Nature vs Nurture

A few moments later the phone buzzed in her hand, pulling her back from the brink of sleep. She held up the phone again; the screen was flashing an incoming voice call... Saoirse Hennigan. The butterflies in her stomach took flight, startled awake by the unexpected attempt at contact as her conscious mind attempted to make sense of this nocturnal intrusion. There was only one sure way to find out. She answered the call and held the phone to her ear.

"Miss Hennigan, to say this is a surprise would be a master stroke of understatement." She kept her voice hushed, little more than an audible whisper.

"R... Mrs Sarafian, hi. I didn't wake you up did I?" The velvety Gaelic voice sounded a little shaky and uncertain. Was she nervous? From what she knew of the teacher so far, that seemed unlikely.

"Surprisingly, no, I've been awake for a short while. What can I do for you?" As she spoke she realised her resident butterflies were still in flight and wondered at that.

"In all honesty, since our fight earlier I haven't been able to think about anything else. I..." There was a slightly extended pause. "I couldn't sleep and when I finally did, you were waiting for me there too."

What an odd way to put it. Was that some quirky Irish phrasing?She dreamed about me too. The butterflies in her stomach accelerated and the wave of their activity sent a pulse that she felt through most of her body.

"I was dreaming about you too." Her mouth spoke the words before she'd fully processed the thought and she silently berated herself. "I mean, I've been distracted by our fight, as you put it, since it happened. I don't..." She trailed off. This is dangerous ground, she knew; ill-considered words now could kick the whole thing off again. She had no doubt that neither of them was over the altercation and likely each thought they were right. While she had to admit she felt she'd over-reacted, she wasn't about to offer unconditional surrender at this point.

"You don't what..?" Saoirse's voice sounded small, still less sure of itself than she was expecting.

"Nothing, I'm musing. You caught me off guard and I don't think it would be wise to go through this on the phone, much less in the middle of the night. We've made contact, which is good. We've both basically admitted we need to sort this out, so why don't we meet up somewhere tomorrow and talk?"

"You're right of course." Saoirse sounded relieved and Rachael realised the friend request and this phone call must have been difficult for her; the red haired teacher really had put herself out there and she doubted she could have done the same.

"Look, Saoirse, I'll be honest; I'm glad you called, even at this time of night, I really am." She wondered if she sounded calm since her butterflies had thus far refused to calm down during the call.

"Me too, Rachael, me too," came the reply, the relief in her voice now obvious. "Ok look, on Saturdays I usually take my bike out for a cross-country ride but I could meet you somewhere after that?"

"Or we could go for a ride together," Rachael suggested. She hadn't guessed that the teacher would like mountain biking but knew from her legs she would be fit. "I have a bike rack for my car. If you give me your address, I'll come and pick you up and we can head out somewhere..?"

"Perfect." She now sounded pleased as well as relieved. "I'll message my address when we hang up. If you pick me up at around nine-ish?"

"Call it 10. I think we're both going to feel like snoozing alarms come morning." Her butterflies continued circling but she felt they were less agitated than they had been a few minutes ago.

"You're right. 10 it is then. Thank you Rachael, for accepting my request and for actually answering the phone. I'm not even sure why I rang you in the middle of the night but I'm glad I did now."

"As am I," she said, smiling in spite of herself. "Thank you, Saoirse, really. I'll see you at 10. Good night then, sleep well if you can; could be a long day."

"Indeed. Thank you too, Rachael. Night night."

The call cut off and Rachael let her hand fall to the bed. We were dreaming about each other. Her butterflies accelerated again at the thought but her mind still felt an amount of uncertainty about this... whatever-it-was... she struggled to find an adequate noun. She'd never met anyone like Saoirse Hennigan before, never reacted nor behaved as she had since their initial encounter. She was please they'd talked and now it was best to leave the mystery to tomorrow. She put her phone back on the table and turned on her side. Her eyes closed, breathing relaxed and as she drifted once more into sleep, a red-haired sprite with sapphire blue eyes awaited her.

