The Lesbian Love the Commander Discovered

The voice of Commander Sebastián froze them both in place.

Only a few minutes had passed since their lips had met for the first time that afternoon, and the sound of his footsteps on the other side of the metal door yanked them back to reality. The infirmary was small: just enough room for a stretcher, a cabinet with medical instruments, and a desk where Vera pretended to fill out reports when she didn’t know how to pass the time.

—Sub-lieutenant?

Vera pulled away from Marina as if the fabric of her uniform had burned her. One second of shared looks: Marina’s eyes wide and frightened, hers desperately searching for something to impose order on the visible chaos.

—One moment, Commander —she replied, surprised that her voice came out with something like calm—. I’m completing a checkup. One moment, please.

Marina understood without anyone needing to tell her anything. She straightened her shirt with quick fingers, ran her hands through her hair, and dropped onto the stretcher with an expression that tried to imitate naturalness. Vera handed her a disposable gown, finished buttoning the second button of her uniform, and took the three steps that separated her from the door.

Commander Sebastián was a middle-height man whom the navy had been carving into shape for decades. He had the permanently furrowed brow of men who have spent years making decisions that admit no error. When he entered the infirmary, his eyes swept over everything in a second: the contained disorder of the cramped room, his daughter’s too carefully arranged posture on the stretcher, and Vera’s stiffness by the door.

—I’m glad to find you both —he said, and his voice gave no clue whether that was irony or genuine relief—. That way I won’t have to repeat myself.

—How can we help you, Commander? —Vera asked, holding his gaze.

—I appreciate the effort —he replied, with something that was almost humor—, but I think we’ll speak better without the protocol. —He cast a brief look toward Marina, shrugged, and closed the door—. Very convincing. In any case.

Vera said nothing.

—I’ll be direct —the commander continued—. You’re very discreet, I’ll give you that. The problem is that there’s no privacy on this ship. Not the kind you need.

—I don’t understand what you mean —Vera tried.

—Of course you do. —It wasn’t a rebuke; it was almost a concession—. There are rumors. No proof, just whispers. But rumors in a closed space grow on their own.

Marina sat up on the stretcher.

—But that isn’t...

The commander raised an open hand, and she stopped.

—It isn’t your fault. The responsibility is mine. I didn’t properly gauge the risk when I made certain decisions. —He rubbed the back of his neck, that gesture of his when the words refused to come out in the right order—. There isn’t much intimacy on this ship, if we’re being honest.

Vera watched him with her back straight, waiting.

—Why did you do it? —she asked at last—. Why did you let me believe you approved of me being with Marina?

The question hung in the cramped air of the infirmary. Vera crossed the steps separating her from the stretcher and rested her hand on Marina’s shoulder. It wasn’t a calculated gesture. It was simply what she did.

The commander took a while to answer.

—Honestly —he said—, I thought that by the time we reached Famagusta they’d already found a replacement for this mission. That in a few days you’d be back in Lisbon, and all of this would be left unnamed.

—And yet —Marina said—, if you thought it would last such a short time, what was the point of encouraging it?

He looked at her with what Vera recognized as guilt.

—I had never seen you like this. —The commander’s voice had gone lower, almost private—. There’s something different about you these past few weeks. In the way you move, the way you look. I don’t know how to explain it precisely. Something I hadn’t seen before, and I wanted to give you the chance to know what it was.

—And what do you propose we do now? —Vera asked.

The commander exhaled slowly.

—The only thing you can do —he said— is carry on as you have been. As discreetly as possible. And wait for nobody to bring me anything but rumors. As long as it’s only that, I can handle it.

—Do you think that’ll be enough? —Marina asked, looking at her father with the direct frankness Vera had discovered in her from day one.

—I think so. The crew likes you. And Vera’s been here long enough to have earned the respect of her own people. Nobody’s going to go looking for unnecessary trouble. —He paused—. Can you leave us alone for a moment, Marina? Please.

Marina made a face. She knew that tone: kind on the surface, inflexible underneath. She jumped off the stretcher without saying a word, and as she passed her father she gave him a look that said everything. The door shut with a metallic click.

