Dandelion Jam: A Short Story

Dandelion Jam

By Taaraa Lakay

Prompt: comb, papaya, “shadows whisper beyond the door.”

Her hair splays across her shoulders, the darkness setting nicely against her bronze skin. She had a shine to her, a natural luminescence from within – when we were younger, I had somehow concluded that she must have eaten a star. Because there could be no other explanation for how she glowed.

“Like I was saying,” her lips move but I hear little, “I think I should marry him. I am not getting any younger and I need to appease my parents, right?” She asked with uncertainty in her voice.

It was as if she were begging me to dissuade her, while simultaneously not wanting me to.

She turns to me and shoots me a quizzical look, waiting for my response. I lift the wooden comb from the vanity and direct her back to face the mirror as I comb her hair.

“What I think matters little, my lady.” I return.

Her hair hardly requires my aid as it flows like water to the top of the stool, yet I continue, I continue because it is the highlight of my day. To feel her eyes on me through the mirror and hold a part of her in my hand. As though in another world we were connected, tied.

Closer than mere flesh to flesh.

“And yet I asked you anyway, so why not just answer?” She pushes.

What do I think? I do not want her to leave, but I know that I cannot continue this way forever. She has an obligation to her family and her blood prohibits her from marrying below her.

I know the sensible answer is, ‘Yes, you should marry him, he has been nothing, but a gentleman and I am sure you will live a prosperous life.’

But I want to scream, ‘Do not marry the fool! Yes, he is rich and is perhaps a, if not the most, suitable prospect but can he make you happy? Will your days be spent in joy and will he devote himself to you as I have?’

Instead, I say…

“He has an immense wealth and has been kind to you, right? Then so be it. Now shall I fetch you some fruit before you head to your tea at the Burts' home?”

She peers at me through the mirror again, scanning me with her eyes, studying. She had always had a keen eye for others – so much so that I question how my affection for her has gone undetected.

“Papaya, pineapple, and raspberries. Thank you.” She replies as she stands up from her plush seat.

“Of course.”

。。。

The night was sweet and warm, the walls smelled of honey and dandelion jam from the sweltering day’s flower picking. The halls were dark, lit only by candlelight, guiding me down a path I had walked hundreds, if not thousands, of times. The way to her room was one I would be able to walk blinded and concussed.

But that night, it felt as though my feet walked on their own, carrying me with an air of anxiety and determination. My lady was to wed the next day, and I would not stand in her way as they ripped me from her side, but I would, just for tonight, pretend that we were on equal footing. That I was just another person and she too, just another woman.

As I stood in front of her door that night, the candles lining the halls flickered, and for a split second, it was as though shadows whispered beyond the doors. I contemplated for a while how I would announce my presence. Was to I knock? Walk in? Or should I have just called her name?

But my worries were futile as the door swung open and there she stood, as though expecting me. Her hair had come undone, and her nightgown seemed to cling to her skin with sweat revealing her blushing figure underneath. It was a sight I had chosen to never forget, one that had unconsciously marked my heart and carried me through many nights.

“Are you going to stay out there?” She had asked.

With that I chose to step into her room, it was so bright that only then did I notice my nightgown clung to me as hers did.

She shut the door and turned to me, her eyes not failing to sweep up the view in front of her. She swallowed and returned her gaze to my eyes.

“I,” I started but the words caught in my throat, I had assumed I would be unable to make any sound, “what I’m trying to say is…”

“Put your candle down,” I followed her orders and returned to stand as I did before, but this time, she was closer, “undo your hair,” she asserted.

“No,” I replied.

I needed, for once, to be in charge. I had summoned all the strength from within myself and walked closer to her till our chests touched, and I could feel her breath on my bosom.

“This is my last chance, to tell you how I feel. Just this once there are no titles,” I started.

Her breath hitched and I took the opportunity to trace my hand up her arm, my slow movement seemed to make her stand straighter than before and it made me feel good. I liked having her react to me, to see her writhe under me.

“I want you, as I wanted you yesterday and the day before that. I want you as I have wanted you since I first met you. And while I know you do not feel the same and are spoken for, I ask….” My hand had reached her collarbone, and I continued up her neck, feeling the goosebumps I left in my wake.

“No, I beg, that we, for tonight, pretend that I had a whit of a chance in my endeavour.” I finished with my hand cupping her cheek.

She leaned her face further into my hand and slowly placed her palms on my chest, watching for my reaction, waiting for my denial. But such a thing would never come. She parted her lips and drew a breath.

“I must profess, I have never in my twenty-odd years of life craved something as I do you now.” Her words had stolen my breath, and her eyes twinkled with the flittering of the candles.

“So, for tonight, I shall serve you as dutifully as you have served me.” She traces her hands down my front and kneels.

My lady sat on her knees and pulled up my nightgown, revealing my nude self underneath. She lifts her head to stare at me before disappearing underneath the nightgown. My lady’s soft hands grasp my legs pulling them open to accommodate her mouth as she feasts on me. My mind goes numb, and I attempt to stand upright. Her hands, now rougher, work their way into my flesh, pushing and pulling, driving their way into me as she licks and laps up my arousal. With a final few strokes, I feel my mind grow hazy and my body convulses with a feeling so foreign to me. The pleasure leaves me breathless and unable to hold my weight.

She crawled out from under my nightgown, her mouth wet from my innermost core. She drags her tongue over her lip, eyes locked on mine. Slowly, she takes her fingers into her mouth, then pulls them free with a smirk.

“You taste sweet, like dandelions.” I dared not reply to her, fearing I would collapse under her gaze.

I took her hand into mine and led her to the bed. This time I removed my garments first and then hers. I gazed at her flushed cheeks and heaving chest.

She was a thousand silent pleas, her eyes enough to heal the dying.

“Show me,” her words were soft, “show me how much you want me, my lady.”

Her blatant words and disregard for class had made the hunger grow in me, and my heart had constricted. For that night, she was mine, and I hers. A warm tear rolled down my cheek as I lowered myself down to her and ravished her body as she had mine. Her quivering thighs and bucking hips brought a heat to my core that I had experienced moments prior, and the part of her lips sent me over the edge. I matched her rhythm; our bodies had moved as one.

She moaned, strangled and breathless, her body shuddering at its peak.

For a while, we had just laid there in each other's company. My head rested on her stomach as her hand stroked my hair, the night had remained as sticky as it had begun but I felt a different, peculiar, warmth within me. The universe had just her and me in its clutch, the room faded, and my station ceased to exist.

“Follow me, come with me tomorrow.” She now held herself up on her arms and looked at me with pleading eyes.

“And watch you for an eternity in longing and fury? My love, it would hurt more to see you love another than it has been to love you in silence all my life. And that, I cannot bear.” I whispered.

I climbed up to her and rested my forehead on hers, holding her close.

“I love you,” I confessed and placed my lips on hers, moulding our mouths into a kiss.

。。。

The end

A reminder not to steal others' work! And if you would like to use it (in any form) please do credit me, hope you have a great day honey! Also, what do we think? Sorry it's a bit of a cliffhanger, or a sad-looking hill rather, but I thought I'd just play around with random prompts and see where it landed me, hope you enjoyed it! 

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