Julia briefly glanced up and down at herself in her cracked mirror, styling her hair into spikes with a wet hand. She didn't hold too much stock in her appearance, but her short pixie cut was definitely an exception. She would happily walk out of her house and face the world in rags, but only as long as her dark hair was perfectly arranged. She had thrown on a Pink Floyd T-shirt and ripped jeans and felt ready to attend an alternative rock concert, so that meant her outfit was perfect.

The tall woman's ears pricked up at a faint buzz that came from her dressing table. She wouldn't let herself admit it, but she had been listening for the sound all morning, because she knew exactly who it would be.

Morning beautiful, hope that 8:45 isn't too bright and early for you - B x

At the other end of the line, Bella, sat in her steamed up Volvo which was still parked at Nessie's school, was stressing out intensely. Morning beautiful? They had only met a few days ago, they weren't lifelong spouses with three cats and eight dogs... But Bella was proud that she'd managed to send anything at all, having spent an embarrassingly long amount of time drafting and redrafting this simple text. When her phone pinged, she nearly jumped out of her seat.

8:45? You'll have to get up damn early in the AM to catch me, Bells. J

Bells? The woman began to panic in her car seat, drawing her knees up to her chest. Bella wished that she had the easygoing confidence she saw in Julia, but she kept catching herself overanalysing this reply. With a deep breath, she began to type back - witty and charming she thought to herself just be witty and charming...

Julia finally exhaled as the next message came through whilst she was taking a bite out of her toast, and she read it with a stupid smirk on her face.

Might try that someday, you'll need to show me to your room so that I know where to find you, of course - B x

Speaking of, fancy grabbing some drinks after work? I know a nice place, hope you won't mind hanging with the common folk. J

Bella flushed and finally elected to start the car, engine rumbling softly as she thanked the lord she had stood up to Edward about his stupid bus plan. She knew she should think about this, weigh up the benefits and consequences, and reach a balanced decision, but instead she picked up her phone and typed back a message uncharacteristicly quickly.

I'd love to, nice to have a break from the port and cigars, I'll pick you up at six? - B x

See you then, I'll text you the directions later, enjoy work, gorgeous. J

After Julia had sent this message, she felt like squealing like a little girl, and permitted herself a toothy grin. A date. She tried to cast her mind back to the last date she had been on and couldn't conjure anything up - she hadn't exactly been the dating type per se. Monogamy had been the most dull concept ever in the mind of the eighteen year old Julia, and she had instead preferred to, well, test the water was the nicest way of putting it. Another more blunt way of saying it (and the way her dad described it) was that she'd had more girlfriends than Ellen Degeneres. But now she was older, she felt like it was time to slow down a bit, and at least she could say she was doing just that with Bella, they had spent a whole evening together and not had sex (which was certainly a first for Julia), although they had certainly come tantalising close, which was more than enough for now.

Bella arrived at Bean and Gone in a surprisingly cheery mood, and Mike had definitely noticed it because he had told Bella that her low bun was particularly messy today, but she wasn't going to let that penetrate her beautiful bubble of euphoria (which also blocked out all Edward-shaped speech bubbles which were all screaming at the top of their lungs).

She even shocked herself when she heard the unfamiliar phrases "Good morning" and "Have a nice day" leave her lips. Bella had always had a 'does what it says on the tin' approach to working, sure she'd make coffee, clean the equipment and (her nose wrinkled slightly) be on bathroom duty, but she had never been the above and beyond type. At least something must be working, because by closing time, Bella jingled as she wiped down each soiled table, her pockets full of change - and it's now even like she particularly wanted any of it, the money had just accumulated by many "Oh no, I insist"s throughout the day. At least Bella thought with a smile you can be the buying your date a drink type.

When Bella flew out of the coffee shop, marching the short walk to her car, she immediately checked her phone, eyes flying to the address Julia had sent her. After reading it several times, she had committed it to memory, but nevertheless she bit the cap off the pen she stored in her handbag and, feeling like an octogenarian, wrote the address on the back of her hand.

