crutches dug into the dirt and sand. Kendra’s vision faded in the dark away from the carpark lights but as her retina expanded extra light refracted from the moon’s reflection on the waves, illuminating the coastline in front of her.
The cliff track winding down to the derelict aquarium made itself clear to her new night vision and she raced towards it with a beating heart.
Emily - Chapter 6
The hum of a mosquito and an image of tangled purple hair woke Emily, still in the deck chair.
The girl had gone home with friends but she felt the smooth edge of a black business card in her back pocket. Something tapped against the kitchen window downstairs that made Leo rip with a series of growly barks that forced Emily to sit up straight.
A faint light hung over the ocean but she couldn't make out what time it was. She heard a woman’s voice, quietly calling.
- Em, are you awake? Are you alright?
She saw the fading shadow of the woman’s body hovering near her front door. It was Melanie whispering through a gap in the kitchen louvre. Emily creaked out of her chair, knocking over the empty beer bottle with a hammering crash.
Leo grumbled loudly and sprung up from his basket near the back door.
- Shhh. Leo be quiet, go back to your bed. Melanie, is that you?
Emily clambered down the decking's ladder and into the back door, patting Leo on his nose, as he calmed and curled in for the night.
- Yes, it’s me. I tried you on the computer...
Emily fumbled with the latch and let Melanie and the night air in the door.
- Heckle and Jeckle.
Emily motioned to the fish bowl.
- What?
- I had dinner with my goldfish.
- I don’t mind; you can have dinner with whoever you like.
Melanie’s eyes narrowed.
She ran a hand over her sandy, fair hair and curled it behind her ear. She glided inside Emily’s home placing a bottle of red wine on a coffee table and relaxed on the lounge chair as though it was her second home.
- What time is it?
She demanded of Emily
Emily flicked a lamp on and grabbed at her diving watch from her desk.
- Nearly 11.30?
The lamp highlighted Melanie's hair.
- Melanie why did you come all the way over here?
- Emily, I told you, he’s away for a few days and I’m lonely.
- You can't stay the night.
Emily backed away from her visitor towards the door as Melanie stepped towards the lounge chair.
- Why don't you want me to stay?
Emily checked the front door and made sure it was locked.
- Because we shouldn’t and I don’t think I want to anymore.
- Emily, he’s away for another three days. No one knows I’m here.
- But I … do.
Emily smiled at Melanie.
She thought of the other times Max had been away and they had a whole week to be together, not just at work, but long nights of shutting out the loneliness.
Emily broke the silence.
- I really love you. But I don’t like ME very much at the moment.
She ran her hand over her face, straightening her frayed hair and looking to the ground to avoid appreciating Melanie’s curvy silhouette against the lamp light.
Melanie stepped toward Emily until she could smell the warm scent of her sweat and something else. A fragrance; an oily sweetness.
- Have you been with someone tonight? Some new girlfriend?
She gripped Emily’s arm as it moved up to cover her face.
- Who would I be with? I told you, I had dinner with my gold fish – and Leo.
Emily moved towards Melanie and fed her arm around the waist of Melanie’s summer skirt, reaching with her other hand at the bottle of red.
- You want a drink? Did you come here to have a drink with me?
Emily planted a warm soft kiss on Melanie’s neck, just below her ear. Something she'd wanted to do to her purple karaoke partner but never got the chance while her friends were around.
Melanie stood still and enjoyed the flow of warmth.
- I've missed the things you do to me.
She whispered into Emily’s ear.
Emily grinned.
- I better have the couch; you can have my bed.
- Whatever you say, Emily. You always know what’s best for me.
Melanie poured the glasses full of the red sticky sweet wine and took a swig. She handed one to Emily sitting on the couch and gulped the remaining wine from the glass.
Melanie draped her hand over Emily’s bare knee while Emily drained her glass. She positioned herself on Emily’s lap and pressed her hips into her cool body. Emily turned her head slightly away from Melanie’s face that moved closer with each breath.
- Melanie, please don’t do this.
But Melanie had placed her mouth over the top of the words and kissed Emily so hard that she lay back on the couch to get her balance.
Their mouths moved slowly over each. Over and over, their lips softly pressed together between breaths.
- We need to … stop … doing this.
Emily gulped as she pressed back against Melanie with her whole tired, cool damp body.
She swung around so that now Melanie’s back was pressed to the couch.
Emily’s knees grazed the sides of Melanie’s thighs, brushing against her skirt as she quickly removed her t-shirt, flinging it to the floor.
Melanie started
