Chapter 19: Casual Infiltration

“Thanks for meeting me for lunch!” Belinda dropped down with a loud, frustrated sigh. Her long black hair was straight and smooth, contrasting with her pale skin every bit as dramatically as her deep, dark-brown eyes. “I’ve been really wanting to spend some time with a friend and someone keeps blowing me off…!”

Michelle frowned as she waved at Belinda, her other hand forking up a small stack of lettuce and tomato. “It’s really no problem! It feels like it’s been… forever since we last hung out. Whenever Claire gets into one of her little tizzies about a girl, life gets…” Michelle struggled to find her point, motioning dramatically with her fork. “Fucky?”

“Ughhh… That is a pretty good way to put it.” Belinda grumbled, unwrapping a burrito and nibbling at the end. It was hard to tell if she enjoyed it or not when all that was easy to read on her face was frustration. “She still hasn’t called me back, or texted me… I had to hear from Shaun that you were spending time with her instead of me… I know you two are friends, too, but we’ve been friends since kindergarten! She’s always called me during rejections, or break-ups, or…”

Chewing her salad, Michelle carefully listened to everything that her friend had to say. Nothing about her seemed at all unusual from the expression in her blue eyes, her perpetual bedhead, or the way she slouched as she nibbled on her food.

Immortal Aphrodite, on your intricately brocaded throne…

“It’s just not fair, ‘Chelle!” Belinda frowned, dropping her burrito back down onto her plate and crossing her arms over her chest. “I know it’s not like I’m entitled to her falling in love with me when she realizes that I’m the girl who has always been here for her… but like… I’m her friend, you know? Longer than you, longer than Elizabeth, longer than Fiona… Have you seen Fiona lately? Is she out of town or something…?”

“You forgot?” Michelle swallowed, and quietly laughed as Belinda shyly nodded and glanced off to the side. “I’m going to blame how extra-tough your mom’s been riding you this semester… like she usually does. Asian parents really sound rough.” Michelle offered an apologetic smile, and Belinda nodded furiously. “But uh… Fi? She’s been off visiting family. Remember, she didn’t get great grades back, and they’re really riding her because she’s close to losing a lot of the scholarships she got…?”

Belinda frowned more and slapped her forehead. “I can’t believe I forgot that…! Ugh and I haven’t texted her in at least a couple days… she’s been putting up with all of us in the group chat just acting like she isn’t even there. But reception out in the boonies can be so bad…”

Michelle swallowed another bite before responding. “She did warn us she’d be off the grid. Your mind is really somewhere else today, huh…?”

Tugging her windbreaker, a black-and-translucent garment a little tighter over her red-and-black striped sweater. She needed the windbreaker to make up for her sweater’s lack of sleeves, but her sweater’s turtleneck also covered her neck where the windbreaker fell short. It was a cute look, but it was hard for much that Belinda wore to not suit her in one way or another.

She was the right sort of petite, soft and gorgeous that could pull off any look. Her lips weren’t the most full, but the bright, vibrant pink she wore over them just made them seem almost shy. Her carefully maintained eyebrows helped make her eyes pop, giving her an intense stare.

“Yeah… Yeah I guess I am.” Belinda held up a finger as she grabbed her burrito back up with her other hand and took a big bite. Both women chewed, and Belinda lowered her hand after she swallowed. “But I feel like I’m starting to realize that Claire is just not in the right place to be the woman I need her to be right now. Maybe when Fi comes back into town I’ll try to hint that I want her to ask me out on a date… or you could drop Shaun and try dating me instead.”

Michelle laughed, waving her fork clearly more in amusement than any true chastisement. “I don’t think that Shaun would approve… and besides, Fi? Is never going to make any more of a move than Claire, just for very different reasons.”

Inside Michelle’s mind, the thought of Shaun held no warmth, no passion. Instead, she imagined Alexis, and had to resist the urge to clench and moan. I’ve been commanded to maintain appearances, but my loyalty is to Alexis and the Weavers, not to Shaun, not to my friends, to my family… Aphrodite commands me. I must obey…!

