Chapter Sixteen. THE RED WINGS were having an awful season

THE RED WINGS were having an awful season. Their record was hardly impressive, and by the seventh inning, it was clear that Taylor and Melanie were about to witness their ninth loss in a row. However, neither woman seemed to mind. They were having too good a time.

The seats Taylor had commandeered from her office were wonderful. They were on the third base side of home plate, but up one level, affording them a perfect view of the entire field. They were in the front row of their section, which meant there was nobody sitting in front of them. They put their feet up on the railing, stuffing themselves full of hot dogs, beer, French fries and for Melanie, cotton candy.

Melanie was impressed with Frontier Field. It was quite large, smartly organized, and very clean. The seats were surprisingly comfortable, and the choice of foods was so wide, it flustered her momentarily. Taylor explained to her how the stadium had only been constructed three years prior, and was now a source of pride for the people of Rochester. The previous field had been in a not-so-pleasant section of the city and was about half the size, with very little parking. The development of this new stadium had been part of Mayor Johnson's overall plan to rebuild downtown Rochester, to give it a facelift of sorts, bringing people into the heart of the city without fear of crime. It was working remarkably well. With the addition of the stadium came many new restaurants and bars, catering to the pre-game and post-game crowds, filling up storefronts and warehouses that had been previously vacant or falling apart. With the improved appearance came confident patrons. Plus, Taylor informed her, the Red Wings were the farm team for the Baltimore Orioles and Rochesterians took their baseball very seriously. Despite their lackluster record, the stadium was nearly filled to capacity with screaming Red Wings fans.

Taylor sat down, handing Melanie another beer, and smiled, sipping her own Coke. " You having a good time? "

" I'm having a great time. This is wonderful. Can we do it again sometime? " She sipped her beer, her blue eyes watching Taylor over the rim of the plastic souvenir cup the brunette had gotten for her. The joy on Taylor's face was unmistakable as she turned back to the game, unable to keep the smile from spreading widely, making her sparkling brown eyes crinkle around the corners.

" Absolutely. I'm enjoying myself, too." She left it at that, afraid to venture too far into how much she truly was enjoying herself, for fear of ruining the moment by scaring her companion. She decided to change the subject. " Do you want something else to eat? "

Melanie widened her eyes, clamping a hand over her stomach. " Ugh... Not unless you want to be carrying me home in a garbage bag."

" Well, maybe you shouldn't have eaten all the cotton candy. Ever heard of moderation? " Taylor teased.

" Hey, " Melanie defended herself with a mock-frown, " I haven't had cotton candy since I was a kid. I lost control. It happens."

" Apparently."

Melanie beamed, turning back to the game in time to see a double play by the Wings. She and Taylor both cheered and whistled, along with the rest of the crowd. Melanie couldn't remember when she'd had such a good time. Things were so different when she was with Taylor. She shook her head in amazement. There was no pressure to impress when she was with the brunette. She felt like herself, like she could be herself and not have to make any excuses for it. She felt like she could be silly or goofy or serious or passionate, and it would be okay. Taylor would be okay with her, no matter what. How she was so sure of this, she had no idea. She just was.

On the few dates she’d experienced in the past, she'd always felt like her date expected a certain behavior from her, like they had some preconceived notion of whom she was and how she should act. Even Ben seemed to expect her to fall right into his business-centered conversation, no matter what she felt like talking about or what kind of mood she was in. It wasn't like that with Taylor. Being with her was pressure-free, simple, and fun. She realized with surprise that she could easily spend all her free time with this woman and never be bored or uncomfortable. She wasn't exactly sure how that made her feel. Nervous seemed to be the best description. She grimaced at the fact that she could go from incredibly happy to totally neurotic in a matter of seconds.

The Red Wings dropped the game, 4-1, of course, but Taylor and Melanie had laughed a lot and completely enjoyed themselves. Each was sorry to see the evening end. More than once, Taylor had wished she could turn the clock back, just an hour or two, so she'd have more time to spend with Melanie. She had stopped fighting it...this feeling she had around the older woman.

She knew nothing good could come of it, but she found it impossible to stay away. At first it was no big deal, because Melanie would eventually go back to Chicago, and Taylor would get on with her life. The purchase of the bookstore had changed all that drastically, and Taylor found herself in much deeper than she had planned. It was as though she had two little angels, but they didn't sit on each shoulder, as one would expect. Instead, one of them floated in front of Taylor, constantly reaching out for Melanie. The other followed behind Taylor, constantly kicking her in the butt, muttering about how stupid she was and how she should know better than to let herself fall for somebody she couldn't have. Taylor, sandwiched between the two halves of her conscience, had no idea what the next step should be.