She had just enough time to speed home and get changed, but she hadn't a clue what to wear. Bella regarded her extensive wardrobe with dread - what does one wear on a date? She had never been on a date before, and was completely unsure whether you wore a hoodie or if tie and tails would suffice. She pulled out a dark green dress - too gaudy. She replaced it swiftly and grabbed a navy dress. Bella's dark eyes ran along it's length slowly, it was relatively simple - classic - and flowed nicely, ending at around knee length. It'll do she thought, her mind now on how she would accessorise, thinking that silver would be a nice colour to complement it.

"Shit" cussed Julia, looking down at her clothes, which were splattered in oil and god knows what other car paraphernalia. Her mind hadn't really contemplated this very likely scenario, and now she had fifteen minutes to be date-ready. She stood in the doorway of her room, drumming her fingers against her thigh. "Shit" she repeated, regarding the unholy mess through Bella's eyes, and quickly got to tidying it, throwing dirty clothes in the washing machine and replacing books roughly on random shelves. The tall woman gave a white tank top and patterned blue shirt the sniff test and, satisfied that they had passed, threw them on with some jeans. She then spent longer than she cared to admit meticulously applying eyeliner and was out of the door just as a car horn began to honk outside.

Bella made a swift intake of breath after she had pipped the car horn twice - she had in fact been sat outside in her car for at least five minutes, steeling herself, getting in the right mindset as well as having a mini-breakdown. It's not as if she had just taken off - Nessie had begged to stay at Charlie's again so they could finish their LEGO magnum opus, and Edward had gone AWOL, giving Bella some half-hearted excuse about packing for his Hamburg trip tomorrow, so she wasn't being missed, was she?

When Julia turned after having locked the door to her small house, she spotted Bella with a wide grin on her face. She was leaning against her car, the picture of a goddess, with her arms crossed, a navy dress peeking out from beneath a leather jacket and a very large, very hairy cat weaving around her black heels.

"Who's this?" Bella asked, tickling the tabby behind the ears and smiling up at her.

"Oh, she's Anna" Julia was amused at the sudden appearance of her friend "she just hangs around, I leave food out for her sometimes, eats like she's never seen food before" Bella chuckled this, straightening up and brushing her now very hairy hands together, and her face changed, fully observing the figure in front of her.

"You look... beautiful" she spoke clearly, lifting her eyes to meet Julia's. The cat, now realising that it would be receiving no more cuddles from either party, scampered away towards a dustbin.

"Thanks" Julia went red and flashed a grin "You look gorgeous" she approached the woman leaning on the car, until they were almost touching. Bella's breath quickened noticeably as she gazed up at the tall figure

"You know," Julia spoke softly, her head bowing so she could whisper into the other woman's ear "we could just go straight inside..."

Bella closed her eyes and inhaled, seeing if Julia's scent had been close to what she remembered, after thoroughly confirming this, her eyes opened again, a mischievous glint there that wasn't there before.

"Believe me, I'd love nothing more" she started, mimicking Julia's hushed and seductive tone "but" she sprung sideways and brandished her keys, making the taller woman leap backwards at Bella's sudden playful tone "I believe I was promised a date" and with that she gave an innocent grin and skipped round to the driver's seat of her Volvo and hopped in.

Julia, still shell shocked, smirked blankly and clambered awkwardly into the passenger seat.

"Who do they make these seats for?" She said incredulously, still arranging her lanky form so she could be somewhat comfortable "My knees are up to my bastard ears over here"

Bella managed to squeak through laughing "You... you can p-put the seat back" and she demonstrated this on her own seat, rolling it back and forth.

"Oh, good, so it's only my arms that will have to hang out of the sunroof"

"It's hardly my fault that you have freakishly long limbs" Bella managed to get out without bursting into laughter, adjusting her mirror. "So where are we off to, then?" She made the mistake of looking to her left and seeing Julia, her head ducked slightly, her legs immovably wedged up against the dashboard and her arms awkwardly hanging over her body and a face like thunder. Bella made a face, pinching her lips together so as to not begin laughing again.

