A wet tongue unerringly trailed up her inner thigh. Instinctively she spread her legs, feeling her sticky pussy lips unglue. The tongue rasped through her folds, wiggled into her silken opening, scooping up her leaking juices, and smeared them on her now throbbing clit.
Whimpering, Olivia Chandler looked down. And woke, startled; the fog of lust dissipating when she saw whose face was glistening with her juices. What the fuck, Samantha Moore, her long-time friend?
The dream had felt so real, yet that was a reality she dared not dream about.
After all, should you ever hit on the one; the forever friend and confidante every woman needs? Rejection would lay waste to the friendship that was Olivia’s rock. She’d always been so controlled over the years, limiting herself to sporadic flirting.
But even that sexy banter had been off-limits for Sam these last two years. Her now ex-girlfriend, Renee, had reamed Sam a new arsehole if she so much as looked at another woman. Which ironically, so Sam had confessed to Olivia, was more attention than she ever paid to the dark hole Sam was born with.
Of course, Olivia had been there for Sam when she decided enough was enough. They got shitfaced together, nailing a bottle of Captain Morgan and spewing their guts out. Like besties have for generations they held each other’s hair over the toilet bowl when the booze became more poison than comfort.
Not that Sam had actually disclosed that much about Renee, she was unusually tight-lipped about her relationship's demise despite her friend begging for details. But she did smile when Olivia offered an Amazon gift card if she spilled the beans.
Later that evening, Sam had returned serve, putting her arm around Olivia as she confessed that her latest hope for a relationship was stillborn. Her potential girlfriend had cheated on her; with a man of all things!
“It was so much easier when we were sluts,” Olivia had said.
“Probably. Less emotional baggage,” Sam had replied, laughing.
“We’ve always talked about who we’ve fucked, haven’t we?”
“Yeah. From the day I caught you in bed with the Thompson twins.”
“In my defence, it was in series, not parallel. And you fucked Simone after school too.”
“But not Bianca, you bitch.”
They both had been consumed with fits of giggles, remembering the fun it was keeping track of the women each of them had bedded at school and university. Though Olivia was yet to allow any outward sign of the ache that had her stomach tensing every time Sam took a new lover.
“You seem happier now you have dumped Renee,” Olivia had said.
“She dumped me, you idiot. Heard a rumour about me and Larissa.”
“Larissa? I didn’t know you’d fucked her.”
“Ironically I never did. Flirted a bit, but haven’t so much as kissed Larissa.”
“I break up with mine for cheating, you break up when you didn’t cheat. This is such shit. You know what, we both could do with recharging our batteries. Let’s get away from all this.”
They had booked a mountain getaway for the weekend. Olivia had time before she was due to pick Sam up. So, she snuggled under the duvet, closed her eyes, and immediately imagined Sam's tongue on her clit, despite the familiar caress actually being her finger on her pearl.
Alone in the dark, she allowed more lascivious thoughts about her friend to grow. Olivia often fantasized about the sensual delights that could be hers. Both being card-carrying lesbians meant boring tutorials wouldn’t be necessary. The wet spot beneath her grew as she focused on the rumours that spoke of Sam's top-notch pussy-eating skills.
But, deep down she suspected she was being delusional. Sam had never made a move. And she wouldn’t risk their friendship. Stalemate.
Despite that dismal reality check, Olivia's finger easily slipped between her slick folds. She planted her feet on the bed, arched her back, and tunnelled her finger into her weeping cunt. Thighs clenched her hand as her finger pressed steadily deeper; curling, on a search-and-seizure mission, the target her spot.
Her mind returned to the real Sam. Could she cautiously reveal her feelings, perhaps by mentioning the dream?
She had always been the spectator never the player in Sam’s oversexed life, but the dream revealed that, in reality, she needed more. An inspiration? Maybe, as her neediness was increasingly kind of courage-inducing. But she also knew her history. Always stepping back and letting opportunities pass by like a Snoopy balloon in the Macy's Christmas parade.
