CHAPTER 26
Sarai walked into the kitchen, opened the freezer door, pulled out the container of ice cream that she was definitely stealing from Arlowe, and set it on the table. Then, she went to the cutlery drawer, pulled out a spoon, and sat down in her usual chair at the table, waiting.
“So…” Gabi began when she walked in.
“Do you always end your sentences with so?” she tried to tease by repeating Gabi’s question to the influencers from earlier.
“Technically, I both began and ended my sentence with so.”
When Gabi sat down next to her, Sarai opened the lid on the ice cream, stuck her spoon into it, and pulled out a bite for herself.
“We have some talking to do, I hear?”
“Sarai, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it the way it came across. It was more that we haven’t actually talked about what comes after our first date. That’s all I meant.”
“I thought a second date would come next,” she said before she put the spoon into her mouth. “Given that we’ve both decided to take a risk here, I didn’t think it would be over after the first date.”
“And it’s not,” Gabi replied. “I just got all tongue-tied when Arlowe said that thing about us dating, and I tried to protect myself.”
“From me?”
“From everything. Sarai, tonight was amazing, but it was also a mess, and that’s my fault.”
“What are you talking about?”
Sarai left the spoon in the ice cream, leaned back, and waited again.
“The whole dinner cruise idea – it was stupid. We kept getting interrupted. When I thought we were about to kiss, those lame influencers showed up. Then, as we were walking around, I felt like we’d be having a good conversation, but someone else would interrupt shortly after.
There was that couple that stopped you right when you were talking about that horrible argument you had with your mom. They wanted you to take their picture.”
“I didn’t mind, Gabs.”
“I know. But the food was only okay, and it was nice, eating on the top deck, but I could tell that you were cold. I was wearing that damn backpack all night, lugging it around like a mom with a toddler instead of a woman on a first date, and I didn’t even think to pull out the blanket that I brought.
I felt like I should’ve just brought you to a normal restaurant.
We could’ve had much better food and a private conversation without all the interruptions. ”
“You don’t think that the waiter would’ve interrupted a few times, or the fact that the restaurant was filled with people wouldn’t have made it feel less private somehow?”
“It still would’ve been better, so I was disappointed in myself the whole way home. Then, Arlowe was sitting there, where we were going to be snuggled up on the sofa, watching a movie, and she was asking–”
“Babe, are you still at a five, or did you maybe go a bit higher than that at some point and not tell me?” Sarai asked.
“I wanted tonight to be perfect, Sarai.”
“It was,” she replied, leaning forward. Then, she dipped the spoon in a little deeper, pulled it out, and turned it around. “I don’t think we’re at the feeding each other point just yet, but we can at least share a spoon.”
Gabi took it from her and ate her ice cream.
“Gabs, do you know what I’ll remember from tonight?”
“No. What?”
Gabi put the spoon back in the ice cream.
“That you looked beautiful. That we were both really nervous.” She chuckled.
“That you booked this whole thing just for me. Well, for us. It was just so sweet, Gabi. You took something from our past that we couldn’t do then and can’t exactly do now, because there are no canal cruises here, and you made it something I’ll never forget.
I don’t care about the interruptions or that the chicken had a weird aftertaste.
” She laughed a little. “I was there with you. I got to hold you. Even if it was only for a second, I got to do it, and I’ve never been able to hold you before. ”
“Really?” Gabi asked, looking hopeful. “It was okay?”
“Gabi, yes. It wasn’t perfect, but nothing ever is.
And I wasn’t upset at all about some silly influencers or the couple asking me to take a picture and interrupting me telling you a story because I thought…
Well, I thought we were dating, so I would get another chance to tell it later.
I know it’s just one date, and had we just met and decided to go out, I wouldn’t have thought that, probably, but we’ve been dancing around this at least since you moved in, and it felt like we were both there. ”
“We are both there,” Gabi said. “I was worried that if I said that we were dating, you’d end up saying that it was just a first date at the same time because you were worried about it to begin with, so then, I’d look like an idiot who was way ahead of you in this thing. It would’ve been awkward, and–”
“And you ended up making it awkward anyway?”
