Tagliatelle

When I woke my head was pounding and Sierra had moved me to the couch, a bag of ice on my head. I moved it aside, head spinning as I sat up. My instinctively gripped onto the back of the couch. My eyes looked for the redhead, finally seeing her on the end of the couch, flipping through channels, a bowl of cereal in her lap.

She met my gaze with the spoon in her mouth, raising a brow. She dropped it into her bowl and set it aside, standing. Using the back of her hand she checked my forehead and tsk’d. I raised a brow.

“What happened? What time is it?”

She plopped her butt back onto the couch and grabbed her bowl of cereal, “You fainted after I explained why I’m here. And it’s seven forty-five. Don’t worry. I called your boss. Told him you were sick. Your girl toy was here earlier to pick you up but I told her the same thing. You might wanna give her a call.”

I scrunched my nose and took a deep breath before wobbling on my feet to the kitchen for my phone. I gripped onto the counter, trying to stop my dizzying head. I dialed Vicki’s number and waited. Thankfully, she picked up on the third ring.

“Vicki here,” She spoke up.

“Hey, Vicki. It’s Alisa.”

“Alisa!” I could hear her voice lighten up and it made me smile, “Your sister told me you were sick. It’s okay if we change plans for tomorrow. I don’t want to drag you out while you’re feeling down.”

Sister? Honestly, Sierra. Could she go for anything more cliché? I mean c’mon we didn’t even look alike.

“No, no, it’s not too late and I’m feeling much better after sleeping nearly the whole day away. Please. I can be ready in fifteen minutes.”

I could see Vicki smiling at my response and it was in her voice when she replied with, “Alright. I’ll take your word for it, but please, don’t push yourself tonight for me.”

“Promise. Can’t wait to see you.”

“Same. See you in fifteen.”

With that we hung up and I wanted to chuck my phone at Sierra. The red head passed by me to the sink, tossing the dishes in it and picking at her teeth with her nail. I stared at her. She made herself comfortable here quick.

“Vicki is coming by to pick me up to hang out. Don’t be rude.”

She shrugged, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m the most charming person to be around.”

I used to believe that. Thinking of it, she was anything but charming. Irresistible, sure, but charming? Sweet? Nice? No. I didn’t even believe those things were in her vocabulary. I tried to hold back rolling my eyes as I left to the bedroom.

Digging through my closet I stripped down to my panties and tank top. It was always difficult to decide on an outfit. After searching through my available choices, I sighed and placed a hand on my hip, giving up.

Then hands grabbed my hips and I jumped. Sierra placed her chin atop my head and pressed herself into my back. I could feel her breathe against my back and my butterflies returned. I found it hard to breathe, like there was a rock in my throat I couldn’t swallow.

“Can’t find something to wear for your date with goth girl?” She purred in a low voice and it gave me goosebumps.

I tried to focus and keep my voice normal as I nearly squeaked out, “Yeah. Nothing feels right to wear.”

Her slender arm snaked passed my head and she picked out an old shirt of mine, pairing it with a pair of her own short shorts. I gave her a look. Short shorts? On me? What was she thinking? I had the worst thunder thighs, and they would not look good in a pair of her shorts. If I even fit into them. We were totally different sizes when it came to stuff like that.

“No, that’s too revealing.” I made a face, scrunching my nose.

Her hand still on my hip squeezed and she sighed, “You’re just too scared to show some skin. It’s not a sin. Do you want this girl drooling over you?”

I stepped back, “That’s not what I want. I want to be friends with her. If it leads to something else, then sure, maybe later, but for now…”

“Fine, fine. Miss conservative.” She picked out a skirt. One perfect enough to be cute but not show off too much of my legs. A much-needed improvement from the short shorts. “How’s that?”

“Better. Thank you.” I turned my back to her to dress, only to feel her arms wrap around my waist and squeeze. Everything returned to me and I huffed, fighting her grip, “Sierra! Leggo!”

She chuckled and planted a kiss to the back of my neck. I scoffed, trying to shove her away, knees feeling weak. Then she finally released me and left back to the living-room. I slammed the door behind her, locking it for good measure.

