A Tale Divided: Part 1 - Come Outside, It's Raining for Us
Jenny stuffed her hands in her coat pockets and looked gingerly at the front door. She rolled her lower lip between her teeth and bit down on it gently as she contemplated her next move. She could just leave, forget about this whole silly idea of hers and go back to the Bergmann’s. She rolled her eyes as she admitted to herself that she’d tried that the night before, and had hardly slept as she imagined what it would have been like if she’d let this scenario play out. She let the air out of her lungs in a quiet, shaky exhale, and picked at the pocket linings of her coat. Finding herself shaking her head at her own ridiculousness, she took a small step forward and pulled one hand out of her pocket, turning it into a fist as it neared the smooth surface of the front door.
She paused again, with her hand in midair and her heart thumping wildly in her chest. Her eyes closed to clear her mind of the mess accumulating inside, and she forced her hand forward, hearing it knock a few times on the heavy door. Her heartbeat climbed up to her ears as she waited. They’re not answering, so just leave already, her head instructed. She shuffled in place and smoothed her hands down the length of her coat. She filled her lungs with air and pressed the circular doorbell instead, hearing the short melody chime on the other side of the door.
“Seriously, Tim? You can’t answer the door? You’re right there,” she heard Emma say in slight annoyance as footsteps neared the door.
Jenny swallowed and shoved her hands back in her pockets as she took a small step back. Her heart beat way too quickly as the lock clicked smoothly out of the way before the door opened.
An irritated frown was laced on Emma’s features for only a split second before her eyes grew bigger, and her lips parted in an unexpected smile of delight. “H-hi,” she said quietly as her entire demeanor seemed to lift to the sky.
Jenny felt suddenly too warm under her winter layers with Emma looking at her like that. “Hey,” she replied, the word pulling her own lips up into a silly grin. She ducked her head and raised only her eyes to look at Emma again. Long moments passed them, but Jenny could have stood there for an eternity, soaking in Emma’s shy, happy smile.
“Tim, Mama said to tell you that you left your history book in the kitchen!”
Emma’s posture tensed at her sister’s voice booming from the kitchen behind her. She looked back at Jenny and shook herself out of her thoughts. “I’m sorry, I, uh…come inside,” she mumbled in quiet embarrassment as her cheeks turned a shade rosier. She reached out for Jenny’s hand and tugged her into the house.
She looked down as Emma’s hand left hers slowly, like Emma hadn’t really wanted to let go at all. The thought made her heart leap. As she looked back up, she saw Emma’s sister come out of the kitchen.
“Oh, hey,” Natalie said to the girl she’d seen once or twice before. She threw Emma a strange look when she saw the silly smile on her face.
“Hello,” Jenny replied politely, not entirely sure how long she would last in Emma’s house with her heart beating so quickly.
“Emma, Jess is coming later and she’s staying the night, so she’s sharing your room,” Natalie mentioned with a dismissive wave of her hand as she eyed the girl standing next to her sister.
“Fine, Natalie,” Emma spoke out of clenched teeth. Natalie shrugged like she couldn’t be bothered, and made her way upstairs. “Sorry,” Emma mumbled once she was gone. Her gaze flickered to her brother on the couch, immersed in his video game, wishing he would disappear for a few minutes. It seemed as if no one quite understood that Jenny was here, and it would be best if they all made themselves scarce so she could freak out properly.
“No, I’m sorry, I…didn’t mean to interrupt,” Jenny heard herself say, just to be saying something.
Emma shook her head and gave in to the uncontrollable smile that leapt back on her face. “I’m happy you’re here,” she whispered as her hand swung forward to ghost along Jenny’s for only a moment.
“Emma-bear, have you seen your mother?”
Emma winced at the nickname, and her blush deepened when she turned to her father as he came out of the study. “She’s upstairs, I think,” she answered.
“Oh, hello,” Alexei greeted their guest. “Jenny, right?”
“Yeah,” Jenny replied softly with a confirming nod of her head.
“It’s nice to see you again, Jenny,” the older man said as he rested a hand on Emma’s shoulder. Jenny smiled at him. Her father never made an effort to learn her friends’ names. “You know, for the past two hours I couldn’t lift this girl’s frown,” he said, causing Emma to turn a shade brighter as she bit down on her lip and squirmed slightly, silently begging him not to go any further. “And now you come along and she’s all smiles,” he said with a playful pout curving his lips. Emma blushed furiously as she locked her gaze on the floor beside Jenny’s shoes.