***

The commander stared at the door for a few seconds before turning to Vera.

—Now you and I can talk —he said.

—Wasn’t that what we were doing?

—Yes. But there’s more. Something I’m especially worried about. —He folded his arms and looked at her steadily—. She’s my daughter. It doesn’t matter how old she is or how many stripes she wears. So I need you to answer me honestly.

—Of course.

—I don’t need you to explain what she feels. I know her well. What I see on her face when she talks about you, when she walks into a room where you are... —He paused—. What I need to know are your intentions.

Vera couldn’t stop her lips from trembling into something that was almost a smile.

—I know it sounds old-fashioned —he went on, with an expression that mixed discomfort and firmness—. I don’t care. If what you feel for her isn’t serious, if it’s only passing desire, I’m asking you to end it before you cause her more pain. I guarantee you won’t want to know what I’m capable of.

—Commander. —Vera took a step toward him. She rested her hand on his shoulder with a caution that was both respect and determination—. May I be completely honest?

He nodded.

—I don’t know what the future holds. I don’t have that certainty. But what I feel for your daughter is real. It’s the first time in my life I’ve felt something like this. And I’ll do everything in my power not to hurt her. —She paused—. You have my word.

The commander studied her for a moment that felt too long to Vera.

—That’s enough —he said at last.

—Enough?

—For me, yes. —He lowered his gaze for an instant and raised it again—. You only have one obstacle left.

—Which is?

—If you think I’m protective —he said, and something that would be a smile on someone else appeared on his lips—, wait until you meet my wife. Or Rebeca. —He said it as if she would know who he meant, and left without further explanation.

Vera was left alone in the infirmary with the constant hum of the ship’s engine and the uncertain weight of what had just happened.

***

Marina was in the corridor, sitting on the floor with her back against the cold metal wall, knees pulled up and chin resting on them. She lifted her eyes when Vera came out.

—Did he lecture you?

—Yes —Vera replied, and sat down beside her on the corridor floor.

Marina frowned.

—Sorry. Once he gets something in his head...

—You don’t have to apologize. Besides, he was right about some things.

Marina looked at her cautiously.

—Which ones?

Vera took a moment to answer.

—That you’re strong —she said—. And passionate. And determined. —She paused—. And I love you.

Marina’s eyes flew wide open.

—Are you sure?

—I don’t know what else to call it. —Vera searched for the words with the slowness of someone unused to saying them out loud—. Every morning I find myself thinking of you before I’m fully awake. When you walk into a place, my eyes go straight to where you are. The heat of your skin, the sound of your voice, the way you move, how you trust me when you give yourself to me... —She licked her lips, suddenly dry—. I told you I thought I was falling in love with you. I wasn’t entirely honest. Because even then I knew it for certain.

Marina stared at her without blinking.

—And if it isn’t love —Vera continued—, then you tell me what we call it.

—Kiss me —Marina whispered.

***

They went back to the infirmary. The door shut, and this time there were no footsteps on the other side.

The kiss began slowly, with that calm that belongs to things that no longer need to hide. But the calm didn’t last long. Vera’s hands found Marina’s waist, and Marina tightened her fingers at the back of her neck, and what had started as tenderness turned into urgency. They kissed with open mouths, searching for each other’s tongues, biting each other’s lips, breathing into one another as if they had been drowning for weeks.

Vera shoved Marina against the stretcher without breaking the kiss. She yanked at her uniform shirt, and when the buttons resisted, she slipped a hand underneath and squeezed one breast over the bra, feeling the nipple harden against her palm.

—Fuck —Marina panted—. Fuck, Vera.

—Quiet —Vera answered in her ear, biting her earlobe—. Discretion, remember?

—Fuck you.

Vera laughed against her neck and bit the skin just above her collarbone, hard enough to leave a mark. Marina gave a muffled moan and dug her nails into Vera’s shoulders. With anxious fingers she unbuttoned Vera’s shirt, button by button, until she managed to open it and pull it down her arms. She unclasped her bra in one tug and stripped it off, then lunged for the mouth of her breasts with a hunger that shot straight between Vera’s legs.