“Yeeeah… Claire is too caught up on her own bullshit, and Fi is too worried she’s going to step on someone’s toes.” Belinda huffed, slumping lower as her frustration deflated. “Oh well. I took your advice, by the way, so we’ll have a bit more company soon.”

“My advice?” Michelle blinked. “I invited someone, too… a friend from work. She’s new to the area so she doesn’t know anyone.”

Belinda smiled brightly. “Yeah, your advice… You’ll see, don’t worry about it…” Michelle raised an eyebrow, but she didn’t interject. She continued to eat, content with listening for the moment. “But a new person? That sounds great! We could really try expanding our friend group out a little bigger… it used to be, before we all got busier with jobs and school and everything just got so… you know…”

Michelle nodded, smiling as she nibbled her food.

Before I was so worried about music and friends and school. My life was so chaotic. Now, priorities are so much simpler. Her thighs clenched, hidden away under the table. And I couldn’t be happier…!

A comfortable silence settled over the table, but it wasn’t long before a woman with short blonde hair, and a dark green sweater fell into place, sitting close beside Belinda. Cable-knit, the sweater was thick enough to make it hard to tell if she was cutely well-rounded, or especially voluptuous. Her laugh, bright and cheerful, made it impossible to assume she was unhappy as she set to unwrapping her burrito. “Hey Michelle, Hey Belinda! Thanks again for inviting me to lunch. I would have just spent the time stressing out about this project…”

“No problem, Liz!” Belinda smiled a little brighter. “I’m sure you’ll absolutely knock it out of the park. You’re good under pressure.”

Elizabeth snorted. “That’s not exactly very comforting. I’d like to just be good…!”

All three girls laughed, but Michelle’s laugher stopped first as a hand rested on her shoulder. When she looked up, she saw Alexis standing over her. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”

“Not at all!” Belinda waved, and then leaned towards Elizabeth. “You must be the new girl in town. I’m Belinda, this is Elizabeth, you met Michelle… and you?”

“Alexis.” She drifted down into her seat, glasses shining in the bright light as she set down her salad beside Michelle’s. “Nice to meet both of you, Elizabeth, Belinda... Michelle mentioned both of you, so it’s really great to put faces to names. It’s also very nice to get out of the office. Sometimes I feel like all I do is just work, work, work…”

Michelle smirked. “No one works that hard in a call center unless they’re aiming for a promotion, and trust me—you should not be.”

When Alexis’s hand fell into Michelle’s lap, sliding up towards the inside of her thigh, Michelle only twitched the slightest little bit. Her legs spread, and she invited the hand in as far as it wanted to go.

“I think work ethic can be very important though, so good for you!” Elizabeth smiled. “I hope you enjoy it around here… and hey, if you’re looking at college as a way to get ahead, between the three of us we can tell you a lot of good—and bad—professors. If there’s any way we can help…!”

“Why thank you, that’s very sweet!” Alexis smiled, her fingers having made their way past two waistbands to stroke along Michelle’s slit. The sharp, crispy sounds of a fresh salad worked wonders to help hide any reaction the bed-head might have had. “I just might take you up on that. If nothing else… I’m really hoping we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other. I thought I’d only be in the area for a few months at most, but it’s looking like I might be here a bit longer, so… It’s always good to have friends…!”

“To reliable friends!” Belinda held up her can of diet coke, and smiled wider as it let out a resonant metal sound when it came into contact fist with Alexis’s can, and then Elizabeth’s.

Michelle was putting far too much effort into restraining any visible signs of her first orgasm.

“To reliable friends…!” Elizabeth smiled, and took a long sip. “Oh… By the way, have any of you seen Claire today? She wasn’t in class, and you uh… probably already heard from her, but I really hope she isn’t avoiding me over it. I think I was pretty nice about it, I’m just…not a lesbian.”

“Guess that makes you the only straight girl at the table!” Alexis smiled brighter as Belinda buried her face in her salad, trying to shrink down and out of sight. Elizabeth laughed, and Michelle smirked as her hips jerked forward.

