"What are you doing over there?" Fareeha asked from under her covers in her bedroom.
"Nothing important." Sombra replied shortly. Fareeha turned her head away and ducked under her comforter again. She wanted attention.
Ever since she had gone into work AGAIN the very next day, the boss told her to take a week off to rest and that it would be no problem. They basically had to kick the woman out of the building before she agreed to take her sick days. There was nothing wrong with it, she just felt like she needed to stay. She had been working there every day for several years, and taking a day off was a deviation to her routine.
"Sombra…" Fareeha moaned from under her blankets.
"What is it?" The Latina snapped, obviously doing something on her laptop at Fareeha's desk.
"Could you grab me a drink of water?"
"In a minute."
Fareeha closed her eyes slowly and sighed, then stood up and went to get herself her drink of water. She sat down in the kitchen, her nose running, tapping her fingers against the table. She didn't feel like eating anything, but she felt like she should. She knew her girlfriend wouldn't be of much help since she was on her computer. Whenever Sombra was on her laptop for an extended period of time, Fareeha knew she was doing something odd. She would never let Fareeha see exactly what she was doing, only glances had revealed that she was doing something with numbers.
It didn't really matter. Fareeha was too sick to care. She wanted attention, but she needed rest more. Ultimately, rest was going to be the key factor in getting her healed enough to go back to work. Fareeha drank the rest of her water, her throat soothed, and began plodding back up the stairs. The phone in her pocket buzzed and when she reached the very top, she checked her phone to see that her new friend had texted her: "How are you doing today?"
Fareeha leaned against the top banister and replied, "Not good at all. So sick."
As she crawled back into bed, she kept her phone hidden under the covers along with her head. She grinned as Angela sent a picture of a sad face and responded: "I'm so so sorry."
Fareeha thought for a moment, then replied: "Your soup helped a bunch. I finished it last night."
Angela sent another text: "I'm really glad you liked it. Did you like the gingerbread as well?"
"Oh my god of COURSE." Fareeha responded, "It was the best gingerbread I've ever eaten. You have to make me some snickerdoodles sometime if you want."
"Snickerdoodles?" Angela replied, then sent another text, "Those are so easy, I could whip them up in a few hours."
Fareeha smiled and continued typing, "Are you just always ready to bake things?"
"I sort of always have baking ingredients stocked up." Angela texted back, "Always helpful in case I'm lonely and want to bake."
"Maybe I could come over sometime an-" Fareeha paused, bit her lip and deleted the text, replacing it with: "Well your baking is always excellent."
Angela sent a smiley face and a thumbs up: "I'll get right on making you snickerdoodles if you really wanted them. I'm sort of on an off day. I don't need to study a lot and my photography class project can wait until later."
Fareeha smiled under her blankets, "I'd pay you!"
"Oh god no." Angela replied, "You don't need to pay me. You're sick. Just tell me a good time when I can drop them off for you. Maybe we can visit a little too."
Realizing that was Angela's want all along, Fareeha typed the word: "Sure!" and then, "Come around dinnertime at 6:00. I'll order some take out."
"Sounds perfect!" Angela texted with another smiley face. Fareeha turned off her phone and placed it in her pocket, staring into the dark under her covers. She hoped Angela wasn't getting the wrong idea…
Sombra stirred at the other end of the room and Fareeha's eyes opened wider in surprise. She had forgotten about Sombra. Whenever she was on her laptop, she usually was stone still and easy to overlook. Fareeha heard Sombra shut her computer and stand up from the chair she had been sitting at, approaching the bed. began to walk towards Fareeha, the sound of her laptop closing. Fareeha stayed under her covers and Sombra sat down at the edge of her bed, resting a hand over Fareeha's side.
"Can I get you something now?" She asked, "Is there anything you need?"
"Not right now, no." Fareeha replied, relaxing, "Some lunch would be good, but I know you're busy."
"I have time to make you some lunch." Sombra said as if it was the most obvious thing she could have possibly said.
"I would like some soup…and crackers please. My stomach is so upset." Fareeha replied lifting her head up over her covers to look at Sombra pitifully.
"Aw…of course, mi alma." Sombra said gently, running her fingers through Fareeha's hair softly and kissing her forehead, "I'll be back en unos momentos."
