Chapter 12

12

ADAZE

T he morning after their romantic date, Adaze was proud of how well it went. She'd been worried it would be too much or Leilani wouldn't like how much control she had over everything, but it went even better than she could have hoped.

She even liked the bracelet. Adaze hadn't been sure if she would accept it, and who knows, maybe she just felt like she had to. Maybe she just took it and would shove it in a drawer somewhere, never to wear or look at it again.

When they finally woke up, it was after ten, later than either woman had slept in in some time. But even when they were awake, the couple didn't get up.

No, instead the pair spent a lazy morning together lounging in bed. For most of it, they were wrapped around each other, bodies entwined, but at some point Jaspurr had hopped up, forcing his way between them where he sat purring loudly, soaking in their shared body heat. After a while, Leilani pulled back with a sigh.

"I wish you could stay here all day," she said wistfully.

"I don't see a reason why I can't," Adaze frowned, snuggling back in. She'd assumed that was the plan after all.

Leilani winced but made no move to pull away. "Actually, I can't. I have lunch plans. I'm sorry. I should have told you."

"Oh, I didn't know that you had anything going on." She pulled back, something dark churning in her gut.

"Sorry, I meant to tell you yesterday, but I forgot. There was just so much going on it slipped my mind, and it isn't much. I'm just slipping out for a quick lunch, that's all."

"It's fine." Adaze tried to ignore the way her heart pounded in her chest.

"Are you sure? I'd understand if you were upset or disappointed."

"It's fine really." Adaze quickly changed the subject. "Who are you going with?" She hoped the jealousy burning inside her didn't creep into her voice.

Thankfully, if Leilani noticed, she kept it to herself. With a smile she spoke, "That woman from the coffee shop I told you about the other day. You know the one with the dog."

"I remember." Of course she did. How could she forget the (probably) beautiful woman her girlfriend had spontaneously befriended at the coffee shop. "I just hadn't realized you'd kept in touch."

"Kinda, we mostly just send each other pictures of our special little men. She loves Jaspurr's little outfits. Sebastian doesn't tolerate them." She scratched Jaspurr's ear for emphasis.

"That's...nice." She forced her face into a shape she hoped resembled a smile. She could only hope Leilani didn't notice.

But still, Adaze couldn't help the way she flashed back to the night just before their first date. She'd been in a panic. She was ready to call the whole thing off and pretend they'd never met.

Then she opened her phone and saw her message with Jaspurr's little furry face.

In that moment, her heart melted and she knew she needed to do it.

Now, all she could think about was what if Leilani had, intentionally or unintentionally, melted this other woman's heart.

She hoped if she did, it would be unintentional.

She wondered if Leilani even knew what she was capable of.

Adaze hoped she didn't, but she couldn't say any of that. Instead, she forced a smile. "I hope the two of you have fun."

"Thanks, I'm sure we will." Then she lit up. "I know! Next time we meet up, you should come too."

Adaze's head shot up. "And you'd want that?"

"Of course, you're my girlfriend. Why wouldn't I? I love when I get to show you off to my friends. Only if you want to, of course."

She didn't have a good response. For a moment, she just sat there struggling to find the words. She couldn't help but flush at the thought of Leilani proudly showing her off to her friends, even though it hadn't gone great the first time.

Leilani was still looking at her expectantly. Finally, Adaze forced out a hesitant, "I'll think about it."

"That's good enough for me! Just let me know what you decide." She pressed another kiss to Adaze's lips before glancing at her phone. "Shit, I didn't realize how late it was already," she said, pushing herself from the bed. "I need to get dressed, but feel free to stay in bed as long as you want."

Adaze couldn't bring herself to move as she watched Leilani root through her closet for something to wear. She admired Leilani's lovely fit body as she pulled on her sporty underwear.

