Chapter Fifty-Two

Hearing the conversing between the teens, Red's ears perked up in wonder. Her eyes hadn't noticed what bruising lie beneath the skin of Lorna's eye that her daughter had queried over. She folded her hands on either of her hips, peering attentively over at Lorna—searching her face in a precise manner in the hopes of finding the very bruise Nicky had referred to. It took a matter of minutes but she finally noticed the slight discoloring of the skin underneath it and instantly sensed her motherly instincts kicking into gear. She moved her hands from her hips and instead folded her arms over her chest.

"Yes, Lorna, what did happen to your eye? Did ya smack your face on something?"

Having both of them seemingly cross-examining her over the damn mark brought a fierce uneasiness over Lorna. Her hands both cradled tightly around the ceramic of her mug. She tapped her fingers against its rim while trying to calm her mind enough so that she could give a verbal explanation. The same one she had recited to both Franny and the Chapmans' earlier. If only she could get the words to come to her. Focusing on what story she had already created proved to be more of a challenge than she had anticipated.

To give her another couple of moments of stalling, Lorna lifted the mug she cradled up to her mouth and sipped it slowly. The liquid warmly glided down to her throat, leaving her a soothing sensation in its wake. She repeated the motion for several seconds longer until the coffee had been completely devoured by her mouth. Now that the cup rested empty in her hands, she set it back down on the surface of the table. She looked up, averting her eyes between the two redheads.

A sigh erupted through her windpipe. "Oh, erm, it's from my PE class yesterday," Lorna nonchalantly started off, shrugging her shoulders as the words slipped from her mouth. "We were playin' dodgeball and ya know, I kinda didn't doge the ball and wound up with a real nice shiner. No big deal. I tried to cover it up because I was embarrassed. I'm just real clumsy I hate it."

Red squinted her eyes momentarily and then nodded her head as if to silently affirm Lorna that she believed her. "Don't worry, honey, I was never coordinated in my high school gym class either. Not everyone is born to be athletic. There's no reason for you to feel embarrassed over that—things happen. I'm sure the other kids will forget about it by Monday, anyway," her thick Russian accent gently assured the young brunette. She shook her head, though, remembering just how petty high schoolers could be. There wasn't sufficient money in the world to convince her to be a teenager again; that was for certain.

Nicky, however, hadn't been entirely sold on the explanation her girlfriend had given. But decided to wait until the two of them were alone to investigate further on the matter. For now, she settled on reaching across the table and placing a warm kiss to the bruised flesh underneath Lorna's eye. Her hand remained cupped around a porcelain cheek and she used her other one to caress gentle circles around it with.

"You are a little on the klutzy side, doll, I guess that would make sense." The comment easily spilled from between Nicky's teeth. Her eyes caught sight of Lorna's cheeks turning a darker shade of red and how she ever-so-slightly bowed her head down, as if in shame of herself. The action quickly had Nicky placing her hand beneath her chin, gently lifting it up so their eyes were on the same level. "I find your clumsiness very endearing, kid. Please don't feel embarrassed."

She brushed the tips of her fingers delicately along the flesh of Lorna's chin. Brown eyes gazing into hers with the utmost compassion and warmth. "Ma's right—stuff like that happens to anyone, it's not a big deal. And if anyone harps on ya about it, tell me and I'll play dodge ball with them—with their faces being the dodge ball," she spoke the last part in a quieter voice so that only Lorna heard her. A light-hearted smirk melded on her face when the comment caused a breathtaking giggle to escape through the other's throat.


After Nicky finished her coffee—a good thirty minutes later—and the pair of them had sat chatting for a while at the kitchen table, the older of the two decided it was time they went to her room for some more secure privacy. As soon as they both had entered inside of it, she turned to shut and lock the door for safe measures. Her eyes watched over Lorna intently, a growing worry oozing through. Despite the reason Lorna had given as to how the bruise under her eye had been received, Nicky still couldn't fully allow herself to believe it. Something just felt off about it.