“Yes, that,” Gabi said with a laugh and took the spoon to grab another bite of the ice cream.
“Here’s what I’m thinking.” Sarai borrowed the spoon from Gabi when she was done and took her own bite. “We kicked Arlowe and Enya out of the living room. We could at least use it. Don’t you think?”
“Can we bring the ice cream and keep sharing a spoon?” Gabi asked.
“We can, yes.”
“And can we snuggle up on the couch?”
“Yes, we can do that.” Sarai smiled at her and stuffed the spoon back into the container. “But…”
“But what? No but. Things were going really well there for a minute.”
Sarai laughed and replied, “They still are. I want to relax with you tonight, but I don’t think I’m ready for anything else just yet. Is that okay?”
“Anything else? Meaning sex?”
“Meaning anything else, and that includes sex.”
“Ah…” Gabi said and took the spoon. “You mean no goodnight kiss?”
“Gabs, I want to kiss you. I wanted to kiss you on that boat, too. But I wasn’t going to.”
“Why not? Was it because of that bitch with a ring light? I’ll find her on social and troll her. What are people against right now? I can hack her and make it look like she’s so for it, they’ll all unfollow her.”
“You can hack someone’s social media accounts?”
“Yes. So can Arlowe. It’s not all that hard if you know what you’re doing. I normally choose to use my powers for good, but if she got in the way of us having our first kiss, then it’s definitely using my powers for good to make people hate her.”
Gabi pushed her glasses up her nose. Sarai watched her minor freak out and smiled wide. This woman was adorable and funny. She cared so much about their first date that she’d almost worried herself out of a second one.
“I wasn’t going to kiss you there because I didn’t want to do that in public; not for the first time, at least,” she shared. “I just couldn’t help myself when we were standing there – I had to hold you.”
“We’re not in public right now. Arlowe and Enya are watching a movie.”
“Enya will get sleepy within the next few minutes and leave Arlowe’s room.
She’s probably going to come out here for a quick snack and maybe even fall asleep at this very table.
Arlowe is the wild card. She might be listening in to this conversation outside the kitchen right now.
And even if she’s not, she could come out of her room at any time.
She codes late at night sometimes, and I don’t want to risk our first kiss being interrupted by either of them or anything else. ”
“And?”
“And what?”
“Sarai, we can literally go anywhere right now. We can even go into your room or my room and share our first kiss there. There’s something else going on.”
“I’m really nervous,” she admitted.
“Why?”
“Because once we kiss, we can’t go back.”
“Would you want to?”
“Of course not. But it’s still a–”
“Risk?”
“Yes, but not in the way you think. If I kiss you, I know I won’t ever want to stop.”
“Oh,” Gabi said.
“I’ve never wanted to kiss anyone more than I want to kiss you, Gabi. So, I want it to be right, and I want to be ready for it because it’s so important. You, Gabrielle, could end up being my last first kiss.”
Gabi’s mouth opened to say something, but she didn’t.
“Too much, too soon?”
“No.” Gabi shook her head. “It actually makes the fact that I’m not getting a goodnight kiss feel okay now.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes. Now, can I at least be held while we sit on a sofa, please?”
“Yes, you can,” Sarai replied with a little laugh.
“Okay, I am really sorry, but I have a bug report,” Arlowe said, walking into the kitchen, holding up her phone. “Minor issue, but Mitchell was on call for support, and he just texted that I need to fix it. I was trying to wait for you two to finish, but my computer is–”
“In the garage. Yeah, go.”
Sarai hooked her thumb in the direction of the garage.
“And for the record, I would’ve stayed in my room all night were it not for this text. I’m not an asshole.”
Arlowe hurried past them and into the garage.
“Bedroom instead?” Gabi asked.
“Huh? What?” Sarai asked, taken aback by the word ‘bedroom.’
Gabi laughed and said, “I was asking if you wanted to go to one of our rooms and watch something in bed, but your reaction tells me that you’d probably prefer the couch.” Gabi stood. “Come on, babe. I’ll get the ice cream. You find something for us to watch.”
“Can you get us something to drink, too?”