Fareeha smiled up at her girlfriend and she looked back lovingly for a moment before standing up and leaving the room. Sombra truly did love Fareeha in her own way, it just was rare that she showed it. Whenever she did it made Fareeha feel incredibly special and loved, and Sombra knew it. Fareeha settled herself in her bad again and closed her eyes, resting, knowing that she was being taken care of somewhat for that day.
Sombra, as she found a can of soup in Fareeha's pantry, hummed as she poured it into a small pot and turned the gas stove on. She tapped her foot against the floor, waiting for it to get hot enough to eat. She absentmindedly turned her head to look back at her laptop that she had set on the small dinner table. She lifted a hand to scratch the shaved side of her head and thought very hard for a moment about a situation Fareeha knew nothing about…
Deciding to address it only after she had taken care of Fareeha, she found some crackers way in the back of a cupboard and finished heating the soup. Bringing it up on a tray for Fareeha, she walked into her room and said, "Sit up for me if you can, chica."
Fareeha sighed and sat up very slowly, smiling tiredly at her girlfriend who placed the tray in her lap. Sombra sat down and watched as Fareeha began to eat, feeling satisfied with herself. It always felt nice to take care of Fareeha…she was always so appreciative.
"Thank you." Fareeha said through a mouthful of food, "I'd kiss you but y'know."
"Then you'd have to come take care of me." Sombra teased, "I have to go in a few minutes, okay? I'll take your dishes down to the sink for you when you're done but I have some things I need to do."
"What kind of things?" Fareeha asked curiously.
Sombra paused again, thinking of something to say that was a good enough excuse to cover for what she was actually doing, "I've got some family stuff." She said, "They're visiting from…upstate."
Fareeha tilted her head, "You never told me you had family upstate."
"Yeah, my mom wanted to visit."
"How long are they going to be staying?" Fareeha asked, smiling, "Maybe we could meet each other!"
"They're only passing through." Sombra lied, "Don't worry about it, I'll mention that you said hello."
"Please do!" Fareeha happily said.
The two sat in a comfortable silence until Fareeha was done with her food. Sombra kissed Fareeha's cheek goodbye, taking the dishes and tray down before grabbing her laptop and leaving in a hurry. The older woman listened to Sombra leave and she immediately began to feel lonely as the apartment fell quiet. She slid down under her covers and closed her eyes, falling into a light sleep that afternoon.
When she woke up she stirred only slightly, then sat up and checked her phone to see the time. 5:30…Angela should be there soon. Fareeha lifted a hand to rub her eyes for a moment before lifting herself out of bed and to the bathroom where she washed her face and combed her hair. She frowned in the mirror as that didn't help her appearance whatsoever. She shrugged absentmindedly as it didn't truly matter. Angela knew she was coming to visit a sick person so she must have been prepared for an unkempt look.
Fareeha slowly made her way down the stairs and sat down on the couch, turning the TV on, and waiting for Angela to arrive. By the time she did however, Fareeha had fallen asleep again.
"Hello!" called a voice from outside, knocking loudly at the door.
Fareeha snapped awake and turned her head to listen, wondering if the voice was only a dream. When Angela called again for the fourth time, Fareeha jumped to her feet and rushed to the door, opening it to hurry Angela inside, "Oh my god I'm so sorry, how long were you out there?"
"A few minutes." Angela shivered, holding another box of cookies.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Fareeha worried, reaching out to take her coat, "Christ your nose is all red."
Angela giggled and let Fareeha take her coat and the box of cookies. The taller girl led her inside and rushed upstairs to grab Angela a clean blanket. Left alone, the smaller girl took the time to look around the living room for the first time, noticing a picture frame on a table just below the staircase. She reached down and picked it up to see what appeared to be Fareeha and some other girl at what appeared to be Fareeha's birthday party. She had dark, threatening eyes and a side shave with purple highlights in her black hair. She was being held closely to Fareeha, looking slightly disinterested. How strange…
"Okay, all I have right now is an extra sheet because all of my other blankets I've used in bed." Fareeha said, beginning to walk down the stairs. Angela placed the picture frame down and rushed to the bottom to reassure Fareeha that the sheet would be good enough and she pushed Fareeha playfully to the couch. Angela took the sheet, and draped it over the both of them and sat next to her.
Fareeha was already in the box of cookies.
