by A. L. Brooks
“I-I think we should stop,” she said, panting slightly. “I… God, that was…”
“Uh-huh,” Lena said, nodding slowly, her eyes shining.
Megan stood up carefully, aware in no uncertain terms of the ache between her legs, and knowing she had definitely called a halt at the right time. She had only so much patience, after all…
“I had a fantastic evening, Lena.”
Lena smiled up at her, running her fingers through her hair to straighten it. “Me too. I’ll…I’ll see you in the morning.”
“You will,” Megan said softly. “Goodnight.”
Chapter 24
Lena could hear the raised voices before she’d even opened the door to let herself out of the flat. Dorothy and one of the Patels, by the sounds of it, and her theory was confirmed a minute later once she’d locked up and started down the main staircase.
Dorothy was standing in the hallway, her arms folded across her formidable chest, which was never a good sign. Tall, thin Mr Patel was a few paces away, hard hat in hand, a clipboard tucked under his arm.
“…and I am getting very tired of all this mess, Mr Patel,” Dorothy was saying. “I assume your people will be cleaning our carpet once you are finished, hm?”
“Yes, yes, of course, Dorothy—”
“It is Mrs Patterson to you, Mr Patel,” Dorothy snapped.
Poor man, Lena thought, as she descended the stairs. Dorothy looked up at her approach.
“More delay!” she exclaimed as Lena stepped off the last stair. Dorothy pointed at Mr Patel. “He is telling me it is at least another two weeks until all this…this mess is finished.” She pressed her palms together in prayer position. “Lord tell me, when will it end?” she wailed dramatically.
“Middle of February, at the latest,” Mr Patel chimed in.
“That long?” Lena asked, aghast. She had been told end of January only two weeks ago. Now they’d extended it another two weeks beyond that?
Mr Patel dipped his head. “I am very sorry. We encountered many problems with the roof. It has not been an easy job. And I have two men who are off sick at the moment so I am short of staff.” He gazed at Lena. “I am truly sorry.”
Dorothy huffed loudly and opened her mouth to speak, but Lena jumped in. “Mr Patel, I’m sure you are doing everything you can. Thank you for the update.”
Taking it for the dismissal it was, Mr Patel quickly climbed the stairs. Turning to Dorothy, who looked less than pleased with Lena’s intervention, Lena took a deep breath before saying, “I really don’t think it is his fault, Dorothy. Rebuilding a roof in the middle of winter can’t be an easy job.”
Dorothy stared at her, tilting her head slightly, a frown creasing her brow. “What has happened to you?”
Lena looked down at herself, then ran her hands over her face, thinking perhaps that she’d obtained some injury or left part of her breakfast stuck to her features.
“Not physically, child,” Dorothy said, in a biting tone. “I mean, in your demeanour. You seem—” Suddenly she stopped, and an enormous smile broke out on her face. “It is her, isn’t it? Megan.”
Lena’s mouth dropped open and a deep blush covered her cheeks. “Wh-what?”
Dorothy chuckled. “Good,” she murmured, turning away. “Very good.” She shut the door to her flat behind her, leaving Lena stunned and bemused in the empty hallway.
When she finally gathered herself and remembered she was supposed to be going to work, she pulled open the front door and walked out into the cold day. Side-stepping the piles of building supplies on either side of the pathway that led to the street, she pondered what Mr Patel had said. Another three to four weeks was yet another long stretch of time for her to be living in Megan’s flat, away from her own home, away from her own furniture and belongings. And imposing on Megan’s space. While she was sure Megan wouldn’t call it that, Lena was still very much aware of how Megan’s plans to have a big place to call her own had rapidly changed with her offer to give Lena a room. And now that they were dating, it made her even more edgy about sharing the flat.
She’d rushed into living with Chris and was sure it had contributed to the problems they had with their relationship. If they’d only taken more time to get to know each other, they probably would have realised much sooner how unsuited they really were. But Lena had become swept up by Chris’s attentions, and her vastly more superior experience of actually being a lesbian, so falling into Chris’s arms, then her bed, had been far too easy for Lena. Although she and Megan hadn’t slept together yet, they were already living together, even if it was temporarily. And it scared Lena as much as if they’d done it the other way round.
