DISCLAIMER: Guiding Light and its characters are the property of Proctor & Gamble. No infringement intended.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The title came from Rocketchick's prompt in response to the prompt I gave. I definitely didn't expect these to come from it. They were written while at work, on a train to Narita, and at work again. Clearly, I need more work to do J
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
The Five Best Dates Olivia and Natalia Ever Had
By atsammy
I
"I can't believe we're here," Natalia said softly, smoothing down her skirt nervously as she stopped just inside the door, staring around. She looked completely out of her depth.
Olivia bit back a sigh, and pressed her fingers to Natalia's elbow, drawing her further inside. "I told you I wanted to take you dancing while we were in Chicago. Where did you think we were going to go?"
"I know… I know… I just…" Natalia felt her face flush in something akin to shame as she watched Olivia's eyes dim and her shoulders tense. Natalia looked around again, anything to not see that look on her face. It didn't seem as shocking on the second look that there were only women in the club, as far as she could tell. Some were chatting, some were dancing, and others were kissing.
"One dance. Please?" Olivia hated the pleading sound of her voice; in the last six months it seemed like she'd done it more than ever before. "All I want is one dance with you."
Natalia said nothing, but she slowly reached out to take her hand. There was fear in her eyes, but she took a step closer, trusting Olivia, if no one else.
Olivia grinned, relaxing back into her confidence. On the dance floor there were several other couples, and other than a few glances at the new comers, everyone seemed pretty focused on their own partners. Olivia settled her arms around Natalia's waist, and they danced.
One dance became two, and then five, and then more, as the music changed and Natalia relaxed and realized that she was having fun. After a half an hour, she pleaded thirst to take a break, and Olivia went to the bar while Natalia ran for the bathroom.
She stood there, leaning against the bar as she waited and people watched. Other than a couple of ladies nights with Doris when Natalia was busy, Olivia was just as new to the lesbian social scene as Natalia was. And, seeing as her only real example of lesbianism was a deeply closeted, tragically outfitted mayor, this was the first time she had a chance to actually see women be together. It was interesting.
As was the woman half the room away, who'd noticed her people watching and made her way over, looking like a woman after a prize. "Hi," the woman practically purred as she stopped next to her. "I'm Angela."
Olivia had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. Natalia would not be happy to see her getting chatted up by a blond. "Olivia," she replied after a moment.
"Don't think I've seen you before. You new to Chicago?"
"I'm just in town for a few days, thought I'd check the place out." The bartender slid two drinks in her direction, and she smiled at her in thanks as she demurely took a sip of her martini.
"Here on business?"
"Something like it, anyway."
"There's more to Chicago than just businesses and meetings." Angela leaned in, resting a hand on the bar near Olivia's arm.
"I'm sure there is," Olivia murmured.
"I can show you some of the sights, if you'd like. We could start with dancing, and go from there."
"I'm afraid she can't," came a voice that bordered on dangerous from behind Olivia. Natalia stepped into view, her hand coming to rest possessively on Olivia's bare skin, above the low cut back of her dress. "She's taken."
Olivia smiled politely at Angela, setting down her drink and wrapping her other arm around Natalia's waist. "Thank you for the offer, though. Have a good night," she added cheerfully, as Natalia tugged her back to the dance floor.
Though she wrapped her arms around Olivia's shoulders as she'd done before, Natalia glared at her, annoyed. "Why were you flirting with her?"
Olivia reached up, took one of Natalia's hands, and pressed her fingers to her lips. "She was flirting with me. I was not flirting back. I know who I belong to."
"And who is that?" Natalia inched forward to feel the warmth of Olivia's body against her own.
Olivia let go of her hand and threaded her fingers through Natalia's hair, leaning in to press her mouth against hers. "I'm yours."
