went to Monique was ... well ... because I needed the opinion of someone not directly involved."

"I don't understand."

"Lissa, remember at Thanksgiving when I said I was going to have extra fun at Christmas time? Well, to be honest, I was miserable. I won't say it was the worst Christmas ever, because that honor belongs to the time I had pneumonia through the whole vacation. But this time was a close runner-up."

"Why were you miserable?"

"Because I was lonely."

"Didn't you have your family there?" asked Lissa.

"Oh yeah, and they were great, but I was missing someone in particular."

"Alya, you're not still pining for that bastard Matt, are you?"

"Matt?" she laughed. "Matt who?"

Lissa smiled. "Well, I'm glad about that. I'm still tempted to sneak into his apartment some night and castrate him. In fact, the only thing stopping me is the thought that he's probably cringing in terror every night wondering when we're going to strike, and I'd like to torture him like that for as long as possible."

"Well, don't worry about Matt. I don't care about him any more."

"So you've got a new boyfriend?" asked Lissa.

"No."

"But you're interested in someone?"

"Well ... I suppose you can say that."

"Is it someone I know?"

"Um ... an interesting question."

"Oh, come on, Alya. Who is it?"

Alya sighed. "Monique warned me not to be too obvious, but I think maybe I'm being too subtle."

What's that supposed to mean? Lissa wondered. It was clear that Alya wanted to tell her, but at the same time was hesitant about it. It didn't make any kind of sense.

"Lissa, you've been a good friend to me," said Alya. "I think I value your friendship as much as I've valued any relationship I've ever had with a man."

So now she was changing the subject. Well, Lissa wouldn't push her.

"Thanks, Alya. You know you mean the world to me too."

"And I think I might have enjoyed this vacation more if you were there with me."

Lissa certainly couldn't say the same thing about her own vacation, not that she had anything against Alya's presence. It was just that she had already enjoyed herself so much. Although, that would have been quite an interesting experience if she had involved Alya in her affair with her siblings! The thought almost made her laugh. Only the fact that Alya was starting to bare her heart kept her from breaking the mood.

"It's always nice to have a good friend to help you take your mind off the person you're longing for," she said instead.

Alya turned her head and gazed at her. "You know, Lissa, you really can be dense sometimes," she said with a smile.

"What do you mean? You won't even tell me who this mystery man is."

"It's not a man," said Alya.

"A woman?" asked Lissa, shocked. But Alya had insisted that she wasn't going to go down that road. Now, suddenly, to have a change of heart ... Then Lissa began to feel that familiar twinge of jealousy. Lissa had been the one to explore that road with her, and Alya had been hesitant. Now she was continuing down that road without her.

"You really don't understand, do you?" asked Alya.

Then Lissa had it. Monique! So that's what the two of them had been talking about! And that 'good luck' was for moral support for when Alya had to break the bad news to Lissa. Now her jealousy rose to a point that she felt like throwing something. But she wanted to hear it from Alya herself.

"So who is it?" she said, thankful that she managed to make her voice sound curious rather than angry.

"I'll give you a hint," said Alya with a warm smile, then put her hand behind Lissa's head, drew her in, and kissed her fully on the lips.

Lissa's eyes opened wide with shock. But that meant ... So she really...

Lissa couldn't even think straight. All she knew was that the kiss felt good enough to drive away all her anger and jealousy. She felt the love behind that kiss, and returned it with all her heart. Alya! she thought. I love you! And she was astonished to realize that it was true. Before, it had simply been the new Lissa asserting her independence, playing a game, even toying with Alya's affections. That Lissa was vengeful, hateful, and willing to destroy even her friends in order to get what she wanted. But now, those thoughts were in the past. Now, she wanted only to take her roommate in her arms and love her.

In one instant, Alya had transformed her again. This third incarnation was a hybrid of the previous two. She had taken the intelligence, wisdom, and compassion of the first, and merged it with the confidence and freedom of the second. Lissa the Third was every bit as liberated and unrestrained as Lissa the Second, but there was one difference. She had a soul. Alya had awakened it within her.

Then they drew apart, and Lissa could see that Alya had a look of concern on her face. "But Lissa," she said, "it has to be something you want too. I don't want you to feel obligated--"

Lissa put a finger to Alya's lips to silence her. It was a little teasing gesture that she enjoyed doing, especially because it made the girl look so cute. Then she removed her finger and replaced it with her own lips. Alya melted into her arms as all the anger, jealousy, and hatred of the past few months fled from the two women who had finally let themselves fall in love.

Somehow-- Lissa didn't exactly know how because it happened while she was still lost in that kiss-- they ended up in Alya's bedroom. She found herself smiling down at the adorable face of Alya, who lay beneath her on the bed. Lissa's heart beat rapidly as she realized that she had never even seen her naked! She had known that Alya had a great figure, but now, to see what she looked like without clothes ... the thought excited her beyond belief.

She lowered her body to her roommate's, kissing her once again deeply on the lips. Alya relaxed and let it happen, giving in to the sapphic pleasure.

Suddenly, she pushed Lissa away.

"Lissa," said Alya. Rather than stop, Lissa lowered herself once more and began to kiss her on the cheek, neck, and chin. "I'm in love with you," Alya told her.

"I'm in love with you too," Lissa replied between kisses.

"But this is a new experience for me," continued Alya. "I love it when you hug me and kiss me, but I'm not sure I'm ready to ... well..."

"Have sex?" Lissa offered helpfully.

"Yes," Alya nodded.

"Well I am," said Lissa. "Let me take care of you."

"But what if ... what if I don't like it?"

"I promise that you will. All you have to do is trust me."

"I trust you," Alya breathed. "I wouldn't let any other girl do this to me, but with you it's different. I'm just worried that I might not be able to go through with it."

"If you're at all hesitant, you don't have to worry at all about pleasing me. I'll just take care of your needs this time, and we'll work on the rest later."

"That wouldn't be fair to you. I want to make you as happy as you make me."

"I am happy," Lissa breathed, closing her eyes and pressing her lips against Alya's.

After a few more minutes, Lissa rose back up and sat on her roommate's thighs. It was time to undress. Alya's hands went to Lissa's tee-shirt first, though, sliding underneath it and caressing her side. Then she slid her hands up, taking the shirt with it. Lissa leaned over so that Alya could pull it the rest of the way off. Her roommate gazed at her chest for a few seconds, then reached behind to unstrap her bra. Alya had seen her naked before, but it was different knowing that it was a prelude to making love. She let the bra fall away to expose her to Alya's hungry eyes.

"God, Lissa, you're so beautiful," she breathed.

"Right back at ya," replied Lissa playfully. But now it was Lissa's turn. Alya wore a button-down blouse, which Lissa began to unfasten with excruciating slowness. It wasn't that she wasn't eager to make love to this beauty, but she wanted to draw this whole thing out for as long as possible. After she had unbuttoned her about halfway, she slid her hands inside and opened it to show the top of her chest. Lissa leaned down and kissed her on the neck, making Alya gasp in pleasure. Lissa felt a surge of delight from knowing that she was giving such pleasure to the girl she loved. Then she lowered herself to the tops of her breasts, playfully teasing them with her tongue. As she did so, she continued to unbutton the blouse until the last one was finished. Then she spread the blouse to the side and gazed down at Alya's remarkable body.