She walked up the road, hunched down in her coat against the biting wind that cut into her from, it seemed, all angles.
This new…relationship with Megan was exciting, and definitely felt different from what she had shared with Chris. Megan made Lena feel positive, attractive, and fun. All things she never would have described herself as when she was with Chris. Lena didn’t want to ruin this before it even got started, hence the nerves over mixing their living arrangement, which was purely business, with their burgeoning relationship, which was all about pleasure.
She crossed the main road and walked into the Tube station. Oh yes, pleasure indeed. Their kissing session on Saturday night had left Lena turned on, that was for certain. She’d gone to bed soon after and lay awake in the dark for quite a while, reliving some of the best highlights before realising that doing so would mean she would never get any sleep. When they’d interacted on Sunday it was fun and lighter, and Lena was thankful; the seriousness of the passion between them on Saturday wasn’t something she was sure she could match in the cold light of day, but Megan didn’t seek it either, and that felt okay.
They’d made a meal together once Megan got back from work late in the afternoon, with Megan being chef’s assistant and good-humouredly following all of Lena’s instructions to chop this, stir that. After eating, they’d simply snuggled on the sofa watching a film, and Lena had experienced a contentment level that kept a smile on her face the whole evening.
The Tube train arrived and she wedged herself in between the various suited men and women wrapped up in voluminous coats and scarves.
Today was Wednesday, hump day, and—as a true sign of how things had changed for Lena these past few months—she couldn’t summon any enthusiasm for her work, nor could she wait for the weekend to arrive. She and Megan would only cross paths briefly all week due to Megan’s work pattern, so they had already planned to spend as much of the coming weekend together. Simply the thought of it sent tingles down to Lena’s toes and back again.
Yes, what she and Megan had started was wonderful in many ways, and not something Lena wanted to either disappear or screw up. The quicker she got back into her own flat, the better. Then they could really see what they had while still having their own space to breathe in whenever they needed it.
Madhu’s had her baby!!! A girl, called Sunaina. Can you call me when you get this?
Megan found the text from Lena once she broke for lunch at two. It had been a crazy Thursday morning of non-stop private coaching sessions with some of her more demanding clients. While the money they brought in was worth it, sometimes she wondered if the attitude that came with it was. However, Lena’s message put a big smile on her face for the first time that day, and she strolled out of the health club into the weak winter sunshine that played across the small courtyard near the entrance, hitting the callback icon as she did so. She wasn’t sure if Lena would be able to answer in the middle of her working day, but—
“Hey! You got my message?” Lena’s voice bubbled with her excitement at Madhu’s news.
“I did. That’s fantastic news.” Megan spotted an empty bench off to the side of the courtyard and walked over to it. The wood of the seat was cold on her backside, but she’d suffer it
for Lena and her excitement.
“I know! Jay called me around noon. He’d messaged me early on to say they’d gone in around five that morning. I thought it would be hours, but my sister, typical over-achiever that she is, only spent six hours in labour!”
“I bet she’s pleased about that,” Megan said, laughing.
“Yes. I know I would be.” Lena paused, and Megan could hear her breaths coming in pants. “I can’t believe it, I’m an aunty!” She squealed, and Megan’s heart turned over. God, this woman…
“Congratulations. It’s wonderful. So, when will you go up and see them?”
“Yes, see, that’s the thing.” Lena’s voice was suddenly much more subdued. “Of course, with work, the only time I can go is at the weekend.”
“I know,” Megan said softly. “But you have to go. Just because we had plans doesn’t matter. You and I can spend time together any time, but it’s not every day you get to go and see your new niece, is it?”
“Thank you,” Lena whispered. “Megan, you’re…you’re an amazing person.”
Megan sucked in a breath. Those worlds were even more special coming from Lena. “Thank you.” She paused. “So are you.”
There was a short silence, then the sound of Lena clearing her throat. “Okay, well, I need to get back. I have some train tickets to book.”
