Chapter 4

Nora

Finally it was Friday! Nora’s work week had dragged along at a snail's pace, as usual. She worked on a few projects, attended a handful of meetings, and familiarized herself with Indigo Lights, the new account she would be working on starting next week. 

That was something she had been looking forward to. Aside from getting to work so closely with Olivia, the company seemed really interesting. And how fun would it be to see the looks on the faces of her more conservative family members back home when she announced she had worked on the designs for a company that sold weed? Hah! 

She imagined Aunt Caroline submerging her in holy water, convinced Nora’s very existence was evidence of the Devil himself. 

There had been some movement on the dating front. Nora had matched, and been chatting with, a few women over the last few days. She had been talking with one in particular, a cute redhead named Bailey, every day after matching with her less than an hour after setting up her profile on the app. 

Bailey was a bit more masc than the women Nora usually went for, but she seemed nice, and they had been hitting it off pretty well through their messages. And if her photos were even a small indication of what she actually looked like, she was hot as hell! So when Bailey had asked Nora if she’d like to meet for drinks this Friday night, Nora agreed. With only a little internal hesitation. 

Nora watched the time on her laptop tick by. As it hit five-o-clock, she gathered her things from her desk and made her way to the restroom. The bar where they were meeting was just around the corner from the Lexand offices, so there was no sense in going all the way back to her apartment to get ready.

On her way to the ladies' room, Nora spotted Olivia walking out of a conference room alongside Whitney and a small group of men and women that Nora didn’t recognize. Olivia looked every bit the poised CEO of a multi-million dollar company in her camel-colored trousers, white linen button down and navy pumps. And the black, round frame glasses adorning her flawless face unleashed a cageful of butterflies deep in Nora’s stomach. 

Olivia was in the midst of a conversation with the statuesque beauty walking next to her. The other woman was tall, with exquisite curves that filled out her tight, designer dress like Nora could only dream her body would. The woman had deep ebony skin and a voice that, even from this distance, Nora could hear was seductively smooth, like honey dripping slowly over supple Italian leather.

As if Olivia had a sixth sense and knew Nora was fawning over her from afar, she momentarily turned her attention away from the goddess at her side, her eyes instantly locking with Nora’s. There were those butterflies again. It felt like they were throwing a rave in her gut! 

Nora gave her a small smile and raised her palm in a polite wave. The smile Olivia shot back nearly knocked Nora to the ground right there in the middle of the office. They held eye contact with each other for a couple of seconds. Nora’s body felt like it was melting into the floor, Olivia’s affection turning her into nothing more than a little Nora-colored puddle.

But this moment was short lived, for almost as soon as Olivia’s gaze bore its way into Nora’s body, Olivia’s companion leaned over, whispering something in her ear as she placed her perfect hand on Olivia’s arm, yanking her attention away from Nora and back in her direction. 

Watching on from a distance, Nora felt her chest tighten as heat rose to her face. Suddenly feeling embarrassed, she turned and marched toward the bathroom. She plopped her bag down on the counter and looked at herself in the mirror before getting ready for her date. 

Of course, Olivia would never be interested in her. She wasn’t beautiful, or elegant, or sophisticated like that other woman. You’re stupid and ugly and-  NO!

Nora cut off her own thoughts as they sprang into her mind. She wasn’t about to let herself spiral like she had done so many times before. She took a deep breath, let it out and pushed those thoughts away. Not tonight. She was determined to have a good time. She wasn’t going to let her anxieties win. 

Nora pulled out her makeup bag, adding a bit more eyeliner and mascara to her eyes, and popping on a touch more ruby red blush on her cheeks. She finished off by swiping a bit of sheer cherry-colored gloss onto her lips before sweeping her hair back into a loose bun at the nape of her neck, letting a few curls fall out around her face. 

She took another look at herself in the full-length mirror on the back of the bathroom door. She shrugged out of the cardigan she had been wearing around the office all day, leaving her shoulders and arms exposed in a white square-neck tank, tucked into a mid-length floral skirt. She pulled out the black heels she had packed in her bag, switching them out in place of her flat loafers.  

Before she exited the bathroom, she scrunched up her nose, scrutinizing her appearance. This will have to do. 

