Nature vs Nurture

Though she'd done this route so many times before, it seemed to Rachael as though it took half the time with her new companion. The top of the climb came around much sooner than she expected and as the gradient flattened out and the view from the top opened out before them, she rolled to a stop. She took a drink then held it the red head's mouth once again.

"Ready for a break and a couple of bananas, dear?" asked Rachael in a mock posh voice.

"Rr yu f'real? Moi stomach tinks moi throats bin cut!" gushed Saoirse in her very thickest Brogue, clasping her hands together theatrically. They both laughed, dismounting and wheeling the bikes to a nearby tree to lean them on. They removed their helmets and gloves, hanging them on the bikes.

"Come on, best view in the area," Rachael said linking Saoirse's arm and pulling her towards a large flat topped boulder off to the left of the trail.

The red head looked down at their linked arms as they made their way toward the vantage point, enjoying the sensation as the soft skin rubbed gently together. She squeezed her companion's arm, felt her squeeze back before she released the link to climb up on the boulder. Does it feel the same for you when we touch, my dark eyed angel? Saoirse climbed up after her then followed to the far edge to behold the view. It really was beautiful; from this height and direction, all they could see as far as the horizon were trees and the hills in the distance, the twinkling of water just visible in the valley below.

"Oh Rachael, it's beautiful!" The gushing was genuine this time and she reached out to squeeze her companion's hand.

She squeezed back then released her hand and sat on the edge of the boulder beckoning for Saoirse to sit beside her. Removing her pack, she opened it and produced two bananas, split them and handed one to the red head. They ate in silence, enjoying the view and the peace and quiet, content in the knowledge that each of them appreciated this as much as the other. There was mutual comfort in that and in the undeniable chemistry between them. Neither knew quite what this was but it didn't matter right now; all that mattered was their growing understanding of each other and that they were sharing this experience.

The bananas finished, they sat in silence for a minute longer, simply soaking up the view, before Rachael broke the silence. "Can we talk? I don't want to spoil this mood but one of the reasons we met today was to clear the air from yesterday. Can we still do that? There are things I certainly need to say." She sounded serious now, a little worried even.

Saoirse met her worried eyes with a warm look. "Of course. There's no need to worry, Rachael, honestly. I'm having the perfect day and loving your company, that isn't about to change if we talk about yesterday." She reached for her dark-eyed companion's hand, softly entwining their fingers. Rachael looked down at interlocked fingers and smiled, then returned her eyes to Saoirse's.

"Firstly, I'm so, so sorry for the way I reacted. I've been over it and over it and your question about dating was the trigger. When I said I hadn't even considered it, that was the truth; I literally haven't, not even once. I'm not sure when, or even if, I eventually would have considered it in all honesty." Her dark eyes were filling with tears and Saoirse squeezed her hand in reassurance.

"There are no rules for grief, no matter what the expectations of others," she said. "People use phrases like 'moving on' and 'getting over it' but largely that's inspired by their own discomfort with someone else's grief. We don't deal well with the emotions of others as a species and true empaths are rare. For those who have experienced the pain of losing someone, it isn't about moving on or getting over it, it's about learning to live with it without feeling guilty."

The dark eyes blinked, tears now rolling freely down the beautiful face. "That is absolutely how it feels. In the last five years, I think that is the most sensible and coherent thing anyone has said to me about it. The platitudes are nice but they're no comfort. Really you know that most people just don't want you to talk about it or start crying, particularly not years later." She dropped her eyes, tears dripping onto the skin of her thighs.

Still holding her hand, Saoirse shuffled closer until their legs were touching then held their joined hands to her lips and kissed the back of Rachael's hand tenderly. "You can do both now for as long as you need to," she whispered softly into her ear as she let their hands drop to rest on the now touching thighs.

"It isn't that I need to talk about Iain exactly; I have come to terms with his loss as completely as I can without feeling guilty for being alive. No, this is another aspect of that grief I just never faced; how do I share myself with someone else without feeling guilty? How can I have a relationship, or even consider the possibility without it dishonouring his memory? What will Liam think if I do that?" She let her head drop to the side, resting it lightly on her companion's shoulder.

