They turned onto another street. April appreciated the chance to walk and talk, but her feet were still hurting, even though the movement was easing the earlier ache.
“Every day?” April asked, confused.
“Well, look at it this way: every time you're out somewhere and overhear someone else talk about their significant other to random people in shops, with the person beside them on a bus, even the waiter at a restaurant, regardless of whether they’rethere with them. Each of those scenarios is when you make the decision of whether or not youwantto come out to that random person,needto come out to that random person, or most importantly whether it’ssafeto come out to that random person.” Jade must have noticed the color drain from April’s face. “It’s not all that bad, you get used to deciding who needs to know and the rest you can play down. Like tonight, just use ‘they’ and people usually take it as the gender they themselves expected. That’s perfectly ok for the purposes of it being a random person you’re not going to interact with again. And as far as my own feelings about what you did earlier? As long as you don’t outright lie, then I’m good with whatever you need to tell people.”
“Thanks Jade,” April said softly.
“No problem,” Jade replied and smiled, brushing her arm against April’s for a brief moment. Those sparks from earlier made a reappearance, rippling up her arm from where they touched, and landing firmly in her chest with a pulse of heat.
April stayed quiet for the next few minutes as she digested what Jade had just explained. She’d never thought about it before, what it meant to come out. Jade was right though; peopledotalk to strangers about their lives and their significant others all the time. That would definitely take some time to think through. But that could wait until another day, when she wasn’t walking with a stunning woman on what really was starting to feel like a date.
She cleared her throat, “erm, Jade?” She stopped walking and turned to face Jade, and held out her hand to shake, “I’m April, it’s great to meet you too.”
Chapter 7
Jade
Jade reached out and took April’s hand in hers to shake with a warm smile, “April, it suits you.”
They locked eyes and hands for what seemed like hours, the tingle of electricity shooting up her arm from the feel of April’s hand in her own. That had never happened before. Jade had a lot of experience meeting women,a lot, but this was the first time her body had ever felt so alive from a mere handshake.
Jade cleared her throat and April dropped Jade’s hand to push her blonde hair behind her ear again. Damn, Jade really wanted to keep holding that deceptively strong hand in hers, but she knew April was nowhere near ready for that.
“I have a proposition,” Jade said with a slight smirk, causing April to tilt her head and raise an eyebrow.
“Oh? And what might that be?” April said with a chuckle.
“Well,” Jade began as she turned back to the street and started walking again, April by her side keeping step, “I don’t know about you, but I usually would grab something to eat on a night out. Yet I’m not hungry for food as I only had two drinks and left early. So, I propose the next best thing.” Jade ended with a grin, just to see how April reacted.
April turned her head slightly and narrowed her eyes, yet the smile on her face made her look absolutely adorable. Jade was a goner. She could feel it. “Please, enlighten me as to what you think the next best thing in this case would be?”
Jade brushed the back of her hand against April’s as she leaned in closer to April’s ear and whispered, “Dessert, of course.” Jade pointed ahead to a line of various food trucks.
April laughed. It was the most magical sound Jade had heard in her life. Goosebumps rippled across her arms and down her spine.
“So? Am I right?” Jade grinned.
“On this occasion, yes. Just don’t go getting too used to it, I’m extremely competitive and don’t like to lose, even at being right.” April craned her neck to see what options for dessert were available. Jade forgot they were even there; all she could see was April.
“If we’re going to sit and eat, I suggest the churros, but if you’re happy enough to keep walking and talking then gelato all the way. That’s my suggestion anyway.” Jade hoped they would keep walking so that April could relax and not spend her time watching those around her, but she was happy in her company either way.
“Gelato sounds great, so long as they have the best flavor available,” April said, until she noticed the raised eyebrows on Jade’s face for her to continue. “Pistachio, of course.”
“Oh April, no! You’re breaking my heart! Nobody picks a nut flavor as their favorite, it’s just not right.” Jade chuckled as April’s mouth dropped open, and her eyebrows shot up to her hairline with a laugh. “Don’t get me wrong, you were ticking all the boxes up until that point, but you’re getting close to a deal breaker here.” Jade reached out and wrapped her hand gently around April’s wrist to stop her walking on. “You can redeem yourself though, but it’s a big ask. Are you ready for this?” Jade theatrically removed her hand from April’s wrist and brought it to her chest in a fist to overexaggerate a cough to clear her throat. “What are your opinions on Cookies and Cream gelato, and Coffee gelato?”
April played along, crossing her arms over her chest, squaring her shoulders and biceps rippling, distracting Jade before locking onto those icy blue eyes once more.
“Cookies and Cream is my second favorite, and coffeeanythingtastes like vomit. Someoneelse’svomit at that.” April pouted to keep her smile at bay. Failing miserably based on the mischief that was dancing in her eyes.
“I take it back. You’re perfect.” Jade said with a grin. “You can have your weird nut gelato, and I’ll be getting theonlyacceptable flavor of Cookies and Cream. I might even share.Maybe.” Jade laughed and nodded toward the ice truck.
A few minutes later, cups in one hand and tiny spoons in the other, they continued their walk.
“Ok then, April, let’s play a game. 20 questions? I kind of like the mystery we have going on though, so let’s avoid topics of family, work...and surnames. See how we go?” Jade wiggled her eyebrows and had the desired effect on April. There was that laugh again.
“Deal. I’ll go first. I already know gelato is important to you considering a dealbreaker was involved. So, my question to you is this: what are three other dealbreakers for you? You know, so we can end this right here if I meet any of them.” April smirked as she ate a spoonful of the silky dessert.
“Oooh, ok then.” Jade took a moment to come up with her answer.
