5. (️️sms) When I said I needed pussy, that wasn't an invitation for you to get me a cat.
The morning birds sing from their perches. Outside, Albert Square is beginning to stir into life. But, inside, tucked up warm with Eve, Suki is quite happy to keep the world at bay for just a little longer.
Who would ever have thought it? Certainly not her. She's never been one for languishing in bed for longer than necessary; slow, lazy mornings were the sign of indolent people who weren't interested in bettering their situations. Sun, rain, or snow, Suki would have dragged the kids from the recesses of their beds and put them to work. Idle hands, idle minds. Even as adults, when they had constantly complained that they could do what they wanted, she had laid down the law.
And then Eve had happened. Happy-go-lucky, never without a smile, too laid back to really care about such a little concern as being late for work.
She is a bad influence.
Suki stretches now, rolling on to her other side so that she's facing her lover instead. Eve's still fast asleep, mouth slightly open, staccato snores escaping every few breaths, hair falling into her face.
She's so beautiful.
When she'd been with Nish, Suki hadn't been able to wait for the moment when she could escape his clutches.
With Eve, languishing in bed now feels like luxuriating. Oh, she knows she's a hypocrite of the highest order, but what's new there? She'll take the slating with an imperious mask if it means she can spend ten minutes longer in bed with the woman she loves.
She reaches out with tender fingers to brush that rogue strand of hair out of her lover's face, unable to stop her fingertips from lingering over the definition of her jaw. Eve twitches, eyelids fluttering. Suki knows she ought to pull back, but she can't stop herself. A sleepy grin touches corners of Eve's mouth.
"You've gone soft," she rasps.
"I know," Suki whispers, moving closer so the tips of their noses brush. "Don't tell anyone else."
"Mmm, I won't. It can be our little secret. That's one I don't mind keeping."
"And we'll have a lifetime of secrets for just the two of us to share."
"That sounds so lovely," Eve murmurs. "What time is it?"
"Time we should be getting up," Suki says reluctantly.
Eve groans. "Seriously? Can we not have ten more minutes?"
Suki glances at the clock, then back at her lover, warm and inviting.
"Ten minutes. No more," she says.
They end up being fifteen. But, with Eve's head on her chest and her arm draped over her waist, Suki can't find it within herself to care.
Breakfast is much more rushed than she likes it to be, but Suki still can't stop smiling when Eve kisses her in the doorway of the Minute Mart and then dashes in the direction of the bap van to start grovelling to Stacey for her tardiness.
Without fail, they arrange to meet at lunch. For years, Suki had never done more than grab a five minute break in the back, knowing that time was money and priding herself on never needing anything more than a quick bite to eat and drink. Now she takes her full hour every day.
Like clockwork, Eve bounds into the shop at just before one. Their eyes meet as Suki finishes serving the customer, and Eve loiters by the fridge, pretending to be interested in the sandwiches. Once they're alone, Suki round the counter and flips the sign to 'closed', moving to greet her properly. Eve beams at her as she wraps her arms around her neck and pulls her into a full-bodied hug. She buries her face into Eve's shoulder, unable to prevent herself from emitting a contented little mewl. There is no embrace on earth more reassuring than Eve's. It never fails to make her feel safe, to feel at peace.
"Hi, babe," Eve murmurs against her; Suki feels the curve of her smile against her hair.
At last, she pulls back, retracting back to the soles of her feet, holding Eve's chin between thumb and forefinger, inspecting her greedily. Eve's smirk widens.
"Do I have something on my face?" she asks innocently.
"Oh, shut up," Suki grumbles, and closes the gap between them to press a kiss to her mouth. Right there in broad daylight, in the middle of her shop. When she pulls back, Eve's eyes are closed, and the smile on her face is blinding.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to that," she sighs.
"Good," says Suki, stepping away to fish the shop keys out of her handbag. "Now, come on, let's go."
They step outside. Suki locks the shop, and then reaches out to take Eve's hand within her own. How surreal it still is, to walk down the street holding hands with the woman she loves, not caring who sees them. Knowing that their neighbours aren't the slightest bit horrified that Suki Panesar, hard-nosed businesswoman, is sleeping with Eve Unwin, disgraced lawyer. That Suki Panesar has come out as a lesbian.
"What do you wanna do for dinner today?" Eve says. "The café?"
Suki considers it for a moment, then shakes her head. "No. I'd rather we have something at home."
Eve raises a teasing eyebrow. "Suki Panesar…"
She smacks her arm lightly. "Get your mind out of the gutter."
"It's not my fault. You shouldn't be so tempting."
Suki rolls her eyes, grinning. She's never had anyone want her for the simple pleasure of wanting her. To Nish, she was never more than a prize. Sex was just another way to own her. To remind her who she belonged to. There was no pleasure in it for her; he didn't care about that, assumed that his pleasure was hers too.
With Eve, things couldn't be further from that. Everything Eve does is with her pleasure in mind. And there is a sense of belonging, but it's not possessive and cloying. No, it's its purest form, the knowledge that in this world which is oftentimes chaotic and cruel, they will always have a secure home in each other, that no matter what happens, Eve will always be there to support her and hold her up. They are equals in all things. They belong to each other. They belong together.
"Actually, I have a message for you," Eve says, swinging their joined hands slightly between them as they go. "Stacey's asked me to pass on an invitation from Denise."
Suki raises an eyebrow. "I'm surprised Stacey wants me to be included at all."
Eve laughs. "She's not that bad, you know. And you're not at each other's throats all the time these days, are you?"
"No," she admits slowly. "But I was always under the impression that she just tolerates me for your sake."
"You'd probably both say that you're only civil for my sake," Eve teases. "But she has a lot of respect for you really. And I guess Christmas gave you a bond that I will never understand. And as messed up as that whole thing was, that's a good thing, right? You've got so many people who love you and want to support you."
Sometimes, Suki still finds it difficult to draw the distinction between Nish's jealous possessiveness and Eve's genuine encouragement for her to go out there and make her own relationships, be her own person. There's still so much to learn, being in a relationship that is healthy, with someone who sees her as an equal.
"Where are we going, then?" she says.
Eve grins. "Oh, I'm not invited. It's for the special six only. I think Denise just wants to go to the Vic for a few drinks with Linda."
There's no reproval in her tone. If that had been Nish, he would have raged about not being invited, insisted that she not go and stay at home with him. Or, more likely, would never have passed the invitation on in the first place, and gone to great lengths to keep her isolated from anyone who might have wanted to be her friend.
"Are you sure you'd be okay if I went?"
"Suki, you don't have to worry. Of course I'm okay with it! I want you to be able to go out, have a laugh, enjoy yourself!"
Suki smiles affectionately, but before she can open her mouth to reply, Eve stops short. Suki clips the back of her heel, and would have gone sprawling down to the hard floor if not for Eve's strong hand in hers. She mutters an expletive in Punjabi.
"Eve!" she admonishes. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Our friend is back!" her lover coos.
Their friend…? Confused, she follows Eve's gaze, and groans.
