The characters in this story are all mine and the story is all mine. The characters may look like two of our favorite actresses that are not mine, but that's where the similarity ends.
Love/Sex/Language: Yes to all of the above. This story depicts an explicit loving relationship between adult women. If you're under-aged or live in a place that this isn't allowed or this isn't your cup of tea, I suggest you move along and look for something else to occupy your free time.
Violence: There are some scenes that contain pretty graphic violence but I don't consider them to be much. But if you're of the fainter heart, I'd suggest you don't read 'em. They're really not bad though...Not worse than any regular Xena episode.. There is a scene that deals with an almost-rape but nothing serious and nothing graphic.
Thanks: To my beta-reader Erin Jennifer for everything. For reading and correcting my stories and doing a great job of it!
To all the readers that took the time to write to me and telling me what they thought, you encouraged me to keep on writing.
And to all the great bards around and their amazing stories that I loved reading and gave me the inspiration to start writing my own.
Author's comments and Feedback: This is my second novel length story. I hope you'll like it. Unfortunately, the story is yet to be finished because I'm quite busy in my day to day life at the moment so I apologize ahead for the delays in my posting of the parts. I promise to try and write as fast as I possibly can. I hope you decide on reading it anyhow...
I decided to put on hold the writing of the sequel to my story "Time and Time Again". Now about this story, everything in this story is meant purely for fun and I hope you find it funny (in places it was meant to be funny), dramatic (the same) and so on. I would really appreciate knowing what you think of my stories. Tell me if I'm doin' alright or if I royally suck. Some plot ideas would be very much appreciated also. Actually, come to think of it, any comment would be very much appreciated :)
Dimples_2000_fr@yahoo.com
Copyright © Dimples 2002. All rights reserved.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So Close, So Far
by Dimples
~ April 21st, 2002 ~
Part One
Ch.1
The sky went dark a few hours earlier and left the two young friends bathed in the white glow of the moon. The grass they were lying on was soft and inviting, the sweet smell of freshly cut grass wafted in the air around them, cocooning them, pulling them into it. The sound of grasshoppers and all sorts of nightly creatures, made for a perfect ambiance. The two friends were reclined side by side, looking at the stars, thinking, dreaming.
A soft sigh was heard and a pale blonde head turned to look at her dark companion. "What are you thinking about, Jay?"
The dark girl turned her gaze to her small friend and smiled tenderly, "About everything. You'll see Kido, we'll be famous one day."
The blonde groaned playfully and plopped back down, "Will you ever stop? It's not going to happen, Jay. Things like that don't happen to people like us."
Jay rolled back as well, "I'm never going to stop. It will happen to us. Just wait and see."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The sound of the landing planes and the shuffling of people and luggage, surrounded the music stars. Jay always hated the noise and all that consisted of the urban life, in general. She knew that her companion felt the same. Jennifer and herself had been friends for as long as she could remember. Even though she was older than Jennifer by a few years, it never mattered to either one of them, they clicked immediately. Especially when they were in grade school and she beat up a bully, who hassled the small blonde girl. As they were waiting to board their flight to Los Angeles, Jay was reminiscing about all the times she spent with Jennifer star-gazing, under their hometown's sky.
Both started singing even before they were able to talk. When they met for the first time, it was only natural for them to start singing together as well. And so, it all started. They would argue days on end about this and that but especially about getting out of the small town, they called home and becoming worldwide celebrities. Jay always knew they'd make it but she remembered a time when it was pretty hard to make Jennifer believe it too. After many rejections and even more gigs, Jay started doubting herself as well. And then came their big break. They were playing at a club in the nearest town to their home and without their knowledge, they were already on the way to a signed contract for a large record label. The road from there went fairly smooth and after spending their whole lives, trying to make it for themselves, they were now one of the top selling duos in the music business.
Jennifer glanced at Jay and noticed a small smile curling the corner of her mouth. Since they became famous, she hadn't seen Jay smile for the sole purpose of smiling. She became hard and accustomed herself all too well to the life of a celebrity. The surprising flash of softness, Jay's eyes were directing at her, made her heart skip a beat, she hadn't seen that look on her face for a long time either. Her natural curiosity kicked in at the now strange actions coming from her brooding friend. "What are you thinking about, Jay?"
