Popcorn Love (32 page)

Elena’s smug expression fell away as she gaped at
Allison, while Vivian snorted with laughter. “Well, she’s got that
right.”

“I didn’t mean that in a bad way.” Allison squeezed
Elena’s knee. “I just meant that you’re crazy successful already
and you’re only twenty-seven. You’re smart and can obviously handle
yourself. I mean, the way you dealt with that guy at the zoo made
it seem like that came pretty naturally to you. I’m guessing you
can be a shark when you need to be. It’s not a bad thing.”

“Yes, well.” Elena sighed. “It is sometimes necessary
and has served me well on several occasions.”

“I don’t doubt it.”

“You two haven’t slept together yet, have you?” Nora
asked, catching everyone off guard. “
That
is certainly
surprising.”

Vivian burst into laughter again, while Elena’s face
flared crimson and Allison gaped.

“Mother.” Elena groaned, shaking her head and
pressing a hand to her temple. “Can we not?”

“Oh my God,” Vivian gasped. “
Have
you?”

“No, they haven’t.” Nora answered before Elena
could.

“You cannot possibly know that,” Elena snapped. Nora
merely smirked at her.

“Oh dear, I’ve been around a long time,” she said.
“You two still have that doe-eyed innocence about you—the sweet,
timid compliments and the sideways glances and the blushing.
Neither of you act as bold as you are, or in Allison’s case, as
bold as I imagine you to be.”

“So?”

“So, that sort of behavior dies quickly after having
seen one another naked and exchanging fluids.”

“Ew, Mom, really.” Vivian gagged and shook her head.
“That was not an image I needed in my mind.”

“Not to mention the fact that Elena’s bedhead could
scare the hair off a cat,” Nora said.

Elena’s blush only deepened while Vivian nodded in
agreement, and Allison’s lips stretched into a small smile, even as
her cheeks burned brightly. The image of Elena’s wild bedhead
somehow eased Allison, made those little butterflies that sometimes
lived in her stomach when she was near Elena fly madly around.

“Mine can get pretty crazy too,” Allison said. “So no
judgment here.”

“Is there a point in there somewhere?” Elena asked,
glaring at her mother. “Or are we merely segueing into embarrassing
me for no reason whatsoever?”

“I’m only saying.” Nora reached across the small gap
between the two pieces of furniture to pat Elena’s knee. “It’s now
quite obvious that you two haven’t yet slept together.”

“Does that matter?” Allison asked, taking a steadying
breath before slipping her right hand over and onto Elena’s thigh.
She squeezed it, hoping to offer her a bit of comfort.

“Not at all,” Nora answered, “though it
is
rather telling.”

“Of what, Mother?” The blush on her cheeks crept down
her neck even more. “Do enlighten us with your apparent
omniscience.”

“Nothing negative, dear. It merely implies that one
or both of you has prioritized an emotional connection over a
physical one.”

“Or it just means that you’re both a couple of
cowards who have been too afraid to sow your sweet, sweet lesbian
oats.”

“What does that even mean?” Allison chuckled.

Elena rolled her eyes. “I’m beginning to think that
you
would enjoy sowing a few lesbian oats of your own,
Vivian.”

Vivian shrugged and grinned at Elena. “That would
depend on the woman, but I definitely wouldn’t rule it out.”

“Of course you wouldn’t.”

“Well,” Allison said, “just to clear the air, I’ve
already sown my lesbian oats or whatever, so for me, it’s just
about an emotional connection. I mean, not that you can’t have that
when starting a relationship with sex. I just didn’t want to rush
anything.”

Elena smiled at her, and Allison returned it,
squeezing her thigh again, which provoked a conspiratorial smirk
between Nora and Vivian. Nora cleared her throat then and asked,
“So, do you identify as a lesbian then, dear?”

“Yup,” Allison answered, popping her lips together.
“I knew by the time I was like four. Came out to a few kids at
school when I was fifteen. They were the only ones I told.”

“Really?” Elena asked, and Allison nodded.

“And how many of these lesbian experiences have you
had?” Nora asked, and Elena groaned.

“Um, you mean like girlfriends?”

