Anna leant forward.
Their lips met briefly, quickly. Ollie pulled back, her lips parting in amazement. She gazed into Anna’s eyes, searching for something, some kind of indication of what Anna wanted. She hesitated once, twice, and then leant in, capturing Anna’s lips again. She clutched at Anna’s arms, and then Anna’s fingers were at the back of her head, pulling her closer.
One of them moaned, Ollie wasn’t sure who, and they parted their lips, tongues sweeping against one another. Ollie slid her hands up from Anna’s shoulders, cupped her cheek in one, and threaded her fingers into the short hair at the back of Anna’s head with the other.
Oh crumbs, I’m kissing Anna Rose. Something fluttered inside Ollie’s gut, something confused but amazed and thrilled all at once. She is attracted to me. She does like me in the same way I like her.
Anna tugged at Ollie’s neck and slipped her other hand around her back.
The kiss slowed to just a soft brushing of lips on lips. They stopped but didn’t move away, noses snuggling against one another.
A wide smile expanded on Anna’s face. Ollie let out a shaky breath, and Anna’s forehead leant against Ollie’s. She shuttered her eyes.
“Goodness,” she breathed.
“Indeed,” Ollie said, the back of her knuckles against Anna’s cheek. “Was…was that all right?” Worry twisted Ollie’s insides. She found herself squirming in her seat.
“I believe that I kissed you,” Anna said, one eyebrow arched.
Squinting smugly, Ollie looked out into the bar, noting their seclusion, the booth almost completely hidden from the rest of the clientele. Thank God, I’m not really into having an audience.
She turned back to Anna and reached to take Anna’s chin in her fingers. She stroked the freckles by Anna’s jaw before guiding her in again and pressing their lips together.
This time, it was definitely Anna who moaned as their lips touched, her hands that pulled Ollie closer, and her head that tilted, giving Ollie better access.
One hand strayed down to rest against Anna’s knee as Ollie kissed and kissed her, slowly and thoroughly. They kissed for a long while, and the whole bar disappeared. All Ollie could feel and hear was Anna.
Anna’s phone rang noisily from her handbag. The room spun for a brief heartbeat, and then everything swam back into focus. The band had finished and a stereo was now playing something quieter.
After a small peck to Ollie’s lips, Anna pulled away properly. She kept her thumb on Ollie’s cheekbone, stroking there as though she didn’t want to break the physical connection just yet. She reached to her handbag with her free hand with a huffed breath.
“Bethany,” she said, holding the phone to her ear.
Ollie intended to slide out of the booth to give Anna some privacy to talk with her daughter, but Anna held her arm there and settled herself around a little. Ollie got the hint and slipped her hands around Anna’s waist, letting them rest against her midriff, the thin folds of her wrap-around top under her fingers.
Anna flapped her hand as Ollie sank her face into Anna’s hair, her nose beside her ear. “I’m sorry, darling I… We lost track of time and…”
It was obvious Bethany was giving Anna a hard time. Meekly, Anna allowed the concerned tirade.
“I’m sorry. I’ll be home in around half an hour. You go to bed, don’t wait up. I love you, darling.” She hung up.
The spot behind Anna’s ear smelled amazing, so Ollie kissed her there.
Anna’s head dropped back a little and then turned towards Ollie’s wandering lips. She slid her phone blindly onto the table. A visible shiver ran through her as Ollie’s lips brushed her skin again.
Pleased with the effect she was having, Ollie decided it was safe to ask. “Are we in trouble, comrade?” She let her lips rest against Anna’s skin.
“Mmm.” A palm cupped Ollie’s cheek. Their lips met again briefly. Anna sighed. “I should have told her we’d be out a little longer when we left Dulcie’s.”
“I should have reminded you.”
She stroked Ollie’s cheek. “It’s all right.” She shrugged. “Sorted now.”
“Half an hour?” Ollie looked at her wristwatch.