Jay shifted slightly in her seat and looked at the tired looking singer, "I'm thinking about another time, another place, when you asked me the same question."
Jennifer frowned slightly at the obscure answer and decided to let it go. Whatever made Jay seem happy, made Jennifer happy as well. She remembered the first time when she met Jay. How Jay saved her from the over-grown bully. Since that moment, the young, green-eyed blonde, felt a tiny fleck of hero-worship toward her tall, protective companion. That tiny fleck turned into a fully-grown crush over the years, that had never left her.
'Flight 419 now boarding for Los Angeles. Flight 419 now boarding at gate 81E.'
The sound of their flight being called out, shook both women from their musings as they scrambled up from the uncomfortable chairs and started moving toward the intended gate. Their staff, which consisted of their manager, Jonney Reddmont, their personal assistant, Sheila White, their musicians, Michael, Kenny, Ashley and Donna and their body guards, surrounded them and made sure no one came close enough to the tired stars. After a few requests from screaming fans for autographs and some pictures, they finally made their way into the plane. Arranging their-hand bags in the upper compartments, the crew was sitted in the back rows of first class, giving the duo some breathing room so they could relax and catch on some sleep.
Jay let Jennifer take the window sit because she knew how much the blonde liked to look out of the window at the clouds and at the faraway ground. Jennifer smiled her thanks and took her seat. Jay sat and immediately reclined the chair backwards to make room for her long aching legs. Neither particularly enjoyed flights but it was a necessity.
"The concert was sold out. It's going to be great." Said Jay, referring to the concert ahead of them in Los Angeles.
Jennifer reclined her seat back as well and closed her eyes blissfully. "Mmmm, I know. I can't wait to try some of our new stuff."
Jay smiled and nodded, "Yeah, me too." Noticing that Jennifer was starting to drift off but was constantly trying to wake herself up so she could keep Jay company, Jay said "Get some sleep now. I'll try to catch a wink too."
Jennifer smiled at Jay and curled on her seat as comfortably as possible and fell asleep.
Jay smiled fondly at her friend. Jennifer always tried to take care of her and she vowed when she was little to always try and take care of Jennifer too. Kissing Jennifer's forehead softly, Jay pulled her into her arms to make her feel more comfortable and warmer and in a few minutes time, drifted to sleep also.
The flight was over, three hours later and both slept during most of it. When the plane landed, Jay and Jennifer awoke with a jerk and looked out of the window. "We're here." said the sleepy blonde.
"Yeah. LA, here we come." said Jay with a cheerfulness, she wasn't feeling.
Jennifer touched Jay's forearm gently and looked at her quizzically. Jay did her best to ignore the look as she rose from her seat to take their luggage out of the upper compartment. Jennifer shrugged it off and stood up as well, stretching her sore muscles. People were starting to get off the plane. Jay and Jennifer made their way to the exit, followed by their team. Few people noticed the stars getting off the plane because it was pretty hard to even get a glimpse at them with the amount of security that surrounded them. They went through the usual process when they entered the airport. Their passports were checked, their luggage went through the same and finally, they were allowed to step out of the stuffy airport and onto the stuffier streets of LA.
In front of one of the exits stood a long, black limo. A man dressed in neatly pressed, black slacks, a white, long sleeved shirt, a black bow tie and a chauffeurs hat stood next to the limo holding up a sign with the duo's name scrolled on it 'Double J'.
Just as the duo was coming out of the airport, a sudden yell was heard and at the same moment, cameras started flashing all over the place, fans started screaming the girls' names and reporters started firing questions at the tired singers. Even though both were tired and in need of some sleep to get rid of their jet-lag, their bright smiles could out-shine all the camera flashes in a heartbeat. They separated and moved to greet their fans more personally. Jennifer took the right side and Jay took the left side of the screaming fans. They stood at the exit of the airport for over an hour, smiling, shaking hands, kissing, posing for pictures, answering questions and signing dozens of autographs. When the ruckus finally settled down, the duo was able to slip away into the limo.
They settled into the limo and took a deep breath of relief. They loved their fans and they knew that these screaming fans were the most important reason for their success so they made a vow, to never let down a fan and to never refuse a chance to make a fan happy. This vow made them a little more tired but a lot more dedicated to what they do. Their team got into the limo as well and they left the airport and many happy fans behind.
