Street Find Ch. 01-02

I checked the tune on the Gibson and began to strum in a range I thought I could manage. I got a nice smile from Fran as we began. I got lost in the song, I'll admit. It was partly because of the wonderful quality of Fran's voice and partly because I was getting a chance to sing with her. She could make anyone sound good. We weren't using much volume either on the guitar or our voices, but to my ear, it sounded good. When we finished, I heard clapping from the side and turned to look, finding Fox and a couple of his band applauding and smiling.

"Is this our new act, Ed?" Fox said as he approached us. "She's way better looking than you."

"Everyone is way better looking than me," I chuckled. "Naw ... we were just jammin', if you could call it that."

"I thought you said you couldn't sing," he said, shaking his head. "You have a good voice. You keep surprising me."

"I can't ... at least not to the quality a professional group would want," I said.

"You're wrong, Ed. Tell him Fran. I liked what I heard. You didn't sound off key and you've got a sort of soft, gravely kind of sound. That's not all bad for certain styles. Even as backup, you'd be adding something. I want you to consider working with someone to get the most out of your voice."

"Let's forget this, Fox. I'm okay with the keyboards and rhythm guitar. Singing is not my thing."

"Well, we'll talk about it later, but I'm not giving up. I liked what I just heard and I think you and Fran could really add something to our group. I'm serious."

We finished the evening and I could see that Fran was feeling much better being back in the fold with her friends. If she felt better, then I could relax too.

"Ed, Stan was right. You are a better singer than you give yourself credit for. I loved that duet we did. It felt like our voices meshed really well. I'd like you to consider what he said about how it would add to the group. I think I can help you with some vocal exercises too. Something that will help strengthen your voice. You've got a unique sound and you should exploit it."

"Fran, I'm not comfortable singing. I hardly even do it in the shower, much less on stage in front of an audience. I don't want to ruin the dynamic of the group."

"Ed, I'm not going to take no for an answer," she said firmly. "You and I are going to work on this together. Who knows, we might be the next big duet," she smiled.

When Fran smiled at me like that, I had no power to resist. I knew, like it or not, I would be trying to learn to sing and I'd better give it my best effort. I didn't have to enjoy it, however.

It was after midnight when we got back to the apartment. Tomorrow was Saturday and happily I was free the whole day, other than some necessary shopping. I knew I could take Fran along with me to make the right choices. My last month of cooking for myself wasn't a culinary success.

We walked in the door and hung up our coats in the hall closet. I was about to head to my bedroom when Fran stepped to me and hugged me, her head on my chest.

"It's good to be back here, Ed," she said softly. "I feel safe and welcome here. Thank you for taking me back."

"You should never have doubted that I would," I told her. "You will always be welcome here."

"Ed ... can I ask a favor, please?"

"Of course. What is it?"

"Can I sleep with you tonight. I need someone to hold and make me feel good again. Would you do that for me?"

"Ah ... I don't know if that's a good idea, Fran. I'm a guy, and sleeping with a beautiful woman could cause problems. I know you aren't interested in men, but you would be very hard to resist. I might do something inappropriate."

"I trust you, Ed. I just want someone I care about close by. I promise, I won't cause you a problem."

Easier said than done, I thought. But ... I could never say no to this woman and I wasn't about to start now.

"Okay. Just come in when you are ready. I promise no funny business."

I let her use the bathroom first and then did my nightly routine before heading to bed. Fran was already there in my bed, the covers pulled up to her neck. But the smile on her face told me she wasn't frightened and that put my mind at ease. I wasn't sure how this was going to turn out, but having a chance to share a bed with Fran was part of my fantasy, and I hoped I wouldn't spoil it.

I crawled into bed and turned out the bedside light. I lay there, wondering just what I should do to relax and be comfortable. I wasn't going to get to sleep anytime soon with my mind as fixed on Fran as it was. So, guess what. Fran rolled over, put her arm over my chest, and kissed me.

"Good night, Ed."

I sighed in relief. "Good night, Fran. Sleep tight."

It took a while, but I did finally get to sleep. I was conscious of another body in my bed and it affected how deeply I slept. Any little sound or sigh and I was awake again, wondering if Fran was alright. I wasn't sure when exhaustion finally overcame me, but it was a short night in the end.

