Chapter 31
Lucy
THE SECOND MONTH
Iam greeted at the door of Mama Betty’s apartment by her day nurse, Christine.
“Good evening, Ms. Lucy. Ms. Aria is sitting with Ms. Betty in the living room right now. I was hoping to go over her current status with you in the kitchen before my shift ends?”
“Of course.” I gesture for her to lead the way and I twist my hands together and take a deep breath before following her into the kitchen. She turns to face me, placing both hands on the counter, showing a weariness that I hadn’t seen before.
“I’m just going to cut to the chase here: Ms. Betty is starting to decline faster than before.
The shortness of breath has rapidly increased, so have her bouts of extreme fatigue.
Cognitively, her memory is spottier than it was and her mood swings have gotten worse.
Ms. Aria is a great help in keeping her calm, but it is not always enough.
” She drops her gaze to the island and sighs deeply.
My own sigh echoes hers and I rub my temples; the weekly reports have only gotten worse over the last month. Today is no exception.
“Okay, thank you, Christine,” I say, exhaustion dripping from each word, “Make sure that Gina has an updated report, but go enjoy your night.” I reach over and squeeze her hand gently before she nods and makes her way out of the kitchen.
As soon as she exits the room, I slide to the floor, head in my hands, as I try to get my breathing under control as the tears drip from the tip of my nose in the near silent space. I stay in my ball of grief for a few moments before the room’s energy changes.
A new body slides onto the floor next to me and I feel the arm wrap around my shoulders as I am pulled into a warm embrace. Aria doesn’t try to make me speak or get off the floor or stop feeling so fucking sad. All she does is hold me until I feel strong enough to face the world again.
After a few minutes, I turn my face into her and press a gentle kiss to the side of her neck.
“Thank you,” I whisper. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” she whispers back, squeezing me tighter, and sitting with me in my maelstrom of grief.
***
“How did the meeting with the estate planning attorney go?” Aria asks as I walk into our apartment.
“Stressful, but productive.” The last several weeks after Christine’s report have seen an intense increase in planning for…after.
“Well, productive is what we are going for.” She stands from her spot on the couch and comes to greet me with a kiss. I melt into her and feel the majority of the day’s tension melt away from my neck and shoulders.
Today is a bit of a break from our routine. We are going to spend the rest of the day together since the estate planning took up the entirety of the morning. Mama Betty insisted she needed to rest and that I should spend the day with Aria, not ‘worrying about a tired, old woman.’
We seized the opportunity with both hands. I kiss her on the cheek and make my way into the master bathroom to wash this day off of me. I stand under the shower head and allow myself a few moments to let the tears flow down my cheeks and into the drain. Breathe. Feel. Let the wave pass.
By the time I am done putting the finishing touches on my makeup, the chaos has moved from my brain and onto the counter: it is covered in my makeup, curl creams, leave-in conditioner, mousse, and hair oil.
A t-shirt is thrown over the bar of the shower curtain because, once again, my microfiber towel is sitting in my laundry. All in all, a disaster zone.
But, as I turn from side to side in the mirror, I do have to admit that I clean up nicely.
The woman staring back at me is clad in a deep burgundy ruched dress that hugs my every curve and ends at my mid-thigh.
Gold teardrops dangle from my ears with chains that end in tiny garnets.
A simple gold chain adorns my neck, showcased by the off-the-shoulder neckline broken only by the defined curls bouncing around my shoulders, and matches the band on my left wrist. The gold winged eyeliner pops against my brown skin and the lips that match the dress tip up into a smile as I give myself a nod and head back into the bedroom.
My breath catches as I see Aria stepping into a pair of silver flats.
Her cherry red hair is twisted into a chignon at the back of her head.
Her makeup is simple, but stunning. The mascara and slightly shimmering silver eyeshadow make her eyes shine like liquid mercury.
The deep emerald dress is tied behind her neck in a halter, the neckline showing off a delicious hint of cleavage.
The dress itself flares out at her waist in an A-line silhouette ending just above her knee.
“Goddess, you’re gorgeous,” I breathe out, unable to put any power behind the words.
