The Best Lines

by Nicole Pyland

  She unbuttoned Eva’s coat. She pulled it off her shoulders and hung it up for her.

  “I am?”

  Ember laughed at her. “I’ll give you the tour.”

  “Okay.” Eva took a look around the apartment.

  It was slightly smaller than her own but had a nice look to it. To the right of the front door was the living room where Ember had a dark oversized sofa that looked comfortable and worn in without appearing old. There was a throw blanket hanging over the top, and she had a TV stand in the corner with a nice size flat screen. Next to that, she had something on the wall that Eva had never seen in an apartment before.

  “It’s chalkboard paint.” Ember had returned from putting the beer and wine away and followed Eva’s eyes.

  The wall in front of them had been painted a dark shade of green that Eva had indeed recognized from her many years in school before the dry-erase board era. She attempted to make sense of what was written on it.

  “What-”

  “It’s econometrics,” Ember said. “The part of economics concerned with the use of mathematical methods, especially statistics, in describing economic systems.” She turned to Eva. “At least that’s what the book definition said.” She shrugged. “I was just playing around with it.”

  “On your wall?” Eva continued to stare at the complicated math equations written all over the wall.

  “It’s kind of crazy, but I didn’t have anywhere else to write it out. Sometimes, when things get in my brain, I have to scribble them somewhere. Notebooks don’t allow me to see the whole thing. I need to see the whole thing and then I can move on.”

  “What does it mean?” Eva asked and took a few more steps toward it as if that would somehow make it clearer to her while Ember moved to stand behind her.

  “I read this study about applying econometrics to finding the relationship between management techniques and employee productivity. It’s about the use of certain practices in the workplace, like autonomy, flexible work schedules, and other policies designed to keep workers happy, like offering free food or extra holidays. This has become really important, especially with all these start-ups appearing in new markets that offer this stuff. Traditional corporate employers are less flexible. You have to remember that this stuff costs money and that cost can exceed the productivity of the employees. I created a model to determine which policies lead to the highest returns, improve managerial efficiency and based it on the Chicago market.” She paused and walked in front of Eva, motioning toward the board. “I got a little carried away, but this is the initial equation.” She pointed to it. “This is the work to explain the specific policy I was examining, which was the free food concept. I took things a little far over here, inserted some additional variables and then applied it all to a particular company. Well, it’s kind of an evaluation for Charlie. She’s considering taking a Director level job at this new architecture firm, but she has a great job in the city planning office. She asked for my advice on what to do, so I’ve been trying to figure out what to tell her. I’ll run more equations before Thursday’s coffee. They do free lunch and dinner for their employees to try to get them to stay and run pretty flexible schedules. She’d be leading a team and…” She had been looking at the board but turned to Eva. “Sorry, that’s probably more than you wanted to know.”

  Eva knew Ember was a genius, but now she could actually see that genius in written form on a blackboard in the middle of her apartment.

  “It’s beautiful,” Eva finally told her.

  “It’s math.” Ember shook her head at her in confusion.

  “It’s beautiful to you, isn’t it?”

  “Yes.” Ember suddenly seemed shy.

  “It’s beautiful to you in the way that a great line by Steinbeck is beautiful to me.”

  “‘I wonder how many people I've looked at all my life and never seen,’” Ember offered a Steinbeck quote in reply.

  “You read The Winter of our Discontent this weekend?”

  “I did.”

  Eva approached her and placed her hands on Ember’s waist.

  “How did you ever allow yourself to hide this from the world, Ember Elliot?” She pressed her forehead against Ember’s and felt her nervousness disappear at just the touch of her skin.

  “I’m glad I don’t have to hide it from you,” she replied.

  “Seriously, how did you hide this from people?” She pulled back. “It’s literally written all over your wall.”