Jenny smiled shyly at the floor as well, unsure how to reply to that. This hadn’t exactly been what she’d imagined when she’d stood on the other side of the front door minutes earlier. She let out an inaudible sigh of relief when the house phone rang a moment later, and raised her gaze to Emma’s to find a similar mix of helplessness and relief on her face.
“Tim, your weasel of a friend is on the phone!” Natalie called from upstairs. Jenny saw the young boy on the couch reach for the phone beside him without taking his eyes off the screen. Emma let out a silent sigh and rolled her eyes without anyone seeing.
“Now let’s try to keep the language decent,” Alexei announced calmly, turning his head toward the stairs. “It was very nice to see you again, Jenny,” he continued in a softer voice.
“You too,” she replied politely as she laced her hands in front of her. She and Emma stayed silent as they listened to his heavy footsteps climb up the stairs.
“No way, dude,” Emma’s little brother insisted into the phone as his fingers flew over the controls in his hand. Emma dug her forehead into the palm of her hand and smiled miserably. Jenny bit her lower lip and curled her fingers in order to keep them from reaching for her. An adorably embarrassed expression covered Emma’s face, and Jenny wanted to remember it forever.
“Do you want to go for a walk?” The words were out of Jenny’s mouth before she realized. Emma looked up at her with a spark in her eyes. “It’s…it’s nice outside,” she added as that delightfully overwhelming gaze searched her own.
A quiet puff of laughter sounded from Emma’s parted lips. “It’s freezing outside,” she corrected sweetly.
Jenny felt her elbows press into her sides as she dropped her gaze back to the floor. “Only a little,” she defended softly. She shrugged as she watched Emma’s smile grow.
“Okay,” Emma agreed with a nod of her head. She reached out and gently squeezed Jenny’s wrist before turning to the closet for her coat. Jenny filled her lungs with air to clear away some butterflies as she watched Emma tie her shoes with fidgety fingers. “Papa?” Emma called as she zipped up her coat.
“Yes, sweetheart?” the older man called from upstairs, his deep voice carrying smoothly through the distance.
“I’m going out for a bit,” she said as she caught the smile in Jenny’s eyes. She wrapped a scarf around her neck and handed one to Jenny. “It’s cold out there,” she whispered sternly, before raising her eyebrows to make it clear to Jenny that she had very little say in the matter. Jenny rolled her eyes as a smile pulled at her lips, and she took the scarf obediently.
“Have a good time,” was the parental reply, and Emma maneuvered Jenny out of the house before anything else could happen.
“Did you walk over here?” Emma asked after a couple of minutes in silence. She glanced to her side to see Jenny try to hide her nervous smile in the layers of the scarf.
“Ben was driving over to Timo’s anyway. I just caught a ride most of the way. I just, uhm…”she trailed off, with her gaze bouncing around as she fished for a decent excuse. “I thought maybe you’d like to see the moon,” she decided, and pulled one hand out of her pocket to tuck her hair behind her ear.
Emma bit back a smile as she gazed at the moon hovering steadily above them. “You were right,” she replied quietly after a moment. Her heart spun dizzily in her chest when Jenny smiled to the landscape in front of them, bringing a perfect dimple out of hiding.
“So how has your weekend been?” Jenny asked, trying miserably to sound composed.
“Good,” Emma answered plainly. “And yours?”
“Good.”
“Good,” Emma concluded with laughter hidden in her voice. She glanced over again for a moment, seeing how different Jenny was when they weren’t in school. It was that thought that made her reach over and touch the back of her hand to Jenny’s wrist. Jenny looked down and pulled her hand out of her pocket after a moment. She was quite sure she’d stopped breathing when Emma’s fingers slipped between her own. “Good,” Emma breathed again, almost like she’d said it to herself. Jenny bit down her beaming smile as they continued down the street.
“You have a sticker stuck to you,” Jenny mumbled as she looked down at the small cartoon bumblebee on the side of Emma’s jeans.
Emma looked down and giggled quietly in embarrassment. She pulled her hand out of Jenny’s grasp and peeled the small sticker off, while Jenny silently cursed bringing it up in the first place as her hand longed for Emma’s. “I was playing with my little cousin today,” Emma explained as she lifted the sticker up and examined it. “Bumblebees are her favorite at the moment.”
