Chapter 29 #3
“It’s not that complicated. Of course, I can say that because I understand it. To someone who doesn’t think like this, it’s an encrypted language.”
Varen barely had those words out of her mouth before she started snorting.
Those snorts shortly turned into laughter.
“Encrypted language… I crack myself up.”
I don’t get it. Nala figured she didn’t have to. “Whatever. Look at this Bible I got.”
Varen looked at her as if she were being literal. Instead, Nala plopped down the cookbook and pointed to a picture of soup on the cover. “My mom used to make me that when I was sick. You’d hate it. Really bland.”
“Are you going to cook for me?”
“You’ll be lucky if you get the leftovers I make for myself.”
“I made you bacon and eggs…”
Nala nudged her shoulder. “What else did you get?”
She squinted at the spines in front of them.
More coding books. A biography about some tech giant.
She’s probably met him. Another book about Apple and Steve Jobs.
Probably met him too. The only thing in that stack not tech-related was a John Steinbeck novel.
That seemed… hilariously ironic, given Varen’s status.
She caught Nala looking at it. “It’s good to be reminded of what people went through and what they still go through today.”
“So I see.”
“What did you get besides a book of food you’re going to make me?” Varen dug through Nala’s basket. “Traveling, are we? Say the word and I’ll take you to Beijing. I have…”
“Connections there, I’m sure.”
“Why, of course. I’m glad you’re realizing what goes on around here.”
Nala rolled her eyes. She smacked Varen’s hand away before she could dig too far into her basket. I’ve got naughty stuff there, Ms. Lake. “Go back to your funny formula books and make me enough money so I can buy these ingredients. Did you know there’s a recipe in here that calls for seventy eggs?”
“Holy chickens. Think of the cholesterol.”
“I dare not.”
Varen pulled out her wallet and slipped her a twenty. “Get yourself something from the counter and get me another one of these.” She shook her empty coffee cup. “Pretty please?”
Nala made a grand show of getting up and taking the money. She folded up the precious bill and stuffed it in her sweatshirt pocket, smacking her lips before pushing through the throng of people huddling around tables and dithering about what to order from the menu.
Today isn’t so bad. Nala was almost able to forget what lurked behind the shadows when she wasn’t careful. It was nice to be among normal people for once. To be on a date with her… girlfriend.
Her heart warmed at the thought. She pulled out Varen’s money and marveled at how easily it slipped through her fingers before being caught again.
That looks good. There was a blueberry scone in the case that had their names on it.
When she reached the register, Nala ordered herself a latte, Varen a coffee, and got the scone for them to share.
While she waited for her order to be thrown together, she perused the nearby romance and erotica section, wondering if any of the women in those stories had lives as fantastic as hers.
If I’m doing better than a romance heroine, then the world has some explaining to do.
She snatched a BDSM romance off the shelf and barely had time to glance it over before they called her order up front.
“What’s that you have there?” Varen asked when she returned.
“Blueberry scone. I figured the marionberry one was too much for you Californians.”
“Ha ha, I mean the other thing.” Varen took her coffee and gingerly placed it next to her book. “I didn’t know you read romance.”
“Neither did I. I’m discovering all sorts of things about myself today.” Nala briefly showed her the salacious cover before taking it back into her possession. “You wouldn’t understand this though. The Domme of this book is probably a lot nicer than you.”
“Nicer? Nala, have you ever read one of these books before? The heroes are anything but nice. They’re usually pretty rough with their heroines. Straight, gay, doesn’t matter. Readers like a certain angle that doesn’t always represent real life.”
“Ooh. Rough. Don’t you know that I like it rough?”
A hint of darkness crossed Varen’s face. “I have found that out a time or two.”
Nala tried to keep smiling, but eventually found herself shaking in her hoodie.
Okay, so that’s how it is right now… Varen the Domme was alive and well in there.
Nala put her romance book in the basket and pretended to be more fascinated with her latte and scone.
The scone she kept trying to feed the woman who owned Nightingale.
Wait, if Nightingale is her girlfriend, then who am I? She really needed to stop asking herself these things.
The hour they spent sitting together in front of that bright window, perusing their books and deciding which ones to keep and which ones to put back, was almost too simple in its comforting beauty.
Nala only got up once to use the bathroom, a good two stories above her head and too busy to be done with quickly.
When she returned, sauntering into the café as if she owned the place, she found Varen anything but alone.