On the Run Ch. 02

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A few days passed and I was helping my mom with the dishes after enjoying her delicious lasagna when the doorbell rang. "Hm, I wonder who that would be," I said to her while putting my towel down, "expecting anyone?"

"No," she replied and when I was just out of the kitchen she shouted, "maybe it's the guy bringing us our new toy."

I grinned at the thought. "I hope so," I called back. We had ordered a vibrating prostate massager a few days back and we still didn't get it. I was looking forward to using it and maybe tonight we finally could. But when I opened the door, I saw someone I never expected to see again. I once again stared into those piercing green eyes I stared into a thousand times before. Her fiery red hair was still so long that it just reached her butt. And her smile was just as warm and sweet as I remembered it. My eyes went wide and my jaw dropped in disbelief. "Liz?" I finally managed to whisper. It couldn't be her. There was no way.

"Hey Diana," was all she said.

Those two words made me realize that what I was seeing was real. She was there, standing in front of me. My best friend. In all these five years I never thought I'd see her again, but there she was. Without missing a beat I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her in for a tight hug. I felt her arms around me, holding me close as well. It felt surreal to hold her, yet I knew I wasn't dreaming. Suddenly, all these feelings and questions rushed into my head and a single tear dropped from my eyes. Not only because I was happy to see her again, but because I was also afraid. I didn't know how she did it, but if she managed to find us, maybe soon the police would too.

"God, I missed you," I said while pulling back after a few seconds.

"I missed you too, Diana."

At that point I heard my mom coming from inside the house. "Who is it honey?" she asked, but then reacted exactly like I did when she saw who was standing in front of me. "Elizabeth, is that you," she asked in utter disbelief.

"Hello ms. Knight. Sorry to just drop by."

It took a split second for her as well to realize Liz was really here. "That's fine, honey. Please, come in. I'll get you something to drink."

My mom went after some drinks while we took a seat on the couch. There was so much I wanted to say to her, but for some reason there was this awkward silence. It felt strange to suddenly have her back in our lives. I wanted to ask her how she found us and I was sure she wanted to know what happened 5 years ago, yet I didn't dare speak. My mom came back with the drinks, sat down next to me and asked the one question I was too afraid to ask. "So how did you find us, Elizabeth?"

She took a sip of water and after a deep breath said, "To be honest, I have no idea. Five years ago, a few days after I sent Diana my last text, the police were at our door. Neither my parents, my sister nor I knew why they were suddenly there until they told us they found him and you two were nowhere to be found."

I noticed she didn't call him by his name or 'my father' and I appreciated it. I never told her what he did, but she always had a feeling we didn't get along. Eventually I told her that I hated him and that I never saw him as my father without giving her the reason why.

"The police could only guess what happened, they didn't know exactly. They asked your neighbors if they knew anything and after they learned nothing there, they came to me after the school told them we were friends."

"What did they want to know?" my mother asked. It was barely noticeable, but I heard a little fear in her voice. The same fear I was experiencing. The fear of getting caught.

"If I knew what happened, if I knew the situation at home, if I knew where you were or where you were going. Stuff like that."

"And what did you tell them?"

"That I didn't know anything. I didn't know what happened, I didn't know the situation at home and that I didn't know where you were. I showed them my last text to prove it. They came back a few times after that, but gradually they stopped coming until they didn't show up again. My guess was they never found you. The first thing I wanted to do after I finished high school was come looking for you, but my parents didn't allow it. So I finished college and spent the last two years looking things up and driving around searching for you guys."

"Then how did you find us? It's a big country." my mom said.

"Purely by accident. I never searched too far out of town, let alone the other side of the country, but when I was looking around on the internet I stumbled on the name 'Anne & Diana's Flower Shop'. It was a long shot. I looked around, found out where it was, what it was and found some photos until I found one in particular. One of your customers must have taken a picture of your shop and on that picture was Diana. I had to look a few times before I really believed it, but it was her. I'll always recognize her. So, I packed some things, jumped in my car and took off. And now I'm sitting here."

