Chapter Four:
“Thank you. You really didn’t have to get it, you know?” Brooke asked after Anna had paid for their dinner.
Anna let out a happy laugh as she pushed back from the table and slung her purse over her shoulder.“I know that, Brooke. But you casually spent a ridiculous amount of money upgrading my wardrobe and are seriously going to buy me a plane ticket to England. I think I can swing dinner.”
Brooke bit back her comment about it not mattering. She didn’t want to be one of those people. She made really good money. Not everyone did. The last thing she wanted to do was point that out and make it awkward. And while Anna’s restaurant always seemed busy, and got rave reviews, Brooke knew that getting a business up and running was no easy feat.
She waited while Anna hugged her former coworkers and Hunter goodbye. Hunter even gave Brooke a half hug bye and told her not to be a stranger. She was surprised at how little jealousy she had felt towards him. Maybe it was because whatever he and Anna had all happened before she had ever even met Anna. Maybe it was because deep down she knew that this arrangement with Anna wasn’t even real. But, the food at Charlies had been delicious. She told Hunter as much, and promised him that she would return at some point with friends. Christine and Vivienne would enjoy this place. Brooke would suggest it for a Friday night out.
She followed Anna out into the late spring night, watching as Anna practically skipped down the sidewalk.“Wait,” Anna said, suddenly spinning back.“I’m getting ahead of myself. We should take a few photos outside of Charlies.”
Brooke’s eyes widened.“We should?”
“Yeah, absolutely. If we’re ever going to pass as a couple, we’re going to need photos together,” Anna answered, so matter of factly that Brooke couldn’t argue.
Brooke awkwardly shuffled closer. They were a hair’s width apart. Brooke could smell the delicate whisper of Anna’s perfume from this close, somehow it was both earthy and floral. Brooke wanted to bury her nose in it and pick out each individual note.
Anna laughed.“Come on, B. I’m not going to bite.” She shot Brooke a flirtatious smirk.“Well, I’m not going to bite in a photo.”
Brooke’s eyes widened in disbelief, positively not letting her mind wander to the thought of Anna biting her, and moved closer until she was positioned just behind Anna.
“That’s it, prom style. Hands respectfully on my hips,” Anna instructed.
Brooke actually laughed at that and Anna started snapping pictures.
“Alright, now hug me for real. Get all cute with it like you like me, put your chin on my shoulder or something,” Anna said, but her tone was much softer this time, much more wistful.
Brooke did as she requested, knowing full well that her smile had gotten much more shy and reserved in these, afraid to breathe too deeply and scare Anna off.
Anna had officially taken more photos in one go than Brooke did of herself all year. When she was finished, Anna asked,“how did you get here?” She spun around in Brooke’s arms, not backing up in the slightest.
Brooke smiled at her in wonder as they stood in a hug. Brooke finally realized she had never let go and immediately dropped her hands and backed up a few, respectful feet.“I drove. You?” She cleared her throat nervously, afraid she had crossed an unspoken line.
“I took the metro.” Anna looked around thoughtfully.“So, my favorite bookstore in the whole city is three blocks away.”
“We can walk it. I can always walk back afterwards. I can also give you a ride home, if you’d like,” Brooke offered. She knew that their city had pretty decent public transportation, but at this point, she just wanted to spend more time with Anna.
Anna beamed at her.“That would be great.” Anna nodded her head once, like their plan was officially finalized, and held out her hand.“Come on. It’s this way.”
Brooke stared at Anna’s hand for probably far too long before she reached for it. Anna’s smile impossibly widened as she threaded their fingers.“I figure,” Anna started as they walked hand in hand down the sidewalk,“we should probably be pretty used to holding hands three months in, you know?”
Brooke’s brain was fully short circuiting, but she managed to keep it together, responding with some non-commital grunt of an agreement.
“Do you ever just feel like you could skip?” Anna asked suddenly, her voice almost sad for such a seemingly joyful question.
Brooke offered a small smile.“I can’t say that I have the urge, but you can skip if you’d like.”
Anna let out a small giggle at that.“I guess if I’m going to England to confront the traumas of your childhood, I should share some of mine.”
Brooke stopped walking and held on gently, spinning Anna to face her with little effort.“Anna, you don’t have to do anything. If you’re not ready to share, you’re not required to. We can make up an entire backstory for you if you’d like. You owe me nothing. It is I who owe you more than I could ever hope to repay you.”
Anna’s eyes watered.“Is it weird that I just want to share it with you? How do you already make me feel safe?” Her question was a whisper, barely louder than an exhale.
Brooke’s heart slammed against her chest. She needed to make a joke of this situation and fast or she was going to mess all of this up before it even began.“It’s probably my four black belts.”
Anna’s face slid from full of emotion to full of amusement in a split second.“You’re right,” she said, continuing their walk again.“It’s definitely the black belts. You radiate multiple black belt energy.” She snorted out a laugh. After they had walked a few paces, their hands still linked, Anna sighed.“Honestly, it’d be nice to talk about though, if you have the capacity for it, that is. With all that you’ve got going on, I get it if you’ve got too much on your plate.”
Brooke shook her head.“There will always be room on my plate for you.” Brooke blushed at the very notion of eating Anna. She pushed the thought aside and refocused.
