Chapter Text
By the time Lorena finished her shift, the bar was nearly empty.
The second she spotted the familiar police car parked outside, a smile spread across her face.
"My love!" Lorena breathed, immediately rushing toward her girlfriend the moment she stepped out of the car.
The redhead was still in uniform, exhaustion written all over her face — and yet somehow she was glowing too.
Lorena cupped her face and kissed her quickly. "You look hot... but why are you still in uniform? I thought your shift ended at ten."
"It was supposed to." Eduarda sighed softly, wrapping her arms around Lorena's waist. "There were some delays at work, and I didn't even have time to change. I wanted to come surprise you."
She pulled back slightly, genuine curiosity shining in her eyes. "So? How was your first day?"
Lorena smiled instantly. "It was amazing, my love. I'm so happy to be working again. I needed to do something for myself."
"I'm proud of you," Eduarda murmured before kissing her again.
The warmth in her voice made Lorena melt a little.
Eduarda intertwined their fingers as they slowly started walking toward the car. "Are you ready to go home?" Lorena nodded "And... would it be okay if I asked you to stay over tonight? I barely saw you all day and I missed you so much."
Lorena smiled softly. "If it were up to me, I'd sleep next to you every night for the rest of my life."
"Don't tempt me, woman..." Eduarda teased, opening the passenger door for her. "Or I'll move you into my parents' house without permission."
Lorena laughed as she slipped into the seat. "Are your parents home?"
"No. Why?"
A mischievous smirk appeared on Lorena's lips. "Then don't you dare take that uniform off before we get home."
Eduarda nearly choked on her own breath.
"My God..." she muttered, quickly starting the engine before looking at her girlfriend again. "I think I'd better start driving."
The drive home was absolute torture for Eduarda after that comment.
Every time she glanced toward the passenger seat and caught Lorena smiling to herself, something twisted helplessly inside her chest.
Lorena seemed to notice it too.
More than once, she deliberately let her hand rest on Eduarda's thigh for a few seconds too long, her fingers tracing lazy circles against the fabric of the uniform pants while pretending not to notice the effect she was having.
By the time they finally made it home, neither of them had much patience left.
Eduarda barely had time to lock the front door before Lorena pulled her in by the collar of her uniform and kissed her again.
The kiss was messy and breathless, filled with all the teasing tension that had built during the drive home.
"You are evil," Eduarda muttered against her lips, making Lorena laugh softly.
"Maybe a little..."
Lorena's hands slowly slid beneath the dark police jacket, pushing it off Eduarda's shoulders while kissing her again, slower this time.
Eduarda melted immediately, one hand settling against Lorena's waist while the other cupped her face carefully, like she still couldn't believe she was real.
Somehow they managed to make it upstairs between kisses, laughter, and several near accidents involving the walls.
By the time they finally collapsed into bed together, neither of them had the energy to do much more than hold each other close beneath the sheets...
• • •
The next morning, Juquinha woke first to the sound of the alarm.
Lorena, meanwhile, remained completely asleep beside her, curled against her chest like she belonged there.
Eduarda couldn't help staring at her for a moment.
Her girlfriend.
Her fiancée, technically. Though she hadn't made a formal proposal, the topic had come up before in playful conversation and she knew she was going to marry that woman some day.
The thought alone made her chest ache in the best possible way.
A soft smile tugged at her lips as she lazily traced her fingers along Lorena's back, caressing her skin with sleepy affection.
A few moments later, Lorena slowly began to stir.
"Oh no, honey..." Duda mumbled as soon as she realized she had woken Lorena up. "I'm sorry. Go back to sleep."
Instead, Lorena immediately moved closer, resting her head against Eduarda's chest.
"Cuddles, please..." she whispered sleepily, barely able to keep her eyes open.
Eduarda smiled helplessly before stroking the brunette's messy hair.
As much as she wanted to stay there forever, reality eventually caught up to her.
She carefully tried lowering Lorena's head back onto the pillow, but the brunette only tightened her grip around her waist.
"Mmmm..." Lorena whined softly.
"I know, my love." Eduarda laughed tiredly, brushing her fingers through her hair again. "But I have to get up for work."
