Chapter 9
Dear paper brain.
I feel like today is going to be the longest day of my life. Because tonight I'm supposed to meet Gina again. And I'm so excited I think I might throw up. My stomach is in knots, but I also feel like I have butterflies in them. I'm all sort of messed up.
Eleanore laughed out loud, startling Killian, who is already on his second beer of the day. He gave her a dirty look before turning his attention back to the TV.
I thought I was going crazy last month. How could I not be crazy when I saw Gina dive into the water and swim away, and a purple tail popped out of the water behind her. Of course I'm crazy. But…am I though? Gina really did dive into the water and disappear. I may have just woken up, but I know what I saw. And how do you ask the woman you have feelings for if she is a mythological creature that lives in the water? She looks Human. Everything about her is Human, and yet when she dove into the water, it looked like she had a tail. Could Gina really be a Mermaid?
"For the love of god, Swan. Will you cool it with the writing? That incessant scratching of the pen is driving me crazy!" Killian snapped. Eleanore stood up and left the room, resisting the urge to slap Killian in the face as she walked by. She went into the bedroom and laid down, setting her alarm to take a nap before she left for the night. She might not be getting much sleep tonight and she wanted to make sure she was on the top of her game. She closed her eyes and her mind wandered to the mysterious brunette woman she would be meeting in a few hours as she dozed off.
"Hey, Ruby just called. She invited me over for another girls night tonight," she said when she left the bedroom a few hours later.
"That sounds lame, Swan. Have fun at your estrogen extravaganza," Killian teased. Eleanore rolled her eyes as she laced up her boots and pulled on her jacket. She heard Killian crack open another beer as she left the house, rolling her eyes at his stupidity.
She began walking toward Main Street, where her first stop was The Storybrooke Country Bread Bakery to once again pick up her order. She smiled when she grabbed the small cardboard box, knowing something extra fun was safely tucked inside. She walked to Granny's with an extra spring in her step as she started to get even more excited. She carefully placed her cardboard box of treats on the counter as Ruby walked over to greet her.
"Hey, Elle! What brings you here?" Ruby asked, confused to see Eleanore there on her day off.
"I need two things, actually. Some food…" she said, reaching for Ruby's order pad to write down her order for her. Ruby looked down confused for a second before dropping the order off in the kitchen, returning to her friend to find out what the second thing was. "I also need a favor."
"Anything," she said.
"Can you cover for me?" Eleanore asked.
"What day? Am I already working?"
"No, not a shift here. I need you to cover for me…in case Killian asks…" she said, nervously.
"Oh, I got you, babe! What did you tell him?"
"I told him you invited me for a girls night. I know you're not working tonight, so it won't be weird if he shows up here and sees you working," Eleanore explained.
"Good thinking!" Ruby laughed. "And are we falling asleep watching movies on this 'girls night'?" Ruby asked, a sly smirk on her face.
"Maaaaybe…" Eleanore said, blushing.
"Okay. I got you, girl! Just promise me something. You'll tell me who the 'girls night' is. When you're ready, of course."
"I promise." Eleanore smiled.
"Cool. I'm heading out for the night so Ana will get your order when it's ready. I have to go get ready for our 'girls night' after all." Ruby smiled, winking. They wished each other a good night as Ruby disappeared upstairs to the apartment she shared with her grandmother.
A little while later, Ana appeared with her bag of food, placing it on the counter next to the white box from the bakery. She paid and left the diner, venturing back out into the cold Maine evening. She walked quickly to the beach, practically running through the snow to get to the cave she had shared with Gina the previous month. She carefully placed the food on the floor in the corner as soon as she entered, making sure it was safely out of the way.
She quickly went to work, pulling the large duffle bag out from the very back corner of the cave. She had been planning this night for the last three weeks, working hard to covertly gather all the supplies she needed, hiding them deep in the cave under a large tarp. She folded the tarp in half and laid it on the cold floor, creating a base from what she was about to create. She opened the duffle bag and began to pull out the thick blankets she had stashed inside. It had taken her forever to figure out the perfect configuration to enable her to fit the most inside the bag, and once she figured it out, she was able to pack six thick blankets. She pulled them out one by one and laid them on top of the tarp, creating a nice warm little nook, making sure to leave the biggest blanket out to wrap around them while they were there.
Next, she retrieved some of the large pieces of wood she had bought from the sporting goods store, arranging them to build a small fire. She glanced at the sky before lighting the fire, not wanting to run out of wood before the end of the night. She sat on the pile of blankets as she watched the sunset over the ocean, her heart pounding with equal parts excitement and nervousness, knowing Gina would be there any moment.
Just as the sun disappeared behind the horizon, she began to light the small bonfire she created, pulling off her jacket suddenly. She peeled off the extra hoodie she was wearing, as well as the pair of sweatpants she was wearing over her jeans. She had a theory, and if she was correct, Gina would need an extra set of clothes. She moved the bags of food closer to the fire, realizing it was probably cold at this point. She pulled out two sandwiches wrapped in foil and placed them close to the fire to warm them up a little, although she couldn't do anything about the rest of their meal. She would have to keep that in mind for the following month. She sat back down and began fidgeting wildly while she waited, each minute feeling like an eternity. Eventually, a figure appeared around the edge of the cave, peeking their head in the opening.