As Nora left the building, making her way down the street to the bar, she tried her best to redirect the thoughts that had been running through her brain. 

You’re gonna go on a date. You’re gonna have a few drinks. You’re gonna have some fun. This woman is lucky to be going out with you! You’re a fucking catch! 

But even as Nora silently affirmed herself, she didn’t believe her own words.

Chapter 5

Olivia

Olivia slid a fifty across the wooden bar top as the bartender set down three drinks in front of her. “Thanks!” she said with a nod as she gathered up the glasses in her hands before making her way across the crowded room to the table where her friends sat. 

“...Oh my God! I can’t believe they’re splitting up. And what about Henry? Who is-”

Olivia got to the table just as her friends abruptly silenced themselves. She shut her eyes, recoiling slightly as their hushed words hit her ears.

“You guys, it’s okay, you can talk about Sophie. I’m not worried about her anymore. It’s fine,” Olivia said as she took a seat at the table and passed Maya and Whitney their drinks. Even she didn't believe her own words.

“Sorry, Liv,” Whitney said, looking down at the tabletop. “You know, I don’t have any more information anyway, so there’s really nothing else to say," Whitney offered, shooting Olivia a sympathetic look. "Maya, finish the story you were telling before!” she added quickly. “I need to hear about this guy!”

Maya thought for a moment before speaking. “...Oh! So, I walked out of the bedroom the next morning, in nothing but my underwear, to find his mother standing in the kitchen folding his laundry. This man is the forty-three-year-old CEO of a Fortune one hundred company and still has his goddamn mother washing all of his clothing! And she puts it all away for him!” 

Olivia was grateful her friends had changed the subject. Although she had given them permission to discuss Sophie around her, she really was the last thing Olivia wanted to think about right now. Incredibly enough, she would even rather hear the cringe-worthy details of Maya’s current situationship. 

“Ugh! And this is why I have never and will never be with a man,” Oliva said, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, I simply don’t understand the appeal.”

Olivia, Whitney, and Maya had been suitemates their freshman year of college, nearly eighteen years ago. Jesus, we’re getting old! 

The three girls had bonded almost instantly due to the shared hatred of their fourth roommate, Krista. Whitney and Maya had graciously let Olivia sleep on the floor of the bedroom the two of them had shared so often, that Olivia had ended up moving her mattress into their room permanently. If Krista wasn’t bringing boys back to their dorm every night with no regard for her roommates' sleep or class schedules, she was referring to Olivia as ‘The Dyke,’ and making even worse microaggressions toward Maya that eventually turned into full-blown racist attacks.

Thankfully, the girls were able to get an off-campus apartment for their sophomore year that they ended up sharing throughout the remainder of their college days. And all these years later, these three musketeers were still the best of friends. 

Maya had taken over her family’s global media empire not long after graduating from business school and was the first person to invest in Lexand back when they were a scrappy little startup. And she had been the first person Olivia and Whitney had elected to their board of directors for their then-small company. 

Now, Maya was taking over the business world from San Francisco, so any time she came back to New York, the three ladies made it a priority to hit up their favorite bar they had frequented during their days at NYU. The same bar where they’d shared drunken nights, tearful heart-to-hearts, and celebrated important life milestones with each other. 

“You know, Liv, the more time I spend with men, the more I’m starting to see your side of things,” Maya said with a chuckle. 

“Where the hell was this attitude when we were in college?” Olivia exclaimed, tossing her hands up and giving a look of mock indignation.

 It was no longer a secret amongst the friends, that Olivia had harbored quite the crush on Maya in their younger days. Back when Olivia had never done more than kiss another girl and had no idea how to even begin flirting with one. For months, anytime she was alone with Maya, her pits and palms went clammy as soon as she tried to speak, any words she managed to eke out becoming a mumbled, stuttered mess. 

Olivia still remembered the jealousy and hurt she felt the first time she saw Maya kissing some frat bro at a party. She no longer had those kinds of feelings for her friend, but that was the first time she remembered feeling real heartbreak. Romantically speaking anyway. Those are hard feelings to forget.

“Aww, you know if I was gonna try out for your team, you’d be the first lady I run to!” Maya said, patting Olivia’s forearm on top of the table. 

