Chapter 10 #2
It gave Ellie too much time to think and too much time to notice Alba sitting there in her bedroom.
It gave her too much time to notice the way Alba looked on her bed and about the weekend they had planned.
God, all she could think about was the fact that the very woman she was growing increasingly attracted to was sitting right there, surrounded by Ellie’s clothes and personal space like she didn’t belong anywhere else.
Ellie hadn’t had anyone else in her bedroom since she’d separated from Colin more than two years ago.
That realisation made her pulse skip. “I’ve never been to this spa in particular.
What would you recommend for dinner tomorrow night?
” Ellie turned and eyed Alba across the room. She looked…nervous.
“Casual…or?”
“Well, I thought about going for a jeans and blouse combination, but Lois eventually convinced me to dress up and enjoy myself, so I decided on a dress in the end.”
“What colour?” Ellie turned back to the wardrobe and opened another door. She’d rushed to put everything away once she knew Alba was coming over. The last thing she needed was Alba walking into her bedroom and finding sheer mayhem.
“Black.”
“Okay, so no black for me.” Ellie scanned the dresses hanging neatly in the wardrobe and selected a few options before turning back for her bed. She laid three dresses across the duvet. “Help me decide on one of these.”
Alba leaned forward, her eyes narrowed in thought as she studied them. “Hmm. I’m inclined to go right ahead and say the blue one for obvious reasons.”
“Obvious reasons?”
Alba shrugged. “It’ll make your eyes pop. Like…intensely.”
Ellie smiled and lifted the dress from the bed.
She walked over to the mirror and held it up against her body, tilting her head slightly as she examined her reflection.
“I don’t even know if this one still fits me.
I was a lot slimmer before Eloise died, and I’m pretty sure I haven’t worn this since before then. ”
“First of all, your figure is gorgeous. And secondly, maybe you’ll know for sure if you try it on.” Alba’s suggestion was completely sensible. “If you’re not happy with it, then I’d go for the white dress.”
“I do love this one.” Ellie gazed back at Alba through the mirror. Did she realise she was staring at Ellie’s arse? Probably not. “And it’s comfortable.” Alba didn’t respond. She just kept staring. “Either I’ve sat in something, or you’re checking me out.” Still nothing. “Alba?”
“Mm?” Alba’s head shot up suddenly, and then she looked back at Ellie as though she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t have been.
“I said I do love this one.” Ellie felt that strange rush again. That subtle electricity that seemed to flicker through her body whenever Alba looked at her like that. “Should I try it on?”
“Definitely. It’s a gorgeous dress.” Alba cleared her throat and glanced around the room, like she needed somewhere else to look. “You probably have some fancy dressing room in a house this big.”
“Nope. No dressing room.” Ellie hooked her fingers beneath the hem of her hoodie and lifted it over her head without another thought.
She slipped the dress from the hanger and stepped into it, smoothing the fabric down over her hips before turning to the mirror again.
Huh. It fits. She just needed to lose the jeans and add heels.
She unbuttoned her jeans beneath the dress and slid them down her legs.
Once she was free from the restrictive denim, she slipped into the heels she’d placed beside the wardrobe earlier and turned back to Alba. “Well?”
Alba just sat there staring at her, her lips parted slightly.
“No?” Ellie wrinkled her nose. “No good?”
“It’s… I… Yeah, it looks great. Amazing.” Alba lifted her hands and toyed with the string on her hoodie. “The heels really go well with it.”
“Okay, so, this is the dress for dinner tomorrow, then.”
Alba nodded quickly. “Good choice.”
Ellie took the dress off and hung it on the wardrobe door.
Only then did she realise she was standing in nothing but her underwear.
She’d wanted to see Alba’s reaction when she removed her hoodie—the staring had been far too obvious to ignore—but she didn’t want to make Alba uncomfortable.
Ellie grabbed her hoodie and held it against her, hopefully covering what needed covering.
“Do we have access to the pool?” she asked, turning her hoodie the right way around.
“W-we do.” Alba smiled nervously as she stared down at her hands. “All day tomorrow and up until we leave on Sunday at midday. Lois and I decided to just go all out and book access to everything. Food and drinks package, too.”
“Amazing.” Ellie felt an unexpected thrill ripple through her.
The spa, the full experience, and Alba. God, she couldn’t wait for the weekend to arrive.
“Now, what do I do about this?” Ellie brought her hoodie away from herself and revealed the pale line of her caesarean scar low across her stomach.
“It’s a bit unsightly, but I can’t hate it completely. It reminds me of Eloise.”
Alba looked back at her, confused. “What do you do about it?”
“Colin used to insist that I wear either a full swimsuit or high-waisted bottoms whenever we went abroad.” Ellie didn’t know why she was sharing these things with Alba, but there was something about her that made vulnerability feel…safe. “Which should I go for?”
Alba snorted. “Typical man.”
“I’m sorry?”
Alba climbed off the bed and walked over to her, taking the hoodie from Ellie’s hands. “You don’t do anything about it. It’s part of you and your journey. If he…or anyone else doesn’t like that, then that’s their own tough shit. If you want to wear the tiniest bikini, you do that.”
Ellie smiled shyly and lowered her gaze. “I may be okay with how I look, but a tiny bikini has never been in my outfits. Ever.”
“Okay, then I would say…wear whatever you feel comfortable in. Not what you think other people will be comfortable with. You’re gorgeous, and you should celebrate that.”
When Alba said things like that, Ellie felt an overwhelming urge to step forward and kiss her.
But she didn’t, she…couldn’t. Just because she felt this pull towards Alba, and just because Alba had clearly been staring earlier, it didn’t mean any of the feelings Ellie was beginning to suspect were actually real. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”
Alba held up her hands and stepped back.
“All I’m saying is that I’d be honoured to have a woman like you.
If other people don’t see that because of a scar, then fuck them.
Just…not literally.” She grinned, seemingly much more relaxed again.
“Now, I’m going to refill our wine glasses while you get dressed and stop prancing around with your bits out.
” Alba handed the hoodie back and rolled her eyes.
“Anyone would think you knew I was a lesbian and you were trying to tease me.”
Fuck. Ellie’s stomach dropped. Had she gone too far? “Alba, I’m sorry—”
“I’m joking. Relax.”
But Ellie couldn’t relax. Not lately. And not when Alba was around.
Still…she had this weekend to contend with.
Two full days together, and two full days to figure out what this feeling was.
If it turned out there was even the smallest chance that Alba might feel something too…
Ellie would finally decide what to do next.