"Thanks." Harlow chuckled but squeezed my hand tighter. "I brought something." She pulled out a bottle of pink-hued wine from her bag. "It's non-alcoholic. I remembered you both said you weren't drinking right now."
"Oh, girl." Nalea whistled and scurried over to her while snapping her fingers. "You know how to dial this phone the right way." She grinned and accepted it. "This is happening immediately."
Harlow laughed openly, glancing at me as she finally seemed to relax a bit.
"Sign me up." Audra grabbed Nalea in a hug from behind. "It's been six years."
"It's been eleven months." Nalea turned to nip her cheek. "For both of us."
"I get the first glass since my nipples are the ones that are raw."
Harlow and I both chuckled, and I led her over to the sofa. She set her purse down and sat with me. Her gaze flickered around the room before meeting mine.
"We're in a better place than the last time we sat on this sofa," I said, keeping my voice soft.
"I was just thinking that…" She squeezed my hand and let out a slow breath. "My heart is still racing. But this cute little swinging napper over here sure helps."
"I can hear it. And yes, she does. She should wake up in about an hour. When she looks at you now, she can really see you and it's just amazing."
"Can I help?" I heard Audra mutter to Nalea.
"Nah. Almost done. Simple stuff tonight. Garlic bread is almost done. Go relax, honey," Nalea said, a smooch ringing out between them. "Let me fuss."
"You're cute when you fuss."
I smiled while listening and glanced at them then back to Harlow.
"What are they saying?" she whispered, worry wrinkling her brow.
"They're being really cute. Nalea wants to fuss over all of us and Audra wants to help," I replied in soft tones.
"So, no one can ever truly talk behind your back while you're in a room, can they?" She smirked while rubbing her hands on her jeans as if soothing herself a bit.
"Nope." I chuckled then held my arm out to her. "C'mere."
She hesitated for a split second before leaning into my embrace. I hugged her to me, pressing my lips to her temple.
"You're safe here with us."
"Do they know about everything?" She hugged my arm to her chest.
"Not everything, but they know you were upset with me. Everyone understands. Everyone, including me."
She nodded, and she visibly relaxed when I shared our positions on the situation. I noticed right away that with Harlow close, the rest of the world grew quieter, and only the sounds and motions of the apartment made it to my consciousness. I wasn't plagued by the incessant humming of our upstairs neighbor, or the terrible music from the teenager in the apartment below. Everything stopped for the time being, and I basked in it.
"Here you go, loves." Audra handed each of us a glass of wine before toting her own over to the armchair. "I hope you like food fit for kindergarteners, Harlow, because my wife is fulfilling my spaghetti and meatballs craving for the night."
"I'm always up for that." Harlow chuckled. "And I would never turn down chicken nuggets or hotdogs either, for the record."
"Veyda makes awesome chicken nuggets," Audra said, lifting her glass to me. "And this unwine is amazingly wine-like. Thank you."
"Isn't it, though? A colleague brought that into work for a baby shower we threw for a coworker last year and I'm happy he did." She sipped her drink then set it on the table beside us.
With caution, I sipped it and smiled at the light, sweet taste. "Yum."
"Knew you'd like that." Harlow patted my hand. "Tell me about these nuggets."
Audra laughed then said, "She seasons them just right. It's like magic. Coupled with creamy mashed potatoes and it's perfection."
"Are we talking about Veyda's taters or milky-white breasts?" Nalea's wicked grin earned her a bird flipped in her direction.
Harlow and Audra laughed, but the latter swatted her arm. "Nae. Quit showing off."
"She loves to show off." I scowled at her, and she grinned.
"Let's get the eating happening, ladies." Nalea snickered and I narrowed my eyes at her. "Dinner's ready."
Harlow tried to temper her amusement, but she laughed harder when I glared at her. "She's funny."
"Keep laughing and it'll only get worse." I chuckled and stood with her to head over to the table.
Audra turned Elara's swing so that she faced the table, but the baby's nap continued uninterrupted.