Not a friend. Just the lanky stray cat that appears to have made Albert Square its home. A bit matted, probably riddled with fleas.
Eve doesn't seem to care. She's already pulled away from her grip and is crouching in front of this pathetic little creature. It mews pitifully.
"I've got something for you, mate," Eve soothes, and produces chunks of meat from her hoodie's pocket.
Suki scrunches her nose. "So now you're just carrying sausage around in your pockets?"
"Well, yeah. It was only waste that Stace was gonna throw out, she won't mind."
"You do realise that cats shouldn't eat sausage? It's not good for them."
"I think the poor mite will take anything right now over going hungry, and a little bit won't hurt. Plus I didn't think you'd approve of me leaving cat food outside your front door."
"I'd approve even less if I found its dead body because you'd clogged its arteries with fat content it can't break down."
Eve gives her that grin, the one that's wide and cheesy and entirely too charming. "So if I fetch it some cat food you'd be okay with that?"
"I never said that." She tugs Eve back up again. "Now are you coming inside for something to eat before we have to get back to work, or what?"
"Yeah, I'm coming," Eve mutters reluctantly. She gives the cat one last pat on the head, and they leave it meowing plaintively.
"Don't start getting attached," Suki scolds, noticing the pout on her lover's face as they make their way into the kitchen. "And you need to stop encouraging it to hang around here."
"Don't you feel sorry for it?"
"Of course I do. That doesn't mean I want to trip over it every time I open the front door. It's got plenty of all the places it can go."
The expression on Eve's face indicates that she disagrees, so Suki cuts off a passionate lawyer's argument at the source by kissing her. By the time she pulls away, all thoughts of the stray seem to have thankfully been chased from her lover's mind.
"So, shall I tell Stace you're in for tonight?" Eve asks when they're sitting together at the table, feasting on stuffed naan.
"Are you sure you're okay with that?"
"Babe, I promise. You don't need my permission to do anything. That's not how you and I work. It's healthy for us to go out and do our own thing. I'll be able to amuse myself no problem."
Suki considers it for a moment, then decides to throw caution to the wind. "If you haven't got any concrete plans and aren't set on going out yourself…you could stay here."
"What?"
"I don't know," Suki says, feeling self-conscious. "Watch some telly or something, help yourself to whatever is in the cupboard. With Vinny being away for the week it's not as if you'll be forced to sit through whatever horrendous gangster movie is on his mind."
"Jean and Harvey won't mind me being at home."
"No, I know…" Suki sighs, slightly embarrassed. "Promise you won't laugh."
"Since when have I ever laughed at you? It's quite annoying, actually, you never do anything that I can take the piss out of you for. So what did you want to say?"
Suki fidgets with her fingers, preferring to keep her gaze locked onto her hands than risk seeing amusement in Eve's face. "I know we're not living together yet and it's not even something we've discussed…I just like the idea of coming home tonight to find you here."
There's silence in the aftermath. It's excruciating. Suki still can't bear to look up.
At last, Eve clears her throat. "Well." Her tone is inscrutable.
Suki rushes to fill that silence. She's never been one for inane chatter, for speaking for the sake of it; she'd rather choose her words carefully for maximum impact. But Eve makes her a different person. Stronger. Softer. More apt to romance and idealism, things she would have sneered at before. "Obviously if you'd rather not, I'd understand. And it's not a big deal."
"You really are the sappiest, most romantic woman on the whole of the square, aren't you?" Eve interrupts.
"I wouldn't go that far," Suki grumbles, feeling her cheeks heating. "It was just a thought, that's all."
"Come on, admit it, you've thought about it a lot, haven't you?"
"I'm not saying anything. I know what you lawyer-types are like."
"If you say so. But I'm not too proud to admit that I have dreamt about something like that."
"Really?" Suki raises an eyebrow. Some of the embarrassment leeches out of her.
Eve gives her that radiant, slightly lopsided smile, the one that's always filled with such hope and positivity, the one that makes Suki believe that anything is possible.
"Yeah," she says. "I mean, not to scare you off or anything, but I like to imagine a time in the future when we're living together. You know, sharing a space every single day, falling in love with you more with every moment that passes."
"Me shouting at you to pick up after yourself."
Eve chuckles. "But of course. A place where we'll have lovers' tiffs, and so much love we won't know what to do with it. A physical place call home alongside the certainty that home is wherever you are."
"And you say I'm the romantic sap."
"I've always been a hopeless romantic. It's the reason I could never quite give up on us even though it would have been the sensible thing to do."
"I'm glad you never did give up," Suki says quietly. All of those months of agonising heartbreak, the feelings of lonely helplessness, of drowning in plain sight, all of it had been worth it for the moment she had taken Eve into her arms and known that they would never, ever be parted again.
Eve reaches out, squeezing her hand. "I've never been known for making sensible choices. Hence my many brushes with the law. But this, us…This is the best choice I have ever made, whatever anyone else might have thought at the time."
"Stacey, for one."
"She was only looking out for me. And she didn't know the version of you that I did."
And there are parts of her that no one else in the world will ever be privy to. Because that's what real love and intimacy is, isn't it? Those hidden facets that are known only to the partner who stands by through it all.
"So you'll be here tonight?" she asks, warmth infusing her bloodstream at Eve's face. She's got a smidge of yoghurt at the corner of her mouth.
"You need to ask me properly," Eve teases. "Otherwise I won't answer you."
"Next you'll be saying you want me down on one knee."
"Bit soon for that, I think. Maybe save that for a bit later."
For a moment, they stare at each other. The air is thick with promises and possibilities. A future where she has a wife, not a husband.
Something to file away and examine later, when she has more time. She clears her throat now, adopts her most solemn voice. "Eve Unwin, will you spend the evening here so I can come home to you tonight?"
Eve gasps, placing a hand over her heart. "Yes! A thousand times yes!"
"Idiot," Suki murmurs affectionately.
"Hey, you went along with it, so what does that make you?"
Suki looks at her, sitting there at her kitchen table, the love of her life, her soulmate, the one person she wants to spend the rest of her life with.
"I suppose that makes me an idiot in love," she says, and Eve's smile is blinding.
The rest of the day passes quickly, and before she knows it, Suki is making her way back home. She tuts when she sees the stray cat still loitering around her front door. It turns to look at her with huge eyes, on high alert, but it doesn't flee.
Suki steps over it, blocking it from racing into the house with the toe of her boot. "No, you're to stay out there."
It cries, and, relenting with a sigh, she gives it a quick scritch behind the ears before closing the door on it. She is not heartless; it does tug on her heartstrings to see it roaming around alone, but she has to be realistic. Pets have never been her thing.
She drops her things and heads upstairs to shower, texting Eve to let her know that she's left the door unlocked for her. Eve responds with a thumbs up and kissing face, and the warmth of it stays with her during her washing routine.
Eve's still not arrived by the time she's finished showering, so she heads to the bedroom to select something to wear. She's debating between two when she hears the front door open.