I made sure to dress quickly, trying to get my mind off the red head. It was easier said than done. Once dressed, I gave myself a once over, slipping on my heels and grabbing my purse. I shoved my wallet, phone and house keys inside it, stepping into the kitchen. My eyes flickered to the clock on the wall. She would be here in a few minutes.

Then my mind thought back to the number Sierra gave me. One hundred thousand. That was more than I made behind my desk in a month. How was she lucky enough to get her manicured nails on something that big?

The sound of a knock drew me from my thoughts and I answered the door to see Vicki smiling there, holding out more black roses to me. She was dressed in a corseted long sleeve, in the colors of purple and black. Following down were her favorite pair of black jeans. The ones with a bunch of belts and chains. Her typical boots were to come next and tiny bat earrings dangled from her earlobes. She flashed me a toothy grin and blushed.

“You look beautiful. That skirt looks amazing on you.”

I blushed deeply, taking the roses but keeping it a distance from my face. Learned from the last she sent to me. I didn’t need another spider on my nose again. That wouldn’t look attractive.

Sierra appeared next to me, hands in her pockets. Vicki’s eyes flickered her way and she seemed almost nervous. Then she looked back at me, as if she wanted some sort of introduction or explanation as to why I never mentioned the red head before.

“Um, Vicki, this is Sierra. Sierra, this is Vicki. Sierra is my step sister. She was in town and the visit was unexpected but she’s only here for a few days,” I nudged the woman and she nodded along.

“Yeah, that’s right. Just a few days. I’m trying to get over something. Bad break up with a boyfriend and I needed some family advice and to get out of the city and D…Alisa here was so nice to let her sissy stay for a few days.”

I rolled my eyes internally. A breakup? Really? She gave me a smirk when she noticed my face and then she grinned devilishly.

“Sorry we haven’t met. Vicki, right?”

Vicki nodded, “Yes.”

“You two friends? Or?”

“Friends, yes.”

“Girlfriends, actually,” I interrupted into their conversation and Vicki’s eyes widened at my boldness, but Sierra only smirked. She set this up, I might as well end it. “Anyway. You two can chat another day. We’re late for some fun. So, go back to the tv and I will be home later.”

I took Vicki’s hand, slamming the door behind me and locking it. The goth was still in a daze until we reached her car and she stopped me, taking my shoulder gently.

She was biting her lip. “Not to get my hopes up, but did you only say that back there to get a rise out of her?”

“Say what?”

“That you are my girlfriend.”

My throat tightened and I sighed. I chose my next words carefully, using her car as a distraction. I ran my fingers over the shiny, black paint and met her gaze after some time. Honestly, I did say it to get a rise out of the red head but I couldn’t say that to her.

“Well, if you ask me, I might consider it,” I whispered, meeting her gaze.

Her eyes lit up but she continued to bite her lip, “Really? You’re not joking.”

I smiled gently and nodded. It wasn’t hard to see that she had those kinds of feelings for me, and admittingly, it was adorable. I watched her dance on her heels slightly as she took my hands in hers, staring into my eyes.

“Alisa, do you wanna try this out? Do you want to be, officially my girlfriend?”

I had to admire her courage. It made me smile bigger and I stared back. She was nervously trying to avoid my gaze and I could see the worry hidden behind her eyes. Yes, even behind those perfect purple contacts.

“Yes.” I whispered.

She looked floored and excited at the same time. She teared up slightly and she broke contact with me enough to dance in a circle. I laughed. It was like watching a cute, gothic penguin dance. How she managed to dance like that in her boots was beyond me.

“You have no idea how happy I am hearing that.”

I gave her a soft look and nodded towards her, “Well, if the dance was any indication, then maybe I do.”

She snorted and laughed, punching my shoulder playfully, “Shut up.”

We were both laughing even as she opened my door for me and helped me in before shutting it and going to her side of the car. She bounced in her seat as she started the car. It became my favorite thing about her the moment I met her. Her bubbly personality, and I always knew she had a thing for me. It was obvious, but I always scared of something like this. That, and I was too focused on my job to even thing about something like this.

Bringing up the memory of us meeting gave me a smile I couldn’t wipe off my face. It was when I moved to the city after graduating from the academy. I stopped by the seven eleven for some coffee. Big surprise there right? And Vicki was just about to clock out. She spotted me from across the room. I knew it was across the room because I could hear her boots clicking on the tile floor as she approached me.