"Nooo..."
The protest came out so pathetically sleepy that Eduarda almost gave up entirely.
She leaned down to kiss Lorena's forehead. "Paulinho's going to kill me if I'm late. I wish I could stay, baby."
She stole one last kiss before finally managing to free herself from Lorena's grip.
"I'm going to take a shower. You go back to sleep, okay?"
Lorena answered with nothing but an incoherent sleepy noise.
By the time Eduarda returned to the bedroom to get dressed, Lorena was still curled beneath the blankets, barely awake.
"Babe," Eduarda said softly while putting on a shirt, "let me know what time you finish today so I can come pick you up."
One sleepy eye opened.
"Are you going to pick me up every night...?"
Eduarda looked over at her and smiled automatically.
"Ummm... yes." She fixed her hair in the mirror. "I want to make sure you get home safely. You're going to be the only waitress in town with a police escort."
Lorena grinned against the pillow. "My personal bodyguard."
"Exactly."
Duda finished getting dressed before leaning down to kiss her gently.
"Bye, my love. I'll call you later."
She kissed her once.
Then twice.
Then one more time just because she couldn't help herself.
"I love you, love you, love you."
"I love you too," Lorena mumbled sleepily as Eduarda finally forced herself to leave the room.
• • •
Lorena slept for a few more hours before finally waking up around midday.
She slipped on one of Eduarda's oversized shirts, mostly because it still smelled like her, and headed downstairs to make coffee.
The house was quiet.
Warm sunlight spilled through the kitchen windows while the smell of fresh coffee slowly filled the room.
While waiting for the machine to finish brewing, Lorena's eyes drifted toward the pictures covering the refrigerator door.
Eduarda looked so happy in every single one of them.
Family birthdays.
Beach trips.
Christmas dinners.
Tiny moments frozen forever.
Lorena couldn't remember the last time she had taken a family picture with her own parents.
The thought left a heavy feeling in her chest.
Her phone suddenly started ringing.
A smile immediately appeared on her face the second she saw Eduarda's name.
"Hello, my love."
"Did you just wake up?" Eduarda asked immediately.
Lorena smiled tiredly. "Maybe..."
A soft laugh came through the phone. "Your voice gives you away."
"How's your day going?"
"Good. Until I remembered you still haven't told me what time I'm supposed to pick you up tonight." A pause. "Or any other night, for that matter."
Lorena laughed quietly, leaning against the kitchen counter. "I'll send you all the details right now."
"Very good. Thank you very much," Eduarda teased.
"Can I meet you for lunch?"
"I'm not at the station at the moment." Her tone softened slightly. "Otherwise I absolutely would, sweetie."
"Okay" Lorena replied a little disappointed. "See you later, love you"
• • •
Later that afternoon, the police station was unusually quiet.
Eduarda sat at her desk pretending to finish paperwork, though in reality she had spent the last twenty minutes staring at engagement rings on her phone instead.
Across from her, Paulinho slowly lowered his coffee cup.
"How long have you two even been together?" he asked skeptically.
Eduarda barely looked up. "Why does that matter?"
"Because you're already looking at engagement rings after, what... a couple of months? Your parents haven't even met her yet."
"My parents love Lorena," Eduarda replied immediately. "They've talked to her on the phone plenty of times."
"On the phone," Paulinho repeated with a smirk.
"Can you stop interrupting me please?" Duda sighed. "Besides, what Lorena and I have is different. It's not just love. We're soulmates."
"Right..."
Eduarda ignored the teasing tone completely, her attention drifting somewhere far away.
"The day I met her at Maggye's..." A small smile appeared on her face. "I don't know. I just felt something I'd never felt before."
Before Paulinho could answer, her phone suddenly rang.
The second Eduarda saw Lorena's name on the screen, her entire expression softened.
"Juquinha at your service," she answered playfully.
"Can you talk, love?"
Something in Lorena's tone immediately made Eduarda sit up straighter.
"Yes, my love. Is everything okay?"
A brief silence followed before Lorena exhaled sharply through the phone.
"My dad kicked me out."
Eduarda stood up so quickly her chair nearly fell over. "What?"
