A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger! Hope this was fast enough. Thanks for reading :)
Lea blinked hard and licked her swollen lips. She was thoroughly confused by Dianna's response.
What? What does she mean by that? It was supposed to be a rhetorical question! Oh God, she's staring at me waiting for an answer. Quick! Think of something to say. Something – anything.
"Uhh… what?" Lea stammered. Smooth. Real smooth.
Dianna smiled discreetly, still only inches from Lea's mouth. "You said 'all the time.' What did you mean by that?"
The brunette pushed herself away from the blonde. She needed the added space to allow her brain to function properly, quelling thoughts of ravishing the girl before her.
"Well…." Stall, stall, think of something that won't piss her off. "It was… a figure of speech," Lea finally choked out. She put on her actor's mask quickly and composed herself. "I like kissing you. I think it would be fun to do it again," she said confidently, teasingly.
"Oh. Well, I guess I do, too. But I was thinking this would be a one time thing," the blonde stated bluntly.
Lea was caught off guard, yet again. "'One time thing?' Why would it have to be a one time thing?" Oh no, that sounded desperate.
Dianna chuckled. Lea smiled in return but her intuition told her she wasn't going to like the answer.
"Lea, I'm not looking for a relationship right now: boy or girl. I really want to focus on my career. And I don't do 'fuck buddies.' I thought we were just 'girls being girls' while the boys were away."
The shorter girl scoffed. She stepped further away, one hand on her hips, the other upturned. "Excuse me! 'While the boys are away?' What is that supposed to mean?" she questioned, channeling her inner Mercedes. "Last time I checked that was a sorry excuse women used in the 50s to explain their true feelings." Her hands crossed in front of her chest, her cheeks flushed with anger.
"Look, Lea, I didn't mean to offend you. It's a figure of speech," she prodded. "Truthfully, your present tonight was amazing and you're the best friend I could have ever asked for. But I've never been with a girl before, especially one as talented and beau – one, like you. Plus, you're a huge flirt, Sarfati, so it's not like I'm special. You've got them lining around the block for you and I'm just 'the friend.' I have better chances picking off your leftovers." Dianna stated peering directly into Lea's eyes. She took a step closer and put both hands on her shoulders. "I don't want to mess up what we have now. Can't we just leave it?"
"What we have now… is what exactly? You're one of my best friends, Lady, but… we aren't strictly platonic either," Lea said unknowingly, hoping that the giant pink elephant in the room would finally be given the time of day. "You're amazing, Dianna. Any guy, person, animal, that doesn't see that is a fool, and you're crazy for thinking you'd have to settle for my sloppy seconds. You know I'm a charitable person, I'd happily let you have first bite," she derided with a wink.
I'm an affectionate person Di, you know that, but there are certain affections I reserve for certain people… that is, if certain people will have me. Those persons don't have to speak up all at once. They don't have to make any decisions or place any labels on their certain feelings. If there's one thing I share with Rachel, it's my fierce loyalty, and I'm offering it to a certain person, in time, if she wants it."
There was no more Lea could say. She didn't want to scare off the blonde, nor make her feel pressured to jump into a Sapphic world she was unfamiliar with. But most importantly, she didn't want to lose her best friend.
Dianna rolled an imaginary penny on the ground with her toe, smiling and reverential. "I'll give her the message."
Lea smiled sheepishly and stepped closer to the blonde. "Good, because this certain person is tolerable and handsome enough to tempt me," she paraphrased and let out a small laugh, showing the girl that she actually read the books she knew were important to her. "Happy Birthday Lady Di. I don't know what you wished for when you blew out your candles, but I got my wish." She licked her lips. "I don't want to ruin anything, but I think I'll ruin more if I don't do this." She tilted her head up, cupped her face, and gently kissed the taller girl. She was not refused and began to deepen the kiss. Dianna's hands soon tangled in Lea's loose hair.
"You're not supposed to make a wish on my birthday candles. Wish hog," she said between kisses. "Now mine won't come true."
"What did you wish for?" Lea asked breathily between much deeper, longer kisses.
"Mum's the word, just in case there was a little magic left in those candles."
The night ended in an intense, yet intimate make out session. Lea had a new resolve to persuade the blonde that she could have a relationship, with a girl no less, and work on her career. She would win over her heart slowly but surely. She had to, it's what she wished for.
- Summer -
The girls had never given their relationship an official title, but the feelings they had for one another were clear as crystal. Although they did the normal things they did together as "friends," Lea had a new sense of who she was to Dianna and visa versa.
They'd drive to the coast and spend the day walking on the sand. Lea spent lots of money that summer trying to win her Lady prizes at the boardwalk. They'd shop, go to coffee houses, and have dinner/movie parties at their place. Lea would read magazines or a book that her Lady had suggested, while Dianna would chuckle out loud or secretively tear up at the latest book that she was engrossed in. Their emotions were strong, but Lea stayed true to her word – she wouldn't pressure the blonde into a relationship or into a label. They would just be. They were themselves. Two girls enamored with the other. That was enough for Lea.