"That's quite a story," my mom said. "I'm sorry about the problems with the police, Elziabeth."

"It's no big deal, I only told them what I knew, which actually brings me to something I wanted to ask. What exactly happened?"

My mom and I looked at each other and just as if she could read my mind she smiled and kissed me on the top of my head. "I'll go finish the dishes, honey," she said and went back to the kitchen. I didn't think I'd have a problem with my mother being there, but it was probably better to tell the truth myself, face to face. Even though I was terrified to tell it.

I took a deep breath and with shaky hands I walked over to her and sat down next to her. "I'm positive you knew there was something going on at home so I'm just going to say it. He abused me, he abused us..." And that's how I began my story. I told her everything. There was no point in hiding it anymore. I told her about the daily beatings, the horrible name calling, how he hit me in front of my mother and vice versa. I told her about his drinking problem, how he turned every day into a living hell and the amount of times the thought of suicide actually entered my mind.

Her face was filled with sadness and compassion. She placed one hand on mine. " You poor thing. I'm so sorry," she whispered, "I didn't know it was that bad."

I continued by telling her how my mother and her were the only two people I trusted, the only two people I could tell almost anything to and the only two people who could always make me feel happy. I could see a little smile form in the corner of her mouth and I hoped she realized how much she really meant to me. But then I arrived at that moment five years ago.

"Then, that day he went too far. He was way too drunk. I was just sitting on the couch reading a book when he stormed in and started beating me. My mom tried to pull him off of me several times, but he kept pushing her down on the ground. He kept hitting me until something snapped and he started ripping parts of my clothes off. The next thing I knew, I was turned around and his pants were down on the ground. He pressed himself against me and yelled, and I remember the words very clearly, "You wanna be a bitch? Well then get fucked like a bitch, you whore." I had never been so scared in my whole life. He was going to rape me. He was going to take that final step."

I was squeezing her hands. It had been so long since I thought of all of this. I pushed it away for so long and now it all came back to me. We both sat there, crying.

"But my mother saved me. Through all the screams and tears I heard this noise behind me and he just let me go. When I turned around I saw her standing there with that rock statue we had on our table, covered in blood. He was lying dead still on the floor. Everything was a blur from that moment on. One moment I was staring at him, the next I was sitting in the car with a bag of clothes. Then I passed out and woke up in a motel. And now we're here, far away. Happy."

She hugged me. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she kept whispering. Somehow, it felt like a huge weight had been dropped from my shoulders. It felt good to finally let it all out. Especially to Liz. I had to lie and I had to hide it from her, but now she knew and somehow it made me happier. It brought us closer. We held each other for a long time. "You poor thing. I can't imagine what you went through. You must have had terrible nightmares."

"Too much for me to count, but my mom just made them go away. She protected me, gave up everything for me. Every single nightmare disappeared because of her. Even the one with him ready to rape me. I woke up screaming and crying from that particular memory, until my mother set me free."

"She did? How?" she asked.

I knew I'd eventually had to tell her my mom and I were lovers. I knew that from the moment I saw her at our front door. "What I'm about to tell you may shock you. You might find it disgusting, you might be opposed to it, but I'll tell you now, I won't care and neither will my mom."

It was not like me to be this forward, but it was true. Even though she was my best friend, my mother and I were in love and not even Liz could say anything to make me leave her or to make me question if it was right or wrong. My mother was everything to me and I was everything to her.

"My mother and I are a couple. We're lovers," I began and I immediately saw her expression change. She was surprised and I couldn't blame her. "We kiss, we have sex. We live like every other couple. We love each other and we are not afraid to be intimate."

I paused for a second to let it sink in and then explained how it happened. "Five years ago, after we ran away, we didn't have anyone else. It was just her and me, on the run. We were always close, closer than most parents and children are and because we were alone, we grew even closer. I was there for her and she was there for me, to comfort me, to protect me. Then, somehow it happened. We made love. At first it was only me on top, but when we arrived here, she made love to me. I still had that same nightmare about him ready to rape me and I had to face it. I was scared, afraid to get hurt but my mom was slow, tender and she made me feel like I never felt before. I never thought I could experience such wonderful sexual feelings."

