Popcorn Love
: Chapter 12

Elena slipped on her heels and took one last glance in the large full-length mirror that hung in her closet. She wore a light gray dress with a circle neck and a thick black belt around the waist. Her dark locks were perfectly coiffed and settled gently around her face, and the black pumps she wore accentuated her toned calves.

“How’s this?” she asked as she stepped through the open archway of her massive walk-in closet and out into the main portion of her bedroom. “Allison?”

She stepped closer to the bed where the blonde lay with Lucas still atop her chest. Allison was sound asleep, as was the small boy lying on top of her. Her chin rested atop Lucas’s head and one of her arms was hooked tightly over Lucas’s back.

Elena couldn’t bring herself to move. She stood beside her bed and stared down at the two sleeping people settled against her sheets. Something inside her warmed at the sight, little flames igniting in her stomach and chest.

Her gaze roamed over Allison, whose lips slightly parted and moved with each deep breath. She chuckled as Allison’s nose twitched and wriggled, tickled by the flyaway hairs on her son’s head. But then she focused on the darkening bruise now nearly covering Allison’s entire forehead.

Guilt gnawed at her insides, causing her stomach to lurch. She could hardly fault herself for her actions, but it certainly did little to make her feel better about the outcome. She reached forward before she could stop herself and grazed her fingertips gently over the puffy, purpled flesh.

Elena could feel the fluid beneath the bruising as it squished beneath her fingertips, the skin swollen and pliant, and it only made that uncomfortable feeling in her gut grow. She pulled her hand away, suddenly conscious of causing the younger woman pain.

When she did, she was greeted by two, heavy-lidded but assuredly open eyes.

“Oh.” The word was hardly more than a whisper between her teeth. “I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?”

Allison shook her head, her chin rubbing through Lucas’s messy hair.

“Would you like an ice pack?”

Allison’s forehead creased and she hissed in pain. “Right,” she croaked, “for my head.” She laughed at herself. “Sure, thanks.”

“Okay.” Elena turned to leave the room, but Allison’s groggy voice called out to her again.

“Did we, me and the little man…” She frowned. “Have we been asleep this whole time? I mean, are you already back from your date?”

Elena patted her arm. “No, Allison. I haven’t left yet.”

“Wow. I guess that blow to the head really took it out of me.”

Elena’s expression crumpled, and Allison quickly shifted under Lucas’s body to grab Elena’s hand and lace their fingers together. “Hey, hey, I didn’t mean anything by that.”

Nodding, Elena squeezed Allison’s fingers then pulled her hand free and turned toward the door again. “I will grab that ice pack for you.”

She had barely taken a step, though, when the chime of the doorbell rang through the enormous house, catching both women off guard.

“I suppose my date is here.”

“Yup.” Allison smacked her lips and slowly pushed herself up. She carefully shifted Lucas off of her chest and settled him gently back against the sheets before rising from the bed. “I’ll grab the ice pack myself.”

They walked down the hallway together, their shoulders occasionally brushing. Before they made it to the end of the hall, where the path split to lead further into the house in one direction and toward the foyer in the other, Allison nudged Elena’s arm with her elbow. “So, what do you think you’ll get this time?”

Elena arched one perfectly sculpted brow. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, you know,” Allison said, her smile only growing. “Could be another dude with bowel issues.”

“Very funny.” Elena bumped Allison’s elbow with her own.

“Could be a big hairy Sasquatch. Or like, a guy with a lisp so bad that you can’t even understand what he’s saying, and, every time he asks you a question, he accidentally spits on you. Oh, or he could be totally sexist or something. That would be a quick way to piss you off. Oh, what if it’s like one of those middle-aged men that still lives with his mother and talks about her all through dinner? Do you take issue with severe Momma’s boys? What if Lucas turns out to be one? What if the guy is like a major horndog and just makes lewd comments the entire time or stares at other women the whole date? Would you b—”

Elena threw out a hand and cupped it over Allison’s mouth. “That’s quite enough, dear. I will never make it out the door if you continue to plant such horrid scenarios in my mind.”

Allison laughed into Elena’s smooth palm.

“What if it’s not even a person?” she said when Elena moved her hand. “What if it’s like an alien in a man suit and it tries to abduct you and take you back to its mothership to probe you and implant microchips in your brain and alien baby eggs in your ut—”

Elena’s palm was back over Allison’s mouth again. Elena turned full-bodied toward her as she tackled Allison, both of them wrapped up in their shared laughter—Elena’s melodic and floating through the air and Allison’s muffled against the heat of Elena’s palm.

