Going Down a Slippery Slope

In another unusual move for Erin, she applied a little bit of make up; some eyeliner and a little mascara to go with her normal understated lipstick. She spent enough time in the sun that she didn't really need much else. Erin wasn't going for a made up look. She just wanted a bit more accent!

Both of them shared a strong liking of Mexican food and had picked out a restaurant that wasn't too far from the soccer field. When Erin arrived, Kim was already there waiting for her. She was wearing a very cute outfit under her ski coat. She had on white leggings under a black short skirt that showed off her long slender legs. Her white top was very low cut and showed off her breasts. They weren't huge but they were perfect little cones. It was clear from the way that they moved when she bounced over to greet Erin, that she didn't need a bra.

Kim was always a little more physical in touching than Erin. Even so Erin was still a little surprised by the big hug that Kim gave her. But it was nice and she returned it with feeling.

"How did your game go?" Kim excitedly asked as they walked into the restaurant.

"Painfully!" Erin replied. "But we won. I just got beat up a little and I am still feeling it."

Noticing Erin's little limp, Kim demanded to see her calf once they were inside.

"Oh my god, Erin, that looks terrible!" Kim exclaimed.

"It's not that bad," Erin said in an almost embarrassed tone. "I've had much worse. Hell, I've played with much worse!" But Kim persisted and knelt down in front of Erin. Although gentle, she began to massage Erin's calf, trying to undo the knots in her muscles. Although it hurt some, soon it turned into almost an ache that wasn't unpleasant. By the time they were ready to be seated, Erin's calf was feeling pretty good. Kim looked up at her with an almost shy smile.

"Help a girl up?" she asked while holding out her hand.

Taking it, Erin pulled her up. With as strong as she was, Kim almost fell against Erin from the force of the tug. Her arms went up to Erin's shoulders to stop herself and they would have been almost face to face if Kim was taller. As it was, her face just about bumped into Erin's breasts. Kim turned crimson as she tried to extricate herself from Erin.

"Sorry, Kim. I guess I didn't realize how hard I was pulling," Erin said. She was a little embarrassed too, mostly for Kim. It had kind of made her look silly. She didn't want to do something that hurt Kim's feelings.

As she got a little space between them, Kim regained her composure. "It's okay, Erin. I don't always remember either. But it's actually cool that you are that strong."

They followed the waitress back to their table. Erin politely let Kim pick which spot she wanted and then sat down after her. They were in a corner of the restaurant that was just now starting to have people seated there, so they had a bit of privacy. Even before they had the menus, they both ordered margaritas which were quickly brought to the table.

"Thank you very much, Kim. My leg feels better. You have very talented hands," Erin said with a smile which for some reason seemed to fluster Kim again. Erin couldn't figure out why. Finally she raised her glass and said, "Here is to winning the game today and to the team winning their game tonight!"

Kim was glad to have something to distract her and took a big sip of the margarita. It tasted so good that she took another one. Then she took the opportunity to ask for more details about Erin's game. When the waitress came back, they ordered. Erin wanted nachos as a starter. Her active lifestyle let her eat substantially more than what Kim was used to. Kim only nibbled on a couple of chips while she continued to work on her drink. When that one was done, she ordered another. With a relatively empty stomach, she was feeling the drinks fairly quickly.

The conversation had wandered from tonight's game to the lack of interest in her games from most of her ex-boyfriends. "They would ask about the games, but really none of them wanted to come and watch," Erin said.

"That stinks," Kim bluntly replied. "If you are with someone, you need to show more than just a passing interest, especially if it is something as important to you as your games are! I mean you were playing on a big college team!" She paused for a moment in her rant as a thought struck her. "I'm not really a big art person, but I used to go to gallery openings with my ex because she loved them. I enjoyed seeing them from another person's perspective."

Kim looked over at Erin and noticed how she was looking at her. Then what she had said hit her. Her face went crimson once again.

"Oh," was all she could think to say.

There was almost no pause before Erin spoke. "Kim, I don't have an issue with this. You should know that. In fact, I don't understand why you haven't told me before. You're my friend; this doesn't have any impact on that." Erin was surprised to see that it looked like Kim was almost ready to cry. "Kim, sweetie, really it is okay."

