28 Gemma
I meet Celeste at an Asian dessert café on Octavia Street, far away from both our places. After what happened the last time Celeste and I met up at a coffeehouse, I know better than to pick somewhere out of convenience.
Today, Celeste is wearing mahogany brown frames that, along with her sleek, formfitting gray turtleneck sweater dress, make her look like some ingenious, sexy architect rather than the photographer she really is.
I barely resist the urge to circle my arm around her waist as we enter the building.
Despite only opening fifteen minutes ago, the café is already crowded with couples and college students. Its interior is a cute white and pink, with lightbulbs encased in clear spheres hanging down from the ceiling. Along with the small houseplants on gold shelves and multicolored plastic chairs, the place looks adorable enough to be in a K-drama. Even the menu on the wall is highly aesthetically pleasing, with a pink backdrop and white all-caps letters.
“Wow,” I say, looking around in wonder. “This café is even prettier than it looked in the pictures.”
“Yeah, thanks for suggesting it, Gem,” Celeste replies, giving me a small smile.
Her shoulders are tense, and so are mine.
I clear my throat. “We should find a seat and order first. You know. Before we talk.”
“Right.”
I choose a table by the wall that has white-framed pictures of various Asian desserts.
“I know you don’t like traditional American brunch,” I say. “So I only suggested places that were a bit more unique.”
Celeste’s eyes widen. She looks away, her cheeks turning a little red. “Thanks.”
“No problem! I love dessert places, too, so…” I clear my throat again and pick up the clipboard menu from the table.
I’m instantly overwhelmed by the countless varieties of shaved ice, milk tea drinks, and baked goods. It takes me a few minutes to come to a decision.
“I think I’ll go with the milk tea bingsu ,” I say.
“And I’ll get the mango sticky rice crepe,” Celeste replies with only a cursory glance at the menu.
I bite the inside of my cheek. Celeste has always loved mangoes.
Although very cute, the café is unfortunately a bit cramped, with small gaps between the tables. From where I’m sitting with my back against the wall, I can’t get out unless Celeste moves first.
“Here,” Celeste says, noticing my predicament. “I’ll go order for us.”
I hand her the menu, and she goes up to the register to order our food. With her back turned toward me, I follow the lines of her shoulders, down to her hourglass figure, and then to much lower than I’d normally be comfortable staring.
Whispers come from a nearby table. A few college-aged boys sneak glances at Celeste, laughing and murmuring among themselves. They’re obviously talking about her, and I stand up from my seat, ready to parkour across the table and fight them if they start catcalling her.
But I worried for nothing, because at that moment, Celeste finishes ordering and fixes them with a steely glare. From where I’m sitting, I can’t hear what she says, but whatever it is, it’s apparently enough to make them all blush and leave the café.
“What did you say to those boys?” I ask Celeste when she sits back down at our table.
“Don’t worry about it,” she replies with a mischievous smile. “Let’s just say they’ll think twice before blatantly staring at a woman like that again.”
I look down at my feet, suddenly embarrassed. Because of course, I was also ogling Celeste. I’m no better than the boys.
“What?” Celeste asks. “Why do you have that weird look on your face?”
I sigh. I’ve always been a bad liar, so I don’t even try. “I was thinking that I’m no better than those boys. Because I was doing the exact same thing. That’s why I wanted to meet you. I can’t help myself around you. No matter how much I try to keep things professional.”
Celeste bites her lip, and my attention immediately flickers to her mouth before going up to her eyes again. She’s staring at me, too, like I’m the only other person in this café.
The café’s cute, calming atmosphere does little to slow down my heartbeat.
“Gem,” she says in a low voice. “You’re definitely better than the boys.”
“And why is that?”
“Because I want you to stare at me. And I don’t think I can keep things professional with you, either. Especially not after New Year’s.” She coughs and looks away. “I actually thought of asking you if you want to ‘officially’ be friends with benefits.”
Before I can even think about how to respond, our food arrives. We awkwardly sit there with everything she said lingering in the air around us as the server sets the plates down on our table.
When he leaves, Celeste continues, “But I know you don’t do casual. So I didn’t.”
I stare down at the food in front of me. Everything looks so delicious, brightly colored and glistening in the warm, yellow light. My bingsu is literally drowning in condensed milk. So good, yet so bad.
“I’m actually not looking for anything serious right now,” I say, meeting Celeste’s eyes. “Don’t get me wrong. I still value relationships. But after what happened with my ex-fiancé, I don’t think I’m in the right place for anything serious. So I’m down to have some fun. As long as it doesn’t interfere with the project.”
I scoop a spoonful of bingsu into my mouth as a little self-reward for finally telling Celeste what I want. It melts in my mouth, so good that my eyes roll to the back of my head. When I look up from the dessert, Celeste is staring at me, her mouth slightly open. Her gaze slides down to my lips, her eyes growing dark and wanting.
