Leaps and Bounds
"Oh, sorry honey." Lena apologizes as she bumps into Stef for the third time in her apartment's tiny bathroom as the two women attempt to get ready for their day. For the last couple of weeks, the two women had been spending every single night together at one of their apartments. Stef had even cleared out a drawer and some space in her closet for Lena's clothes.
"Crap!" Stef hears Lena curse from the kitchen.
"What's wrong?" Stef mumbles around the toothbrush in her mouth, standing in the doorway of the bathroom.
"I left the paperwork I need for my meeting today at my apartment." Lena tells her girlfriend. "I'm going to have to stop by and get it before I go into work. I do not have the time for that this morning."
"I'm sorry, babe." Stef says, knowing that Lena hates running late.
"It's okay, but I'm going to need leave right now if I have any hope of making it to work before the final bell rings." Lena tells Stef as she gathers her things for the day. "I love you. Have a good day." Lena pecks Stef quickly on the lips before heading out the door and off to work.
Stef watches Lena exit the apartment with a smile on her face. Their lives had been quite blissful these last few weeks. Stef was out and accepted by her mother, her work partner, and the other members of the San Diego Police Department. Stef had also been welcomed into Lena's group of friends with open arms. The five of them often went out for drinks or dancing on the weekends. Stef was no longer jealous of Lena's exes. How could she be? Lena had chosen to be with her.
The curly haired woman rushes through the doors of Anchor Beach Community Charter, knowing that the budget meeting with the parent board starts in five minutes. Lena dumps her purse and the big stack of files in her arms onto her desk with a heavy sigh.
"Let me guess," a familiar male voice laced with a light British accent says from the doorway of Lena's office. "You spent the night at Stef's again?"
"How could you tell, Timothy?" Lena asks with a chuckle.
"You always run late when you stay at her place," Timothy smirks. Timothy was Lena's closest friend here at Anchor Beach. The Rhodes Scholar English teacher was always there for her with a joke or advice whenever she needed it. He was the only person at the school that knew Lena was in a new and quite serious relationship.
"I better not be late for this meeting," Lena tells him as she rushes back out of her office and down the hall.
The budget meeting seems to drag on and on and, no matter how hard she tried, Lena seemed completely unable to focus. Of course the budget for the charter was incredibly important, but Lena's mind seemed unable to think of anything other than the feeling of Stef's arms around her naked body this morning. Lena loved waking up next to her girlfriend each morning, but she truly wished that things could move a little smoother in the mornings. Stef's schedule was always changing so there were days when Lena could get ready on her own in the bathroom without any problem. But on the days when they both had to be into work before 8 A.M. - those days were rough.
"Hey babe," Stef greets Lena as the blonde woman enters her apartment. "It smells so good in here." Lena was at the stove, preparing dinner for the two of them - a spatula in one hand and a glass of red wine in the other.
"How was work, honey?" Lena asks as the blonde woman wraps her arms around her from behind. The curly haired woman couldn't help the naughty thoughts that crept into her mind at the sight of her girlfriend in her uniform.
"It was fine," Stef says, pressing kisses to Lena's neck. "I'm glad to be home though." Lena sets the table with plates and utensils while Stef goes into her bedroom to change. She knew she needed to shower but the heavenly smell of food coming from outside the bedroom made her mouth water and her stomach growl. The shower would still be there after dinner.
"This is delicious," Stef says after a few bites of the chicken and vegetable stir fry that Lena had prepared. Before Lena, Stef mostly lived off of frozen dinners and pasta. Having Lena around would definitely be good for her blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The two women eat in silence for a few minutes before Stef speaks again.
"So I was thinking about this morning," Stef begins, taking a sip of her red wine.
"What about this morning?" Lena asks curiously.
"About how stressed out you were about having to go back to your apartment." Stef continues. "I was thinking how much easier it would be if neither of us had to worry about not having all our stuff in one place."
"I'm not sure I follow," Lena tells Stef, her well maintained eyebrows knit together in confusion.
"Do you think it's too soon for us to move in together?" Stef asks blatantly. They had been dating for a little over eight weeks, and had been practically living together for the last two. Stef had never had a relationship that had lasted this long before - and certainly not with another woman. Was moving in together after just two months insane?
"Oh," Lena chimes in surprise. Stef takes this as a bad sign.
"It is too soon, isn't it? I'm sorry. Just forget I asked." Stef babbles apologetically, refusing to meet Lena's gaze out of embarrassment.
"No, Stef, honey, you just took me by surprise is all." Lena tells the blonde woman, reaching across the table to lay her hand across that of her girlfriend. "We have been spending every night together for the last couple of weeks."
"That's why I thought maybe it would make more sense." Stef says, nervously biting her bottom lip.
"Where would we live?" Lena asks. She's not sure how she feels about moving in with Stef so soon. She doesn't want to push the other woman too far too fast. But she also couldn't refute Stef's logic.
"Well, your place is bigger with the second bedroom. And my lease is up next month." Stef informs her girlfriend. "Plus your place is way nicer than mine."
"Your place is nice," Lena rebuttals.
"Your place is closer to Anchor Beach," Stef counters.
"Which means it's farther from the station," Lena mentions.
"That's not a big deal. At least not to me." Stef tells her girlfriend.
"Are you sure about this? I don't want to push you too fast." Lena says. The worry is clear in her voice and the way that her thumb runs circles over the back of Stef's hand.
"Would I have brought it up if I wasn't sure?" Stef questions her. Lena knows that Stef only does things at her own pace.
"No, you wouldn't have." Lena admits. "So, when will you be moving in?"
"My lease is up the first of the month. I can probably get Mike to help me start moving some boxes next weekend." Stef says, happiness bubbling in her chest at the thought of moving in with Lena.
A/N: Thanks everyone for the reviews! They really do inspire me to write more! I love all of your suggestions and ideas!
