Deep in Desire: A Sapphic Age-Gap Romance

HOLLY

Holly opened the doors to the Indigo Lounge the following day, where the post-wedding clean-up was in full swing. She wore the confidence of someone who had spent the past couple of years surfing the wild waves of Australia. And that’s because that’s precisely what she’d been doing. It was as if her wavy hair still bore traces of the salty ocean mist, and her bronze freckles danced across her nose as she scanned the room with a cheery grin. The lounge buzzed with the chatter of friends and family as they cleared tables and placed leftover food in garbage bags. Holly moved through the room, drawing curious glances from everyone around her.

“What? You don’t have staff for this? I had no clue we were all supposed to be getting stuck in. I have a hangover from Hell, and well…I was expecting brunch. Where’s Mom?”

Unbeknownst to Holly, her return to Los Angeles was about to ignite a firestorm of emotions that she had no way of anticipating.

As she made her way to the bar, the atmosphere seemed charged. “Yo, Holly! It’s been a while! You look so different! Were you here last night? We’ve missed you!” someone called out from the other side of the room.

“Hey, Ruby! It’s great to be back! The place has changed a ton. They still do the di Rossi double espresso, right? Coz I’m going to be needing about six. It’s good to be back,” she replied with a grin, her Australian accent adding an exotic edge to her words.

“No clue! Sasha’s been cooking up some incredible coffee selections… but we’re all busy. You’ll have to grab what you can.”

Deborah, who had been in the middle of an animated conversation with Mia about her upcoming recording sessions, froze mid-sentence as she heard Holly’s voice.

“What are you doing back here, Holly?” she blurted out.

Holly’s heart skipped a beat as she recalled last night’s passionate encounter with the older woman on the rooftop. She felt a rush of conflicting emotions and turned away without responding.

“Jesus,” Deborah muttered barely above a whisper, her eyes wide with shock. “This can’t be happening.”

She watched as Holly moved gracefully through the lounge, her presence drawing attention from the older crowd.

“Mom? Mom? You here?” called out Holly.

Esme, who had been engrossed in collecting plates and piling them up as high as she could, ready to take them back to the kitchen, noticed the young woman.

“Darling! I’m here! You just walked straight past me? How much did you have to drink last night, honey?”

“Enough. I’m never drinking again.”

“I don’t know how many times I’ve heard that. I think those Australians have had a bad influence on you. You’ve become a binge-drinking whacko. I want my good little girl back, Hols.”

“Was I ever a good little girl? Seriously, Mom?”

Esme noticed Deborah’s confused expression and waved her over. “Deborah, come meet my daughter, Holly. I don’t think you ever met. She used to be a well-known face around here. And now she’s back from her surfing adventures Down Under. Finally!”

“I wasn’t going to miss my mom’s wedding, was I?”

Deborah squirmed internally and tried to maintain her composure. “H-hey, H- Holly? Okay, so… you’re all grown up. Holly! You were… like… what… I don’t even know how young… when I last s-s-saw you?” she somehow managed to say, the stutter in her voice no doubt betraying the turmoil she was feeling within.

Holly flashed a kind smile, stretching out her hand for Deborah to shake it. “Absolutely, Deborah. I don’t even remember. My mom’s mentioned you, I think. But then again, I don’t always listen when she’s rambling on. Have you ever been Down Under, Deborah?” she said casually, fully aware of the double-entendre and the effect it would have.

“Uh…Umm,” Deborah stammered, her mind still unable to comprehend the revelation.

Holly glanced around the bar nervously,hoping no one had spotted her and Deborah the night before.

Throughout the rest of the morning, Holly worked alongside her mother and the Indigo Lounge crowd, her carefree attitude captivating everyone she spoke to. She mingled with her mother’s friends with total ease, utterly oblivious to the storm brewing in Deborah’s mind and heart.

As they all sat down to enjoy some gourmet open sandwiches quickly rustled together by Sasha and Ruby, Holly found herself stealing glances at Deborah from across the kitchen table. The passionate encounter on the terrace played over in her mind as the guilt she felt gnawed at her for sleeping with one of her mom’s best friends. But she hadn’t been able to control herself. And the way Deborah had come so quickly, so freely… only made her desperate for more.

What the fuck am I going to do?

Holly finally managed to muster the courage to approach Deborah during a lull in the surrounding conversations. “Can we talk?” she asked softly, gesturing toward the main bar and a quiet corner of the lounge area.

Her mother’s friend raised an eyebrowcuriously but nodded, slowly getting to her feet and following Holly.

“You could have told me, Holly. I feelridiculous.”