Wiping at her eyes with her napkin, Kim tried to smile at Erin. "I know. It's silly but sometimes it is hard to bring up. I didn't want it to come between us."

Erin started to say something but the waitress reappeared with their food. She waited for the food to be served before continuing the conversation. If Kim had a hard time talking to her about it, Erin was sure that she wouldn't want to discuss it with someone else around.

"Kim, I can't even count the number of gay friends that I have had. It's a stereotype to say that athletic women are lesbian, but over the years I have met enough to know where the stereotype comes from. And many of them are my dearest friends! And my feelings on the matter go way beyond, 'it's none of my business'," Erin went on. "Gay couples should have every right to marry. There is no justification for allowing anyone to discriminate. I've helped with gay rights campaigns." She looked at Kim again, seeing that she still seemed ill at ease. "It couldn't possibly come between our friendship, Kim. It doesn't mean anything to me."

Reaching over to take her hand, Kim squeezed it tight for a moment. To Erin, it looked like Kim was going to say something but then had second thoughts and kept quiet. Erin didn't want to push too hard so she let it go for now.

For Kim's part, she wanted to get some food in her to moderate the alcohol she had drunk. Even if she actually did talk to Erin about this, she wanted to at least be a little more in control of what she said. She just reiterated to Erin that she knew deep down that Erin wouldn't have a problem but that still she was nervous about it.

As dinner went on, Erin kept nibbling at whatever was bothering Kim. Without pushing too hard, she let Kim know that she could tell there was something else and that Kim should feel free to talk to her about it.

"Okay, okay," Kim finally said after they finished dinner. Smiling a little wanly, Kim went on, "You aren't going to let this go, are you?" Erin smiled back, shook her head and took Kim's hand in hers reassuringly.

"Well I hope it's still okay after I get done. Erin, I was pretty sure it wouldn't bother you that I was a lesbian. I know you are tolerant and accepting. You care about people because of who they are, not a label that gets applied to them. But it was still hard to tell you for another reason." Kim sighed just a little after saying that and then took a deep breath.

"You said that it didn't matter to you. And that's my problem." Kim almost looked like she was going to cry. "I want it to mean something." She paused for a moment to help pull herself together, her fingers leaving Erin's hand.

Erin didn't quite get what Kim was trying to say. But what was clear to her was Kim. Kim's perfect face was in perfect focus and it was unhappy. She reached out and took Kim's hand back into hers. She leaned close to Kim so that she could talk quietly.

"Don't cry, Kim honey. I'm still here. I'm not going anywhere," Erin paused for few seconds while she thought about what Kim had said. "You want it to mean something. Mean something what?" Then it hit Erin and all she said was, "Ah."

Kim was clutching Erin's hand. She remained quiet.

Erin spoke again. "You wanted it to mean something ... because you like me."

Nodding, Kim finally found her tongue again. "I do. I like you a lot, Erin." A single tear squeezed its way out and started to roll down her cheek. Erin reached out to gently wipe it away. "I kept meaning to tell you. I know it is stupid, but I kept worrying that you wouldn't want to be around me if you knew. And I am so happy being around you."

"I'm happy being around you too, Kim. I thought you knew that. I never would have walked away from our friendship."

Kim looked down at their joined hands. "I do know that, down inside. But insecurities aren't always rational." She looked back up into Erin's eyes. "But the problem now is me. I like you too much. I want this. Now that it is out in the open, I am not sure if I can be just friends." She squeezed Erin's fingers in hers as she continued to watch Erin's face. Another tear welled in her eye.

Erin's heart felt like it was being twisted. It tore her up to see Kim hurting so much. She leaned forward again. Kim turned her head to make it easier for Erin to talk close to her ear. But Erin reached up with her free hand to turn it back towards her. Pausing for just a last moment, Erin looked at Kim. She wasn't just desirable. She was special. Erin didn't know what it would mean, but she jumped in with both eyes open. She kissed Kim softly. The kiss lingered. It wasn't passionate but the feelings were clear.