Saoirse felt tears drip onto her arm, and squeezed Rachael's hand again. "Easy to answer but not easy to convince yourself, I'm afraid. Iain wouldn't want you to be miserable and neither does Liam. It won't be easy for him to see you with someone else but he will want you to be happy. If Iain could tell you himself, I'm sure he would. Above all, you have to feel ready to take that step. Maybe just having a few dates with no expectations would be a good way to see if you're actually ready to consider something more serious."

Rachael raised her head again, turning to meet the blue eyes of her new-found confidante. "How did you get to be so wise?" she asked quietly.

The red head smiled though it looked a little sad around the edges. "I wasn't always a teacher. I've been teaching for six years including training. Before that I practised psychiatry, specifically trauma counselling."

"Oh..." Rachael's eyes widened and she dropped her eyes again then rested her head once more on the waiting shoulder. She shuffled in more, enjoying the comfort of physical contact and the sensuous feel of their smooth legs touching, pressed firmly together now from hip to ankle. "Why did you switch to teaching?"

"Long story short; seven years ago there was a fire in the village I was born in. My family home was one of those destroyed, killing both my parents and my older sister."

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry." Rachael held her hand tightly, moved her other hand across to join in.

"I'm all cried out now I think. I blamed myself at the time, for many reasons; running away from Ireland, choosing a different path, not visiting enough... The guilt nearly finished me so I changed my life instead of taking it. The guy I was with couldn't deal with my grief, so he went first. My Mum and Sister had both been teachers, so..."

"...you took up teaching to honour them," Rachael finished for her.

There were tears in her own eyes now but she didn't let them take hold and breathed deep and slow. "I'm sorry too, Rachael, for pushing you yesterday. I often look at people and problems too clinically and my natural belligerence can make me arrogant at times. I shouldn't have said any of those things, it was unprofessional."

"You're forgiven. You already were to be honest." Rachael ran the fingers of her free hand casually up and down the soft skin of Saoirse's arm. "Today has been a revelation, as have you. I wouldn't change a thing now."

"Neither would I." She almost sighed the words then rested her head against Rachael's and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of the soft fingers stroking her arm and the press of soft skin between their bare legs. She could never have hoped that today would be so perfect. It felt now as though she and Rachael had always known each other and had simply been kept apart by time.

"I could sit here like this with you all day," Rachael said softly, "but we should start thinking about heading back, really."

"Agreed." They raised their heads again simultaneously and looked at each other. "Shall we?"

Instead of answering, Rachael leaned in close and pressed her lips softly against Saoirse's. She responded immediately, softening her own lips, feeling them mould against each other gently, slightly moist, so soft. So soft.... The pressure released, Rachael moved her head back and they just looked at each other for a few seconds. The dark haired angel smiled, then stood, pulling her red haired companion with her by their still joined hands.

Saoirse turned to face Rachael, still holding tightly to her hand. "What..." She was cut short by a finger gently placed against her lips.

"Shhh, not now. Let's just enjoy the ride down."

The red head nodded and they walked hand in hand back to the bikes to prepare themselves for the descent.

-

They arrived back at the car about 40 minutes later after an exhilarating run down. The downhill was particularly exciting as the trail slalomed through the trees, round berms and over a few jumps here and there. Not stifling their joy, both women had screamed and squealed their way down, Rachael noting that she'd enjoyed the run more this time than she had since the first time she'd done it with Iain. Still laughing as they coasted into the car park and rolled to a halt at the back of Rachael's car, both felt more relaxed and happier than either had for a long time.

They dismounted and put the bikes on the car rack first, then threw their helmets and gloves on the back seat. Rachael removed the water bladder from her pack to see how much was left; there was maybe a cup full each, she guessed. Turning to Saoirse, she moved closer and held the mouthpiece to the smiling mouth.

"One mouthful each until its empty," she said.

Seven small mouthfuls each followed. It's a strangely sensual ritual, this sharing of water, mused Saoirse as the mouthpiece went from her mouth to Rachael's. Is it the same for her? Is that why she's doing this? They'd maintained eye contact as they drank in silence, each pass of the tube inspiring a small flutter in Saoirse. It seemed an oddly long time later until the water was finally gone. The red head got the last mouthful then watched as Rachael slowly, almost seductively, sucked her spittle off the silicone and put the bladder back in the pack and threw the pack in the back of the car.