“Today could be a new start. Maybe this time I won't back down", she said, repeating and repeating the phrase to build her courage.
Her thoughts were interrupted by her alarm radio playing her wake-up Tom Petty song. Reluctantly she withdrew her middle finger from her pussy, tasted it, and, unsatisfied, staggered from her bed. She knew she would remain like that throughout the day and her sexual tension would only increase when she saw her friend.
She inserted her favourite butt plug, the burn familiar as she twisted it into her ass. It was a long drive, and continuous edging actually helped her concentrate. Dressing warmly, she gazed longingly at her trusty violet vibe. The one thing that was more reliable than anyone, even Sam.
Before walking to her car in what had become a blinding snowstorm, she texted Sam to let her know she was on her way. The inclement weather did little to cool the ache between her legs. Neither did the quick stop she made before pulling up to Sam's home. As her friend climbed into the warm car, Olivia handed her a paper bag, saying, "Sweets for the sweet."
Sam beamed and quickly opened the bag, revealing fresh, hot donuts then asking between sugary bites, "Sweets for the sweet?"
Olivia's face burned brightly. Thinking herself so transparent and not able to muster a credible joking response, meant an awkward and unusual silence settled over the two as they began their adventure. Olivia didn’t know what Sam was thinking and didn’t dare ask.
The two had always run in different social circles, but when alone they typically would chat for hours with no dead air. Olivia was usually the class clown type which was why she was seldom taken seriously. Sam was the 'too cool for school' type. In a complicated way, they were kindred spirits, few even aware of how deep their friendship was.
Physically, they were similar, tall and busty but their hair was so different: Olivia had short, tomboyish auburn hair while Sam was a suicide blonde...now. Her hair colour changed so often her nickname in high school had been 'chameleon.'
Their Captain Morgan night had made them both realize they needed to rediscover their teenage oasis, the place where they were themselves, laughing, relaxing, and clearing their minds. The place where tear-worthy shoulders were always available to the other.
When Sam had heard the hazardous forecast, she wanted to cancel but her friend vetoed the notion, unwilling, so she said, to forfeit her fifty-cent deposit on a rustic cabin in a very secluded upstate woodland, formerly an Indian burial ground. Perfect for an oasis.
“What could go wrong?” Olivia had argued.
Well, perhaps the blizzard she was driving through. Despite the GPS screaming warnings about road closures, the lady was not for turning. Olivia pressed on, her shoulders knotting tighter as she drove in the deteriorating conditions.
And, maybe worse, the 'Slippery When Wet' signs posted throughout the mountainous terrain were excruciating, reminding Olivia of her unsatiated condition. Every time the Toyota fish-tailed on the snow, which was often, Olivia would clench so hard on the butt plug she feared it would come out resembling a circus balloon animal.
It was nerve-racking, but finally, a relieved and excited Sam screamed, "There it is," while pointing at a secluded cabin nestled amongst snow-covered pines, illuminated by a single street lamp that stood next to a frozen pond.
Carefully parking, they unloaded their belongings and slipped across the snowy porch. At the door, Sam took a colossal spill, flying through the air horizontally before landing harshly on her bum.
"You didn't stick the landing," Olivia said sounding like a Soviet Olympic judge.
"Bite me!" was the unamused reply.
"Dream on," Olivia responded channelling Steven Tyler. Sam smiled.
Entering their fortress of solitude, they dumped their luggage on a dilapidated, well-worn couch that creaked like an old-timer's knees. Quickly, they searched for their respective bedrooms. Olivia opened a door into what was obviously the smaller bedroom.
“It’s overrun with rats, wolves, and snarling wolverines,” she called out, closing the door.
This one seems okay,” Sam replied, having quickly inspected the master bedroom.
"That’s my bedroom then, Sam?"
“No. This is mine. Your choice, the wolverines or me."
Olivia then joined Sam in the kitchen, helping put away their food supplies. Standing side-by-side at the cabinets, both smiled warmly, just enjoying the familiarity of being together.
