LISA
Jennie inches away and cups my face. We smile at each other, the stress fading away. After we've uttered the words, nothing matters all that much because as long as she's okay, I'll be fine too. I run a hand over her soft cheek in return and smile as I watch her shiver. "You know we're being watched, right?"
"I know. And I really, really want you to kiss me."
"Are you sure?" I ask, moving my hand to the back of her neck to pull her in.
Jennie doesn't answer but meets me half-way, and when our lips touch in a gossamer, feathery kiss, the atmosphere around us changes. The musician is still playing but the party has fallen silent. An escort and her client, a queen and her servant. I don't care what anyone thinks and neither does she because nothing has ever felt more real. Love is a beautiful new sensation. It's precious and fragile, yet united, it's unbreakable and from now on, we're one, facing the world together.
When we break apart, conversation picks up again, and we chuckle uncomfortably, knowing we have a lot to explain. Hushed whispers ring through the air but in the end, all people really need to know is that we love each other. All the rest is just white noise. Jennie is stronger than I thought. With her background, what she's just done would seem unthinkable three months ago. Someone is clapping and I see that it's Chahee.
"Finally!" she yells, whistling through her teeth. "Now go get a room!"
Jennie chuckles, rolling her eyes at Chahee. She's completely calm when she turns to Ella and puts a hand on her shoulder. "Honey, I'm so sorry you had to find out like this. Can we please talk about it tomorrow? I just want to enjoy tonight."
"We don't need to talk about anything," Ella says, and seeing tears roll down her cheeks, I'm worried she might run off again. But she wipes her eyes, composes herself and then does something that leaves us both baffled. She falls around Jennie's neck and hugs her tight for long moments. "I love you, Mom."
"I love you too, honey. So, so much." Jennie sighs in relief and mouths, "Thank you."
Then Ella turns to me and does the same, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck. "Fuck everyone, it's not important. Nothing is important, as long as Mom is happy. I like you, Lisa."
Her approval chokes me up, and I know this isn't a show. This isn't Ella making a statement in front of everyone, showing them that we have her blessing. This is heartfelt and real, and I squeeze her back, desperately wanting her to know how much I love her mother. "I promise I'll take care of her," I say. "Forever."
Conversation continues in a whisper and heads swiftly turn away from me when I look up. It must be a strange scenario to witness, and I imagine highly confusing for the other guests who have no idea why Cindy Ashworth left under a cloud and why Jennie is suddenly kissing a woman. They'll find out soon enough, perhaps even tonight.
A surreal moment follows, in which none of us know how to behave or what to say, but a young man walks up to me and holds out his hand, saving us. "Hi, I'm James, and from what I just witnessed, I can only assume you're Lisa?"
I smile and take in the handsome boy who, just like Ella, is the spitting image of his mother. "Yeah, that's me. It's so lovely to meet you."
"Likewise." He beckons over a girl who joins him. "This is my girlfriend, Maddie. She's been dying to meet you. So have I, to be honest."
Maddie looks me up and down like I'm some rare species, then grins as she shakes my hand. "I can see why my mother-in-law is so smitten with you. It's so sweet to see her in love." She leans in closer and says, "Never mind the stares. Trust me, I know these people and they might be shocked for a while, but they also seriously envy your connection with Jennie. It's rare, isn't it, honey?" She shoots James a loving look and he puts an arm around her.
"You're right; I think everyone will get used to it soon enough," I say, taking Jennie's hand. "Ella told me you flew in from India this morning. You must be exhausted."
"We're fine, actually," Maddie says cheerfully. "Ella arranged the journey back for us because the last-minute flights were above our budget. Courtesy of their grandmother, apparently. Anyway, we had a twelve-hour stop-over in London, where we slept, and then we fell into a food coma on the plane after all the pizza and pasta we ate to make up for lost carbs, so we've actually had more rest than we've had in weeks. Don't get me wrong, I love, love, love Indian food, but I've really missed melted cheese."
I laugh and point to a caterer serving fancy looking cheesy garlic bread. "Well, it looks like there's more than enough to go around tonight, so you can continue to eat your heart out."
"You're all welcome. I put my favorite foods on the menu," Ella admits with a smirk. "The yoga crew is panicking because there's no celery in sight."
"Why am I not surprised..." Jennie helps herself to a snack, holds it out for me to take a bite, then eats the rest, shooting me a sweet look. She's leaning into me, and it dawns on me then that we're totally fine and comfortable together around her kids.
"So that's what's been going on." Nola comes over and grins at us. "I should have known you two had been sneaking around but it just didn't click. Looking back now, though, I don't see how I couldn't have missed it."
"Sorry I couldn't tell you," Jennie says.
"Honey, that's your and only your business." She glances at our entwined hands, and shakes her head incredulously, still getting used to the idea. "Huh… you actually look very good together. Happy."
"You seem surprised," I say, shooting her a wink.
"Hell yes, I'm surprised." Nola lets out a roaring laugh. "Pleasantly surprised but my God… you two…"
We laugh along with her and once more, I tell myself that everything will be fine. My secret is out, and Jennie's secret is out, but maybe that's not the end of the world. I've had enough of looking over my shoulder and I suspect Jennie feels the same. The love in her eyes is pure and intense as I take her hand. "May I have the next dance?"
