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Abigail blinked awake slowly as the light peeking through the curtains penetrated her eyes, aggravating a thankfully minor headache.She laid still as she took stock; her hangover was mild and could easily be fixed with some water and ibuprofen, she hadn’t drunk that much the night before she realized as the memories started flooding back; the wind, the prophecy, the contest being declared a tie, kissing Stephanie-Wait, what?A glance to her left confirmed Stephanie was in fact in the bed next to her and after carefully sitting up, Abigail was also able to confirm that their costumes from the night before were all over the room as the remaining memories came back to her.Well then, apparently that wasn’t just a dream.It wasn’t often that Abigail had no clue what to do.
She knew that Stephanie was single now, having learned last night that she and Ben had broken up recently but that didn’t mean she was interested in starting anything with Abigail, especially this soon after.Abigail backtracked, was she interested in starting something with Stephanie?
Sure, she had been attracted to the blonde from the moment she saw her, who wouldn’t be?
But did her feelings go beyond that?
Before she could fully contemplate the possibility, Stephanie stirred beside her.Stephanie opened her eyes with a groan, eyes quickly locating her bedmate.
“Abigail?
What…” she paused and Abigail could practically see the memories coming back to her.“Yeah, it wasn’t a dream,” Abigail confirmed wryly as Stephanie’s eyes began to search the room, “we really slept together.”“Oh,” was all Stephanie said, most decidedly not looking at Abigail.“Yeah, oh.”
Abigail knew she sounded slightly miffed but, while she would never admit to it out loud, it hurt that Stephanie wouldn’t even look at her right now.They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes before Stephanie asked, “so where do we go from here?”“Well, we both have jobs we need to get to so I guess we get up, put our clothes back on, you go home to get ready and we both head to our businesses.”
But before Abigail could get up, Stephanie spoke again.“That’s not what I meant.
What I was asking was, what does this mean for us?
What are we?”
Stephanie finally turned to look at Abigail who was taken aback by the timid look that was mixed with something she couldn’t quite place in Stephanie’s eyes.“You’re the one who just got out of a relationship,” Abigail pointed out, “what do you want us to be?”Stephanie thought about it for a moment.
“Honestly, I don’t know,” she confessed.“Then I think you should figure that out before we decide where we’re going.”
It was moments like these that Abigail was grateful for her near perfect poker face as she realized that she knew exactly what she wanted.Figures she would figure it out just as the possibility was potentially about to be ripped from her hands.
The next days crawled by awkwardly.Since that night neither Abigial nor Stephanie went out of their way to avoid the other but they hardly spoke when they did see each other; Abigail only telling Stephanie her order at The Bistro, Stephanie only putting in her regular flower order for the restaurant at Abigail’s.Most people didn’t notice.
Most of the town was already caught up in Thanksgiving preparations or, in the case of Martha, already thinking about Christmas for which another decoration crawl was already being planned.Grace was heavily involved in the planning of that one too but apparently wasn’t distracted enough to not notice the tension between the two women.
Abigail had just been handed her coffee, by someone other than Stephanie who had hurriedly gone into the back with a pile of dishes upon seeing Abigail enter and was yet to return, when she heard Grace calling her over from the table she was sitting at with Martha and George.“Grace, Martha, George, are you on this committee now too?”
Abigail greeted the group, taking the last empty chair at the table with what she hoped was her best poker face on.“You know me, can’t ever say no to my granddaughter.
I’m happy to though, I thoroughly enjoyed bringing those toys to the hospital.”“I trust you’ll be competing again,” Martha interjected, giving Abigail a pointed look.“Of course,” Abigail replied not really focussing on Martha so much as the look on Grace’s face.
“But I get the feeling that isn’t why my cousin called me over.”“Nope,” Grace chirped, putting the mug she had been holding down in favour of leaning across the table towards Abigail.
“So, what’s going on?”Abigail raised an eyebrow.
“You’re going to have to be more specific than that.”“You and Stephanie, why are you two being so weird around each other?”“You know, I’ve noticed that too,” Martha commented.
“Usually, you two hang around and chat whenever you’re in here but lately it seems as if you can’t get out of here fast enough.”“Now now, I’m sure they’re just both busy,” George tried to reason.“Those two are never too busy for a gossip session.”
There was never any reasoning with Martha.“No, George is right, I’ve been slammed with orders lately and haven’t had the time to do anything more than just pick up my coffee and leave.
In fact,” Abigail checked her watch, “I need to be off; I’ve got a large order due tomorrow that’s only half completed.”
With that, she got up and made her way out of The Bistro before anyone could object.Or so she thought.“Abigail!”