I paused again and then added, "Like I said, you can think whatever you want, feel however you feel about it, but it won't change a thing. We love each other. Now and forever."

She was silent for a while and I let her think it through until I saw a smile form on her face. "This is surprising," she said, "but I'm not one to judge. Your happiness is what matters, and if you being together with your mom is what makes you happy, then you should be together with her."

"Thank you," I said and then turned my head towards the kitchen. "It's okay mom, you can come." I knew she finished the dishes a while ago and I knew she was listening. As she walked over to us, I stood up and kissed her, showing Liz that what I said was true.

We looked over to her and saw not a single sign of disgust on her face. Instead, she was sitting there with a big grin. "I can already tell from that single kiss that Diana is way happier than she ever was. You two make a perfect couple."

"Thank you, Elizabeth," my mom said "it means a lot us."

"Diana is my best friend, ms. Knight. I know she would be supportive of me too." Then she stood up. "Again, I'm sorry to have just dropped by, but I think it's time for me to go."

"Really, so soon?" I asked disappointed. I had so much to ask her. I hadn't seen her in so long, there was a lot to catch up on.

She chuckled. "Sorry Diana, I still have to find somewhere to park my car so I can sleep for the night. Plus it wouldn't be polite."

"Wait," my mom interrupted her. "Are you saying you slept in your car this entire time?"

"Yes."

"That's crazy. We have a spare bedroom, a night in a decent bed will do you good. And don't worry about it, you can stay here as long as you want. I'm sure Diana wouldn't want you to go this soon. You two probably have a lot to talk about."

"Thank you so much, ms. Knight. You're a life saver."

A while later I showed her to her room. "I'm happy you decided to stay, Liz. Tomorrow I'll show you our store and after work we'll catch up. Okay?"

"Sounds like a plan, Diana. Good night and thank you again."

A few minutes later I joined my mom in our bed and snuggled up close to her. "Are you mad that I told her about us?"

"No, honey. Of course not. It was only a matter of time before she found out. I was just a little surprised about the way she reacted, but I'm happy for you she's here."

"Me too, but it also scares me a bit."

"Why is that," she asked.

"Well, if she could find us, maybe the police can too."

She held me a bit tighter. "Maybe. But even if they do, they won't take you away from me. I won't let them."

I leaned in and kissed her. "I love you, mom."

-------------------------------------------------------

"... and last but not least, the lilies." Liz bent over and took in a deep breath.

"They smell lovely."

"So, that's our store." It took almost an hour to show her around. Our store wasn't very big, but we had many flowers and it took a while before we got through all of them. "When we're closed we can go and I can show you our town." I said to her.

My mom heard me and said, "Don't worry about that honey. You girls go ahead and have some fun. I'll keep the store open today."

A "thank you" and a kiss later, Liz and I were off to town. The town we lived in wasn't very big by any means either, but there were plenty of shops and cafés or other things around to do. So, we went shopping where I found something sexy to wear someday for my mom and then stopped at a cozy café for a cold beverage and caught up with each other's lives. Only then I realized how much I had really missed her.

I could tell everything to my mother, and I did, yet hanging out with Liz was different. We were the same age, but more importantly, we were best friends.

After our drinks, we ventured back home and hung out there. "So, you know my sex life," I told her, "what about you? Don't you have a boyfriend?"

"I had two of them in college until I realized I was into girls."

That took me a bit by surprise. I never thought she'd be a lesbian. "You're into girls?"

She nodded her head. "Well, girls like you, you know. Girls with that little extra touch," she grinned.

That was even more of a shock. I never thought of her as a lesbian, let alone like transgendered people like me. But the question 'Did she like me?' immediately popped into my mind. I never told her, but I had a crush on her in high school. She was the first girl I ever saw topless.

