Chapter Text
Alva’s ears flicked as they caught the sound of a key turning in the lock. She knew who it was before the door even opened, and her eyes slowly peeled away from the pages of her book to find Lillian standing in the doorway. She looked sheepish, hands behind her back and left eye swollen with a nasty bruise.
“What happened to you?” Alva said, rising from her chair and setting her book on the coffee table. Lillian scuffed her boot on the rug.
“Some guys tried to get the jump on me,” She shrugged. “I gave ‘em more than I got, though.” She looked up, crooked grin on her face, and Alva felt her heart skip a beat.
“I see some things haven’t changed,” She chuckled. “Why don’t you take a seat? I can try and patch you up a bit.”
“Oh, right…” Lillian took a step into the room, a slight tinge of pink dusting her cheeks. “I, uh, brought you something.” From behind her back she pulled a bouquet of roses, a breathtaking mix of reds and pinks. Alva felt her stomach do a flip, and heat rise to her ears, but managed a disgustingly smug grin all the same.
“Flowers? How old fashioned.”
“Give me a break,” Lillian muttered, definitely flushing red now. “I work at a flower shop, these were easy to pick up… I thought it might be nice.”
“Kidding,” Alva said, giggling. “They’re lovely. I’ll put them in a vase right away. As for you, sit down and I’ll be back to fix up your face.” She turned to the kitchen.
“You could fix it up right now with a kiss.” Now it was Lillian’s turn to smirk. Alva felt her face flush deeply and was glad Lillian couldn’t see it. They’d both begun to realize it, but their relationship had changed a lot in eight years. Then again, so had the entire world. Alva set down a bowl of warm water and wet a cloth, glancing at the tattoo on Lillian’s arm. Another change. That hadn’t been there when they were younger. She wondered when she’d gotten it done, and felt a pang of sadness that she’d missed out on so much of Lillian’s life. She felt Lillian’s eyes on her, and knew her face was probably a little pink. In their years of separation, Lillian had grown to be absolutely beautiful, and it was throwing her off. Not that she was planning on admitting that anytime soon. Gently, she reached up to brush Lillian’s hair away from her black eye, but stopped just short.
“May I?” She asked. Lillian nodded. With the utmost care, Alva swept Lillian’s bangs behind her ear and began dabbing at her eye with the cloth. She winced, but held still, tilting her head up so Alva had a better angle. She was suddenly very aware of how close Lillian’s face was to her own. She averted her gaze, so as not to meet her eyes, trying instead to focus on the task at hand. There was heat radiating between them. The skin around Lillian’s bruise had turned very pink, and Alva thought she probably wasn’t much better. Flustered, she began to pull away.
“There. That should do it. I can get a bandaid too, if-” She stopped mid-sentence as Lillian grabbed for her wrist.
“I wasn’t kidding about that kiss,” She said. Then seemed to realize what had come out of her mouth. “I mean, if you, uh..” Alva blushed, then grinned again, rolling her eyes.
“Well, come here, then.” She said, cupping Lillian’s face gently in her hands, and leaning closer. Lillian flushed violently, but leaned closer as well, gently brushing her lips over Alva’s. Alva pressed closer, deepening the contact into a full kiss. Then they both pulled away, faces bright red.
“Wow,” Lillian managed. “That was, uh, something.”
“I… wouldn’t mind another one of those.” Alva said, clearing her throat. She hadn’t expected Lillian to be quite so good a kisser.
“Oh?” Lillian smirked again, and Alva decided it was quite a good look on her. “It seems the tables have turned.”
“Shut up.” Alva rolled her eyes and moved to sit on her lap.
Was it possible to fall in love in ten days? Yes, Alva thought, it was.