Jenny smiled as she looked at the small sticker more closely, seeing the glitter on the wings. Emma stopped walking then, and turned to face her. She unzipped Jenny’s coat a little and pressed the sticker onto the thin sweater she had on underneath.
“You can keep it,” she said quietly with a dizzying smile on her lips.
Jenny felt her breath escape her as Emma’s fingers pressed lightly against her collarbone. “Okay, I will,” she replied when she remembered how to talk. Emma only smiled at the ground as she slipped her hand back in Jenny’s and started walking again.
“I’m sorry it’s so cold,” Jenny thought to say once another wave of cool wind caught up to them. She glanced at the dark sky above them and begged it to behave. When Emma’s fingers moved slightly in her grip, she looked down and saw that her knuckles had turned a little red.
“Do you usually control the weather?” Emma asked cheekily before squeezing Jenny’s hand to get her to look back up.
“No,” she replied in feigned indignation. “But I have a bad habit of taking walks when it’s cold and, well not many people like to.”
“So why are we taking a walk in the cold then?” Emma inquired as she lightly swung their hands, just to see what it would feel like.
Jenny smiled into the scarf that smelled faintly like Emma. “I don’t know,” she answered. She wrote it off to her imagination when she felt a raindrop land on her cheek. The weather was already being difficult enough. She looked up at the sky for a fleeting moment, begging it once more to give her a break as she tried to answer this impossible question. She parted her lips to speak when she felt another drop land on her forehead and saw Emma wipe one from the tip of her nose. She sighed in frustration, because rain meant that she’d have to take Emma back home. “I figured you’d say no if I’d just invite you to the Bergmann’s,” she mumbled into the soft fabric, accepting defeat when raindrops fell softly on the ground around them. She let Emma’s hand go and shoved hers back into her pockets. She usually loved the rain, but at that moment, she cursed it under her breath.
The butterflies in Emma’s chest sent goose bumps to her skin at that statement. “Why’d you think I’d say no?” she asked, impressed by how confident she sounded. Maybe it was because Jenny was busy being nervous for the both of them.
Jenny shrugged, not used to being so bashful. She couldn’t believe Emma didn’t even flinch as rain fell gently on them. “I don’t know,” she answered again, hoping Emma was planning on putting her out of her misery sometime soon.
“Does the offer still stand then?” she asked quietly, and Jenny stopped walking. She faced her to make sure that she’d heard her right. Emma smiled shyly and waited for her answer.
Disbelief left Jenny light-headed in the most fantastic way. “Of course!” she said a little too enthusiastically, and then proceeded to blush furiously as the rain continued to catch them.
Emma giggled softly and tucked her damp hair behind her ear. She reached for Jenny’s hand again and entwined their fingers. “Okay then,” she decided, pulling Jenny along to the bus stop ahead of them.
So it happened, when it rained, that the entire city crowded onto the buses, and Jenny was lucky Emma hadn’t let go of her hand so they could find some miniscule place to stand together, squished against the wall of the bus as it groaned and hummed under their feet. It was stuffy inside, and everything smelled like damp clothing, and it didn’t help at all that the bus made jerking motions each time it stopped. When a lady pushed through the crowd to get to the doors, the man standing next to Jenny leaned back, pushing her against Emma. “Sorry,” she mumbled quietly as she put some whisper of distance between them again when the bus hummed back to life. Emma only smiled kindly in reply. As a man got on with a traveler’s backpack a minute later, Jenny held in the need to sigh, because this really, really, really wasn’t how she’d imagined the evening would go.
Still holding onto the rail above their heads, Jenny jerked forward with another apology already on her lips, when she noticed that Emma’s hands were on her coat, holding her close. Suddenly, she stopped caring about the weather, and the stuffy smell on the bus, and the guy who kept elbowing her in the back. She didn’t mind that they were moving at a glacial pace through the streets, nor did she worry about how they’d fight their way to the doors when they’d reach their stop. She didn’t mind anything, because there was a hidden, teasing smile on Emma’s lips, and there were mere millimeters between their faces, and she never wanted this moment to end.
“This is our stop,” Emma said to her quietly a couple of minutes later.
