Back & Blessed

As if this heat wave wasn't miserable enough, Ophelia was just getting over a lengthy summer cold. Most of the symptoms were finally abating after what seemed like an eternity, but her naturally sensitive nose was still in overdrive. Every little thing set her off, from the occasional whiff of garbage outside to the sweat rolling down her nose. This time it was the breeze from the fan that did it. Scrunching her nose, she buried her face in the old shirt she was using as a sweat rag and tissue and drew a deep breath.

“Hey.” Carly nudged her in excitement with her foot, knocking the urge right out of her body. “Check it out.”

Ophelia groaned. She hated losing a sneeze more than act of sneezing itself. Engrossed in her phone, Carly was oblivious to the frustration she caused. At this point all of the almost-sneezes and the endless, itchy build-ups to nothing were probably no more than background noise to her. Ophelia wasn't offended; in fact, it was she who requested the blessings and fussing stop hours ago.

She peered over as Carly tilted the phone screen to show her a cartoon cloud spewing pixelated raindrops. Ophelia smiled, already feeling cooler.

“We're getting rain,” Carly sang, getting up to waltz over to the window. “That should help with this heat spell.”

Ophelia watched her girlfriend obliquely, still too shy after all these months to ogle her openly. Her ass had such a lovely shape to it; her whole body was composed of appealing curves that moved and flowed with effortless grace, even as she wrenched the window open to glance at the sky, an action so abrupt it caused the rest of the broken pane to fall out.

Okay, so she wasn't that graceful.

“I've never been so happy to see clouds,” she said, leaning her half-naked body shamelessly out the window.

Another itching, burning sensation, this time seemingly triggered by nothing at all, kept Ophelia from replying. She felt around for that old t-shirt, securing it just as her eyes fluttered shut, lips parting with a soft intake of breath. This virus refused to vacate the premises; she had no choice but to evict it by force. Nosing into the soft, worn fabric, she let the sneeze build steadily, each exhale warming her palms through the cotton blend.

“hehh… hehhh... hihh-EISHHHH’ahh!”

“Salud.”

She gasped before pitching forward with another pair of sneezes, brow furrowing. “ISHHhhuew! hehh--ISHHhhuhh!”

“Salud, mi cariño,” Carly crooned, sounding closer now. “I can't believe you still have that cold.”

Ophelia felt her hand on her shoulder and was surprised to find Carly standing right beside her again. She stooped down so she was eye level with Ophelia, smiling as she gave her nose a playful tap. “I know you've got another one in there,” she said, touching it twice more in the same manner, each brief, light contact exacerbating the sensitive nerves there and making her squint. “I can see it in your eyes.”

“Hahh-hiih? - hihh! - heh’kTSCHhh’ah!”

Carly laughed, ducking as Ophelia swatted at her with the hand that wasn't holding the shirt to her nose. They both stopped their play fighting when the rain began pattering against the windows. Ophelia glanced over, the lower half of her face hidden behind the shirt, to watch the rain splatter the windowsill and floor beneath the broken window. Carly didn't seem to mind. It was obvious from the look in her eyes that she was scheming.

“Let's get you cleaned up,” she said, scooping her shocked girlfriend into her arms.

She began carrying her towards the window, but Ophelia was too hot and tired to protest. Instead she simply closed her eyes as Carly delivered her into the small storm spilling through the window. Thousands of droplets hit their bodies, soaking their hair and making their skin glisten in the fading sunlight. Ophelia could hear Carly’s laughter vibrating in her ear through her chest. She burrowed into the pleasant waves of sound and emotion, not expecting to sneeze again so soon. “hig’tCHH! heh-CHSHH’ahh!”

The paroxysms were quick and convulsive, almost causing Carly to lose her hold on her, as if body were a wet bar of soap. Sneeze and rain droplets mingled together, indistinguishable.

“Easy,” Carly warned, securing her to her chest as best she could. “You’re very slippery.”

Turning from the window, the glanced at her relatively dry living room, then down at herself and her dripping wet girlfriend. Ophelia snuffled, wiping her nose against the back of her hand with some hesitation.

“Your floor is soaked,” she observed.