She stayed over at our house one night and slept in a separate room. I was so sleepy when I woke up the next morning I forgot she was in our house. So when I opened the door to the bathroom, she was standing there, topless. It was the first time I saw someone else's breasts. I was mesmerized by them and I'm pretty sure I stood there for at least a minute, mouth open, gaping at her until she smiled and said, "Good morning."

I remembered how hot and red my face got and how I stuttered a few things before I mumbled I was sorry and ran out of the bathroom. Luckily she wasn't mad.

But I couldn't get that picture of her topless out of my head. She had cute, pink little nipples and I wondered what the rest of her body looked like. That evening I was so horny that I masturbated thinking of her. I was so ashamed of what I had done that on the next day of school, whenever she talked to me or even looked at me, I blushed like crazy.

I masturbated to her a few times after as well, resulting in the same reactions the very next day. I knew it wasn't really right to think about her like that, but I couldn't help it.

And now, she was sitting here next to me, telling me she liked girls like me and the question of whether or not she liked me was still floating in my mind.

"How did you find out?" I asked.

"I ended my relationship with my second boyfriend for the same reason I ended it with my first one. Something was missing. Don't get me wrong, it was fun and they were sweet and caring guys, but something just wasn't right. So I held off relationships for a while until I got a new roommate in my second year. Her name was Megan and from the first day she got straight to the point and said she was a transgender and she wouldn't care if I had a problem with it or not. I assured her there was no problem and that my best friend was a transgender as well. From that point on we became good friends. And well you know, one thing led to another and we experimented," she said using air quotes. "But what we did was far more enjoyable and fun for me than whatever I did with those guys. I guess deep down I've always known," she continued and then answering the question floating in my head, "I never told you this, but I kind of had a crush on you and I have always wondered what it would be like to be with you. But I never took a chance on that and now I wish I had."

Even though I heard her say it, it didn't register. "You really had a crush on me," I asked still baffled.

She got a bit red when she nodded, which was not like her. Unlike me she was way more social and definitely not as shy. In school I was someone who was very quiet. Liz on the other hand was one of the most popular girls in school and at the time I always wondered why she didn't have a boyfriend. She was open, talkative and helpful. She was captain of the soccer team and was there for everyone, especially me.

Back home I had my mother who was there for me, and even though she helped me with school too, I didn't think I'd have survived school if it wasn't for Liz. Most kids didn't like going to school, but for me it was one of the best parts of the day. It helped me get away from him and Liz and I always had fun.

"I wanted to tell you," she continued, "but I never did because I was scared how you would have reacted."

It finally registered and it made me chuckle.

"What?" she asked.

"I have had a crush on you too for the longest time."

There they were. The words I had always wanted to say, but were too hard to leave my lips now escaped my mouth with ease. Maybe it was because she told me first or it could have been because I hadn't seen her for five years. All I know was, I was glad I said them.

"No way, really?" she asked as surprised as I did just a few minutes ago.

"Do you remember that time I walked in on you in our bathroom?"

She smiled and nodded.

"I have probably always wondered about it, but ever since I saw you that day, I... fantasized about you."

She inched closer, her leg now resting against mine. "You mean like sexual things, late at night," she grinned.

I could feel my face getting warmer and that was all the evidence she needed. Her grin got bigger. "You're a bad girl."

"Oh yeah," I countered, "like you never fantasized about me."

"Maybe," she said and tried to act cool and nonchalant, but I knew it before I even said it.

"I knew it," I yelled and started tickling her.

Ever since we were young we tickled each other. It was our way to tease one another or to get the other one to tell something, and now I just did it on impulse.

"Why you little," she laughed and started tickling me as well. Before long we were engaged in a long overdue tickle fight.

We turned and writhed around for a few good minutes, our laughs roaring through the living room. Realizing no one would yield, the tickling gradually slowed down until it came to a complete stop, her laying on top of me.

The laughter however continued for a couple of seconds until our eyes locked. Our head were mere inches apart and I could feel her hot breath on my lips. I had to swallow. She was so close. The perfect moment to...