We settled ourselves and our wine glasses around the table where Nalea placed the giant bowl of pasta and another with meatballs in the center. Garlic bread, fresh parmesan, and a green salad accompanied the assortment. My meatless meatballs joined the sides dishes closest to me.
"We're family style here, Harlow. Help yourself, eat as much as you want, and doggie bags are strongly encouraged." Nalea squeezed her shoulder, and her smile softened when Harlow looked up at her.
"Thanks. I'm excited to try your cooking," she said.
"I'm no Naomi and Gretta, mind you. Last time you were here you got the full spread of soul food from Mom's bloodline." Nalea sat with us and brushed something from Audra's cheek before serving her without a second thought.
Audra smiled at her, the two of them on point tonight it seemed.
I offered Harlow the plate of cut up garlic bread and she plucked one off.
"Thanks. Smells so good."
"It does. All of these are some of my favorite things to eat because they're milder on my palate," I said, watching as Nalea passed the spaghetti bowl to Harlow.
I snatched the serving utensils before she could, then plated her up a generous portion. She smiled at me, leaning her chin on her hand.
"Thank you."
"Welcome." I winked at her before serving myself.
"How's work been for you, Harlow?" asked Audra. "The art museum is busy this time of year. At least with school trips and such."
Harlow twirled a bit of spaghetti around her fork without ever dropping a speck of sauce. Her delicate, graceful etiquette techniques put mine to shame. I smiled while watching her, and every syllable that left her lips resonated through me.
"It's very busy during the day, yes. School trips are both fun and terrible." She chuckled, shaking her head while pausing to cut a meatball into quarters. "It's fun when the kids are interested, but horrible when you can tell they're forced into it."
"Understandable. Are you working on any new installations?" Nalea's ability to carry on a conversation about any subject impressed me as always.
Audra met my gaze, and she mouthed, "You're smitten."
I narrowed my eyes and tucked into eating to distract myself.
"I'm working on revamping an old one actually. It focuses on cosmic beings in old art. It depicts our ancestors, humans, gods, supernatural animals, and monsters in ceramic, stone, shell. Some with symbols and narratives from ceremonial vessels, tomb sculptures, and clothes show how early humans struggled with things like the nature of the universe, fundamental questions about our existence, and immortality in the time before we knew of extraterrestrial arrival on Earth. It's fascinating to see such advanced concepts in primitive works," she said, the confidence returning to her then. In that moment, her broad shoulders, assured delivery, and bright expression spoke of the woman I met outside the university and later at the museum. It also reminded me of the strong, fierce woman who pulled a gun on me a few times.
I smirked at the latter and nibbled on a meatless ball.
"Audra's class might like something like that." Nalea nodded to her before scooping up a fallen bit of pasta with her fork.
"Yup. They would." Audra grinned and lifted her fork in salute. "Fortunately, my maternity leave has exempted me from all school trips for the time being. Huzzah."
We all laughed at that.
"I'm sure I've probably given your kids a tour at some point, but I don't remember you. So many faces every day," said Harlow, gentility lacing her tone.
<
br /> "No worries. I don't remember you either. Probably because I spend most trips peeling children away from fragile objects or untangling them from the ropes meant to guard them from crossing into things." Audra groaned. "Nope. Don't miss that."
Harlow chuckled, tucking her hair behind her ear the way she did when she's nervous. "I don't miss cleaning up after that either. Luckily, I force my staff to do it."
"Cheers, girl." Nalea lifted her glass to clink with Harlow's. "That's how you get it done."
Dinner with my family turned out to be a global success. I might've remained unusually quiet, but observing Harlow melt seamlessly into something as routine as dinner settled the raging concern that bubbled in my gut.
Elara woke up fussy and hungry right on cue, and Harlow and I switched places with the moms to help clean up the kitchen while they tended to their little one. We loaded the dishwasher together, then I put on a pot of coffee to go with the fresh bakery items I picked up for us.
We finished dessert in the living room while Audra fed Elara. They shared the sofa while Harlow and I squeezed into the armchair together. It took her a few minutes to relax enough to drape her legs over mine, her pointy heels beside my clunky boots making me chuckle.
