Hey guys! So this, as you can see is a Stef and Lena story. I have chosen not to include any of the children, and focus purely on their relationship. This is not how they actually met, just another story on they did. I have also not included the actual ages or some other details, eg Lena is Vice Principle, rather than Assistant Vice Principle and they are both in their twenties. I do not own The Fosters, nor the characters. Sorry for any mistakes or typos and enjoy the story! Also, I'm British so sorry if I don't use the right lingo - I'm trying! Please Fav & Review, and of course - enjoy!
Pouring over her book, with her left eyebrow slightly raised in concentration Lena Adams was in her element enjoying the last ten minutes of her lunch break. The hand not occupied by 'We Need to Talk About Kevin' drew small circles over the cup of coffee steaming beside her. Her long, slightly wavy hair draped over her bare shoulders, as she sported an off-the-shoulder floral jumpsuit, with her red blazer on the back of her seat. She sat with such elegance, having a somewhat regal aura. Lena's elegance shone from her, something noticeable to people walking past her in the street. She was like a classic painting, a vintage vinyl, an old wine. She simply had a such a class about her, one that she was almost unaware of, but others did not miss easily. Moving her hand away from her coffee she began twirling strands of her hair around her fingers then letting go and feeling it seep back to its original state. She twirled it as if attempting to recreate the curls she so badly wishes she hadn't got. Curls that stole hours of her time trying to mask them, to erase her heritage, to repress her roots and rebel against her mother.
Every lunch break she had from her job as Vice Principal at Anchor Beach Lena spent at this coffee shop, getting lost in her novels, or her odd habit of people-watching; creating fictional scenarios for each of them in her head, unbeknown to them or to anyone sitting around her. Since breaking up with her long-time, problematic, unfaithful girlfriend, Gretchen, Lena struggled to find peace in her apartment which she now single handedly lived in. Not only had Gretchen taken away Lena's trust, she had also taken away a part of Lena herself. Lena no longer believed the compliments people gave her, she no longer believed in kind gestures, thinking there was more to them, something else she should be giving them in return. Gretchen had stolen Lena's heart, her confidence, her trust, as well as her unfaltering love; she had left her heartbroken and picking up the pieces by herself, desperate to eventually move on.
Hearing voices over a radio Lena's head snapped up as she saw two officers in uniform and immediately started looking around for trouble that might be occurring. With no such luck, her eyes returned to the officers, their posture tall. One a man, one a woman. She saw their guns in their belts, gulping found herself clutching her book harder, not sure what comfort that would bring to her. Trying to snap out of her discomfort towards the firearms, objects that took the lives of so many people in her neighbourhood growing up, Lena returned to their faces. The man was the closest of the two to her, early thirties, late twenties she predicted. He had tanned skin, with dark hair, little feathers of ash colours here and there. His uniform was slightly tight over his solid figure as he rocked from foot to foot - the inpatient type she assumed.
Stood slightly behind him Lena saw the woman, blonde, young, she must have been in her twenties Lena thought. Her hair was pinned up behind her head, not a strand astray, almost military-like. Her skin glowered with a subtle Californian tan; she was strong, that much Lena could tell, with the slight movements she made making her muscles slightly flex. Even facially her jawline and bone structure was prominent, breathtakingly so. She was beautiful, Lena could tell that much. The pair were not noisy yet Lena could hear them laughing, playfully nudging each other every so often, with the occasional, 'Woah! That is so not true!' being heard numerous times in soft Californian accents. From across the room, she could see the woman's eyes glisten as she laughed. She could see her stand that little taller as she scanned the room every so often as if she was still working; she was a woman in charge, a woman with confidence, so she thought.
As the pair finally got to the counter once the queue had gone down, Lena snapped out of her trance and blushed after thinking about how much she had thought about the two. Her friend Jenna often joked Lena should be a criminal profiler or something due to her observational levels. However, they both agreed this was only due to Lena's over-imaginative mind, due to her being the bookworm she is.
