Chapter 2

Every single time they got off the bus at different locations, Jody would get off first, stand at the door of the bus to help the passengers down. And every single time, Joyce would be looking at Jody when she got down, and they would smile at each other. It was the same when it came to going up the bus. With each smile exchanged between them, Joyce felt herself increasingly drawn towards the good looking stranger. 

That night when they had returned to the hotel room, Joyce lay on the bed thinking about Jody. As she felt her heart race the more she thought of Jody, she realized something. She was truly falling for the woman, even though they had not had any proper conversation. 

Joyce sighed, shut her eyes and fell asleep, content to feel happy from loving Jody, and didn't want to think of what she should do next, and what the future held. 

- 

The next morning Joyce took a longer time than usual to get dressed. She tried many combinations of the clothes she had packed with her, but she felt all her outfits were awful and unimpressing. 

"Come on, you were never so fussy over your appearance!" her mother yelled impatiently, "We're going to be late and it will be all your fault!" 

"FINE lets go then." Joyce huffed. I should have brought some nicer clothes. Who knew I would meet such a good looking woman to impress! I hope she likes what I wore today.

Joyce looked slim in her skinny jeans and v-neck plain shirt. She knew she looked effortlessly casual, a little too casual in her opinion, but one thing was for sure, it gave her a gay vibe. And that would be very useful. 

They were the first of the group to board the bus. Jody was sitting in the drivers seat and today, she wasn't wearing her sunglasses. As Joyce walked up the bus they looked right at each other and smiled. Joyce found herself gazing at a pair of the most beautiful green eyes she had ever seen. They were not crystal clear but were slightly cloudy and a lovely watercolour mix of blue, gray and green, giving Jody a lovely warmth that contrasted very well with her cool, tough appearance of men's sweaters, work pants and boots. Joyce felt her body tremble slightly. 

"Hey girl, how ya doin'?" Jody said in a low voice that made Joyce's heart race, especially since they were in such close proximity to each other then. Jody smiled and Joyce noticed that her front two teeth were slightly apart and slightly crooked. God, so cute, so cute. 

"Hey, I'm fine." Joyce managed to breathe out. Joyce did not want to break the eye contact but eventually had to tear her eyes away from the beautiful woman as she walked towards her seat on the bus. Joyce picked a seat at the third row where she would be able to check out Jody at the driver's seat. Passengers boarded one by one but no amount of movement could stop Joyce from staring at Jody's back view. 

That day they did a lot of sightseeing. It had already become routine that Joyce would openly check out Jody as she got down the bus. Jody must have been watching Joyce behind that pair of dark sunglasses too, because each time she offered a slight nod and smile. 

At a rest point, the tour group were allowed to spend half an hour bird-feeding at an open nature reserve. As the group had fun trying to attract the birds, a whole new experience for them, Joyce noticed Jody leaning against the front of the bus, dragging on a cigarette. Jody looked effortlessly charming and Joyce could feel her heartbeat increase as she could not take her eyes off Jody. 

Suddenly, a cockatoo flew down and landed on Joyce's arm, the sudden weight and sharp claws causing Joyce to gasp loudly. It cut right through her thoughts and brought her attention back to bird-feeding, but not for long, as she looked up and found Jody gone. Without realizing it Joyce began to scan the area for signs of Jody.

It wasn't long before Joyce spotted Jody again, leaning on the side of the bus, looking in her direction. Behind those sunglasses it was impossible to see her direction of her gaze, but accurate assumptions could be made based on the position of her head. Joyce turned to look directly at Jody. Though they were far away, Joyce could feel Jody's gaze on her, drawing her near. 

Oh hell. its now or never. Joyce thought to herself, as she stepped away from the group and walked towards Jody. 

Joyce felt her heartbeat increase steadily with each step she took towards Jody. Joyce would take 5 steps then stop, playing it cool and pretending to look around but instead check out Jody's reaction out of the corner of her eye. It took 3 repetitions of that shuffling before Joyce got close enough to walk right up to Jody and by then, her heart was palpitating like never before, her throat was dry and if her hands weren't stuffed in her pockets, they would be shaking. Joyce walked up and leaned on the bus next to Jody, saying nothing. 

Jody turned her head to face Joyce. 

"You alright?" 

Joyce turned and found herself staring into a beautifully chiseled face. Strong jaws, thin lips, a sharp nose and a pair of dark sunglasses which gave Jody the irresistible lure of mystery. 

"Um yeah, I'm fine..." Joyce breathed, looking away, trying to seem completely calm but failing. Was Jody staring at her? Into her eyes? Get a grip, Joyce! You're practically melting right now! 

"So Jody, aren't you going to feed the birds too? " Joyce asked, trying to strike a conversation. 

"Naw, I'd rather watch from afar." was the reply. Joyce was unsure if Jody was trying to convey an underlying message and hesitated, not knowing what to say next. 

"Will you be our guide for the trip to Penguin Island? Will you be going along with me?" Joyce blurted out the burning question that had consumed her mind. 

Realizing she has let slip, she quickly corrected herself, blushing "I mean, um, with the group..." 

"Yeah, definitely. I like to, yknow, stick to a familiar group. It's much easier that way." 

"Right. That's great then. It'll be awesome I'm sure."

"Definitely, yeah. Its beautiful." Jody said with a slight smile and Joyce felt her heart flutter. 

As they stood side by side, Jody's attention focused on the surroundings and Joyce watching Jody, Joyce could smell Jody's cologne and a slight hint of cigarette. She inhaled deeply, wanting to memorize the scent. Joyce noticed Jody's angled features, neat sideburns, strong jawline and the way the muscles in her jaw clenched slightly every once in a while... it took all of her willpower not to reach out to stroke that cheek. 

The chatter of voices broke Joyce's focus. Other group members were heading toward the bus and Jody had to get in her seat. With a brief nod Jody went on her business, leaving Joyce slightly lost standing alone by the bus. Joyce boarded the bus awhile later. This time there wasn't any eye contact between them and Joyce's heart sank. 

Throughout the journey Joyce sat in her seat lost in her own thoughts. 

Does she know? Its impossible she doesn't sense a thing. She does know. Does she not care? Maybe she's not interested. Yeah, that must be it. No one's ever interested in me.

With a sigh, Joyce allowed her eyelids to flutter shut. She was so tired of one sided unrequited love. A sorrowed sleep came easily to her.