Holly comes to a stop in front of Gail. With her skates on, Holly is an Amazon, well over 6 feet tall. This combined with the fact that Holly was some roller derby superhero Gail had woven into a web of lies might have been somewhat intimidating to Gail if Holly wasn't grinning like she was so genuinely happy to see her.
"Hi." Holly's voice is also smiling.
And just like that, Holly reaches out, cups Gail's face and presses their lips together. It is brief and so soft. And sweet, not just in a cutely pleasant way, but also in the way that Gail suspects Holly's lips were actually made of powdered sugar.
"If you want this to work you are going to have to look a little less shocked and a bit more girlfriend-like. I haven't had one in awhile, but I seem to remember that, at least in the beginning, they would actually smile at me."
Gail reaches up around the back of Holly's head, pulling her back down for another kiss. This kiss is a bit more . . . more. Though not heated, it wouldn't be confused as a friendly peck by any one who saw it, including What's-His-Nuts and crew. This time as she breaks the kiss, Gail lets her lips close slightly around Holly's bottom lip, really trying to get a taste of the sweetness.
Holy shit. Holly didn't just taste like powdered sugar, she tasted like powdered donuts.
"Mmmm." Gail didn't meant to make the noise, but she really loved donuts. When she opens her eyes, Holly still has hers closed. Now Gail smiles. Holly was adorable. Traci let a single breath of a laugh escape. Gail looks over to see her friend shaking her head and looking down at the ground.
"Is Holly Humpabitch your real name?" Gail asks Holly, tilting her head and narrowing her eyes to convey her suspicion that it is indeed not Holly's real name.
Holly laughs at her.
"It isn't. My real name is Wanda Humpabitch."
"I thought as much." Gail looks at Holly's smile. It is so endearingly crooked, and just so authentic. Everything about Holly feels warm and open. She makes Gail feel comfortable, and that is something new.
Traci elbows Gail, encouraging her to stop the creepy stare-fest and get on with whatever is going to happen here.
"My name is Holly. My friend Brad over there tells me that you are Gail."
"I am, and this is Traci . . . "
"Your ex." Holly smiles. "Brad rambled a little when he was apologizing for hitting on my girlfriend."
"Hi Holly." Traci extends her hand which the brunette immediately takes.
"It's nice of you to be so nice to me considering the pretend circumstances." Holly jokes.
"Hey, no hard feelings. Gail really needed someone more submissive so clearly you are a much better match for her."
Holly's mouth falls open a little before the left side pulls back up into a a smile.
Traci winks at Gail, who punches her arm in return.
"Ow. What? I just thought Holly should benefit from my pretend heartbreak otherwise it was all for nothing."
"Yeah," Holly adds in, "plus Brad and his friends want a picture of me and you."
"What? Why do they want a picture with me in it?"
Holly chuckles at that.
"Have you seen you? I actually think they could care less if I was in the picture."
"That's ridiculous Holly. Clearly it's you who hasn't looked in a mirror. You're beautiful. And a badass."
This time it's Traci's mouth that's open.
"Gail, did you just give a compliment? No wait, correction, two compliments?"
"Statements of fact are not compliments, Trace."
While Gail is sorting out whether Traci has been sufficiently chastised, she feels a hand lightly grasp her own.
"Gail."
Snapped back into present time and place by Holly's warm fingers, Gail fights the urge to pull her hand away from the contact. It isn't that it isn't welcome, it is simply unfamiliar. Gail has held hands with men before, lovers and boyfriends, but it was usually just an empty tether. It always felt more like a demonstration of claim then the creation of a circuit. But here Gail was, physically connected to a woman she didn't know, and it felt like a current coursed through her veins that lit butterflies in her stomach on fire.
"Gail?" Holly tilted her head, reinforcing the confusion in her expression. "Are you okay?"
"I'm sorry. I was just thinking about zombies"
More confusion.
"You should never set a zombie on fire because then you just have a flaming zombie who can not only still eat you, but can also set you on fire. Plus burning zombies smell bad."
This all made sense to Gail as she segued from her burning butterflies, to burning zombies, to thinking Holly Humpabitch would be a kickass partner a zombie apocalypse. Totally logical.
"You're weird." Holly still looks confused but also amused.
"You have no idea." Traci steps away as she says it, not quite ready for another Peck punch.
"Anyway, we should get over there and do this photo thing. I have to meet my team at the after party soon." Holly squeezes Gail's hand gently, before tugging her in the direction of the group of men waiting for them.
"Traci, are you coming?" Holly asks, looking back.
"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss this to save my life."