When I awoke the next morning, Fran was tucked up to me, her lovely butt pushed back into my morning erection and my hand cupping a warm, fabric covered breast. Oh shit. How was I going to explain this? She must have been asleep because she couldn't have missed feeling my woodie pressed in between the cheeks of her ass. I carefully tried to pull away and distance myself from her. It didn't work. She rolled towards me and once again put her arm over my chest and hugged me to her. Asleep or awake, it didn't matter. She was determined to stay in physical contact with me.

I wasn't going back to sleep and I couldn't easily get out of bed without disturbing Fran, so I lay just where I was, letting Fran make the next move. The next move was one I definitely didn't anticipate. I felt her hand slip down my body, into my shorts, and grip my erection. It was the last thing I expected. Was she really a lesbian, or was she bisexual too?

"It feels warm," she said quietly, now awake. "It's very hard, but warm and smooth too."

"Fran, what are you doing?"

"Learning about what I'm missing," she said, her head still buried into my ribs.

"Fran, please don't do something you'll regret. The last thing I want to do is to hurt you."

"I know. You would never hurt me Ed," she said, her head coming up and offering me a sleepy smile. "But I am wondering. I'm wondering if I might like being with a man I care about the same way I like being with a woman."

"You're the only person who can answer that," I said, stroking her hair and gazing at her lovely face.

"I know. If I did ... experiment ... I'd want it to be with you, Ed. I am curious ... you know ... about what it would be like to make love to a man. I do like sleeping with you. I had lovely dreams. I was very happy in those dreams. The people I care about were in them. I don't really remember them, but I know I was happy."

"That's good. I'm glad to hear that. I want you to be happy ... no matter what."

We lay in quiet comfort for a while, not speaking, just drifting along. Fran's grip on my erection had lessened, but was still there. My hand was on her hip, enjoying the feel of her soft skin as well as the intoxicating scent of her. That kept my erection in full force.

"Fran ... did you have a special friend when you were living at home in Harman?"

"Yes. Her name was Olivia. We found each other by accident, but it was a happy accident. We were in gym class together and our lockers were side-by-side. We got to talking and I began to think she might be like me. I took a chance one day, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. She had been trying to find out if I was gay and didn't know how to go about it. We were both sixteen and we got together every chance we could. We had to be careful, of course. We didn't want anyone to know we were different. We didn't dare. We would have been tortured by the other kids. Our lives would have been made impossible. We were very careful."

"Where is Olivia now? Is she still in Harman?"

"No. When we graduated, I heard she moved here, but I couldn't find her. That was who I was coming to see when I left home. She was my only close friend for two years. Now it's years later and I haven't met anyone like her until you came along."

"Yes, but I'm not who you're looking for, am I," I said.

"I don't know, Ed." She was quiet for a while before, "When I saw Crystal with that man, I wondered if it meant I could have both. You know, both a man and a woman lover. Could that work for me, I wondered?"

"I think that has to come about naturally, Fran. I don't think you can force it to happen. As much as I have strong feelings for you, I'm not going to force those feelings on you and I'm not going to be disappointed if you don't return them. I accept that some people in this world live a different kind of life, and I can't change what they feel."

Fran crawled up onto my chest and kissed me deeply. It was a warm, loving kiss, and for a moment, I thought she might be trying to tell me something.

"Thank you, Ed. You always know the right thing to say and the right thing to do. I'm going to think about what you said and try and make up my mind about who I am. But I'll always know you are here for me," she smiled, kissing me again.

"Yes ... you can count on that," I said, returning the kiss.

"Now will you let me help you learn to sing," she said with a sly look.

"Is that what this is about?" I kidded. "You're just seducing me into getting me to sing?"

"Come on, Ed. You will be much better than you think. I know that from listening to you. You just need a bit of training. Then we can look over some songs that would fit your style. If I'm sleeping in your bed, we can turn the other bedroom back into the music room and rehearse and practice there," she smiled as if it was as simple as ABC.

"So sleeping in this bed is to become a regular thing, is it?" I asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Well, we seemed to be okay with it so far," she said with an air of finality.

"I don't know, Miss Cryder. I am going to be sorely tempted with your presence in this bed."

"Well, you'll just have to get used to behaving yourself, Mister Murchie," she grinned.

"We'll see," I said, sliding out of her embrace and heading for the bathroom.

I had deep reservations about Fran sharing my bed. I knew it would be very difficult to keep my hands and other body parts to myself. On the other hand, she did suggest she might want to explore her sexuality with a male, so if anyone was going to be the guinea pig, I wanted it to be me.

To Be Continued