“Yes, you do. So, I’ll see you this evening, after you get back from that seminar?”
Lena groaned. “Oh yes, the seminar. Not really what I want to spend my time on today, but I know I have to.” She inhaled. “Okay, I will see you when I get home. Probably about nine thirty.”
“Okay, babe.”
Megan sat bolt upright on the bench. The term of endearment had slipped out without thinking. Would Lena hate it? Would she—
“That was very nice.” Lena’s soft voice almost seemed to caress Megan’s ear.
“O-okay,” Megan stuttered.
“Bye,” Lena whispered.
“Oh, Madhu, she’s gorgeous!” Lena looked down at the perfect little baby she held carefully in her arms, and her eyes pricked with tears. “Hello, Sunaina, I’m your aunty Lena.”
The baby blinked once then closed her eyes and slipped easily back into slumber.
“She seems comfortable with you. That’s good, chief babysitter,” Madhu said, smiling when Lena’s eyes went wide. “Relax, not yet. Trust me, I don’t need to be going anywhere in a hurry without her.” Madhu shifted slightly on the sofa and winced.
“Still sore?”
“Like you wouldn’t believe.” Madhu reached for her tea and sipped at it, gazing at Lena over the top of the mug and smiling.
Jay walked into the room from the kitchen. “Need anything?” he said, shuffling from foot to foot. “Food? More tea? A blanket?”
Madhu rolled her eyes and reached out a hand towards her husband. “Jay, stop it. You’re giving me palpitations.” She smiled as he took her hand. “I’m fine, honestly. I love how much you’re doing to help, I really do. But please try and relax.”
He blinked behind his thick-framed glasses and ran a hand through his mop of black hair. “Okay,” he said. “Okay, I can do that.”
“Here,” Lena said, shifting to one side of the sofa. “Come and sit next to me while I drool over your daughter.”
Jay laughed and sat down, staring at his child as he did so. “Isn’t she beautiful?” Lena moved the baby in her arms so she could reach out one hand and grasp his shoulder. “She really is,” she said. “I’m so happy for both of you.”
“Thank you,” Jay and Madhu said simultaneously.
“And thank you,” Lena said, “for making sure I could have this amount of time with you. I didn’t want to cause any problems between you and them.”
Madhu held up a hand. “There is no problem. Mum was here all of Friday and this morning. She comes back tomorrow afternoon with Dad, and she knew I meant it when I told her to stay away while you were here. Trust me, I don’t think she wants to see you anyway, harsh as that sounds, so it didn’t take much persuasion.”
Lena shook her head. “Do you think they’ll ever accept me as I am?” she asked, gazing back down at the baby. Something about watching Sunaina sleep had an incredibly calming effect on Lena and enabled her to have this conversation with Madhu without her temperature rising as it would have done in the past.
“I don’t know,” Madhu said quietly.
“I think they might, in the long term,” Jay contributed, and the two sisters turned to look at him. He shrugged. “I see something in your mum’s face when your name comes up. Anger, yes, but…” He shrugged again. “I don’t know, maybe I’m imagining it, but I think there’s regret there too.”
“Maybe,” Madhu said. “And maybe I can’t see that because I’m still so mad at her about it myself.”
“True,” Jay said. Then he stood, leaned over Madhu where she sat in the small armchair, and kissed her tenderly on the lips. “I’m going to start on dinner,” he said, and without waiting for an answer, he walked off to the kitchen.
“I am so glad I married for love,” Madhu said quietly. “Imagine who I might have got if I’d let Mum have her way with all those setups with second cousins and sons of aunties.”
Lena shuddered, and Sunaina stirred in her arms. Lena made shushing sounds and watched, enraptured, as Sunaina settled right back down again. “Yeah,” she said, meeting Madhu’s eyes. “I know exactly what you mean.”
Madhu’s eyes widened. “Oh, yes! Ugh, poor you having to suffer all of that when you knew you didn’t even want a man, never mind an arranged meeting with one.”
