“I want to be good for you.”

“You are. You couldn’t help being good for me.”

“I think I love you, Megan.”

“Oh, baby.”

She sat up straight. “What do we do now? Do you love me, Megan?”

“God, yes.”

“Well, what do we do? That other girl, the girl you bought the pendant for-”

“Forget her.”

“Did she live here? With you?”

“Yes.”

She thought about it. No more being alone, no more sleeping in that narrow bed, no more living in that little joyless room alone by herself. She would live in this apartment, with Megan. She would sleep every night in this big bed, with Megan.

“I love you,” she said.

“My darling.”

“Take off your robe. I want to see you.”

And Megan stood up and let the robe slip off her shoulders. The robe fell to the floor and Rhoda let her eyes take in the full perfection of the blonde girl’s body. Arms and shoulders tanned golden by the sun. Firm and large and flawless breasts, larger than Rhoda’s own. A narrow waist, a flat stomach. Wide and almost shameless hips. Long, long, long legs.

“My love,” she said. And she said the words not so much to Megan as to herself. This was her love, this was the person whom she loved. This goddess, high breasted and gloriously blonde, this was the person who warmed her and excited her.

“Lie with me,” she said.

The phrase seemed slightly biblical. Lie with me. As Adam knew Eve, and she conceived and bore Megan was beside her. In the bed. Megan’s body was next to her own body, close to her own body, and she could feel the heat of the blonde girl, could smell the perfume of her. The lights were on this time. Before, they had come together in darkness. Now she could see the sweet flesh of the girl who had made sweet love to her.