"Legs are a bit wobbly," said Rachael as she stretched to warm-down. "Must have been too long since my last decent ride out. You fancy driving back?"

Saoirse looked at the car more closely than she had the first time. It looked sporty with its alloy wheels and rear spoiler but Saoirse wasn't exactly a petrol head having grown up in rural Ireland.

"Is it fast? I'm a bit of a pootler if I'm honest but it looks nice." It looked very nice in fact and exactly the sort of car Saoirse would avoid buying if she was looking for a car.

"It's the fastest thing I've ever been in. Wouldn't have been my first choice of family car but Iain wanted it and now I can't part with it. I make sure all the boxes are ticked for services and whatnot but it is fun, I have to admit." She held out the key.

The Irish country girl smiled a wicked smile as she took it. "Alrighty then, let's see how many mpg we can get out of this baby."

Rachael laughed heartily. The longer she was in Saoirse's company, the lighter she seemed to feel. Today it seemed like a cork had been popped and she was the genie tasting fresh air for the first time in an age. Their misunderstanding from yesterday was already a distant memory and the woman she'd spent today with was the long lost best friend from a previous life. She was still laughing when she got in the car, drawing a quizzical eyebrow from the red head, who was now sitting in the driver's seat.

"Sorry," she said, still chuckling. "I'm not hysterical, honestly but I do feel like I'm out of the bottle. I've enjoyed today so much and feel so relaxed now, all thanks to you."

"My lovely Genie, what wishes will you grant....?" The sapphire eyes sparkled mischievously in the late afternoon sun. "Anyway, much as I'd love to take all the credit, you deserve a 50/50 split. We both made today what it was and for my part, you've been a breath of fresh air, quite literally." Thank you, my dark eyed Genie, from the bottom of my broken heart.

"I'll take it and thank you," came the cheery reply. "Truth is, if you hadn't put yourself out there last night with your late-night Hail Mary, we wouldn't be here now." Rachael, satisfied that she'd had the last word, put her seatbelt on and smiled sweetly. "Ready when you are, dear."

The sporty looking Fiesta turned out to be much faster than she'd expected. Worse, it didn't feel as fast as it actually was and Rachael had to tell her to slow down several times during the first few miles. It was fun to drive, she had to admit but she found it a little disconcerting how easy it was to drive far too fast.

"I'll be fair glad to get back to my horse and cart, I can tell ye," she remarked after the third ticking off.

As they reached the outskirts of town, a thought suddenly dawned on Saoirse and for the second time that day, she resorted to a favoured Irish curse. "Feck!"

"What did you forget?" came the ready response.

"My keys are in my pack," said the red head glumly. "I came out through the garage door, which is self locking. I'm fecking locked out, I don't have a change of clothes and I'm not even wearing underwear."

Rachael tried to stifle her laughter but failed.

"We-ell, that's sympathy for you. Thanks very much, my Lady." Her tone was light but Rachael soothed her anyway.

"Come home with me; you can shower there. I'll lend you some clothes, which is easy since we're the same size. In fact, why don't you have dinner with us and stay over tonight? It'll save you having to mess about finding a locksmith now." The offer unfolded as she spoke and Rachael realised it wasn't just an offer, it was what she wanted; after the day they'd had, she didn't want it spoiled by Saoirse having to go home alone and wait for a locksmith.

The red head glanced at her for an instant. "Really?" Is this why I forgot my pack?

"Yes, really." She hesitated. "I mean, if you want to."

"I want to, yes." She glanced sideways again. "Thank you."

-

They pulled onto Rachael's drive to see Liam sitting on the doorstep tapping away on his phone. He got to his feet as the car stopped and walked round to the driver's window, eyes still focused on the screen in his hands. Saoirse lowered the window but said nothing as his mother leaned across her, finger to her lips. Her hand rested on the red head's thigh and she placed her own hand over it, enjoying any physical contact between them.

"Forget your key again?" Mother asked son.

"Yeah maybe you should staple it to my head after all, Mum. I've only been waiting about 10 mi...." he looked up finally and trailed off. "Miss Hennigan? Umm... hi, Mum." His face was the perfect picture of confusion as he looked from his mother's face to his teacher's and back again.