Angela watched her happily as Fareeha shut her eyes and savored the flavor and texture of her snickerdoodles.
"Angela." Fareeha said in all seriousness, "Start a bakery. This isn't a request."
The smaller girl let out a giggle and lifted a hand to cover her mouth, "Well I guess I have no choice then, huh?"
"Nope." Fareeha sighed, "WOW these are amazing."
Angela smiled and reached out to take one. Fareeha saw her and held the box away from her, teasingly.
The smaller girl giggled in response and reached out, leaning over father to grab one, Fareeha held the box more out of reach and Angela crawled into her lap shouting, "Oh my god let me have one!"
"They're MINE!" Fareeha joked, holding the box way too high for Angela to reach.
"You brat!" Angela teased, "Just because you have longer arms doesn't mean you can hoard the cookies!"
"It totally does." Fareeha giggled, "But I'm not a monster. Here." She lowered the box with Angela still in her lap and let her take one.
"Thank you." Angela winked, taking a bite and pausing for a moment, tasting her own baking, "Oh…"
"See?" Fareeha laughed, looking up at her, "Told you they were amazing."
Angela looked down and noticed Fareeha's face. She was watching her with such innocent friendly eyes, dark and gorgeous. Angela tilted her head and parted her lips involuntarily.
To Fareeha, Angela's eyes were hypnotizing. They were such a unique color of blue and it looked like she was wearing lip gloss as well. Was that intentional? Fareeha felt herself tearing her gaze away from Angela's, a guilt forming in her stomach.
The obvious discomfort from Fareeha was detected and Angela snapped out of her trance, crawling off of Fareeha's lap and finding her place back under the sheet, thinking desperately of something to say break the sudden awkward tension.
"I saw that you have a Playstation." Angela mentioned as Fareeha rubbed her eyes.
"Oh! Yeah! Do you play video games?" Fareeha asked, glad to change the subject.
"Not really. I've played a few before in arcades but nothing with a controller."
Fareeha thought for a moment and set the box of cookies in Angela's lap, the smell of cinnamon still in the air as she stepped over to the console and turned it on. She grabbed the remote and switched the input to the PS4's connection. There were two accounts on the console, the other Angela assumed to be Sombra's.
Fareeha grabbed the controller and walked back to the couch, sitting down heavily and scrolling through her game library, showing off all the obviously interesting game titles and impressing Angela with how much of a nerd she was. While she knew Angela wasn't the type to be into this sort of hobby, she admired how Angela still listened with attention and asked questions.
"Would you like to check one out?" Fareeha asked.
The smaller girl nodded and pointed to an icon with a peculiar symbol on it, "That one looks cool!"
"Oh! This game! WatchOut." Fareeha smiled, "It's one of my favorite games!"
"What's it about?" Angela asked.
Fareeha booted up the game and turned to Angela excitedly, "It's a really creative first person shooter with tons of characters to play as and lots of maps you can play in together."
"Maps?" Angela asked, curiously.
"They're sort of like locations in the game." Fareeha clarified, "Special areas where you play with your characters and use their abilities to your advantage."
As Fareeha started the game and went into the character select from the start menu, Angela had never seen a stranger assortment of people before in her life. Fareeha explained each characters function, their purpose, and what they're used for. Angela had no idea what Fareeha was talking about half the time, but she still enjoyed hearing her talk anyway. Watching her play was even more confusing, but she remained interested for a good bit, watching Fareeha's expertise as she played.
"Wow…You must play this a lot!" Angela observed.
"You have no idea." Fareeha laughed embarrassingly, "So tell me about the things you like to do."
While Fareeha finished up her game and closed out of it, she listened to Angela talk about how she enjoyed nature walks and taking pictures. She enjoyed singing as well, but only in the shower. She was a very clean person and when she wasn't studying she was either cleaning or baking. Her photography class was small and local and it gave her lots of things and projects to do for fun. Fareeha found herself smiling and watching her talk. She was cute and her hobbies were innocent. As innocent as a girl could be. Fareeha admired that Angela saw the good in the world, and that was more than she could say about most of the people Fareeha had met in her life.
"I also draw sometimes but…that usually only happens when I'm really bored." Angela finished.
"I'd love to see some of your pictures sometime." Fareeha offered, "Did you get a nice picture of that rabbit that was on the lake the other day?"
