La Vie en Rose {Life in Pink} (18 page)

Marla barked from the bed as he entered. “Rarity?”

She jolted upright and gasped. “What? What is it? Is something wrong? Fire?” Lexi lay in a comatose heap by her side.

“No. I just wanted to tell you Emma and me are sleeping together. There’s nothing you can do about it and we’re done keeping our relationship a secret. I love her and that’s that.”

Her eyes made a slow transformation from startled relief to comprehending fury. “
What?”
his sister shouted, her voice waking her girlfriend.

“We’ll talk about it in the morning, but I thought you should know. Goodnight.” His sister gaped at him and he grinned, quickly shutting the door.

He returned to Emma’s bed, grateful he wouldn’t have to sneak out before dawn. His smile faltered as he noted the look of shock on her face. “What? You said I could tell her.” Did he misunderstand?

She blinked, but didn’t move. “You...
love
me?”

Fuck. Had he said that out loud? Sighing, he put all his cards on the table. “I think I’ve been in love with you since you farted over the goat.” She didn’t laugh, so he threw out a, “Hashtag baa farts” and stamped it with a finger pound sign.

Okay, this was bad. She swallowed and blinked again only now her eyes were glazed with tears. He rushed to the bed.

“Hey, wait. Don’t cry. Shit. Emma, I’ll take it back. I don’t love you. Most days you make me crazy and I want to throw you off a skyscraper, but I’d race to the street and catch you before you hit the ground, because deep down I know I can’t live without you, but that’s not necessarily love. I mean, when good things happen and you’re not around, sure, I wish you were there, but that’s normal. And some days I look at you and think you’re cuter than a pigmy marmoset, but that’s just my dirty lust. Blah!”

A tear fell and he really panicked.

“It was an accident! I fell in love with you before I realized it. I don’t even really like you. I can’t stand the way you always pick an animated film over a movie with actual people. And you have this strange fascination with bad 80’s television.
Perfect Strangers
was not that funny! I can’t stand when you get the remote first and I
hate
when you’re quiet, because I don’t know if you’re mad at me for doing something stupid, which I probably did, and I get this horrible knot in my stomach. I never had these problems before you came along. It’s really hard dating you, but I can’t stop, because...”

Christ, he was sweating. “Fuck it. I fucking love you, Emma. I’m sorry if that makes you cry, but it’s the truth and I swore I’d always be honest with you. I love you. I’d do anything for you. You’re the syrup to my pancakes.”

She was really crying now, the ugly cry she saved for movies like
E.T.
and
Steel Magnolias
. That was never a good cry. “Please say something.”

She sprung and knocked him to his back, her mouth finding his as she kissed him deeply. “I love you too, you stupid, stupid man.”

Heat exploded in his chest as all tension shifted to shock. “You do?”

“Yes. God, Riley, don’t you get it? You saved me. I didn’t realize how many days passed without a single smile until you made me laugh so much my cheeks hurt. I can’t go back to the girl I was. She was so sad and insecure. The girl I am with you, that’s the real me. That’s who I want to be. I like her and I love you for introducing me to that side of myself.”

“Wow.” He wasn’t sure how to respond to that. “That’s a lot of credit, Emma.”

She nestled into his shoulder. “It’s the truth.”

His pride was unfathomable. She loved him. “Say it again,” he whispered.

The soft curl of her smile pressed into his chest. “I love you, Riley.”

Content, the most content he’d ever been, he sighed with a new level of gratification and hugged her. “You’re the mashed potatoes to my gravy.”

She hummed and squeezed him tighter.

“The moose to my squirrel,” he added, in his best Russian accent.

She tapped his chest. “I get it.”

“The bees to my honey.”

“Riley.”

“The Abbott to my Costello.”

“That’s enough.”

“Sorry.” He held her as he stared happily at the ceiling, basking in their new found—“The Frodo to my Sam.”

“That’s it.” She grabbed her pillow and stood.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“To sleep. I have work in a few hours.”

He glanced out the window as the dark sky gave way to shades of plum and sapphire then followed her to the couch. “Let’s go to the roof and make love as the sun rises.”

Her grin was exquisite. “You have a romantic soul, Riley Lockhart.”