Lorna sat down on the mattress of Nicky's bed since it was the only place to do so besides the floor and turned her head slightly to peer out of the window. The sun was still shinning brightly through the sky and Lorna instantly felt a smile mold between her cheeks. With spring on the horizon her mood was a lot less dreary than it had been in months. She loved the warm weather, the sunshine, and all the beautiful plants that came along with it.

When she felt the mattress sink a bit further, her attention shifted from the window and onto the culprit which happened to be Nicky. Her smile widened and she reached her arms over to lovingly encircle around the girl she adored more than anything. She naturally rested her lips on the flesh of Nicky's forehead, cradling one of her hands softly around a cheek. "It's real nice outside today, hon. Look," her breath hot against the older girl's ear while she gestured a hand out at the window.

Nicky followed her instruction and turned her head to peer out the window that Lorna's hand so enthusiastically pointed at. The sun's rays poured in through the pane; leaf buds were noticeable on the branches of nearby trees. She smiled and put her attention back on the brunette next to her and wrapped her arms lovingly around her waist.

"I see, babe. It's very nice out. Guess spring is finally coming, yeah?" Her voice murmured softly while she brushed her fingers gingerly through thick strands of Lorna's brown waves. A sigh escaped her. She wanted to keep the conversation light-hearted and fun, but the looming sensation of whether or not Lorna's story on how the bruise under her eye came to be was weighing way too heavily on her to not say anything.

"It is, I can see leaves starting to come back. And my mood has been real upbeat which confirms it's spring time, Nicky," Lorna excitedly pointed out, her eyes wide as she moved in a way so that she could scoot herself directly in front of the window. She leaned her face against it and looked in awe at the numerous trees that finally started to look as though they had life back in them.

The sight and sound of pure euphoria which emanated from Lorna caused Nicky's breath to hitch heavily in her throat. To think she was about to ruin that for her made her heart beat even faster inside her chest. Taking Lorna's happiness away was never something Nicky yearned to do. She bit down on her tongue as she silently contemplated whether to continue with her plan or not. No matter if she acted on it now or later, eventually the topic would need to resurface and either way the outcome wouldn't particularly be the most favoring to neither one of them.

She let out a drawn out sigh and moved herself closer to the younger girl. Her arms automatically found their way back around her waist, pulling her closer in the process. Lips pressed onto the flesh of Lorna's temple. "I wanna talk to you about your eye, doll," Nicky gently stated, taking Lorna's head in her hands and peering intensely into her eyes. She noticed a loose strand of hair falling over them and used her thumb to push it softly away.

Lorna felt her throat slightly tighten at the words that came from her girlfriend. Her eyes instinctively squeezed shut to avoid returning the redhead's gaze and she desired to move away, yet, Nicky's grasp on her was too strong for her to escape from. She should have known this was coming—of course Nicky always appeared to see right through her lies. A quality she found both heartwarming and frustrating at the same time. There was nothing that made a relationship better than being as in-tune with each other's feelings the way she and Nicky were—yet, that also meant keeping things from Nicky was near impossible.

A breath of air forced itself from her lungs. Lorna swallowed hard and used a hand to slick back some of her hair. "What about it, hon? It's okay—I'll live. Ya ain't gotta worry, Nicky, please. It's all good," she gently assured in a way that almost sounded on the verge of desperate. Desperate for Nicky to believe her and drop the subject.

With a sigh, Nicky shook her head and curled a finger delicately through a loose piece of brown hair. If Lorna thought she was just going to take her word for it and move on, she was entirely wrong. There was no way any of what she explained could actually be true because she knew Lorna didn't even have PE this semester. Plus, the faint outline of a fist that appeared on the flesh near the discoloration that Nicky's brown eyes picked up on alerted her that her hesitation was not without good reason.

