Page 76 of Tell Me What you Think

Two months later.

Olga is in Marina's kitchen with a coffee in her hand, looking out the window toward the Diagonal. The lanes are completely packed with traffic, and she can hear an ambulance approaching. The noise doesn't bother her — it's the same sound she hears from her own apartment, and she's so used to it that she's never really aware of it except in moments like this, when she actually stops and focuses on it. She finishes the last sip and sits down at the table. While she waits for her girlfriend to come out of the bathroom, she scrolls through her phone and reviews the day's schedule so she can get a head start and have it ready to print once she arrives.

"Good morning."

Olga looks up and sees Marina walking into the kitchen — she's already showered and dressed, barefoot because she doesn't like disturbing the neighbors with the sound of her heels.

"Hi." Olga stands, stepping toward her to press her mouth to Marina's and taking the moment to bury her face in her neck and breathe in the scent of her body lotion, which she's also become addicted to. "Your coffee's right there. I poured it a minute ago."

"Thank you, babe."

Marina picks up the mug and leans against the counter, closing her eyes on the first sip.

"I don't know what I'd do without coffee," she says, breathing in the aroma. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, great. You?"

"Me too, though today feels like one of those days where I'd stay in bed until noon."

Olga laughs — a short, low chuckle that makes Marina smile too, because she loves hearing that sound first thing in the morning.

"You don't sleep that late even on weekends."

"But I'd like to." Marina's lips quiver slightly before curving to the left.

They don't live together, but they've fallen into the habit of spending weekends at one of their places, and since they got back from Lisbon, they've added one weeknight to the mix as well. The vice president, who had grown used to living alone since the divorce and appreciated the kind of privacy that lets you do whatever you want without considering anyone else, has noticed how quickly she's adapted to sharing part of her days with Olga — with an ease she sometimes struggles to understand.

"Okay, my turn in the bathroom," the assistant announces, kissing her on the cheek before heading out of the kitchen.

While Olga showers, Marina finishes her coffee looking out the window too, then goes into the bathroom for a last touch-up in the mirror. She doesn't ask permission to come in — another habit they've settled into — and while she traces over her lips, Olga steps out of the shower and wraps herself in a towel as the vice president watches her out of the corner of her eye.

"What?" Olga asks, color rising in her cheeks.

"Nothing."

"You're thinking something," Olga accuses. "You get this little crinkle by your eyes when you squint like that."

Marina turns toward her and crosses her arms, leaning against the marble in a pose far too seductive for Olga not to close the distance.

"I don't have wrinkles."

For the first time, it's the assistant who raises her eyebrows before settling her hands on Marina's waist.

"Okay, maybe a couple," the vice president admits in a lower voice.

"And are you going to tell me what you were thinking?"

"Hmm, maybe," she says, with a mysterious air. "Depends on what you're willing to pay to find out."

Olga lets the towel drop.

"Jesus," Marina hisses, her eyes as wide as they are dark. "You're going to make us late," she whispers, tilting her head to find her lips.

"Nope — information first, then we'll talk." Olga plants a palm on her chest and takes a couple of steps back, and Marina curses under her breath and looks at her, still surprised by these flashes of boldness from her girlfriend, who dies of embarrassment when Marina stares at her too long but takes her clothes off without a second thought when they're at home.

"Fine," the vice president agrees, reaching out to take Olga's hand and pull her close again. "I was thinking that I like having you here — that I love waking up in the morning and seeing you in my bed. And walking into the kitchen and having that first coffee with you, or fighting over the bathroom to see who gets to shower first. I used to get to the weekend looking forward to it being over so I could get back to work, and now when it comes around, all I want is for it to stretch out because I know you'll be with me."

Olga's eyes are glistening. Her mouth is open and her fingers are clenched tight on Marina's waist. She wishes she were dressed right now, because hearing a declaration like that from her girlfriend while she's standing naked feels a little strange — but she doesn't think about it too long.