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“Hey Darling, are you ready to go?” Lena pauses at their bedroom door watching her girlfriend in front of the mirror. Her green eyes traverse the length of the lithe body and flatteringly tight pants, thanking all the gods she gets to call her girlfriend. “We’re going to be late if we don’t leave in the next ten minutes. The others are waiting downstairs already.”
She smiles as the other woman puts the final touches on her make-up and turns to give her the sparkling smile that always causes somersaults to erupt in her abdomen. They pause in the hallway to share a kiss and double-check to ensure they have everything they need. After the final inventory, Lena is dragged out of the penthouse and into the elevator. Standing in the elevator, Lena gets lost in her thoughts. The life she is living isn’t something she imagined she’d ever have.
Here she is standing in the elevator of the penthouse she shares with her girlfriend on her way to meet their friends to attend a Chappell Roan concert. Going to the concert of an openly lesbian artist with her openly queer friends isn’t something teenage or college Lena thought she’d experience as an adult.
Moments like this still cause her to pause and pinch herself. Growing up in a conservative Catholic family made its impact on her psyche for a long time. As fake as the outwardly religious beliefs of her family were, they did spout relentless homophobia, sexism, and other various bigoted views. Even now there are times when she has to take a step back to ask if she actually feels the way she does about something because it’s truly how she feels or because it’s what her family taught her to believe.
Her thoughts are abruptly derailed when they exit the building to the sound of their friends belting out the words to
Pink Pony Club
as they stand outside the black SUV waiting for them. Everyone erupts into cheers when they catch sight of the couple. With quick greetings exchanged, the group climb into their chauffeured luxury SUV courtesy of Lena.
The driver merges into traffic as the group continues its loud renditions of their favorite songs. The first stop of the night is Foodie Fusion, a newly opened and locally queer-owned restaurant. It’s been open for a few months to very rave reviews. Fortunately for the friends, the owners are a gay couple who went to college with Lena and Andrea. The group has heard all sorts of stories about Jack Spheer and Russell Rogers from their days in college. However, it’s the first time they’ve all met. Apparently, the two men ‘dated’ Lena and Andrea during their college years when they needed boyfriends to please their conservative families. So, the four of them have a long history together.
While Lena and Andrea have been friends since their days in boarding school, they’ve been through a near friendship ending falling out shortly after graduation. According to Lena, Andrea chose the wrong side in what they now refer to as
The Brutus Era™
causing them to part ways. The rift was so deep it took them more than five years before they reconnected. Even then, it took Sam’s intervention for them to bury the hatchet.
“Chiquita, are you okay?” Andrea whispers, startling Lena from her thoughts as the hostess seats them at their table. “I know that look, you’re in your head. You’re not usually this contemplative when we go out. Are you and your cariño fighting? Did she eat the last slice of cheesecake again?”
Both of them glance over at their girlfriends laughing with each other. “No, no. Not at all. We’re better than ever, actually. I guess I’m just lost in my thoughts. We’ve been listening to Chappell Roan all week to get ready for the concert.” She rolls her eyes at the rest of their friends giggling like children. “You know where
Good Luck, Babe
takes me.”
“Indeed, I do.” Andrea scoffs before smiling and dragging Lena to the two chairs between their girlfriends. “Such a great song isn’t it? Last I heard, she is married to the guy, what was his name…James? Isn’t that the one she dated when you two split? Or, I guess the one she cheated on you with? Have you heard anything about her?”
Green eyes drift toward her girlfriend as soft lips press to her cheek and they exchange soft smiles. She winks at her love before turning back to Andrea. “According to my current girlfriend, still married as of the last holiday gathering she attended. That was about a year ago and I was unfortunately out of town. However, Kelly said they were having issues when we had dinner with them a few months ago.”
The conversation trails off as Jack and Russell make an appearance at the table. Once greetings are exchanged and menus are passed around, the drink orders are placed. Finally, the waiter takes all their orders and the group settles into talking about their favorite Chappell Roan songs and why.
