Working Title Lesbian Romance Chapter 1

This has to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever had to do. I'm currently a writer for Out Magazine and my editor has requested that I write an article based on a personal experience that would also be relatable to the readers. After thinking it over for several days I have decided to write about the one experience that most out readers would have in common: my first experience with a woman.

To start, I will give you a little information about myself. My name is Bailey. I'm 25 Years old and live with my girlfriend of four years in New York City. I went to Columbia University to pursue a career in Journalism.

To tell you my story, I'll have to go back in time. Back to my sophomore year in college when I was four years younger, and way more naive.

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It's 2011, my 21st birthday to be exact. My roommates and I went out the Lucky Star's Gay Bar. Neither of us were gay (at the time), but it was the only bar we could walk to from our dorms. We are waiting in line to get inside and in the distance there is a woman. So James Dean like, so exquisite. She leans on the outside of the bar with a cigarette in her mouth. Why am I staring?

"Come on Bailey, if you want to talk to her, stop being a pussy and ask her out already!" Vanessa yells with a chuckle as she pushes me into the direction of the Goddess.

She looks up and gives me this smirk that makes my muscles churn from head to toe.

"You got a light?" she asks,

Before I could answer, a guy with no shirt on steps out and gets out his lighter.

"I got you!" He shouts as the Goddess backs away.

"Nah, I'm straight." The mysterious woman replies. I would hope she meant she was okay, not that I would never have a chance with her.

"Yeah, sure you are!" shouts the drunken shirtless buffoon. "And who do we have here?" He asks me.

"Um... Bailey," I reply hesitantly.

"Well, Bailey, looks like you'll be having a good time tonight. I've never seen you here before," The man replies as he salivates at the sight of me.

"Isn't this a gay bar?" I retort quickly as I hear my friends laugh at my candor.

"Honey, someone has to make sure their friends are playing it safe. Come on inside with me."

"Bailey, come on with us" Natalie interjects as she pulls me inside.

The bar smells of bad cologne, cigarettes, and an unknown scent, perhaps vomit? There is glitter on the floor that has probably been there since the eighties, along with the outdated decor. We sit at the booth closest to the bar, hoping for quick service to get my first night of legal drinking off to a good start. The shirtless man returns, and is now sitting next to me. I order a dirty martini and tell the bartender to keep 'em coming. I'm ready to just feel numb already. I know I should be more excited to be here celebrating with my friends, but I can't help wanting to drown out the shirtless man's pick up lines.

"The name's Brandon," he says as he holds out his hand for a shake. I grab his hand hesitantly and force a small up and down motion.

"I go to Columbia and these are my roommates," I reply, praying he will go away soon. I look over to my friends to find them googly-eyed and drooling. I hope he gets lucky with one of them tonight because it will not be me.

Just as I begin to give up on this night, I hear someone pull a stool over to our table. It's the Goddess. Without a word, she picks the olive out of my drink and puts it to her lips. Her eyes are devilish as they stay locked on mine. She then puts her teeth around the olive and pulls a bare toothpick out of her mouth. My mouth opens involuntarily as I bite my lip without thinking. I hear a Lady Gaga song coming through the speakers and I can't help but perfectly the lyrics fit my current situation, "He's a wolf in disguise, but I can't stop staring in those evil eyes."

"Do you want to dance?" I blurt out suddenly. Shit. The words are out of my mouth before I even realize that I'm speaking.

"Sorry, I don't dance." She replies with a smirk. I can't help but be fascinated by the way her mouth moves. By now, I know my friends are staring at us and Brandon is getting pissed because I have only said but a few words to him.

"Well, if you don't like dancing. Then can we get out of here?" Where is this coming from? Who am I?

Her face seems overcome with surprise as she says a simple, "Okay."

I stand up and walk out with the Goddess. I don't even bother saying goodbye to my friends. I'm too mesmerized by the fact that I am walking out of the bar with her.

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"I'm dorming at Columbia if you want somewhere to go." I say. She replies with a nod and a smile.

As we walk side by side my nerves get the best of me and I can't stop chattering about what seems like nothing at all.

I talk about school, cars, shopping, and basically tell my life story before we reach my room door.

I finally stop talking long enough to realize that I didn't even know my mystery woman's name. "So, what's your name?" I finally ask, embarrassed. She must think that I'm the most self-centered person on earth.

"Stevie," she responds.

"Stevie? Like Stevie Nicks?" I inquire.

"Not exactly," is her only reply.

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We reach my dorm and as I struggle to find the right key I can feel Stevie next to me, like static electricity. In the corner of my eye I can see her looking right at me. My pulse quickens as I turn the key in the door. I let Stevie in first as I say, "sorry about the mess."

I shut the door behind me and lean on the back of it as Stevie stands in front of me, looking at me, almost cautiously. It's as if she can hear my heart racing and doesn't want to startle me. I contemplate my next move as I look down at my hands, giving myself time to slow my heart rate. I look up to make sure that I'm not dreaming. Stevie can sense my hesitation. "I'm here, so now what?" She asks in a gentle tone, almost whispering. I'm ready to give her the answer.

Without giving myself time to overthink, I take her face into my hands as she tugs my waist, closing the gap between us. Our embrace isn't nervous or rushed, but soft and careful. She moves her lips from my mouth to my neck as goose bumps cover my whole body. I pull her in closer, wrapping my arms around her back. She looks up at me and I can't help but steal another kiss. She smiles and returns the favor as I tug the hair on the back of her neck. As we pull away I can't help myself from analyzing the features I couldn't see in the darkness of the bar. Her skin is porcelain white, perfectly complementing her icy blue eyes and platinum blonde hair, which is short and choppy like she had been growing out an old Mohawk.

I take her hand in mine and lead her to the bed. She seems hypnotized by me now, agreeing with my every move. I push her onto the bed and climb on top of her, surprising her once again. I feel her hands glide over every inch of my body, sending chills down my spine. As I press my lips into hers, I feel her hand on the outside of my jeans as it traces the inside of my thigh and moves its way up further, causing me to gasp. I want to feel more. I unbutton my pants and start to pull off Stevie's shirt as she stops me suddenly, holding both of my hands in hers. I look at her quizzically.

She kisses my hands and shakes her head.

"I'm sorry," she whispers as she releases me and climbs off the bed, fixing her shirt in the process.

"I should go now," she says without making eye contact as she walks towards the door and quickly exits.

What did I do? Did I move too fast? I contemplate running after her before checking the clock. It's 4am and tomorrow is the first day of school. I sigh in frustration and put my head into my hands. How am I supposed to focus in school tomorrow knowing I won't be able to get Stevie out of my head?