Anna pulled a face. “I know. I would have loved to have spent longer, really, but she was quite upset and…” She shrugged again. “I think I should be getting home.”
“Oh,” Ollie said, her heart feeling like it was falling through her body. She looked at her hands as she heard Anna moving out of the booth and pulling on her coat. “‘Course. Of course.” I suppose that’s it, then. She slipped out of the booth herself and pulled on her jacket as well.
They both stopped in their tracks as a tall man strode over to them, his face red and eyes blazing. Did they kick him out of the theatre for being too drunk?
At Anna’s sharp intake of breath, Ollie frowned. She stepped in front of her, blocking Liam’s access even as he reached out towards Anna. The veins on his hand were a thick, angry blue. His mother was sitting in a booth across the bar, her head in her hands. Maybe we weren’t so hidden from the rest of the crowd after all.
“Replaced me already?” Liam shouted. “Wow.” Ollie realised he was focusing in on her legs. “You so desperate to replace me that you’re just settling for whatever’s available?”
Ollie set her jaw. Anna was in front of her in a heartbeat. “How dare you?” she growled.
“She likes it, you know,” Liam said to Ollie. “Someone to fix. That’s why she likes that boy so much, lets him live with her.”
A vibrating shudder went through Anna. Ollie grabbed hold of her arm to remind her she was there. Anna’s jaw clenched and her eyes were blazing with emotion. She looked to Ollie like she was about to spontaneously combust.
“Makes her feel wanted,” Liam continued with a wide smirk.
“Shut up,” Anna hissed.
Ollie looked around. The entire bar was watching them.
“She doesn’t like people to speak their minds.” Liam’s fists were white by his sides. “Terribly set in her ways.”
“I happen to like her ways.” She stepped forward to stand right beside Anna. The two of them made a formidable united front, ready for any battle. “And from what she’s told me about you, and from what I’ve seen on our very brief encounters this evening, I’d say you’re the one with something to fix.”
He stared at her.
“You’re a child who can’t get over losing this wonderful woman’s attention,” she continued. “And you’re a bigoted fool who can’t be bothered to learn from his mistakes.” Ollie lowered her voice and pursed her lips. “I used to be in the army,” she said, her tone level and her words deliberate. “And while you are absolutely right that I have a leg injury, there are quite a few people I know from that time in my life who still owe me favours, if you catch my drift.”
She tried not to laugh as he balked and stepped backwards, swaying a little.
“Now, can I suggest you leave us alone and go back to your mother? It’s awfully kind of her to come out with you.” Ollie smiled and forced cheerfulness into her tone, knowing she had won. She couldn’t help one last dig, however. “It’s not nice to leave your date waiting at the bar, is it?”
Ollie lifted a hand in greeting to Liam’s mother. Anna took Ollie’s free hand in her own and pulled her away. As they strode past the bar, Ollie caught the eye of a member of staff she recognised. She threw a meaningful gaze towards Liam, and the staff member nodded in understanding. They’ll chuck him out before he makes another scene.
She let Anna pull her out onto the street, where a few people were still meandering around, their coats tightly around them in the December air. They rushed down the street while Anna rang for a taxi, her hands obviously trembling as she dialled. Ollie was surprised to hear her give the shop as the pickup address.
They walked towards the shop at a little distance from one another, Anna having dropped Ollie’s hand once they were on the move. Ollie was too distracted by the anger bubbling in her throat to think much about what that meant. When they got to Ollie’s side door, Anna turned to her and lifted a hand to stroke her cheek. Her hand still shook a bit.
Her stomach loosening, Ollie smiled at her, unsure but happy about the calmer look in Anna’s eyes. “You all right?”
Anna nodded. “I’m so sorry about him.” Her breath was spiralling up in a cloud of mist.
“Don’t be, please.”
Cold fingers traced Ollie’s cheekbone. “God, I do wish he’d just leave me alone.” Anna’s eyes glistened with tears nearly formed.