He kissed her nose. “I can be charming.” He took the pillow and laced his fingers with hers as he led them to the roof.

****

“S
he’s fucking awesome, Rarity.”

“I know. Why do you think I picked her to be my best friend?” His sister bit into her falafel and mumbled, “I should cut your dick off.”

“Please don’t. My dick’s very happy at the moment.”

She wiped her mouth. “Seriously, Riley, if you hurt her—”

“I won’t.”

“But if you do—”

“I swear on my balls, I’m not going to hurt her.”

She lowered the sandwich and dropped all facades. “I love her, Riley. I mean, I really love her, like you’re lucky she’s not gay because I’d take her from you in a heartbeat.”

“I love her too—and I’m very grateful she doesn’t like girls. Trust me, we talked about it at length. There are no threesomes in my future.”

“Don’t make me puke.”

He paused while Marla sniffed a mailbox. “Are you mad?”

“That you fuckers kept this a secret from me? Yes.”

“Seriously, Rarity.”

She sighed and tossed her napkin in the trash. “No. I’m hurt. Emma’s my best friend and she fell in love with someone and I didn’t know until two months after the fact. Not
like.
Love. I don’t even think she loved Becket, Riley. This is a big deal.”

“She was afraid,” he explained, not wanting their relationship to cause problems. “It was new, she was in a delicate state, and she figured you’d warn her away from me.”

“I would have.”

“See?”

Rarity took Marla’s leash and directed them to a bench. His sister’s usually jovial eyes showed the strain of worry. “Am I that judgmental of a friend that she couldn’t tell me?”

They hadn’t kept their relationship a secret to hurt Rarity and it upset him that she felt slighted. “No.” He nudged her with his shoulder. “She was fragile. We didn’t plan it. I swear we were just friends for a minute there, but then... Nothing ever came as natural as loving her, Rare. It’s the easiest and the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

“I guess.” Her lips twisted as they sat on a bench. “I’m just sulking because I feel left out.”

“Emma looks at it like she might’ve been making a huge mistake with me, but she wanted to make it anyway. If anyone should be sulking it’s me. I was brought in as the
mistake
.”

“I guess.” She scrubbed the side of Marla’s face with her fingers, putting the dog in a pleasure coma. “So, you two are
serious
serious?”

“Yes.”

She laughed.

“What?”

Her mouth hooked into a half-grin. “I’m impressed. You don’t typically have ‘girlfriends’.”

His chest tightened. “What can I say? She makes me want to be a grownup.”

“Look Geppetto, I’m a real boy,” she teased in her best Pinocchio voice.

They sat silently as people exited the glass doors of the law firm. He hated that Emma still worked with Grayson’s father. She’d applied for a couple other jobs, but nothing had panned out yet.

“There she is.” Rarity stood.

As Emma spotted them, her expression transformed with a smile. “Hey! Isn’t this a nice surprise?” Marla nearly knocked her over with an enthusiastic greeting. “Hello, pretty girl.”

He leaned in and kissed her. “Missed you.”

She stilled, cheerful, but nervously glanced at Rarity. It was the first time they’d openly displayed affection since informing his sister of their relationship.

Rarity scrunched up her nose. “It’s just weird. Come on, I think Marla has to poop again and I’m out of bags.” She turned and gave them some space.

“Was that weird?” Emma whispered. “It felt a little weird.”

“We’ll adjust,” he said, taking her hand.

When they reached the apartment, Emma changed into comfortable clothes like she usually did after work. He followed her into her room, enjoying that he could openly be with her whenever. “I wish I didn’t have work tonight. You should come by the bar.”

“I can’t. I promised Rarity we’d have an
us
night. No you. No Lexi.” He admired her ass as she slid off her stockings and jumped into a pair of sweats.

When she glanced over her shoulder he shook off his ass trance and rejoined the conversation. “What do you guys do?”

“Pillow fights, lingerie, practice kissing, the usual.” She stuck out her tongue and winked.

“Not funny.” In any other case it would be, but not with his sister.

She laughed. “We’re going to order food, watch a movie, and drink cheap wine.”

Jealous, he plopped on her bed and distracted himself with a throw pillow. “What movie?”

“
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
. A little Brad for me and a little Angelina for her.”