—That’s it —Vera whispered, holding her by the nape, pressing herself against her mouth—. Like that, suck me, don’t stop.

Marina bit her nipple with the tip of her teeth and then licked it slowly to soothe the sting. Vera let out a deep moan that she had to muffle against Marina’s shoulder so it wouldn’t travel through the infirmary’s thin walls. With trembling hands from desire, she finished unbuttoning Marina’s shirt, pulled it off her shoulders, unclasped her bra, and for the first time that afternoon had Marina naked from the waist up, nipples hard and chest rising and falling at a rate she could no longer hide.

She pushed her onto the stretcher. She unbuttoned her pants, yanked them down with her panties, and threw them to the floor in a heap. Marina was left completely naked, her legs parted by the abrupt gesture, and her cunt already glossy, drenched, the damp hair stuck to her skin.

—Look at you —Vera murmured, kneeling at the foot of the stretcher—. Look at the state you’re in. You’re already dripping and I haven’t even touched you there yet.

—Don’t talk so much —Marina whispered, hoarse, squirming—. Eat me out. Please.

Vera ran her hands inside Marina’s thighs, opening them wider, holding them against the stretcher. She bent down and blew slowly over Marina’s wet cunt, watching Marina jolt and bite the back of her hand not to cry out. Then she lowered her mouth and licked her from bottom to top, slowly, with her tongue flat, gathering all the salty taste waiting for her. Marina let out a tight whimper that slipped through her fingers.

—Ssshhh —Vera murmured against her cunt, and the very hum of her voice made Marina arch her back—. They’ll hear you.

—Shut up and keep going.

Vera obeyed. She parted Marina’s cunt lips with two fingers and found her clit with the tip of her tongue. It was hard, swollen, throbbing. She began licking it in small circles, closing her lips around it, sucking it with a soft suction that made Marina’s legs tremble on either side of her head. Marina buried a hand in Vera’s hair, gripping hard, guiding her.

—Like that —Marina whispered, eyes closed—. Like that, don’t stop, don’t stop, don’t stop.

Vera slid two fingers in at once, entering her all the way with the ease of how soaked she was. Marina let out a moan she could no longer contain and had to bite her forearm to muffle it. Vera started fucking her with her fingers while still sucking her clit, pumping in and out with a steady rhythm, curling her fingers upward to touch that spot inside she already knew so well, the one she had learned to find in the few stolen nights they had shared.

Marina writhed on the stretcher, one hand gripping the metal edge and the other in Vera’s hair, pushing her head against her cunt, rubbing herself shamelessly against her mouth. Vera dripped down her chin, and Vera loved it, and wanted more, and drove her fingers deeper, and sucked Marina’s clit harder, and felt Marina’s whole body beginning to tighten beneath her, the muscles in her thighs trembling, her insides clenching and clenching until it hurt Vera’s fingers.

—I’m coming —Marina panted, almost voiceless—. Vera, I’m coming, I’m—

Vera didn’t stop. She sucked Marina’s clit faster, thrust her fingers deeper, and felt Marina’s cunt close around her in spasms, felt her whole body shake on the stretcher, felt her choke back a cry against the arm she was using to cover her mouth. Marina came soaking Vera’s hand, trembling all over for what felt like minutes, with her heels dug into Vera’s back and her hips moving on their own.

When she finally collapsed limp on the stretcher, chest rising and falling, eyes glazed, Vera slowly pulled her fingers out and put them in her mouth, sucking Marina’s taste off them before her eyes.

—Come here —Marina whispered, pulling her with what little strength she had left—. Come, get on top, I want to taste myself in your mouth.

Vera climbed over her and kissed her, letting Marina taste her own flavor on her tongue. Marina moaned into the kiss, sucking her lips, her jaw, her damp chin. She ran her hands down Vera’s back and searched for the fastening of her pants.

—Now you —Marina said—. Take this off. All of it. Now.

Vera propped herself up on her knees on the stretcher, unbuttoned her pants and pulled them down with her panties, struggling because her legs were bent and the space was narrow. When she was finally naked, Marina sat up and grabbed her hips with both hands.

