Chapter 22 #2
“Thanks.” Alba barely glanced up at Ellie, only managing the smallest of smiles. She looked into Ellie’s lunch box and nodded. “Hummus. Good choice. Homemade?”
“Oh, no. I don’t have time for homemade anything.
” Ellie scooped a slice of her flatbread through the creamy texture and took a bite.
Her focus remained firmly on Alba, on the tension in her shoulders, and the way her movements felt restrained.
“It’s not much, but it’ll do the job.” She would usually have some vegetables accompanying the dish, but she hadn’t had the chance to go shopping last week.
She’d been so beside herself wondering if Alba was okay that it had slipped her mind.
“I’m quite impressed that you can even be bothered yourself. ”
“I usually have nothing else to do with my time. There’s only so much sitting around with Colin that I can tolerate.”
“Maybe I should take a leaf out of your book and start spending more time in the kitchen.” Ellie was finding it painfully hard to get any sort of meaningful conversation out of Alba.
Every attempt felt like it skimmed the surface and then fell flat.
It certainly wasn’t anything that resembled their conversations in the past. “Do you want me to sit elsewhere? Am I making you feel uncomfortable?”
“No. You’re not making me feel uncomfortable.” Alba sighed as her shoulders sagged. “But other people are.”
Ellie sat forward in her seat and leaned in, lowering her voice. “Has someone said something to you?”
“Just leave it. It’s fine. I’ll explain the next time I see you…
outside of here.” Alba rose to her feet and took the flask she’d brought in with her this morning from the fridge.
She turned her back on Ellie, busying herself at the microwave, and then returned a few minutes later. “Here. Get this down you.”
Ellie reached up for the bowl in Alba’s hand, her brows drawn. “What is it?”
“Soup. I had plenty left over.”
The smell reached her nose, comforting and familiar, as Ellie smiled up at Alba. She couldn’t turn it down even if she wanted to. She knew just how well Alba could put something together. “Is this the same one we had at your place last month?”
“Yep.” Alba scanned the room as she sat back down, then rolled her eyes. “You do realise that Susan and Jeanette are sitting over there glaring at us, don’t you?”
“Why do you think I’m sitting with my back to them?” Ellie cleared her throat, though her jaw clenched. “Leave it with me, and I’ll deal with it this afternoon.”
“No, I don’t want you to do that. I should have known this would happen. It’s clear Susan and Jeanette have it in for me since Susan apparently knows my ex-wife. God knows what Audrey has been telling her.”
Alba had that defeated look in her eyes again, but it hit Ellie harder this time. Because now she understood what Alba had to lose. What this could cost her.
“If I just avoid seeing you at work, they’ll forget all about it.”
Ellie’s stomach dropped. “All about what?”
“Nothing.” Alba spooned soup into her mouth and tore a piece from her bread, then side-glanced at Ellie. “Really, it’s nothing.”
“What have they said to you, Alba?” Ellie wasn’t standing for this. Susan and Jeanette were old enough to know better. God, they’d been here longer than Ellie had…and she’d been here for a long time. “Please. I need to know.”
“Can we do this another time? Maybe when we don’t run the risk of someone overhearing us?”
Okay. That made sense. Even now, Alba was thinking about the consequences. About Ellie and the situation they were in. If nothing else, it seemed as though Alba was trying to protect her. While it was sweet, it wasn’t necessary. “Okay. This evening?”
Alba regarded her with the most beautiful smile. “I was wondering if we could see one another tonight. I didn’t want to push my luck by asking.”
“Always ask. I encourage you to ask.” Ellie didn’t know the first thing about dating women, still…she imagined it was mostly the same as dating anyone else. Regardless of gender, the nerves, the anticipation, and the wanting were still the same. “Your place or mine?”
“Mine? Colin’s tummy still isn’t quite right, and I don’t want him to shit all over your cream carpet in the living room.”
Ellie burst out laughing at that. “Yes, that visual doesn’t leave me overly enthused to have him over if his bowels are unsettled.
” As she looked up from her soup, everyone in the room stared back at them.
“What?” All eyes suddenly lowered, and then the whispering began.
Ellie straightened, lifting her chin. “I know it’s been a while since you’ve heard me laugh, but it does happen on occasion. ”
Alba sank down in her seat, shrinking a little under the attention. “Are you planning to arrive before or after dinner?” She asked quietly, clearing her throat. “I don’t mind either way. Just let me know.”
Ellie wrinkled her nose, leaning just a fraction closer. “Before. Then we can eat together.”
“Perfect. I’ll stop off at the supermarket on the way home. Rustle something up that’s worth coming over for.”
Ellie wished she could reach out and touch Alba’s hand.
The urge was almost overwhelming with her sitting this close…
feeling the pull of her without being able to act on it.
But even if she wasn’t bothered about doing so, Alba was, and that mattered.
“Food or not, it’ll always be worth my time to come over to your place. ”
With a shy smile playing on her lips, Alba cast her gaze to her lap and whispered, “I’m dying to kiss you.”
And just like that, everything inside Ellie settled. There was no fear or doubt…just want.
Quiet, consuming, and entirely impossible to ignore.