Best Lesbian Romance 2014 by Radclyffe Page B

macs and wellies.
    I really shouldn’t have bothered. “Dylan from work” obviously hadn’t. Couldn’t blame her, though. I mean, in this day and age, who the fuck agrees to a blind date anymore? Oh yeah, I did.
    It was all Mel’s fault, really. “I work with a lovely girl. You should meet her! You two would get on like a house on fire! Come on, you need a bit of flirting in your life!”
    I agreed, mostly to get Mel off my back. Knowing my luck, “a lovely girl” would mean that she was a bit of a bitch who was quite possibly a racist, but perfectly okay when you meet her at the water cooler.
    The minutes ticked over to two o’clock. Still no sight of themysterious Dylan. I sighed and stood up from my seat.
    Suddenly, I felt a light tap on my shoulder.
    â€œExcuse me. Are you Sara?”
    I turned around to see a young woman fiddling with the wet hem of her skirt. I felt my lips curl into a smile and my breath hitch in my throat.
    â€œYes. I really hope you’re Dylan,” I said.
    â€œYes! Oh, thank god, I thought Mel made you up.”
    A tiny spark made my belly fizz. She was absolutely stunning. I uttered a quick thank you to Mel.
    â€œNo. I’m very real. Come, sit down.”
    Dylan sat down and took a gulp of her coffee. “Is this supposed to be summer, then?” she said, looking out the window.
    â€œYeah, it’s quite depressing,” I said, homing in on her ample cleavage. I could feel my cheeks burning.
    â€œI miss a bit of sunshine.” She sighed. “Only, I miss home when it’s pissing down like this.”
    â€œWhere are you from?”
    â€œThe Land Down Under. I’m a true Aussie girl.”
    Only then did I realize that her accent seemed completely different from the Essex twang. “Oh! I love Australia! Didgeridoos and kangaroos and whatnot!”
    Dylan chuckled. “Well, there are some of those about.”
    â€œI’m sorry. It’s basically all I know about Australia. I’d love to go someday, but with slightly more knowledge.”
    And a ravishing, ample-bosomed guide to take me there.
    â€œWell, you seem like a top sheila. What do you want to know?”
    We drank our coffees and talked about life in Australia versus life in Essex. I couldn’t stop looking at her plump, rosy lips. Hooked on her every word. What was such a beautiful, worldly girl doing in Essex of all places?
    â€œOh, you know. Mate of mine had a flat here, and I wanted to get away from Brisbane. It was a start. Plus, Chelmsford’s nice.”
    â€œHave you seen the sights here?”
    â€œWell, there’s not much to be seen! But…”
    A glint in her eye made my belly feel like it had been invaded by butterflies.
    â€œI’d like to see the cathedral.”
    â€œOh. Right. It’s not that exciting, you know.”
    â€œYeah, I know. But it’s the company I’m in that makes it more exciting.”
    I flushed red and decided that if she wanted to see the cathedral, she was going to get a damn good tour of the place, regardless of how much of a non-event it was.
    Trying to decipher the old gravestones in the courtyard had proven to be quite a task. Dylan looked over my shoulder as I gave it another go. The sun had reappeared with a vengeance and I could feel tiny rivulets of moist sweat forming on my forehead.
    â€œB…E…J… Em, I have no idea,” I said, plonking down on the grass.
    â€œGood, because I have no idea too. How old are these?”
    â€œProbably hundreds of years old.”
    â€œHmm. Imagine being alive back then. No fun to be had anywhere.”
    â€œTrue. We probably would be frowned upon.”
    â€œOf course. All the cool people would be frowned upon. You were only allowed to be a boring tit. No freedom of expression, sexuality was a moot point…. It wouldn’t be fun.”
    With that, she grabbed my hand and placed a kiss on the palm.