—Get on my face —she ordered—. Now.

Vera obeyed. She straddled Marina’s head, bracing herself on the edge of the stretcher and the wall so she wouldn’t lose her balance, and lowered her hips until her cunt brushed Marina’s open mouth. Marina gripped her ass with both hands, pressed her against her face, and stuck her whole tongue out to lick her cunt all at once.

—Oh, fuck —Vera moaned, covering her mouth with her hand—. Marina, fuck.

Marina gave her no mercy. She licked Vera’s cunt with her whole tongue, pushing it inside, pulling it out, sucking her lips, moving up to her clit and back down again. Her nails dug into Vera’s ass cheeks, she pressed her harder against her face, she ate her as if she’d been hungry for days. Vera gripped the wall with one hand and with the other squeezed a breast, pinching her nipple, mouth open in a continuous moan she could barely muffle.

She started moving over Marina’s face, rubbing slowly, searching for the angle she liked. Marina responded by lifting her chin, sucking her clit whenever it came within reach. Vera felt pleasure rise in waves from her belly, felt her legs begin to shake, knew she wouldn’t last much longer.

—Put them in —she begged in a thin voice—. The fingers. From behind.

Marina let go of one ass cheek and found her hole with two fingers. She wet them first in Vera’s dripping cunt, sliding up and down over the perineum, and then pressed the tip against her opening until she managed to slip one in, slowly, all the way. Vera jerked and stifled a cry against her forearm. Marina slid in the second finger and kept eating her cunt at the same time, and Vera’s vision blurred.

—I’m coming —Vera whispered—. I’m coming, don’t stop, I’m coming, I’m coming.

She came by grinding herself against Marina’s mouth, with her hand covering her own mouth so she wouldn’t wake the whole ship, trembling over her in waves that spilled from her belly and down her thighs. She felt her cunt clench around Marina’s tongue, felt Marina’s fingers moving inside her ass, and let herself fall slowly forward, bracing herself against the wall, panting.

She collapsed beside Marina on the stretcher, both of them naked, sweaty, breathing in ragged gasps. Marina rolled onto her side and threw a leg over her, searching for her mouth. They kissed long, now slowly, tasting each other in each other.

—We’re not done —Marina murmured against her lips.

—No —Vera confirmed—. We’re not done.

They settled on their sides on the narrow stretcher, face to face, legs entwined. Marina lifted one leg and rested it over Vera’s hip. Vera did the same. And like that, with their cunts open against each other, they began to move slowly, rubbing, searching. Marina slipped a hand down and parted both of their lips with her fingers, adjusting them until their clits were rubbing directly against one another.

—Like that —Marina panted—. Like that, moving like that.

They started fucking each other that way, cunt against cunt, with a slow rhythm that gradually built. Vera could feel how soaked Marina still was, how hot she was, how her clit pressed against her own each time she pushed. They gripped each other by the hips, pulled one another closer, searched with open eyes. Marina’s lips were parted and her breathing was broken, and Vera couldn’t stop looking at her.

—I love you —Vera whispered without stopping—. I love you, I love you, I love you.

—And I love you —Marina answered, pulling her closer—. And I love you. Harder. Harder, Vera.

They moved faster, rubbing against each other, soaking each other, the stretcher creaking beneath them. Vera lowered her hand and found Marina’s clit with her fingers while they kept grinding, tracing it in quick circles with her fingertips. Marina answered by sliding her fingers into Vera’s cunt again, two, then three, fucking her while Vera worked her clit.

They came almost at the same time, muffling their moans in each other’s mouths, trembling embraced on the narrow stretcher. Marina let out a silent sob against her neck. Vera bit her shoulder so she wouldn’t scream. They stayed still after that, tight together, sweaty, with their hearts beating so hard they could almost hear them.

The infirmary was small and the walls were thin, and outside the ship’s engine kept its steady, indifferent course. But there, in that white-lit room with the smell of antiseptic now mixed with the scent of both of them, Vera and Marina had built something that no decree and no protocol was ever going to undo.

Outside, the ship kept on its course.

Inside, time had stopped mattering.