Meadowlark Assisted Living 2017

Lainey giggled to herself as she sat cuddled on the bed with Eva. Eva was grateful that today was a good day - a very good day. Not only had she found Lainey in a pleasant mood, but the actress was having a better recall than the last visit. She had graduated from being a stranger to at least a friend. Regardless, it didn't matter if Lainey never remembered her; she'd have her in any capacity. Eva spent most of the day with her, painting and walking outside. After lunch, Eva wasn't quite ready to go home, so she pulled out a laptop and popped in a season of The Valley.

In the past, whenever they watched old reruns of The Valley, Lainey would either love or hate her performance. She'd chuck popcorn at the screen and groan at the awkward deliverance of a line or cringe at whatever outfit the wardrobe people decided to put her in that day. Other times, she'd hush everyone in the room and make sure they watched as her fierce and dominating persona completely stole the scene.

If Eva had to guess, the latter was what Lainey was feeling right now as on-screen Vivian glared daggers at her nemesis. She laughed and settled comfortably with Lainey wrapped under her arm. She hadn't felt this kind of warmth since Lainey was admitted. It felt almost normal, like they were back at their beach house snuggled in PJs on the couch together.

"Look," Lainey encouraged, pointing at Vivian. "She's good."

Just then, Vivian slapped her nemesis as the camera zoomed in ominously on her determined face.

Eva nodded and agreed, "yeah, that was your favorite part, wasn't it?"

Lainey lifted her head, a proud smile on her face. Slowly her fingers came up and trailed down the side of Eva's face. Her eyes drifted shut at the contact but she opened them when Lainey tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Eva's eyes watered at the gesture, knowing full well what it meant. Eva leaned into her touch and sighed.

"You were so good in that, baby," Eva whispered. She kissed Lainey's fingertips before getting up from the bed and heading towards the dresser. Within a moment, the Emmy Lainey had won was in her hand, and she returned to hold it up to her. "That scene won you this."

Lainey nodded again. For once, green eyes weren't glossed over in a haze. Eva ducked her head to see them brighten and watched as Lainey's nose wrinkled softly and her lips quirk into the smallest smile. Pride was the only thing that came to Eva's mind as she watched the gears in Lainey's brain shift in recollection. Suddenly Lainey reached over and held Eva's hand, giving her a comforting squeeze.

Eva squeezed back and asked, "you remember that day, don't you?"

"Yes," Lainey answered softly, her eyes shifting from the award to Eva.

Eva grinned her dimpled smile and sat up excitedly. "What do you remember?"

Lainey returned the look and squeezed her hand once more. "You."

The Beach House 2016

"Come on, come on, come on!" Eva called as she rushed into the living room, a bowl of popcorn balanced in her arm. "It's starting!"

"I'm coming already," Lainey answered as she sauntered in with two wine glasses between her fingers and a bottle of red. "It's not like they're going to do Best Leading Actress until the end."

"But you're nominated again!" Eva beamed as she leaped onto the couch. Popcorn spilled in between the seats as she waited impatiently for Lainey to sit beside her. "You really sure you're okay we didn't go? It is your last one."

"Believe me." Lainey put down the glasses and bottle on the table and sat down next to Eva. She tilted her chin towards her and smiled. "You've seen me at those red carpet events. I don't need to be stressed about trying to remember what dress I'm wearing or who did my hair. I'd much rather be in PJs, in our home, on our couch, with you."

She kissed her briefly before turning to pour the wine.

"Valid," Eva agreed. "Do you know how many times I had to go to the media to tell them what dress you were actually wearing?"

Lainey laughed. "Maybe I was just screwing with you."

She rolled her eyes and set the popcorn bowl on the table. "Where's the remote?"

Lainey popped a kernel in her mouth and shrugged. "It's on the table."

"It's not." Eva moved the glasses and magazines sitting there but no luck. "You were watching something this afternoon. Where'd you put it?"

"Exactly where it should go."

"Which is where?" Eva quirked an eyebrow.

Lainey gulped her wine as she motioned towards the room with her hand. "Somewhere."

"Somewhere." Eva huffed and stood up. She dug in between the couch cushions. "Come on, Lainey. I told you to put things back where you found them."

"I do!"

Eva glared as her hand came away with car keys, holding them up accusingly. "What do you have to say about these?"

Lainey flushed and finished off her wine in another gulp. "That's my spot for them. So I know that's where they are."

"Uh huh." She tossed the keys on the table and continued to search. "Seriously, babe, you've been forgetting a lot of things lately."

"I have never forgotten our anniversary or your birthday," Lainey argued. She stood up to look.

"You've been misplacing things all over the house, and don't forget that the reason that we're here is because you kept forgetting your lines on-set."

Lainey laughed and shrugged it off. "That's old age, sweetie. Me leaving The Valley has nothing to do with why we can't find the remote."

Eva huffed and placed her hands on her hips. "Are you even taking me seriously right now? I'm honestly concerned."

"Why? Because the remote is probably under the couch?"

"No! Because it's like you're not always there sometimes."