“Hush,” Elena said. Allison’s back was pressed against the wall of the hallway, with one of her hands gripping Elena’s wrist and the other splayed across her waist. Their eyes locked.

“Are you going to stop now?” Elena asked.

Allison’s shoulders shook with her muted laughter, but she nodded to show her surrender. When Elena’s palm dropped from her mouth, it slipped down to rest on her shoulder. They continued to stare at each other, their laughter slowly fading, when the doorbell chimed again, and both women practically jumped out of their skins. They shot apart like their flesh was electric and they had just zapped the hell out of one another.

They smiled awkwardly at each other as Elena pointed toward the foyer. “I should get the door.”

“Yeah.” Allison nodded. “And I should get that ice pack.”

“Indeed.”

They lingered another moment before both women wordlessly sprang into action. Elena headed into the foyer and Allison moved into the kitchen, speeding like lightning to the freezer, and yanking a small ice pack from the back. It was shaped like a dinosaur. A little embarrassing, but it would get the job done.

Allison hummed in delight as she pressed the cold plastic to her forehead. “Yes.” For a moment, she forgot everything beyond the cool relief this frozen dinosaur offered her, but then she heard Elena’s laughter spill in from the foyer.

She moved from the kitchen to get a better view, stopping at the opening of the hallway and bracing herself on the wall as she leaned back to see. She could see Elena standing in the open doorway, her hand moving as if in time to something she was saying, but Allison couldn’t see the person on the other side. Since she couldn’t even see the man’s head poking up above Elena’s, she assumed that the woman had gotten strapped with another shorty, but then Elena shifted: she turned to grab her clutch from the foyer table, and the person finally came into view.

Allison’s jaw practically smacked into her chest. It wasn’t a short man at all. It was a woman.

“What the—Shit!” Allison hissed, caught off guard by the presence of a hot lady on Elena Vega’s doorstep. She momentarily let go of the wall and tried to catch herself, but there was nothing for her to grasp. She fell flat on her back in the mouth of the hallway with a loud grunt.

She soon heard the sound of heels clicking speedily toward her, and then Elena’s hands were sliding under her arms to help her up.

“Allison? What happened? Are you all right? Is it your head? Are you dizzy?”

“Whoa, twenty questions.” Allison’s gaze shot right by Elena and back to the woman still standing in the open doorway and now staring back at her with a curious expression.

Pulling Allison to her feet, Elena whispered, “Are you all right?”

Bright green eyes jumped quickly back and forth between Elena and the woman in the doorway, and before she could stop herself, she blurted, “What is that?”

“I’m sorry?” Elena asked.

“I mean, who, I mean what…what is—” The words tangled as Allison was unable to keep up with her own rapid-fire thoughts. “That’s a woman,” she finally managed to spit out.

Elena glanced over her shoulder and offered her date a smile while holding up her index finger to indicate she only needed another minute. She turned back to Allison, her eyes locking hard onto her. She shuffled a bit under Allison’s questioning gaze, but her voice was clear and confident. “Yes. Rather observant of you, dear.”

“You’re going out with a woman?” Allison stressed the word again as if she simply could not digest the shocking arrival of her own gender upon the doorstep. “Like on a date? A date date?”

“Yes, Allison. Why else would a woman be dressed like that and standing in my doorway?” Her gaze then grew conflicted. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Is that…do you take issue with this?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“With my dating a woman. Do you take issue with my sexuality?”

“What?” Allison sputtered, choking on her own saliva. “Elena! No!”

Elena let out a sigh of obvious relief. “Oh,” she whispered. “Okay then. Wonderful.”

“I’m a little shocked,” Allison admitted. “But no, of course I don’t have a problem with it. I just didn’t know you were into women.”

I’m into women, Allison wanted to say. Wanted to shout it, even. Exclusively into women! The words were on the tip of her tongue, but Elena spoke before she could put them to voice.

“Neither did I for many years.” She patted Allison’s arm. “Now, are you sure I shouldn’t stay?”

“No, no,” Allison said. “Go. You should definitely go.”