As they pulled into the driveway, Melanie turned to Taylor and asked, " Can you stay a bit? I've had such a good time, I don't want the evening to end. I've got Pepsi, unless you want a beer." She had noticed that Taylor only had one beer early on in the game, and Melanie admired the fact that she took a responsible approach, since she had driven.

Despite the bickering of the two " angels, " Taylor tried not to act too excited by the invite. " I'd love a beer, if you think you can put up with me a bit longer."

Melanie bit back the teasing remark that fought to shoot off her tongue, and exited the car without comment, heading for the carriage house, Taylor close behind. As they reached the door and Melanie stepped up onto the front stoop to unlock it, she turned to ask Taylor when she thought they could go to another game. She was unaware that Taylor was only inches behind her and when she turned, they ran right into one another. Their faces were barely two inches apart, their eyes level since Melanie was standing on a step.

They stood frozen.

Taylor dropped her gaze to Melanie's full lips, and when the older woman wet the bottom one nervously with the tip of her tongue, it was all over. Taylor lost all sense of control, and found herself leaning forward, covering the distance between them and pressing her lips to Melanie's, kissing her softly, the " angel" behind her screaming at the top of its lungs, kicking as hard as it could.

To Taylor's surprise, Melanie did not pull away, nor did she slap Taylor, which was the response the brunette was expecting.

Instead, she pressed into Taylor, and the kiss became deeper. Melanie's lips parted under Taylor's and her heart pounded thunderously in her chest as their tongues touched, flitting uncertainly around one another.

Several minutes later, when they finally pulled themselves away from each other, they were both heaving breathlessly.

Melanie swallowed hard. " Oh, boy."

" Yeah, " was all Taylor could manage.

Melanie's eyes darted around the yard nervously, finally settling on Taylor's as she swallowed again. " I've... um...I never... I..." she stammered. Taking a deep, steadying breath, she closed her eyes and whispered softly, " I've never done that before. Kissed a woman, I mean."

Taylor cupped Melanie's chin so she could look into her eyes again, and smiled reassuringly. " I've never been anybody's first kiss before." That earned her a small grin from the redhead. " Are you okay? " Taylor asked, trying to cautiously get a feel for exactly where they stood.

Melanie touched her fingertips to her own lips, still tingling from the contact with Taylor's. She then reached across the small space between the two of them and touched Taylor's lips, absolutely astounded by the softness of them. Before she could think twice, she pressed her mouth to Taylor's once again, bolder this time, probing and exploring, allowing Taylor to do the same.

Endless moments later, Melanie wrenched her lips away for air. " God, " she gasped as she did so. " Where on earth did you learn to kiss like that? "

Taylor felt herself blushing under the compliment. " I used to practice on my teddy bear." She shrugged with a grin.

" Lucky bear, " Melanie stated seriously.

Taylor gathered Melanie in her arms and hugged her tightly. They stood silently on the stoop for long moments, wrapped around one another, each lost in the feelings that were pummeling them. Finally, Taylor made the decision for both of them.

" Maybe I should take a rain check on that beer, huh? " She phrased it as a question on purpose, giving Melanie the chance to agree or disagree. She didn't want Melanie to think she was bailing on her, but she also didn't think she could keep her hands to herself once they were inside. She'd never wanted anybody so much in her life, but the last thing Melanie needed at this point was pressure.

Melanie looked relieved at the suggestion, smiling sheepishly. " That's probably a good idea." She paused, taking Taylor's hand and examining it as she sorted her thoughts. " I really had a good time tonight."

" Yeah? "

" Yeah."

" You're not just saying that? "

" I'm not just saying that."

" Think we can do it again? Um... I mean the game. Well, the kissing part too, but I meant the game..." She sighed and pointed to her own mouth. " There's probably room in here for your foot, too."

Melanie laughed, feeling the tension ease away. " I'd love to do it again. And I think I mean the kissing part, too." She squeezed Taylor's hand and kissed her softly on the cheek. " Good night. Sleep well, okay? "

Taylor waited until Melanie was in and closing the door before she turned to head home. She wasn't sure if she should be elated or terrified; both cases were true. This could be either really, really good or really, really bad. She knew already that sleep would be far from her reach that night. She could practically hear the cold shower calling her all the way across the yard.

IT WAS AS though some unseen force had surgically planted a grin onto Taylor's face as she slept. She felt it the minute the alarm went off and she opened her eyes. There it was on her reflection in the mirror, and try as she might, she couldn't even wash it off in the shower.

She tried to be considerate as she fixed herself breakfast. Smiling like the proverbial cat that ate the canary certainly wasn't going to sit well with Ben. He knew with whom she had spent the evening. Nevertheless, he had noticed his daughter's cheerful demeanor, and lines of concern creased his forehead almost immediately. He tried unsuccessfully to focus on the stocks page of his morning paper.