"Eleanore?" Gina whispered, afraid that it might not be her after all.
"Gina! Hey!" Eleanore said, jumping up as soon as she saw Gina.
"I saw the smoke from the fire. I didn't know we were meeting in here tonight," Gina said shyly.
"It was a spur of the moment decision," Eleanore lied. She had actually been planning this for weeks.
"What's all this?" Gina asked, taking a step into the cave.
"Just a few things. I thought it would make the cave a little more cozy," Eleanore said.
"It's wonderful," Gina said, stepping farther into the cave, looking around at the little nest Eleanore created. While Gina was looking around, Eleanore studied Gina's clothes. Just as expected, Gina was wearing the same tattered jean shorts and tank top combination, as always. And just like before, she was soaking wet and her feet were completely bare, her skin slightly red from walking through the cold snow that still covered the beach. It's as if those were the only two pieces of clothing Gina owned.
"You're soaking wet again," Eleanore said, grabbing a small towel from the duffle bag, handing it to Gina to dry off.
"I…ummm…I just…" Gina started to stutter while she tried to dry herself off.
Eleanore smiled, chuckling to herself. "It's cool. You don't need to explain. I brought you an extra set of clothes you could borrow while you're here. Something a little warmer," she said, offering Gina her sweatpants and hoodie.
"Thanks." Gina blushed, grabbing the warm clothes. Eleanore smiled and turned around, giving Gina a little privacy to change her clothes.
"All set," Gina said shyly when she was finished, holding her wet clothes awkwardly. Eleanore grabbed the tattered clothes, laying them on the floor next to the fire to dry them off. She sat down on the blankets, indicating for Gina to join her.
"Can I kiss you?" Eleanore asked as soon as Gina sat down, gazing into Gina's brown eyes.
"You never have to ask." Gina smiled, blushing slightly. Eleanore leaned in, kissing Gina sweetly.
"Are you hungry?" Eleanore asked a few minutes later, once their kiss ended.
"Sure," Gina answered, an excited smile on her face, ready to try more of Eleanore's exotic food.
"Cool!" Eleanore grabbed the sandwiches wrapped in foil near the fire. "I brought something different this time. I'm sorry if it's a little cold. It's colder in here than I thought," she said, handing Gina a packet. Gina unwrapped the foil carefully, staring down at the sandwich.
"What is this?" she asked, confused.
"It's a cheeseburger. I usually get bacon on it too, but I didn't know if you liked bacon so I didn't," Eleanore explained, unwrapping her own burger.
"I've never had bacon before," Gina said shyly.
"You really have been living under a rock." Eleanore laughed. "I'll bring some bacon next month," she said.
"You're planning on coming back next month?" Gina asked, her voice sounding so hopeful.
Eleanore laughed. "Of course. And the month after that. And quite possibly the month after that as well."
"Good." Gina smiled, taking a tentative bite of her burger. "Oh, I like this one."
"Better than the grilled cheese?" Eleanore asked, giggling slightly.
"Oh, that's a tough one." Gina smiled, taking another bite.
"I brought onion rings and fries again, but I'm afraid those are cold," Eleanore said, pulling out the containers with the cold sides.
"It's okay, I don't mind," Gina said, grabbing a cold onion ring.
They continued to eat, making small talk along the way, until every bite of food was gone. Eleanore added more wood to the fire before bringing over their dessert.
"What is this now?" Gina asked as Eleanore opened the lid of the cardboard box.
"This is a funfetti cupcake." Eleanore smiled, handing Gina the cupcake with the purple frosting.
"How did you know purple was my color? I mean my favorite color?" Gina asked, her eyes wide with astonishment.
"Just a lucky guess, I suppose." Eleanore smirked. It wasn't a random guess. That was just one more theory Eleanore had about Gina. Gina's eyes almost popped out of her skull when she saw Eleanore pull out her own cupcake, one with yellow frosting.
"Yellow? Did you choose yellow for yourself?" Gina asked, her face shocked.
"Yeah. I like yellow," Eleanore said, raising her eyebrow, questioning Gina's reaction.
"Uhh…yes of course. Yellow is a wonderful color," Gina said, her face returning to normal. Eleanore smiled as she watched Gina peel off the paper liner, taking a tentative bite of her cupcake. She smiled as the flavor filled her mouth. "Oh I like this one! I think I like it better than the last cake." She looked down at the white cupcake with wonder. "Oh, it's colorful inside too! I did not expect that!"
"That's what makes it fun." Eleanore smiled, taking her first bite of her cupcake.
"How do they get the colorful spots inside?" Gina asked in amazement.