Suddenly the entire cabin faded to black causing the electric heat to shut down. Panicking, Sam yelled, "We'll freeze to death. We have to start a fire. You do know how to light a fireplace, don't you?"
Olivia laughed derisively. "Of course I do! Just got to find its thermostat."
Fireplace thoughts vanished for the moment when they heard a loud metallic clatter outside. Startled, both women instinctively jumped into each other's arms. One held on much longer than necessary. The other noticed but said nothing.
Eventually, they worked up the nerve to tiptoe onto the porch to investigate. With the street light out as well, visibility was next to nothing. They could hear unnerving chittering by the trash cans.
"Oh, look Olivia!" Sam exclaimed, peering through the gloom and pointing at a family of feral raccoons checking the trash." It's a Mama bear and her cubs."
Olivia scoffed, condescendingly, and said, "Those aren't bears, fool! Those are possums."
Neither woman’s future was in zoology.
They shared a joint of Snoop Dogg's finest Sativa as they glimpsed the varmints chewing on what seemed like Burger King wrappers. Their euphoric high took their minds off the cold, so they returned to a more pressing matter.
Sam quit giggling long enough to address the raccoon in the room. "So, the second bedroom has a menagerie of animals in it. We only have one bedroom; one bed, right?"
"It sounds like a porn script, doesn't it?"
"I wouldn't know. I have never watched porn." Both women collapsed against the railing; laughing at the ridiculous lie, frightening off the wildlife.
Olivia did have one secret worry about her bedroom assignment ploy, however. She was going for a consecutive days all-cummers masturbation record. Sharing a bed in an unheated cabin put that in serious jeopardy.
That made her nervous so she suggested they step back inside to warm up with booze. There they were startled by a fire now raging in the fireplace.
"Hey, we didn't start the fire," Olivia exclaimed, baffled by the mysterious conflagration.
"Not the time nor place for your Billy Joel homage, girl," Sam admonished.
Although that rebuke was undermined when Sam sashayed around the room humming 'Uptown Girl.' The lights remained out but Olivia could see well enough to spread a blanket before the glowing embers, as Sam sang 'Piano Man' for an encore before plopping beside her stoned friend.
They sat close together, giggling. Olivia’s mind was consumed by the question she had asked herself that morning, could she cautiously begin to reveal her feelings, perhaps by mentioning the dream? Yet the dam she had built to hold her repressed feelings in check was high and strong. The darkness at least hid her confusion.
Sam nervously jumped up, pointing out that the streetlight was now back on. "We must have thrown a circuit breaker. I'll go check."
As Sam staggered through the darkness, Olivia called out, "Please be careful. Take a Coke in case you run into a polar bear." She didn’t see Sam smile and affectionately roll her eyes.
Then, after a few worrisome moments, the lights flickered back to life, eerie shadows dancing over the walls. A cheerful Sam returned carrying a vintage boom box and a stack of CDs. "Look what I found? Let's dance," she said jubilantly.
As teenagers dancing was what they did when spirits needed boosting.
First up was the power ballad 'the Flame' by Cheap Trick. An oldie about a lost love. Sam knew Olivia had it on her bottomless playlist of breakup songs. It always made Olivia cry, which she did as they danced. One of those few times Sam never quite knew what to say, so, as usual, at times like that, she just put her arms around her friend and they just swayed together.
After the song ended, they dropped onto the blanket, both feeling secretly emotional about things. Without realizing it, the two inched imperceptibly closer until their legs touched, then both jerked away like the other had cooties.
They giggled nervously when their eyes met. But their eye contact had always felt reassuring; they had known each other for years, confided in each other, had a window into each other’s heart and soul.
"Samantha..." Olivia started until her vocal cords froze. Calling her friend by her full name felt so intimate. Even sensual. Olivia's cheeks glowed like the fireplace embers.
"What, Olivia?" Sam asked supportively.
"Um … Thank you for fixing the circuit thingy."
"Oh that. The fuse box had been shut off. It took all my energy to flip the handle. This was no boating accident." The 'Jaws' theme blared from the dirty boom box.