She asked if I needed any help and introduced herself. She was still in her uniform, her hair around her face, framed perfectly by the black and purple streaks. She had it shorter then, about chin length. Her eyes lit up whenever she spoke to me and she was friendly as ever. It’s what drew me to the gas station every day. Not to mention it was just a few blocks from my home to boot.

Ever since that day I came not only to get coffee but to see Vicki each morning. She was the positive thing I needed before starting the boring day at work, and her smiles and positivity were the perfect things to make a day better.

Feeling something warm against my palm, I looked down to see Vicki sliding her hand into mine as she drove. Her eyes were on the road and she too had a smile on her face that she couldn’t wipe away. Her eyes though, seemed lost somewhere else and I would bet five dollars it was the same place my mind used to be. Lost in memories.

“I was thinking about taking us to my favorite Italian restaurant before taking you around to my favorite parts of the city.”

Her eyes only flickered my way once while she drove, and it was only when she spoke to me. The thought of Italian food sounded amazing and my stomach growled in agreement. She chuckled quietly.

“Seems everyone is in favor for the decision. It’s settled. You can get comfy, it’s another ten minutes out. It lies on the border of the city and there might be a wait, even at this hour.”

“That’s fine. I can wait.”

She smiled, “I knew you would say that. What do you want to talk about while we wait?”

I picked at my skirt, realizing it had pockets and I fan girled internally. Pockets on a skirt was the best thing. I stuck my hands in it, moving them around. I looked like a complete dork. Then I dug out something wadded up in the left pocket and found myself staring at a fifty. My jaw almost dropped, but instead I cleared my throat and shoved it into my purse, pretending I never saw it.

“Well, how was your day? You know, during and after work.” Ugh, don’t talk about work! She doesn’t want to talk about that. Stupid. Stupid.

“Boring after you left. I got a few customers here and there but it was pretty dead to be honest. I’ve been picking up more shifts since Nico left the store for his other job.”

Oh right. Vicki used to only work mornings. How that woman managed to wake at such ungodly hours to work and keep a smile on her face amazed me. She was a goddess all of her own.

“What about you, Lis?”

Lis? That’s new. Never been called that my entire life. It was cute.

“I slept the day away. I just didn’t feel right. Was dizzy and faint.” Yeah, faint. That’s for dang sure.

“That sounds awful. I wish I could’ve been there to take care of you. I’m glad your sister was there in time to help though.”

Yeah. Just peachy having her around. Coming into my place like she owned the place. If only you knew, Vicki. If only you knew.

“Was pretty lucky that she showed up, yeah.” I played with the zipper on my purse to distract me and the rest of our conversation fell flat.

We didn’t talk for the remaining time it took to arrive at our destination. We pulled into the lot for a fancy place called Tagliatelle. When Vicki turned off the car she took a deep breath and looked my way.

“Before we go in. I need to ask you something.”

I raised a brow, encouraging her to go on.

“Just so I know I’m not in a dream, you said yes, on being my girlriend right?”

“I did. Vicki, don’t feel so nervous. This isn’t some kind of joke. This isn’t a dream. It happened. Now come on. Let’s go get some noodles in our stomach.”

She chuckled at my words and her usual shine returned to her eyes again when she nodded, leaving out her door, and going to mind to open my door. I stepped out, taking her hand while doing so. It felt warm and my hand fit into hers pefectly. Like a glove.

She was still pretty nervous when she took me inside where we waited for a good thirty minutes to be seated. She didn’t lie though. The place was packed and I wasn’t surprised by the wait. Everything looked so pristine and upper class. I would have never looked here for a meal on the budget i had. So it raised a question, how could she afford something like this on her pay at the seven eleven?

I decided it would probably be better not to ask. She would tell me at the right time. And who needed to ask anyway? It would just end in her getting hurt by me questioning her gifts. If she wanted to do this, why would it be my place to question it?

“Lis, they have a table ready.”

Her voice was so close to my ear i jumped and twisted my ankle landing on my heels wrong. Cursing under my breath, the goth took my waist with her hand to steady me and all I could think about was Sierra and how she held my waist on each side while she helped me pick out my outfit. The outfit i was wearing while on a date with Vicki. It made me frown a little, but i played it off as part of the pain when she asked me what was wrong.