"Should I wait for you to come back or…?" she trailed off, hands toying with the blanket. She hadn't spent time alone in Leilani's apartment before so she wasn't sure if Leilani would be comfortable with it. It felt strange, the idea of her being there without Leilani. Leilani's apartment was so homey and regular. So unlike the cold yet luxury extravagance of her own penthouse.

"Huh?" For a moment, Adaze expected her to reject her, but then she lit up. "Oh yeah, that'd be great, but only if you don't mind waiting around."

She hesitated. "I'd be comfortable with that. I have my laptop, so I can get some work done, but it depends on how long are you planning on being out." Adaze winced at how her words were coming out.

Do I sound as jealous as I feel?

"I don't know, but it's just lunch so I can't imagine it'll take that long. Maybe a couple hours at most."

"I should be able to occupy myself for that long."

"Perfect!" Leilani trotted over, holding out her wrist. "Can you help me put on the bracelet you got for me?"

Adaze swallowed, carefully buckling the leather cuff around her wrist. "Good?"

Leilani leaned in pressing another kiss to her lips. "Perfect."

Adaze sat dazed for a moment.

Leilani smiled as radiant and beautiful as ever. "Well, I'm off. I'll be back soon."

"Don't rush on my account. Have fun with your friend."

"I will," she said on her way out the door.

Then Adaze was alone in her girlfriend's apartment for the first time in their relationship. It had happened so casually, but it felt so monumental.

For a while, Adaze simply lay there playing on her phone. She knew she should work, but she didn't really want to for once. She tried to push the thought of Leilani out with another woman from her mind, but it was all she could think about.

She wondered what they would talk about. Adaze sat up, shaking her head. This wasn't healthy. There was no reason for her to be jealous.

Leilani had never given her reason to doubt her or worry.

And yet, there was a ghost on her shoulder. She whispered tales of what had been and what would be into her ear.

She could picture Leilani sitting close to someone else. The way their arms would brush haunted her.

She could just imagine the way she would?—

No! She cut off her thoughts, shaking her head. It wasn't fair to spiral like this. Leilani didn't deserve her suspicion. She hadn't done anything wrong.

Hell, she showed Adaze off at every available opportunity.

So why couldn't she just put her trust in her?

She went to turn her laptop on. Battery dead signal. And she hadn't packed her charger.

For Fuck's sake!

Frustrated, she shoved herself from the bed, pulling on one of Leilani's t-shirts and sleep shorts. Getting up, she made her way to the living room where she flopped down on the sofa, turning on a movie and forcing herself to pay attention. She thought about texting Diana, just to get her mind off things, but she didn't have anything work related to say and it always felt wrong to message her about personal matters.

Never mind the fact that Diana would be over the moon to muddy their so-called professional relationship even further.

It took twenty minutes of forcing herself to stare at the screen and not being able to follow the conversation for her to accept that it wasn't working.

There was no world where she was going to be able to just relax and watch a movie until her girlfriend came back.

Adaze groaned, turning back to her phone. Maybe she could at least get some work done.

There wasn't much she could do from her phone, but she could catch up on her abundance of correspondence from the night before. She was in the middle of replying to an email when Jaspurr hopped up with a loud meow.

Sighing, Adaze tossed her phone aside and reached out to scratch his ears. "Sorry I've been stealing your mom so much lately."

That's when her fingers brushed against something on his neck and she froze. She moved his jet-black fur aside to see the collar she'd gotten him.

"I'm glad to see you both like your present. I was worried it might be a bit much."

He rammed his head against her hand, demanding attention.

She relented, giving him the ear scratches he deserved. "But then again, I guess you do have a whole wardrobe."

Well, that was only half true. Leilani had taken a small cabinet intended to be used by children for baby doll clothes and made it into Jaspurr's closet.

"You're really lucky she spoils you so much," Adaze said, but was unclear to herself if she was thinking about the cat or herself. "She's always showing you off to everyone. It's really sweet. You're lucky."

He made himself comfortable on her lap.

"I guess we both are."