“Really?” But as troubling as that information might be, Olivia's mind was elsewhere.
“That’s not what’s on your mind is it, Olivia?”
“I guess not.”
Olivia was dancing around her sexual tension like she was part of a well-rehearsed tango. Yet which part? Was she to lead? To take the biggest first step since Neil Armstrong?
She had once read "nothing ventured nothing gained" on a Magic eight-ball. To do nothing was to always sit on the sideline waiting and waiting for Sam to break the stalemate. She was both scared and excited. Sam was the sweetest person she knew, so why would she let something potentially so special pass her by again. Olivia knew endgame was approaching.
A repeatedly broken heart grows every more cautious, but, now alone together in their safe place, that seemed the time to throw caution to the wind. They were away from the prying eyes of former lovers. Away from the friends who would try to dissuade them. Olivia had worried about other's opinions far too often.
All great romances start with a first kiss. But almost all romances end with a different kiss. Not on the lips but softly on the cheek, accompanied by insincere apologies. Would this romance last? Do any? Can you really trust a Magic eight-ball?
But Oliva knew she actually needed to find out. So, procrastinating no longer, she took a deep, reassuring breath and leaned in for THAT kiss, a first kiss.
And Samantha’s tongue swirled in her best friend’s mouth, tenderly at first and then hungrily. Afterwards, she laid her cheek on Olivia's shoulder, breathlessly whispering, "Why did we never do this before?"
"I was always interested but I never wanted to jeopardize our friendship. What about you?”
Sam pondered and then said, "Peer pressure, I think. I liked you but you hung out with those goofy goth kids. And while everyone else was watching Harry Potter you watched weird-ass French movies. The cool kids called you a freak behind your back."
“They did?" Olivia asked with her bottom lip quivering, eyes tearing up.
Noticing her upset, Sam took Olivia’s hand and kissed it tenderly. “I never did. You have always been my bestie.”
Shifting in for a second kiss Sam winced in pain.
"What's wrong?" Olivia asked, concerned.
"That tumble really hurt my butt."
"I can take care of that. Come with me." She helped Sam stand and taking her hand, their fingers entwined, Olivia led her to the bedroom.
Closing the oak door, they heard thuds coming from the porch; slowly at first then increasing in pace and volume. A startled Sam screamed, "What's that?"
"It's those damn possums. Quit worrying. You're safe with me. Well, unless you really don’t want to be seduced. Now I need to examine your problematic posterior. Undress so we don't crease your sweatpants."
"I always imagined you’d be smooth," Sam said, giggling, as she stepped out of her pants.
Her eyes opened wide as if she had suddenly remembered something important. She tried to cover up but not before Olivia had seen the large purple bruises covering each hip and the back of her thighs. Their rawness contrasting with her bronzed skin.
"Sam, what the fuck happened? This isn't from your fall."
"It's nothing, Olivia. Sometimes Renee gets carried away," she said, now sobbing more from embarrassment than pain.
"Honey, I love a good spanking as well as the next masochist but that's fuckin' assault! When we get back, I'm calling the cops."
Sam screamed hysterically, then pleaded with her friend to leave the police out of it. "The bruises are nothing. I like it a bit rough. She just went a bit overboard because of Larissa."
While a spanking confession normally would have excited Olivia, going overboard because of a misguided concern about Larissa made her sick. Her heart went out to her friend, her relationship with Renee had been toxic.
"Let me look after you like you deserve, Samantha," Olivia whispered. She pulled her friend's heavy sweatshirt up and off, followed by her hunter-green bra and panties. Stepping back, Olivia undressed, fully aware of Sam shyly observing her. Both were now naked and trembling. Weather was not a contributing factor.
Olivia surprisingly realized she needed to take the lead. She sat on the bed, her back to the headboard, legs spread, her pussy staining her thong. But this wasn’t about her. Directing the scene like Scorsese, she instructed Sam to join her with her back to Olivia's chest. She then locked her feet on Sam's ankles, prying her legs wide.