"Ummm, I was thinking of Graecian, it's a-" she coughed, a smile creeping onto her face "bar that I used to frequent"

"It's not a nightclub, is it?" Bella looked concerned, nightclubs had never really been her scene.

"No, I'm classier than that, I don't take women to a nightclub on a date" she thought for a moment "well, not on a first date anyways" and she winked over at Bella, who pointedly looked away whilst concealing a smile.

"So what is it then?" Bella wondered, half to herself.

"I suppose you'll find out when we get there" Julia smirked and tucked a stray piece of hair behind the other woman's ear.

———————————————————————

Bella began to wonder quite where the taller woman was leading her, since they had been walking for ten minutes and had left the colour and noise of the bars well behind them, the street they were walking down instead had lots of quaint little restaurants that were bustling with tourists.

"Don't worry, we're nearly there" Julia turned and smiled at her, extending her hand, which Bella took, relishing the heat radiating off it.

All of a sudden, Julia changed direction, heading off down a back alley between two restaurants, and the sound of polite conversation slowly faded away. Just as Bella opened her mouth to ask the question, it was immediately answered for her.

The Graecian declared a pink neon sign above an otherwise inconspicuous doorway, Bella looked over at the other woman, her face bathed in it's coloured light. She reached a strong hand out and opened the door, pushing it gently as it had no door handle. It swung inwards, revealing a descending staircase and faint strains of music drifting up at them.

"After you" Julia grinned with a flourish towards the open door.

Reluctantly, Bella released the taller woman's hand and faced the stairway. With a deep breath, she began to descend the narrow steps, the dark corridor becoming lighter and the strains of music getting louder, so that Bella could distinguish it as guitar. Then, before she knew it, a whole scene exploded into view before her, she didn't know what she was expecting - but it wasn't this.

The place before her was a bar all right, but like none other that Bella had seen. It had a retro, classic feel - all exposed brickwork and filament lightbulbs - with a small, homely atmosphere, and intimate booths lining the walls. But what Bella had noticed immediately upon stepping in was the men, in that there were none whatsoever. Instead there were women of all shapes and sizes - tall, short, black, white, Asian, Hispanic - all kissing, holding hands, embracing or just talking. Bella had never seen so much... inclusivity in any one place - and she absolutely loved it.

Julia appeared beside her, retaking her cool hand in her own. Bella's face remained completely still, her eyes wide and her mouth open, with a slight smile curling her lip.

"So" She began, reaching up a dark hand to caress Bella's cheekbone "do you like it?"

Bella snapped out of her trance, and slowly turned and lifted her head to look at Julia, who was pleased to register a wide grin on the face of the smaller woman.

"I love it" She said breathlessly, her eyes panning the room again. When she brought her eyes back to Julia's, they had a seductive quality, as if they were asking sincerely for something, and Julia wasn't one to disappoint. Bella reached up on tip-toe as Julia bowed her head and they shared a kiss, slow and wanting, but ending altogether too soon.

"Fancy a drink?" Julia whispered, her lips millimetres from the shorter woman's ear.

"I'd love one" Bella grinned, at an equally intimate volume, and the taller woman led her, hand in hand to the bar. It was made of dark wood and manned (if you'll excuse the phrase) by a tiny, pixie-like woman with short hair that stuck out in all directions. She was wearing a black tank top and had tattoos that spidered across her pale arms, which were currently busy shaking a cocktail for a fiery-haired woman sitting at the bar. The wall behind her was a hive of liquor, mirrors and filament lightbulbs that emitted a golden light.

"Hey, Jules" piped the short woman behind the bar "What can I do for you?" Her voice had an airy, musical quality that Bella found instantly relaxing.

"Glass of Merlot, if that's okay, Alice" Julia replied, obviously comfortable around this woman who Bella was sure had served her an obscene number of drinks over the years.

"I suppose I can just about manage that" Alice said with a coy smile, "and what's your name?" She turned to Bella, with a kind smile on her face.

"Bella" she smiled back at the attractive bartender.

"Okay Bella, what would you like to drink?"

