“Are you sure?” Molly said. “Would you be okay with that?” She turned to me.
“It would be better than that terrible apartment, no offense. But that place is awful.” It really was.
“Really?” Molly said, squeezing my hand.
“Of course.”
“Oh, goody,” Mom said, clapping her hands. “Now I’ll get to see Daisy Grace because she’ll come over to see you.” I rolled my eyes. I saw my mom at least twice a week, if not more. And if I didn’t see her enough (or enough by her standards), she would just come to the café.
Once again, my mom was getting exactly what she wanted. I guess I was too.
“Oh, this is going to be such fun. Both my girls!” Mom hugged us both again, hard enough to almost crack one of my ribs.
“What have I gotten myself into?” I said when she let me go.
“A whole lot of trouble,” Molly said, kissing my nose.
Seven
Molly and I went back to her place, grabbed a bunch of her things—which left her apartment even more empty—and went back to my apartment.
“I can’t believe my mother has found yet another way to guilt me into coming over all the time. She’s an evil genius.” I flopped onto the couch and Molly sat next to me, drawing her feet up under herself.
“You have to admit, it’s kind of perfect. Cheap rent and I don’t have to live in a cinderblock nightmare anymore.” True. It really was an idea situation.
“Hey, I told you I loved you,” I said, suddenly remembering.
“Yeah, you did.” Molly grinned. “That was fast.” Was it, really?
“I mean, I’m pretty sure that I’ve been in love with you and I just told myself that was what best friends did when we were kids. I’m pretty sure that friends don’t want to kiss their friends all the time.” Molly nodded.
“True. I used to check out your boobs a lot. I told myself I was just measuring them against mine. It’s funny the little lies we tell ourselves to fit in.” It was. I was still unpacking all the things I’d done to try and seem heterosexual for all those years. Made me feel like shit when I thought about it.
“So we’re doing this. All in?” I asked. Molly leaned in. I was captured by her eyes and her smile and just how gorgeous she was. How was it possible to be that pretty?
“All in,” she said and then she kissed me. This time, she was the one to push things further by licking my bottom lip and then when I admitted her to my mouth, she climbed into my lap.
“I want you so much,” she said, pulling back and raking my hair out of my face.
“I want you too,” I said, squeezing her ass.
“Mmmm,” she said, grinding her hips against me. “What happened to waiting?”
“Fuck that,” I said and she laughed.
“Fair enough.” My mouth went back to hers and this time I wasn’t going to hesitate. Like I had flipped a switch. Love on.
I got my fingers under the straps of her dress and pushed them down her shoulders. She hiked up the dress, pulling it over her head and tossed it and it landed on the TV. Molly sat up so I could remove my shirt.
“I’ve seen you without a shirt on so many times, but it still takes my breath away,” she said, brushing her fingers along my collarbone and pushing my bra straps down my shoulders so she could kiss them. Need roared in my skull and I shifted so that she was on her back on the couch and I was above her again.
“You gonna top me?” she said, smiling and biting her lip.
“Maybe a little. We can switch.” I looked down at her in just her underwear, asking her with my eyes if it was okay. She nodded.
“If you want to stop, just tell me,” I said. Her fingers tangled in my hair as I kissed my way down her stomach and paused at the band of her underwear. I kissed the little bow on them and she moaned.
“What do you want?” I said, resting my chin on her stomach.
“I want you.”
“You want me where?” Her response was to thrust her hips upward. Okay, message received.
“Fuck, you’re so beautiful, Molly,” I said, brushing my fingers over her underwear. She made a little noise and pushed against me, so I stroked her again.
“More,” she said, her eyes shuttered closed, one hand still in my hair. I hadn’t even touched her with my mouth yet, but this was turning me on so much I could barely stand it.
I moved my hand a little lower and pushed her panties aside so I could really see her. Fuck. Fucking hell. She was beautiful and wet and I just wanted to put my mouth on her.
But first, I wanted to tease her a little more. I stroked her with one finger and she gasped. I did that for so long that she made a frustrated sound, so I slowly dipped one finger inside and her hand clenched so hard on my hair, I was sure she’d pulled out a few strands. They’d grow back.
I flicked my tongue out once and her hips jacked off the couch, reaching for me again.
“Patience,” I said, looking up at her. She was so stunning like this, her skin all flushed and her eyes glowing.
“Fuck that,” she said and yanked at my hair a little. Whatever she wanted. I’d do whatever she wanted.
So I did. I licked her and sucked on her clit and fucked her with my fingers until she was a complete mess, moaning my name and coming hard.
Twice.
I lifted my face and smiled at her as she came down from her second orgasm.
“Fuck. I wish we’d been doing that when we were younger.” I wiped my face and crawled up her body so I could kiss her.
“But I probably wouldn’t have been as good. I’ve had years of tongue practice.”
She gave me a smile and a tired laugh.
“I love you so much,” she said.
“I love you. And I loved that. I plan on devoting a lot of time to getting you off, just so you know.” Molly kissed me.