"Only me!" Eve calls.
"I'm upstairs."
"I'll be with you in a minute!"
There's the sound of Converse being kicked off and a jacket being unzipped, before the sound of footsteps.
Suki turns back to contemplating her choices before selecting the blue. She has an affinity with it, and Eve always appreciates it on her.
"Wow, babe. It's official. I am going to be the envy of every lesbian in London."
Suki turns away from the mirror, where she had been fussing with her hair, to find Eve leaning casually in the doorway, a tender smile upon her face which makes Suki's heart skip a beat. It's been almost nine months since she spoke her truth and the explosive aftermath threatened to tear everything apart, but she doesn't think she'll ever get used to being looked at like that. As a whole, multi-faceted human being with quirks and flaws that delight her lover anyway, and not as a piece of property to be posed and paraded on demand.
Eve crosses the threshold, sidling up behind her. She slides her hands over her hips, pulling her snug against her front, brushing her hair aside so she can run kisses over her neck.
Suki squirms against the sensation, closing her eyes to better focus on the sensation. It gets her every time. It just feels so good.
"You'll make me smell like bacon fat," she murmurs.
Eve laughs against her skin. "Just what every woman wants to smell like."
"I'm serious, I've just showered."
"There's nothing stopping you pulling away," she murmurs, teeth grazing the edge of her shoulder. Despite herself, Suki can't help tilting her head to the side to give Eve better access. She'd never known her neck was so sensitive until she had felt Eve's lips upon it, and now it's a weakness that she simply can't hide.
After a moment, however, Eve does pull away, smirking at her through the mirror.
"I'll take pity on you," she says. "If I don't stop I know you won't make it out the front door, and that's not fair."
"Oh, please," Suki scoffs. "I have more self-restraint than that."
"Remember the time we were supposed to meet Stace in the Vic for drinks?"
"Fine, one time—"
"Or that time we had reservations at that fancy place in town? Or when poor Vinny spent all evening waiting for us in Walford East? Or—"
"Okay, okay, you win! Now shut it!"
"Hang on, I think I just went deaf. I think you need to repeat that for me."
"Never in a million years."
Eve laughs, tender and effervescent. "God, I fall in love with you more every single day."
Suki turns, brushing Eve's hair behind her ear with tender fingers, whispers her secret in Punjabi. "I feel that in my very soul, my love."
Eve leans in, kisses her with such softness that Suki almost melts. She closes her eyes, loses herself to it. Tears gather beneath her closed lids. Every so often it hits her all over again, that they made it. That they won. That they have the rest of their lives to spend together without Nish darkening her doorstep ever again.
The kiss comes to a natural end; Eve pulls back and rests their foreheads together. Suki relishes the soft, warm breath on her face, the delicacy of her lover's thumb against her lower lip.
Then Eve gently disentangles herself, heading for the shower to wash the smell of bacon from her skin, and Suki marvels at just how lucky she is to have the life that she wants.
By the time Suki needs to leave, Eve has showered and changed into comfortable, baggy clothes. Suki loves this look on her. There's something about it that's just so homely. She's curled up on the sofa when Suki pops her head around the door to say goodbye.
"Have a good time," Eve says.
"I will. I'll see you later. Help yourself to whatever you want."
Eve smirks. "I'm not a babysitter. You don't need to express your gratitude."
Suki feels her cheeks heating. "No, that's not—" She takes a deep breath, steadying herself. Sometimes she still finds it difficult to express all of the feelings she has. "What I mean is, I don't want you to ever feel uncomfortable here on your own. Like you don't belong or something. Because you do, Eve. You live in every corner of this house. And one day…" She tails off, slightly embarrassed by the wave of emotion she feels inside herself, but pushes through anyway. "One day we will share the same space every single day for the rest of our lives. I want you to feel comfortable with that."
"Suki Panesar, are you asking me to move in with you?" Eve teases.
"Eve…"
"I'm joking, I'm joking!" Eve holds her hands up. "Seriously, go and have a great time. I can amuse myself, and I'll be here to tuck you into bed when you come home drunk."
"That's not happening."
"You say that now, but look at the company you're keeping. Kathy ends up under the table every time, and the others won't be far behind."
"You'll see. Right, I'd better be off before I'm late. I love you."
"Love you too. I'll get the sick bowl ready."
"Eve!"
She scowls as Eve collapses into fits of laughter at her own wit; if she had a pillow to hand, she'd launch it in her direction. As it is, she has to make do with glowering for a moment before finally heading out into the cool autumn air. Her mood is further compounded by the sight of the cat sitting on one of the posts at the end of the pathway.
"Seriously, I've told you to scram," she mutters irritably at it as she passes.
It takes no notice, only mews in farewell.
Some of her irascibility lifts when she spies Stacy waiting outside the Vic for her.
"There you are!" she exclaims. "I was starting to think you'd stood us up for a bit of nooky with my wife."
"Don't you start," Suki says grumpily, yanking open the pub's door.
Stacey smirks, following her inside. "I take it Eve's been ribbing you over that? Well, she ain't wrong."
Suki decides to do the dignified thing, which is ignore the bait. She spies the other women, waving them over frantically from the other side of the pub. It looks like they're already down one bottle of wine.
"Where have you been?" Denise exclaims, shifting to make room for them.
"Sorry," Suki says, pre-emptively cutting off any leery explanation Stacey might want to give.
"You've got some catching up to do!" Kathy says. She already seems well on her way.
"That won't be a problem!" Stacey says cheerfully, accepting the glass of wine that Sharon offers and taking a hefty gulp. Linda passes another along to Suki. She takes a much more conservative sip.
"Cheers, ladies!" Denise proclaims, and as one they hold up their glasses and echo the word, and it's another thing Suki marvels at, something so simple and presumed: that she has friends now, and a real sense of belonging for the first time in her life.
It's a wonderful evening. They sit around, getting progressively louder as the night continues and the wine bottles empty. The other women complain about the men in their lives, lament without filter that they can't be gay too.
"I should've taken Eve when I could!" Stacey mourns drunkenly. "She's literally the best spouse I've ever had! But it's too late now because she's head over heels in love with Suki."
"Maybe we'd have a chance luring Suki away?" Denise says.
"You'd have to fight me for her," Kathy advises.
"Oh, don't worry, I would!"
"I am still here, you know," Suki reminds them, half-amused, half-exasperated. She's not nearly as drunk as the rest of them; there's a warm hue at the edge of her vision, but she was sensible to temper her brandies with several sparkling waters.
"It would be pointless, anyway," Stacey advises them, swaying slightly in her seat. "They're disgustingly in love with each other, y'know, don't have eyes for anyone else. They're constantly texting each other the soppiest shit. It's a health hazard around the van, lemme tell ya. It makes me wanna be sick!"
The others fall about laughing. Suki rolls her eyes, standing. "Right, that's it, I'm nipping to the loo."
"Get the next round in while you're up, yeah?" says Sharon. "Elaine will give you a carry over."