As the kiss ended, Kim didn't know what to say. She just kept her head pressing against Erin's, drinking in the strength that she felt was there. She waited for Erin to say something, a little afraid of destroying the moment.

"Kim, I don't care that you are a woman. I may not be a lesbian. I'm not sure what I am, but I care about you. That is enough for me. When I have been around you, I felt something that I didn't expect. Something I liked" She brushed her lips against Kim's again. Kim's lips pressed against and followed Erin's. Her voice was husky when she spoke again. "I just didn't know what it was until right now."

Once more they kissed. This time there was a little more passion in it. Their lips moved against each other. Erin's hand slid around the back of Kim's head and lightly pulled Kim to her. Kim's mouth parted just a bit and Erin almost flicked her tongue into her mouth but was not quite ready to do that. It was all so new to her.

"I dreamed that this might happen, but I never thought it really would," Kim sighed after the kiss.

Erin smiled. "I've never been someone's dream before. Are you sure you have the right gal?"

Erin was surprised by how serious Kim became. "You are my dream, Erin. You are strong, beautiful, caring, and have just the type of body that I love." Then she smiled her impish grin. "Plus, I get to pick what my dream woman is like. Nobody else gets to!"

Blushing a little, Erin patted the seat beside her. Kim got up and slid in next to Erin and snuggled up against her. "Is this okay? I know it is new to you."

"New but nice!" Erin put an arm around Kim. It felt right.

Soon they were talking as comfortably as ever. But now it was a little more intimate. Kim shared a few more details about her life, things that wouldn't have made sense before. Kim talked about how her relationship with her mother had been strained for several years. Erin heard for the first time a little about past relationships. As they talked, Kim would occasionally touch Erin. Her fingers would softly stroke Erin's lower arm. She rested her head against Erin's shoulder.

Finally Erin realized that they need to leave for the game to get there on time. She felt a little conflicted because of what was happening between her and Kim. Part of her wanted to go somewhere private and just see what happened. But there was another bigger part of her that was nervous and felt the need to be in a familiar setting while she took these first new steps.

"We need to go, Kim. Let me just get the bill and then we can head over to the stadium."

Kim made a little protest when she realized that Erin was determined to pay for both of them, but was quickly shut down.

"I didn't know this was going to be a date," Erin said with a smile. "But since it is turning into one, then I am taking you out especially because I have a full time job and you just have a part time job while still paying for school!" Once Erin put her foot down, Kim didn't argue with her.

As they walked out of the restaurant, Kim wanted to take Erin's hand but she was too nervous to do it. She knew that this was new for Erin and she was nervous about scaring her away. Walking to the car, she contented herself with walking close enough beside Erin that their bodies were in almost constant contact.

Driving over to the stadium, Erin helped calm Kim's nervous butterflies by holding her hand. Their fingers linked together which made Kim smile in the cutest way. Erin felt her own heart beat a little faster when she saw it.

It wasn't a long drive and neither one of them said much of anything. They were both lost in their own thoughts.

After Erin parked, Kim finally spoke up. "Erin, how do you want to handle this? I know there will probably be people around that you know and I'm fine if you don't want to be public at this point. Believe me. I know that it isn't the easiest thing in the world."

Honestly that hadn't even crossed Erin's mind. She needed to think for a few moments before answering. Even then it was an equivocal answer. "I don't know Kim. I guess the thing is that regardless of the gender issue, I am somewhat of a private person. If you were a guy that I was out with on the first date, I wouldn't be very demonstrative in public. At the same time, I like you touching me. Maybe let's just start keeping it kind of cool and then see how it goes."

"Okay," Kim replied. She was happy to follow any guidelines that Erin set down.

Grabbing all the cold weather items from the back of the car, they trudged off to the stadium and find some seats. It wasn't difficult. It was college soccer, and women's at that. Unjust though it may be, they rarely played before big audiences. The rain just made things worse. Erin had two blankets to wrap around them and keep them warm. It was an arrangement of which Kim wholeheartedly approved. Under the blankets, their arms and hands were hidden and Kim slipped her arm around Erin. At most, they looked like they were cuddling together to keep away the cold.