II
More than once during the day, Olivia regretted giving Natalia the day off. Without her, the problems of the day were more annoying, the conference calls more frustrating, and her employees more incompetent. How she'd survived without her assistant she had no idea, but she resolved again to never let the woman out of her sight ever again. By the time she got home that night, she was so drained that she contemplated seriously just sleeping on the couch because the thought of the stairs was just too much.
She dumped her briefcase and purse unceremoniously on the kitchen table, sending a scrap of paper fluttering to the floor. She almost ignored it, but Natalia's neat handwriting caught her eye, and she sighed and stooped to pick it up.
Liv,
I'm down by the lake.
Please join me?
~N
Olivia hesitated. She really, REALLY, wasn't in the mood for a walk down to the lake… But Natalia didn't ask her for much, ever. She'd probably also get a hug out of it, and God knew she needed one.
Leaving her jacket behind, she locked the door and made her way slowly down to the lake, shading her eyes against the setting sun. Partway around, near where Emma liked to feed the ducks, Natalia sat on a large quilt, a wicker basket by her feet. "Hey."
Natalia turned to look over her shoulder, and a loving smile met her gaze. "Hiya." She patted the blanket beside her. "Did you just get home?"
Olivia sat carefully, leaving her shoes on the grass. "Yeah… Long day." She eyed Natalia. "You're never taking a day off again, I swear…" she said seriously.
Natalia laughed softly. "You say that every time and yet you keep agreeing when I ask for one."
"Fine, next time you take one, so do I."
"Missed me then?"
"Always."
Natalia leaned against her arm, and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. "I'm sorry you had a bad day," she whispered.
Olivia felt some of the day's frustrations fade away in the face of Natalia's sweetness. She was such a sap. Pulling Natalia's hand into her lap so she could hold it with both hands, she asked, "How was your day off? You never said what you planned to do with it."
"It was good. I got some housework done, and the shopping. Emma wanted me to show her how to make sopapillas on Saturday, and we were out of cinnamon." She decided not to mention the new dress she'd bought. She had wanted to surprise Olivia with it that evening, but plans changed. And there was nothing wrong with a little anticipation.
Olivia held her hand for a moment longer, than wrapped her arm around Natalia's shoulders. No wonder her heart gave out, she mused, when she didn't have Natalia to soothe her soul. She laughed at herself quietly as she stared across the lake. God, how had she gotten so pathetically sentimental?
Their attention was eventually drawn to the picnic basket, and they feasted on sliced apples, creamy macaroni and cheese that was amazingly still warm, and pita bread stuffed with chicken. When they were done, they lay curled up together on the blanket, occasionally sharing soft kisses until they closed their eyes and just rested against each other. They were almost asleep when Olivia suddenly opened her eyes and sat up. "Date night," she muttered, rubbing her eyes with her hand.
"What?" Natalia asked as she pushed herself up, but Olivia didn't look at her.
"I completely forgot tonight was date night. I ruined your plans, I'm sorry."
"Olivia." Olivia peeked at her, sorrowfully, before staring back down at the blanket. "What makes you think this wasn't the date?"
"But… You said yesterday that you'd made reservations."
Natalia, having much experience at this, touched her fingers to Olivia's cheek and turned her enough to kiss her. After a rather thorough kiss, she pulled back enough to murmur, "plans change."
"But…"
Natalia kissed her again. "I called after lunch, and Greg said that you were having a rough day. I decided this would be better."
Olivia closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, Natalia could see the hint of tears even as she smiled. Olivia reached up and tucked a lock of hair back behind her ear as she leaned in. Their lips a breath apart, she replied, "This was perfect."
III
It had seemed like a fool proof plan, even disregarding some of the not exactly helpful suggestions from Emma. It was a Thursday, not known for being a terribly sociable night, but when Olivia had booked the table on the terrace of the country club restaurant, she had no idea that every. Single. Other. Resident. Of Springfield had decided to dine there that very same night. They were barely to the main course, and hardly five whole minutes had gone by the entire meal without someone stopping by to say hi to Springfield's notoriously boring (to the gossip hounds anyway) lesbian couple.