"She'll want to join us," Linda warns. "I'll have another orange juice, Suki, thanks."
The others bombard her with their orders too, and Suki roots through her bag for her card.
"Put my phone back for me," she tells Stacey, and, shoving her card in her pocket, heads for the bathroom.
She gives herself a cursory glance in the mirror as she washes her hands. Her cheeks feel warm from the heat and the alcohol, and wisps of hair are starting to come loose. She looks…happy. Just an ordinary woman enjoying time with her friends, secure in the knowledge that she has a loving partner waiting for her at home. So many people take those things for granted. She never, ever will, not after what she went through to get her happy ending.
Making her way back to the table after a detour to the bar, she notices the way that the other women whisper hurriedly between themselves before turning to her with smiles far too innocent to be believable.
"Okay, what's going on?" she asks suspiciously, lowering the heavy tray to the tabletop.
"Nothing!" Stacey says brightly, snatching up her wine.
Suki raises an eyebrow, looking to Linda for confirmation. She is the only sober one left, and will have full clarity. But, suspiciously, Linda avoids her eye, pink-cheeked.
Or maybe she's just being paranoid. She spent so much of her life thinking the worst of others, placing herself so high above them. Putting them down before they could do it to her, alienating them before there was even a chance of them catching a glimpse of her vulnerable underbelly.
So she puts it to the back of her mind. Joins in with teasing Kathy over her eager new suitor, shares a more sombre moment with Linda over their children. They don't move until Elaine rings the bell for last orders, and Martin comes into the pub to escort Stacey home.
"Aww, what are you doing 'ere?" Stacey coos, stumbling to her feet.
He gives her a patient, affectionate grin. "I thought you might need a bit of help. Doesn't look like you're the only one, either. Come on, ladies, I'll make sure you all get home safe."
"Aww, ain't he one in a million?" Denise gushes, wobbling as she gets to her feet.
"Yeah, he's orite," says Stacey, leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek and almost toppling over as she loses her balance on her tiptoes. Martin catches her before she can cause herself a mischief.
"Oh, if I was twenty years younger," Denise says wistfully, knocking back the last dregs of her wine.
"Don't think that's stopped any of us before, has it?" sniggers Sharon.
"Oi, you lot can keep your hands to yourselves," says Stacey. "Martin's all mine!"
"We'd be perfectly respectable," Denise protests.
You lot don't know what respectable is! Absolutely filthy, the lot of ya! The only one I trust around Martin right now is Suki, and that's because I know she can't keep her hands off my wife!"
The women collapse into giggles again.
"I don't think you've ever been this popular," Linda says dryly.
Martin's lips twitch. "And probably won't be ever again. Don't worry, I'll have my fun with them tomorrow when they've sobered up enough to be mortified."
"We'll be joining you," Suki smirks, gesturing to herself and Linda. After all, a bit of payback never hurts, and she's never been one to pass up the opportunity to get that retaliation, light-hearted or otherwise.
At last, Martin manages to herd them through the door. The sting of the wind feels good on Suki's cheeks after the cloying heat of the pub.
"Will you be all right getting home?" Martin asks her. "I could phone Eve to fetch you."
Suki laughs. "No, I'm not drunk. I can manage fine." Poor Martin already has his hands full trying to keep Kathy propped up on one arm whilst Denise clings to the other. Stacey has decided that the only logical thing for her to do is cling to his back like a koala. Sharon has already tottered off down the street like lost sheep. The last thing Martin needs is more responsibility.
"Are you sure?" he queries. "Eve would have me bits chopped off if anything happened to you."
"I can see my house from here. Just get the others home safe, yeah?"
"Okay," Martin agrees reluctantly. Suki leaves him with one last smile, treading the familiar path to her home. The shrieks and shrill laughter of her drunk friends accompany her anyway. They'll wake the entire square at this rate.
The house is in darkness when she arrives. She lets herself in, slipping off her heels. Flashing light comes from the living room. She tiptoes forward.
Eve is sprawled the length of the sofa, covered by Suki's thick blanket. The TV hums lowly in the background, splashing the room with saturated light. It's plain that Eve is sound asleep.
And tears burn behind Suki's eyes. It's the first time she's ever come home to have Eve waiting for her. How can she explain that she wants this for the rest of her life?
A part of her wonders if she should leave Eve where she is. She looks so peaceful, and she should be warm enough with the blanket.
But the selfish part of her wants Eve in bed beside her. To hold her, or be held, she never minds which. Just as long as she has the security of her warm presence beside her.
"Eve?" she murmurs. "Love, I'm home."
At the sound of her voice, Eve stirs, blinking open sleepy eyes. "Suki?"
"Yeah, it's me."
The haze of sleep seems to disappear in a moment; to her surprise, her lover seems…wary?
The confusion only deepens when Eve asks, "So, on a scale of one to ten, how drunk are you?"
Suki lifts her eyebrow. "I wasn't aware I was being monitored."
Eve rolls her eyes. "You know I'm not. Just…humour me?"
Suki gives her a suspicious look, then pauses to consider. "Maybe a three or four. Five at the absolute most."
Eve gives her a strange look.
"What?"
"Nothing. I just assumed you'd be drunker."
"I told you I wouldn't be."
"But…" She shakes her head. "Okay, on the same scale, how angry are you with me?"
That takes her by surprise. "Why on earth would I be angry with you?"
Eve furrows her brow, as if she can't quite work out whether Suki is toying with her or not. "Because—"
Before she can say anything else, a lump under the blanket starts to move. Suki jumps back, a little startled…and then is greeted by a black mass popping out from the warm cocoon it had found itself in.
A mass shaped distinctly like a cat.
And suddenly everything makes sense.
"Eve," she says lowly, dangerously, as her lover sits up with a condemned look on her face, "what is that?"
"It's the cat," she says.
"And what the hell is it doing here?"
Eve frowns. "Is this some sort of weird test? I brought him inside. He was crying. You knew that he was here."
"I did not!" Suki says.
"Yes, you did!" Eve argues. "I texted you!"
This wrongfoots her. "Excuse me?"
"Earlier! When you were texting me…you know…things!" Eve's cheeks have gone pink.
"I haven't texted you all evening," Suki refutes, nonplussed.
"Well, you seemed pretty drunk…"
"Eve, do I seriously seem drunk to you now?"
"Well, no," she admits. The cat clambers up her chest, putting its head against her chin. She pets it almost absent-mindedly as she shifts into a sitting position.
Suki digs her phone out of her bag, swiping it open, finding her messages. There. Last message sent to her lover yesterday at four minutes past five.
Okay, love. Xxx
A response to Eve letting her know that she was running a few minutes late from the van. She steps further into the room, showing Eve her evidence. "There, see."
But Eve reaches for her own phone, handing it over as the cat continues to crawl over her. Frowning, Suki unlocks it and finds the corresponding messages.
There are texts from this evening.
Texts she definitely hadn't sent.
She reads them. The spelling isn't great.
