Sugar & Ice

by Brooklyn Wallace

  She leaned over to Daniel and shout-whispered, “That means no.”

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m actually meeting her later today. She has a full day of press runs first.”

  “Then the celebration.”

  “Liv, I swear to god.”

  “I hope you invited her to our wedding!”

  “Yes, I invited my very busy girlfriend to your wedding with no set date, no venue, and no other announced guests on the list.”

  “All of that stuff can come later! And it’s not like it’s gonna be a long list or anything. I plan on making it an intimate affair.”

  “She’s trying to invite everyone from her college sorority,” Daniel said solemnly. “She told the guy at Trader Joe’s about it and told him to bring his mom.”

  “Hey, Frank’s an acquaintance! And he didn’t have anyone else in mind!” Olivia turned her attention toward me so fast I felt like I might get whiplash. “Did I tell you we definitely picked the date and the venue for the engagement party? You should invite her to that, too. When she’s not busy being a super mysterious political giant, of course.”

  I couldn’t help but smirk. As overwhelming and, yes, annoying as Olivia’s nosiness about Gwen was, it made me happy to know she was interested in her. I’d already told her so much about Gwen that it only seemed fair. And I’d told Gwen about Olivia, and yet she wasn’t scared off, so it was really time.

  I nodded. “Give me the details, I’ll see if I can drag her away from work.”

  My phone buzzed in my pocket. More than happy for the distraction, I pulled out the phone and checked the screen.

  Gwen: If I murdered a paparazzo live on TV would you bake a cake with a nail file in it for me?

  I grinned and typed out a quick reply.

  Id make it chocolate with those ridic fancy little truffles shits you like and everything

  When I looked up from my phone, both Olivia and Daniel were smirking at me. I tried to play it cool, but it was clear that I had been busted.

  Olivia leaned into the table and propped her elbows up on the surface, getting the billowy sleeves of her dress into some spilled beer. “And now that look means Gwen’s texting you. I bet her ears are burning,” she sing-songed gleefully.

  I groaned as my face heated up. I thought back to how badly I’d wanted a sister when I was younger. Oh, how naïve I had been.

  My phone buzzed again before I could retort.

  Gwen: My hero.

  Gwen: Also I’m free if you’d like to come over and massage my aching feet. And bring me a slice of cake with those ridic little truffles shit on it.

  I snorted but couldn’t help but smile. I texted back: Im starting to think you only want me for foot rubs and cake

  Gwen’s reply was lightning fast.

  Gwen: Is that so wrong?

  I pulled out some bills from my pocket and tossed them on the table. “I gotta go.”

  Daniel leaned over to Olivia and half whispered, “That means they’re gonna celebrate.”

  “My wedding gift to you both will be me ignoring how embarrassing you’re being right now.”

  “Your real gift better be better than that!” Olivia scolded.

  I turned toward her and gave her a grin. She didn’t know it yet, but it so would be.

  I shrugged nonchalantly as I walked backward toward the door, watching the suspicion grow in her expression.

  “We’ll see!” I shouted over my shoulder.

  It took me a half hour to get to Gwen’s after stopping at the grocery store. When she let me in, she dived for the cake first, then kissed me.

  “It’s nice to know where your priorities are,” I chastised halfheartedly.

  She dragged me to the bedroom and beelined for the TV. The Good Wife sprang to life on screen as she exited and made her way out the door. When she came back she was nibbling on a piece of cake she must have had stashed in the fridge.

  I moved so she could sit between my legs with her back against my chest. The angle didn’t allow me to rub her shoulders, so I bent down to kiss them instead.

  “How’s the victory lap been?” I asked.

  “Ironically enough, stressful,” she said with a mouthful of cake. “I’ve been down this road three times, once myself, and I’m still amazed that pundits are just as obnoxious after the win as before.”

  “If it’s any consolation, I caught some of your interview on Channel 11 while at the gym. You looked very cute.”

  She hummed and knocked our shoulders together. “That does help, thank you.”

  She scooped up another forkful of cake and lifted it to my mouth. I wasn’t hungry, but I ate the piece for the offering of love it was all the same.

  “How are things going on your side?”

  I ran my finger over a smudge of chocolate on her plate and lifted it up to her mouth. Her brown eyes bored into mine as she kitten-licked it clean.