Lena chuckled, and her sister joined her, and soon they were laughing hard but trying not to make any sound to disturb the baby.
“Poor Mum,” Madhu said, eventually, wiping at her eyes. “Absolutely clueless.”
“Oh, wow,” Madhu breathed, staring at Lena across their breakfast the next morning. Jay was upstairs feeding Sunaina with some breast milk Madhu had pumped earlier, giving the two sisters some quiet time. “This is all sounding pretty serious, Lena.”
Lena smiled, and ducked her head. “Yes, I know. It’s a little scary.”
She’d just updated Madhu on how things were developing between Megan and herself, to the accompaniment of much squealing and gasping from her younger sister.
“Scary how? Being involved with someone again?”
“Yes, essentially. I’m not sure I’ve fully recovered from Chris.”
“Okay, I get that. But Megan’s nothing like her, from the sounds of it. And when I met her she seemed lovely.”
“Oh, she is,” Lena gushed. “I… Well, it’s more about me, really. About being able to trust people.”
Madhu nodded. “Okay, that I can understand. But Lena, don’t let your fear take over, you know? Remember I talked about this before Christmas? I love this new version of you since then. The effect this thing with Megan is having on you. Even if you and Megan don’t work out, and I don’t think that’s anything you need to worry about, actually, even taking a chance again seems to have done you so much good.”
Lena couldn’t help but agree. “That is all true. I know. Some habits are very hard to break,” she said sheepishly.
“Of course they are. Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try, though.” Madhu grinned.
Later, on the train back to London, as she scrolled through the many photos she’d taken of Sunaina, Lena’s thoughts turned to Megan, whom she would see in a couple of hours. Spending that wonderful time with Madhu and the baby had filled her heart with such joy, she couldn’t wait to share some of that feeling with her…girlfriend.
Was that what Megan was now? They’d said they were dating, and that they were doing so exclusively while they got to know each other. But the kissing, and the snuggling, and that new term of endearment that Megan had let slip the o
ther day, all of it added up to Lena wanting to call Megan her girlfriend. Wanting to name what was happening because it felt so important. Did Megan feel the same? Lena dared to presume she did, if her being called “babe” was anything to go by.
The smile crept across her face in sync with the delightful shivers that trembled across her body. She couldn’t wait to see Megan again. To tell her all about her weekend and show her the photos of the baby. To hear all about Megan’s Saturday night hanging out with Jen at the bar where Jen worked.
She couldn’t wait to hold Megan, and kiss her. She shivered again.
Oh my.
The thought of Megan’s lips had her shifting in her seat, and heat rising up from her chest.
Her legs jiggled rapidly. Why wasn’t this train going any faster?
Chapter 25
Megan was slouched lengthways on the sofa, flicking through TV channels with the remote, when the front door opened behind her. She popped her head up over the back of the sofa and smiled at Lena, who was beaming at her while unwrapping herself from her heavy coat and scarf.
“You look happy,” Megan said, hitting the mute button before throwing it onto the sofa.
Lena nodded vigorously and bent to remove her boots. “I am. My niece is adorable. And Madhu and Jay are so happy, and so…everything.” She straightened, and her face was flushed with excitement. It was a good look on her, Megan noted to herself, then swallowed hard as she realised where her thought process was leading. Down girl.
Lena walked towards the sofa, and Megan took another look at her. There was a kind of determination in Lena’s expression Megan had never seen before. She somehow stood taller than usual, and her entire being seemed to almost glow with some hidden energy. Megan swallowed again, unable to take her eyes of this version of Lena.
“Y-you okay?” Megan asked, her voice croaky, her stomach tightening in a deeply pleasant way.
“Uh-huh,” Lena murmured, and before Megan could wonder at what this change in demeanour meant, Lena knelt on the sofa, one knee either side of one of Megan’s outstretched legs. In the next moment, giving Megan only that short time to suck in a deep breath, Lena dipped towards Megan, her hands landing on Megan’s shoulders, her lips curved in a soft smile. She kept her eyes open, staring at Megan as she planted a soft, brief kiss on Megan’s lips.