I nudged her foot with mine, and she pretended to step on me while we held our feet out in front of us.
"I should've recognized those boots with the scuff pattern that looks like a tiny wererat slashed the toe," she teased, pointing to the tip of my left shoe. "Look at that."
I laughed and dropped my head against hers. "I had that fleeting thought when you came over last time. Your bag beside my shoes and all…"
"I was too excited about other things to notice any details like that then," she said, her fingers stroking up and down my arm that I held around her middle. "I'm so full."
"Me too." I looked up at Nalea who smiled at us while resting her chin on Audra's shoulder.
"Thank you for dinner, Nalea. Everything was great," said Harlow, her kind smile ever-present.
"Anytime, doll. Anytime." She winked at her, then stroked Elara's hair. "So, are you two officially dating? What's the story here?"
Audra elbowed her wife. "Nae."
"What?" Nalea huffed. "It's a fair question."
Harlow and I shared a glance, while she plucked at the fastening of her silver bracelet. I held my breath, though heard her heart skip a beat.
"Are we?" I asked Harlow, my voice barely above a whisper. My stomach flip-flopped both with excitement and nerves. She could effectively turn me down in front of my two best friends and the thought of it turned the flip-flops to churns.
Her gaze flickered to mine as she offered me the faintest nod.
"Should we talk about it a little in private before answering?" I nudged her chin up so that she'd hold my gaze.
"Maybe," she whispered, then nuzzled me with her nose.
"Okay. How about now?" I motioned to the hall that turned toward my room. "They can't hear through walls like me."
Harlow chuckled and nodded before rising from the seat to allow me exit as well. She stuck close to me, and I narrowed my eyes at Nalea.
"We'll be back with a confident answer," I said, and all three of them laughed.
Nalea grinned and saluted me while they watched us go.
I opened my bedroom door for Harlow, waving her inside first.
"Thanks," she said, before stepping in, her hands slipping into the back pockets of her jeans as she looked around. A full smile curved her lips as she gazed at my bookshelf with several old titles filling the shelves. She pointed to a row of comic books on the bottom shelf and cocked a brow at me. "How old are these?"
"Older than me and you combined." I chuckled then dropped down to sit on the edge of the neatly made bed. In anticipation of her visit, I tidied up in a ridiculous manner, leaving not a hair of anything out of place. "They were my dad's."
"Wow." She walked a lap around my room, smiling at the framed prints on my wall of three dancers leaping in the street. "Cunningham."
"Yes." I leaned back on my hands and nodded toward the one below it. "Cindy Sherman. Diane Arbus. Dorothea Lange. Annie Leibovitz."
"I see that." Her attention lingered on the photos, and she folded her arms over her middle. A thoughtful expression replaced her tentative one. "If you could choose any of them for an installation, who would you pick?"
"Diane Arbus or Annie Leibovitz."
"How come?"
"Arbus with her photos of unusual people so long ago and Leibovitz for the intimacy of some of her work." I crossed my feet at the ankles, noting that Harlow's shier demeanor calmed while we were alone. She hadn't presented that way on her first visit here, but tonight seemed different.
"How do you relate to each of their work?" She turned to face me now, confidence returning to her stride as if she taught a lecture.
"Arbus' work is pretty clear. She used to take pictures of people called freaks, or fringe walkers of society. People who didn't fit into the mainstream, like me. And Leibovitz because I could stare at some of her photos forever, basking in the intimacy of them and wondering what it was like. The beauty of some of the women she captured. And knowing she was a queer artist at a time when that wasn't easy." I met her gaze as she came to stand beside me. "Who would you pick?"
"Cunningham." She smiled when she said it. "Because of the botanical pieces and the nudes. The sensuality of the black and whites, the lighting, the sharpness. Imagining what life was like back then. Also, the intimacy of some."
"Hmm." I narrowed my eyes at her. "Not all of us actually get to choose massive art installations at museums."