“I mean sexual experiences.” Elena suddenly looked
like she wished she could melt into the couch and disappear. “Elena
herself is lacking in experience.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Allison said, trying not to
smile at the abashed expression on Elena’s face. Nora Vega
seriously had no reservations about getting personal. “It’s an
instinctual thing for a lot of people anyway.”

“I agree,” Nora said. “So, how many? One never knows
what one might pick up from others.”

“Oh, uh, I’m clean, if you’re concerned about that,
and, to answer your question, I’ve had a few.” Allison was feeling
a little unnerved by the topic, but she told Elena she wasn’t going
to run, so she might as well suck it up and get this over with.
“Not a lot, though. My first was a little before my sixteenth
birthday, with a girl I went to school with.”

“Ooh.” Vivian waggled her eyebrows. “Please tell me
it was your tutor or something, or that it was in the school
library or the janitor’s closet.”

Allison shook her head. “I think you’ve been watching
too much television or reading too much kinky lit.”

“Guilty.” Vivian winked at Allison. “But seriously,
tell us about it. Is this your coming out story?”

“No,” Allison said. “Or maybe. I guess. What even
is
a coming-out story, because every one I’ve ever heard was
never actually about when they
came out
. It’s always about
the first sexual experience or I guess the person just realizing
that she’s a lesbian.”

“How are we supposed to know?” Vivian asked.
“
You’re
the lesbian here.”

“Well, Elena,” Allison started to say, but Vivian cut
her off.

“Elena has been half in the closet, half out of it
since college,” Vivian said. Elena scoffed and rolled her eyes at
that. “She’s not a reliable source for all things lesbian.”

“Okay.” Allison sighed. “This isn’t my coming out
story, I don’t think, but no, the girl was not my tutor and it
wasn’t in a library or a janitor’s closet. It was at my house at
the time. She
was
over to study with me, though, so does
that earn me some points?”

“A few.” Vivian grinned. “Keep talking.”

“Dear, your rainbow is showing,” Nora said, nudging
Vivian with her elbow, and they all laughed as Vivian shrugged and
urged Allison on.

“It’s really not that interesting,” Allison told
them. “She came over, and we were studying, and then she said that
she really liked my hair—”

“I like your hair,” Elena said, and Vivian
snorted.

“It’s not a competition, babe. This was like, what,
seven years ago?”

“I was only saying,” Elena mumbled, and Allison
patted her thigh and smiled.

“Thank you,” she said, before turning back to the
others. “Anyway, she said she liked my hair and then she started
playing with it, and then I don’t know. Somehow we ended up
kissing, and then there was some touching, and then—”

“And then?” Vivian asked, on the edge of her
seat.

Allison sighed, scratching at the back of her neck.
“And then my foster mom walked in and caught us.”

Both Elena and Vivian grimaced at the image of a
parent walking in on such activities. It clearly wasn’t a pretty
one. “Yeah.” She nodded. “That was my reaction, too. It didn’t go
over too well.”

“I see,” Nora said. “You
are
an orphan
then?”

Elena winced at the question. “Mother, that isn’t
really any of your business.”

“It’s okay.” Allison patted Elena’s thigh again. “I
mean, I pretty much walked into that one with my comment about the
foster mom, so it’s fair game. Besides, I’m guessing that your mom
already knew that somehow.” Allison looked expectantly to Nora, who
merely arched a brow and tilted her head respectfully forward.

“Quite the perceptive one, aren’t you? I will admit I
looked into your background once I realized Elena was developing an
attachment to you.”

“You did?” Vivian and Elena said at the same
time.

Nora gave them both a deadpan expression. “Are either
of you
really
surprised?” She then turned back to Allison.
“So, yes, I was already aware that you are an orphan, or that you
were
, whichever you prefer.”

“Well, I wouldn’t have preferred either. But hey, it
wasn’t like I could do anything about the fact that my parents
apparently didn’t want me.”

Elena blanched at that, her body stiffening and the
crimson quickly draining from her face. As Vivian sank back into
the couch, looking highly uncomfortable, Elena let out a hissing
sigh and turned an icy gaze on her mother that told Nora to back
off or else. Nora met Elena’s gaze with understanding, her eyebrows
drawing together and her lips pressing thin with a sad smile, but
she made no sign of dropping the subject. “I can imagine that would
be difficult,” she began, “but—”

“But what?” Allison cut her off. Her knees bounced
beneath her sweaty palms as she fought the urge to jump to her feet
and walk out before she could be turned away. “Is this the part
where you tell me that because I’m a poor kid with no family or
money really to speak of, I’m not good enough to date your
daughter?”

