The email came back dated within the hour I had sent it. Sadly It had taken me till the next evening to get to my email. If I had had texting with the silly phone I would have seen her answer sooner. Damn, I wanted that privilege. Everything at this school seemed to come with a price. Privileges that were allowed only in certain cases and those seemed arbitrary to me. ‘Always on the outside looking in girl’ I thought to myself.

I swore I could feel the bubbly happiness she invoked in her words flow through the machine and into me. That happiness was contagious. I could feel it grow inside me. Never had I thought that such a simple request could mean so much and give so much in return. By the time I had read the message a second time I was practically bouncing on the coach and feeling a bit of heat. I longed to spend the night in her bed, and given what my mistress had been putting me through I was now in a state of lust and desire that left me wet and squirming.

If necessary though I would wait, savoring the sensation till we could touch again. Tomorrow…tomorrow would not come soon enough.


Pia love,

I want to spin in circles and clutch each and every word to my heart. I never thought I would look so forward to a dance in all my life. I feel sooooo alive if you know what I mean. It is so frustrating to not be able to hold you till tomorrow. I think I know what the bride feels like on her wedding day not being able to see the one she loves till that one magical moment.

You are my magical moment. Maybe being apart does help you grow closer. I want to spend the night together again. I am happy and wet just thinking about you and me together. I am beginning to crave any person’s touch I so miss you. Weekends are rotten. A kiss means so much, it sends heat coursing through my body. A touch is like a jolt of electricity. Sometimes I think in unhealthy directions for it would do us no good to get in trouble again and prolong the time we are apart. I have to be happy just seeing you, touching you and holding your hand even if it is for a few minutes.

I love you, be good…and enjoy your winter break.

XXXOOO

Cala


I so wanted her to be happy and in no way wanted her trying to stay behind on account of me. Family meant something to most people. It even meant something to me and I did not get along well with mine. I’d miss her when in two weeks she was gone. Damn….two weeks was all we had and then we would be apart even more so.

Cala my love,

Being separated like we are, it makes our heaths behave strange, does it not? Sometimes, I think about you, and it makes me so happy I can't sit still! I turn up the MP3 player way too loud, and jump and dance around the room. Silly, I know, but it true. And sometimes, I miss you so much it hurts. Either way, I wouldn't be without it. It is true what you say. You make me feel alive in ways I never imagined.

It's not just the hearth that absence makes grow fonder. I miss sex with you as well. I am almost embarrassed to say so, but you might find me a bit needy when this is over.

I wouldn't go home even if I could. I want to be as close to you as possible, even if we cannot see each other. But don't feel guilty about that. There is no room on any of the planes out, so I am staying anyway. I think I will be spending winter break on some of my extracurricular studies. I have using a lot of time on some side projects of mine.

Tomorrow is Monday, and that means we can talk face to face again!

Goodnight kisses,
Pia

--

Pia turned of her laptop, and put it on the floor. She had already changed into her pajama. She knew it was a bit early for her to sleep yet, but like the day before her birthday when she was a child, she wanted to sleep early so tomorrow would come sooner. She had one textbook with her, but she knew she would not be able to concentrate. Instead she stared at the roof, imagining how it would be to meet Cala the next day. Such a simple thing, not even an hour, yet it would mean so much to her.

For the longest time I just lay upon the couch and watched the stars in the cloudless sky through the giant windows in this little spot of heaven atop the tower. Sleep might came later, for now it was just knowing that soon I would see her.

Of course that brought up the strange mix of feelings I was having for my mistress. Was I being good and her and being honest to myself. As alive as I felt at the moment there were always the doubts. The things that kept you from going to high perhaps or maybe it was just me. Was I being selfish, self-centered? I hoped not.
---------------------------------------------

A sea of bodies greets me as I head to class. The collar around my neck no longer bothers me, its familiarity making it more a part of my skin than the clothes I wear. They on the other hand feel stiff from the starch and the pressing. Nice creases, perfect fit, it is so much not like the old me. A new me I have to get used to.

I watch for the bounce of blonde hair. Look for it in the crowd worried I might have missed her. Then--- then I see it or do I.

“Pia?” I call out. The head turns, hair bouncing as it moves against the crush of bodies in the narrow hallway. “PIA!” I scream, pushing and shoving to make my way in her direction so happy to once more see her.

As the girls poured out of their auditoriums, on their way to or from classes, Pia was scanning the crowd for signs of Cala, throat thick with tenseness. She dreaded these moments, just before meeting.

It was then that Pia's anxieties peaked, rational and irrational little fears combining into one big lump. What if she missed her in the crowd? What if Cala was not here? What if she had decided she did not want to see Pia after all? What if she had just turned up to tell Pia that this was not working out after all?

Thought like that was enough to set Pia's hearth pounding as she looked about her, involuntarily biting her lower lip.