  “Nothing as glamorous as winning a senatorial campaign and looking cute doing it—”

  “That’s unfortunate.”

  “—but Lorne’s lining me up a few humanitarian gigs for when I get back to reality. We’re looking at small stuff like after-school programs and helping run organization that service underrepresented neighborhoods. Coach Murphy’s even recommending a few places.” I let the full force of how much that warmed me show on my face.

  Gwen bent down to nuzzle my cheek. I bit back a quip about cake making her soft and instead basked in the attention.

  “That sounds amazing.”

  I nodded. “It is. And the best part? No Sonics required.”

  Gwen grinned and nodded, satisfied with the answer. She pinched a piece of cake between her fingers and pushed it past my lips.

  I licked away chocolate from my lips and the soft pads of her fingers. “Oh, and just as a heads up, you are officially my plus-one to Olivia’s wedding, per her strongly worded request.”

  “You know every time you talk about her you make her sound practically terrifying, right?”

  “I’m just preparing you for the full force that is Olivia Flores, née Bronson.”

  She stretched out lazily and rested her full weight against me. “Not that I’m not excited to meet your terrifyingly intense best friend, or celebrate the miracle of love, but is this going to be a destination wedding? Because I love you and all, but I value my hair.”

  “Honestly? I don’t know. Probably not, though, Olivia gets fly-sick. They haven’t even set a date yet. They’re both super unorganized.”

  “That coming from you makes a statement,” she ribbed good-naturedly.

  I gripped my heart and pretended to be wounded. “So cruel. You didn’t even ask me what I’m getting her as a wedding gift, even though it’s amazing.”

  “And what are you getting her?”

  “My house. Our house. Er, her house, now.”

  “You gave her your house? Holy shit, Jackie. How did she react?”

  “I haven’t told her yet. I’m letting it be a surprise. As it stands, she and Daniel can’t live together when they get married because they can’t afford to get a place, and Daniel lives with, like, three other dudes, so.”

  Gwen shook her head in disbelief. Her soft curls tickled my collarbones with the movement.

  “That’s insane. How do you think she’ll react when you tell her?”

  “First she’ll tell me to shut up. Then she’ll hit me. Then she’ll start crying and call me an idiot. Then at some point, days later, she’ll remind me I’m an idiot, and say thank you.”

  “True friendship.”

  “Of course.”

  “Have you picked out a new place in the meantime?”

  I smiled sheepishly. “I haven’t actually . . . done that yet?”

  “You cannot be serious.”

  “Not to brag, but I’m not exactly pressed for cash, and I live in California, for God’s sake. I’m sure I’ll find something.”

  “But have you called a realtor? Sc
heduled viewings? Looked at properties online?”

  “All of that sounds literally exhausting.”

  She groaned and flopped back against me dramatically. “Oh no.”

  “Oh no what?”

  “I’m gonna have to, aren’t I?”

  “You’re gonna have to what?”

  “Help you pick out a place to live because you are utterly hopeless?”

  “Oh, that. Yeah, you’re gonna have to do that.” I grinned and pecked her on the nose.

  She shifted in my arms so she could kiss me full on. I indulged in the pillow softness of her lips and dragged my tongue across the corners of her mouth, committing them to memory for what felt like the millionth and first time all at once.

  When she pulled back, I was grinning stupidly.

  “I love you,” I told her.

  She grinned and pointed her fork at me. “No need to butter me up, I already said I’d do it. And I love you, too. Enough to dip into my vacation time.”

  “Vacation time?”

  “I decided to let Jane take over operations for the first month. Dick was wrong about a lot of things, so when he was actually right about something, I decided to listen. The important thing is, I finished this. I helped get us here.”

  I could only smile at the fierceness in her voice. There was no question that politics were her life, and that being in control and seeing things through were important to her. Even when I’d first met her, when I hadn’t understood all the hidden places she kept inside, I’d felt the passion she had for her work loud and clear.

  The small, barely there frown on her lips was proof that letting go, even for a little while, wasn’t easy. I tried to kiss it away.

  “You kicked ass, babe. You got me to care about politics. Me.”

  She nodded absently. “I did kick ass, didn’t I?”

  “Mm-hmm. You sure you want to leave all this behind?”