She should probably have thought about this beforehand, but Bella now found herself without a clue of what she wanted. She had never been a massive drinker, having been heavily pregnant at the age when all of her peers had been out getting (as they called it) shitfaced, so she was definitely not versed in alcohol.

"Uhh... a jack and coke please, Alice" She stammered, having heard that drink once on a tv show and thought it sounded cool.

"Can do, ladies" Alice winked at them and turned to start making their drinks.

"Jack and coke?" Julia said incredulously, eyebrows raised.

"Why, is that wrong?" Bella was concerned that she'd just committed a horrendous faux pas.

"Not at all, just thought you were more of a" She put on a posh accent "1935 Chardonnay, if you will, Butler kind of person"

"I think you'll find" Bella started, raising an eyebrow "that I'm full of surprises"

"Have fun ladies" Alice winked as she handed over their drinks, before moving along and introducing herself to the next pair stood together at the bar.

They made their way across the room, to the booth nearest to the solo guitar player, a thin woman with golden eyes and masses of curly blonde hair, who smiled at them as they passed.

"That's Tanya" Julia indicated to Bella "she's been performing her forever"

Bella couldn't quite put into words how much she adored this place, but tried to as she sunk into the dark leather furnishings of the booth, which was decorated with old record sleeves and fairy lights which hung down, giving a warm and magical feeling to the booth.

"This place..." Bella began, flabbergasted "it just... it makes me feel at home"

"I guess that's why I keep coming back" Julia replied dryly, taking a sip of her drink "you won't find a bar like it, not in the whole of London"

"I just feel so welcome here, you know? I usually stick out like a sore thumb at parties and that - just so awkward..." she trailed off, making eye contact with the woman across from her, and taking a sip of her drink (which was really rather nice). "Tell me about yourself" she said suddenly, propping her head up on her hand like a schoolgirl.

"Well... My name's Julia Black, I'm twenty six, my mother's Spanish and my father's Native American" she reached her hand over the table and held Bella's softly "I live alone, if you discount Anna the cat, and I'm a mechanic"

Bella knodded, thinking about how to convey the very delicate information that it was only fair Julia knew about "My name is Isabella Swan, I'm twenty three, my mother lives in Arizona and my father is a retired police chief and he lives in the Lake District" she shifted the hand that Julia held on to, to reveal her plain silver wedding ring "and I'm also married to Edward Cullen, and I have a five year old daughter called Renesmee" Bella rushed this information, terrified that Julia would stand up and declare her a deciever and a liar, and she knew she deserved nothing less than this, but Bella selfishly wished that none of this would matter, and Julia would continue to treat her as if it weren't true. However, it was true, and the implications of this were playing across Julia's face.

"Bella" Julia started softly, lifting the other woman's chin up with her hand so they could look at each other "None of that is going to change the way I feel about you" she cupped the other woman's face in her palm, and stroked it with her thumb " what I see before me is a sexy, intelligent, amazing woman who has been bogged down by her circumstances" she took another sip of wine "what I don't see is someone whose greatest aspiration is to be a family woman, am I correct?"

"I... I suppose you are" Bella spoke, her eyes returning to the table "when I was younger, in sixth form, I mean, I always wanted to be an actress" she flushed, embarrassed at this juvenile dream "I had it all planned out, was going to study theatre at university and get small parts in local theatre productions. It wasn't going to be big but it would be mine, you know? And that would be enough"

"Well why don't you?" Julia enthused, her imagination running wild "you could enroll at university, save up some money, it could still all work out"

"Believe me, I'd love nothing more, but-" Bella trailed off

"But what?" Julia prompted with a somber smile

"But I just can't, I have Renesmee to think about, Edward definitely wouldn't approve, he never liked the idea of me acting, told me it was just a childhood fantasy..." she hurried through this, spitting the last part, resentful of her self-made boundaries.

"I've never met this Edward character" Julia mused with a dreamy smirk "but I'd very much like to" and a look came across her face that made Bella wonder what evil things were in store for Edward should he run into a a dark haired, muscled lesbian on the street. Bella giggled at this, batting the other woman playfully on the arm.

