Prompt: Sharon has a tough day at work and Brenda does something unusually sweet.
Sharon slammed the door shut behind her with a sigh. She had the mother of all headaches and to make matters worse, the heel of her shoe had snapped as she got out of her car. She threw the offending item on the floor by her front door and dropped her bag onto the telephone table on her way into the kitchen.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket and Sharon fought the urge to scream; it was a Friday night, she had spent more time at work this week than she had at home, and all she wanted was to take a long, hot bath, have a glass or two of Chardonnay and go to bed. With a sigh, she pulled her phone from her pocket, frowning at the caller ID.
"Brenda? Is everything okay?" She asked quickly, concern evident in her tone. Brenda was meant to be in Atlanta this weekend, and Sharon hadn't expected to hear from her until Monday at the earliest.
"Calm down, don't panic. Daddy made other plans this weekend and I heard about your case. Now open your apartment door and let me in. I brought emergency supplies."
The brunette couldn't help but smile. She retraced her footsteps back through her hall and opened her door, a tired smile on her face. She allowed Brenda to walk past her, the smell of Chinese food meeting her nostrils and reminding her how long it had been since she had eaten. She closed the door again and followed the blonde into her kitchen.
"Who told you?" She murmured, retrieving plates and glasses for them.
"Andrea Hobbs," Brenda smiled, beginning to unpack the grocery bags she had brought with her. She produced a bottle of Sharon's favourite wine with a knowing smile and set it down between their places at the table. "She said you might need a friend tonight. And that's why I'm here." The blonde looked up, smiling almost proudly. Sharon narrowed her eyes.
"So you're only here because Hobbs sent you?"
"No, no, that's not what I meant!" Brenda began, her cheeks burning. "You know I love spendin' time with you! I guess this just gave me an excuse to see you…" she murmured, slumping into the chair Sharon had pulled out for her.
"I'm only teasing, Brenda-Leigh. I thought you would have known that by now. I appreciate you coming over. I must remember to thank Andrea next time I see her."
The two of them settled down and ate their food in silence. Brenda, much to Sharon's surprise, insisted on doing everything, including cleaning up, something she had never volunteered to do since the two of them had begun dating. She placed her hand on Sharon's shoulder as the brunette began to doze off.
"Sharon, honey? I'm just gonna run you a bath. Okay?" The older woman nodded and rested her head back on her hands. The blonde padded through to the bathroom and began to run the bath with practised skill, just as Sharon liked. She went back through to the kitchen and woken Sharon once more.
"Come on, sleepin' beauty. There's a hot bath waiting for you." She eventually managed to nudge Sharon towards the bathroom and left her to relax in peace, choosing instead to change her partner's bed linen, knowing how much Sharon liked sleeping in clean sheets.
Forty five minutes later, Brenda poked her head around the bathroom door and smiled. Sharon had fallen asleep again. She slipped into the steamy room and pulled the plug out of the bath, gently rubbing Sharon's calf to wake her. Green eyes slowly began to open and focus, and the older woman offered a smile. "Can we go to bed now?" She murmured, her voice soft. Brenda nodded in reply, and offered the towel from the heater, helping to wrap it around Sharon's body when she finally found the strength to stand.
The two women eventually made their way to bed, Sharon wrapped firmly in Brenda's arms and cocooned in the duvet. Brenda gently brushed Sharon's hair back from her face and murmured softly to her.
"Wanna talk about it? I kinda guessed you wouldn't wanna but I'm here if you do…" she kissed Sharon's temple gently and held her a little tighter. Sharon merely shook her head and nestled into Brenda's arms.
"No. The case is closed and I'd rather not spoil our evening by talking shop. Thank you, though," she smiled. "I appreciate it."
When Sharon woke up the next morning, the smell of coffee and French toast surrounded her. She pulled herself out of bed and wrapped her silk robe around her, then made her way to the kitchen, where she found her blonde girlfriend, wearing next to nothing, cooking. In their eighteen months together, Brenda had never cooked. The younger woman turned and smiled.
"Mornin'," she grinned. "I figured you might be hungry so I made a little somethin' my mama used to make me when I had a bad day. Coffee?" Sharon smiled and sat down at the table, watching her lover cook for her.
"Sounds perfect."