Her cheeks flush with the compliment and she ducks her head shyly before she glances up once more. I feel her gaze travel over every inch of me and her blush spreads down to her chest and disappears beneath her dress.
“If I am gorgeous, then you are the most ethereal creature ever to walk this plane of existence.” Her words are quiet, but almost worshipful with awestruck intensity.
She crosses the room towards me and I can tell she wants nothing more than to dig her fingers into my hair and ravish my lips with hers.
I feel my own face darken in response and heat pools low, curling in my core.
However, as I have already threatened her with certain death if she chooses to lay a single finger on my hair before we return home, it looks like tonight will be an exercise in restraint and delayed gratification for both of us.
“Well, Cherry,” I say, my voice light and playful, intentionally breaking the tension in the room. “Shall we?”
She turns her head away and I see her suck in a calming breath before offering her arm in an exaggerated parody of gallantry.
“We shall, Princess.”
***
Once we have finished dinner at The Silver Spoon, Aria escorts me on a romantic walk around the park in a quieter part of the city.
For a long while, neither of us say a word.
We just walk, arm in arm, and appreciate the setting sun and the moment of peace we find ourselves in.
It is at this moment that I finally look over to her.
“Thank you,” I tell her quietly.
Thank you for this night.
Thank you for being here.
Thank you for your strength.
Thank you for loving me.
She simply leans down and presses a soft kiss to my lips as she gives my arm a gentle squeeze. No other words are spoken and none are needed. We can simply enjoy our reprieve and rest easy in the love flowing between us.
***
The trip home is filled with charged tension. I trail my fingers up and down Aria’s arm and revel in the goosebumps I leave in my wake. She remains focused on the world around us, though I hear the sharp intake of breath she tries to silence.
We had decided to spring for a rideshare tonight, rather than riding the subway, so the silence is broken only by the soft music filtering from the front of the car. Our fingers are intertwined and I can’t help the smirk that steals over my face.
I untangle my hand from hers and rest it on her knee. At the feeling of skin against skin, I see her face turn red, even in the dark of the car.
“You girls mind if I turn up the music?” the gruff voice of the driver, a man who looks to be in his fifties. sounds from the front seat. “My daughters drive me crazy with their music at home, but this one’s not too bad.”
“We don’t mind at all!” I respond, using the moment to shift, casually ensuring that my hand slips beneath the bottom of Cherry’s dress.
As the driver turns up the music, Taylor Swift’s “Dress” drifts into the backseat.
I keep sliding my hand up her thigh, keeping my eyes forward.
I feel her thigh tense under my hand, but she makes no move to push me away.
I hear her sharp inhale and smirk before schooling my face into something polite and contained.
My hand runs up and down, enjoying the feeling of her soft skin.
She remains tense for another moment or two before relaxing into the feeling.
At this, my hand slides up again, this time with purpose, resting my fingers at the apex of her thighs.
I tap twice, signaling for her to spread her legs and let me in.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see her shoot a glance my way. I keep looking forward. After a moment, and a deep breath in from beside me, her thighs spread allowing me to rest my fingers against the damp lace nestled between them.
“I can’t wait to see what these look like when we get home,” I murmur in her ear, casually leaning towards her to presumably fix the strap on her left shoulder.
My hand slips beneath the soft and elastic lace, feeling smooth skin greet my fingertips.
I slide my middle two fingers down her core, reveling in the wetness I find there.
I stroke her clit languidly, enjoying the blush I see spreading beneath her dress as she struggles to maintain her composure. I let out a tiny giggle, but the driver decides at that moment to turn down the music once more as the song finishes.
“So are you girls heading somewhere fancy or back home?” he asks from the front seat. Aria freezes in ill-disguised horror, but I maintain my teasing strokes as I answer him.
“On the way back home from The Silver Spoon—well worth the hype, by the way. Are you from the area?” I feel the glare aimed my way as Cherry slowly turns her head towards me.
“Yep, Anchor Point born and bred. My family settled here after coming over on the Mayflower and never seemed to move around too much. Area’s too pretty to leave. How about you? Raised here?”