"Hello, Liam. Your mother and I have been talking about you all day. We're gonna fix you good, boy," said Saoirse in full comedy Irish teacher mode. Rachael squeezed her thigh and she had to stifle a most un-teacher like squeal.

Liam looked like he'd fall over if they blew on him too hard. Rachael squeezed her thigh again then moved back over to her side of the car and got out.

"Miss Hennigan is locked out of her house so I've invited her for dinner and she'll be staying the night," said Rachael matter-of-factly.

"Guess I need to staple my key to my head as well, eh?" Saoirse said to Liam quietly, as she got out of the car.

Liam still looked confused but nodded anyway, smiled and turned back toward the front door. Rachael and Saoirse looked at other with raised eyebrows as they removed the bikes from the rack and wheeled them to the garage door.

-

The hot water felt so good Saoirse just stood under the stream for a few minutes longer with her eyes closed, enjoying the shower immensely. She counted to 10 then fumbled for the tap and shut the water off, sighing in satisfaction. Wrapping herself in a luxurious fluffy white bath sheet, she quickly tousled her hair in a smaller towel, wrapped it then stepped out of the en suite and into Rachael's bedroom.

She looked at the bed and smiled; Rachael had said she'd put out some casual clothes for her to 'throw on' but she wasn't sure the ensemble she was looking at qualified as casual. Matching forest green pants and pull on bra to the left, fine cotton with silk floral embroidery. Delicious! She gently dried her hair as she surveyed the full outfit. Next to the underwear, a black satin Chinese style dress, short, with an emerald lotus flower design on the front and mandarin collar, four buttons to fasten top front and very short sleeves. Simply gorgeous! On the floor below the dress, a pair of suede t-bar stilettos with a three inch heel, not unlike the leather ones she had been wearing the previous day. You can dress me any time, my Genie.

Hair sufficiently tousled, she sat down at the dressing table and used the hair dryer to finish off the windswept-and-interesting look. Quickly drying her body, she put the towels on the rail in the en suite and now, clean and naked, slid into the pants and bra. A perfect fit, of course, how lovely.

After a quick, satisfying twirl in front of the wardrobe mirror, she pulled on the dress, slid it up and buttoned it. It also fit perfectly and she ran her hands over her hips, enjoying the feel of the satin both inside and out. It was a short dress indeed and the hem line sat a good inch or two above mid-thigh. So you like looking at my legs then, you minx. She stepped into the shoes then turned again to the mirror, thrilled at the look and the feeling of playing dress-up, like trying on an outfit in a fine boutique. Rachael had really spoiled her and she loved it.

Casting an eye over the displayed make-up on top of the dressing table, she picked out a black eye-pencil and a very red wine-stain lipstick. She didn't wear make-up often, at least not that was obvious to the eye but a little embellishment seemed fitting to compliment the outfit Rachael had chosen for her. A simple, not overly thick, kitten flick with a thin single line along the bottom eyelid followed and one coat of the lipstick following her own lip outline, she felt was adornment enough. She left her hair loose, shook it slightly and stood to survey the finished product in the full length mirror.

"You look absolutely gorgeous!" Rachael's voice startled her from the bedroom doorway. "You approved of my outfit choice then?"

"You can dress me any time, my darling. I love it." She winked at herself in the mirror and turned to face Rachael.

Their eyes widened simultaneously as they faced each other, each seeing the made-up version of the other for the first time. Rachael was wearing a night blue cocktail dress with short sheer sleeves and a low neck. It was tight but not stretched and also very short, showing as much leg as the one Saoirse was wearing, with a pair of matching blue suede stiletto pumps to finish the look. Subtle eyeliner and dark peach glossy lipstick set off her skin tone and the dress perfectly, the long, straight black hair combed out and held back from the lovely face by a simple black velvet head band.

"You are so beautiful," said Saoirse, almost in awe. You take my breath away. Can I take you in my arms now and hold you? "Thank you so much, Rachael."

They walked towards each other slowly, eyes taking in every detail. Rachael took Saoirse's hands in hers as they drew close and puffed out her cheeks.