  “I don’t keep it up there.” She kissed Eva’s forehead and then pulled her by the hand. “I normally leave it blank if people are here. It’s like an automatic activity. They take chalk and draw or write stuff. I planned on erasing it before you got here, but I was running late.” She’d pulled Eva into the small kitchen that looked exactly like other apartment kitchens. “This is the kitchen. Less interesting, I’d imagine.”

  “It has food in it though.”

  “True.”

  “I can show you the bedroom and bathroom later, but this is pretty much it. I should probably get the chicken in the pan though.”

  “Okay. I can do something. What should I do?” She thought about that question for a second. “I take that back. I can do something, but it shouldn’t involve cooking. I’m not good at cooking. I’m good at pouring or maybe setting a table.”

  Ember laughed as she focused on breading the chicken and heating the oil in the pan.

  “You don’t cook?”

  “I hope that’s not something you’re looking for in a woman because I’ve never been a good cook.”

  “But you can sew?” Ember recalled.

  “My mom taught me. It was very Little House on the Prairie, but I never took to the kitchen, like she wanted.”

  “Come here then.” Ember nodded for Eva to join her in front of the small counter space between the stove and the refrigerator.

  “I don’t want to mess up whatever you’re doing.”

  “Just come here. I’ll show you.” She took a step back and ushered Eva in front of her. Eva stood in front of chicken that looked like it had been beaten into submission. She felt something coming over her head. “Put this on, or you’ll ruin that cute shirt that matches those eyes.” Eva smiled as she felt Ember place the apron around her neck and then tie it for her. “Have you ever tried to make this?”

  “No, this is a little beyond my abilities. My abilities include microwaving potatoes instead of baking them and making bagel pizzas in the toaster oven because I can’t even make a pizza without ruining it.”

  Ember laughed and wrapped her arms around Eva’s waist, but didn’t hold her. She was going to walk her through making this dish, but that didn’t mean Ember wasn’t touching her. Ember’s lips pressed gently to her neck before moving, but her chin was still against Eva’s shoulder and her front was still against Eva’s back.

  ◆◆◆

  When the cooking was done, Ember set two plates on the coffee table since there wasn’t a dining room table. The wine wasn’t opened because they both preferred beer and neither had even wanted to put it in a glass. They sat next to one another on the couch and Eva waited for Ember to taste the chicken and pasta first. Ember had insisted Eva do the majority of the actual cooking while she instructed and sometimes ran her hand up and down Eva’s back in encouragement, or at least in an attempt to encourage. But Eva felt more inspired to do a completely different activity every time she felt Ember’s hand skate under her shirt and glide gently against her lower back.

  “Are you waiting for me?” Ember asked.

  “Yes. Eat it and tell me if it’s terrible. I can take it.”

  Ember laughed. She took a bite of the chicken first and then a forkful of pasta.

  “It’s good, Eva. You did well, my adorable little chef.”

  Ember had been right. The chicken was good, which surprised Eva. She had been used to failing at cooking since her mother first threw the towel on the table in the kitchen and said she was giving up. Eva cou
ld not be taught. Turned out, Eva just needed the right teacher. They ate their dinner and shared good conversation until Ember took their dishes to the kitchen and returned to sit down next to Eva.

  “Do you want to watch something?” she asked and pointed to the TV. “Unless you have to go. I know it’s late,” Ember said. Eva leaned into Ember’s body. She took full advantage of the fact that when Ember sat back down, her arm instinctively went over the back of the couch. Eva couldn’t wait another second. She needed to be touching Ember, so she slid her side into Ember and allowed Ember’s arm to wrap protectively around her. “I take that as a yes.” Ember pressed herself even closer to Eva. She reached for the remote on the seat next to her and turned on the TV. “Anything in particular?”

  “I don’t care.” Eva leaned her head up slightly, so she could kiss the underside of Ember’s jaw. “This feels nice,” she said.

  “Yes, it does.” Ember began flipping through the channels, but despite the fact that Eva was staring directly at the television, she wasn’t paying any attention to what was on it. Instead, she was sliding her index finger over Ember’s stomach underneath her shirt and feeling the muscles tighten and loosen while she moved back and forth.