Normally Erin would have been frustrated by the game. The cold and the rain tremendously slowed the game down. It became a defense battle where no one could get into position to even take a shot. Tonight she appreciated that the game wasn't distracting her very much. Kim was much more interesting.

As the game went on, Kim got comfortable enough to push the envelope a bit. She slipped her hand down onto Erin's thigh. She started to stroke it, moving slowly from the top to inside. Her fingers curled so that her nails could trace little patterns on Erin's leg. It wasn't overtly sexual. Kim was very careful about that.

Without really thinking about it, Erin had picked a spot that didn't have anyone else particularly close. Because of that Kim occasionally took little steps that she hoped would be okay for Erin and were unlikely to attract attention. Almost like she was tired, she leaned her head against Erin's shoulder. Once or twice she kissed Erin on the neck. Most of the time the things Kim was doing didn't provide a big reaction from Erin, but she closed her eyes during the kisses. The second time made Kim giggle.

"I can see that I am going to have to do that a lot!"

Erin blushed a little. "I can't help it if that feels good. You do it well."

Emboldened Kim leaned over to whisper in Erin's ear. "I do lots of things well." Her hand slid a little further up Erin's leg.

Erin did a double take. This was a side of Kim she hadn't seen before. And while it wasn't bad, it was happening fairly fast. She had never been an easy date. She took her time before she let things happen. Was this different, just because it was a woman? Should it be? She didn't think so; maybe even more so, but for a different reason. Even at the beginning with her boyfriends, she had never felt the intense attraction that she was feeling now. There was always some part of her that stayed apart. With Kim, she could tell that it wouldn't be too hard to lose her heart fast. And as good as it felt right now, she wanted to let it develop on its own pace. This was very new territory for her.

Not wanting to bring back Kim's nervousness, she calmly said "I am pretty sure you do. And I look forward to discovering all of those things. But Kim, Baby, I need to take it slow a little slow. It isn't you." She hugged Kim tight. "It is me. I have never been someone who goes to bed with someone on the first date. I usually don't even pet." Finishing and despite being in public, she kissed Kim in the same way as before. This time when Kim's lips parted, she did flick her tongue against them in just the lightest of touches.

Kim's eyes were bright as the kiss ended. "I understand, Erin. I am sorry for pushing too much. I will behave." Under the blanket she turned her hand so that their fingers interlocked.

She looked at Erin thoughtfully. "This is a first for me too, you know. I have never gone out with a straight girl before. I haven't even had another real crush on one. Most lesbians avoid it because it is usually a road to heartache. But I couldn't help myself with you. I'm not sure how to act with you. So we will both be learning, together."

Erin nodded. She hadn't thought about that, any of it actually.

All of a sudden, Kim noticed that there were some women moving towards them. She whispered "Incoming."

Erin looked over and recognized them. They were all former teammates from a number of different years. When they reached the two of them, Erin stood and hugged each of them. She introduced Kim all around as "my friend." Most of them didn't give it a second thought, but there was one who actually knew Kim slightly. Jill and Kim had crossed paths at a local lesbian bar, both of them with other people. Jill raised her eyebrow just the slightest bit at Kim but Kim ignored it.

Although at the very start Erin felt a little resentful of the intrusion even though they were friends, after a little while she started to appreciate it. It was a great excuse to keep things under control. It was all so new, not just the lesbian aspect. She wasn't expecting to fall into a relationship and she was cautious about them by nature. She very much wanted to see where it would take her, but slowly.

Under the blanket, both of them still had their hands on each other but now they were still. It was a little harder for Kim. The mere touch of Erin was enough to excite her but she knew better than to try and push things along further.

And seeing Erin with her old teammates helped Kim to get to know Erin a little better. It was clear how much they respected Erin. She had been one of the real leaders of the team, even when she was a sophomore. The two women who had been seniors on that team felt the same as the ones in Erin's year. And they were all a lot of fun. Pretty soon Kim felt like an accepted part of the group.

Finally very late in the game, the home team had a breakaway that they were able to keep moving despite the wet field. The pass across was perfect and one of the women was able to pound it into the net. Jumping up and down, they all had to hug each other. They had all resigned themselves to a scoreless draw. The final minutes ticked off and they all had to hug again.