"It's too big,"
"You've never said that to me before, love." Stef says eliciting shock followed by laughter from Lena. Lena swats Stef on the arm.
"You're terrible."
"Another thing you've never said to me," Stef says wiggling her eyebrows.
"All right funny lady, let's take a look inside." Lena starts up the walkway to the front porch. "We could have a swing over there. My grandma had one when I was a kid." Lena stares at the space and catches the toe of her shoe on a loose brick.
"Whoa," Stef says catching Lena around the waist and helping her up the steps.
Stef flicks the light switch by the door and waits. "I have a flashlight in my trunk," Stef says and heads back out the door. Lena stands in the dusty entryway and squints against the dark. the back of the house is dimly lit and Lena walks past the center staircase and finds herself in a large, out-dated kitchen.
"Lena?"
"In here."
Tall grass greets her eyes beyond the kitchen windows.
"Wow. Look at that backyard."
"Honey, look at the kitchen. I could cook in this kitchen." Lena says running her fingers along the tops of the counters.
Stef walks through the room, pulling out a squeaky drawer, and opening a cupboard door missing a hinge. "Well, not exactly this kitchen."
"Can't you see it, Stef?"
"I can see time, and money, and my aching muscles from all the work." Stef pulls a tight smile overwhelmed by the work and the possibility of the house.
"You know what's good for aching muscles? Massage. And do you know who is very good at giving massages?"
Stef nods and her smile widens. "Mmm, I do."
"Think of all the time I can spend making you feel better after you build me my kitchen," Lena purrs in Stef's ear.
"Do you really want to start a project this big?" Stef looks around at the dated wallpaper, the buckled flooring, an chipped paint.
"I love you don't I?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, I'm not afraid of taking on a daunting project." Stef tries to pout but Lena's smile is too much.
"Wanna buy a house, my love?"
xxxx
"This sucks," Lena says flopping onto one of the folding chairs set up in their makeshift dining room. She brushes dust from the front of her jeans and adjust the cloth she's draped over her hair in a valiant, but futile, attempt to keep it dust free.
"What happened to being game for a 'daunting project'?" Stef says plopping down next to Lena and cracking open to beers.
"Even you weren't this daunting." Lena says knocking her can against Stef's before taking a sip. "And with you, at least there was sex as a reward. This house is a frigid bitch."
Stef snorts and loses her sip of beer through her nose. "Lena!"
"Stef, when I work this hard, I want something in return. I want this house to make me feel good."
"What about me?" Stef say with a suggestive smile.
"Well, you could finish the tile in the kitchen, for one. You told me you knew how to do it."
"I do!"
"Well, one summer working with your dad a dozen years ago apparently doesn't count because I don't see my subways tiles!"
Stef stands up and walks into the kitchen. Wires stick out of the wall where the sconces will go. The faucet lies on its side next to the new sink. The cabinet doors are in a neat pile on the floor. "It will be done soon," Stef offers in a soft voice.
Lena gets up and strides over to the bathroom and slams the door.
xxxx
Lena wakes to aching muscles and a headache out of proportion to her one beer the night before. She walks to the bathroom in search of water and Advil. She forces herself upright and her back telling her to stop. She winces but the act of squeezing her eyes shut sends a stabbing pain through her head. She gently brushes her teeth, her head screaming as she holds it steady. Looking in the mirror at the bed she notices for the first time that it's empty.
"Stef," she calls softly. "Stef?" She calls louder and regrets it when her head retaliates for the noise with increased throbbing.
Lena finds her slip-on shoes and walks down the stairs. "Stef?" When she still gets no answer she starts to panic and starts for the kitchen. She picks up the phone and is about to start dialing when she notices a body on the large kitchen table. She hangs the phone up and walks over to the blond slumped over, head cradled in her arms, curly hair covering half of her face.
Lena rests her hand gently on Stef's shoulder and looks around the room. The wires still hang out of wall above the stove, the cabinet doors are still stacked against the wall, and the sink faucet is still on its side. I dawns on Lena that something is different but she can't tell until the sun shines through the window and bounces off the white subway tile on every wall.
Lena brushes the hair out of Stef's face and looks down. "I can't believe you did this for me," she whispers in Stef's ear. She places a gentle kiss on Stef's cheek.
Stef stirs and opens one eye before shutting it against the light. "I love you. And I didn't want you giving up on any of us daunting projects."