“Relax, princesa. I’m not asking for a love confession. I’m just a little confused as to why you acted like we weren’t supposed to be making out if they already think we’re together.”
I groaned. “I know! I don’t know, okay? I just didn’t expect anyone to be behind us. I’m sorry. This whole thing is just stressing me out.”
It was true. I was balancing the lie with the truth of my feelings while hiding both of those things from my friends while also not hiding anything. It was all too much and I wanted to scream. I liked her, yes, but would we be anything more? Most likely not.
“It’s almost over, then we can go home and put this whole thing behind us if that’s what you want. But tonight? We are pretending to be together and going to enjoy a relaxing night on the beach. I’m going to pretend to hold hands with my pretend girlfriend as I safely walk her down the beach, okay?” She smirked.
“You’re impossible.” I rolled my eyes but let her take my hand.
When we got down to the bonfire, there were chairs set up all around it. Enough chairs for everyone, but everyone was in their partners laps.
I waited until Vera took her seat before taking my own. I took my seat on her lap and her eyes grew wide. I shrugged and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize this seat was taken. Would you like me to get up?”
Her grip tightened on my hips and she whispered back, “Not a chance. This is where you belong.” I grinned and ignored the twitch in my core.
Everyone started their own conversations, asking Blair and Drea questions, talking with Penelope and asking where her husband was.
“He’s in the room with Nora. It’s her bedtime and momma’s girl time.” We all laughed. Her husband was such a good father and hadn’t complained once about being on baby duty the majority of the time.
Everyone was in their own world after a while and I fluttered my eyes closed at Vera’s voice in my ear. “Is this okay?” she whispered.
She was caressing my arms and playing with the back of my neck, causing goosebumps. I nodded, unable to do anything else. It felt so good.
Vera was still caressing me and peppering my neck with small kisses when she spoke. “Fallon, I hear congratulations are in order for you? How’s pregnancy been going so far?” she asked.
She had noticed Mackenzie on the plane, touching Fallon’s stomach, which had slightly grown over the past few months when she first told us she was pregnant, and asked me about it.
Fallon smiled and Mackenzie pulled her closer. “It’s actually going pretty perfectly. I had a bad case of morning sickness at first. Now it’s just lugging this thing around.” She rubbed herstomach and it was so wild to know a little human was growing in there. Just a whole life source and all.
The rest of the night was spent laughing and sharing s’mores with my friends and I couldn’t have asked for a better night.
I texted Eloise to check in, knowing she was probably sleeping and would see it in the morning. I had just sent the text when I heard a soft chuckle in my ear. I’d gotten into my own chair when they brought out the s’mores. I was sure Vera’s lap was getting tired, even though she insisted she was fine.
“Are you ready to head inside?” she asked.
Everyone else had gone in except for Blair. Drea had gotten a call from her parents and went inside to take it.
I shook my head. “You go ahead, I’ll meet you in a little bit. I want to spend some more time with my best friend. If that’s okay?”
She kissed my cheek. “Of course. Stay as long as you need. I’ll be in the room when you get there.”
She rubbed my arm before heading towards the villa, leaving Blair and I alone for the first time in a long time.
“I’m glad it’s just the two of us, babe. I feel like we haven’t had any time together in forever. I’m sorry about that, by the way. Planning a wedding and working was a little harder than I thought it was going to be.”
I smiled. “Don’t even worry about it, doll. Life gets chaotic sometimes. I get it. I’ve been keeping busy with work.”
“And Vera.” She winked. “I still don’t understand how that happened. For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve said butch wasn’t your type. I’ve only seen you with femmes like Fallon and Mackenzie. How did this happen? Don’t get me wrong, I’m incredibly happy for you. I haven’t seen you so lit up in a very long time. Vera’s brought some color back into your life and I’m so here for it.”
I shrugged, not wanting to deny the truth. I didn’t know if all of that was true, but I definitely felt happier having known Vera.
When she showed up back in my life, I was determined to forget about our night. I wanted to focus on work, and I knew it was a waste of time to think about it. There wasn’t going to be a repeat. We were just so different and butch wasn’t my type. I tended to go for women that were a little more… put together, I guess.
That’s not to say Vera wasn’t. She had checked all of the right boxes outside of the physical things, but, clearly, she still managed to take my breath away, which I hadn’t realized was possible with someone like her.
It only took a forced fake-dating situation for me to open my eyes and see that what I was looking for, may have been right there all along.
“Vera is… different. She’s hardworking, dedicated, and so compassionate and patient. She’s unlike anyone I’ve ever known. She pushes me to be a better version of myself, and I’m learning to let myself enjoy the things that make me happy,” I answered honestly.
