At First Sight

By AJ Waite
© 2000, AJ Waite

"Do you believe in love at first sight?"

The question startled Caitlyn and her green eyes jumped from their inspection of her margarita to the woman leaning on the bar next to her. She was tall, with pale sun-bleached hair, a deep tan, and eyes that were blue fading to green near the pupils. Angular features were softened by the smile on the woman's face. Before Caitlyn could even finish processing this vision, she could feel a flutter in her stomach and her lips turning up into a slight grin.

"That," she said with an amused shake of her head, "has got to be one of the worst pick up lines ever."

The woman shrugged and the edging of her lips up into a half-smile spoke to the humor she found in the situation. "Okay then," she retorted, leaning closer to Caitlyn, her voice taking on a husky purr. "How about this?" She leaned her back against the bar and sidled her way closer to Caitlyn, putting them only inches apart. Caitlyn could feel the warmth emanating from the woman and she had to consciously force her body not to draw closer. "How about, your eyes sparkle like Irish emeralds, your ebony hair shines like the finest Chinese silks, and your milky skin could be the source of a million verses of poetry."

"Better," Caitlyn answered, trying to hide the widening grin she could feel tugging at her lips.

"Okay." The woman scrunched up her face in thought and then turned a serious expression to Caitlyn. "You, quite simply, take my breath away."

The sincerity with which she said this and the piercing eyes that seemed to bore right into Caitlyn's soul, laying bear everything she had ever been and all that she hoped to be, made her heart thump almost painfully in her chest. A light tough to her thigh instantly robbed her of breath and she closed her eyes to concentrate fully on the finger that ran enticingly in light patterns over her jean-covered leg.

Her mouth struggled to work, but her throat clenched, leaving her mute. The hand wandered up her leg, over her hip, to the edge of her cotton shirt, which hung loosely around her waist. She wanted to say something, to remind her that they were in public, that this was going too fast, but then that hand ran under her shirt and she felt the electric touch on her bare skin. All thought escaped her as it seemed her blood raced for that spot, leaving her light-headed and dizzy beyond anything she had known.

She took a trembling breath and opened her eyes to find the blue-green orbs of the other woman only scant inches from her, filling her vision. She was transfixed, absorbed, and she knew she was lost. With painful slowness, those eyes drew nearer, until they shifted, as the other head was turned in preparation. Then a light brush of lips sent Caitlyn's blood rushing back to her head and she feared she would pass out. But the hunger was too great, the need too urgent, to allow her the escape of unconsciousness. Instead, unbidden, she found herself leaning in to capture the lips as her own.

It was a searing kiss, born of instantaneous passion, so hard that it actually hurt. Opening her mouth, she felt the other tongue probing, finding her own, dueling for possession of her heart, her soul.

And then it was over.

She opened her eyes, breaths coming heavily from her heaving chest, to find the laughing eyes and the jaunty half-smile of the other woman.

"Happy Anniversary, my kitten."

Caitlyn found enough breath to chuckle softly as she laid her head on the comforting shoulder and pulled herself into a warm embrace. "Happy Anniversary, Angie. I love you."

Angie's chest rumbled with a quiet chuckle. "I love you too, sweetheart. Now, you've had your fun. Just like when we first met, as requested. But can we please go home and rewrite history by actually finishing this?"

Caitlyn pulled back and smiled brilliantly at her love, "I thought you'd never ask." Jumping off her stool and taking Angie's hand in her own, she pulled the taller woman forcefully behind her, quickly darting out of the bar's exit and toward the promise of a night of celebration.