"PIA!"

And that was enough to make Pia whirl around, blue eyes wide and smile big. Cala was on her way towards her, looking all prim and proper with her neat uniform, with its longer skirt and the hijab.

Pia ran to meet her, giving her girlfriend a big hug. As he does so, her hand brush against her neck, feeling something harder underneath the cloth. Pia thinks she has an idea of what it is, but right now she does not care about much else than feeling the familiar body next to hers.

"Oh mercy, how I have missed you! It has just been a weekend and.. Uh.. I am so glad to see you."

My smile hurts its is so big. Time, it marches onwards no matter what we may wish and my time with Pai had to be treasured it was so short. Arms close about me, and mine about her. I simply enjoy the moment of our embrace letting the soft tears of joy fall down along my cheeks.

"Pia, I miss you, really really do." And know I knew why. Not because we had sex but because we were friends and I need one as badly as I needed a mistress to keep me straight. Of course that was were it would get sticky...and that was not how I wanted to spend my time with her. Dwelling on the sticky.

I tipped my head back, and tipped hers up so I could look into those pretty blue eyes of hers. Mine were no doubt wet and sloppy now, but it did not matter.

"Pia..." and that was it. finito. speechless. I just wanted to hold her, and stare into her eyes so I might find the ground and myself again. oh shit....this just didn't happen to me.

For a time, this was enough for Pia. It was enough to just stand there, close to Cala. She only wanted to be with her, to feel that she was real.

The actual time they had been together had been so short. True, they e-mailed each other as often as they could, but sometimes.. sometimes it felt like it all had been a lifelike dream, that Cala would soon drift away, turn to smoke, and that Pia would again be left alone. Alone and desperate. Having tasted love, companionship.. Pia knew that she would not be able to return to her old, reclusive self.

So for a while she was content with them just being the two of them, a stream of other students passing by them.

But the safety and comfort was partly a lie, Pia knew. They were both, she suspected, caught up in things the other could not quite understand, both swimming in rough waters outside each others reach. They needed to fix that. But there was no opportunity, at least for now.

But maybe I can throw out a lifeline. Maybe I can do something that can help us keep together. Maybe not now, but later..

The weight of Pia's bag rested against her upper thigh. She let one hand reach down, fingers on the lid of its side pocket.

"I.. I have something for you", she said, regretting to breach the silence. "It is a stupid little thing, but do you want it?"

Opening the pocket, she retrieved a plain, white envelope.
Pia thought about the two things in it. One would be a copy of Pia's keycard, with a post-it note with her romm number on it. The other thing was a smaller black envelope.

It was enough she was her by my side. It was my fault we were apart, and still she stuck it out. Stuck with me even if I was a slave in another life. That life thankfully had not yet intruded on my current one. But I strongly suspected that would change.

So I took what I could and tried to desperately give back more than I took. There was the dance, and for now I would look forward to it and our time together at it.

She felt wonderful in my arms. Everything about her made it easy to forget the press of bodies around us. If I could have gotten away with it I would have run off with here and missed every class that day. But that was not going to happen, I would have to live in the here and now. And her and now was her scent wafting pleasantly from her silky hair.

“Pia, yes, please, nothing is stupid when it is from you. “ I took the two envelopes, cards perhaps and no doubt thoughtfully done. I hated having nothing for her. Nothing to really make everything special and show her how much she meant to me.

“so what is it girlfriend, do I open it now or what for class to start so I can pine away all day during the lecture.” I winked, happy, content, amused and gave her another hug just so I knew it was not a dream.

"Well..", Pia said, thinking a bit. "It is two things.. the first one is not a real gift or anything..it is just, well it is not the kind of thing that is meant to be a big surprise or anything.. it is just something I wanted to.. err.."

I am babbling.

"The white envelope contains my spare key card. Just in case you need me quickly, or just want a place to get away from things.. or, well I guess it means I want you to know I will always be ready to see you.."

There were a couple of elements hidden in those sentences that Pia did not say aloud, such as in case you need to get away from Vera real fast, or a (heaven forbid) if you get attacked by a monster and need help, or even an if something happens to me, you have a place to start looking.

"The other one, the little envelope.."
Now Pia was a blushing maiden. She suddenly felt awkward and stupid, looking down at her shoes. She really was not sure if Cala would like this.

In the other envelope, the colored one with "to My Love" written on it was three things. One was a small, meticulously written note. It read:

"I O U: Swimming lessons. This will take care of the floating, so we can take care of the fun "

With these was a copy of a receipt for a pre-ordered item from the sports ware store in the mall, due to arrive in 3 weeks.

The third was a page cut out from a catalog, with a picture of a wet suit. Not a full suit. This one covered about as much as a swimsuit and a sweater combined. The idea was that if Cala wanted to, oh please let her want to, the suit would give her just enough float to keep her panic at bay.