-

Saoirse groaned and turned on her back as the nagging tinkle of her alarm broke through the sleep barrier. Morning already? She'd fallen asleep fairly quickly after hanging up the late-night call to Rachael, then slept right through to the alarm but she didn't feel ready to rise yet. If it wasn't for their biking date, she'd have knocked the alarm off and skipped the morning. Uncaring for the sentiment, the alarm continued to chime cheerily away from her bedside table. She kicked off the quilt, rolled smoothly out of bed and turned it off as she stood up, already shaking off the fog of sleep and beginning to look forward to the day.

Saoirse had always been excited by the unknown; a child who had relished surprise gifts and holidays or trips to undisclosed destinations, she had carried that wonder into adulthood. After the admittedly odd desire to phone Rachael in middle of the night when her friend request was accepted, she now felt pleased at her daring and was looking forward to the day ahead. Discovering that the dark eyed mother was a mountain biker was a nice surprise and some time together on the trails was a great chance to repair the mistakes of yesterday and get to know each other in a different environment.

She had a light breakfast of mixed nuts, some dried fruit and a fresh apple washed down with filtered water and turned to sorting her stuff out for the day ahead. The weather forecast predicted warm, bright but cloudy with sunny spells and a light breeze. Perfect riding weather. She dressed appropriately, skipping underwear and choosing padded black lycra cycling shorts for bum protection, of course, and a matching sport top that showed her tummy nicely but with adequate anti-bounce protection. Trainer socks and her fell running shoes for grip on the pedals finished the ensemble.

Digging out her biking day-pack, she threw in a tight fitting long-sleeved top and leggings in case it got chillier and a lightweight waterproof in the event the forecast was wrong. Two bananas for mid-ride energy and a litre bottle of filtered water went in next and then she zipped it up and put it next to the front door.

Packed and ready to go, she felt a little giddy, the inner child still thrilling at the prospect of something new. It was more than the biking day out, she knew; after the disaster of yesterday's meeting and spending the rest of the day angry, their late night chat had left her once again looking forward to getting acquainted with the enigmatic Rachael. The tantalising dreams were odd to say the least but she was now simply intrigued by this odd chemistry she sensed. Besides, making new friends can be rare and being single and 36 years old, she wasn't about to miss the opportunity.

She glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall; 9:50... I'll get my bike out, then I'm ready. As she turned to the back door, the sound of a car outside drew her attention and she walked back into the living room to see a white, sporty-looking Ford Fiesta pull up at the end of the drive. Her tummy did a quick flip and she felt her pulse quicken as she watched the car door open and an exquisitely toned shapely leg extended from within. She ran her eyes over the leg, noting the smooth skin and the lines of toned muscle beneath the still very feminine shapeliness. You really are quite the eye-catcher, aren't you, my dear?

Her rooting done, Rachael emerged fully from the car and stretched skyward lithely, yawning as she turned and walked up the driveway. She was dressed almost identically to Saoirse save for the red stripes down the sides of her top and shorts and the red head couldn't help but admire the woman's body. She watched her approach, her eyes playing over the exposed skin appreciatively and smiled to herself. Skipping lightly to the door, she opened it just as the extended finger approached the bell.

"Good morning, Mrs Sarafian," she said warmly and smiled, meeting Rachael's dark eyes as she stopped and dropped the extended finger.

Rachael smiled back, reflecting her warmth. "Good morning to you, Miss Hennigan."

She saw Rachael's eyes look her up and down slowly before returning to meet her own. They smiled at each other with renewed appreciation.

"I'm about ready, just need to get my bike out of the garage. D'you want to come in or shall we just head off?" Saoirse hoped her voice hadn't betrayed the nerves she suddenly felt. I'm like a giddy teenager. Pull yourself together, Hennigan.

"We'll head off if that's ok? I had enough trouble getting out of bed; if I sit down now, that may well be it for the day." She laughed lightly, shoulders drooping in mock fatigue.

"Fine by me," said Saoirse, with a chuckle of her own. "I'll lock this door and come out through the garage. Won't be a minute."

Rachael nodded and turned, walking slowly back toward the car as Saoirse shut and locked the front door. She put her head against the door frame as she pushed the door closed and took two deep breaths, her heart hammering in her chest. Calm yourself, what's wrong with you? A smile breaking forth of its own volition, she turned, went back to the kitchen and through the door leading straight into the garage to get her bike.