Ollie slid her hand around Anna’s waist over her coat and thumbed the wool. “Hope I wasn’t too…” She bit her lip. “Forceful with the whole…army thing.”
A smile pulled at Anna’s lips. “I think it will do him good to know there are consequences to his actions.”
“Good. Any more problems with him, please let me know. I wasn’t kidding about having people who owe me.”
“Okay.”
Ollie leant forward a little, pausing when she was an inch away from Anna’s lips.
Her smile widening, Anna tilted her chin up, sneaking her fingers beneath Ollie’s jacket at the neck as they kissed, unhurriedly.
The sharp beep of a car horn broke them apart.
“I’ll see you on Thursday.” Anna stepped away, her arm stretching as she refused to take her hand away from Ollie’s cheek until she absolutely had to.
Ollie watched her climb into the car and pull away from the kerb, red tail lights reflecting on the pavement. Her keys caught on the inside of her jacket pocket as she pulled them out, but she just stood there stock-still for a moment.
Her fingers touched her lips, and she was amazed at how they tingled. She disentangled her key from her pocket, before pushing her way inside her dark shop and closing the door firmly behind her.
Once inside, she had an overwhelming urge to tell someone what had happened. She didn’t feel like texting Matthew, not until her brain had settled a bit. But she wanted to tell someone.
She leant against the wall in the unlit hallway and looked at her phone for a while. The light from it seemed very bright in the darkness, and she had to squint until her eyes adjusted. She scrolled through her text messages and opened the conversation with Kieran. Her finger hovered over the keyboard.
Evening. How are you doing? I finally found out how Anna feels about me. We kissed, and it’s looking promising. Won’t jump in with my eyes closed, I promise. So far so good, though. Mum x
She hoped it was okay that she spoke with her son about Anna, especially since he’d had such reservations when they’d spoken on the phone. A few minutes later, he replied.
Jackpot! Sending positive thoughts your way. I don’t want details, but I truly am glad things are working out. Any problems, let me know. Kx
A warm flush swept through her.
Roger that. Same goes for you. If this accountant turns out to be a psychopath, send her my way. Mum’s prerogative, you know. Mum x
She quickly started a new text and sent it.
Any word from Helen?
A few minutes passed, and she decided to make her way upstairs. The hallway was cold, and her knee was complaining. Even the memory of Anna’s lips on hers wasn’t helping the pain.
The reply came as she made it to the kettle.
Nothing much. She did ask how you were the other day but didn’t say anything when I said you were okay. Sorry. Kx
Ollie sighed.
Maybe if she meets Anna, she’ll be blown over by her charm. But first, she needs to actually contact me.
Cup of tea in hand, she carried it with her phone to the sofa for a bit of television before she’d be settled enough to be able to sleep.
Ollie spent Sunday agonising over whether to text Anna or not. Again. In the end, she figured she’d allow Anna to choose whether they had contact, and by eight in the evening she had resigned herself to the fact they wouldn’t be exchanging texts anytime soon. That’s okay. Anna was new to the whole ‘dating-a-woman’ thing, Ollie was not. Well, not that new.
For a few minutes, she allowed herself to dwell over the emotions that had surrounded her relationship with Zoe. The guilt about having cheated still made her stomach hurt. It had taken her a long while after her divorce to settle into the fact that relationships with women were okay to have.
After locking up the flat, she turned off the lights and settled down in her comfortable bed. She pulled her crocheted blanket up to cover the whole duvet and snuck her fingertips into the small holes between the sets of stitches. She allowed the edge of it to caress the skin of her cheek and closed her eyes. Her body hurt and her brain did too. I need to doss down. I’m chin-strapped.
Her phone, plugged in by her bed, buzzed. She took it from the bedside table, squinting in the darkness as she looked at the screen.
You up for a chat? x
Excitement rushed through her. Ollie swiped to Anna’s number and held the phone to her ear. It rang only once before Anna picked up.
“Hi.” The voice on the other end was soft.