As her Fruit Loops pinged musically into the bowl from the box, Taylor glanced out the window, noting with a bit of apprehension that Melanie's Jeep was gone.

She had toyed with the idea of bringing her breakfast, but had decided against it. Melanie had said she'd never kissed a woman before. Then, logically, it was safe to assume she'd never been with a woman before either. In turn, that could only mean that the whole lesbian thing was new to her. Or news to her, as the case may be. Hell, it was news to all of us at one time or another, Taylor thought. She herself had been a fairly late bloomer, so she could understand, to a certain extent, the confusion Melanie was probably feeling over what had happened last night.

The hard part for Taylor was trying to decide what she should do for Melanie. She wanted nothing more than to be there for her, answer her questions if she could, hug her when it was needed. On the other hand, Taylor was actually part of the problem. A big part. Maybe it would be best for her to just stay away. Maybe she should just leave the ball in Melanie's court and sit tight until Melanie decided it was okay to play.

Much as she hated the second option, as waiting was not something she did well, she knew it was the right decision for Melanie.

It wasn't going to be easy for the redhead. There would be mountains of questions and Taylor had the sneaking suspicion that Lynda would be up to the role of Answer Queen. Anger, confusion, and denial...all emotions Taylor had experienced during her own realization.

Then, of course, there was also the possibility that Taylor didn't even want to think about, the one that would squash her the flattest. There was the possibility that last night's kiss was simply a fluke, a by-product of the fun they'd had and the beer Melanie had consumed. The potentiality that she may have been a daring little experiment managed to tone the blinding smile down a few watts, and Taylor tried not to let herself dwell on it.

" I was thinking, " Ben said suddenly, snapping Taylor out of her analyses. When her eyes cleared and met his, he continued. " It's been nearly two years, T. I am so grateful to you for moving back here and looking out for me."

" It was no big deal, Dad, really." Taylor brushed off the gratitude, having an idea where this was going.

" You need your own space. I know that."

" You're throwing me out? " she deadpanned.

" Wha—? No. Absolutely not. You can live here until you're ninety-five. You know that." His voice softened when he figured out she was teasing him. " I just want you to know that it's okay with me when you're ready to go."

" Okay, " she replied simply. " Thanks, Dad."

He winked at her as he gathered his briefcase, donning his suit jacket and heading to work. Giving Taylor his permission to leave was a big step for him. Taylor was aware of that. Her father was by no means an open or emotional man. How her mother had put up with the constant mind-reading, she'd never figure out. In Ben Speak, as she had affectionately and sometimes not so affectionately dubbed his way of expressing himself, he had just told her that he was ready to move on, to finally let go of Anna and get on with his life. The realization brought tears to her eyes. As she blinked them away, another thought hit her.

Was it just a coincidence that Ben had made such a monumental decision only weeks after meeting Melanie?

God, she's having quite an effect on this family, isn't she? she thought wryly. I hope Frankie doesn't decide to come for a visit any time soon.

MELANIE HADN’T BEEN able to even see sleep in the distance, let alone grab some for herself. At five in the morning, she had gotten up, dressed in some gym shorts and a sweatshirt, snatched up the classifieds from Sunday's paper, and headed off in the Jeep, no particular destination in mind, just unable to sit still any longer. She wasn't one to have trouble sleeping. As a matter of fact, she couldn't now, as she coasted slowly up and down the streets of Rochester, even come up with another instance when she'd tossed and turned as much as she had the previous night.

She wasn't sure what to make of that little tidbit. This whole thing was effecting her more than anything else in her life...more than her parents' divorce, more than her choosing a college, even more than taking the job with Rucker and Steele, relocating to a large, unfamiliar city. No, this was big. Way big. A woman had kissed her.

A woman had kissed her.

She let the phrase roll around in her head, then said it aloud.

" A woman kissed me."

She listened to the way it sounded, then edited it. " Taylor kissed me."

An entirely different meaning, and almost the whole truth.

" I kissed her back."

Closer. She cocked her head, as if listening, then reworded.

" I kissed Taylor."

The words sounded odd, but not uncomfortable. She pressed her luck.

" I kissed Taylor and enjoyed every second of it."

She pulled the Jeep to a stop in the small parking area behind her bookstore. Leaning her forehead against the steering wheel, she exhaled a long, slow, breath.

" And I want to do it again."

There it was. The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

After several minutes of silence, she lifted her head. According to the clock on the dash, it was nearly seven. She'd meandered aimlessly for almost two hours. Grabbing the newspaper section she had brought with her and the Rochester map she had purchased during her first week in town, she locked the Jeep and wandered down Monroe Avenue.