It took Jenny a long moment to realize what the words meant, because the sound alone was enough to send her heart flying. She blinked hazily out the window to see where they were. “Oh,” she found herself replying flatly.
Emma pushed off the wall of the bus and snuck her hand back into Jenny’s as they made their way through the crowd to reach the doors.
The moon waited for them when they stepped off the bus. Jenny only fleetingly felt sad when Emma put her hands in her pockets as the cold wind wrapped around them again. She did the same, and tried not to let her feelings show. She watched the pavement in front of her steady footsteps, until Emma nudged her shoulder and caused her to lose her footing for half a second. She looked to her side to find a playful smirk on Emma’s lips. She grinned into the scarf when Emma neared enough for their shoulders to touch as they walked up the street to the Bergmann residence.
Emma blew hot air into her cupped hands to warm them as Jenny fidgeted with the key and the lock. Her insides felt fluttery as the key slipped in and unlocked the door. Jenny looked over her shoulder and curled her lips upwards as she pulled Emma inside. No sooner had they escaped the cold did Jenny lose her sparkling smile. Emma looked at her as voices floated down from upstairs.
“Stephan’s having guests over,” Jenny realized dejectedly. She moved her keys from one hand to the other, ready to offer to take Emma home, but she had to try one last thing first. “Maybe…” she began, feeling the tremor of anxiety creep into her voice. She stared down at her hands as she tried to think of how to say it without completely scaring Emma away. Before she could string two words together, Emma’s fingers landed on hers for encouragement. “Maybe you’d like to go up to my room?” she whispered, afraid to look up.
Emma stayed quiet for a few moments, as a lady upstairs laughed loudly at something that was said. “I would,” she said in reply. She watched her words sink in as Jenny looked up slowly, not quite believing her ears.
“Really?” she asked, the word making a smile burst onto her face.
Emma giggled as she unzipped her coat. “Really.”
Jenny could barely wait for Emma to take off her shoes and place them neatly on the mat by the door to dry. She reached for her hand and led her up the first flight of stairs. A small group of people were scattered in the living room, all with drinks in their hands, as a buzz of different conversations filled the air. Jenny and Emma went unnoticed as they made their quiet way up the second flight of stairs. Emma gave her hand a small squeeze when there were only ten steps left until they’d reach the bedroom, and Jenny felt goose bumps rise in waves up her arm.
“Hey,” someone called from the room beside them, and Jenny stopped in place. She looked in the direction of the voice to find Ben and Timo sitting at the desk of the upstairs office.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, she thought to herself as she counted the invisible steps left to her bedroom. “H-hey,” she replied instead, feeling cool air wrap around her hand as it separated from Emma’s.
“What are you guys up to?” Ben asked, looking only too excited at the distraction.
“Oh, uhm,” Jenny began to answer clumsily. “We, we have to study for that biology test,” she lied. “It’s coming up,” she added uselessly, wanting to be done with this conversation.
“No way,” Timo piped up with a far too pleased smile for Jenny’s liking. “We’re studying for that, too,” he revealed, holding up the textbook in front of him so they could see the cover. Jenny had never been more disappointed to see that textbook in her life.
“What are the odds,” Emma mumbled quietly.
“Seriously, bring your stuff and come help us out. I’ve been trying to understand this whole protein synthesis thing, and Timo is absolutely no help,” Ben chimed in with a certain degree of whine in his voice.
“Like you have any clue how to explain it,” Timo grumbled to his friend. He turned to the girls and motioned them closer. “Come on then,” he urged.
“No, I mean, we were just going to…” Jenny trailed off, motioning in the direction of her bedroom door, like if she could only reach it, everything would be fine.
“If we have to suffer, we might as well suffer together,” Ben rationalized.
Seeing no way out of it, Emma took a step into the office and turned her back to the boys to look at Jenny. She offered her an apologetic smile before turning around again and making her way to an empty seat at the table.
“Where’s your notebook, Emma?” Timo asked him as she leaned forward to see where they were in the chapter.
“Oh, uhm…” she stumbled as Jenny came into the room after getting her stupid biology textbook from her room so they could all spend their Saturday evening studying. “I left it at school,” she offered to the room.
“So copying your notes is out of the question?” he joked, which made Emma smile as she rolled her eyes.
Jenny rested her elbow on the table and dropped her chin into the palm of her hand as Ben opened her textbook to the right page.