Nibbling on her neck and massaging her tense shoulders she whispered in Sam’s ear, "Look in the mirror, sweetheart."
The large, oval mirror opposite them perfectly displayed Samantha's exposed body. If she squinted, Olivia could see the honey dripping from Sam's shaved cunt.
The word sweetheart took them both deeper into their oasis than they had ever been before. Always friends who looked out for each other obviously, but an extra tingle came with that word and it flowed through both straight to their hearts and clits. Which only increased with Olivia's next whispered request. "Touch yourself, baby."
“You want to play and I have to do all the work,” Sam said with the most adorable giggle Olivia had ever heard.
Despite that, Sam smiled at the mirror and her fingers parted her lips like Moses at the Red Sea. Sliding her finger between the folds, she gathered honey and, once well-lubricated, she circled her needy clit with well-practiced pressure.
Whimpering loudly, she arched her back, laying her head on her friend's shoulder. With Sam’s neck exposed, Olivia began biting and suckling on it, Nosferatu-like. Each tiny bite caused Sam to writhe, clutching the sheets until her knuckles were white. Enhancing Sam's wanton desires, Olivia reached around and cupped her boobs firmly like an undersized bra, as her thumbs circled Sam’s areolas.
"Mark me, please baby," Sam implored.
Olivia was surprised but excited to oblige. The red skin would be barely discernible; only the two would know of its existence. For Olivia, they wouldn’t be marks of phony ownership. Rather they marked, hopefully, what increasingly seemed to be a finally realized shared passion.
With her stiff nipples poking Sam in the back like acupuncture needles, Olivia turned her talents to Sam's bosom; nails raking her areolas. Then finger and thumb began her renowned twisting-and-pinching manoeuvre. Her efforts were immediately rewarded as Sam began squirming over the bed, eyes never leaving the mirror.
Sam’s finger circled her clit faster, harder, as her whimpers turned to moans. After swirling her tongue inside Sam's ear, Olivia implored, "Cum for me Samantha."
And Sam did, gushing her own hand with nectar, mirrored, to her surprise, in her heart which gushed with an emotion she hadn’t experienced before. Something rang true for her, the intensity of her orgasm, not to mention the condition of the sheets, reflecting her underlying feelings for Olivia.
Twisting, she kissed Olivia, their locked mouths both sensual and ferocious. No words were necessary. Poignant silence a building-block Lego could never reproduce.
Turning to snuggle in her lover’s protective arms, Sam suddenly screamed.
"What is it, Samantha?" her alarmed lover asked, clutching tighter.
"I saw someone outside the window," she announced ominously.
"Just the wind or a tree limb, silly."
"Wearing a leather glove? Wiping condensation away from the windowpane?" Sam was visibly shaking.
Sceptical, Olivia glanced at the window and noticed it was indeed condensation-free. Despite having no explanation, she tried to comfort her frightened friend. Because that's what she’d always done.
"We're in the middle of nowhere. It couldn't be anyone. You've watched too many fuckin' slasher movies. Now, let's get dressed and warm-up by the fire. I love a good cuddle after lovemaking."
"No! It's my turn to get you all messy, missy," Sam proclaimed before planting relentless sloppy kisses all over Olivia's flushed cheeks.
She then tugged Olivia's sticky black thong off baring her neatly-trimmed auburn bush. Pushing her friend onto her back, Sam began her frontal assault by capturing each taut nipple between her lips and in order: licked, sucked, pinched, squeezed, and bit. It was her personal bosom blueprint that had stood the test of time.
Olivia's titties quickly responded to the expert handling. Within seconds her needy pussy was as sloppy as a Manwich. After running through her renowned boob play, Sam knelt beside her lover and drooled a stream of saliva over her pearl which then trickled down her already glistening slit.
She placed her cheek on Olivia's flat tummy and watched her finger slowly circle the spit-coated pearl. With her ear to Olivia's tummy, she could hear and feel each rapid intake of breath. It also allowed her to easily lean forward and flutter her tongue around and over her friend’s clit.