Miingnd you, bayu Xxxx
…Is that supposed to be 'Baby'? Never thought I'd see the day. You must be drunk! Hope you're having a lovely time. Xx
You get mme so hot Xxxx I qnanna do all those lesbvian things to you xxxx
Yeah, you're gonna have to save that for tomorrow, love. x
I don't wana! Wanna bury mu face in you, mmm , it's sooo good xx
This horrifying declaration is followed by a gif of a dancing cat.
She can read Eve's dry tone even through the written word.
Sexy.
A moment's pause, then a follow up.
Now that we're on the subject of cats...
D9n;t wanna talk about cats. Nless it's your vsat temple
This went uncommented on.
Promise me you won't be mad.
Md ht for uou, nbaby xxx you makw me so hory xx
I'm afraid you're gonna have to be until you sober up, my darling. X
Anyway…
The next message is a picture. Of Eve, guilty grin firmly in place, clutching the cat in the hand that wasn't taking the photograph.
I'm sorry, I know I should have asked you first, with it being your house, but I just felt so sorry for him. And yes, he's a little boy. xx
Then, the most horrifying response of all.
When I szid I neeced pusy, that wasn't an invitation for you tegfet me a cat
Suki Panesar! Wow! NOT something I ever thought I'd see you say.
She sees that no response comes from her phone, so a flurry of messages from Eve follows.
Suki, are you mad?
I am sorry, really.
I just couldn't leave him out there alone any longer. He was so sad and pathetic, and he's really sweet.
I know I've messed up, but he's just looking for love.
Okay, I suppose we'll talk about it when you get home. I do love you. Xxxx
"I don't understand," says Eve.
But realisation has dawned on Suki. "Stacey."
"What?"
"I asked Stacey to put my phone away while I went to the loo. I thought they were all acting very shifty when I came back, but I told myself I was being paranoid. Stacey and the others must have been texting you. Their drunken idea of a joke, I imagine."
"Whew. Good job I didn't indulge in some old-fashioned sexting then! I did think some of your—ah—word choices were a bit out of character, and that you were a bit off your game."
"They must have panicked when they saw the picture, deleted the evidence, and pretended to know nothing."
"Got to love drunken logic. I suppose it never occurred to them that you'd find out because I also have the evidence."
"Being smart is never a drunk person's forte. Mind you, you're sober and you continually make stupid decisions."
Eve winces. "So you're mad?"
"Furious. Put it back outside, Eve."
"I told you, he's a boy. He's got the goods back there. And look at his cheeks. He's unneutered."
"Boy, girl, whatever. He doesn't belong here. He's probably riddled with fleas, and you've had him all over the sofa!"
"He isn't!" Eve protests. "I've had a look through his fur."
"They can be easy to miss. I swear to God, if I end up with an infestation—!"
Eve stands, hitching the cat up into her arms. He seems far too content there; there's the low rumble of purring. "He's clean, I promise. But I know you've been wavering! I saw you stroking him the other day. I just…sped up the process."
Eve's nerve is breathtaking sometimes. She's certainly not been wavering.
"You let him in the moment I left, didn't you?" Suki folds her arms over her chest. She refuses to be swayed by the pitiful expression on her lover's face.
"Not the minute you left, no!" Eve protests. "But I ordered a takeaway and he was hanging around when I answered the door, and I couldn't just leave him there." She pauses, then adds a bit shame-faced, "So after I'd eaten, I went and got him some cat food. He was starving!"
"Eve!"
"I know, I know, I'm sorry! But I can't help it, I've always had a soft spot for the downtrodden. And he's got no one, a lonely soul. He reminds me of me from before I met you."
"You are not using your own past to tug on my heartstrings."
Eve grins at her, relaxing slightly. "Well, you know me. Can't resist the chance to stretch my legal muscles."
"And why didn't you take it to yours?"
"Him. And I would have taken him to ours, but there is a clear clause in our tenancy agreement that prohibits pets on the property, and I'm not foolish enough to break that. My landlady is a real stickler for the terms of our lease."
She's always got an answer for everything. It's as infuriating as it is sexy at times. Suki raises an eyebrow. "Well, you can put him back outside now."
"You don't mean that," Eve says, outraged.
"Oh, I do. I bet he's got cat hair all over my blanket."
Eve moves closer, holding the cat up in front of her as if she's presenting a token to a deity. "I know you've got a soft heart beneath that stone exterior. Just look at his little face. Don't kick him out."
"He's going to need the toilet at some point!"
Eve looks shifty. "Well…I may already have sorted something out for him…"
Suki stares. "You're joking. You've got to be."
"I didn't want him going on your floor, did I?"
"You've practically moved him in."
"Well, technically, it's only been for a few hours, just to give him some respite. But I am sorry, Suki. Really. I know I should have asked first. I just…he breaks my heart."
The cat rubs his head against Eve's chin once more, as if to cement her point.
Suki sighs, relenting just slightly. "I'm still cross with you. But I don't want you to apologise for having a kind heart. It's one of the reasons why I love you so much. Your warmth and kindness is one of the most beautiful things about you. And you're the one who taught me that love is about seeing the flaws as well as the good and loving each part anyway."
Eve cracks a tentative grin. "Okay, I think that's the drink talking."
"And yet you constantly tease me about being trapped in the wrong century."
"Love, you still write letters. That's the definition of quaint."
"It's an art form that should never have died out."
"And I treasure each note you leave me. I've kept every single one."
"Sap."
"Says the woman who writes them."
They grin at each other, a silent forgiveness. Suki nods towards the stairs. "Right, I'm going to get into something comfortable. I'll allow the cat to stay for one night, and one night only. But I draw the line at letting him into the bedroom."
"I can live with that. Our bedroom is reserved for lesbians only."
Suki rolls her eyes, just about managing to hide her amusement. "Just come on, before I change my mind and relegate you to the sofa for bringing the fur ball into my home."
Eve winces, placing him gently on the sofa. "I'm in the bad books, mate. I'm not gonna risk missing out on the chance to snuggle with my girl."
"You'll be lucky if you get that. I shall demonstrate my displeasure by putting a pillow wall down the middle of the bed."
Eve walks towards her. "Is this our first fight as a proper couple?"
"I think it might be." Suki's lips twitch.
"So we have the making up part to look forward to when you decide to forgive me?"
"Play your cards right."
"Yes, boss."
And with that, Suki relents, letting Eve take her into her arms. She could never stay irritated at her lover for too long. She's too charming, with that toothy grin and Labrador energy. And she knows it too, takes full advantage of Suki's weakness for that soft, warm persona.
Eve launches herself onto the bed and watches with great interest as Suki goes through her nightly routine. Suki enjoys the effect she has on her lover, the reverent disbelief that still emanates from Eve over the fact that they're really here together, building the life that they'd both longed for for so long.
When she's done, she crawls into bed beside her, and Eve switches off the lamp, plunging them into darkness.
"So," says Eve, "are you still gonna build that pillow wall between us?"
"Maybe," says Suki. "Unless you can convince me otherwise."
