Chapter 10
NOW: DIANA
“It’s still Halloween night, well at least for another half hour,” Diana called out to Maggie, who had started for the stairs.
They’d spent the day managing one of the biggest nights of the year for the orchard.
Every year the staff opened up more of the grounds, having spent weeks prepping mazes and other activities for the night’s guests.
It was a night that Diana had always enjoyed, more so when she and Julia were kids and then again when she had Lily.
Still, it was a magical night and it might just provide the magic needed to break the remaining tension between her and Maggie.
They hadn’t really talked since her last outburst, just quietly orbited each other.
Diana had noticed how withdrawn Maggie had become; sometimes she didn’t come down from her room until the mid to late afternoon.
Diana never heard her on the phone with anyone either and wondered if she had anyone in her life she could talk to.
I don’t want to be angry anymore. Diana reminded herself.
“Yeah and? You’ve been avoiding me all day,” Maggie said, her back still turned to Diana. “Didn’t get enough of the festivities tonight?” Maggie continued haughtily.
Taking a deep breath and trying to make her tone as light as possible, Diana said, “guess not.”
There was another beat of silence before Maggie turned and walked slowly back into the kitchen.
Her long tousled hair was loose, looking browner with the lack of the summer sun.
It made her icy blue eyes stand out even more, helped by the rustic orange turtleneck sweater she wore on top of black jeans.
She’d helped tonight by serving hard cider to those of age on the property, something that kept her stationary in a place Diana had been able to avoid.
“So what do you want to do?” Maggie asked.
“Well, if I remember you used to be a big fan of Practical Magic,” Diana said, and she hoped Maggie understood the peace offering that it was.
Maggie gave a weak smile, which made Diana think she in fact did understand.
“Sure, want me to make popcorn?”
Ten minutes later, they were in the living room, a bowl of popcorn between them.
Diana had a glass of red wine in her hand, and to her surprise, Maggie had taken her up on her offer of a glass of wine too.
Diana had thought with everything going on, Maggie would have welcomed all the wine she was offered, but she hadn’t touched a lick of alcohol as far as Diana could tell.
If she had been Maggie, she knew she would at least make use of being on a property with an endless supply of hard cider.
“I love this movie,” Maggie said, popping a few pieces of popcorn in her mouth.
“I know you do,” Diana said, smiling but taking a sip of her wine to try and hide it.
“You do too though, don’t lie,” Maggie said, turning to look at Diana with a knowing smile.
Diana looked back at Maggie. “I like Sandra Bullock’s hair.” She added, “The 90s were a whole vibe for both Bullock and Kidman.”
“Cheers to that,” Maggie said, raising her glass to Diana. They clinked their glasses as the movie started.
“Can I just say, sexuality is clearly not a choice if the Owens women continued to marry men even though they knew what would happen.” The words, meant to be light and joking, were out of Diana’s mouth before she could think better of them.
They hung in the air for a moment, seeming to awkwardly twist while trying to find a way to land.
Finally, Maggie let out a small laugh. “Yeah seriously, imagine how much better off they would have been if they had just been lesbians.” And while her tone matched Diana’s, Diana didn’t miss the way she swallowed down the rest of her relatively full glass of wine and refused to meet her eyes.
“More, uh wine?” Diana said, her mouth oddly dry.
Maggie nodded and Diana went to open a fresh bottle. Then she returned and poured a new glass for Maggie.
They sat in silence for the rest of the film, stopping only for Diana to get up and open another bottle of red.
The movie ended, but neither woman made an attempt to move as the credits rolled and other movie suggestions covered the screen.
Regret slivered its way through Diana at the movie choice.
She had meant to play something they’d always enjoyed when they were young, remembering taking Maggie to see it when it came out in theaters before they graduated high school.
It had always been a light film in her mind, one she still secretly watched with fondness every year because it reminded her of Maggie.
Now, the very real pondering of Sally Owens seemed to echo around the room, taunting them about a second chance at love.
Can love really travel back in time and heal a broken heart?
Fall in love whenever you can.
With a deep sigh that she hadn’t meant to be as audible as it was, Diana stood, her head swimming slightly under the weight of the wine.
She wasn’t drunk, but she was pleasantly buzzed, and knew that it was the type of buzz that at her age would soon morph into exhaustion.
Funny how that happened, considering it had always converted to energy in her youth.
She welcomed it though, the tension in the room was thick and uncomfortable.
Full of all the things they had yet to say to each other.
Years’ worth.
She grabbed the now empty popcorn bowl and turned to move to the kitchen before heading up to her room when she heard it.
Her name.
“Diana.” It had been small and barely a whisper, but Diana heard it.
Instinctively she froze and was briefly wondering if she was imagining it when she heard Maggie say it again, just as quietly. Diana heard the note of pleading in her voice and internally cursed because she knew she couldn’t resist it.
The tension loomed and Diana found herself with tunnel vision, unable to face the walls of unsaid shit that threatened to close in on them. She kept her eyes forward, only looking at Maggie.
“Diana,” she said again, and then she said, “please.”
Diana inwardly cursed as she crashed into Maggie before those unsaid things could crash into her.
Their lips met, and Maggie’s were always how Diana remembered: soft and inviting.
Diana didn’t hesitate, she straddled Maggie on the couch, popcorn bowl forgotten, and when Maggie opened her mouth for her she slid her tongue in to taste every inch of the mouth she always craved.
Maggie always tasted sweet like home. Diana wanted to drink her down.
She continued to attack Maggie’s mouth with her own as though the moment could be ripped away from her at any second.
Maggie groaned into her mouth as she slid her hands up Diana’s back under her sweater, her fingertips burning trails up her skin.
“What do you want?” Diana said between kisses.
“I need,” Maggie begged.
“What? You need what? I need to hear it Mags,” Diana said, moving to plant kisses down Maggie’s throat.
“I need to not feel, I need you to make me forget.”
The words cut through Diana one atom at a time. She stilled, breathing heavily. Here she was thinking about love and Maggie was trying to forget, to drown out whatever was in her mind just then.
Diana hated her for it like she always did. But this time, she didn’t have to give in. She didn’t have to make love to Maggie, hate herself after, and then face Maggie in her home.
She pulled away.
“Dee?” Maggie breathed, blinking up at her in the faint glow of the now quiet and still television movie screen.
“Fuck you,” Diana said, standing up and moving to leave the room.
She heard Maggie scrambling off the couch after her. “D, wait— that’s not what I meant.”
“No?” Diana rounded on her, tears threatening to fall, “just answer one question. If I fucked you tonight, just like how you need me to, right there on that couch, where would you sleep?”
Maggie swallowed and didn’t say anything, her eyes narrowing slightly.
“That’s what I thought. You know, fuck you, your little white picket fence blew up in your face and you’re still too much of a fucking coward to share my bed.
Goodnight, Margaret.” Diana spat out the last part, knowing it would wound, and made her way into the kitchen and up the back stairs to her room.
She didn’t stop, she didn’t want to hear Maggie cry, because she knew she’d never have the strength to shut her out if she did.