My mouth feels sticky, and I dab my lips with a napkin. Sure enough, the cloth comes back with blotches of cream. Before I can stop her, Celeste reaches over and runs her thumb across my lips.
“Here,” she says. “You missed a spot.” Her gentle yet possessive tone makes a shiver run down my spine.
“So,” I say when I’m able to speak again. “What do you say?”
Celeste takes a bite of her crepe, looking deep in thought as she chews. I have some more of my own dessert, keeping my eyes on my bowl this time.
After she swallows, she finally says, “I’m down to see you casually, too. But only if you’re okay with the fact that I’m returning to LA once we finish the project. And I don’t know when I’ll next come up north.”
Even though it’s not a surprise, my heart squeezes at the very thought of Celeste leaving again. But I shoo that feeling away. We’re going to have fun. That’s all.
“Sounds good,” I say. “Speaking of the project, we should also talk about the next interview.”
“Of course.”
“I know Evelyn wants us to interview Rob and Marge, but what do you think about also interviewing a sapphic elderly couple?” I ask. “Because I don’t know about you, but when I was growing up, I hardly saw any older queer women. On TV or in person.”
Celeste sits up in her seat. “I didn’t grow up seeing any queer elders in Korea,” she says. “Not any that were out, anyway. So I think that’s an excellent idea. Do you think Evelyn will approve?”
“Knowing her, she most likely will. I remember reading an article once about how young queer people are more likely to… harm themselves because they don’t think they can have happily-ever-afters. While hetero couples get that kind of representation all the time.”
I apparently struck a nerve, because Celeste grows extremely still.
“Yeah, I think this interview will be great,” she says quietly. “Maybe we can also try to find a non-white couple for this last interview. Since Rob and Marge are white and so were Aaron and Brent.”
By the time we finish our food, I’ve sent Evelyn an email detailing everything.
“We work well together, Gem,” Celeste remarks as we exit the café. From her low, sultry tone, I know she doesn’t mean just professionally.
Her lips are centimeters away from mine when I reply, “We always have.”
But before we can kiss, my phone buzzes in my pocket. Celeste steps back so I can get out my phone and check the notification.
“It’s Evelyn,” I tell Celeste. “She loves our idea. She’s going to use her contacts to find an older sapphic couple for us.”
“That’s great! I’m looking forward to this next set of interviews.”
We pause and burst out laughing. It’s amazing how we can so easily switch gears from sexy to professional.
One moment, we’re smiling at each other, and in the next, Celeste is kissing me, long and deep. She only pauses to whisper in my ear, “I don’t know if I’ve ever told you this, but you have beautiful, irresistible lips.”
Suddenly, the sugar from the bingsu isn’t the only thing giving me a high. My heart beats faster and louder, so much that I wonder if Celeste can hear it, too. She says something else, and it takes me a moment to process her words.
My voice comes out breathy and quiet when I ask, “Wait, what?”
“I said, do you want to go back to my place?” she repeats herself, flashing me an amused grin.
“Oh, God, yes,” I say. “I’m so turned on right now.”
Celeste smiles and gives me a peck on the lips. “Okay, let’s go.”
On our way back to her place, I send my friends a text: So, Celeste and I agreed to be in a casual relationship together. Like, officially.
Kiara is the first to reply. I KNEW you two wouldn’t be able to stay professional for long!
“Casual”? Val asks. And how are you feeling about that?
Good, actually! I reply. Taking your advice from way back when to let things flow the way they’re going.
Val sends back a thumbs-up that makes me giggle. She even texts like a Boomer sometimes.
Have fun and have lots of sex! Kiara replies. Don’t come back home tonight! K THANKS LOVE YOU BYE!!!!
Val sends a stream of crying-while-laughing emojis, and I grin.
Celeste and I barely make it back to her place before we start taking each other’s clothes off. She still tastes sugary-sweet from the dessert, so I can’t keep my mouth off hers as we move to her bed.
Celeste puts a pillow under my pelvis, propping me up before running her hands up my legs and around my hips. My back arches when her mouth finds my center, and she chuckles as my breaths come out in light gasps.
“Yes,” I murmur. “Just like that.”
She reaches up to cup my breasts, massaging them as her tongue flicks at my core. Heat builds up in my center, and I’m about to come when she suddenly sits up.
“Wha—” But before I can say anything else, she’s sucking on my nipples, making shivers run down my spine. She leaves a trail of kisses from my chest to the folds between my legs.
I’m writhing now, breathless moans coming out of my mouth as her tongue swirls and licks at my clit.
“You always taste so good,” Celeste says as she readjusts her grip on my hips.
“Don’t stop. I’m so close.”
Celeste inserts a finger into me, then two, keeping pace with the flicks of her tongue. All the pleasure that’s built up inside me explodes into my release. When I catch my breath, an idea pops into my head. It’s not something I’m super confident about doing, but I want to try it, regardless.
My voice comes out in a whisper when I say, “Celeste, I want to taste you.”