  “Um… what about a movie?” Ember asked, clearly distracted. “I can find something on Netflix or Amazon or…” She stopped when Eva’s hand moved a little further north and began playing with the taut skin just under her breasts.

  “Or?” Eva teased and kept moving her hand.

  “Or I have DVDs under the TV.”

  Eva lifted her head up and stopped moving her hand.

  “That’s what you wanted to say? You have DVDs?”

  “No, I wanted to say that if you don’t stop doing that, I’m not going to want to watch anything at all.”

  “Then, why didn’t you?” Eva asked and moved her hand again.

  “Eva, it’s been a while since I’ve done this. I’ve never done it like this.”

  “I don’t know what that means,” Eva told her and used her free hand to push Ember’s hair back from her face.

  Ember sat up straight, which forced Eva’s hand to move, so Eva rested it on Ember’s thigh instead, undeterred by Ember’s movements.

  “I haven’t been with a woman in a while.”

  “How long is a while?” Eva asked.

  “Since I stopped sleeping around, so about four or five months.” Ember placed her hand on top of Eva’s as Eva laughed. “What? That’s funny?” Ember seemed offended.

  “Oh, no. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…” Eva stopped herself. “I haven’t slept with anyone in probably nine months.” She paused and tried not to appear embarrassed by that fact. “I dated someone for about a month before Kayla and I went on that God-awful date, but she and I weren’t really serious, and I never slept with her.”

  “You didn’t?” Ember was taken aback by that.

  “No, we went on a few dates during that time, but both of us were incredibly busy, and she lived about an hour outside of the city. It just seemed like it wasn’t going anywhere. I’m not the girl who sleeps with someone if it’s not going anywhere.”

  “And I’ve never been the girl who sleeps with someone if it might.”

  “I know.” Eva lowered her head for a moment. “Maybe I should-”

  “Eva, before I said I hadn’t done this in a while and I haven’t done it like this.”

  “I remember.”

  “Ask me about the second part of that sentence.”

  “What?”

  “Ask me what I meant by like this.” Ember placed her hand on Eva’s cheek.

  “Oh.” Eva understood. “What did you-”

  She interrupted, “I meant that I want this to go somewhere. I’ve just never done this when it’s been so important, so real.”

  “You do have all the best lines, don’t you?” She smiled. “Do you want to tonight?” She asked and leaned her head into Ember’s hand against her cheek.

  “Yes,” Ember replied, but only after a moment’s hesitation.

  “But?”

  “I’m trying this new thing where I don’t jump right into bed with women, and as much as I want to tonight, I also want to make sure we’re ready. I want there to be a tomorrow, and a day after that, because this thing between us has been the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time.” She paused. “I’ve never been able to be my whole self with anyone. I feel like I can be that with you.”

  “Of course, you can, Em. I like who you are. I like all of it.” She motioned with her eyes down Ember’s body in an attempt to lighten the mood, until she heard and felt Ember’s laughter.

  “I like all of who you are too,” Ember teased and reached for Eva’s hips.

  She pulled her on top of her lap, which meant Eva was straddling her on the sofa. Ember’s hands went under Eva’s shirt and rested on her back without pressing for more.

  “I would be perfectly fine with a nice make-out session,” Eva said and winked at Ember.

  She felt oddly empowered by the knowledge that Ember hadn’t been with a woman in a while, and that she valued what they had so much, that she didn’t want to just sleep with her. She wanted the possibility of more. Ember smirked up at her and then her hands slid up and down Eva’s back.

  “You know I want to do more though, right?”

  “I do, and that’s enough for tonight,” Eva replied.

  “I sort of made this promise to myself that I wouldn’t sleep with someone on the first date, and this is technically our first date.”

  “Did you give yourself a date that would be acceptable to your newly refined standards? I’m asking for a friend.”