Eve rushes to take the invitation at once, shuffling across the mattress and pulling Suki into her arms. Suki smiles, closing her eyes, relishing the press of Eve's body behind her, those strong arms, the soft swell of her breasts, the firm press of her thigh. Predictably, Eve buries her face in Suki's pillow, always eager to be as close as possible, as if she fears she will one day wake up to find it was nothing but a dream. Suki links their fingers together, the one reassurance she can give her, and gently drifts off to sleep listening to the steady cadence of her lover's breathing.
The next morning finds them strolling hand in hand in the direction of the bap van. The cat is back outside after a hearty breakfast, which Suki conceded to letting Eve give him, on the condition that she returned after work to clear out the mess of short-lived paraphernalia.
"There she is!" Eve calls as they approach. "My darling wife!"
Stacey winces. "Keep your voice down, will you? My head is ringing."
"I'm surprised to find you here at all."
"You're lucky I am. One whiff of the bacon had me hurling into the council bins over there."
"Not sure how thrilled the health and safety inspector would be to hear that. But it's no less than what you deserve, in my opinion."
"Oh, please don't start. We were drunk."
"I just hope your sexting isn't as bad when it comes to your own love life," Eve grins. "I mean, really, 'I want to do all those lesbian things to you?' That's the worst come-on I've ever heard in my life."
"I'm insulted that you thought my dirty talk game would be so woeful," Suki adds mischievously.
"Well, we don't know what kinky things you like to get up to in your spare time!" Stacey protests. "Besides, Eve seemed to buy it!"
"I did not!" she protests. "I was more preoccupied with what Suki might say about the cat. By the way, for future imitation reference, Suki would never say 'baby' or 'pussy. She's more of a—"
"All right, that's enough out of you." Suki elbows her in the ribs, eliciting a grunt. "You're still on very thin ice yourself."
Stacey smirks. "So where did your little roommate go?"
"Back into the wild, where he belongs." Suki lifts their joined hands so she can check Eve's watch. "Right, I'll be late opening up if I don't go now. I'll see you at lunch, Eve."
"Already counting down the minutes, babe."
Grinning, Suki takes Eve's face between the palms of her hands and leaves her with a lingering, chaste kiss.
"Hey, no PDA around the van, please, it'll put off the punters!" Stacey mocks. "And the health and safety inspector won't thank you if I end up hurling at this disgusting sickly-sweetness."
With one swift movement, Eve reaches out to shove the thankfully empty counter in and pull the van's shutter down, unceremoniously bringing Stacey's third-wheeling to an end, though her muffled expletives provide a rather colourful backdrop.
"Now that our audience is gone, give me one more kiss and I'll let you go."
"Oh, you'll 'let' me, will you?"
"Mmmhmm. Did you not read the small print on our relationship? You're required to give your girlfriend a proper parting kiss every day."
"Should have read the terms more carefully."
"I'm surprised at you, savvy businesswoman and all that. Unless you secretly find the terms very agreeable."
"Dream on."
And with that, Suki checks their surroundings to ensure the market is still deserted, tugs her closer, and gives her girlfriend a much more thorough, satisfactory goodbye. She pulls away before Eve can fully regain her faculties, and leaves her with an extra spring in her step and the imprint of Eve's smile tingling against her mouth.
They meet at the café for lunch, both taking immense glee from Kathy's sheepish face. It's the best service Suki's ever had there—and on the house, too, because Kathy is eager to show her contriteness over the texting mishap.
"I don't know what came over me, really," she says as she hands them their meals.
"The bottles of wine and a whole lot of bad influence," Suki says dryly. "It's fine, Kathy, really. No harm done."
"Apart from revealing that you're all really bad at sexting," snickers Eve.
Kathy flushes. "Well, I don't know what you text each other, do I!?"
"Not the phrase 'lesbian things' for starters."
"All right, all right, I get it. God, I wish we'd listened to Linda. She said it was a bad idea."
"I'm not surprised, given that she was the only sober one there," Eve winks.
"No harm done," Suki reassures her, kicking Eve's shin beneath the line of the table. "Though I expect you all to buy me a round the next time we go out."
"Deal," says Kathy, then is called away by another customer.
"You're a menace," says Suki, reaching for her cup of tea.
"Come on, they've made it so easy. I'm surprised by Denise, actually. She strikes me as a woman with a bit of panache about her, I thought a bit of sexy flirting would be a piece of cake to her."
"Oi. I am still here."
"Nowt wrong with a bit of window shopping. I know exactly where my heart lies, and that's never wavering away from you. But I do have eyes. Denise is bang on hot. Don't pretend you haven't noticed."
After a moment, Suki relents. "She is gorgeous." Even now, she still forgets that she can find women openly attractive, that she can acknowledge that. Eve's so enthusiastic about her embracing her gay, as she so eloquently dubs it. Nish had never realised that it wasn't men that she was drawn to, but she had spent so many years living in fear of what he might do if he misconstrued her glance at another person that it was simply second-nature to suppress all instinctual interest. She knows that she doesn't need to do that with Eve, but it's still sometimes difficult to break the habit.
Eve grins at her now, proud. "There we go. Not that I didn't already know that you had excellent taste in women—you fell for me!"
And Suki laughs, warm and seen, and they enjoy the rest of this golden window in the middle of the day.
Suki leaves the shop in Debbie's hands, making her way home. Eve will be along later, when she's closed the van and popped home for a shower and a change of clothes. They'll enjoy a nice dinner, and then…
She bites her lip, trying to hide a secret smile.
Ferreting in her bag for her keys, she almost trips over the cat as he loiters on the front path. She swears in Punjabi, turning to glower at him. "You are such a nuisance!"
He only stares up at her with big eyes, rubbing himself against her legs. She tuts.
"There's no wonder Eve couldn't resist you, is there?" she mutters. "She's too soft-hearted. But I'm not Eve. My heart is made of stone."
He meows, rubbing his cheek more insistently against her jeans. Scenting her. The absolute gall of it. Disentangling herself, she opens the front door…and the cat darts inside.
"Hey!" she shouts after him as he races through to the kitchen. She drops her bag and hurries after him, finding him waiting patiently by the spot where his dishes had been that morning.
"No," she scolds him. "Come on, out you go."
He flops over, exposing his belly.
"That's not going to work," she tells him forcefully, then rolls her eyes. There are few packets of cat food still left. "Fine. You can have one more meal, and then you're out. Eve's coming to shift all this lot in a bit."
She opens the packet and start shaking it into the dish, trying to avoid dripping any gravy on his head as he shoves his face eagerly into the bowl's contents. Greedy little cretin, she thinks.
Washing her hands, she begins pulling things out for the dinner prep whilst the cat guzzles his spoils. When she turns around to find the rolling pin, however, she realises he's gone. She mutters another expletive, hurrying out of the kitchen. If he's even dared to set one paw upstairs…
But no. She finds him in the sitting room…curled up on her favourite blanket once more.
"Right, that's it!" she says. "I said you could have one more meal. It's time to go."