"I'll remember you said that." Gail gives Traci the evilest squinty eyed look she can while she feels so glowy on the inside.
The guys are standing around drinking beers and laughing about who cares what when the Humpabitches and friend get close. King What's-His-Nuts (deemed so by Gail as he is the obvious leader of the bunch of male nondescripts and because she can't remember his name) is the first to notice them. He clears his throat in that annoying "here they come" way, setting off a wave of elbows and sounds aimed at drawing everyone's attention to the approaching trio.
"Hey guys. This is my girlfriend Gail, formerly known to you as Gail."
"I am sorry about earlier this evening. I really thought you were just giving me the blow off." King What's-His-Nuts says to Gail somewhat convincingly.
"I was, and would have even if Holly wan't my girlfriend."
Holly squeezes her hand again and sends a reverse cascade of warmth from her . . . gravity center outward. Apparently this surge disrupts a moment of reprieve lodged somewhere amongst the layers of coolness, nonchalance, and general disdain she has built over the years, because the words are out before her goodness filter can catch them.
"Anyway, it's fine. We're cool."
Damn it. Holly has reduced her to the Pilsbury Dough Boy of forgiveness and compliments. Well, maybe more like a Pez dispenser.
"Great. Do you mind if we get a couple of pictures?"
"Not at all." Holly puts her arm around Gail as a few of them, including Traci, whip out their phones.
Holly looks over at Gail who looks a little unsure. Sliding her arm from around Gail's shoulders to grip around her waist, Holly gives her another magic squeeze. Gail's eyes automatically shut as her lady bits light up like sparklers.
"Now, Gail, Honey, you promised me you would smile. Do you remember when you said that? Right after I promised you that if you smiled we could try that thing we saw in that video that one time?"
Gail simultaneously blushes and smiles. This woman is ridiculous.
"Would you guys mind doing something a bit more, um, derbyesque?" Traci smiles sweetly at the two. "I mean, it's not everyday I have a photo op with Holly Humpabitch and my ex-girlfriend. I think I would prefer to stay away from the cuddly couple-style pics, if you know what I mean?"
"Oh, geez, Trace. I am soooo sorry. How inconsiderate of us. Sure, let us be more roller derby for you. I mean, I don't skate or anything, but I am sure Holly and I can work something out." The sugary voice and syrupy smile were the the thrust behind the dagger of sarcasm Gail wedges into Traci's faux broken heart.
Gail, puts a hand on Holly's shoulder and pulls her down so that she can place her lips to Holly's ear. She uses her other hand to shield her mouth and voice from the group. Holly listens intently, staring at the ground so as not to be distracted from Gail's proposal. Holly nods a couple time, each time her smile getting bigger. Finally, they break apart.
"Ready?" Gail asks.
"Get along little doggy," Holly says in conformation.
Traci wanted roller derby, Gail would give her and five nut-o-teers roller derby in the dazzling form of the photogenic representation of the visual manifestation of the one and only Holly Humpabitch.
Gail bends over and puts her hands on her knees. She arches her back so as to make her ass as prominent as possible. It would, after all, be the center of the photo and the target of Holly's hips. Gail imagines they are beautiful hips, straining taught tan skin to contain them, inviting Gail to lick them . . .
Gail abruptly snaps back to reality as Holly's fingers grip inside of her own hip bones. Those fingers. . . If Gail wasn't sure how she felt about Holly, the sealing of Holly's front to Gail's back answers the question in the form of a rush of wetness between her legs. Gail Peck just juiced her jeans for Holly. Gail wanted Holly, wanted to know Holly, wanted to breathe, lick, and suck Holly, and wanted those fingers gripping her hip bones firmly right this second, to be touching her everywhere they could reach.
Holly squeezes Gail's hips a little firmer, reminding her of the plan. Gail lifts one of her hands from her knees and brings it to her mouth as she turns around to look at Holly in surprise. Holly stares down at her like the devil is within and is going to probe Gail's halo with her pitchfork until she wins her over to the darkside.
"Holy shit. These pictures are awesome." They guys start giving each other high fives and laughing in man glee. Traci just looks at her phone, and then at Gail and Holly, and then back to her phone.
"Hey, Gail. Are you and your friends going to the after party?" A random nutling asks.
"They are." Holly answers for her.
"Yes." What's-His-Nuts makes some dudely victory gesture. "See you guys there."
"Holly . . . "
"Gail, I have to hear about how we met." Holly smiles back over her shoulder as she skates away. "See you there, sweetie pie."
Gail can't do anything but watch her skate away.