Chapter 2 - Forbidden Fruition
523 Words
Chapter 2 - Forbidden Fruition
"...pleased to make your acquaintance, Jenna," Ella replied courteously, extending a hand. Jenna set aside her shovel and clasped it firmly, callouses brushing Ella's skin yet her touch was soft. "Likewise, miss." Her eyes glinted with amusement, as if privy to some hidden jest.
Ella found herself loath to withdraw from Jenna's grasp and invented further questions to prolong their meeting. Jenna humored her inquiries graciously, sharing tales of her upbringing on a farm some leagues away. Her father had recently passed, leaving Jenna the sole breadwinner for her younger siblings. Needing steadier work, she accepted Thomas's offer as stable hand, a respectable if demanding position for a woman.
Something in Jenna's frank yet gentle manner put Ella at ease unlike the calculated pleasantries of her privileged peers. As afternoon waned, Ella realized with surprise she had lingered hours yet felt no tedium in Jenna's company. Reluctantly taking leave, Ella promised to visit on the morrow with pastries from the bakery, eager to know this enigmatic newcomer better.
Over subsequent days, Ella's visits to the stables grew frequent under pretense of horse riding, though Richard scarcely accompanied her anymore. Between chores, Jenna entertained Ella with work songs and tales of country life, their voices mingling in laughter. Though propriety forbade true friendship, a thrill lanced Ella's heart each time Jenna favored her with a private smile meant for her alone.
One golden eve found the pair brushing the horses as last lights faded. Alone in stalls shadowed and intimate, an electric current seemed to pass between their fingers as they reached for the same mane brush, hands meeting and lingering. Jenna's eyes, usually merry, had darkened like storm clouds as she studied Ella's face. "Miss Finchinger...Ella. You know not what path this could lead," she breathed, imploring yet making no move to withdraw her touch.
Ella's heart thundered in her breast yet unseen doors in her mind swung open, revealing vistas hitherto unknown. "And you, Jenna? What do you want..." Words failed as need overruled reason and Ella leaned into the kiss, soft as down yet setting her soul aflame. Jenna responded hungrily, calloused hands cupping Ella's cheek with startling tenderness. Lost in sensation, Ella forgot all but the racing of her blood and answering swirling deep within as lips and tongues explored uncharted frontiers of pleasure.
When senses returned, Ella found herself embraced tightly in the shadows, cheek pressed to Jenna's racing heart. Guilt and shame struck yet beneath surged a profound joy she had never known. Lifting her head, she met Jenna's eyes gleaming with adoration and understanding. No words were needed - this was right, as eternal and true as the turning of seasons.
Alas, reality intruded all too soon as footsteps neared the stables. With furtive caress and lingering gaze, Jenna and Ella parted ways, hearts lighter yet futures unknown. As Ella rode homeward in the gloaming, she gazed upon the fading rose of dusk and sighed, wondering if love and duty could eternally be at odds or if, against all odds, this trembling strand of forbidden passion might yet bear fruit.
Kwentista
@2023
- Writer
