a sip of wine, a sip of water

Hayley had just crawled into bed, throwing the covers over her head, when the phone rang. The fucking annoying Danity Kane song Josh had downloaded as her ringtone had her cursing to shut the thing off; they’d been on a plane all evening, finally landing in Nashville at half past midnight, and all Hayley wanted to do was sleep for forty-eight hours and then, maybe, consider breakfast. The air conditioning in the house was set to below freezing, the way she liked it, but she shivered a little as goosebumps rose on her skin. Finally she found her phone in her bag and with a sigh she hit the green button.

“‘Marmosets are highly active, living in the upper canopy of forest trees, and feeding on insects, fruit and leaves. They have long lower incisors, which allow them to chew holes in tree trunks and branches to harvest the gum inside; some species are specialised feeders on gum,'” Charlotte said, and Hayley closed her eyes, hard.

“Charlotte, I was trying to sleep,” she said pathetically.

“‘Marmosets live in family groups of 3 to 15, consisting of one to two breeding females, an unrelated male, their offspring and occasionally extended family members and unrelated individuals. Their mating systems are highly variable and can include monogamy, polygyny and occasionally polyandry.’ Wow, it’s surprising they don’t live in Utah,” Charlotte commented.

“Is this because I didn’t call you when we landed? I’m sorry, the plane was late and we were exhausted, and my parents stayed up late to come get me. I just didn’t have a chance to call you,” Hayley said, crawling back under her covers.

There was a pause, and then Charlotte continued. “‘In most species, fraternal twins are usually born, but triplets are not unknown. Like other callitrichines–‘”

In her defence, when Hayley screamed, she did it into her pillow so that it was muffled. She was fucking exhausted, and just because she didn’t call her girlfriend in a timely fashion after a transcontinental flight didn’t mean she didn’t fucking love her.

“…sorry,” Hayley said to the slightly stunned silence in the phone.

“Guess you’re pretty tired, huh?” Charlotte said, more sympathetically.

“Yes,” Hayley mumbled. “I am very very tired.”

“If you don’t call me tomorrow I’m going to start in on sloths.”

“I will get someone to ban your computer from Wikipedia,” Hayley threatened weakly. “And I’ll call you tomorrow. Promise.”

“Sloths,” Charlotte said warningly, and despite herself Hayley was smiling as she went to sleep.

+

The next day when Hayley woke up, the mid-afternoon sun was safely hidden away behind her curtains and Hayley felt more human than she had in weeks. She loved touring–lived for it, without question–but there were times she thought that maybe it would have been easier if she’d stayed in school, gone to college. Not that easier was better, but the days when she woke up not knowing where she was, where Charlotte was at any given time, got old and got old fast. She turned over, groaning as her body protested the motion, and stared at her ceiling, where a few dozen polaroids were tacked up haphazardly. Years and years of her life were catalogued there; Hayley ran her eyes over the familiar images, remembering when they were taken.

A few more recent ones, from Warped, from tour breaks, had her and Charlotte: making faces at the camera, flipping off Josh, who had taken the pictures. There was one Hayley had snuck into her bag, one she loved, of her and Charlotte’s hands loosely intertwined, brushing against the grass of the field they were walking through. It was such a simple picture, but it made Hayley warm inside whenever she saw it.

Her hand brushed under her pillow, colliding with something metal, and Hayley pulled out her phone, making a face when she saw the time. “Charlotte’s going to kill me,” she muttered, flipping it open and pulling up Charlotte’s number, “or she’s going to think I’m already dead.”

The phone rang a couple times, and then picked up. “”The living sloths,”” said Charlotte, “‘comprise six species of medium-sized mammals that live in Central and South America.'”

“I was asleep!” Hayley protested.

Charlotte laughed, that low, sultry sound Hayley loved. “Alright, woman, you get a pass. But just this once. Don’t think this gets you out of calling me as usual after eight-hour flights.”

“I would never dare,” Hayley said solemnly. She closed her eyes and turned on her side, curling into the pillow and resting her phone on the side of her head. “So when are you coming to see me?” she said, tracing the pattern on her bedsheets.

“Oh, you know, when I have the time,” Charlotte said nonchalantly.

Hayley snorted. “Pfft, time. Neither of us ever have the time, but we figure it out somehow. Seriously, when are you coming out here? I saw where you grew up, and let me tell you, Tennessee has a whole lot on Jersey. Fair’s fair.”

“And who’s talking about fair, Ms. ‘Please come out for the third time in a row’?” Charlotte pointed out, and Hayley made a face she was glad Charlotte couldn’t see. It was true–Charlotte had come out to see her the last two times, and Hayley had only been able to manage it once so far. They both toured, but Paramore was a little further along than Charlotte Sometimes. It was harder for Hayley to work around her schedule.

“No, you’re totally right,” Hayley said. “I just, you know. I want to see you.”

“You know, I’ve heard Tennessee is pretty this time of year,” Charlotte said thoughtfully. “And that pool looks really attractive in humid weather.”

Hayley blinked. “Pool?” she asked.

“Yeah, it’s got all this nice blue tile, and a pitcher of iced tea, which is made just as sweet as you like it, crazy girl.”

“Tea?” she repeated.

“Mmmm, sweet tea,” Charlotte agreed.

Hayley scrambled out of bed, legs tangling in the covers, and threw apart her curtains to look out the window. There was Charlotte, with her big sunglasses and phone in hand. When she saw Hayley she smiled, and gave a little wave.

“You’re here,” Hayley breathed.

“I am,” Charlotte laughed.

Hayley hung up the phone and bolted down the stairs, bursting out to the back patio and the hot Tennessee afternoon. “Charlotte!” she said, maybe a little more squeakily than she’d ever admit to, and threw herself into Charlotte’s arms. To her credit, Charlotte just held on.

