“Then come and stay with me.”
Lisa was silent for long moments as she looked at her intently. “You’re really serious, aren’t you?”
“Never been more serious. And it might seem a little much, but it’s not like we’re diving into a relationship. You need a place to stay, I have a room. It seems like a no-brainer.” Stella grinned. “Plus, you’re incredibly cute, so that’s a bonus for me.”
Lisa laughed. “You’re not giving up, are you?”
“Nope.”
“Okay, let’s say I took you up on your generous offer. I’d pay you rent, of course, and I’d put all my stuff in the spare bedroom, so you won’t have to look at my mess. And you must tell me what annoys you. Some people are really anal about their fridge for example, or maybe you won’t like me cooking in your kitchen or you won’t like—”
“Shhh... Chill out,” Stella interrupted her. “We can talk about stuff like that later but I’m sure it will be fine.” She pinched Lisa’s behind and smiled mischievously. “You know what the best thing would be about you staying with me?”
“What’s that?”
“We wouldn’t have to sneak around anymore. And I can kiss you anywhere and any time I like.”
Lisa returned her smile, resisting the urge to pull her back in when Stella got up and gathered her clothes. “Hmm… that does sound appealing.”
Stella got dressed and blew her a kiss before she left. “Think about it. It will be fun.”
34
“Hey, babe, what are you up to? Working on your tan?”
“Hey, Ebs! One moment.” Lisa put her phone on speaker and placed it on the bed, then continued folding her clothes into neat piles. After she and Stella had talked about it some more during a long walk last night, Stella had convinced her to move in sooner rather than later, as there was no point in Lisa staying at the hotel if she could be much more comfortable at her house. She felt excited, scared and nervous. What if they argued? She may have trouble finding another room at this price, especially now that high season had started. What if the opposite happened? If everything was wonderful… Both were a recipe for disaster because their lives were in different countries.
“Lisa?” Ebony paused. “Are you there?”
“Sorry, I’m back,” Lisa said, pulled out of her thoughts. “I’m in my room, packing my things.”
“Oh… Are you coming back to the UK? Do you have an interview?”
“No, I’m moving in with a new friend.” On the one hand, Lisa really wanted to tell Ebony about Stella, on the other, what Stella and she had going on wasn’t serious enough to call a relationship and until she knew what to call it, she’d rather keep it to herself. But Ebony wasn’t one to fool; she’d find out anyway.
Ebony chuckled. “Are you moving in with ‘someone who works there?’”
“Her name is Stella.” Lisa laughed too. “And yes, I am. I’ll be in Spain for another six weeks. I’d still love you to visit but you might have to book a hotel nearby.”
“Of course I’m coming. As your best friend, I want to be the first to meet your new girlfriend.” She whistled. “Jesus, Lisa. Moving in already? Talk about typical lesbian.”
“No, it’s not like that, she’s not my girlfriend. Stella has a spare room, and we really get along, so it made sense.”
“So, you’ll be sleeping in the spare room?” Ebony asked in a sarcastic tone.
Lisa smiled as she sat down on the bed. “I doubt it,” she admitted. “But the option is there if I want to.”
“Right. So, you’ll be sleeping in the same bed for six weeks. Romantic dinners, waking up together, long walks on the beach… are you really so naive to think this won’t get serious?” Ebony hesitated. “Are you exclusive?”
Lisa winced at the question because frankly, she didn’t know what Stella was up to on the many nights they didn’t see each other. She hadn’t stayed over that often, worried that it would be too much, even though Stella had told her she was always welcome.
“Look,” Ebony continued when Lisa didn’t answer. “You’re clearly head over heels with this woman because moving into someone’s house on a whim is seriously out of character for you. And don’t get me wrong, I’m so, so happy that you’re finally having fun and having sex again,” she added with a hint of humour, “but I’m just looking out for you as your friend. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I won’t.” Lisa cleared her throat and started piling her clothes into her first suitcase. “But enough about me. How’s the new job?”
Ebony sighed, clearly frustrated she was changing the subject. “The job is good. Not as fun as when I worked with you, of course. But most of my colleagues are cool, and the senior position provides a fulfilling challenge. It took a couple of weeks to get into the flow but I’m starting to feel confident now.”
“That’s great.” Lisa smiled, happy for her friend. “So, they’re giving you time off?”