Her finger next slipped between Olivia's ass cheeks. Olivia gasped but didn't object. Just the reaction Sam hoped for. In searching for her rose, Sam was surprised to discover something blocking her advances. "What the fuck, Olivia?"
Pushing Olivia's knees back against her chest she examined the silicone obstacle, withdrawing it smoothly. She held the butt plug high for both to see.
"Who's a dirty girl, Olivia?" Sam said while smirking wickedly. She then promptly put the plug into her own mouth, sucking it like a pacifier. That 'dirty girl' question was now open to serious debate.
At first, embarrassed by her friend discovering her naughty secret, now Olivia craved all debauchery. The mirror highlighted her lewd and wanton appearance.
Sam lay flat on her tummy and used her long, stiff tongue to explore each exposed hole. The flowing honey was a delight as was the musky, pungent taste of her ass. Sam loved rimming but had had that fetish denied for the past two years because Renee found the act "disgusting." Now she was making up for lost time with a woman of similar tastes, so to speak.
She then switched from her tongue to her long, slender finger which penetrated her friend's anal ring. As her finger probed deeper into the tight channel, Sam buried her face tightly to Olivia's sloppy cunt. Inhaling the alluring fragrance, she began tongue-fucking like a WNBA pro. Olivia's hips were soon bucking like she was in a rodeo event.
As her climax struck powerfully, Olivia screamed so loudly snow avalanched from the cabin roof. With toes curling and thighs quivering, Olivia realized the rumours of Sam's lesbian talents were horribly understated. Sam crawled atop her enjoying the heavenly body heat. More kisses ensued, tits mashing together.
Then surprisingly, Sam placed her anal-invading finger to Olivia's lips so both could share the taste. "Samantha, you wore me out. Can we hold each other by the fire? I want romance if I can walk that far."
Giggling they dressed.
"I wish I brought my toys," Sam lamented.
"The butt plug is all I have on me,” Olivia replied, blushing.
You mean IN you! Then snapping her fingers, Sam exclaimed, "Amazon has toys. Will they deliver out here? I have a gift card, you know."
Both laughed before staggering hand-in-hand through the bedroom door toward the fireplace. But a brutal draft surprised them. Sam quickly spotted the front door ajar explaining the frosty wind.
Walking toward it she asked her shivering bestie, "Did you leave this door open? Were you born in a barn?"
Olivia replied, "I didn't leave it open! Besides, I was born in a manger."
Ignoring her attempt at Biblical humour, Sam peeked out the door. She quickly motioned her new lover to join her and pointed to the snow-covered porch.
"Are those footprints?" Sam asked bewildered.
"Bootprints," Olivia corrected. "My dear Watson, I'd guess Doc Marten's Jadon line. Size nine."
"Oh no! It can't be!" Sam said with alarm before fleeing back to the fireplace. Looking around nervously.
Surprised at the reaction, Olivia said, " Okay, maybe they're tens if that makes you feel better."
She then noticed a trail of melted snow leading from the door into the kitchen. Because she handled problems by ignoring them, she merely shrugged and joined Sam in front of the blazing fire where they hugged tenderly.
Suddenly an unrecognized female voice disturbed the lovebirds. Unrecognized by Olivia to be more precise, since Sam immediately bellowed, "Renee! What the fuck are you doing here?"
Renee, taller and more formidable than the other two, advanced deliberately, a large cleaver in her hand. "I came to take you home, Sam. I was innocently watching your house and saw this bitch pick you up. It broke my heart so I followed you here."
Turning to squarely face Olivia, she continued, "Whore, if your pathetic driving hurt a hair Sam's head, I will bitch slap you back to the stone age."
Then looking down at Sam she pleaded, "We can make this work. I know we can. I can change and I know you will too. I came here to be amicable but after seeing you two fucking, oh my God. And I saw where your tongue has been, so go gargle some Scope."
Olivia interjected, "You don't look very amicable with that fuckin' meat cleaver."
