Billie cast her mind back to that evening. She’d spent most of her time watching Debra as she sat between Ella and Maeve, relaxed and open in a way that still made Billie ache with gratitude. Gone were the days of tension and unease. A constant warmth and love had taken over all of it.
There were moments when Debra would think out loud. Before their relationship, Billie would have found it difficult to engage in random thought with another woman, but now…it was second nature to her. Debra had told her she didn’t want to drift, that she wanted to find something to do with her life. As it stood, she was swaying towards a return to university. She didn’t know what she would do yet, but Billie would support her every step of the way. So long as Debra was doing something she loved, then Billie would always support her.
Life is…sheer bliss.
Debra dropped by the shop most days now when she was in the area. Sometimes just to kiss Billie, other times to bring coffee. And then there were those days when she would sit in the corner, reading a book, while Billie worked. At first, Billie wondered if it was just Debra’s way of grounding her, but then she’d quickly come to realise that the same was true for Debra.Theywantedto always be in each other’s space, and now, Billie often had the most beautiful face to look at around the shop.
They weren’t hiding, nor were they rushing anything. Everything just felt right at the pace they were going.
Debra squeezed Billie’s hand as they reached the corner of Savile Row. “You’re thinking.”
“I always am.” Billie let go of Debra’s hand, instead wrapping an arm around her waist as she guided them both across the street. “But I’m happy, and that’s all you need to remember.”
“Good.” Debra side-glanced at her. “Because I’ve got plans for the rest of the afternoon too.”
Billie laughed. “I knew it!”
Debra sat opposite Billie,her hands wrapped around a glass of water, trying her very best to be present. The table was small and intimate, the usual spot they’d choose with one another, and Billie lookedridiculouslygood in her work clothes. That wasn’t new, though. Billie hadalwaysknown how to wear a tailored shirt. The difference now was that Debra knew she had the pleasure of peeling it from her skin every night.
Still, six weeks in, Debra didn’t know what to do with the fact that this woman was hers. Well, nothers, but choosing her. Coming to Debra’s flat most nights, answering her texts quicker as each day passed, kissing her as though Debra was the very thing she’d been thirsty for all of her life.
Debra watched her pick up the menu again and scan it, then lower it back down.
Billie tilted her head. “Hmm.”
Then Debra felt it. That subtle shift the moment Billie realised Debra wasn’t entirely in the room with her. She wassurprised it had taken so long. She’d been in her own head worrying about this conversation all day. Not because she didn’t want the plan to go ahead, but because she wasn’t sure Billie would agree to it in the first place.
“What’s up?” Billie asked with narrowed eyes.
Debra forced a small smile. “Nothing.”
Billie didn’t buy it for a second. She reached across the table and closed her fingers around Debra’s hand, her thumb brushing slowly over her knuckles. “You’ve got something on your mind. Talk to me.”
Debra swallowed, looking down at their hands for a moment. The way Billie held her without clinging and supported without crowding. God, she didn’t know how they’d managed to find their way back to one another all those months ago, but she was grateful for whoever had been watching over her. “It’s not…bad.”
Billie’s brows drew together. “Debra.”
Debra exhaled a breath, then she looked up and met Billie’s eyes fully. “Charlotte and Caleb are visiting from uni this weekend.”
“Okay.” Billie nodded slowly, but Debra felt the recalibration. Billie’s mind was working through what it meant. What the implications would be and the boundaries that would be put in place. “That’s good. I bet you’re looking forward to seeing them.”
“I am looking forward to seeing them.”
Billie squeezed Debra’s hand and leaned forward a little. “And I understand what you’re trying to say.”
Debra lifted a brow. “You do?”
“Yes. Of course I do.” Billie smiled as she lifted a shoulder. “I’ll just spend the weekend at my place. I’ve got some admin to catch up on. I can do a couple of hours of invoicing, tidy up my emails, and maybe see if Ella is around. She’s been asking me to do dinner with her since our night out with Maeve.”
Debra watched her. Studying her. Billie was giving Debra an out without being asked. Without sulking and without making it about her. She was just…moving herself aside, as though she was already preparing for the moment when Debra inevitably told her she didn’t fit.
“Billie…”
Billie gazed back at her. “Yeah?”
“That isn’t what I was trying to say.” Debra held onto her hand a little tighter, a smile threatening despite how emotional she suddenly felt. “What I was trying to say…was that Charlotte and Caleb are home this weekend, and I—” Debra swallowed. “I want you to be there.”
Billie went still. For one terrifying second, Debra thought she’d misjudged it. That maybe she’d pushed too fast, too soon.