"No, I think I do have to worry." Nicky used her thumb to push a fallen strand of hair away from Lorna's eyes. She leaned even closer and rested their foreheads tenderly together. Her lips touched delicately over the tip of Lorna's nose; she nuzzled their noses together immediately after. "You don't have PE, doll. I didn't say anything earlier because I figured it'd be better if I just waited to talk to you alone about this."

A pause was taken so that Nicky could suck in a sharp breath. The more she spoke the faster her breathing became and she wasn't the best at remembering to breathe between words. "I also see a fist mark where the bruise is, kid. Which completely falsifies the story ya told me and Red about being hit by a dodge ball, yeah? Why don't you tell me what really happened? I promise I won't judge ya for it, doll." Her arms naturally tightened around Lorna, pulling her closer and letting her chest press up against the back of Lorna's head.

Squinting her eyes, Lorna tried to remember if she had noticed this mysterious fist mark that had been resting on her skin where the bruising happened to be. The few times that she spent covering it up with make-up, she never recalled observing any hand or fist marks under her eye. Unquestionably, if she would have seen it she'd have made sure to cover it up even thicker so that no one would have been able to see even the smallest of remnants of it.

She swallowed a thick gob of saliva and felt her hands become rather clammy. There was no way of digging herself out of this hole, she grudgingly thought. How could she? She couldn't explain away the supposed fist mark without giving away that the true culprit was Annalisa. A large breath released from her body; she rolled her head slightly around her neck, trying to calm her frantically running mind. Why did she have to make up a story that didn't even coincide with her school schedule? How could she have forgotten that Nicky would be aware of which classes she did or didn't have?

"Don't be scared, Lorna, you can talk to me," Nicky gently assured her when she noted the conflicting emotions that appeared to be etched out on the brunette's face.

The tips of her fingers brushed lightly along the outline of it while her eyes retained their gaze down on Lorna's. With how close the two of them happened to be, it was rather easy for Nicky to get a clearer look at that bruise beneath her girlfriend's eye. She felt her breath hitch a slight amount as she moved her fingers to cautiously touch the flesh where the discoloration lied. To see the faded marks of a fist on Lorna's fragile, precious, skin broke her heart tremendously. She swallowed roughly, drawing tender circles around the area. How someone—anyone—could be so cruel as to punch a person as sweet and loving as her girlfriend was something Nicky merely couldn't comprehend.

There was a thickness in her mouth and the more she tried to swallow it down the thicker it got. Lorna sighed, bowing her head slightly. The look of solemness on her lover's face weighed heavily on her heart. She never wanted to be the cause of Nicky's anguish. Nicky was the purest person she'd ever encountered and someone like her deserved not to feel anything even resembling that of anguish or pain.

Out of instinct, Lorna gently lifted a hand up and placed it softly upon one of Nicky's cheeks. Their eyes met and her heart ached a tad bit in her chest. She moved closer so that their faces were touching, her lips brushing against the flesh of the taller girl's. Maybe to distract them both from the topic of her bruised or eye but more so because she'd been craving the feeling of Nicky's lips on her own since the night prior while the two conversed over the phone.

Though the urge to prolong the kiss was there Nicky went against it and reluctantly forced herself to pull away from it. Instead, she lain herself back on the mattress and pulled Lorna to lay on top of her. In a position where they were facing each other, her arms outstretched and cradled around the other's petite frame. She knew the kiss was Lorna's way of trying to push off the inevitable. Something she seemed to do quite a bit lately, Nicky observed.

A thumb was used to stroke gingerly across the flesh of Lorna's forehead. "I love you. Ya know that, yeah babe?" Nicky questioned while dropping a tender kiss to the same spot she'd just been stroking. When she saw the other's head nod, she moved her lips to her temple and pressed them softly onto it. She brought her thumb over, as well, and drew loving circles around the pale skin. "Then you should know that no matter what, you can always talk to me about things. I wanna be here for ya, doll, through anything. Please, please, let me help."