"No." She chuckled and came to sit beside me. "Perks of the job," she said, leaning back to mimic my pose.
We sat quietly for a moment, both of us seemingly lost in thought.
"Photography isn't the same now. Digital photos, videos, holograms, projections. I like the old prints," I broke the quiet to say.
"Me too."
Again, silence followed though it wasn't vacant. In time, I turned to face her, bending my knee while admiring the slender curve of her body and the flatness of her stomach. Her smile broadened as if she felt my eyes scurry over her form.
"Like what you see?" she asked, her gaze flickering in my direction.
"From the moment I first saw it, yes."
"Can't say the same for your shadowed alter ego, but I can for the kind ginger who helped me pick up the contents of my briefcase."
"Skewer me why don't you." I chuckled and she tossed me a wink. "Can we talk about what Nalea asked us?"
She nodded then sat up properly, angling herself toward me as well.
"It wasn't a very confident yes from you and I wanted to make sure you meant it, not just to satisfy the audience…" I braved the waters I feared, but I didn't do well with ambiguity anyway. I'd rather know either way.
"While I do want to be official with you, I need to be clear about a few things," she said, returning to toying with her bracelet.
"Okay." I gestured toward her as my heart slammed in my ears. "I'm ready to listen."
"Questions first…" She drew in a slow breath then asked, "Are you poly? Or anything that would involve including other people?"
Her question shocked me, widening my eyes before I attempted to temper my reaction. "No. I'm not. Are you?"
She shook her head, and her shoulders relaxed a bit. "No, but it's so common that I have to ask. I've tried with a partner in the past who identified as polyamorous, and it just didn't work. No matter how open she was or honest, I just…it wasn't for me."
"I've never tried, but…I don't think I could tolerate knowing someone I cared about was with someone else and not me, so I get it. I respect people who identify as poly, but it's also not for me."
"Okay. Good." She blew out a soft breath. "I really needed to know that. I feel like…emotionally, I've moved quickly with you and that's very new. And it feels complicated sometimes. If you weren't—"
&
nbsp; "Hybridian, I know—"
"No." Her brow furrowed and she started. "It has nothing to do with that. If you weren't a Protector, it would feel less complicated."
My brow furrowed as I considered her words. She'd said something like this before but tonight it came across clearer to me. "If I wasn't a Protector in general or the Protector who scared you and lied to you?"
"More of the latter…" She dropped her gaze to her lap for a moment. "Please promise me you won't ever lie to me. I don't think I could handle knowing you've kept something."
"Can we clarify what lying means? I understand the big stuff, of course. But like if I'm throwing you a surprise party, and I lie about that to keep it a secret, would that feel the same as the other things?"
She smirked, but nodded. "Even that. It bothers me so much. Being kept in the dark, lied to. My parents lied about everything. My father, as a politician." She shook her head. "All of us standing up on stage while he lied to an entire city of his constituents. I would hear him with his campaign managers, literally planning the lies. It made me feel sick. And my mother just going with everything he said. It's part of the reason he would lock me away so I stopped hearing what he was doing after I threatened to tell on him."
"I had no idea it went that deep…"
"It does. He lied about facts. Actual facts. Remember years ago when an onslaught of hostile Offlanders attempted to overrun Albuquerque? I heard him and his team purposely lying saying it was illegal immigrants from Mexico and South America threatening the U.S. economy and bringing diseases that killed all those people. It was sonic weapons, for fuck's sake. Every other news outlet on mainstream television reported on the weapons, but he stuck to that story, and it disgusted me." Her hands balled to fists for a moment. "So please, don't actively keep things from me."
I held my hand to her, and she took it. "I promise to be as upfront as possible with you. I hope that you'll return the promise."
"I will…but." A softer smile lifted her cheeks. "I can't promise not to lie about a surprise party for you. I hate surprises, but I don't think you do."
I chuckled and shook my head. "I don't hate surprises, no. You get a pass on lying about surprise parties and presents."
Jawbreaker (Four Point Universe Book 14) Page 16