“Okay, I’ll start,” Timo offered before clearing his throat. He looked down at his notes and began reading. “Proteins are macro molecules that must contain the elements carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen, but may sometimes contain other elements such as sulfur and phosphorus as well.”
“Someone make this end,” Ben muttered under his breath.
“They’re made up of amino acids, and the combinations of those amino acids give us protein variations that are necessary for basic cell functions.”
“Please kill me now,” Ben added in a dramatic sigh.
Without looking up from his notebook, Timo flicked his pencil at him. Emma bit down a smile and met Jenny’s gaze across the table. “Conjugated proteins, nucleoproteins, and lipoproteins are-“
“Okay, now you’re just making stuff up.”
“…essential to this process since they are responsible for…”
“Hey, hey, where are you going?” Ben asked as Jenny rose from the table and pushed a hand through her hair.
“It’s getting late, and I just…I just need a minute,” she answered in a tired voice. She turned the corner from the upstairs office and dragged herself to her bedroom.
After quietly shutting the door, she leaned against the wall and let her head fall back with a quiet thud as she closed her eyes, not bothering to turn on the light. Tonight was supposed to have been simple. She’d pick Emma up, they’d walk around and talk about nothing at all, and she’d get to hear her laugh and ramble adorably. They’d both trip over their words a few times, they might hold hands if she was lucky, and most importantly, simply be on their own for just a few minutes, away from the rest of the world.
But no, there were the awkward introductions at Emma’s house, then the stupid rain, then the stupid crowded bus, then the stupid guests in stupid fancy business suits, then studying for a biology test that wasn’t for another week and a half, and now it was nighttime, and Emma would have to go home, and she wouldn’t see her again until school, where they would always be with other people. As if agreeing with her, rain started drumming hard against her window. She listened to it for a long minute, and it only really seemed to be getting stronger, but maybe that was just her imagination. She looked to the window closest to her, and from her position, she could see the moon shining brightly between the wet trails of rain on the glass.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when two gentle knocks sounded on the door beside her. She couldn’t get the pathetic look of longing off of her face as Emma quietly entered.
“Hi,” Emma whispered, taking advantage of the darkened room to stand closer to Jenny than she would have had the courage to do normally.
Realizing that this was perhaps the last time they’d be alone until a few long, excruciating days went by, Jenny reached up and took both of Emma’s hands in her own. Emma took a step closer, placing one foot between both of Jenny’s and bringing them dangerously close together. All Jenny wanted to do was stay like this and forget about the world.
“What’s wrong?” Emma asked in a breathy murmur.
Jenny couldn’t hold in another sigh, so she released it as the rain outside grew stronger still. “I just…” she began, but even those words felt heavy on her tongue. “This is going to sound pathetic,” she warned as she met Emma’s gaze.
“I’m okay with pathetic,” Emma replied with warmth in her voice.
Jenny gave her a lopsided smile. She took in a deep breath and said what she had to say, thankful for the darkness she could hide behind. “It’s nighttime, and you have to go home, and I don’t want you to.” She barely noticed that she pulled Emma’s hands a little closer to keep her from leaving. Even in the semi-darkness, she clearly saw Emma bite the side of her lip as color rose to her cheeks. Then a hand was on the side of her neck, and Emma’s lips were on hers, and she was too stunned to do much of anything. Emma leaned back and tucked Jenny’s hair behind her ear. The motion was enough to bring her out of her thoughts, and she leaned forward to press her lips to Emma’s before she could talk herself out of it. “Do you know it’s been four days since I’ve kissed you?” she breathed with her eyes still closed. She let them open again as the tip of Emma’s nose hinted against her own.
“Oh good,” Emma giggled sweetly, making Jenny smile involuntarily. “I thought I was the only one counting.”
Jenny shook her head and wound her arms around her waist as Emma softly traced her jawline.
“Girls?” Ben called from down the hall, and Emma moved millimeters closer to Jenny as if they were hiding from the world, and maybe they were. “I’m going to row Timo home in this flood outside, you want a ride?”
Jenny forced the most understanding smile onto her face as Emma looked at her searchingly for a moment.
Feeling an unusual rush of confidence course through her, Emma turned her head toward the bedroom door. “No thanks,” she called to Ben. Jenny could have sworn that her mind was playing tricks on her, until Emma turned back to her and shyly added, “If that’s okay.”