Elena narrowed her eyes for a moment before nodding. “Very well. Then you should probably wake Lucas to feed him. But if he wants to go back to bed afterward, that is fine.”

“Oh right, yeah,” Allison said. “Got it.”

“Okay.” Elena smiled and nodded. “I won’t be home too late.” She headed for the door, leaving an utterly astounded Allison in her wake.

* * *

Alexis was a gorgeous woman. Her dark braids fell over her exposed shoulders in a gorgeous wave, and her light brown skin was flawless, from what Elena could see. She had brown eyes so light that they were almost amber and positively mesmerizing. She was simply stunning.

The woman also practically oozed money, from her Jimmy Choos to her Cartier diamond earrings. She drove Elena in her new Ferrari to one of the most expensive restaurants in Manhattan.

“I hope you like sushi,” Alexis said as she opened the door for Elena and let her step inside first.

“I do,” Elena said, gaze roaming over the interior design of the restaurant.

Once they were seated, Alexis asked about her day and about her son, and Elena returned in kind with a few questions of her own. As the woman answered, Elena couldn’t help but to check her phone under the table. She had kept it clutched tightly in her hand the entire drive to the restaurant in case it vibrated. Despite Allison’s reassurances, Elena was concerned she could have a concussion. She could be in pain. She could pass out again, and no one would be there to help her, and there would be no way for Elena to know. Such possibilities were driving her mad.

Alexis cleared her throat pointedly and Elena’s head shot up. “My apologies,” Elena said, dropping her phone into her lap and forcing her hands away from the device. Alexis seemed somewhat perturbed, her lips pursing for a moment, but she then put on a smile and nodded. They placed their orders, and Elena did her best not to let her mind wander back to the babysitter.

When their sushi arrived, Alexis smiled at Elena. “So, how am I doing so far?”

Elena reached for her chopsticks. “Quite well.”

“Fantastic. Because I am quite interested. I simply wanted to make sure that you were enjoying yourself.”

“I am, thank you.”

“So,” Alexis said, taking a sip of her wine. “What is your type? Or, I suppose a better question would be to ask what you are looking for in a relationship. Are you even looking for a relationship?”

Elena took a sip of her wine and sighed. “Let’s see.”

* * *

“I mean, I just assumed that a person like Elena Vega would never be into women, you know?” Allison rambled as she tapped her fingers against the kitchen countertop. “She just seems so, I don’t know, traditional? Conservative?”

“Now I’m just making assumptions, huh?” Allison shook her head. “Obviously, that is a dumb thing to do, because obviously, I was completely and utterly wrong, right?”

Wide honey eyes blinked at her as Lucas sloppily sucked and chewed on a dinosaur-shaped chicken nugget. Ketchup spotted his cheeks and mouth and the one hand he used to feed himself. He smiled around the nugget and nodded.

“Yeah, you’re right. I’m never making assumptions again.” She popped a few of her own dinosaur-shaped nuggets into her mouth. “But why wouldn’t she tell me that she liked chicks too? We’re friends, right? You’d think that that would be something you would tell your friend.”

“Then again, I haven’t told her that I like women, so I guess I really don’t have any room to talk, do I?”

“Nope!” Lucas dunked a nugget into his ketchup, splattering it, and Allison chuckled at the kid.

“Do you even know what I’m talking about?”

He shook his head and reached for his juice cup. “Nope!” he repeated, and Allison laughed even harder.

“I just…” she started again. “I usually have awesome gaydar, even on myself. I mean, I knew I was gay by the time I was like four and Olivia Marks gave me her socks when mine got holes in them at the home. I totally worshipped the ground that toddler walked on.”

“I’m a todder!” Lucas exclaimed.

“You totally are,” Allison said, smiling at the happy boy. She sighed as she carried their now-empty plates to the sink and began to wash them. Allison wetted a washcloth and walked over to clean Lucas’s face. He giggled as the cloth tickled at his neck, and Allison pressed a kiss to his forehead.

“You’re such a good listener, kid.”

* * *

“I honestly don’t know if I am looking for a serious relationship at this point.” Elena said. “I have been out of the dating game for quite a while now, as my son and my career are my priorities.”