"You can't say that" they were both laughing now, and the mood instantly lightened again.

"Hey" Julia gestured over at the musician who was now belting out a passionate love song "hows about I introduce you to Tan? I think her break's coming up"

"I'd love to meet her, but..." she leaned in a bit "do you think she'd like me? You know, I feel a bit like a wolf dressed in sheep's clothing over here"

"What, are you asking whether you're too straight for all my lesbian friends?" And they both laughed at this.

"No," Bella got out after she'd calmed down somewhat "I was just wondering if they'd be jealous of the smouldering temptress who managed to pin you down" and she extended her knee beneath the table to it was touching Julia's thigh.

"Not at all" Julia gasped at this sudden contact "they're probably thrilled that I'm not here alone, you know, I'm not quite as promiscuous as my playful, boyish exterior would have you believe" and she leaned in to Bella's touch "well, not as promiscuous any more"

The final chord of Tanya's piece reverberated through the small, underground space, and she murmured a "thank you, everybody" before she placed her very expensive-looking guitar on it's stand and gracefully leapt down from the raised platform she was performing on.

"Hey, Tan" Julia called over from where the two woman were sitting, and the blonde woman's head swivelled round to grin at them, her golden eyes lighting up.

"Hey, Jule," she bounced towards them, and turned to look at Bella "and her gorgeous companion"

Bella flushed and looked at the table, she had never been great at receiving compliments.

"Quit flirting with my date, Tan" Julia reprimanded with a grin, knowing full well that the blonde always had more women on the bounce than strings on her guitar at any one time.

"What can I say? Can't teach an old dog new tricks"

"Hi, Tanya, I'm Bella" she smiled, extending her left hand since her right was being held by Julia. The blonde woman took it in her stride and shook her hand warmly, and Bella was shocked at how strong and calloused her short-nailed fingers were.

"Years of sex and guitar" Tanya said, reading Bella's expression perfectly, and Bella felt herself embarrassed in spite of herself at this intimate detail, but she loved it. Tanya let go of her hand after a beat too long and turned to Julia.

"Soooo, how did you guys meet?" She was excited and was leaning forward on the table, her head flitting between the pair.

"I'm a barista at a coffee shop and" Julia looked down at her feet, hiding a smile "she left her number on the counter"

Tanya's jaw dropped, a grin spreading across her face "bullshit" and she began to squeal with laughter "you left your number on the counter?! Fuck, Jules you have changed"

Julia was still smirking at her feet, well aware how the move had been incredibly out of character for her, but... it had been different with Bella, sure she had seen an attractive, intelligent woman, but she had also sensed a different side to her, a side that was sick of asking whether a person would like another shot of espresso. So Julia took the chance, she had been too terrified of this beautiful woman rejecting her so she had scribbled a note whilst her back was turned and passed it to her along with her five pound note. It was cowardly, but it had more than paid off.

"I'm so glad that you left it" Bella lifted the other woman's chin with her hand so they could look at each other, her voice was soft, quiet, a world away from Tanya's gregarious shouting. She squeezed her hand, and Julia squeezed back, her green eyes dilated and wide. "You look adorable when you're embarrassed, I should try it more often"

"I suppose I should say thank you" she shifted in her seat so she was facing Tanya "and as for you" her eyes narrowed "I'll deal with you later"

"I should hope so" Tanya winked and bounded off before Julia could retort. They both exhaled in relief, and faced each other again.

"Glad you met her?"

"Absolutely, at least she finds herself funny" Bella smirked over at the other woman.

"That's one way of saying it at least" Julia rolled her eyes as she finished her drink, and eyed Bella's empty glass. "Fancy another one?" She inquired as she stood to return to the bar.

"I really shouldn't, I'm driving" Bella said indecisively, interlocking her fingers.

"In my language" Julia leaned in so that her chin rested on Bella's shoulder "that means yes" Bella closed her eyes and inhaled Julia's earthy scent, before she regained her composure and strutted off to the bar with a wink.