Next to Andrea, she sees Sam lean forward to make eye contact with her. From the look in Sam’s eyes, she knows right away she’s in trouble. There is no doubt the woman is going to make it a point to ask Lena first. A soft groan crawls up her throat before she can say anything. Her head instinctively drops onto her girlfriend’s shoulder in silent preparation for the story.
“I definitely think you should go first, Luthor. What’s your favorite Chappell Roan song and why is it
Good Luck, Babe?”
Sam giddily smiles when Lena rolls her eyes at the brunette.
“Mi corazón, be nice!” Andrea chuckles, placing a chaste kiss on her girlfriend’s temple. “You know the story as well as almost everyone here.” She rolls her eyes at Sam’s antics before placing a hand on Lena’s knee underneath the table, giving her a gentle squeeze in support.
“You’re the worst, Sam.” The CEO sighs, sitting up straight to brace herself for the trip through some of the roughest memories of her young adult life. Back before she met the woman next to her, before she met the love of her life. “Fine. Yes, it’s
Good Luck, Babe.
It reminds me of my first love in college, my first relationship really. It was with a woman that strung me along for two years.” She takes a deep, shaky breath, leaning into her girlfriend before finishing her sentence. “Her name is Lucy Lane. My first real relationship was apparently nothing but a joke to her.”
Ten years ago…
“I can’t believe we finally graduated. It felt like it would never end.” Lena smiles leaning in to kiss her girlfriend. “At least we have the summer before you head back to Metropolis for law school and I start at MIT for grad school. What do you want to do this summer?”
Lucy wiggles away from Lena to stand, a frustrated growl escapes her throat as she stands next to the couch glaring down at the porcelain skinned woman. “Seriously, Lena? I feel like you never listen to me!” She throws her hands up and runs them down her face before turning away. “I’ve told you a hundred times this can’t continue past graduation. Did you think I was joking? I’m not gay, Lena.”
A stunned Lena shifts on the couch, her eyes wide and focused on the woman she loves breathing heavily in front of her. For a minute, she sits in silence, trying to reconcile the two years they have spent together with the words that just came out of the lips she’s spent hours kissing. “Lucy, I’ve never said you were or were not gay. We’ve been in a relationship for two years. Sexuality aside, what exactly does this mean to you?” She takes a deep breath before continuing, “What about all the I love you’s and sex fueled nights in my bed?”
The look on Lucy’s face immediately makes Lena’s stomach drop to her feet. Her normally tan skin is pale and she looks like she’s about to pass out. So, the next words out of her girlfriend’s mouth shouldn’t really shock her, but they absolutely do.
“Look, Lena, I’m not sure what you thought was happening, but we’re friends who sleep together sometimes. You know I’ve been dating James on and off this whole time. You’ve seen us together when we go out with Andrea, Jack, and Russell.” Another growl of frustration bubbles out of her throat and she starts pacing in front of the couch. “When you said you love me, I always said ‘me too’ because we’re friends and I do love you. Just not like that! This is just the way I am! Jesus, Lena! James proposed to me last night and I said yes!”
Lena’s jaw drops open. The tears she was keeping at bay now falling from her lashes at a rate she has no hope of stopping. Is this somehow her fault? Did she miss the signs? No, there is no way she made this up! It’s been two years!
It hurts. It hurts far more than anything she’s ever felt. Nothing has wrecked her like this. Not losing her birth mother. Not Lionel or Lex’s deaths. Nothing.
She tries really hard to get her tongue to form the words she needs to say, but her brain is frozen. Her heart simultaneously feels like it stopped beating, is racing out of her chest, and shattered into a million pieces.
Lucy’s face is suddenly in front of her eyes and pulls her out of her head. Now she’s mad. Lena is pissed. Years of pent up anger at the shit she has been dealt throughout her life is finally boiling over and it’s about to land all over Lucy Lane.