A mixture of relief and worry flooded through her. “Hello,” she replied, her voice a little cracked from settling down for sleep. She cleared her throat. “How was your day?”
“All right. I took Bethany out for a shopping excursion.” A soft chuckle. “She wanted a coat to match her bloody hat and scarf.”
Ollie snorted. “You’re rubbing off on her, obviously.” Shifting to her back, she stretched a bit before settling properly with the phone to her ear. “Impeccable sense of style.”
“Thank you.”
There was a pause, and Ollie braced herself for disappointment.
“Listen,” Anna started but then went quiet.
Here it comes. Ollie gave her a moment to gather her thoughts.
“Last night.”
“Last night,” Ollie echoed, unsure how to feel about what was coming.
But then Anna let out a breath, and Ollie could hear the smile behind it.
“I’m sorry if I sort of…threw myself at you.”
“You didn’t,” Ollie replied quickly but then huffed out a laugh. “Well, maybe you did, just a bit. But I’m not complaining.”
“Good,” Anna said. “It’s just… It’s all very new to me.”
“I know.”
“You’re my…” There was another pause and Ollie’s eyebrows furrowed a little. “I’ve never kissed a woman before. If I’m honest.”
“What?” Ollie cleared her throat again. “What about your little moment in college?”
“Hmm.” Another pause. “I wanted to tell you that I was attracted to you, but I suppose I just made up something silly to save me having to say it outright.” Anna sighed.
Ollie slipped her fingertips into the crocheted throw again, comforted by the soft yarn.
“I’m sorry,” Anna said.
“Forgiven.” Ollie shrugged even though Anna couldn’t see her.
“Thank you.”
For a moment, they simply breathed together, and Ollie felt all warm and safe.
“So, do you have something you’d like to make on Thursday?” Ollie asked. We didn’t talk about crochet at all last night. That made her feel warmer still, comfortable in the knowledge that her and Anna’s relationship wasn’t simply held together by craft activities.
“I have a loose idea.”
“Am I allowed to know what?”
“I intend on finding a pattern by myself.”
Ollie thought she could hear pride in Anna’s voice. “Really?”
“Really.”
“Don’t need me anymore, hmm, comrade?
”
“I wouldn’t say that. I’m sure I’ll make a right pig’s ear of it before I get it right.”
“You won’t. Although I can’t say I wouldn’t miss you on a Thursday evening if you became too accomplished to need classes.” She lay there in her bed with her mouth open and her heart thudding in her chest, waiting for some kind of confirmation, some kind of recognition that she wasn’t the only one who felt like this.
“You can’t get rid of me that easily.”
Ollie’s stomach unclenched. “Likewise.” She caressed the soft wool-mix between her fingers. “If you stop coming I’ll send out Matthew as a search party.”
A giggle rumbled through Anna at the joke, which was interrupted by a large yawn that made Ollie smile. “Sorry.”
“Better let you get to bed.”
“I’m already in bed.”
“Me too,” Ollie said. Her stomach felt all tingly again. I wonder what kind of pyjamas she wears.
Anna made a little noise, like a small cat. “Merlot is sitting on my bedside table.”
“Drinking so late at night?”
“Oh no. Merlot is what I’ve named my bunny.”
“The one I made you?”
“You think I’ve been cheating on her with other bunnies?”
“You never know.”
Another muffled yawn. “It’s nice to talk to you.” Anna’s voice was quiet and her words slurred.
Ollie’s eyes drooped, and she yawned herself, trying to cover the noise with her hand.
“Tired, Williams?”
“Yeah,” Ollie said when she’d finished her yawn. “Someone kept me out until all hours last night.”
“Oh dear,” Anna replied. “We can’t have that.”
“It’s okay.” She swallowed and set her jaw. “It was worth it. She’s pretty.”
Anna’s voice became soft but deep, like she’d held the phone close to her mouth. “Funny. I met with someone last night that I could use the exact same word to describe.”
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