Lainey scoffed and sat back down on the couch hard. She poured herself another glass of wine and held it to her lips. Instead of drinking it, she sighed and patted the couch beside her. "Come here."

"What?" Eva asked. She sat down and gripped Lainey's hand with a squeeze.

"I don't want you to feel so concerned. I'm honestly fine." Placing the glass down and pushing her hair aside, she said, "if I go to the doctor and you see I'm okay, will that help? It's probably just me getting used to having so much free time on my hands now."

Eva nodded and pulled Lainey's hands up to her lips for a kiss. "Yes, thank you."

"Anything to put your mind at ease." She pressed a kiss to her forehead and leaned back on the couch. She motioned to the black screen of the TV and asked, "can't you just turn it on from the buttons on the TV?"

Eva squinted at the flatscreen. "Does that thing even have buttons?"

Lainey stood and hunched her back, putting on a raspy voice. "When I was your age, these picture boxes had turn dials, antennas, and all of three channels!"

She laughed as they both went to inspect the flatscreen. Their fingers roamed around the edges in confusion.

"Seriously, how does this work?" Eva asked.

Lainey pointed to the label markings on the TV. Her finger roamed over the power sign. "Is this like a sensor or something?"

The TV suddenly blared before them, and they both jumped as it came to life.

Day of the Emmys 2006

"No, Jason. I don't want to do that!" Lainey hissed into her phone causing her hair and makeup team to shift around her as they frantically tried to keep the stray hairs in place and prevent her from smearing her lipstick. "Well maybe I don't want you as my date!"

She angrily ended the call on her phone and tossed it to the couch. Her glam team were right to ignore it and continued on in their jobs, but Eva's eyes widened as she stepped in front of the actress. "Trouble in paradise."

"Don't," Lainey warned. "I'm really not in the mood."

"Okay," Eva acknowledged. The glam team finished their work and left leaving the publicist and the actress alone. "I don't want you to remember this day as one where you got into a fight with your boyfriend. Lainey Allen has gotten nominated for Best Leading Actress in a Soap Opera, and you're a shoe in to win."

"You'll jinx it."

"I'm willing to bet my life on it," Eva said with a wry grin. She held out a paper. "Now let's go over your acceptance speech. It should be laced with just enough personal touch."

They spent a few minutes going over her speech before Lainey's phone rang again. Eva handed it to her, seeing her boyfriend's name on it at the same time Lainey did. The actress rolled her eyes and declined the call. Eva didn't say a word and began to pack up.

"Hey," Lainey called. Eva turned. "Want to go to the Emmys with me tonight?"

Eva's eyes widened, but she was careful to hold back her excitement at Lainey's implication. Ever since that day in her dressing room where she helped her run lines, she thought things may have shifted.

She cleared her head with a shake and said, "it's kind of my job to be there, Lainey."

"No." Lainey reached out and held her arm. "I don't want you there as my publicist."

This time, Eva's mouth parted in shock. Green eyes held her captive as Lainey's question seemed to ring loudly in her brain. She swallowed a lump in her throat despite her racing heart and everything telling her just to say yes.

The phone rang again, and as quick as her excitement came, it dropped like a dead weight. It was Jason.

That thought brought her back to reality, and Eva shook her head. She loosened from Lainey's grasp and headed towards the door. "I shouldn't-"

Lainey sighed and picked up the ringing phone. Her eyes remained locked on Eva's as she spoke. "Look, Jason. If it wasn't clear the first time, our relationship is strictly professional now. I'm tired of fighting with you all the time. It's over between us. So seriously stop calling, it's starting to become pathetic."

With that, she hung up and dropped the phone to the couch once more. Her eyebrow quirked questioningly though there was an a playful tug on her lips. "Does that help you solve whatever it is that's running around your brain?"

Eva stammered as she ran a hand through her hair. "You're really going to ask that a second after breaking up with your boyfriend?"

"Are you saying that you don't feel whatever it is between us?" Lainey asked taking a step towards her. "Because I'm pretty sure that this chemistry could light up an entire room."

Eva couldn't help but grin at that. It was true, and Eva was grateful she wasn't the only one feeling it. She set steely eyes on Lainey and met her with a step forward. "I'll go with you to the Emmys but not as your date. As your friend."

"That I can accept," Lainey said with a nod.

Eva grinned. After all these months working together, she knew the effect her smile had on the actress. With an unspoken agreement, she nodded and pulled the door to her room open. Just before she left, she turned back. "For the record, Lainey, that's not how you ask a girl out."

"Are you going to teach me how?"

She grinned. "Absolutely."

She was about to shut the door when Lainey's voice had her turning back. "For the record, Eva, all I want is you. In whatever capacity that is."

Eva was paralyzed standing in the entrance of the doorway. She waited with bated breath as Lainey took slow and careful steps towards her and gently tucked back a strand of her hair behind her ear. Her eyes nearly slid shut at the contact.

"I just want you to know that whenever one of us does that, it's not us acting or pretending. We mean it." Her hand trailed down to Eva's and squeezed it. "I mean it."