“Yeah. I’ll meet you in there.”
Sarai stood up and walked into the living room, where she sat in her usual spot and turned on the TV.
“How long do you think Arlowe will be in there before she has to leave and probably interrupt us again?” Gabi asked when she walked in with the ice cream and two sodas.
“At least an hour,” she replied.
Gabi sat down next to her, set the ice cream in her lap, and said, “I think we might have just escalated to feeding each other because it’s easier.”
She held out the spoon to Sarai.
Sarai smiled over at her, took a bite, and said, “I’m good now. It’s all yours.”
She patted Gabi’s thigh, and Gabi took another bite before she placed the ice cream on the coffee table.
“I’ll put it away later,” she said and moved into Sarai’s side. “Arm.”
Sarai lifted her arm, wrapped it around Gabi’s shoulders, found something that they could agree on, and when she set the remote down, it hit her: she was holding Gabrielle Durand.
Gabi’s arm moved over her stomach, and not for the first time that night, Sarai wished that she hadn’t worn a dress because had she worn a shirt or a sweater, Gabi’s hand could’ve slid under it and rested on her bare skin, which she wanted desperately.
“Are you okay?” Gabi checked.
“Just regretting this dress choice,” she replied, deciding to be honest.
“What? Why? You look amazing in this dress.”
“Because I was just thinking about how good your hand could’ve felt on my stomach if I were in a shirt.”
Gabi rested her head on Sarai’s shoulder, and her hand moved down to Sarai’s thigh, where she cinched up the dress a bit before she settled her hand there and dragged her thumb over Sarai’s skin.
“How’s this? A good-enough substitute?” Gabi asked.
“Uh… Yeah. Yup. Good… Enough.”
“Oh, hey. You two are still out here?” Enya asked as she walked down the hall.
“Yes. It’s only been a few minutes, Enya. Did you fall asleep in Arlowe’s room?”
“I thought I was out for a while because I woke up, and she wasn’t there. I figured you two would be in bed already.”
“Well, we’re not,” Sarai said.
“Sorry. I’m just going to grab a–” Enya pointed to the ice cream. “Are you done with that?”
“Go for it,” Gabi replied. “You should know that we shared that spoon, though.”
“I don’t mind.”
“Get a new spoon, Enya. It’s sort of a thing,” Sarai told her.
“Sharing a spoon is a thing?” Gabi asked.
“When you and I do it on a date, it is.”
“No problem. I’ll get my own spoon and eat this in my room.”
“Hey, you’re up?” Arlowe asked, walking into the room like a woman on a mission. “I could use your help with something. There–” Arlowe turned and noticed Gabi sitting there. “Actually, I could use your help.”
“My help?” Gabi asked.
“Enya can’t code. I’ve got Mitchell working on part of the issue, but I could use a little more help if you can spare twenty minutes.”
“Are you serious, Arlowe?” Sarai asked.
“Sarai, it’s fine,” Gabi said, lifting her head off Sarai’s shoulder. “I don’t mind. I can help out.”
“It’s our first date.”
“Sarai, it’s work,” Arlowe replied. “I promise, I’ll have her back before she turns into a pumpkin.”
“Arlowe, you said it was a minor issue.”
“It is.”
“Then, I’m sorry, but can you just fix it with Mitchell or Clay, the two actual employees?”
“I can, yeah, but it would go faster with Gabi.”
“I don’t mind, Sarai.”
“Gabs, I do. For once, I don’t want my work to come first. So, if the two of you could please just give us, like, an hour to relax on this damn couch before we say good night at our bedroom doors, I would really appreciate it.”
“Is she spinning out?” Arlowe asked.
“No, she’s making a point,” Gabi said, looking at Sarai. “And I think I’m going to stay here.”
“Fine. Enya?”
“I’ll go out there with you, but mainly for moral support because I have no idea how to fix whatever’s wrong.”
“Let’s go,” Arlowe said, and when she and Enya walked out of the living room, Gabi kissed Sarai on the cheek.
“What was that for?”
“You know what it’s for. Now, relax,” Gabi replied, and Sarai let out a deep breath when Gabi moved back into her side.