"Love! I'm here! And look who I found lurking outside!"
Eve's voice interrupts her and, distracted, she turns to find Eve's grinning face in the doorway. Her eyes immediately go to the devil on the sofa, and her grin widens. Suki doesn't like that look.
"I see we already have a guest," she coos.
Suki scowls at her. "You're not funny."
"But you are adorable. The ice queen is melting."
"Ice queen?" It's Avani's voice this time, which takes Suki completely by surprise. Forgetting about the cat, she moves into the hallway to find her two grandchildren kicking off their shoes. Davinder grins at her.
"Hi, Dādī!" he says.
"I found them loitering outside," explains Eve.
"There's no food in the house and Mum and Dad ain't back from work yet," says Avani.
"I said you wouldn't mind if they joined us."
"Of course I don't!" Suki reassures them both quickly. "You know how much I love to see the both of you."
"Right," says Eve, clapping her hands together, "why don't you two make yourself comfortable and I'll help your gran with dinner."
"Okay," says Davinder. He offers Suki a quick hug as he passes, then pauses. "Hey, Dādī! You didn't tell us you got a cat!"
"I don't have a cat," she says grumpily.
Avani shoves her brother out of the way to take a look herself. "Er, what's that, then?"
"He's not staying."
"Well, you ain't kicking him out yet!" declares Avani. "He can entertain us while you cook our dinner!"
The cat sits up, eyeing the newcomers with interest. Suki rolls her eyes. She knows she's outnumbered on this. "He can stay until you've eaten, and then he goes."
"Sweet!" Davinder exclaims, and they descend on him then, petting his ears and scritching his chin. His purrs follow them out of the room. Suki can feel the weight of her lover's smug grin as she trails after her.
"Okay, seriously, what's he doing here?" she laughs. "I thought he was banished forever?"
"He is!" Suki insists. "He ran in before I could stop him."
"Which doesn't explain why he's bedded down on your sofa."
"I fed him one last time. Figured those sachets shouldn't go to waste. I was literally on my way to put him back outside when you interrupted."
"A likely story," murmurs Eve, sidling up and wrapping her arms around her waist.
"It's the truth!" Suki insists, even as she closes her eyes and melts into her lover's touch as she brushes the hair away from her neck and feathers her lips there. It should be illegal for something so simple to feel so good—especially when she's trying to be stern.
"Nah, you've got a soft spot for him really. You're secretly charmed by his persistence."
"I seem to be a magnet for stray mongrels."
Eve's mouth tumbles open. "Wow! Bit beneath the belt!"
Suki only winks at her. "Come and earn your keep by chopping the onions for me."
Dinner is a lovely affair. Suki loves spending time with her grandchildren, and it always bolsters her to see how well they get on with Eve. Most people love her, of course, but Suki knows that things could have been different. They had been shielded from the worst of Nish, and as a result had still very much cared about him when everything fell apart. They could easily have turned against her, especially knowing that she was breaking the family unit for another woman, but she had been met with more kindness and understanding than she had received even from her own children. Davinder in particular had been so tender with her, promising that the only thing that mattered to him was that she was happy, and if Eve was the person who could give her that, then he was glad.
"You will always be my dādī," he'd said to her, and she had hidden her tears of gratitude against the collar of his jacket.
Dinner is lively and engaging, as it always is when the kids are around. Much to Suki's horror, they have decided that they want the cat to stay around.
"He's gonna make me Instagram famous," Avani announces. "Look how many likes he's got already!" She brandishes a picture of the cat with Davinder's chain around his neck.
"He's gonna be famous, not you," says Davinder.
"Nah, this is just the first step, innit? He gets the followers, I show my beautiful face as the person running the account, then I get the followers and wow them all with my awesome life hacks! I'll be the next Alix Earle."
Nothing ever makes Suki feel quite as old as hearing these alien terms being bandied about. From the glance that Eve sends in her direction, she appears to be just as clueless. That, at least, is a comfort.
Her next words are less so.
"Either way, that proper suits him, dun't it?" says Eve, admiring Avani's handiwork. Suki kicks her shin beneath the table, a warning to stop encouraging them.
"I was thinking I could get him some outfits, people love that kind of thing!" says Avani. "And then when they see me, brand offers will come flooding."
"No chance," sniggers Davinder.
"Yeah, well, don't even think of coming begging to me to buy you your newest PlayStation game when I'm earning loads!"
"The cat's not staying," Suki interrupts firmly.
Both of her grandchildren look scandalised.
"Dādī, you can't turn him out," says Davinder. "He's got nowhere else to go."
"I understand that, Davinder. But he can't stay here."
"But he needs a home, Dādī, and he likes it here!"
"And you like taking in poor, homeless things, innit," says Avani, reaching for the basket of bread in the middle of the table. "Me and Nugget ain't even your real grandkids, but you still keep us around even though Dadaji is gone now.
"Of course I do. You're my family."
"But we didn't start that way, did we?" says Davinder. "Right at the beginning I thought Babaji was my real dadaji, and you were just the lady who took me and Dad in. And I was just the son of a friend's son to you."
"You ain't got nothing to tie us to you now," Avani adds. "But you still see us as your grandkids."
Suki opens her mouth to argue, but Eve cuts across her, eyes twinkling. "And when you first met me, you couldn't stand the sight of me. And now I'm your girlfriend."
"For real?" says Davinder. "You couldn't stand her?"
"Oh, mate, you should have seen her! Threw an insult my way every time our paths crossed! But I wore her down eventually."
"How'd you manage that?"
"I'm just charming, aren't I?" Eve winks. "Broke her down with my quick wit. And I've never had anyone who has been able to resist this." She points to her face with a smirk, as if daring Suki to refute. The annoying thing is, she can't. Eve is incredibly attractive, which makes it all the more galling
"Anyway," Avani says pointedly, clearly keen to derail any possible flirting, "It means that Batcat can be part of your family too," says Avani.
"Batcat?"
"Yeah, that's what we're naming him."
"We are not naming him that, says Davinder. "That's lame."
"Like you can talk. I mean, Nugget? Really?"
"Memorable, though."
"So it Batcat!"
The two descend into petty squabbling, and Suki groans, burying her face in her hands. This has moved beyond a joke now. She won't be railroaded into keeping a stray cat by two teenagers and a vexing lover. She's Suki Panesar, ruthless ice queen. It's not going to happen.
As if sensing her thoughts, Eve gently pulls her hands away from her face, tilting her chin with her fingers so they're facing each other.
"Accept that you've lost, love," she murmurs. "You take in strays, and they worm their way into your heart. We're one mismatched family, now and always."
Suki looks around, at her two grandchildren, happy and stable, then back to Eve, with her lopsided smile and soft eyes and the way she makes Suki feel safe and loved every single moment that they're together. The vagabond with no fixed family or home, who inveigled her way into her heart one fateful encounter at a time, until it reached the point that she couldn't imagine living her life without her.
The love of her life.
Maybe she has been beaten by two teenagers and a vexing lover, after all.