-

Rachael had connected her phone to the car hi-fi, playing music from her own playlist. So far there had been three songs Saoirse had never heard before but she'd really liked them all. Music taste, once one escaped from the confines of popular music, was such an individual thing. Removed from the school and the source of their argument the previous day, the Rachael she was now experiencing was quite refreshing.

"It's about a 15 mile drive from here then the route is about 25 miles. Some rough stuff, a bit of a hill, a nice downhill section and fairly easy run back, if that's ok?" Rachael spoke without taking her eyes off the road, a small detail that Saoirse noticed with approval.

"Sounds perfect," she returned simply, her eyes switching between the road and Rachael as she continued to admire the woman's body, watching the play of muscle beneath the exquisite skin of her limbs as she drove. There were moments that she almost felt like she could just stroke her fingers down the bare thigh, instead found herself doing it to her own thigh to stifle the urge. I'm looking at her like I've never looked at a woman before. Is this admiration or attraction?

Rachael glanced at her briefly, smiled and returned her attention to the road. Saoirse shuffled her bum back in the seat and stretched out her legs, relaxing for the journey. She watched out of the side window as the houses became more sparse and eventually gave way to fields and trees. Having grown up in a tiny village in County Kerry, surrounded by Éire's beautiful scenery, the countryside had always made her happier than town. She certainly felt happy now and calm, a far cry from the anger and tension she'd felt after their meeting yesterday.

Another song started, the intro very familiar and one of Saoirse's favourites began, nicely enhancing her mood. Fumbling Towards Ecstasy... is that what we're doing? Sarah Maclachlan's distinctive voice chimed in, eliciting a tiny gleeful sound from the red head. Rachael glanced at her again and smiled warmly as their eyes met, the smile remaining as she looked back to the road ahead.

All the fear has left me now

I'm not frightened any more

It's my heart that pounds beneath my flesh

It's my mouth that pushes out this breath

...

An almost haunting melody, the two women listened in silence as the song played out, both smiling. Saoirse enjoyed the view, singing along in her head and feeling more relaxed now than she had for a long while. A prophetic song? Only time would tell.

20 or so minutes later, they pulled into a car park in the middle of nowhere and as Rachael reversed into a space under the trees in the far corner, Saoirse admired the view. Behind them a luscious expanse of ancient woodland extended up the gentle slope, giving way in the distance to a slightly steeper and more exposed hillside. Several trodden paths extended from the edge of the car park leading in various directions. The view from the front was equally beautiful, the land dropping away sharply from the road's edge into a lush wooded valley that stretched for miles into the distance; a seemingly unspoiled wilderness, such a treasure in these modern times. She loved it.

The car now parked, Saoirse stepped out into the fresh air and breathed deeply, the smells of nature seeming to fill every dusty corner, filling her with energy and hope. She stretched up, balanced on her toes and ran through a quick warm-up before turning toward the back of the car to get her bike. As she turned, she found Rachael staring at her, a slightly whimsical look on her exquisite face. She raised her eyebrows in query as they looked at each other but the dark eyed woman merely smiled, her eyes sparkling and turned to the bike rack.

They prepared their bikes in comfortable silence, enjoying the fresh air and view in harmony. It was warm but not overly so and the fresh breeze would be welcome once they started to ride. Still, plenty of water would be necessary and Rachael was glad she'd filled her CamelPak...

"FECK!" Saoirse's sudden explosive expletive made Rachael jump.

"What is it?" she queried, concerned at the look of consternation on the beautiful blue-eyed face.

"I forgot my fecking pack, didn't I?" came the pained reply, the usually soft Irish Brogue sounding more exaggerated in her agitation.

"Ah, damn," she said with sympathy, "what did you have in it?"

The blue eyes glanced toward her, looked misted now and slightly anguished. "Long sleeved top and leggings, water-proof, two bananas and a water bottle." She dropped her eyes again.

"We'll be fine, don't worry. I have four bananas and plenty of water in my pack. The weather should stay nice so you won't need the spare clothes or water-proof anyway." She walked over, placed a soft and soothing hand on Saoirse's hip, squeezed slightly. The blue eyes looked up again and she smiled. "Come on, let's get going; you'll feel better once we're rolling."