“I guess so…!” Elizabeth smiled. “Look to your left, look to your right, both of the people on either side of you are gay?”

Alexis smirked. “We do move in packs. Safer that way. Having one token straight girl helps to fend off predators… though I could pretend Michelle was half straight, that isn’t how being bisexual works.”

“Thank you, Alexis.” Michelle’s voice wasn’t quite smooth as it could have been, but it was still incredibly difficult to keep her tone calm, and her face from getting too flush, until Alexis pulled her hand back and wiped it off on a napkin she brought in her purse.

“Any time!” Alexis winked, and finally reached for her fork. “But as to your question, Elizabeth… I’m guessing Belinda hasn’t from the look on her face? I haven’t had a chance to meet Claire at all yet, but I’ve been looking forward to it.”

“Oh. That’s too bad. I think you’d get along… something about you reminds me of her, I’m not sure why.” Elizabeth offered a pleasant smile before she turned her attention to her salad.

It was a bright, sunny day, and eating outside seemed to make everything better. Other groups of friends sat nearby, and plenty of people were eating alone.

Belinda pulled out her phone, and frowned. Claire still hadn’t responded to her last twenty texts, and now she also hadn’t shown up to class. Her thumbs quickly went to work, tapping out another quick flurry of messages.

[I know it’s dirty pool, but if you keep blowing me off and skipping class?]

[I’m going to stop by and talk to your moms directly.]

[You’re worrying me.]

[Please say something.]

[You’re my best friend too, and I miss you.]

Tucking her phone back away, Belinda took another bite before looking curiously at Alexis. “Why are you looking forward to meeting Claire, exactly?”

“Oh, well… She’s actually part of why I’m in the area!” Alexis smiled brighter, and Belinda’s expression strained. “See, she doesn’t know it, so don’t spoil the surprise, but the reason I probably remind Elizabeth of her, at least a little…? Is that I’m family. Maybe after lunch, Elizabeth, if you have the time… I’d really love to hear more.”

Elizabeth laughed uncertainly for a moment, and then shrugged. “I’ve only known her for a couple years, and we only got closer the last year or so, but if you’re long lost family coming out of the woodwork to introduce yourself? I’d love to help make that more special for both of you!”

Belinda flushed, clearing her throat as she wrapped up her burrito and stood. “Sorry, everybody, but I just remembered that I forgot my notes for my next class at home, so I’ll need to swing by…! We’ll have to do this again, soon… Nice to meet you, Alexis…!”

Alexis waved with one hand, the other stroking Michelle’s thigh. She waited for Elizabeth and Michelle to both be eating before she spoke again. “I didn’t mean to upset her so much, but do you have a little time before your next class? I would love to get to know you better too, Elizabeth. I might be in town because of Claire, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to make some wonderful new friends along the way.”

“I’m actually done for the day, so…” Elizabeth nodded, her bright smile showing no cognizance of the lewd acts happening just on the other side of the small table. “I don’t see any reason why not! I have to work tonight at the campus bookstore? But it’s not a very long shift… and they don’t really mind if we have friends chatting to us while we work—even if they aren’t students. It gets a little lonely, so…”

“Well, I’d hate for any of my new friends to be lonely when I could help.” Alexis ran a hair along her braid, making sure not a single hair was out of place, and then she adjusted her glasses. “Count me in. What about you, Michelle?”

Frowning, Michelle shook her head. “Nope! Got a date planned with Shaun, sorry! Maybe after that if you two are interested in hanging out, or maybe tomorrow…? Need to be a good girlfriend, you know how it goes!”

Alexis smirked. “And how!”

The three women laughed again, and enjoyed a nice, light hearted chat over their lunches. Occasionally Alexis’s hand would fall back down into Michelle’s lap, squeeze at her thigh, or rake a nail somewhere hidden away under the table, but at the end of the lunch the three of them went their separate ways with innocent smiles on their faces.