"That was some welcome." said the still smiling Jennifer.
Jay chuckled slightly and nodded, "Yes it was."
"I can't wait to take a hot shower and get myself into a warm, big, soft, comfortable bed." Jennifer's description was accompanied by a long, drawn-out groan.
Jay smiled and laughed at her friend's antics. She patted her knee and turned to look out of the window at the passing scenery. This was their first time in Los Angeles and she planned to enjoy her stay. After the concert we'll go out and see what this town has to offer... A small, wolfish smile appeared at the corner of her mouth as she thought about the girls that awaited their arrival at the airport, Oh yeah, I'm going to have some fun here alright.
In the meantime, Jennifer thought about the concert, about the new songs they would perform on stage and about their fans. She still couldn't get used to the fact that they were famous and people actually recognized them when walking on the street. Being famous had always been her dream. She could remember times, not so far away, when she and Jay talked about it. And it happened, it actually happened. Dreams do come true... She turned a wistful look at her companion and then back to her window, maybe not all dreams, though.
The drive to their hotel didn't take long and soon enough they were waiting for the front desk clerk to give them their room key. They were told that they would be staying in the presidential suite, which was located on the top floor and was as large as a whole floor. Grabbing the key, but not before giving out one last autograph to the clerk, they reached the elevators just in time to catch it. Their manager would be staying a few doors down the hallway from them, the assistant got the room next to his, the musicians were staying in one large room for the four of them and the bodyguards got the room next door to the singers so they could have a close watch on them. Reaching the 31st floor, they got off the elevator and were faced with a large wooden door with the room number 5335 on it.
"The last rehearsal for the concert will be tonight at 7:00PM. Go get some sleep and I'll come wake you up when it's time." Said Jonney, their manager. Jonney was with 'Double J' since the first moment. Even before they had a written contract he was there for them. When he heard Jennifer's angelic voice backed up by the sexy, smoky voice of her partner, Jay, he knew he hit a goldmine. He was positively certain that they would hit it big once they were discovered by the right people. And they were. Being there with them through thick and thin concluded the duo's decision for them. They could've fired Jonney and taken a world-known manager once they were signed but his loyalty and his belief in them kept him as one of their increasing team.
"Yeah, we'll do that. You guys get some sleep too." said Jay.
With a quick good-bye, each walked to his own room. Jay opened the door to their room and let Jennifer walk in ahead of her. She turned around and let the door close behind her as she heard Jennifer gasp. She was about to ask her what was wrong when she took notice of the room. The room was literally huge. You could probably fit our whole town in here, thought Jay. Now it wasn't as though they had never seen such a room, it was just that they had never stayed in rooms as large as this one up until then. They were famous and they knew comfort but things like this room still amazed them and made them wander back to where they came from. When you entered the room, you were faced with a long glass door that opened into the balcony. From the balcony, there was an amazing view of the city. To the right of the balcony was a built-in hot tub and to the left was a large, round table with six chairs surrounding it. The balcony was beautifully designed and everywhere you turned were flowers of all kinds of color and smell. Inside the room on the right, stood a marble made bar with three stools in front and all the liquor you could imagine. Further to the right was a door that opened into a beautiful white room with a king sized bed, nightstands, a desk, a closet, a large TV and mini-bar and a private bathroom. On the left, was the living-room. The black leather sofa, two reclining chairs and a large-screen TV surrounded a marble made coffee table that stood in the middle of the room on top of a white bearskin rug. Next to the TV was a door to another large bedroom, that looked much the same as the other one only it was differently shaped. Further to the left was a comfortable kitchenette with all the needed appliances and a dining table that could sit six.
"I'll take the one on the right, if it's alright with you." Said Jennifer.
"Sure. Go ahead." answered Jay. She went into Jennifer's room and put her luggage down on the bed, "Here you go. I'm going to take a quick shower and a nap or something. If you need anything..."
Jennifer smiled and nodded her thanks. "Yeah, I'll do the same. I'll see you later."
"Okay, later." Jay gave Jennifer a light kiss on the cheek and went to her bedroom to unpack and relax.