Angela laughed, blushing, "Y…yeah I did actually. I won a ribbon for it."
"Aw good!" Fareeha smiled, genuinely happy, "I'm glad my heroism saved more than just a pretty girl. I'd say overall, it was a win!"
"You got sick though." Angela pointed out.
"Ah who cares." Fareeha smiled, looking away, "At least you won an award!"
Angela giggled and found her heart fluttering as Fareeha took another bite of her cookie. The taller girl rested her head back against the couch and sighed exhaustedly, "You want to call the take out place?"
"Sure!" Angela said, "Would you like me to do it?"
"If you could," Fareeha said, giving her the number, "I'll give you the address when they ask for it okay?
She told Angela what she wanted to order from memory and Angela, not really caring what she got, ordered the same. The two talked about Angela's favorite books until the food arrived. They sat together in the kitchen and ate together, talking about everything, learning about each other. Fareeha made Angela happy in ways she hadn't felt in a long time while Angela made Fareeha feel unbelievably comfortable and somewhat admired. They both found each other extremely attractive.
When it came time for Angela to leave, Fareeha hesitated and cleared her throat, achieving Angela's attention. What she wanted to say was instantly forgotten as Angela fixated her with her blue eyes.
"Thanks for coming over." Fareeha said tiredly, "And…making snickerdoodles for me."
"Sure!" Angela smiled, "It's nice to have a friend."
Fareeha tilted her head, "You don't have friends?"
Angela paused and turned her head away, "It's…nothing too complicated I just didn't want anyone getting in the way of my studies is all. I want this RN…"
"Of course, but…" Fareeha questioned, every bit of her mind begging her to be careful with her further inquiries, "Why me? I'm sure you've met a lot of amazing people."
"No one nice enough to go out of their way like you did for me." Angela said honestly, "There's not a lot of people like you out there."
Fareeha shifted where she stood and smiled shyly, unable to meet Angela's eyes.
Angela stepped forward and found herself looking at Fareeha's lips that were turned up in a smile. She wanted to kiss her…
She refrained and settled for reaching out to squeeze Fareeha's hands. The taller woman looked down and noticed Angela standing on her tip toes. She wasn't quite as tall as her and Fareeha found it adorable how she had decided to try and make herself taller for some odd reason. She tilted her head and recognized the look on Angela's face. Immediately, she squeezed both of Angela's hands and shook her head, smiling sadly.
"I don't…want you to get the wrong idea, okay?" Fareeha said gently, "I have a girlfriend."
Angela felt her heart sinking and the fluttering feeling plummeted into her stomach where disappointment began to blossom. The smaller girl lowered herself from her tiptoes and looked away, an apology on her lips.
"You don't have to be, sorry." Fareeha caught her, "I really, honestly appreciate all you've been doing for me, and I hope that you won't stop talking to me because I don't share the same feelings for you."
Angela looked up and shook her head furiously, "No! I'm not that kind of person. I'm sorry if I was too forward…you're just so cute."
Fareeha laughed again, "Well thank you, and so are you. The fact of the matter is, faithfulness and honestly is really important in every relationship. Under different circumstances I would definitely reciprocate…but the circumstance I'm in now requires me to be on my best behavior, okay?"
Angela felt a bitter sweetness in her heart and she nodded…what an amazing person.
"I understand." Angela said quietly, "She's lucky."
"Who? Oh…Sombra." Fareeha smiled.
"Sombra…" Angela repeated curiously, "That CAN'T be her actual name."
"Oh it's not!" Fareeha replied naturally, "Sombra is just a nickname, and her screen name online. Her real name is-"
The sound of a key turning and unlocking the door behind them made Fareeha's stomach drop in sudden, jarring fear.
Angela saw the look on Fareeha's face and felt a wash of panic overcome her as well.
Sombra opened the door and slid inside without looking at the two standing very close together at the bottom of the stairs. She took off her coat and placed it on the floor beside the door along with her purse.
It felt like ages to both women before Sombra actually got to turning around.
She looked Angela up and down, her dark eyes widened, and Fareeha's mouth opened instantly in protect Angela while the smaller girl backed away.
"….FUCKING PUTA!"
Angela jumped in shock at the force of the Latina's shout and Fareeha stood in front of her, "Sombra, relax. Relax, okay? She just stopped by to see what I was doing. She's a friend."