"They put sprinkles in the batter. And when it bakes, the sprinkles melt into little polka dots." Eleanore smiled. Gina was completely adorable as she ate her cupcake, purple frosting smearing around her mouth as she enjoyed her treat.
"Come here." Eleanore laughed, reaching to wipe a small dollop of icing off Gina's cheek, licking the sugary substance off her thumb.
"Thanks." Gina smiled, her face turning bright red again. Gina leaned over and lightly kissed Eleanore, smiling even wider when they pulled apart. They finished eating their cupcakes, Gina practically inhaling the rest of hers out of pure excitement.
Once all the food was gone, Eleanore cleaned everything up, even throwing the cardboard box from the bakery into the fire before adding a few more logs to increase the heat. Gina shivered slightly, even though she was wearing more appropriate clothes. Eleanore wrapped a blanket around them, pulling Gina closer to her, their body heat keeping each other warm under the blanket.
"Better?" Eleanore asked as she wrapped her arm loosely around Gina's waist.
"Yeah." Gina smiled, burrowing closer to Eleanore, sticking her nose against the borrowed hoodie for a second. "This smells like you," she said, shocked that she allowed those words out of her mouth. "Shit, did I say that outloud?" Her face turned bright red, clearly embarrassed about what she just said.
"It's okay. I was wearing it a few days ago, and I wore it here too. I hope that's okay," Eleanore said, suddenly embarrassed as well.
"I like it. I like the way you smell," Gina said, her face turning red again. "Gosh, that sounded really stupid."
"It's okay. I like the way you smell too," Eleanore said, causing them both to blush. "We better stop with all this blushing, or we won't have enough blood left in our bodies, because all of it will be in our faces." She laughed.
"I know something else that we could do to keep our blood pumping," Gina said, turning to face Eleanore. Before she could answer, Eleanore pulled Gina in for a deep and passionate kiss, their bodies falling over together, Eleanore pulling Gina on top of her as she tucked them both in under the blanket.
A few hours later, Eleanore threw the last of the wood onto the fire and settled back down next to Gina, wrapping the woman in her arms.
"Do you have to leave?" Gina asked, knowing it was late.
"I don't have to if you don't want me to," Eleanore said, kissing the top of Gina's head softly.
"I don't want you to leave." Gina smiled, looking up at Eleanore.
"Then I won't," Eleanore said, yawning loudly.
"Can I ask you something?" Gina asked after a few minutes.
"Of course," Eleanore said, her eyes beginning to close.
"Are you happy?" Gina asked.
"Right now, I'm the happiest I can remember ever being." Eleanore smiled, her eyes fluttering open, being met with Gina's smiling face gazing up at her.
"You?"
"Me too," Gina said. Eleanore's eyes started to close once again when Gina shifted slightly, to get a better look at the woman whose arms were around her. "But I mean in general, are you happy?"
"Sure…I guess…" Eleanore said. But her voice said otherwise.
"You don't sound too convincing," Gina said.
"It's just that…I…" Eleanore started to say, trying to find an excuse. "The truth is…no, I'm not. Not really." She sighed deeply. "I mean, I love my friends…Ruby, and I guess Ana as well. I love them…and I love my job. Well, I love that my job allows me to be out in the ocean. But Killian…"
"The man you live with?"
"Yeah…" Eleanore said, taking a deep breath. "He can be such an asshole sometimes."
"Sometimes?" Gina asked, calling Eleanore out on her lie.
"Okay…most of the time."
"Why do you allow him to act like that?"
"There's no changing Killian," Eleanore said sadly.
"Then why not leave him? Surely you could find somewhere else to live."
"I know. It's just that…he found me, you know. If it wasn't for him, who knows how long I would have been laying there. And he says we were together before I forgot everything. I don't know. I feel like I owe him…" Eleanore said.
"Eleanore…" Gina started to say, only to be interrupted by Eleanore.
"I don't really want to talk about him, if that's okay," she said, her voice sounding very sad.
"Of course." Gina paused for a second. "Thank you…for doing all this," Gina said, motioning slightly at the cave with her head.
"You're so welcome," Eleanore said, tightening her hold on Gina, settling deeper into their makeshift bed. "I couldn't have you freezing to death again," she added, a lighthearted chuckle escaping her lips.
The fire began to die down and within a few minutes, Gina could tell that Eleanore had fallen asleep.
Eleanore woke up a few hours later, her body instantly missing the woman who was previously curled up against her. She looked around and found her hoodie and sweatpants carefully folded next to her, and Gina's ratty clothes missing. She looked out in time to see Gina walking toward the water naked, her clothes tucked under her arm once again. She walked into the water, as if forcing herself to leave this time, diving under the water as soon as the water was up to her waist. A moment later, her head popped up again, and she turned toward the cave where she thought Eleanore was still sleeping. Laying perfectly still, Eleanore continued to watch as Gina watched her sleep for a few minutes longer before disappearing under the water one last time. And once again, Eleanore saw the mysterious purple tail kick up before sliding gracefully behind Gina. Eleanore smiled.