The kids immediately head back into the living room when dinner is done, leaving Suki and Eve to clear the kitchen. When they eventually follow the kids, they find them messing about with the cat again, taking daft pictures as he placidly lets them pose him.
And, seeing their joy and the fond grin on Eve's lips, Suki knows it's finally time to concede defeat officially.
"If he's staying, you need to come up with a more acceptable name than Batcat," she says. "Because there is no way on earth I'm going around calling that."
Three sets of eyes home in on her, all satisfyingly incredulous.
"You're gonna let him stay?" Davinder clarifies.
"Seriously?" says Avani.
Suki heaves a sigh. "Seriously."
Both kids punch the air in victory, and immediately began brainstorming names as they fuss him. Eve sidles up behind her, slipping an arm around her waist.
"I can't believe what I've just witnessed," she murmurs in her ear. "What changed your mind?"
She glances round at these three people so dear to her, the family she never expected to have. "I suppose your words struck home. About family."
"And about you collecting strays," Eve teases.
It makes Suki laugh. "Yes, I suppose that too. Persistent strays who turn up out of nowhere and turn my life upside down."
"Bit of a rude way of referring to your grandkids."
"You know very well I was meaning you." Although, it's true that the kids did do much the same.
"So we're the lesbian version of Lady and the Tramp?"
That sets her off again, and they laugh together for another few moments before Suki masters herself, transforming back into stern grandmother.
"Right," she says. "It's time you two went home. There's homework waiting."
"We didn't get none today!" protests Davinder weakly.
Suki fixes him with a look. "You must think I was born yesterday." She jerks her head meaningfully.
Avani, ever looking for loopholes, seems to think that just because she doesn't understand the Punjabi, she can misinterpret the implication of the nod. As Davinder reluctantly hauls himself to his feet, she continues messing with the cat. Suki rolls her eyes, making her point clearer by hauling her to her feet.
"If you do your homework, you can come back tomorrow after school to see him," she says. "And you can tell me what you've named him."
Avani heaves a long-suffering sigh. "Fine."
"Just make sure you come up with a name that's Suki-approved," Eve says cheerfully, moving to flop onto the seat vacated by Avani. "See you tomorrow, kids!"
Shaking her head, Suki sees her grandchildren to the door, kissing each of their cheeks and watching them across the road. Then, satisfied that they're going home, she returns to her lover. The cat has already claimed his spot on her lap; she can hear him purring with the ferocity of a car engine.
"I can't believe I've actually agreed to this," she grouses, curling herself up against Eve's side, nestling her head in the crook of her shoulder.
Eve turns with difficulty to press a kiss against her hair. "That's because you're a huge softie."
"I'm never going to live this down."
"You once thought you'd never be able to walk down the street holding my hand," teases Eve. "Now you can hardly keep your hands to yourself. I think you'll survive."
Suki grumbles her displeasure for a little longer, just to let Eve know that she's not fully on board with this new addition just yet, though admittedly it probably loses some of its impact when she spends the whole time snuggling under her lover's arm. Eve reaches for the TV remote, and Suki closes her eyes, letting the sounds wash over her, relishing the warm strength of Eve's body beside her, the scent of her perfume, the soft silk of her hair, all things that she will never take for granted because she knows how close she came to never having any of it.
She loves this woman. So much. Every single infuriating inch of her. More than she'd ever believed it was possible to love another human being who wasn't one of her children. She wants every part of her for the rest of her life, even when she's collecting stray cats from the street. Eve has so much love to give, and she is so lucky to be the one who benefits from that.
"You okay?" Eve asks.
She stirs. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"You sure? Only by now you've usually made a hundred scathing remarks about plot holes and acting. It's okay if you don't want the cat, you know. This is your house. I can tell the kids, make them see that it's not fair to pressure you into something you don't want. Because it's not. I let myself get caught up in it all again, but that was wrong of me."
"I know you hate to see anything suffering. It's one of the reasons I love you so much, even if it's a pain in my rear too. But I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it. He can stay. There's just one condition to that." She takes a deep breath, feeling her heartrate increasing.
It's time to take another giant leap forward.
Eve shifts slightly so they're facing each other properly, a slight crease in her forehead. "What's that, then?"
"That you're here to do all the menial stuff. Litter tray duty, dish washing."
And there it is, out in the open. One of the easiest things she's ever said after all.
"What?" repeats Eve, clearly dumbstruck. Suki takes great delight in it, reaching out to tuck her hair behind her ear.
"I want you to move in with me. I want to wake up next to you every single day. I want lazy mornings drinking coffee in our pyjamas. I want late nights of trash TV. I want to get annoyed with you when you leave your trainers in a mess at the front door. I want to feel my heart ready to burst in my chest when I see you doing mundane chores because I still can't believe you're here and that you're mine. I want all of you, always. So, what do you think?"
Eve shifts closer, reaching out to cup her face between both hands. Tears glisten in her eyes. When she speaks, her voice is hoarse with emotion. "I think that I'm the luckiest woman in the whole world to have found you. I think I didn't know what it meant to want to be with someone until our paths crossed. I think I fall in love with you more with every single day that passes. I think I want all that you just said, and more."
"So you'll move in with me? And this nightmare ball of fluff?" Suki clarifies.
"If it's what you really want?"
"More than anything."
"Then wild horses couldn't stop me."
Eve brushes the pad of her thumb across her bottom lip, and Suki tilts her chin, an invitation. Eve needs no further encouragement, closing the distance between them and meshing their mouths together, and Suki drags her closer, ignoring the indignant meep from the newest member of the household as he's unceremoniously upended from his spot on Eve's lap. Eve laughs against her mouth, exhilarated and breathless, and Suki lets the joy of it infuse her bloodstream, fill her lungs, flood her heart.
All she has ever needed.
At length, she pulls back, unable to resist stealing one last kiss. Eve's eyes are dark, her mouth red, hair ruffled. She is glorious. And she is all Suki's.
"I think it's time we went upstairs, don't you?" she whispers.
Eve leans in and kisses her hard, fingers trailing fire down her spine. Oh, how it consumes her. How she wants it to devour her. How miraculous it all is, even now, after being ignorant to such want for her whole life before Eve.
"You head on up," Eve breathes when they part, nudging the tip of her nose against her own so affectionately. "Let me sort this fella out. Five minutes, and then I'm all yours."
"Five minutes. And you make sure he stays down here."
"Promise. Like we decided last night: the bedroom is a man-free zone."
"Exactly. And we've still got the making up to do from last night."
Eve licks her lips, anticipation colouring her tone. "Yeah?"
"Yeah." Suki closes the distance once more, nibbles at her earlobe, knowing how that drives her wild.
"Want to give me a preview of what you want to do?" Eve groans, breathless and trembling.
Smirking, Suki slips free a few of the buttons on the front of Eve's shirt. Enough to slip her hand inside. Cup a breast in the palm of her hand. Relish the glazed sheen in her lover's eyes at her touch.
"Lesbian things, she says.