We followed, I limped, after one of our servers and he gave us a menu while siting us down at a booth. Vicki sat close by to me, enough to set our purses aside to sepperate us, but nothing more. She dug through the menu, ordering some champane for the table and herself a water with lemon. When she nudged me for my drink I could only reply with the same thing.

When our waiter finally left, she looked at me and leaned over to whisper.

“Is everything alright? Are you sure you’re feeling well enough for this?”

I loved it that she cared. It was sweet.

“I’m fine. Just alot on my mind. It was a big surprise that Sierra showed up. I didn’t expect it.”

“I bet. Didn’t even sound like she gave a call or anything. Just showed up out of the blue.”

Pretty much. Cept she forced her way into my home. “Yeah. Completely.”

She took my hand under the table and gave it a squeen until she returned to the menu. Almost everything was in italian. I didn’t know a lick of italian. Not even a dabble. Second languages weren’t important to me in high school so i never attempted to try any. After all, who really needs a second language as a cop? Aparently in this situation, I did. Go lucky me.

Our waiter returned with our drinks in hand, setting our champane down betwen us on a bowl of ice. He readied two chilled wine beside it and drew a notepad from his belt, clicking the pen with an awaited smile.

Then i was floored when Vicki spoke up. She spoke in perfect italian, accent and everything while she ordered. It was, to say the least, and i dont think i’ve ever used this word to discribe anyone, sexy. It blew me away and then some.

She stopped for a moment to ask what i wanted and i just told her to pick since i could not read the menu. When given my answer to gave something fancy named to the waiter and he nodded, keeping in time with her while writing everything down. Once finished, he gave us a short bow and left to the kitchen.

I stared at the goth beside me, watching her stir her water and squeeze the lemon into it. She was blushing head to toe, and knew i was watching her, but she kept her gaze on the ice cubes dancing with her straw as she stirred.

“Where did you learn how to speak like that? You never mentioned you knew how to speak another language.”

She smiled gently, “You never asked.”

Well, yeah, that’s true.

“So, seriously. Where did you learn that? Cause it was flawless. Perfect.”

“I grew up in Italy for most of my childhood. My father taught me everything he knew. Then we moved here and I haven’t really seen my parents. They’re too busy with their own lives, as am I with mine.”

I couldn’t figure out what to say so i only nodded. Vicki seemed just as unsure of what to say so she played with her spoon. I noticed the ways both her and Sierra coped with awkardness or nervousness. Sierra would lean on things, giving space between her and everything else around her. While Vicki would distract herself with anything she could get her hands on. It was quite interesting to see how the two differed.

“Kiss me.”

Vicki stopped playing with her spoon long enough to look at me, “What?”

“You heard me. Kiss me,” I smiled.

“In the middle of this place? A...are you sure?”

I couldn’t hold back the giggle as it came, “You’re always so nervous.”

“Of course I am. This is new to me and i know it’s new to you too, so what’s there not to be nervous about?”

“Well for one, you’re with me. Both ways in a sense. Let’s just take a breather. Look, I also know you’ve been holding back for my sake. But, how will you know what I like, if you don’t try it? Honestly if i don’t like something I will always tell you.”

Vicki swallowed hard, squeezing my hand under the table and she began to sir her water again. Until I took it and moved it aside.

“Look, I’m just as nervous as you are. This is new for me too, but I wouldn’t have said yes if i didn’t mean it.”

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment before looking at me again. She smiled, hands still shaking slightly but better than earlier. She picked up our laced hands and kissed the back of mine. It was soft and sweet. Her eyes bounced between mine and my lips.

“I’d like to kiss you now.”

I leaned over, face inches from hers. “That’s okay. Go ahead.”

It was, and still will be, my favorite thing to see when her eyes lit up at things like that. She radiated an aura of yellow, and it was beautiful. She closed her eyes before her lips met mine and she even smiled in the kiss. It was soft and caring, and it gave me butterflies as well, but i couldn’t help feeling like i was missing something behind it.

All i could think about was Sierra’s kiss on the porch, and her kisses on my neck from earlier. Was I making the right choice to be with Vicki?