Hayley took in the smell of her, the weight of Charlotte in her arms, and started kissing up the length of Charlotte’s neck. “I can’t believe you’re here,” she said. “How did–when did–I mean–god!”

Charlotte smiled, running a hand up to Hayley’s face and pulling her in for a kiss. “I talked to your parents a few days ago about coming out for a couple days,” she said, “and I got in this morning while you were sleeping. I’ve just been hanging out until you woke up. Your parents went to the store, and they took your sister. So, you know,” Charlotte said, the twist of her mouth turning a little wicked, “we have some time.”

Hayley grabbed her hand and tugged her back into the house, up the stairs to her room, Charlotte laughing as she was dragged along. Hayley shut and locked the door, pushing Charlotte back against it, reaching up on her toes to kiss into Charlotte’s mouth. She let her tongue dart inside, rubbing her hands against the fabric of Charlotte’s t-shirt the way she knew drove Charlotte crazy. Charlotte’s hands tightened around her, and Hayley took it as encouragement to press against her harder until they were panting against each other and Hayley thought she was going to go crazy unless she got skin.

“Bed,” she got out, and Charlotte pushed off the door, walking them backwards until they tumbled into Hayley’s just-slept-in bed. Hayley arched up against Charlotte, trying to grind against her thigh while tugging off Charlotte’s shirt. Charlotte pulled away for a second, grinning at Hayley’s noise of protest, to pull off her shirt and bra, and suddenly Hayley had all this skin to play with.

She ran her hands up Charlotte’s flushed chest, bringing her head up to lick at Charlotte’s breasts, right then left; biting, just a little, until Charlotte shuddered and let out that moan that Hayley fucking lived for. Her breath was coming shallowly in the chilled air, and Hayley’s fingers fumbled with the button of Charlotte’s jean miniskirt while trying to get them under the covers at the same time.

“This is clearly why we should wear pajamas at all times,” Hayley scolded, finally succeeding in pulling off Charlotte’s skirt while Charlotte giggled beneath her.

“What? It’s a great idea,” Hayley said, effortlessly pulling off the old New Found Glory shirt and faded boxers she had worn to bed.

Charlotte’s eyes turned hot as she took in Hayley’s body. “It has some merit,” she said, pulling Hayley back down to her.

Hayley couldn’t help it–her fingers smoothed down Charlotte’s skin, all of that skin, for her, right now, and stole between Charlotte’s legs to feel her wet thighs and delicious heat. Hayley had spent more than one morning trying to tame down a blush from waking up thinking about this, taking more time in the shower than usual just to get through it, shaking and shuddering under the spray. She missed this, missed Charlotte, and it scared her a little just how much.

“God,” she groaned, just letting the tips of her fingers play along Charlotte’s flesh, loving the way Charlotte twisted against them, the way her eyes fluttered to a close and her mouth fell open. “Fuck, I–”

“More,” Charlotte said, digging fingers into Hayley’s thigh, making Hayley twitch and delve deeper. “More, more–”

Hayley pushed in two fingers at once, the way she knew Charlotte liked, because Hayley’s hands were small and Charlotte always wanted more. One time, in Germany, Hayley fucking orgasmed, in her dream, to the thought of pushing her whole hand into Charlotte, seeing if she could take it, if she’d want it; Hayley woke up hot with sticky thighs and never had the guts to ask if anyone heard her while she was sleeping. Maybe they could try that. Maybe Charlotte would want to.

Charlotte bucked on Hayley’s fingers, her hands gripping the sheets when Hayley’s thumb started rubbing against her clit. Hayley licked the hollow between Charlotte’s breasts, pausing to bite the nipple of the left, flicking it to a point with her tongue. Charlotte bowed toward Hayley, riding the edge of her orgasm, and just as Hayley pulled her mouth away she pushed in a third finger. Charlotte cried out, contracting around Hayley’s fingers, and Hayley fucked her through it, pushing in and out until Charlotte came down, still shocky around the edges.

When Charlotte opened her eyes, Hayley pulled out her fingers, wiping them on the sheet. Charlotte ran a hand up Hayley’s skin, palming her breasts, her neck, her cheek; finally tugging Hayley down to her in a deep, dirty kiss. “Fuck me, that was good,” she said. Hayley laughed a little against the Charlotte’s skin, pressing a chaste kiss to where she’d bitten just before.

“I missed that,” she admitted, moving her hips in little circles against Charlotte’s leg, wishing for more friction.

“Yeah?” Charlotte said. Her grip on Hayley’s neck tightening, and Hayley let out a whoosh of surprise when Charlotte flipped them to be on top. “I missed this,” she said, tugging the covers up and ducking down between them. The feel of Charlotte’s mouth, sucking on Hayley’s clit, rubbing two fingers deep inside, combined with the sticky-hot feel of Charlotte on Hayley’s fingers from before, made Hayley gasp and spasm before Charlotte had really done anything at all. Hayley twitched as Charlotte’s head popped out from beneath the comforter; Charlotte rubbed her thumb against Hayley’s clit as she pulled her fingers free, dancing them across Hayley’s stomach as she reached up to kiss her.

“We need to do that all the time,” Charlotte said mock-seriously, and Hayley was nodding before she’d even caught her breath. Charlotte propped up on her elbow, running the fingers of her other hand over Hayley’s skin, and Hayley sighed beneath the touch. She pulled Charlotte close, feeling her eyes slip shut, and she could feel Charlotte laughing at her. It only made her hold Charlotte tighter, and Charlotte let her, running fingers through Hayley’s hair and breathing to match Hayley’s.

“We’re just going to pretend we have all the time in the world,” Hayley mumbled against Charlotte’s skin.

“Okay,” Charlotte said, and they fell asleep to the whir of the air conditioning.