"Yeah." Lorena let out a humorless laugh. "Apparently loving you is a crime now."
"Lorena—"
"I'm okay," she interrupted quickly. "I'm angry, not sad."
Eduarda grabbed her keys immediately.
"Where are you?"
"On my way to Maggye's."
"What happened?"
Lorena sighed softly. "I'll tell you everything later. I just needed to hear your voice for a second."
Something painful twisted inside Eduarda's chest.
"Okay. I'm coming to get you right now."
"You don't have to leave work—"
"Lorena..."
The softness in Eduarda's voice immediately shut her up.
"I'm coming."
A small silence followed.
"Okay."
Eduarda was already heading toward the door. "Call me if you need anything before I get there, alright?"
"I will."
The second the call ended, Paulinho stood up from his desk.
"What happened?"
Eduarda ran a nervous hand through her hair. "Lorena's dad kicked her out."
His expression changed instantly. "Shit."
"Yeah." She swallowed hard, already heading toward the door. "She's at Maggye's right now. I need to go."
Paulinho nodded immediately. "Go. I'll cover for you."
Eduarda gave him a grateful look before hurrying out of the station.
The drive to Maggie's felt unbearably long.
Eduarda kept tightening and loosening her grip on the steering wheel, anger simmering hotter with every red light she hit.
She didn't know exactly what had happened between Lorena and her father, but she could imagine it well enough.
And the worst part was knowing she was the reason for it.
Lorena had sounded calm on the phone — too calm. The kind of calm people used when they were trying very hard not to completely lose their temper.
By the time Eduarda finally parked outside Maggye's, her jaw hurt from clenching it the entire drive.
Maggye opened the door almost immediately.
One look at Eduarda's expression seemed enough for her to understand everything.
"She's upstairs," Maggie said gently.
Eduarda let out a quiet breath through her nose before nodding. "Thank you."
She headed upstairs quickly, though her steps slowed once she reached the bedroom door.
Lorena was sitting on the edge of the bed, arms crossed tightly over her chest, still wearing the same clothes from earlier.
The moment she looked up and saw Eduarda standing there, something in her expression softened immediately.
"Hey," Lorena said quietly.
Eduarda crossed the room without a second thought and pulled her into her arms.
"How are you feeling?"
Lorena buried her face against her shoulder. "Better now."
They stayed like that for several quiet seconds before Eduarda finally pulled back enough to look at her properly.
"What happened?"
Lorena lowered her eyes briefly.
"My dad told me that if I wanted to stay at home, I had to break up with you."
Eduarda's heart sank instantly.
"Oh, honey..."
Lorena looked exhausted.
Angry more than sad.
Duda gently brushed a strand of dark hair behind her ear, her thumb lingering against her cheek for a second longer than necessary.
"My love..." Her voice softened. "I don't want you to feel like you have to choose between your family and me."
She looked down briefly before continuing.
"And if... if this is too much for you... if you decide you don't want this anymore, I..."
Eduarda swallowed hard.
"I'll understand."
The words clearly hurt to say.
"No."
The answer came immediately.
Firm.
Certain.
"You are my family, Duda."
Eduarda felt her throat tighten instantly.
Lorena intertwined their fingers carefully.
"You, my mom, and my brother." A tiny smile appeared on her face. "It's a small family for now..."
Eduarda smiled despite herself.
"But we'll grow it slowly."
"Oh yeah?" Eduarda murmured, stepping closer again. "And what exactly does 'grow it' mean, Lorena Ferette?"
Lorena smiled softly. "I was thinking maybe two cats... a little house somewhere... and eventually a couple of kids running around."
Eduarda looked at her like she hung the moon.
"If I could get you pregnant, we'd be making a baby right now."
Lorena laughed softly before leaning in to kiss her, her hands sliding around Eduarda's waist.
Duda kissed her back immediately before reluctantly pulling away with a breathless laugh.
"Not here, baby. Maggye's literally next door."
"Then can you at least stay over tonight?"
Eduarda rested their foreheads together.
"Baby... I'd stay forever if I could."
Lorena smiled softly at that.
"I love you, Du."
Eduarda kissed her one more time.
Slow.
Tender.
"I love you more."