Ch. 2
The hours passed fairly quickly for the two deeply slumbering singers. A loud knock on the door startled Jay awake. She raised herself to sit on the edge of her bed and rubbed her hands over her face, trying to wipe the drowsiness away. She got up and went to answer the door. "I'm coming, I'm coming." Yelled Jay through the room. She reached the door and opened it. Jonney was standing in the hall dressed in his usual jeans and dress jacket, smirking slightly at the tired singer. Jay moved away from the doorway and let Jonney enter. Jay walked toward her bathroom to freshen up and wake herself better. "Did I wake you?" asked Jonney, innocently.
Jay turned and yelled over her shoulder, "smart-ass."
Jonney sat himself down on the sofa and waited for her return.
Jay splashed some cold water on her face and brushed her teeth. Looking in the mirror she thought to herself, "Damn, I look awful." She dried her face with a white wash towel, brushed her fingers through her tousled hair and fingered the dark circles that adorned her tired eyes. She went into her bedroom and pulled a pair of tight blue jeans and a black halter-top that showed off her defined muscles. She pulled a pair of her favorite black boots out of the closet and put them on. With another brush of her fingers through her hair, she stepped out of her bedroom. "What's the time?"
"It's almost 7:15 PM. Aren't you going to wake Jennifer up?"
"Yeah. Wait a second."
Jay walked to Jennifer's door and knocked softly on it. Not hearing any answer from the inside, she cracked open the door and stepped inside. The small form of the blonde sleeping in the large bed, her body tangled in the covers made for an adorable sight and it brought a soft smile to Jay's face. She stepped closer to the bed and sitted herself down on the edge, next to the blonde's head. She brushed a few strands of hair away from Jennifer's face and caressed her cheek tenderly. "Jennifer? Jennifer, wake up." She whispered, softly shaking her awake.
A soft murmur was the only sound the blonde made as she cracked open her eyes.
"Hi." said Jay.
"Mmmm, Hi."
"We need to get going. We need to start the rehearsal." Said Jay but her words fell on deaf ears because the only sound that came from Jennifer was the sound of her soft snoring. Jay chuckled and tickled Jennifer, making her jump halfway off the bed. Jennifer was now fully awake and she was giving Jay a menacing look while she was silently fuming. Jay just chuckled and said, "Come on. Is it safe to leave you alone? You're not going back to sleep, are you?"
Jennifer pouted and said, "If you're through tormenting me then I'll get dressed."
"Okay, okay. We're waiting for you."
"We?"
"Yeah, Jonney's here."
"Okay, I'll be right out."
"Okay." Said Jay. She leaned to give Jennifer's soft cheek a peck and got up and out of the room.
Jay was speaking quietly with Jonney when Jennifer came out of her room, ready to go. She was wearing a tight white tank top that showed her firm body and a loose pair of white sweats. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and to Jay, she had never looked better.
"Hi Jonney."
"Hey sweets." said the smiling manager. He had always noticed that there was something special going on between these two. Unfortunately, they had never caught on.
"Are we leaving?" asked Jennifer.
"Yes, we are. We were just waiting for you." answered Jonney.
"Okay, let's go."
The three got up and left the room. On the way to the elevator, the other team members joined them, all ready for the last rehearsal before the real show began. "Tomorrow's going to be a long day. At around 11:00 AM, the make up girl and the hair guy will be coming to your room to fix you two up. Later on, you have to go sign some autographs and then at 8:00 PM sharp, we'll be at the stadium." Sheila, their personal assistant, gave them the itinerary for the next day as they traveled to the first floor. Getting off the elevator, they gave the key to the desk clerk and hurried to the limo, which was waiting for them out back. The front of the hotel was swamped with screaming fans and they didn't have the time to deal with that. Jonney was certain if they went through the front door, the duo would not disappoint their fans and sign autographs for at least the next hour or so.
The drive to the stadium was quiet and uneventful. Jay and Jennifer talked a bit about their songs and about the order in which they will sing them. Done with that, the conversation came to a halt. Though, swift glances were changed from time to time between the singers. When Jennifer thought Jay wasn't looking, she glanced in her way and then averted her gaze back to the window. Jay did the same and the only one taking great amusement in all this was their manager, Jonney, which was situated right in front of them and got a front row seat of their little game. Right before they reached the location, Jonney couldn't hold it in any longer when both looked at each other at the same time and then snapped their heads back to their windows as if they received an electric shock. He laughed right out and when the singers looked at him quizzically, he just laughed all the more. The singers didn't want to discuss what just went on so they shook their heads, shrugged and turned to look out of the window.