“Now it’s your turn.” She flipped so she was on top of me. Her hands went immediately to my pants and she yanked them off with so much enthusiasm I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Molly just gave me a wicked smile that promised I wouldn’t be laughing shortly.
*^*^*
Somehow we made it back to my bed and lay curled up together, still catching up on the years we’d missed. I heard more about her ex, which should have bothered me more than it did. Mostly what bothered me was that her ex had gotten to have those years with her and I hadn’t.
“Did you ever think it could be like this?” I asked her in the wee hours of the morning. I had to work the next day, but I’d drink a Red Bull and deal.
“Honestly, no. I hoped though. I thought about you so many times. I thought about that kiss over and over. And then I told myself that I was making more out of it than it was. Brains are fun that way.” I nodded. I knew exactly what she meant.
“So, does this mean you’re my girlfriend?” she asked with the cutest little grin.
I sighed and rolled my eyes.
“I guess.” She smacked me on the arm.
“Don’t act so excited about it,” she said. I kissed her.
“Yes, I will be your girlfriend, Molly Madison. I would like nothing more.” I waited to be terrified again, but nope. All I could feel was happiness.
“Good, because I don’t plan on letting you go again. I plan on attaching myself to you. You’re not gonna shake me, Daisy Grace.” She kissed my shoulder and then lightly bit it.
“Like a sexy barnacle,” I said. “The sexiest barnacle.” She scrunched her face up and I did the same until we started kissing again and then all bets were off and sleep just wasn’t going to happen.
We could sleep some other time.
*^*^*
“You look like shit,” Anna said the next day when I stumbled into work.
“Thanks, I feel awesome.” My voice was raw from talking with Molly all night, and I was a little sore from all our other activities too. I knew I probably looked like death warmed up, but it didn’t matter. It was totally worth it and I
planned on doing the same thing the next night and every night for the foreseeable future. Except on those nights when I stayed at Mom’s. Molly had a few weeks left in her month-to-month lease, so as soon as she could, she’d be taking up residence in the guest room there.
“Please tell me it’s because you got laid and you weren’t up all night watching baking shows,” she said as she set fresh flowers on the tables. I just gave her a mischievous grin that made her run over to me, grab my arm, forced me to sit down, and tell her everything. For someone who wasn’t really into romance for herself, Anna sure loved to hear about it when other people were involved.
“I knew it,” she said when I told her what had happened with Molly. “I totally called it. I win.” I just rolled my eyes at her.
“One of these days, someone is going to nab your heart and then we’re all going to laugh.” She snorted.
“Yeah, like that’s going to happen. I like my freedom. I like being able to do what I want. I love love, but it’s just not for me. C’est la vie,” she said, getting to her feet and doing a little twirl.
“Yeah, we’ll see,” I said. I had pretty much thought the same thing less than a week ago. And now here I was with an official girlfriend. Life could change in the blink of an eye. You just had to be ready to grab on and go with it.
My phone buzzed and I wondered who was texting me this early. I looked down to find a picture of Molly making a pouty face. Her message said that she missed me.
“Ugh, you’re disgusting and I love it,” Anna said from over my shoulder.
“Just you wait,” I said. “Just you wait.” I got up and went back to the bakery. I had bread to bake and muffins to make and a girlfriend to dream about while I did all of that.
What had I been so scared of?
Epilogue
Six months later, I couldn’t believe how much everything had changed. I was at my mother’s, wearing the ugliest Christmas sweater I’d ever seen, and I was peering under the tree and trying to figure out what was in all of the wrapped boxes. There was one thing in particular I was hoping to get.
“What do you think you’re doing?” a voice said behind me. I paused in the act of shaking a box and set it down slowly.
“Nothing,” I said, turning around and finding my girlfriend with her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed.
“You’re trying to figure out what’s in them and it’s not going to work. You have to wait until tomorrow. That’s how this whole thing works.” She gave me her hand and pulled me to my feet. Mom was belting out carols in the kitchen and Molly twirled me around the living room.
“I know what you’re looking for in those boxes and you’re only going to get it if you’re very, very nice.” I spun us toward the arch where my mom had hung some mistletoe. Just for us.
“And what if I’m very, very naughty?” I asked, pulling her closer.
“Then I’ll love you anyway,” she said before kissing me.
Molly Madison. My best friend. My love. My everything.
She was totally going to be my wife.
The ring was waiting in her stocking. Waiting for tomorrow. She had no idea and I couldn’t wait to see her face when she figured it out. And I couldn’t wait to hear her say that she would be mine forever.
“Best love forever,” she said.
“Best love forever,” I agreed and we went to the kitchen where mom handed us glasses of spiked egg nog.
“To love,” she said.
“To love,” Molly and echoed.
“And to grandchildren,” Mom added.
“One step at a time, Mom,” I said. She sighed.
“I can dream.”
One
It was one of those days when she walked into the café. One of those days that I would need a drink after. One of those days when I wanted to tear off my apron, toss it in the corner, and tell Sal and Jen that it had been real, but I had other shit to do.