"A FRIEND?!" Sombra spat, "If she was just a friend you would TELL ME when she was over here."
Fareeha sighed, "Firstly, you never answer your phone anyway so I didn't think to text you, secondly, I didn't think you would care, thirdly, WHY DO YOU CARE?"
"Listen to me," Sombra said, stepping around Fareeha to face the pretty blonde haired girl who was halfway up the stair case, "You stay away from my girlfriend."
"Sombra." Fareeha pleaded.
"No, you both listen to me," Sombra hissed, "I won't allow this to happen."
"I-I only-." Angela began weakly, in an attempt to defend herself.
"Pudrete en el infierno!" Sombra interrupted acidly.
Fareeha gave a frustrated sigh so large it was powerful. She grabbed Sombra's arm, surprising both women by moving her forcefully away from the staircase and into the middle of the living room. Sombra, in her fury, threw her hand back and slapped Fareeha square across the face. Fareeha's head barely moved at all from the impact and Angela's breath caught in her throat.
"…You get that out of your system yet?" Fareeha asked patiently.
"I should punch your other cheek." Somba growled angrily, "Verga."
Fareeha sighed and pitched the bridge of her nose while Sombra turned her head to glare at Angela who was frozen behind the stair railings, watching on in complete shock, not sure what to do with herself.
"Don't call me a dick, Sombra." Fareeha said in a low tone, "What do I have to do to get you to see that she's just a friend?"
Sombra crossed her arms and continued to stare at Angela furiously, then turned back to Fareeha, "I'm not exactly sure, Fareeha. After what I did for you this afternoon, you honestly decide to pull this on me?"
"I'm SICK, Sombra." Fareeha insisted angrily, "She came by to help. And you just made me soup and left me alone this afternoon, stop acting like you did some enormous charity and I owe you something. You're actually deciding to ruin another friendship of mine by being possessive and angry. Angela is nice to me. I saved her from falling into a lake, and so far our relationship has consisted of nothing but light conversation and fucking cookies. You need to chill the fuck out or I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
Sombra knew what that meant. She looked Fareeha in the eye and was met with angry resistance. She clenched her jaw and lowered her head in submission. Fareeha stepped away from her angrily and met Angela on the staircase. Wordlessly the two of them said, "I'm sorry." And Angela grabbed her coat, leaving without so much as a look over her shoulder. Fareeha closed the door behind her and felt a sadness overcome her. It wasn't the first time her girlfriend had scared a female friend off. Sombra's possessiveness and anger was enough to frighten anyone, and Angela was such a delicate, kind person. Fareeha was particularly furious with her after she had the nerve to tell her new friend to burn in hell upon their first meeting. She knew Angela was done. For most, any interaction with a jealous Sombra was a friendship breaker immediately, no matter how hard Fareeha tried to keep the situation calm. The woman turned and glared at Sombra who was now sitting on the couch awkwardly.
Fareeha said nothing and walked up the stair case, disappearing into her room and locking the door behind her.
As Fareeha went to bed, Sombra watched the staircase for a little while, hoping Fareeha would come back down again but she didn't. The Latina didn't mean to do what she did when it came to her other female friends. It was a natural instinct of hers to become protective over the only consistent thing in her life. She didn't want Fareeha to leave her under any circumstances and she would do anything to make sure she stayed. It was an unfortunate position. Caring too much usually turned into abuse and Sombra knew it. She had never felt the love of another before so purely and truly other than Fareeha. The Latina's partners before Fareeha were usually fleeting and fickle; Attractive but unfaithful as was the majority of her world. Men and women alike treated Sombra as if she were replaceable, but Fareeha treated her as if she were irreplaceable, and that was something Sombra felt like she would never find in anyone else. Fareeha was more special to her than she realized. Sombra was just terrible at showing her love since the only thing that had been required of her before were sexual favors.
She sighed sadly and knew that she should have at least listened to the pretty girl talk. She most likely would have said something calm and reasonable…like Fareeha. Sombra stood and walked to the stair case, ascended slowly and reached Fareeha's bedroom door. She knocked gently and no response came from the other side.
"Fareeha…" Sombra called.
"I'm sick, Sombra." Fareeha replied quietly, "Leave me alone."
"Fareeha, I'm sorry." She tried again.