Bella began to have a mini-freakout after Julia was gone, but it was for a painfully mundane reason - she was enjoying herself far too much. It was a completely foreign experience for her, the women, the alcohol, the music (which Tanya was back to belting out). But the other feeling, the impulse that she couldn't switch off, was the sensation of butterflies that filled her up every time she looked at Julia, she had never felt quite like it before, and the reason she was freaking out was that she knew it was just like her to go and ruin it, to say the wrong thing or offend Julia in some way, or even that she would just wake up and it all be a dream.

Ten metres away, Julia, leaning onto the bar, was having a similar breakdown, whispering hurriedly to a shocked looking Alice.

"What do I do? I have no clue how to do relationships, what if she just wants to be friends and I've been lying to myself?"

"Black, quit stressing out, I've seen the way she looks at you, been a while since I had a girl look at me like that" she reassured the panicking woman, murmuring this last part bitterly, running her fingers through the back of her black hair.

"Listen, I'll take your word for it because I trust you, but God, Alice, I've never stressed this much over a girl before" her eyes had a genuine, desperate quality.

"You're so naive, Jules, really" Alice smirked as she went about preparing their drinks.

"What do you mean?" Julia said at a normal volume, unprepared for this answer.

"That's called love, it's different to lust, it's deeper, it's more self conscious - just think" she turned, placing two drinks on the counter "when I'm looking to fuck, I don't freak out on my bartender about whether or not it's going to happen"

"You're more than just my bartender, Alice, you're my friend" Julia grabbed both of the drinks and turned to leave.

"Watch it, Black, you're not getting mates rates just by complimenting me" Alice warned, smiling with her arms crossed whilst leaning on the back wall.

Julia turned her head and smirked sarcastically at her whilst walking back towards her booth. There she caught sight of Bella, a sculpture of marble, eyes roaming the scene before her, drinking in the happiness, the love and the music that Julia had gotten herself lost in on many an occasion - Tanya may be obsessed with sex and a bit of an arsehole, but good god she could sing, and the soft melody she was beginning now gave Julia an idea.

"Hey Bella" she said, putting the drinks down with a flourish, "care to dance?" Julia extended her hand in a gentlemanly fashion, and Bella took it, an apprehensive smile on her face.

"I'd love to" she spoke, pulling herself up close to Julia, resting her head on the other's shoulder "although, just so you are properly warned, I really can't dance"

"Rubbish" Julia laughed, taking Bella's hands in her own, placing one on her shoulder and tentatively placing one of her own on Bella's waist. They began to sway side to side to the calming rhythm of Perfect by Ed Sheeran (although given a manic quality by Tanya), oblivious to the fact that people were watching, oblivious to the fact that they were alone. Right then it was just Julia, Bella and the music, and that's all they cared about. Bella squealed as the other woman extended her arm, twirling her out, before catching her back again. Julia could hear the song coming to an end, and desperately wished for this moment to last longer, but then, as she expected the final chord to sound, it never came, instead it melded fluidly back to the beginning of the song. Julia made grateful eye contact to Tanya, who winked and continued to play.

And so they danced, giggling and swearing as Bella managed to step on Julia's feet and her own simultaneously, which must be a mathematical impossibility. Nevertheless she managed it, although with time she got more confident, sending them both off laughing when she swung her torso back left to right dirty dancing-style. As the song began to draw to a close again (and for the last time judging by the impatient look on Tanya's face), a mischievous glint came into Bella's eyes, and, all of a sudden she lowered Julia's back, and with a yelp and a giggle, she dropped to Bella's chest height, with sturdy hands supporting her back. Then, as the song came to a close, Bella lowered her head and kissed the other woman, slowly bringing her back upright as she did so.

And, as Tanya sounded the final chord of the song, everybody in the small room applauded, from Alice to the lone women at the bar, to the couples dotting the booths. Unbeknownst to the pair, they had all halted their conversations and turned to admire the adorable couple, fondly remembering when they first fell in love. They all knew Julia, or at least recognised the attractive woman who had always come alone, and they were all glad to see her period of loneliness come to an end with this beautiful woman. Bella turned red as the other woman bowed with a flourish, before they returned to their booth and took large swigs of their much-needed drinks.