“Shut the fuck up, slut! I got this from the kitchen to slice the block of Colby cheese I brought to snack on. Sam, what do you see in this saggy-tittied cunt anyway?"
Sam rallied to her friend's defence and said, "Her titties are perfect!" Olivia basked at the compliment. "Did you turn the power off, Renee?"
The home invader roared, "Yes I did! I thought it would make you leave but when you didn’t, I felt guilty and even started your fireplace while you potheads were out watching those porcupines."
Sam and Olivia elbowed each other knowingly as the pieces to the mystery began to fall into place like a game of Clue.
That intimacy got Renee even more upset. Glaring at Olivia she screamed inches from her face, spit flying and not in a good way, "Get your woman-stealing hands off her or you'll regret it!"
Sam quickly leapt between them, hoping to calm the situation. She didn’t. Her ex grabbed her shoulders and pleaded her case. "When I found you, you had nothing. You were dishing out burgers and blow jobs at the Greasy Spoon Cafe. I gave you security and affection..."
"...And dozens of bruises," Sam interjected.
Outraged Renee then began shaking her, with Sam looking like a bobble-head doll. "I couldn't take your interest in other women any longer. But I can become more compassionate, more forgiving."
Sam looked at Olivia fearfully, causing the normally cowardly Olivia to bravely step up to the plate. She shoved her stiff finger into Renee's chest; eyes glaring, nostrils flaring. "If you ever lay a hand on her again, I'll call the cops before you know what hit you, bitch!"
Renee was surprised by this boldness. Normally she could easily intimidate others but this new addition seemed fearless like a Mama bear defending her cub. Sam also noticed her friend rushing to the rescue, gazing at her with even greater admiration.
Olivia was shaking but not from anger. Truthfully, she was frightened. As well she should have been, as all hell broke loose.
Renee shoved Sam aside and began chasing Olivia through the cabin, cleaver raised menacingly. Sam's futile screams rang out. Escaping through the front door, Olivia fled into the snowy, frigid night.
She could hear Renee's Doc Martens crunching through the snow behind her. She also heard Sam's frantic pleas following behind. Then the terrain changed and she realized she was running across the frozen pond.
Looking over her shoulder, Olivia saw Renee closing in on her. Although she halted immediately when Sam yelled, "Renee, please don't hurt her! I'll do anything you ask. I promise!"
A thankful Renee stopped. A baffled Olivia also stopped wanting to talk some sense into Sam. Tears were freezing on all three women's cheeks.
The touching moment was interrupted by the horrifying crunch of ice breaking apart. Renee and Olivia both dropped into the numbing water. Sam was able to safely step back onto the bank. Both women looked to her.
Sam thinking quickly picked up a fallen branch. Both were beginning to struggle. Sam knew she only had time to rescue one.
But who?
Renee desperately yelped, "Help me, Samantha Jo. You promised."
Sam sadly realized the enormity of what that promise now implied. She wailed, fighting the urge to avoid her best friend’s eyes. But she knew she had to somehow summon the courage.
Once their eyes met, Sam began to howl. "I'm so sorry, Olivia. I do love you."
Every word rang true, Sam realized; subconsciously it always had. Oliva had always been there for her; her rock, as every lover who had started brilliantly dimmed and faded. How could she let her rock slip away? Yet she had promised Renee.
The dilemma felt overwhelmingly sad as Sam extended the long branch in Renee's direction.
But then Sam changed her mind and pushed the branch towards Olivia. She realized that their friendship was an implicit promise too. A promise Olivia had made long ago. And she was the one person in Sam’s life who had kept her word and always wanted Sam to be Sam.
Renee’s shocked look wasn’t enough, Sam knew no one would ever let her be herself the way her best friend did. She had to save Olivia even if that meant letting Renee go.
She had to end the spiral she kept getting trapped in. And embrace whatever the future held for her and Olivia. Renee's heart sank as Sam pulled Olivia to safety.
Sobbing broke the night's silence.
