“What are you asking?”
“You can say no… but if I made out with one of them, would you hate me?”
Ellie thought for a second, checking in with herself. Jealousy at the thought? Check. Arousal? That was there too… “You want the full spring break experience?” she asked.
“Drunkenly making out with someone that I think is cute?” She shrugged. “Maybe.”
Ellie laughed. “Go for it, so long as I can see. But…” She put her hand on Becca’s necklace. “Keep it on. First, because we’ve had too much to drink not to accidentally lose it if you take it off.” Becca grinned and nodded. “And second, there is no way that any of them tick the plausible girlfriend box.”
“Yes boss.” She leaned over and kissed Ellie on the cheek. “And thank you. Best wife ever.”
Nothing happened for a while. They got their drinks, talked to a few people, but then Ellie saw that Becca had spotted their new found friends dancing again and was making her way over to them.
It was maybe the third or fourth song, and when Ellie glanced over again she didn’t see Becca for a moment. Then she spotted her, at the far side of the dance floor, dancing alone with one of the Alabama girls, not the one who’d dragged them to the dance floor earlier but another one. She was a pretty brunette and while Ellie couldn’t remember her name she did remember that she had a southern accent so thick that it was almost a parody.
They were close, and they’d stopped dancing. The brunette was shouting something into Becca’s ear over the music and Becca was nodding her head in agreement, then Becca said something back and didn’t really pull back much. They were very close now, and Ellie realised that they were holding hands, it didn’t even look deliberate, just like it had happened in the alcohol fuelled haze and neither had noticed but nor would either have cared if they did.
And then… then Becca glanced over, her eyes scanning the bar until she saw Ellie, and her gaze fixed on Ellie for a couple of seconds, deliberate, even as she stood so close to the brunette.
You sure?the look said.Last chance to say no.
Ellie gave a little smile and nodded,go for it, and saw Becca smile back before she turned to her companion. She watched as Becca said something into her ear, saw the brunette grin and look at Becca, nodding, and then Becca’s hand went to the brunette’s hair and pulled her slowly closer until their lips met.
It was sloppy and spontaneous, the kind of kiss that happens at spring break a thousand times each night between people who’ve been drinking in the sun all day and are running on endorphins by that stage of the evening. The brunette kissed her back, hard, clearly not wanting to waste a moment, and they made out, stood right there on the dance floor. Ellie had to stop herself laughing when she saw that the guy with the shots had noticed and was stood staring, slack jawed, all his fantasies come true. Ellie herself had felt a spark, an objective arousal at the sight of Becca kissing this pretty woman, but it was too drunk, too performative to trigger those deeper, braided emotions.
Becca and the brunette broke apart, breathless and laughing, and then the brunette’s friends had seen and started cheering… Ellie went over to a grinning, buzzing Becca and put her arm around her, kissing her, reclaiming her a little to the sound of more cheers. It was fun, silly, and they all knew it meant absolutely nothing beyond the moment.
"I just got kissed by a nursing student from Alabama," Becca announced, as if reporting a scientific observation and as if she hadn’t checked that Ellie was watching.
"I saw."
"She tasted like margaritas mixed with sunscreen."
"Romantic."
"Incredibly romantic. I think she's already forgotten it happened." Becca leaned against Ellie, happy. "Can we get food? I'm starving." She paused and grinned. “And then, take me home…”
They found burgers at a place near the bar and ate them standing up. Ellie called a taxi and by the time they were in the back seat heading back west along the dark coast road Becca was half-asleep against Ellie's shoulder, muttering about how the burgers were almost as good as Austin but not quite. Ellie held her and watched the dark ocean through the window, thinking about the evening.
The kiss had been nothing. A spring break moment, forgotten by the brunette and her friends before she'd finished her next drink. But it had happened, and it had been hot. It made Ellie wonder… maybe there might be an opportunity this holiday to get the loop properly fired up.
Maybe.
Not tonight though. Tonight was done, and it had been perfect in its own way… they’d done spring break, a few years late for sure, but they’d done it and it had been fun, really fun.
So maybe one more time before they left. One more evening, see what happened. Keep an open mind.
She'd suggest it tomorrow. After the hangovers.
Chapter 24
The hangovers were significant.
Ellie woke up to realise they hadn’t drawn the curtains, the sunlight like an assault on the senses, and her headache felt like her brain had shrivelled to the size of a pebble overnight, rattling around painfully every time she moved her head.
Next to her Becca was face down on the pillow, groaning.
"I'm dying," Becca said into the pillow. “Since when was the sun so bright.”