"I—I'm sorry, hon," the words spoken in a voice that Nicky's ears had to strain to hear. Lorna swallowed a good amount of air and situated herself so that she was able to comfortably snake her arms around the older teen's abdomen. She nestled her face in the crook of her neck, rubbing the palm of her hand up and down the length of it. "I love you, too. I, erm, I just hate dragging ya into my problems, ya know? That's not real fair to you," she muttered, breath trickling onto the flesh of Nicky's neck below.

Nicky's head instinctively tilted after hearing the revelation that Lorna shared with her. Arms tightened around her, pulling her closer and kissing her head all over with tender lips. She cradled one hand around the back of Lorna's head, holding it gently a few inches from her own as she peered intensely into her eyes. Thumb stroked over pale flesh. A pang formed in her chest. How could Lorna even think that? The question pondered through her mind. She moved her thumb side-to-side around her forehead, eyes not once releasing their gaze.

"You're not dragging me into anything, Lorna," she firmly assured her. Compassion and empathy shined through the tone of her voice despite the firmness it held. There was nothing she desired more than to be there for Lorna—to be her rock, her comfort, and help her through all of the pain that she'd been dealt the past several months. Nothing about that made her feel dragged into or burdened. Nicky wanted to help, wanted to take care of Lorna.

A long sigh puffed its way from her lungs. "Is that why ya always pretend things are good? You're scared that I'll feel bothered with everything?" The questions spilled rapidly from her mouth. She brushed the back of her hands gently up and down both of Lorna's cheeks in a gradual, soothing, manner. The slight apprehension in her eyes strengthened the pang in Nicky's chest.

Lorna sucked down on her lower lip. Maybe Nicky's innate ability to read her like a book proved that they were meant for each other, the thought whirled through her mind. Despite the warmth said thought provided her with, she chose to push it away and turned her head somewhat. Her eyes returned the gaze Nicky was giving her. She sighed. "I feel bothered with everything and I don't wanna put any a it on you, hon. You've done so much for me, already, and I just—I don't wanna cause any more issues for ya." Lips touched delicately over the skin of the older teen's cheek.

Curving an eyebrow, Nicky narrowed her eyes on the brunette. She brought her face even closer while trying to comprehend what was possibly swirling through that girl's head. Because the words that just came from between her teeth couldn't even be close to the truth. An instinctive grunt of air expelled from her throat. "Babe, you haven't caused any issues. Not a single one. What're ya talking about, huh?" She curled a loose strand of hair lovingly behind Lorna's ear.

Another breath of air came up through her larynx. Naturally, Nicky leaned closer to Lorna's face and allowed their foreheads to press softly together. A position she favored rather vastly. It gave her a sense of closeness that she never knew she needed until the two of them became a couple. "You feel bothered with everything? That's why you need to let me help you, Lorna. You can't deal with all the shit you've been through on your own. It's okay to admit that, doll. You don't have to suffer alone anymore. I'm hereplease, for the love of god, let me be here for you."

"It's like there's a circus going on in my head," Lorna softly mumbled, momentarily shutting her eyes. She swallowed a bit of saliva and opened her mouth to continue speaking. "It never stops, Nicky. The circus in my head always goes. I don't know what to do to stop it. I wish I could just go a day without any thoughts, ya know?"

The exasperation in Lorna's voice was easily picked up on by Nicky's ears. And it shattered her heart to hear that. She pressed her lips warmly over the brunette's, a soothing kiss rather than a lustful one. A kiss she hoped would bring Lorna some form of comfort. Some form of inner peace. She carefully brought Lorna's head down, which still was cradled in her hands, and placed it delicately atop her chest. A hand was softly put through the thick dark waves of her brown hair.

She sighed and rested her chin over the top of Lorna's head. Wishing she could cuddle and love away all of the agony that Lorna appeared to be suffering through lately. That, of course, was only wishful thinking. A second breath of air excused itself from her mouth. "I'm sorry, baby. I'm sorry you're struggling so much," she murmured, lips laying upon one of the younger girl's ears. Her fingers combed lightly through her hair, over and over.