Rachael was right of course and a mile into the woods, in that other world of green and brown, they were in their element. Pace was good though the going was largely flat so far and Saoirse, her fitness obvious, kept up with her easily. The trail was narrow here so they rode single file, occasionally shouting to each other as they saw and heard things of interest in the woods. With Rachael leading the way, Saoirse had time to let her attention wander from the trail and decided she loved these woods; no matter how today played out, she would be returning here many times in the future.

Ah this feels so good, what a difference from yesterday. Looking ahead to her companion she smiled again, let her eyes run down from the black pony tail along the curve of her waist to her hips then onto the thigh, lingering there to watch the exquisite curves in motion. Then down to the calf, the shapely ankle, across to the other leg and a lingering return journey back up to the swaying hips. The more she looked at Rachael, the more she found she wanted to look, her eyes devouring each feature, each detail of her body and face with more attention each time. It was an odd thing but she couldn't seem to help it, indeed didn't want to help it. Liam was right after all, more than he knows.

After about five miles of steady riding, Rachael raised a hand and called behind her to stop then pulled off the trail into a fairly wide clearing where the remains of a fallen tree lay just to the right.

"Drink break," Rachael said as Saoirse stopped alongside her. She popped the silicone mouthpiece in her mouth and took a long drink. "Ever used a CamelPak?"

"Actually no. I've looked at them but never justified the cost versus a water bottle."

"I swear by it when I'm on long rides. You don't need to stop to drink, just pop the mouthpiece in and the water bladder is flexible so sits more comfortably on your back." She proffered the mouth-piece to Saoirse. "Pop it in, squeeze the oval bit with your teeth gently and suck."

She looked at the blue-silicone device, still moist from Rachael's lips, and did as instructed. She felt the slit open in the mouth-piece as she squeezed and sucked gently. The water flow was good, the water a little warm but refreshing nonetheless. She took a long draught as Rachael had, popped it out and handed it back.

"Brilliant," she said. "So simple but brilliant."

Rachael nodded as she took another, shorter drink and then pulled it out and held it to Saoirse's lips. The red-head accepted and took a short drink herself as the other woman held the mouth-piece. She released it slowly to the gentle pull of Rachael's fingers and watched almost mesmerised as the black haired woman pursed her lips and sucked the moisture off it before clipping it back on the shoulder strap. Our first fluid exchange...

"Ready?" asked Rachael with a smile.

"Ready."

They set off again at a similar pace and the miles rolled happily by, punctuated by several brief stops to share water. After maybe 10 miles the trees began to thin out and the terrain was getting noticeably steeper. Rachael stopped again and Saoirse pulled up beside her.

"OK, we're at the uphill section. The trail widens so we can ride side-by-side but we'll have maybe five miles or so of variable uphill gradient. I find it better not to stop to keep the legs working, so if you want a drink, let me know and we'll do it in-flight." She grinned at that, drawing a similar grin from Saoirse. They took a quick drink, Rachael holding the mouthpiece to the Irish woman's mouth again, her finger tips lightly touching her lips as she drank. Then in silent accord, they set off side-by-side up the next part of the trail.

They talked less during these more demanding miles but glanced at each other often, sometimes one or the other but frequently making eye contact, drawing a smile from both. Their in-flight refuelling attempts were a success, Saoirse simply accepting the mouth piece after each time Rachael took a drink. They managed to stay hydrated, neither crashing nor needing to stop, a feat which both were equally impressed with.

Rachael mused on their new dynamic as the miles passed by; feeling relaxed and happy, she was also in wonderment at the fact of that, given how their first encounter had ended. She'd already regretted her attitude and behaviour during their first meeting but now she felt truly shamed by it. The woman she was sharing today with was a revelation in many ways; they talked and laughed so easily together now, it was almost like they were entirely different people than the ones who stood furiously nose to nose the previous day.

She looked at the red head, her eyes tracing the profile of her face, then along her neck and down the shapely arm, to the knee and along the curve of her thigh. She looked round and Rachael switched her gaze back to her face, met her eyes and they smiled at each other again. Why do I enjoy looking at you so much?