Lena shoots up from the couch unintentionally knocking Lucy back on her ass. “All this time I’ve invested in you and what I thought was a real, loving relationship. And to you it was what? A sick joke?! A two year experiment?! I know both of us are still in the closet, Lucy. That we both have men we use for cover, but for you to say this is just the way you are?” She scoffs, glaring at the woman still sitting on the floor.
“Lena, stop! You don’t know what you’re saying. I’m
not
gay. I’m marrying James because I love him, not you.” Lucy screams, jumping up to stand in front of a still fuming Lena. Her eyes are wide, fists clenched, gesturing back and forth between the two of them. “This was nothing but some illicit love affair, a college fling. Whatever you thought it was, it was nothing. Friends with benefits that got out of control. That’s all.”
Somber and angry, Lena hangs her head, tears still streaming down her face. “Guess I was the fool, huh? Thinking you actually loved me and we had a future. It makes sense now that you were never the one to say I love you. That you always had stupid reasons for not staying over or acting so weird when we were around James.”
She suddenly has an epiphany.
“James doesn’t know, does he? Of course he doesn’t. It makes sense now! You’ve actually been cheating on him with me! Jesus fucking Christ, Lucy! You’ve made me the other woman.” A devastated sob wrenches its way out of her throat at that realization. “It might not have been love to you, Lucy, but it was to me. Congratulations on breaking my heart. You can say this was nothing, I don’t believe you. We both know the truth even if you don’t want to admit it.”
She turns to walk away, but turns back to say one more thing. “You can kiss hundreds of men, it’s not going to change things, Lucy. Mark my words, all of the things you’re saying, they’re just excuses. Someday, you’re going to wake up next to James and realize I was right. You’re going to think about this moment years from now, staring in the mirror face to face with ‘I told you so’ and wonder what the hell happened.” Turning away from the brunette, she numbly makes her way to her bedroom, pausing before disappearing. “You should leave. I’m sure James is wondering where you are. Thanks for the graduation gift, it’s one I will never forget.”
She closes the door and slides down it onto the floor to sob.
“Fuck, Luthor. That’s fucking awful.” Nia grimaces as she watches the pale skinned CEO shake her head in an attempt to remove the memories from the forefront of her mind. “I can’t believe you still have to see her at family functions! How does that even work?”
Kara, Alex, and Kelly laugh in unison as Kara wraps her girlfriend in a tight hug and places a kiss on the top of her head. “Well, for the most part, Lucy and James aren’t at the gatherings unless it’s Christmas or Thanksgiving. Fortunately for Lucy, Lena was out of town for the last one.” She chuckles at the thought of the two women in the same room. “To be fair, Lena has been really mature about everything. They just really don’t speak unless they have to. Funny enough, Lena and Lois get along like a house on fire. Lucy hates it.”
The group laughs. They make their way around the rest of the group asking the same question – favorite song and why. When it’s finally time to head to the concert venue, everyone piles into the SUV and they go back to singing at the top of their lungs. Lena stealthily adds an extra tip onto the driver's payment.
The excitement builds as they wait in line to get into the venue. Of course, Lena has connections so they have V.I.P. tickets and don’t have to wait long. Kara makes everyone stop by the concessions for drinks and snacks even though they
just
finished dinner. Lena affectionately rolls her eyes and stands to the side with Sam and Andrea.
Sam is in the middle of telling them something about Ruby’s college roommate when a familiar voice makes Lena’s blood run cold.
“Lena? I thought that was you. Oh, hey Andrea. I didn’t expect to see you.” Lucy sheepishly says. “Umm, how are you guys doing?”
Andrea raises her chin, fully preparing to tell the woman to fuck off and cuss her out for even speaking to her best friend like nothing happened between them. Lena reaches over, placing a hand on the Latina’s arm before she can make the situation worse.
