Lee:Early. Lunch together? Or should I grab something before you get here?
Marie:Here already.
Lee:Willing to share a meal?
Marie:Yes
For someone adamant that she wasn’t interested in a date, Lee was certainly the one to blur lines so far. Grab a drink. Text socially. Grab lunch. Those were date adjacent. Or maybe they were headed toward being friends.
Friends do all of that… which is why Tash isn’t actually my friend. Those aren’t things I want with her. With Lee, though? Yes. Definite yes.
As Greta approached the crowd, she had a moment to take Lee in before she turned. She had on a pair of jeans, name label but well-worn, ankle-high hiking boots that looked like they’d seen some miles, and a plain blazer. As she turned, Greta saw that Lee had a slogan T-shirt under her jacket proclaiming “A well-read woman is a dangerous creature.”
Instead of putting her backpack on the roller bag, Lee had it on her shoulder.
“Hey.” Lee smiled, but she didn’t reach out. She shifted the bag on her shoulder, hand clenched on the strap. “Looks like there are a couple options for a place to grab a bite that might be cheaper than hotel lobby food.”
“Can I take one of those?” Greta offered. “Or do you want to put the shoulder bag on the roller bag?”
“No.” Lee’s smile was tight. “Meeting files. I’m paranoid, I guess.” She gave an awkward laugh.
“Big meeting?”
“Maybe? I don’t know. I’m starting a new job—no, I don’t want to talk about it—but I’m afraid I’ll fuck it all up.” Lee shook her head. “Sorry. You probably don’t want to hear any of that.”
“I do, actually. I want to hear it.” Greta took a deep breath. “So, what if we tried that whole maybe being sort of friends thing?”
Lee gave her a look. “Define ‘friends’ for you.”
“I guess just people who sometimes talk but arenotdating?” Greta was about to share her actual name, but Lee looked like she had just swallowed a bug.
“Give me a day to think?” Lee shook her head. “What I need right now is a sandwich and an orgasm. Care to join me for that?”
“Let’s grab a cab. That’s faster to get both of what you want.”
“To where?” Lee asked.
“My apartment if you want. Your hotel if you prefer.” Greta shrugged like it was no big deal. To some degree, it wasn’t. She was willing to go to a hotel as they had in DC or to go to a restaurantfirst. What she wanted, what she’d craved since Lee had walked out of the hotel room door a few weeks ago, was another night with her.
Gently, Greta added, “Unless you have early check-in? Or had your heart set on a restaurant? I can be flexible.”
Lee grinned. “I remember how flexible you are.”
“Name your terms, Lee. You know what I want.…”
9Kaelee
The thought of going back to someone’s place was somehow less awkward than inviting anyone into the space where she slept. Even if she was in a hotel like she was tonight, Kaelee had a thing about space. She suspected it was a result of having been violated in a space where she ought to have been safe. Since Kyle, she always had a pit in her gut at inviting anyone into her apartment unless they were truly close. Back in DC, she’d invited exactly two people to her apartment: Toni and Cherie. She thought she’d be okay with Toni’s future wife, Addie, or with Evander, but she hadn’t felt the need to test that theory.
Realizing that Marie could easily be on her trusted-people list after such a short time unsettled Kaelee, but she was an expert at compartmentalization. So she shoved that thought down deep to ponder later.
With a quick peck on Marie’s cheek, Kaelee said, “That’s perfect. I can order the takeout later tonight if you have sandwich supplies or something at your place.”
“Done.” Marie pivoted and marched away, glancing over her shoulder. “Let’s go. The sooner we grab a cab, the sooner I can get you naked. You should know, though: I’m a step ahead of you.”
“Oh?”
A man walking by gave them a second look, but right then, Kaelee couldn’t find it in her to care. She smiled, looked Marie overfrom head to toe, and asked, “Are you not wearing panties under that?”