"You.. you can open the second when you want to. Now or later. I am not sure you will like it, but.. but please consider it. It is an offer, but you don't have to make up your mind now.

Pia was not sure what she wanted Cala to do, open it now or later. She wished she had not come up with the idea. What had she been thinking?

He hugged her again at her words...her thought..her unselfish and wonderful self. WHat more reason could there be. Arms about her, pressed against her. This girl, this wonderful friend, this thoughtful lover could come up with something so sweet it put her own thoughtless actions to shame.

What could she ever get in return?

"You are the most wonderful person in the whole world, how ever did I get lucky enough to deserve you? " Another hug, another kiss that left her breathless and wanting so much more if only there had been the time. Still there was time for one more thing. Grinning like a cat she winked at her love.

"Oh, no...I get to open it right now, there is no way I an waiting till later, taking the black envelope in her hands she carefully opened it so she might put the things back in it.

'to my love' and then she read the hand written words upon it. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she continued through the contents. "yes, yes she gushes as she reads the card. Would her mistress have ever been so thoughtful. This was the domain of friends and lovers, this is the thing that Vera would never understand.

once more she continued on...reading, looking...

Pia was grinning like an idiot, a happy and content idiot, both from the kiss and from Cala's excitement.
She watched as Cala opened the envelope, hoping her intentions and the offer where clear. Hoping that Cala would accept, that the bad experience from the previous swimming lessons had not scared her away from the whole prospect.

"I.. thought that it was a shame that our first meeting led to so much trouble. I thought that.. maybe we could start over again, get it right this time. I guess I sound foolish, but.."
Pia said once she had let Cala look at the content.

"You said you did not know how to float. With the buoyancy from the suit.. floating is not much of a problem. You could learn the basics with no reason to fear, or just goof about in the water.. I can understand it if you don't want it, but would you at least consider it. We could start right after winter break is over, if you like."

Pia's big blue eyes were looking into Cala's, hope, excitement and unformulated dread mixed up in one expression.
There was a lot of hope affixed to this idea. It felt like Cala Maysson Sumayyah was slipping through Pia's fingers. She hoped that this would be a chance for them to rebuild their relationship after all of this was over. If they even had a relationship.

The look, how could you not love her? How could anyone want to ever hurt this wonderful girl that wore her heart upon her arm.

"Oh by Allah yes...yes...yes!" she flung her arms around her best friend in the world. "so that is how it works, I..I didn't know...oh you are great, I think this is the best..no it is the best gift anyone has given me. " Pai was so thoughtful, so careing how could she not be overjoyed.

It was moments like this she knew her mistress did not hold a candle to her Pia. The girl was a saint as the christians would say

"You like it? You do? Really? Thank you! Saying yes is the best gift you can give me right now"
Pia was happy now. The whole idea had been a bit of a gamble. She feared that Cala's fear of water would make her dismiss the idea out of hand, or that the last swimming less..ons had ruined her trust in Pia. It was more than that, too. Doing such a thing together would perhaps help them build up some rapport, gains oemthing in common that were truly theirs.

Pia hugged Cala back. "Then lessons begin once you are a free woman again!"

"Lucky me get to put your hot body in a tightfitting outfit, one with a convenient zipper. My evil plot is working out", she jokingly added.

tt see her with those beaming blue eyes touched by the curl of her smile melted me instantly.

"Oh Pia, I feel a poor cousin to your ability at gift giving. it is not something I am any good at I am afraid." fidgetting for a moment, "BUt yes sooner if possible. One might expect that mistress would give her OK since she expects me to swim. and you...you have grown far more wicked in our absence from one another. ohhh...I do so like the new Pia, the assertive wanting to have my body Pia. And what would you do with said zipper?"

grinning back at the girl, a thousand little ideas pressing inwards on her brain and into her loins

"Oh my! Do you think that is possible? Will she.. will she allow that!?". The last few words went up a notch from exitement. A couple off passing students looked at her. Pia quicly calmed down, cheeks red.
No use getting too exited. Vera might or might not give her permission. And if not.. she could wait.

So instead she gripped Cala's arm, so she could lean on her.
"Let us say that what we can do with that zipper, that depends on if we can find a secluded spot on the beach, does it not?", she whispered.

"oh hmmm...I like that thought but", she winked, "ever wonder what unzipping might make me feel like in a more public setting?"

the thought of them both rolling around in the sand on a public beach was already taking a toll on her. There was no way she was going to concentrate at all during the next hour of class. no, she knew she would be sitting on the chair fidgetting in her wet unides all because Pia had to go and get her thinking on things she was longing for.

"I think you just lowered my grade in chemistry, there is now way I am going to be able to concentrate today while i think about your hands on my zipper." she said it in jest that was more than a little serious.