"That was... fucking amazing" Bella had a smile of pure exhilaration, and could still feel the adrenaline quickening her heartbeat.

"I know, right" Julia took the other woman's hands in her own, and planted a quick kiss on them. "I want to do this again, Bella, I want to be with you"

Bella, feeling all worries and consequences melt away, kissed the other woman deeply, freeing one of her hands and threading it through Julia's short hair, keeping their lips locked together. Finally, when they parted, she embraced her intensely, her fingers still intertwined in Julia's hair. "I don't want to be without you" she murmured, feeling truly alive for the first time in her life.

"Let's get out of here" Julia spoke all of a sudden, her green eyes fiery as they gazed into brown ones.

"Couldn't agree more" She said hurriedly, abandoning the drinks and letting the taller woman lead her towards the stairs. She caught a glimpse of Tanya leaning against the bar, Alice behind it, the tiny bartender looking triumphant as the musician gave her a wad of notes. Bella pointedly refused to believe that they had been betting on the outcome of the night, although she couldn't think of any other possibility.

The pair burst into the cold night, Bella backing up against the wall of the alley, as the taller woman placed her hands on the rough bricks on either side of Bella. They kissed fervently, lips and tongues moving as one, and Bella embracing the other woman firmly as they did so. Sex in an alleyway Bella thought to herself that's a new one, and in fact it didn't take too much to be a new experience for Bella - having only had sex twice, once in a bed and once in a car. However vanilla this was, Bella didn't know or care, being much too busy at present to consider it.

Bella reached below Julia's shirt, the heat radiating from her exposed skin shielded the pair from the cool October night. The taller woman utilised her well-practiced skills, causing very unladylike sounds to leave Bella's lips, her hastened breath condensing in the frozen air.

"Julia" She breathed - the only thing she could think to say, but it had the desired effect. Julia moaned as Bella reached her hands down, further down, clueless as to what she was doing but decisive in her movements. For her first time, she thought, she at least appeared to be doing rather well - she was certainly enjoying herself. All at once, she grabbed the other woman and spun her, pinning her gently against the bricks, they both giggled as Bella held Julia's wrists out to the side as she kissed her firmly.

Itching to let Julia continue her actions, she let go of her wrists and felt her hands venture straight beneath her dress, illiciting sounds from Bella that were completely alien to her.

As this progressed, Bella felt her legs get weak beneath her, and wasn't expecting the heat that build up within her before climaxing wonderfully. Bella had, aged twenty three, orgasmed for the first time to the woman she had met two days previously, and she was loving every second of it, as was Julia, especially now that the brunette was reciprocating.

That night, the couple had reluctantly split ways, both wanting nothing more than to wake up in each other's embrace, but texts from husbands were texts from husbands, and Bella didn't think that Edward would be quite so naive to swallow any excuse that Bella had for staying the night away, especially if she were to return in her clothes from the previous night. This was somewhat of a red flag, she found. But as Julia shut the car door behind her, the woman in the driver's seat opened the window and pipped the horn, getting Julia's attention whilst traumatising the tabby cat who had briefly fallen asleep under Bella's car.

"I'll... see you tomorrow" she'd said lamely, regretting the words instantly, but Julia flashed a grin at them, and leaned into the open window.

"I'll text you, can't wait, gorgeous" and with a wink she pecked her on the lips and flew off, leaving a very flustered Bella in her wake.

It wasn't as bad as she thought, returning to her tiny flat - Edward had only just gotten back himself and had sequestered himself in their room to 'catch up on the timezones' before he left for Hamburg the next morning, and hadn't even asked Bella what she had been up to that night (which she was honestly a bit sad about, since she had spent at least ten minutes stressing in her Volvo about the perfectly plausible excuse). But she couldn't stop thinking about it, of Julia's soft touch, the memory of the warm in her thighs, the music, the people - she had a strong suspicion that she would wake up the next morning and it would all just be a dream. But she knew, that even if it was just her imagination, Bella was would not wake up as the same woman who had fallen asleep.