“Oh.” He pouted.

She stilled and faced him. “What’s wrong, Riley? Rarity and I always do stuff like this.”

He tossed the pillow aside. “What are your plans this weekend?”

“Brace yourself, but I have none.”

Perfect. He sat up. “You do now. I’m taking you out. We’re going on our first official date.”

Her face split with a smile. “We are?”

He loved that smile. “Yes. Expect to be dazzled.”

“Where are we going?”

He didn’t have all the details figured out yet, but it was going to be badass. “It’s a surprise.”

Leaning over, she kissed him. “I can’t wait.”

When they returned to the kitchen Rarity was observing them from the couch. He had to leave for work in a few minutes so he was on Emma like white on rice.

Rarity made an obnoxious gagging sound. “All right, enough! I get that you two are all ‘in love’—”

“I find the air quotes insulting,” he quietly stated.

“—but I cannot share an apartment with Morticia and Gomez. We’re going to have to set some ground rules. Anything beyond a casual cuddle is bedroom conduct. There will be no public displays of affection, no French anything, and abso-freaking-lutely no sex on any common area surfaces. Is that clear?”

He cleared his throat and pointed to the couch. “We did it there.”

“Oh my God!” she jumped up.

“And there.” He pointed to the windowsill. “And basically on every other horizontal surface in the loft. Some vertical ones too.”

Emma smacked him on the arm.

Rarity wore a look of absolute revulsion. “We’re bleaching everything.”

He laughed as his sister stomped into her room and slammed the door.

“You’re rotten,” Emma said as she flipped through the takeout menus.

He grabbed her wrist and spun her into his arms. “
Cara mia
.” He kissed a trail down her neck. “You are dearer to me than all the bats in all the caves in the world.”

Her eyes creased with laughter. “You’re going to be late for work, Gomez.”

He kissed her. “I know. I really gotta go.” He grabbed his jacket. “But hey, that windowsill... we should do that again soon. I think the neighb’s appreciated the show. They thought you were cute too.”

“We’ll see. Have a good night.”

Working opposite schedules sucked. Leaving was always a process, the internal battle to let her go never easily won. He wondered if time would make it easier, but hoped not. It was exciting being this addicted to another person. Their time apart made the return that much sweeter.

He kissed her one last time. “Good night. Don’t have too much fun without me.”

“Never. Have fun at work.”

He chuckled. “Never.”

Entering the hall, he pressed the elevator key. The distant hum of the lift grew as it approached. Anxiously tapping his hand on his thigh, he pivoted and raced back to the loft. Storming through the door, catching her by surprise, she jumped and gasped.

Pulling her into his arms, he dipped her back and kissed her deeply. “I love you,” he whispered, taking one last breath of her soft skin.

Winded, her soft gaze met his as she whispered, “I love you too.”

The elevator pinged and he walked backward to the door, not letting their fingers unlace until he absolutely had to. He’d take the image of that last smile with him all night, like a mental postcard.

––––––––

“R
arity, can you come here for a sec?” Emma held up two pairs of shoes when the door opened. “The black ones or the silver?”

“Black,” Rarity decided without waffling. She was better than a coin toss in matters of attire.

Tossing the silver heels into her closet, Emma hopped and inelegantly slid her foot into the strappy black ones. “How do I look?”

“Wow.” Rarity stared at her for a long moment. “It kind of pisses me off that you’re dating the penis version of me. I’m probably better in bed.”

Flattered, she smirked and bashfully waved away her words. “You’re just saying that. You love Lexi.”

“I do. But you’re smokin’, toots. Really pretty.”

“Thank you.” She’d gone with a plum Coast Nadina dress that belted with a bow and cascaded in waterfall layers to the knee. “Is my makeup okay?”

“Yeah. Sexy.”

“It’s not too much?” She didn’t usually wear dark shadow, but tonight she wanted dramatic.

“No. I like it.” Sometimes it was really handy having Rarity around.

“I don’t know why I’m so nervous.” She transferred her ID and some other items into a small clutch that went with her outfit.

“Do you know where you’re going?” Rarity asked, watching her get ready from the bed.

“No. I was hoping you got some information out of him while I was getting ready.”

“He’s not even here.”