  Eva resisted the impulse to lower her hips down into Ember. Ember pressed her lips gently to Eva’s neck, and Eva felt a familiar pulse between her legs. She pulled her arms back slightly, as if that would actually prevent her from getting more turned on.

  “No, not exactly.” Ember kissed her neck again. “God, this is stupid. I want you, Eva.” She met Eva’s eyes and her hands pressed further into Eva’s back pulling her closer.

  “Ember, we can wait. You want to wait.”

  “No, I can’t.” Ember kissed a particularly sensitive spot on Eva’s neck and her hands began growing more insistent.

  Eva let out a deep breath and then pulled the oxygen back into her body because she needed it to do what she was about to do. She pulled herself off Ember and stood in front of her, watching Ember’s concerned eyes below.

  “I’m going to go home because you want to wait, but me being here isn’t making that easy on you.”

  Ember stood in front of her.

  “I made that stupid rule for myself before I met you.”

  “Go out with me this weekend.”

  “This weekend? It’s Monday. That’s forever away,” Ember complained, and Eva loved how cute she looked. “And I probably have to work nights, so it would have to be like lunch or something. That is the least sexy meal of the day.”

  “I can come to the restaurant. Can you take a break again?” Eva placed her hands on Ember’s waist.

  “I don’t know that I want you at the restaurant.”

  “Why not?” Eva pulled back.

  “It’s not because of you,” Ember said and pulled Eva’s hands back to her own waist. “My parents and I kind of got into it. My dad will be there. I don’t want to subject you to whatever he might say or do.”

  “What happened?” Eva asked, now concerned and no longer thinking about the sex she was trying to be strong enough to defer to a future date.

  “I don’t really want to talk about it.”

  “Em, you can tell me.”

  “I know,” Ember said and kissed her lips gently. “But this has been a great date. I don’t want to bring all that into it. I’ll tell you another time, okay?”

  “I’ll hold you to that.”

  “I know you will.” Ember pressed her lips to Eva’s again, and they both let the kiss move beyond the gent
le pecks from before.

  When Eva moved her tongue inside Ember’s mouth, she felt the tug in her stomach and below for more, but she resisted the impulse and allowed the kiss to end naturally.

  “I can always meet you in the upstairs apartment and we can eat there,” Eva suggested. “That way I don’t have to go into the restaurant.”

  “I don’t want to have to wait that long to see you.”

  “You’re cute, you know that?” Eva said. “It’s going to be a busy week for me. I have three interviews locally and one via Skype for a school in West Virginia.”

  “West Virginia?” Ember pulled back. “And North Dakota?”

  “They’re just interviews, Em. The more I interview, the more likely I am to get a job. Basic statistics, right math whiz?”

  Ember lightened at that comment.

  “Right.” She still wasn’t entirely as happy as she’d appeared only a moment before. “Friday night, can you come by around close instead of for dinner? It’ll be late. I’ll understand if you can’t, but I’m not actually closing that night. I can probably be out of there earlier. I can bring food upstairs and we can hang out there. I have to be at the restaurant on Saturday morning for deliveries. I was planning to crash there anyway.”

  “That sounds good.” Eva kissed her again and then again for good measure. “I’m going to go now before I can’t stop myself.”

  “Tease.” Ember lifted an eyebrow and then offered a smirk. “Text me when you get home?”

  “I will.”

  “And can I call you tomorrow?”

  The question was sweet. It made Eva realize that Ember hadn’t done this before. To her, dating had been date, sex, maybe another date, and more sex. But she hadn’t done the in-between stuff where you call the other person just to ask how their day was and to hear their voice before you fall asleep, or text back and forth about the funny things that happened to you. She’d never experienced the thrill of hearing the notification on your phone that a text came in, practically launching yourself at it to see if it was her and frowning when it wasn’t but smiling when it was.

  “You can call me anytime you want.” She tugged on the front of Ember’s shirt. She turned and glanced at the chalkboard. “What are you going to tell Charlie on Thursday?”