“That’s understandable.” Alexis nodded. “I ended a four-year relationship a little over six months ago, so I’m not sure if I am looking for something terribly serious just yet either. But then again, you never know. If something clicks, it clicks. I think…”

Elena’s phone vibrated in her lap and she squirmed, fingers itching to grab it. She tried to force her focus onto Alexis as the woman went on about how she was mostly looking for a bit of fun, but she couldn’t do it. Her mind kept racing with thoughts of Allison. What if she was feeling dizzy or hurt? What if she needed Elena to take her to the hospital? She reached for her phone and subtly tried to glance at it under the table.

When she saw it was merely an email update, Elena felt her stomach sink in disappointment, though she wasn’t sure why. Why would she be disappointed not to receive an emergency text from Allison? It wasn’t as if she wanted the woman to be injured.

It took a moment for Elena to realize that her date was no longer speaking, and then the silence suddenly seemed very daunting. She glanced up to replace Alexis watching her, jaw set as her lips strained with a tight and obviously forced smile.

“Is there a problem?” Alexis asked.

“No, no problem,” Elena said. “I was just—”

“Checking your phone.” Alexis placed her chopsticks down on her plate and dropped her hands to her lap as she leaned back in her chair. “Again.”

Elena let out a long sigh and nodded. “I’m sorry, Alexis. I am concerned about my son’s babysitter.”

“May I ask why?”

“We had a bit of an accident earlier,” Elena explained, “and she hurt her head. I simply want to be sure she is okay.”

“I see.” Alexis nodded.

“I am sorry,” Elena said again. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. She was embarrassed by her own behavior. “I don’t mean to be rude. Please, back to what you were saying.”

“Do you know what I was saying?” Alexis asked, reaching for her wine, and Elena felt her chest flood with guilt. It must have shown on her face because Alexis nodded and said, “I thought not.”

Elena shifted in her seat, crossing and uncrossing her legs under the table. “Alexis—”

“It is fine, Elena.” The slightly sharp edge to her tone made it seem like it certainly was not fine, but Elena didn’t argue. She simply nodded and let Alexis take the lead. “Let’s start over.”

Elena gave her a small smile, and she appreciated the effort Alexis made to plaster on a smile of her own despite the fact that things had become slightly tense between them. “Very well.”

“What are you looking for in a relationship?” Alexis asked again.

“I haven’t put much thought into it,” Elena said. She swished her wine gently in her glass before taking a long sip. “I suppose there would be a number of things that would cause me to favor a person.”

“Such as?”

“Well, he or she would obviously have to be good with children. Lucas would have to approve, of course.”

“Of course.” Alexis said. “Go on.”

“Proper hygiene is a must.” Elena shook her head. “And certainly no talk of restroom activities.”

Alexis’s lips parted as she stared at her. “I’m sorry. What?”

“My previous date,” Elena said, and Alexis frowned.

“That is unfortunate.”

“Yes.” Elena nodded. “He carried on a full conversation about his IBS with the waitress. The poor girl was obviously uncomfortable.”

“I hope you didn’t plan a second date.”

“Of course not.” Elena chuckled. “The first made for quite the hysterical rant from Allison, though, so the night at least ended in a laugh.”

“Allison?”

Elena blinked. She had not meant to bring up Allison, but she had slipped into the conversation regardless. Elena licked her lips and cleared her throat. “Allison is the babysitter I mentioned.”

She was surprised when Alexis let out a sigh that bordered on a laugh. It sounded hard for a laugh, bordering on angry, and Elena stiffened in her chair.

“Is something funny?”

Alexis shook her head. “I’m sorry, Elena,” she said. “It just seems like you are more interested in your babysitter tonight than you are in me.”

The words hit Elena like a hard punch to the gut. Her heart began to pound against her ribcage, and a lump formed in her throat. Her head swam with thoughts of Allison, with looks and laughter and little touches, and, suddenly, it was as if something clicked firmly into place and Elena couldn’t breathe.

“I…” She pushed up out of her chair, her hand clamping around her phone and clutch.

“Elena?” Alexis looked up at her, brows knitting together.

Elena’s throat felt tight and dry and her eyes stung horribly. She could feel the heat in her face and knew it must be visible. “I need to go,” she said. “I, I’m sorry. I should go.”

Alexis gaped at her and Elena made quick work of pulling several large bills from her clutch and placing them on the table. “I will hail a cab. Dinner is on me. Thank you for a lovely evening, Alexis, and, again, I am terribly sorry about this.”

She couldn’t bring herself to wait for a response before speeding away, heels clicking loudly with every frantic step.