"You're always sorry." Fareeha snapped in response, "She made us cookies Sombra. You could have had some too. Fucking COOKIES."
Sombra shook her head and paused as Fareeha fell silent, "I uh…I just…can I come in and explain to you why I'm so possessive?"
"Sure, Sombra. NOW you explain to me why you're a complete jerk to my friends." Fareeha spat.
A pang of pain and regret hit the Latina in the chest and she stepped away from the door as Fareeha opened it impatiently, the dark circles under her narrowed, angry eyes more prominent in the dim light.
"I…" she began, "I just…you're…the only consistent thing that's been in my life. You love me and stuff and that's more than I could say for anyone in my family or my friends or even partners who have left me for better, prettier girls like the one that was here today. I'm not trying to gain sympathy, I'm trying to apologize. I know I'm an asshole…"
Fareeha opened the door a bit wider and her eyes grew soft in understanding. Fareeha was a forgiving person, and Sombra loved her for it.
"I see." Fareeha said gently, "It's alright. You know that whatever you say can't erase the damage you do. Please try to get better with that. I only have so much patience."
Sombra nodded her head and she slowly stepped forward to wrap her arms around Fareeha's chest. The older woman's hesitation nearly broke the younger's heart but Fareeha hugged her back anyway, then gently suggested she go home. Sombra agreed and left quietly for the night.
Angela rushed into the door of her home and shut it hastily behind her, closing out the cold. She rested her forehead against the cold surface and began to process the situation she had found herself in that night. She walked into her kitchen and took her coat off, placing it on one of the chairs and sat down at the table, covering her face with both hands.
Before she had met the woman, Angela was slightly aware of how crazy Sombra was in her mind. It was nothing compared to the actual thing. Fareeha seemed so upset, but despite that, Angela felt completely put off from the relationship between her and this woman. She had better things to worry about. The more Angela thought about it, the more her chest felt a pull. It didn't feel right just to give up on someone so quickly simply because her girlfriend had a screw lose. Angela knew there was good in everyone and somehow, Sombra had given Fareeha a reason to love her. Angela didn't want to throw away Fareeha's friendship due to one bad meeting…
Concluding her strenuous thoughts, Angela pulled out her phone and sent Fareeha a text: "Hey are you okay?"
She watched as Fareeha immediately began to text her back: "Are YOU okay?"
Angela smiled and tiled her head, typing: "I'm okay. I'm really sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to create any kind of…strife between you two."
Faeeha responded in capital letters: "NO."
Angela sighed gently and watched as Fareeha wrote a lengthy response: "I'M the one who's sorry. I feel so bad. So many people have been driven off because Sombra's just…a jerk sometimes. She's protective of me because apparently I'm the only stable thing in her life right now. It makes sense but it doesn't excuse what she said. I hope that we can continue talking as we did before…I definitely don't want stop talking to you."
The younger girl smiled and placed her head in her hand, replying, "I don't want to stop talking to you either. Why don't we meet up for a movie this Friday if you're feeling up for it."
Fareeha didn't respond for a few moments, then replied, "I'm not going to be free this Friday but Saturday I'm good! What did you want to see?"
Angela typed back, "It doesn't really matter. There's a couple of things out right now that I wanted to watch."
The two continued to text through the night, the incident at Fareeha's apartment forgotten. Fareeha felt special and Angela felt right. This quick bond between them must have been something important for the incident to be discarded like that. Angela scolded herself for feeling like she should disband Fareeha for anything…
Sombra paced around her bedroom early in the morning, looking at her computer and then to her phone. She knew this was a bad idea. Invasion of privacy was something of a federal offence or something stupid like that. She couldn't help herself, after all. Considering what she hid from Fareeha on her computers, this was nothing. Sombra finally pinched herself into doing what she had wanted to do and forced herself to sit down at her desktop. She started with her name, looking around the internet for information about this beautiful, blonde hair blue eyed woman.
She found an address not five minutes later and grabbed herself a cereal bar before rushing to her car. It was way too early in the morning, hardly a time where anyone expected visitors, but Sombra continued on anyway. She felt like she needed to apologize and it didn't matter where or when, she just had to get it over with. She drove her way through the snowy streets, the radio quietly playing Christmas music. By the time Sombra drove up to the fancy apartment complex and, she had finished her cereal bar and was checking her teeth, lowering the sun blocking mirror down to check her makeup as well. As if that mattered. She gripped the steering wheel and sighed forcefully, then opened the door and stepped out into the cold. She walked up to Angela's door and lifted a hand to knock. Rapping on the door three times, Sombra let her arm fall to her side, waiting patiently.