Abigail turned to see her cousin jogging to catch up to her.
“Look, maybe cornering you Martha style wasn’t the smartest option but for real something is clearly up and if there’s anything I can do even if it’s just lending an ear, I’m here, okay?”“When has doing anything Martha style ever been the right idea?”
Abigail quipped in hopes of relaxing the teen, relieved when it had its intended effect as Grace giggled.
“I promise you, everything is okay, but if your serious about the help, how do you feel about making some centerpieces?”Grace studied Abigail for a second.
“My usual rate applies?”Abigail’s face broke out into a large grin.
“One afternoon of centerpieces equals one free box of chocolates, yes.
Maybe you’ll even get a bonus this time.”“You have yourself a deal.”
Grace fell into step beside Abigail as they started walking towards the flower shop.Help with the centerpieces and a distraction was a good deal indeed.
As always when something was on her mind, Stephanie found herself at the Bell, Book & Candle.She wasn’t entirely sure why this time, it wasn’t like she could talk to Cassie about her current problems, Abigail was her cousin for crying out loud!
And yet she still found herself browsing the latest stock, knowing Cassie would choose the right moment to appear.“You know, last I checked your belief was that ‘feathers are something that should only be worn when in costume’ and Halloween has passed, so I’m not sure why you’re looking at feather jewellery.”
Cassie gave Stephanie that knowing look that never failed to make her feel as if Cassie knew all of her secrets.
“Do you want to tell me what’s going on?”“I’m not sure that I should,” Stephanie admitted.
Whatever advice Cassie certainly had to offer, it wouldn’t be fair to her to put her in the middle of this situation between one of her best friends and her cousin.Cassie hummed in understanding.
“Well, I’m still glad you’re here.
I got in this book recently that I think might be of interest to you.”
She went over to a nearby shelf, grabbing the book and handing it to Stephanie.Stephanie couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow as she took in the cover.
“Since when do you carry romance novels?”“I carry anything I think might help someone.
This particular novel is about a young woman who’s faced with the decision of playing it safe or taking a risk with both her heart and her closest friendship.”
Cassie gave Stephanie a meaningful look that she missed.“Well, that sure is oddly specific.
Why this book?”
Stephanie kept her eyes on the book, afraid that looking at Cassie would give away something she likely already knew.“I know you’re a sucker for a good romance novel,” Cassie said though Stephanie didn’t believe her for a second, knowing there was a second meaning behind the words.“I’ll have to let you know what I think then,” Stephanie told her with what she hoped was a convincing smile.She should have known Cassie would already know what had happened.
The days continued to crawl.Abigail had never really noticed how dull her life was without Stephanie.
They had gone periods of time without really seeing each other or speaking much before but this time felt different.
She knew logically why that was but still the feeling caught her off guard.Thanksgiving was hardly two weeks away at this point and the orders were piling up so Abigail simply threw herself into her work as the only distraction she could find.
She found herself glad that Grace had been opting to spend more time at the shop than usual, her young cousin always seemed to know how to keep her from dwelling on what she shouldn’t.
Abigail knew she could confront Stephanie but she had left the ball in her court so if she wasn’t going to come to Abigail, Abigail wasn’t going to go to her.As painful as it was proving to be.
The days seemed to be going slightly faster for Stephanie.Things weren’t the same without Abigail, of course, but The Bistro always kept her busy and when she wasn’t at work, she found herself absolutely riveted by the book Cassie had given her.It was everything she expected from Cassie and yet nothing she expected at all.
It was exactly what she needed yet it evoked emotions that she wasn’t expecting.She thought back to that night with Abigail.
They’d both been drunk, sure, but not that drunk, they were both in complete control of their actions even if their inhibitions had been lowered slightly.
And then the morning happened and she had hesitated and despite Abigail’s best efforts she had seen the hurt flash in her eyes.Abigail had left the ball in her court, she had figured out what she wanted, now she just had to figure out her next play.
Meet me at The Bistro after close.
The text from Stephanie was vague, Abigail found herself unsure as to what to expect but something told her everything would work out okay.
Or more specifically the knowing look Grace gave her as she left the flower shop for the day told her everything would be okay.The Bistro appeared empty as Abigail entered, not a single staff member left.
The chairs had also all been put up leaving the couches as the only place to sit.
Sure enough, glasses and plates had already been set out at the table there.“Perfect timing.”Abigail turned to see Stephanie with a pitcher of water in one hand and what appeared to be a tray of pizza in the other.
She raised an eyebrow as Stephanie placed the items on the table, noting that there seemed to be a few types of pizza on the tray.