“Of course that’s okay!” she replied as relieved giggles tumbled into her voice. Emma kissed the corner of her lips before taking a step back and facing the rest of the quiet room. “Just let your parents know so they won’t hate me,” she thought to add, though she wasn’t sure where that line of thought had come from exactly, since she wasn’t used to caring about parents in general.
“I will, but they won’t hate you,” Emma replied as Jenny turned on the light.
“You can see into the future now, can you?” Jenny quipped, unsure what to do with the bubbly feeling of joy radiating inside of her. She looked down at her clothes and saw the small bumblebee still stuck to her sweater.
“Yes,” Emma answered cheekily, inclining her head in a quick down-up movement in confirmation.
Jenny smiled at her and pressed the small sticker to the smooth wood of her bookshelf. She sat down on the bed, unsure how long her legs would hold up with Emma being playful and smiling at her like that.
“That’s my side of the bed,” Emma mentioned in a playful huff.
“Already claiming property?” Jenny heard herself say as she delightedly moved over to the other side of her bed.
“Get used to it,” Emma replied as she took her spot on top of the blanket and crossed her legs. She looked at the pillows at the top of the bed and smiled, feeling not quite as nervous as she’d been the first couple of times she’d spent the night here. She liked who she was with Jenny, and she liked that it made Jenny smile like she didn’t smile at anyone else. It was that feeling that made her rush forward and press another kiss to Jenny’s lips.
When Emma didn’t pull back after a moment, Jenny brought her hand up and folded it around Emma’s wrist, feeling her pulse hammer beneath her skin. She smiled when Emma pulled back for air, and barely had time to replenish her own oxygen supply before Emma found her lips again as the rain continued to fall outside.
Jenny twisted the handle of her umbrella, causing it to twirl on her shoulder as rain fell softly on the thin fabric. She smiled at the half moon in the sky, before turning up the drive. She stopped to tuck her hair behind her ear, and then slowly took the last few steps forward. She bit down her smile as she pressed the circular doorbell. Her smile grew as she listened to the familiar melody. She hadn’t told Emma about the change of plans, about catching a flight almost two days early, and she had a feeling her sneakiness was about to pay off.
“I’ll get it,” she heard someone wonderful call from inside, and she shuffled her feet together excitedly as she waited. A lock clicked out of the way, and a handle turned.
Emma stood with a book tucked at her side and that dreamy look in her eyes, the one that came when she’d spent a while lost inside a good story. Her smile came slowly, but didn’t stop until it reached her eyes. She didn’t speak a word as she stepped outside and wrapped her arms around Jenny’s neck to hug her tightly. She breathed in the scent she’d been craving while Jenny held her close, and that one moment belonged solely to them.
“Will you stop doing this to me?” she murmured into Jenny’s hair. “Just tell me when you’re at the airport so I’m not such a mess when you see me,” she urged as she stepped back and pulled Jenny into the house after her.
“You’re not a mess, you look beautiful,” Jenny replied as she placed the wet folded umbrella on the mat. She looked back at Emma to find her hands on her hips and a determined look on her face. She hadn’t quite realized how much she’d missed her until that very moment.
“Don’t even try to charm your way out of this,” Emma warned in a playful voice. “I’m mad at you,” she added, trying (and failing) to be serious.
“Okay,” Jenny played along, but couldn’t help giving into a quiet chuckle. She took a step closer and pinched the material of Emma’s top in her hands before tugging her closer. “Come outside, it’s raining for us,” she whispered slowly, and the quiet words made Emma’s eyelids flutter shut. “Come home with me,” she added in a murmur after a moment.
Emma rolled her lip between her teeth, and took a step back before she opened her eyes again. “Okay,” she agreed easily as Jenny played with her hands. “I’ll just go upstairs and change.” Jenny made a soft whimpering noise in reply as she refused to release her hand. “It’s raining,” Emma giggled as she reached up with her free hand and tucked Jenny’s slightly damp hair behind her ear.
Jenny looked to the floor and shrugged bashfully. “Only a little,” she reasoned. She’d missed the smile that overtook Emma’s face just then. Emma leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her lips before running up the stairs.
“Mama?” she heard her girlfriend call somewhere on the floor above her. “I’m going to Jenny’s, okay?”