"Ya don't gotta be sorry, hon. It's not your fault—I think I might just be crazy," Lorna stated in a rather nonchalant manner, shrugging her shoulders in congruency with her words.

Crazy wasn't what she ever aspired or even thought of herself much before. However, more and more, as time went on, maybe crazy was exactly what she was. Obviously, normal people wouldn't get bothered and upset over half the things Lorna appeared to. That had to mean she was, indeed, crazy. An aggressive breath of air forced itself through her windpipe. She felt a small surge of anger forming within her and bit down roughly on her tongue to stop it in its tracks.

Nicky shook her head copiously at the comment. She pulled her closer, letting her hand cup around the back of Lorna's head holding it securely in place against the top of her chest. Naturally, she gradually swayed their bodies back and forth in an effort to soothe away the other's blatant agony. A kiss was dropped gently onto the top of her head. "You're not crazy," her voice breathy and warm over the flesh of the younger teen's forehead; big brown eyes melding into hers. "You're not anything even close to crazy, babe. Ya just—you're dealing with a lotta stuff, yeah? Maybe your mind just doesn't know how to handle it all at once. Are ya meeting with that therapist a yours anytime soon?" A stranded piece of hair, fallen over Lorna's eyes, caught Nicky's awareness and she moved her thumb towards it to brush tenderly away.

Nodding in an almost trance-like manner, Lorna felt her body robotically move itself even closer to the warmth radiating from her girlfriend's. Her arms encircled tightly around the redhead's upper abdomen while she let their lips stroke gently overtop each other in a rather lazy—yet affectionate—kiss. "I just was talkin' to Franny at the coffee shop and she said I got one next week. Do ya wanna come, hon? I mean I don't know if I'm ready for another session like last time but, erm, you could come if ya want. Or not, either is fine."

The way Lorna ducked her head after speaking formed an unnerving knot in the pit of Nicky's stomach. It made her arms wrap even tighter, more protectively, around her petite waist. Her lips doused the top of her head in multiple soft, warm, kisses. "I would love to come, baby. Whatever I can do to support you, babe, I'm there. If you want me to come to therapy with ya, I will come. You don't ever have to be ashamed to ask me to go anywhere with you, ya got that?"

Her fingers massaged gently through the top of Lorna's head, nearly into the scalp of it. The nod she felt against her chest caused her chin to rest atop it while she rocked them softly back and forth. "Good," she murmured, moving her fingers to the side of her forehead and caressing them softly around there. "Whatever you need—whatever I can do to help you, just tell me. I love you so much, Lorna. All I want is to take care of you. You've been suffering on your own for too long, baby, it's time to be taken care of. And I'll start by cuddling you to sleep, how's that sound?"

The look in Lorna's eyes confirmed that that decision would be of the utmost benefit to her. Nicky sighed, brushing a couple of loose strands of hair from her face. The more she peered over her the easier she could make out how truly fatigued and drained Lorna seemed. Dark circles stood out beneath her eye sockets—ones that Nicky wondered if they ever weren't there. She pulled Lorna closer, tucking her head gently into the crook of her neck and reaching down to pull the comforter up around the pair of them.

"Sleep is something you clearly need, yeah baby? Seriously, when's the last time ya got a good night's rest? I swear those circles have been under your eyes since the day we met. Are you taking care of yourself? It doesn't look like you are, my doll, at least not as well as ya should be."

Lorna's eyes felt rather heavy from the soothing, husky, voice of her girlfriend. She could barely keep them open any longer. However, the need to answer Nicky's questions was sufficient to halt her from giving in to the exhaustion. She lifted her head a small amount so that she could look the taller girl directly in the eyes. An overwhelming volume of compassion and empathy poured through them, Lorna simply noted the longer she stared. The sheer vision innately brought one of her hands to touch gently over the skin of Nicky's cheek.