“We’re doing quite well.” Lena responds just as the rest of the group appears next to them. Kara hands Lena her drink while wrapping her arm protectively around her girlfriend. She leans up to give her a gentle kiss. “Thanks, Darling. Look who we ran into.”
“Hello, Lucy. What are you doing here? I didn’t think this would be your scene.” Andrea haughtily says, taking her chance to be petty while she can. “Does James know where you are?”
Lucy shifts on her feet, tugging at the collar of her shirt before darting her eyes to the woman standing slightly to the right and behind her. “Oh, y-yeah, he knows where I am. We’re actually separated right now. I’m here with a friend, Imra.” Her eyes lock with Lena’s before she stutters out, “C-Can we talk for a second? Privately.”
Kara and Andrea both step forward in a protective stance, fully prepared to put Lucy in her place and prevent her from trying to ruin Lena’s night out. “It’s okay, Darling. I’ve got this, ‘Drea. It’s fine.”
Lena straightens her spine, stretching to her full height and extending her arm out in a silent ‘after you’ motion to her ex-girlfriend. The two women step into a little alcove next to the stairs leading to the seats. Lena crosses her arms across her chest and raises a questioning eyebrow, a move she has honed over the years.
“I, umm, I’m sorry. That’s the first thing I want to say. I wasn’t fair to you and treated you terribly when we broke up.” An audible swallow echoes around them as Lena narrows her eyes at the shorter woman. “You were right, you know. I’m ten years into a relationship and five years into a marriage I never should have been in. I woke up one night and realized what a coward I’ve been.”
A light chuckle followed by a scoff comes from Lena. She stares at Lucy in both incredulity and smugness. “You know, I was pretty sure this would happen one day. I just wasn’t sure you would ever do anything about it, much less speak to me about it. Why now?”
A long sigh leaves Lucy’s mouth. She bites her lip and she shoves her hands into her pockets before looking back up at Lena. “I met Imra. Before then, it was easier for me to pretend my attraction to women was extinguished when you and I broke up.” She shakes her head and grimaces. “I really am sorry, Lena. I was awful to you back then. No fault of yours, I was just a terrified kid. I know you understand given our families similarities, but that wasn’t an excuse to be such an asshole to you.”
“You were horrible, Lucy. I lost you and Andrea at the same time. My life was turned upside down, those were some of the worst years of my life. If it wasn’t for Jack and Sam, then Kara…” She drifts off into thoughts about those horrid years, before Kara appears at her side yanking her back to reality.
“Everything okay, Baby?” The blonde asks, the crinkle of concern etched between her brows. Blue eyes bounce between Lucy and the woman lurking behind her. “We need to get to our seats soon.”
Lena smiles at the taller woman, leaning into her side. “I’m good, Darling. Lucy and I were just wrapping up our conversation. I’ll be right there.” They briefly press their foreheads together before Kara walks back to their friends.
“I’m glad you’re happy, it’s clear you’re good for each other. Incredibly easy to see how much love there is between you.” Lucy says, her head turning toward Imra before looking Lena in the eye. “Thank you for loving me back then, Lena. I didn’t deserve you or your love. Hell, I don’t deserve the kindness you’re showing me now. You are an amazing person and I am glad you got your happy ending.”
A bright smile spreads across Lena’s face. She turns to look at Kara and blows her a kiss. “I definitely got my happy ending. She’s the best thing to happen to me. Anyway, I appreciate your apology. Certainly not what I expected, but I accept. I hope you figure things out for yourself and find your happy ending.”
“Me, too. I suppose I will see you around. Thanksgiving?” Lucy says, a slight shrug of her shoulder.
“Sure, maybe.” Lena says as she turns to head back to her friends. She pauses halfway there and turns back to call out. “Lucy!”
The shorter woman startles and turns back to her ex with a confused look on her face. “Yeah?”
“Good Luck, Babe.” She turns and walks away, a bright smile on her face and a smug confidence in her step.