And then she walked in. It was one of those things where I happened to turn at the right moment and bam. There she was. Like fate had placed her in the doorway of the Violet Hill Café. The sun lit her up from behind so it was like her dark hair glowed. The door shut behind her and she took off her sunglasses and looked around. I instantly appraised her blue button up and slim black pants. Hmm, she might be lost and not know that this was a totally queer café. Or she could know exactly what she was doing, and in that case I wanted to wait on her.
I walked over. Damn, she was sexy as hell. I should probably not be ogling her like that, seeing as how I was on work time. But when had that stopped me before?
“Can I help you?” I asked in my nicest voice. I tried not to make it too sugary sweet because then it just sounded sarcastic.
“Yes, I was hoping to speak to one of the owners?” Huh. That was an odd request. I looked her up and down again, but she didn’t seem the type to “ask for a manager” so I was a little caught off-guard.
“Can I ask what this is regarding?” I was so professional right now.
“Sure, my name is Lacey Cole and I’m a freelance photographer. I’m working on a project right now and I was wondering if I could take some pictures here and write a piece on the café. Kind of a ‘People of New York’ thing, but for LGBTQ spaces.” Oh, well. That was something completely different. I sputtered for a minute, trying to think of what to say. I had other tables and other customers. But this girl with her dark hair and captivating hazel eyes was going to make me ignore them all.
“Sure, Jen is in the back. I’ll just go get her. If you want to find a seat?” I gestured around the café, currently full of people on laptops, the working lunch crowd, a few families with young children, and some teens that had clearly skipped school to come here.
“Thanks so much,” she said, taking a seat in a corner at a table for two.
“Oh,” I said before I forgot, “can I get you anything?”
“Uh, sure. Dirty chai?” I tried not to smile when she said “dirty” and failed. What was wrong with me? I was a flirt for sure, but this was throwing me off my game. Pretty girls tended to do that to me though. So did pretty boys. And pretty non-binary people. Pretty people just got to me. The perils of being pansexual.
“Can do,” I said, nearly tripping over my feet as I went back to the kitchen to put in her order and get Jen.
“Thanks . . . ” she said, trailing off and trying to read my nametag.
“Anna,” I said.
“Thank you, Anna,” she said in a husky voice that made my knees weak. I needed to get my shit together ASAP. I wobbled back to the kitchen and called out an order for a dirty chai and nabbed Jen who was right in the middle of assembling sandwiches.
“There’s a photographer here who wants to do a story or something on the café. Figured it could be good publicity.” Jen nodded to me and finished the sandwiches before taking off her apron and washing her hands.
“Pst,” Daisy, who was up to her elbows in dough, said over the half-wall that separated the kitchen from the bakery.
“You talking to me?” I asked, leaning back.
“Yeah. Who’s that hottie you were talking to?” I rolled my eyes. Guess I’d had an audience when I’d been talking to Lacey. You couldn’t do anything in this town without someone catching wind of it.
“No one,” I replied and then went to pick up Lacey’s drink. My hand shook just the tiniest bit when I brought it to her. Fuck. I was really having some serious issues. I wish I still smoked. I could use a cigarette right about now. Calm me down. Or maybe a shot of something.
“Here you go,” I said to Lacey, who was deep in conversation with Jen.
“Thanks,” she said, glancing up and shooting me a smile that made me flutter in several places. Damn. I needed to get away from her so I could keep my wits about me.
I went back to work and dealt with my other tables, but my attention kept drifting back over to the corner where Lacey was. Fortunately, I had a woman asking me for every single ingredient in every singl
e menu item (she wasn’t eating “that bad stuff that’s in bread,” aka, gluten), and by the time I sold her on a salad, Lacey was gone. I almost breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, then I scurried back to the kitchen with the pretense of picking up an order and asked Jen what Lacey had wanted.
Jen had a shiny business card in her hand.
“She wants to take some pictures and write a story about the café. I’m sure Sal is totally going to go for it.” She rolled her eyes. Sal wasn’t a fan of having her picture taken.
“But it could be good publicity, right? I mean, it would get us out there. Maybe it would bring in more business.” Not that we seriously needed it. We seemed to do just fine, even in the winter when all the tourists left and it was just the locals. There were the regulars who came every morning for their coffee, or during lunch, and there were always kids using our Wi-Fi after school.
“Sure, it could be. Or maybe it will bring a bunch of fucking homophobes to protest outside. You know how those nuts troll the internet for queers to harass.” Well yes, there was that, but we were just a tiny café in Maine. It was a liberal state. And the town loved us.
“Or maybe it will bring in a bunch of new business and will end up being a great idea.” I didn’t know why I was so on board with this thing. It wasn’t like I really cared that much. But there was something about Lacey. Something I couldn’t put my finger on.
Jen sighed.
“Ugh, I don’t have time for this. Since you seem to be so excited about it, how about you negotiate with Lacey? Sit down and figure out what she wants and so forth. And maybe think of a good way to pitch this to Sal so she won’t flip out. Can you do that?” Sure, I could do that. I only had three jobs, but I could add this on top of them. Besides, Sal and Jen had given me a job and had been so good about the hours I could work. They were like family. Hell, they were a lot better to me than my actual family.