There was no response behind the door so she decided to knock again, louder this time.
Inside, Angela had been rudely awaken by the first series of knocks, and had gotten herself out of bed reluctantly, shifting to the doorway where she unlocked it and opened it a crack, squinting against the morning light.
"Uhm…" Sombra began, lifting a hand in greeting, "Hola."
There was an awkwardness then, if not a twinge of fear from the woman in the house. Angela said nothing but only stared in confusion. Why was Sombra at her doorstep that early in the morning? It was extremely awkward between the two of them, and Sombra felt a pang of regret that she shouldn't have come. Before the Latina could excuse herself to go back to her car, Angela opened the door and gestured for her to come in. Sombra greatly appreciated her kindness and slipped inside. Angela shut the door behind her hastily and walked away from her into the kitchen. She looked like she had just woken up from a deep sleep seeing as she was still in her pajamas. Sombra found it cute that she wore baggy, pink flannel pajamas.
Sombra followed and entered into the kitchen behind Angela, leaning against the fridge, crossing her arms. She watched in amusement as Angela hopped up onto the kitchen counter, crossing her legs. What an odd place to sit. Angela's hair stuck out messily in every direction and she yawned deeply, stretching one arm over her head with her other arm behind her head, holding onto her other. Angela then slowly relaxed down into a slumping position before noticing Sombra again and reaching into the cupboard just behind her head to grab two mugs. She sleepily began to make coffee from where she sat and Sombra began to speak.
"I won't take long." She began, "I just want to apologize for last night."
"It's really no problem." Angela replied with her eyes closed, the coffee maker beginning to filter the liquid into the coffepot, "Would you like some coffee?"
"Sure." Sombra replied, "Anyway, Its okay if you keep hanging out around Fareeha. She's just my girlfriend you know. She's too handsome to not keep an eye out."
Angela knew exactly what she meant. She would feel the exact same way if positions were reversed. She nodded in acknowledgement and asked if Sombra could find the creamer in the fridge. The Latina tried not to laugh did as she asked, handing her the creamer, smiling as Angela absentmindedly took the coffee pot away from the coffeemaker as it was still filtering to pour Sombra a cup. She then placed it back under the steady stream, not noticing that she had gotten coffee somewhat over the counter behind her.
"I hope you like…d-decaf." Angela said, unable to keep her eyes open.
She was so cute…
Sombra snapped herself out of her sudden thought and she reached out to help Angela from the countertop, "Here lets…get you to bed."
"S..mmm." Angela murmured.
"Yeah, I came a little too early." Sombra apologized, "You got my apology I guess. Everything is okay. We should hang out sometime. You're pretty cool, chica."
Angela could hear what she was saying but couldn't process it very well. She appreciated the help back into her room as she would have curled up on the floor and slept there until she was ready to get up. Sombra stepped into Angela's room and was struck with a scent that made her feel a reaction that was foreign and…enamored. It smelled like a perfume mixed with what Angela must have smelled like. It was a warm smell, comforting and sweet. She helped Angela back into her double bed and Angela muttered something cute, completely out of it. Sombra's cold demeanor melted away as she watched the beautiful girl lay down in her bed, lifting a hand to hold onto the fabric of her pillow. If only Angela could open her eyes, she would have seen a very peculiar expression on Sombra's face.
"I…I'll let myself out." She said before turning quickly and rushing out of her room, not able to make sense of her feelings. Not many people must have seen the girl that way, and Sombra felt like she had invaded her privacy. At the same time, she couldn't help feeling blessed to see such a beautiful girl in such a vulnerable state. Sombra rushed out into the snow, closing the door behind her and sitting in her car for a few minutes, thinking very hard about what she was feeling. It was alarming and new. Something she had never really felt for a long long time. It had come upon her so quickly that she barely had time to process it, but her feelings were clear…
And as she identified the fluttering of her stomach and the beating of her heart, she immediately felt a regret unlike any other. She shook her head, and drove back to her home to sleep for a little while. Maybe when she woke up, things would make more sense.