“Ac—”

“Because I don’t really need to hear that. I know I
don’t have the best past, but I won’t apologize for that. I’m a
good person, and I care about Elena. I wouldn’t hurt her
intentionally, and I’d never try to take advantage of her. I
respect who she is and how she lives her life. I don’t care about
money or upbringing or any of that, and I never got the impression
that that mattered to her much either considering she chose me
despite knowing that I have never had much of either. So, if
she
doesn’t want me around, then I won’t be around. But, as
long as she chooses me, then I plan on being here.”

Nora cleared her throat roughly and said,
“
Actually
, had you given me a chance to finish, I would have
said that that must have been difficult,
but
you seem to
have truly turned things around for yourself quite nicely. That is
something to be admired.”

Allison’s chest clenched tightly, her heart rocketing
up into her throat and sticking there like a piece of hard candy.
Her face flushed bright red, and she felt like the biggest asshole
in the history of all assholes. She had practically just given Nora
Vega a verbal smack-down for no reason whatsoever.
Way to go,
Sawyer
, she reprimanded herself. “I’m—”But Nora shook her head
and waved it off.

“It’s fine, dear,” she said. “I come from poorer
beginnings as well, and so I recognize that instinct to assume the
worst and to jump to defend oneself. I assure you that I have
nothing but respect and admiration for the life you’ve lived. It
is, however, quite comforting to know how much you seem to respect
my daughter.”

“I’m sorry,” Allison whispered. “I just…I need a
moment.” She then raced from the room.

* * *

Elena sighed, shook her head, and rose to follow
Allison. “I wish you two could have simply minded your own
business,” she croaked before taking off after her girlfriend. Was
Allison her girlfriend now?

She found Allison in the kitchen, buckled at the
waist. Hands on her knees, she was taking deep breaths, very
obviously to keep the tears in her eyes at bay.

“Allison?” Elena whispered as she entered the
kitchen, and Allison whirled around.

“Hey,” she choked out. “I just needed to catch my
breath.”

“I’m so sorry about this.”

“Don’t be,” Allison said as they gravitated toward
one another. “I’m not upset.” Their hands created a perfect puzzle,
fingers lacing together between their bodies, as Allison shook her
head. “I’m a little embarrassed at the way I went off, but I’m not
upset.” She laughed and wiped at her eyes. “It’s just that no one’s
ever said anything like that to me about the way I grew up. That
they understood or that they respected…it’s just a lot for me.”

Elena placed two fingers under her chin to lift
Allison’s gaze. “Some people are quite capable of seeing how strong
and magnificent you are, dear.”

“I’m gonna kiss you,” Allison whispered, and Elena
had barely begun to smile before Allison covered her lips with her
own.

It was chaste but somehow just as intoxicating as all
the others. When they broke apart, Elena teased, “You only pulled
that whole ‘I-need-a-minute’ scene so that you could get me alone,
didn’t you?”

“I wish I was that quick on my feet, babe.” Elena’s
flesh tingled at the term of endearment. “But I’m definitely not
complaining about how this is turning out. Wanna just stay in here
and make out while they wonder if we’re ever coming back?”

Elena chuckled, leaning forward to rest her forehead
against Allison’s. “As tempting as that sounds, I guarantee my
mother wouldn't let us off that easily. She would come
looking."”

“She’d get an eyeful.”

“Oh, would she, now?” Elena asked, a wave of heat
rolling through her lower abdomen.

“Maybe.” Allison shrugged, winking. “I’ve got to
admit that I’m pretty interested in seeing your famous bedhead
now.”

Elena rolled her eyes. “It’s not a pretty sight.”

“It’s
you
. So yeah, I’m sure it’s the
prettiest
sight.”

A throat cleared from behind them, and both women
turned to find Vivian standing in the doorway of the kitchen, a
smile playing at her lips as she observed their tender moment.
“Sorry to interrupt, love birds. But Nora still requires an answer
to the what-are-your-intentions-with-my-daughter question.”