Brushing tips of fingers softly up and down along its length, Lorna peered even stronger at her. Her face automatically inched closer and she bent down to peck Nicky affectionately on her lips. The hand that pressed against one of her cheeks Lorna moved it to the back of her head, cradling around it with the utmost tenderness. She pressed their lips even further together, holding them there for several seconds before gradually pulling away.

"I guess I'm just still kinda adjusting to living at the Chapman's. It's a weird environment, I hope my sista gets the legal guardianship soon so I can go back to her place," Lorna found her voice once more. She twirled a finger lovingly around a few loose strands of Nicky's thick red curls. Those circles beneath her eyes might as well have been embedded into them by now, she thought; she couldn't remember the last time she looked in the mirror and didn't see them sitting there.

Nicky returned the gesture of lips locking together for another couple of minutes. When she released it, she ran her fingers feathery up and down along the length of Lorna's arms. The disclosure hadn't been much of a shock to her—it hadn't even been an entire week yet that Lorna had been staying with the foster family, so it was only natural for she to still be adjusting. No wonder her eyes and face appeared so drained—exhausted. She drew tender circles around the skin of the arms that her hands happened to be rubbing.

"Well, that would explain why you look so fatigued. It's a lot getting used to a new place and people, yeah? Are they good to you, doll? The parents, they're nice?" Nicky couldn't resist the questions from all spilling out at once; her protective nature seemed to be in full force, suddenly. Any time she pondered on how her girlfriend was doing, she felt the protectiveness power through her veins.

The brunette's head bobbed slowly up and down against Nicky's neck where she'd rested her head back onto after their kiss. She placed one of her hands onto its flesh and caressed along it in a circular motion. "Yeah, it really is," Lorna agreed, lips only a couple of inches from touching over Nicky's neck. "They're not mean or nothin', hon. I get along with their daughter and son and even Mr. Chapman is okay. But I don't know—Mrs. Chapman is real, erm, snooty. I can't think of a better word for her. She's nice but like a fake nice. Does that even make sense?"

Nodding intuitively, Nicky knew exactly the kind of nice that Lorna was referring to. It was the same type of nice that Marka Nichols was in front of anyone who wasn't part of her posse. She swallowed a lump and pressed her chin lightly on the top of Lorna's head. Her hands remained rubbing along both of her arms. "That makes perfect sense to me, kid. Marka is the same way. Fake as shit. That's why I begged her to let me get the fuck outta there—luckily, it didn't take much to convince her," a breath puffed out of her, interjecting her from speaking.

Once her lungs were refilled with air, Nicky deemed it safe to continue talking. She naturally swayed back and forth as she held Lorna close to her and tipped her face slightly forward so that her lips could stroke a soothing kiss to the top of Lorna's head. "As long as she's not abusive towards ya, then I recommend just killing her with kindness or—my favorite—ignoring her. People like that just aren't worth the time or trouble, doll."

"But I wanna hear what happened last night during dinner, kid. Why was Mrs. Chapman questioning you if ya had a problem with the food? Did ya not eat it or something?" Nicky quirked an inquisitive eyebrow while continuing to run a hand through the younger girl's waves. Maybe now wasn't the best time to investigate further on that incident, seeing how tired Lorna looked, but she already forced herself to wait an entire thirteen hours for this very moment that she couldn't help from finally allowing it to come to fruition.

Lorna swallowed hard. Not quite expecting such a drastic shift in their conversation. A sigh escaped her and she pressed her face in the warm flesh of Nicky's neck. Her arms snaked securely around it while her nose took in her natural aroma. Soothing, comforting, and encouraged her to nuzzle up even closer. "I just couldn't focus on eating with all the talking and noises is all. I kept pushing a piece a the potato around the plate and Mrs. Chapman got mad at me for it. I guess I offended her by not eating it—even though she ain't even the one who cooked it," the last part came out in a slightly more bitter tone than Lorna had anticipated.