  “For now? Absolutely. I’m fucking exhausted. I just ran a successful reelection campaign. Now, out of the kindness of my heart, I’m helping you choose a new place because your real estate prowess is for shit. I deserve this extended vacation. I should make both of you foot the bill for a Caribbean cruise.”

  I groaned. “But cruises are the worst. Titanic was basically a cruise, you know.”

  “Who said you were invited?”

  I pouted, but it had no effect on her. When I realized she wouldn’t budge, I squeezed her around the middle and buried my nose behind her ear. I exhaled, and she shivered against me.

  “How about instead of some dirty cruise, you have a staycation with me?”

  She traced a pattern only she knew on my forearm. The hairs on my skin stood up as she hummed and sent warm vibrations through my chest. I felt giddy for no other reason than this woman was here and mine.

  “I’m listening . . .”

  “You help me look for a house with your amazing realtor skills, and we can make it homey together.”

  “Buying a house and interior decorating? Oh, you’re tapping right into my vulnerable lesbian sensibilities here.”

  I chuckled. “You spend your two weeks with me and I’ll make sure to pamper you way better than any cruise line ever could.”

  She hummed again. “Is that so?”

  “I’ll make your favorite desserts. Red velvet cake and sweet potato ice cream. You can sit on my face and watch reruns of The Good Wife while you eat.”

  “Go on . . .”

  “I’ll buy a fancy coffee maker so you can drink your bitter sludge in your cute little kitten cup whenever you want—”

  “You’re losing me.”

  “—and I’ll take care of all the chores and rub your feet and call you things like breathtaking and gorgeous and Angela Bassett-esque at every possible opportunity.”

  “And I’m back.”

  She turned around and kissed me. I let myself drown in the soft warmth of her lips, the spicy smell of her shampoo, the sweet vanilla scent of the lotion on her skin, and the taste of dark chocolate in her mouth. I was lost in the sensory overload that was Gwendolyn Crawford, and I was damned fine with that.

  She pulled back way too soon. She stopped my groan of protest by swiping her yellow-painted ring finger over the corner of my lip. When she pulled back, I saw a smudge of chocolate icing on her finger. She put it in her mouth and sucked it off.

  “You are very persuasive,” she said accusingly.

  Her eyes were soft and fond. They sparked something in me that had me laughing. Even though I was already wrapped around like an octopus, I yearned to be so much closer.

  “I love you,” I told her for the second time. Her face lit up the way it had that very first time, so I said it again. “I love you.”

  She pressed a kiss to my collarbone and pried my arm from around her so she could lace our fingers together. “I love you, too.”

  She pinched her mouth together on a wide grin that threatened to overtake her face. “Telling me you love me, inviting me to pick out and decorate your place. It sounds like we’re U-Haulin’ already. How very cliché.”

  “Me? A gay women’s basketball player? A lesbian cliché? Never.”

  She laughed and swatted at me. “Okay, okay, I get it. Just watch yourself, Dunn. You keep inviting me into your space and you’re gonna get sick of me.”

  I smirked and shook my head. She didn’t know. How could she not know?

  How could she not know right there and then that I wanted everything with her?

  Because I did. Everything.

  She scooped up the last piece of cake on her fork with long fingers.

  She smiled at me, that soft, knowing smile she kept just for me, and I wondered if she maybe knew all along.

  About the Author

  Brooklyn Wallace was born in a small town of less than one thousand people in the backwoods of Texas. Her anxiety (affectionately dubbed “painful shyness” by her mother) inhibited her ability to connect with her peers, and the internet became her refuge. At twelve she read Nancy Farmer's Sea of Trolls series and knew that writing was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life.

  The majority of her early years were spent writing terrible erotic Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfiction, raiding her local library's YA section, and avoiding human interaction. Now a starving graduate student in North Texas writing slightly better erotic Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfiction, Brooklyn is active in fandom, conventions, and the queer romance community. She is an independent researcher of male interpersonal relationships and queer representation, and presents her findings at various anime and queer media conventions across Texas.

  An anxious perpetual sleeper with a penchant for self-deprecating humor, Brooklyn has a soft spot for writing comedies, forbidden love, and nerdy queers. She hopes to bring QPOC to the forefront of her works and explore all forms of queer love in the black community. When not writing, she enjoys touring various anime conventions, reading and writing fanfiction, yelling about sports, and watching TV shows religiously.

  Website: https://brooklynwallace.com/