"I have an idea," Lea announced. "Let's go out! How does a nice dinner followed by the adorable Joseph Gordon-Levitt and breathtaking Zooey Deschanel sound? I think I even heard some Regina Spektor and The Smiths!"
"Amazing is how that sounds! I've been wanting to see 500 Days of Summer for a long time."
"I know, which is why I'm taking my Lady out. It is the sensible thing to do after all," Lea flirted.
"But Lea… I don't know what to wear!"
"You could wear anything and still be stunningly beautiful and that's a fact. Or you could wear nothing. I'd be happy with that, too." Lea couldn't help but laugh at her own joke.
"Sarfati! Keep your mind out of the gutter, but I'll take the compliment, no matter how crude, anyway," she feigned offense.
They decided to pump themselves up for the movie with some music on their way to the theater after a quiet dinner. Dianna reached into Lea's purse on the center console and plugged in her iPod. She spun the dial until she found "Us" by Regina Spektor. Lea squealed with anticipation and began to sing along, miming the words.
"The made a statue of us and put it on a mountain top. Now tourists come and stare at us blow bubbles with their gum, take photographs of fun, have fun."
Dianna laughed at the brunette's caricature of a tourist taking pictures and joined in with her own rendition of the lyrics. Dianna proceeded to look for a new song to listen to while the iPod was in shuffle mode within the Regina Spektor playlist.
"I never loved nobody fully, always one foot on the ground. And by protecting my heart truly, I got lost in the sounds."
NEXT.
"If you were falling, then I would catch you. You need a light, I'd find a match. Cause I love the way you say good morning and you take me the way I am."
NEXT.
"Take me out tonight where there's music and there's people who are young and alive. Driving in your car I never want to go home because I haven't got one anymore."
"I LOVE this Smiths song!" Dianna exclaimed a little too loudly, obviously trying to cover up her embarrassment over the too-close-to-home meaning in the previous two songs. She stared out the window and rapt her fingers along with the beat.
Lea watched her out of the corner of her eyes and could see she was uneasy. "Di, it's ok. It's just us, on our way to a movie, and a cute one at that!" She reached over, pulled the iPod out of the blonde's hands, and interlaced their fingers. "We're almost there."
Both girls loved the movie. Lea was so excited she wanted to tweet about it. "Dianna, I'm gonna tweet it! Everyone should see that movie, and you made it all the more enjoyable."
"You get exposed to twitter once, and now you're a tweeting machine," she said rolling her eyes in fake mockery. "Heaven forbid you learn Tumblr."
"Oooh, what's that!"
"It's kind of like the lovechild of facebook and live journal with a little twitter on the side."
Lea's face was blank. Dianna laughed. "Never mind, I'll have to show you some day."
A comfortable silence ensued before Lea broke it. "I had a great time tonight. I really love spending time with you, just the two of us."
"I do too," said Dianna. "I wouldn't mind doing things like this all of the time…"
Lea picked up on the girl's implied sense of longevity. "As in, like, dating or something?"
"Yeah. I love hanging out with you, Lea. I love reading to you, going on walks with you, eating your cooking, listening to your stories, kissing you, cuddling with you. I just love being with you… maybe we should try it – us," Dianna said awkwardly.
Lea flashed the blonde her award winning smile. "You don't know how long I've waited for you to say that. You're the only person I'd want to be with and the only person that has been running through my mind all night and day. I would be honored if I could call you mine, not that you're property, of course, but that… you know… what I meant was, what I meant to say was. Damn. Shit. Sorry. This was supposed to happen much smoother." Steady breath. "Ok. Dianna, will you be my girlfriend?"
"With a proposal like that, who could resist. Yes, yes, and yes."
Hand in hand, the girls walked into their home, but only now did it really feel like their home. They had a home and they had each other.
"Do you think we should tell the cast?" Lea asked, trying not to push the blonde too fast too soon once they were settled onto their couch. "I mean, they may suspect or find out soon and I find that the best way to fight a rumor is to beat everyone to the punch with the truth." Lea played with blonde's hands, almost as if she were trying to play Itsy Bitsy Spider with both of their hands.
"Funny you mention that… Naya and Cory have already asked me a few times about us. I didn't feel like I was in a place to give us a label, so I pled the 5th but I think that only cemented their suspicions. Honestly, I don't care if they know. They should know, they're our friends. I'm sure they'll support us, just like we support Chris."
"Yay!" Lea squealed with excitement. "Then I propose we have a little get together at our place. You know, have everyone over, a little food, drinks, dancing, and just be ourselves for them all to see. Does that sound like fun?"
"Yeah, I like that idea. Actions speak louder than words, and if they have to ask, then they don't really know us."
"OH I know! Even better, we can make it an 80s dance party!" Lea quickly extracted her phone from her purse and texted the crew.
Food and 80s music. Our place. Tuesday. 8 pm. :) Lea & Di