Sucking in a snuffle, Nicky caressed her lips affectionately over Lorna's head and instinctively pulled her even closer. A knot formed in her chest, twisting distastefully at the sound of Mrs. Chapman's petty behavior towards her girlfriend. Nothing irked her more than people picking an issue with Lorna over something so mundane and miniscule. "I'm sorry, doll. Mrs. Chapman sounds like a real bitch. Just don't let her get under your skin, yeah? She can't force ya to eat when you're feeling uncomfortable."

"Well, I think she was mad because I did the same thing the other night. I just played with the food instead of eating it. But, I just—I can't eat when I'm anxious, ya know? It makes my stomach hurt and I feel sick."

Nicky soothed her with a soft peck on the cheek, nuzzling her nose against the other's. "I see," she murmured. Fingers touched delicately on the bottom of Lorna's chin; she stroked them around it in small, heart-shaped, patterns. "Did you try explaining that to Mrs. Chapman, babe? Maybe that might make her think before getting upset with you, yeah? Not that any of that is your fault, because it's not, but I think it might be a good idea to tell her."

Lorna nodded slightly into Nicky's chest and cuddled closer. She rested her lips onto pale skin, letting them stay like that for several moments before removing them. Though her lips parted, her face remained in its spot tucked between the older girl's neck and chest. One of the few places Lorna felt truly loved and secure. A content sigh pushed its way through her throat. There was nowhere else she wanted to be right now than in the arms of the person she adored with every fiber of her being.

After drawing in a slow breath, Lorna finally found the proper words to respond with. "Yeah, I guess I can try that. But the good news is I ain't the only one who thinks Mrs. Chapman is a snob. I had a real interesting conversation with the other Mrs. Chapman earlier yesterday when I got back from school. Wanna hear it, hon?"

A chuckle escaped Nicky at the faint enthusiasm that seeped out through the words she spoke. She nuzzled her chin gently against the top of Lorna's head which was lovingly embraced underneath it. Her head nodded, intrigue taking shape upon her face as she gazed attentively down at her. "You bet I do, doll. I love some good family drama stories, long as it ain't hurtin' you," she softly informed her and framed one hand around a porcelain cheek.

"Oh, well, I can promise ya that this family is the optimum of drama," Lorna started off and a laugh followed suit. At least their family drama didn't have anything to do with abuse or alcoholism like the Morello household. Sure, it was still on the toxic end of drama but it hadn't seem to hurt anyone too greatly, she reasoned. "The original Mrs. Chapman—"

"Oh, goddammit, Lorna," Nicky interjected with a second chuckle expelling from her windpipe.

Lorna stopped and looked up at her with arched eyebrows. "What? She is technically the original Mrs. Chapman," she nonchalantly pointed out with more laughter to follow.

The other only shook her head with a good-natured smirk spread from one cheek to the other. "I know, kid. But you're just too funny. God, I fuckin' love you."

"Aww, hon, you love God? I didn't think ya believed in all that." Lorna matched Nicky's smirk with one of her own. The opportunity was golden and stuck out to her like a sore thumb; it was impossible to resist making a playful comment on the matter. She brushed her hand softly through the thick red curls that spilled from her girlfriend's scalp.

"That's it, kid. That is it."

Nicky threw up her hands in defeat and Lorna took that as her chance to hover lovingly overtop of her. She rested a leg on either side of Nicky's body, cupping her hands warmly around both cheeks, and smashed their lips hotly over one another. When she pulled away, a moment later, her eyes sparkled down at Nicky and she moved her hand to curl a piece of hair behind one of her ears. "The original Mrs. Chapman," she said, mouth lingering mere inches from Nicky's, "called the regular Mrs. Chapman thee snob bitch."

That was it. That was absolutely all it took for Nicky to not hold herself back any longer. She finally gave in and switched positions with Lorna so that she now had her legs straddled over Lorna's body. Things were about to heat up real fast, Nicky concluded in her mind.