“Since when do you have pizza here?”“It’s something I’ve been thinking about adding to the menu, thought you might be up for some taste testing,” Stephanie explained, pouring them both glasses of water.
“We’ve got a basic margherita, chicken bacon alfredo, and Mediterranean veggie.
Bit of a divergence from our regular pizza night, but there’s no one whose opinion matters more to me.”“Are you trying to butter me up so I ignore the lack of the usual wine.”
Abigail shot Stephanie a wry look.“I’m afraid taste tests are wine-free but maybe we can bring some out later.
That satisfactory enough for you?”Stephanie’s voice was husky and Abigail felt a flutter in her stomach as she quickly scrambled for a response.
“Depends, does the wine come with dessert?”
She made sure to shoot Stephanie a flirty look, cheering internally as Stephanie visibly faltered.“If you’re good.”
Stephanie placed a slice of the margherita on each plate and handed it to Abigail before should could say anything else.
“So, taste this and tell me what you think.”
The pizza had, of course, been just as good as anything else Stephanie makes.“I think you might just put the local pizza joints out of place,” Abigail joked as Stephanie cleaned up the remains of their meal.
“That was some of the best pizza I’ve ever had.”“Well, lucky for them I only plan on having a few on the menu at a time.”
She picked up the last of the dishes.
“Dessert?”Abigail nodded and Stephanie disappeared into the kitchen.
The evening hadn’t been near as awkward as Abigail would have expected so far, conversation flowing as if Halloween night had never even happened.Then, as if reading Abigail’s mind, “so, if I’m being honest, tonight wasn’t really about the taste testing.”
Stephanie said as she reappeared, this time with wine and brownies.“So, you don’t actually care about my opinions?
I’m wounded.”
Maybe deflection wasn’t the greatest choice Abigail thought as she took in Stephanie’s exasperated expression but it was still her instinct in these sorts of situations.“You’re incorrigible, you know that?”
Stephanie rolled her eyes.
“Of course, your opinion matters, it just wasn’t the most important item on my agenda for tonight.”“Well, what was?”
Abigail resisted the urge to pick up her glass of wine and down it, she sensed this was a conversation that needed to be had fully sober.“I figured out what I want.”
Stephanie looked at Abigail hesitantly, expectantly.Abigail was immediately taken back to that morning and found herself hoping that this night wasn’t going to go the way that morning did.
“And what’s that?”A pause.
“I think part of me knew already that morning or even Halloween night,” Stephanie started out slowly, keeping a close eye on Abigail for her reaction.
“Neither of us was that drunk, we both consciously made the choice to sleep together, but a part of me also panicked upon waking up.
I’d barely broken up with Ben, I didn’t want you to be my rebound; I needed time to think and I truly am sorry if the way I acted made you think that I thought it was a mistake.”“So, it wasn’t a mistake?”
In that moment, Abigail looked more vulnerable than Stephanie had ever known her to be before.“No, it wasn’t.”
To emphasize her point Stephanie shifted closer to Abigail, leaning forward so that their noses were just brushing, allowing Abigail to make the final decision.Abigail wasted no time in closing the gap between them and catching Stephanie’s lips in a gentle kiss unlike the rougher needier ones she remembered from Halloween night.
Stephanie leaned into the kiss, deepening it until finally air became an issue for both of them.“How on earth are we going to explain how this came about?”
Stephanie asked as they caught their breath.“I’m not sure.
Grace definitely knows something but there’s no way in hell I’m telling her that this started because of drunk sex no matter what it is she knows.”
Abigail grimaced at the thought.“Cassie definitely knows, but that probably doesn’t come as a surprise.”
Stephanie couldn’t help the blush but still shook her head fondly.
“Maybe we can just blame the Perriwood Prophecy line about us, that it made us realize we were better off on the same team.”“What happens come the Christmas decorating competition?”
Abigail smirked.“We can figure that out when we get there.
For now, I just want to kiss you again and then enjoy some dessert.”Abigail gasped, holding her hand to her chest in exaggerated shock.
“Here in The Bistro?
With the doors still unlocked?
How scandalous of you.”Stephanie rolled her eyes.
“Don’t flatter yourself, I meant the brownies.”“Are you sure about that?”
Abigail leaned towards Stephanie as she spoke, giving her a sultry look.Stephanie gulped, heat suddenly appearing low in her belly.
“Maybe later.
And certainly not here.”And this time fully sober, not that the last time had left either of them with any regrets.“If you’re sure.”
Abigail flopped back against the couch in defeat.“Never been more sure of anything in my life,” Stephanie said, the level of emotion in her voice indicating that she wasn’t just talking about dessert.The brownies were still happening first though.