“Jenny’s back?” her mother asked, before familiar footsteps came to the top of the stairs. “Sweetheart,” the older woman greeted her with a kind smile before descending the stairs. “You brought the prettiest smile to Emma’s face just now,” she spoke softly, and Jenny felt excitement build in her chest and send her heart flying. “How was your flight?”
“It was okay,” she replied politely.
“Have you had dinner, dear?” she asked as she squeezed Jenny’s shoulder lightly. Jenny nodded.
“I’ll be right there,” Emma called down in a rushed voice, and Jenny didn’t notice the goofy grin on her face until she looked back at Emma’s mother. She felt warmth rise to her cheeks as she clasped her hands together bashfully.
“Have you had dessert?” Emma’s mother asked with an indecipherable little smile curling the corners of her lips. She didn’t quite wait for an answer before continuing with, “Come with me, we’ll get you a box.”
Jenny glanced up the stairs before shuffling into the kitchen. As she entered the room, she was handed a cookie, still packed with a bit of warmth inside, and mumbled a quiet thank you before taking a bite.
“I’m very glad you’re back safe and sound,” Emma’s mother began, and Jenny slowed her chewing motion at the familiar tone in her voice. “And in time for the weekend. So I have a small favor to ask, and I thought I might have your help with accomplishing it,” she drawled as she placed cookies in a small box.
Jenny chewed her cookie even slower to hide the slight smile that came at realizing her mistake of biting into it in the first place. “Lunch?” she offered after swallowing.
A slow smile pulled across the older woman’s face. “I’ll see both of you then,” she concluded as she handed Jenny the box.
So, Jenny might have picked the smaller umbrella of the collection by the Bergmann’s front door, knowing it would require Emma to press invitingly into her side as they walked to escape the rain. Maybe. She hummed quietly as Emma squeezed a little closer, and the light beat of rain landing on the umbrella above their heads secluded them from the rest of the people on the street.
“I can’t believe I have the rest of the weekend with you,” Emma said quietly, squeezing Jenny’s hand in excitement as she looked up at the moon illuminating the sky above them.
“Oh, uhm, we’re…we’re actually coming back to your parents’ for lunch tomorrow,” she mentioned lightly, hoping that Emma hadn’t heard her completely. When Emma turned to look at her with droopy eyes and a pout on her lips, Jenny took a breath to guide her through an explanation. She parted her lips to reply, but nothing she came up with sounded remotely helpful. “She gave me a cookie,” she finally admitted guiltily.
Emma sighed. “Rookie mistake,” she concluded with a shake of her head.
“I know,” Jenny mumbled apologetically. She watched Emma lift their clasped hands and press a quick kiss to her knuckles to tell her she was forgiven. Jenny, in turn, twirled her around. “I missed you like crazy,” she found herself saying once Emma was safely pressed up to her side again.
“Good,” Emma replied happily. “Where are the peanuts?”
“I’ve been gone for four days and all you can think about is airplane food?” she mumbled through an adorable little pout.
“Four days and eight hours,” Emma corrected. “Basically, it’s like five days. And that’s basically like a week.”
Jenny laughed into her scarf and pulled her closer. “You counted?”
“Like you didn’t,” Emma quipped back as Jenny leaned over and pressed a sloppy kiss to her cheek.
“And peanuts are all you want?” she couldn’t help but add cheekily.
“I’ve had four whole days to think of what I want,” Emma replied in a tone that sent electricity rolling down Jenny’s spine. “Trust me, you’ll be pleased with the demands,” she concluded in a velvety voice. Before Jenny could find words to reply, Emma pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket. “I wrote them down for your convenience,” she announced proudly as she took the umbrella from Jenny.
Jenny turned the note in her hands before unfolding it. She stopped walking and read the first few lines under the yellow light of a street lamp as heat crawled up her neck. “I’m keeping this, I hope you know,” she said, hoping that Emma didn’t hear the slight hoarseness in her voice. Emma giggled and shyly bit her lip. “This is going in our scrapbook,” she concluded as she folded the paper and tucked it safely into her pocket.
“We have a scrapbook?” Emma thought to ask as they began walking again.
“I’m making us a scrapbook and putting this inside,” Jenny clarified. Emma snickered beside her as she pulled them a little quicker toward the Bergmann’s.
The moon watched them go.
To be continued…