Lena heard the two thank the barista, and her gaze went back up. Slowly she pushed the hair falling over one of her shoulders to her back, leaving her skin bare, her teeth soon found her bottom lip, a nervous habit since childhood, and a slight dimple appeared on her cheek from her subconscious smile. The blonde scanned the room again before leaving, catching the eye of the beautiful woman already looking her way. The blonde stopped, as she realised the woman was looking her way, and she hadn't just accidentally caught her eye. The cop gave a slight smile to the Lena, who quickly returned the gesture with her dimples deepening and her blush growing. The blonde turned and follow out the male officer, as did Lena's gaze turn back to her book, attempting, and failing to find where she was in the page while all her head was spinning with the female, blonde, beautiful cop. The cop who wore a gun on her belt. A gun. A firearm. Lena gave a shudder as goose bumps rippled over her skin. She brought her hair back over to conceal her bare shoulders and soon found herself putting on her red blazer placing the book in her bag and chugging down the black, now cold, coffee. Lena left flustered, uncertain why, as she made her way back to work.
The next lunchtime Lena returned to her usual spot, yet today she was joined by Jenna. The two often had their catch ups at this time, as Jenna often having late shifts at the hospital straight afterward. They had been friends since college as they had had rooms next door to each other. They had been there for each others tears, laughs, and full on meltdowns, yet still as adults they found the time for each other and gossiped like school girls with every chance they had.
Jenna filled Lena in with how domestic life with Kelly and their son Garret was treating her, to which Lena giggled. After having known Jenna for so long she would never have pictured her as the settling down time, in a domestic partnership with a little boy. Lena felt a sort of jealousy, she had wanted to settle with Gretchen, no, she was settling with Gretchen. She had wanted to have children with Gretchen, to get some sort of certification of their commitment, whether it of been marriage or domestic partnership. Just something, something to have in writing, to make them a couple in the eyes of the state, to signify she was her significant other. Yet all dreams of that were shattered when Lena managed to get an earlier flight back from a teachers' conference to surprise her girlfriend for their anniversary, only to find her in between the legs of a girl, who looked significantly younger, young enough to be a Freshman at college.
But here her and Jenna were babbling away about Garret's first words (unsurprisingly mama), his steps, his coos and his smell. Lena was aching inside, hiding holding her hand against her stomach under the table.
"So have you heard anything from Oh-So-Fabulous-Bitch-Face?" Jenna jumped in, clearly nosing into what was going on in her best friends romantic life.
"Jenna," Lena warned. Although she was mad at Gretchen, furious, she still refrained herself from calling her name which was less than civilised. "No, I have not heard anything from Gretchen." She said putting emphasis on the woman's name. "And to be honest I don't think I ever will." She bowed her head, pretending to wipe something off her dress that wasn't even there, anything to try and escape Jenna's saddened, worried gaze.
Lena looked towards her coffee, going to grab the mug, before realising it was empty. Glancing over to Jenna's she could see they were both in need of a refill.
"More coffee?" She chimed, desperate to get away from the conversation. Jenna nodded, before sighing at Lena's lame excuse to change the conversation.
"Please." She said offering bills to cover the cost.
"This one's on me." Lena winked before going up to the counter where a few people stood.
Getting in line Lena's head was completely elsewhere when the sound of the radios came into the shop. Turning around Lena saw the two cops, the same ones she had seen the previous day and quickly snapped her head around, fumbling with the empty cups in her hand.
She was nervous, she felt it. Her stomach seemed to inhibit butterflies, the reason for which she had no idea. She didn't know this woman, not even a name. She had never spoken to her or made contact with her, and only very briefly made eye contact with her. But still, she tensed as the pair came up behind her and joined the queue.
"I'm hungry." She heard the woman grumble to the man stood beside her. "Oooh, there is cake. Damn have you seen the size of that stuff Mike?" Nudging Mike in the side she pointed to the counter with all the cakes presented neatly, the deliciousness oozing off them. The blondes stomach gave a loud growl as if responding to her exclamation and Lena let out a little laugh turning around and seeing the woman who was hiding her own laugh herself.
"God you're so noisy Foster." The man nudged his shaking his head while laughing.
Foster. Lena made a mental note.
The woman rolled her eyes, making Lena giggle some more.
"I guess as you've been here before you may know," She said, directing this at Lena who turned her body around to face the cop ever so slightly. "Do those cakes taste as good as they look?" There was an innocence in her tone, yet also a sultry tone. Or was that Lena overthinking? She felt a pang in her stomach, with the butterflies she had previously felt whirling around like a hurricane. She cleared her throat, blushing violently before barely audibly whispering her reply.
"Yes."