At first it was Blake, who was a member of the club and so possibly had a legitimate reason to be there, followed by Remy, who did not. It just spiraled from there, and Natalia was too nice to turn away anyone, even as she kept one eye on Olivia, who was glaring into her plate.
It happened because Olivia was on her fourth glass of wine, she'd been nervous to begin with, and frustrated beyond belief that the night was not going as planned. Father Ray, who appeared to have reconciled himself to the relationship after two years, looked over in the middle of a discussion about an upcoming pancake breakfast in time to see Olivia down the rest of her wine like it was a shot of tequila. "Are you alright, Olivia?"
"No, I'm not alright," she growled, slamming her glass back down on the table. Both the priest and Natalia looked taken aback. "I'm sitting here, trying to ask my girlfriend to marry me, and this bloody town won't give me five freakin' minutes to do it!"
Looking back, it was almost a tossup which reaction pleased her more: the complete, utter shock on Father Ray's face, or the way Natalia, after a few seconds of shock, had practically leapt into her lap, whispering yes even as she pressed kiss after kiss to Olivia's mouth. Almost a tossup.
IV
It was, Olivia pondered uncountable times in that first year, so much better to have a wife instead of simply being one. Not just because someone else took care of the cooking and the laundry and the house stuff, though she'd be the first to admit that it was a perk that Natalia actually liked all that. Olivia just preferred to be in charge of stuff than to do that… wifely stuff.
Which is why it was so amusing to everyone who knew them that it was not Olivia who held the power in their relationship. All it usually took was a look from Natalia or a flash of those dimples and Olivia was putty in her wife's hands. And they both knew it. That was how she found herself so often doing things like pushing the cart when Natalia was buying new flowers for the garden, or keeping her company while she read through a manuscript for Blake.
It took awhile for Olivia to realize that they didn't date much anymore. There were all these little things they did together instead, and Olivia wouldn't miss them for the most expensive wine and dinner in the world. The best part? She ALWAYS got a kiss goodnight. And gave as good as she got.
V
One thing Emma could count on every week that she was home was babysitting every Tuesday night. For free. Because Tuesday was date night for her parents, their three to five hours a week away from, this year, a rambunctious four year old and her five year old evil twin. At least there were no more diapers. The summer before her senior year in high school, she'd been certain that it was punishment from on high for telling her mom that she wanted to go to college on the east coast, instead of Chicago, like it was a crime. That was the first year there were two of them.
Date night became sacred sometime during her first year in high school, after all but disappearing after the wedding. Mama never answered her when Emma asked her why her mom was all of a sudden bringing home expensive flowers again. She didn't think there had been any arguments that would require flowers and wine, but on the upside, her jar of "I can't believe I walked in on you guys making out again" money filled up faster than ever that time around.
Her favorite date night was the year before, during the winter session she'd spent at home. Her mom had been secretive and energetic, refusing to give even a hint of her plans for the evening. But when Emma and Rafe had brought the kids back after an evening at Rafe's apartment, they found the women curled up together under a blanket on the couch, watching a video Emma didn't know existed of a school project from twelve years earlier.
After getting the kids settled in bed, Rafe left, and Emma sat on the stairs watching the tail end of her speech. It was so weird, seeing herself as a little kid. When it was over, she noticed the two plates with cake crumbs on them, and couldn't stop herself from asking, "What are you guys celebrating anyway?"
She watched Mama blush and hide her face against her mom's neck, and she rolled her eyes. It was Mom who answered, brushing her fingers against Mama's cheek. "Our first kiss."
Mama laughed, and Emma could tell without seeing her eyes that there were tears in them, and then, as if to recreate the moment, she was treated to another round of watching her parents make out on the couch. This time though, she just shook her head at the sappiness and left them to it. She probably wouldn't even charge them for it. Maybe.
The End