Chapter 3
River glanced down at her flannel pajamas like they were her archnemesis. With one arm and one leg in casts it felt impossible to get out of her regular clothes, much less getting into pajamas. River heard the door to the apartment open and close. She breathed a sigh. There were very few things Brianna wouldn’t do to help her, and River knew that. But how did she feel about Brianna helping her undress and redress herself.
River thought about it for a moment. She couldn’t spend weeks in the exact same clothes. She could call Tiffany, but she knew instinctively that her girlfriend wouldn’t love coming all the way over to help her change clothes. River tried not to let Tiffany’s hands-off approach to her injury bother her. But it did. A partner should be one of the first people at the hospital, and the first to offer to help after an accident. Instead, Tiffany had been MIA ever since her accident.
“Hey, B, are you home?” River called out.
“Yeah, I’m here. What do you need?” Brianna opened her door and came in.
River glanced down at her pajamas on the bed then back up at Brianna. Half of a smile tugged at one end of Brianna’s lips.
“Do you need some help?” Brianna asked. River groaned and nodded her head.
“It’s okay. I’m sure we can sort this out.”
River smiled wide at Brianna. She was grateful that her friend didn’t mind putting herself out for her.
“Thanks, friend,”
“Of course. No problem. Let’s get your pants off first since that’s probably the easiest part.”
River nodded her head. She watched as Brianna kneeled in front of her. The touch of Brianna’s fingers against the bare skin of her stomach was light. Brianna hooked her fingers into River’s pants and pulled them down. She was noticeably careful as she pulled the pants down over her cast. The palms of Brianna’s hands were warm against her legs. River felt a slice of heat rage through her. This wasn’t the time to grow sensitive to a simple touch. Besides this was Brianna she was dealing with.
Brianna stood up and met her eyes. River was almost positive Brianna was blushing. Great, she had succeeded in embarrassing her friend. Brianna rubbed the back of her neck with a hand.
“I guess we should do your shirt next.” Now Brianna was clearly blushing.
River felt as though she should say something to take the pressure off. But everything she thought of would come out sounding strange. Some moments were just meant to be awkward, she may as well lean in. Brianna’s fingers tucked under her shirt and lifted it over her uninjured arm and her head. She carefully pulled the shirt over her arm that was in the cast.
Brianna was not so subtly checking her out. River felt her own blush spread across her cheeks. She cleared her throat and waited for Brianna’s eyes to find hers. There was something profoundly intimate being this way in front of her.
River hated to admit it, but she was enjoying the moment. No one had looked at her in that way for a very long time. Tiffany found her attractive to be sure. But the days of Tiff truly appreciating what she looked like without clothes had long since ended. She didn’t just want Brianna to take her in visually, there was a large part of her enjoying the physical contact as well. She’s your friend , echoed in her brain.
“I think all that’s left is for you to help me take my bra off.”
Had she really just said that? River wished she could shake her head without drawing attention to herself. To her credit, Brianna simply nodded her head and unclasped her bra. She let the bra fall to the floor. This was the most intimate moment she’d ever had with Brianna. Having her this close to her as she was undressed sent an electric current coursing through her. She wondered what would happen if they kissed, or even went a little further. That would never happen. Brianna was too good of a friend to make a move on her in this state. Was it wrong that for a minute she wanted Brianna to make a move? Maybe it wasn’t crazy, but it was definitely ill-advised.
She heard Brianna take a deep breath behind her.
“Let’s get you dressed.”
Brianna helped keep River stable as she pulled up the pajama bottoms. Her touch was light against River’s skin as she helped pull the shirt on over her head. When they were done Brianna rubbed the back of her neck with her hand again.
“Is that better?” Brianna asked.
“Much better.” River pulled Brianna in for a hug with her good arm. Brianna’s scent filled her nose, sandalwood and rose. They locked eyes and River knew it would be easy to kiss her. Or at least easy enough, all she had to do was lean in. River restrained herself, barely. Brianna pulled away and offered her a smile.
“Thanks,” River managed to say.
“Anything for you,” Brianna answered.
“Get some rest, buddy,” Brianna added.
Brianna closed the door behind her as she left. There was only one thing that River knew for certain. She was definitely not getting rest anytime soon. She managed to lay down in her bed and get somewhat comfortable. Why was Brianna suddenly having this effect on her? It was true that she’d always found Brianna attractive. But they moved in together so soon after meeting. She had told herself that getting involved with a roommate was the kiss of death. A recipe for disaster. They had become friends and she’d started dating Tiff. Any attraction she’d felt for Brianna had been put away a long time ago, or so she’d thought.
Her skin still tingled from the traces of Brianna’s touch. Maybe she’d hit her head harder than she’d thought in the accident. In a few days she’d be over whatever she was feeling and could go back to Brianna being her friend and roommate.
Tonight, she was still suffering from the heat she felt in her core. River managed to open her bedside table and pull out her vibrator. She paused long enough to listen for any noise indicating that Brianna would be close enough to hear her. When she was sure that Brianna was in her bedroom, River turned the vibrator on. She only had one good hand, which made maneuvering the device somewhat challenging. Still, she managed to get the vibrator inside her pajama pants. Once inside her pants it was simple to find her clit.
River pressed the vibrator close against her clit and closed her eyes. Pleasure mounted inside of her, spreading throughout her body in waves. Her mind went back to a few minutes earlier, Brianna’s hands touching the bare skin of her thighs. She imagined what would have happened if Brianna would have allowed her hand to travel upward a few more inches. She and Brianna could be kissing right now. It could be Brianna’s fingers playing with her clit. A few seconds later her body gave way to the pleasure mounting inside her. She bit back a loud moan as her orgasm crashed against her.
River lay in bed staring at the ceiling. She put the vibrator back inside her bedside drawer. She felt conflicted about the entire night. Grabbing her phone, she sent Tiff a text asking her how the night was going. Her eyes were growing heavy, and she still hadn’t gotten a response from Tiffany. The entire night was on permanent replay in River’s mind as sleep settled over her.