"We're here." said Jonney, who was still breathing hard from laughing. He really wanted to see them happy, they deserved that but neither was willing to admit what was plain as day to an outside observer.
Jonney walked to the soundman and asked him about the equipment. "Is everything ready?"
"Yes. I just need to adjust a few more things but I'll do that when they test out the mikes."
"Okay. People! Places! We're about to start this rehearsal." Said the stage manager.
The musicians moved into their places and picked up their instruments. Michael picked up the lead electric guitar, Kenny moved to pick up his drum sticks and sat behind the drum kit, Ashley took her bass guitar from its trunk and Donna went to check on her keyboards. The bodyguards moved into their assigned places to protect everybody in the vicinity of the stadium and Jonney moved aside to let everybody else do their jobs. "Are you two ready?" asked Jonney.
"Yeah. Give us one second." said Jay.
When Jonney left, she turned to Jennifer, "Ready?"
Jennifer nodded and smiled, "As ready as I'll ever be. I hope tomorrow will work out."
"Oh, come on. You know it'll be great. Just don't worry and have fun."
Jay took Jennifer's hands into her own, gave them a quick squeeze and dragged her to the stage.
"Alright, Jay, Jennifer, I want you to say something into the mikes." said the soundman, Ray.
Jay moved to one of the mikes and said a series of 'one-twos'. Jennifer moved beside her and did the same to her mike. Ray gave them the thumbs up and said they were okay to start.
The rehearsal went on for a few hours, the duo was already tired and their voices started cracking a bit. They were now taking a break after singing the whole round of fourteen songs that the concert consisted of. They were sitting side by side on one of the amplifiers, drinking from a cold bottle of water. The lights illuminating the stage area made it steaming hot and both were soaking wet with perspiration. Jennifer fanned herself as she looked around, "I'm so tired."
"Yeah. I'm tired too. This won't take much longer. Tomorrow won't be like this. Think of the thrill, the adrenaline of hearing our names screamed out and besides, you know the show never goes like the rehearsal. It's gonna be great."
"Yeah, I know. Come on, let's wrap this up so we can go and get some sleep."
Petting Jay's knee, she raised herself tiredly from her seat and moved to tell Jonney that they were ready to continue. After another hour of singing and perfecting the last bits of the show, they wrapped things up and got into the cars, heading toward the hotel. On the way to the hotel, Jennifer fell asleep and was rocking from side to side with each bump the car hit. Jay, who was now openly staring at her beautiful companion, pulled Jennifer to her and laid her head onto her lap. Jennifer mumbled incoherently and fell right back to sleep. At almost midnight, the traffic was scarce and they reached the hotel in record time. When the car stopped, Jay whispered softly in Jennifer's ear, "Wake up. We're here. Come on, there's a nice soft bed waiting for you." Jennifer sleepily yawned and raised herself from Jay's lap. "Thanks Jay."
"For what?"
"For letting me use you as a pillow." said Jennifer, blushing slightly.
Jay winked and said, "No problem. Any time."
They stepped into the cool night air and walked through the hall to the elevator. Jonney brought the keys to their room and they went upstairs.
In their suite, Jay locked the door behind her and led Jennifer into her room. "Sleep tight. You were great tonight and I'm sure tomorrow will be awesome."
"Yeah, I hope so. Good night, Jay."
"'Night, sweets."
Jennifer playfully slapped her and pushed her towards the door. Right before Jay moved to go to her own room, she turned around and kissed Jennifer lightly on the lips. Without saying a word, she went to her room and closed the door behind her. Jennifer stood at her doorway, stunned. That kiss, as chaste as it was, was the last thing she expected Jay to do. Moving numbly into her room, she closed her door as well. She undressed and tucked herself in bed. The last thing she thought about before drifting into sleep was Jay's beautiful face moving toward hers and kissing her.
Unknown to her and to Jay's amazement, Jay's thoughts drifted into the same place.