“That’s all I ask, my love,” Olivia replied with a wink.

“Psh! She doesn’t want you anymore, Maya! Or Sophie!” Whitney chimed in, slurring her words slightly and waving her hand at Maya dismissively. 

“Aaand Shitney has entered the chat!” Maya exclaimed, clapping her hands above her head excitedly. 

‘Shitney’ was the, always loving, never mocking, nickname Olivia and Maya had bestowed upon Whitney when she was drunk. Good old Shitney! She’s my favorite.

Whitney so rarely let her hair down anymore that they didn’t get to see Shitney very often. But Whitney had always been such a lightweight, that two drinks was all it took to bring that shitfaced little stinker out from hiding. And without anyone noticing, Whitney had downed her last drink in record time, as Maya was finishing her story. Shitney was now in full control.

“She’s got a fat crush on someone else now!” Whitney said, reaching over to boop Olivia on the nose with her index finger. Okay, maybe Shitney isn’t my favorite anymore…

Olivia ducked, dodging Whitney’s invasive boop. “I have no idea what you're talking about,” she said defensively, swatting Whitney’s hand away. 

“Oh my God! Maya, this one is absolutely head over heels! Isn’t that right?” Whitney said dramatically as she grabbed Olivia’s chin in her hand, playfully squishing her cheeks with her fingers, forcing her lips to puff out from her face. 

Whitney understood boundaries and knew how to keep her hands to herself. Shitney, however? Shitney’s love language was physical touch. And tonight, that love seemed to be focused on Olivia’s face for some reason. 

“Get off me!” Olivia cried as she pried herself from Whitney’s iron-like grasp. 

“Whaaaat?” Maya asked, her eyes widening with intrigue. “Do tell. I need every single detail!” 

“There are no details to give. I don’t know what she’s talking abou-”

“Bullshit!” Whitney cut in. She turned to Maya, resting her chin in her hand and speaking as if Olivia was no longer sitting right next to her. “Her name is Nora and she works on our graphic design team. She’s the cutest thing! You should have heard Liv talking about her the other day, trying to act all casual, like it wasn’t obvious that she’s in love with her. It was so adorable,” Whitney said with an idiotic, starry-eyed smile. 

Olivia rolled her eyes at her friends. “Please stop making up rumors about me,” she said dryly. “These are slanderous lies you’re spreading, Shitney!”

“It’s not slander if it’s true!” Whitney countered with a smug smile. 

“Do you think she’s in you too?” Maya asked, completely ignoring all of Olivia’s assertions (lies!) that she was, in fact, not into Nora in that way. 

Olivia opened her mouth to protest, yet again, but before she could even get a breath out, Whitney jumped in. “Ugh! She is so into her! It’s-” 

Mid sentence, Whitney gasped, pointing at something behind Olivia. “Oh my God! There she is!” Whitney scream-whispered. “The one with the dark hair, sitting by herself!” she detailed for Maya, an almost giddy quality to her voice. 

Without a word between them, Olivia and Maya both turned to look behind them. Sure enough, there sat Nora, at a table for two in the far corner of the bar. She was sitting by herself, jotting something down in a small, worn-out red notebook. Every few seconds, her eyes shot up, looking expectantly toward the entrance of the bar. 

“That’s her? Oh, Liv, she is cute! She’s exactly your type!” Maya said in Olivia’s ear. “You should go talk to her!” 

“What?! No. She’s clearly waiting for someone. She’s probably on a date!”

“Well, there’s no one with her now. Just go say hi at least,” Whitney advised. 

“Like I would actually go talk to her, or any other woman for that matter, with you two vultures watching my every move. No way!” Olivia protested. “Plus, weren’t you the one that was just telling me to be careful working so closely with her?”

Whitney’s mouth fell open. “So you admit that you do like her?”

“How is that what I just said?”

“Go on, Liv,” Maya said reassuringly. “I think we’re gonna need to get Shitney home soon anyway. She’s not gonna be able to stand up straight much longer.”

“I can hear you, you know,” Whitney said from across the table. 

“Yeah, I know you can, Whit, that’s why I said it.” 

Ignoring Maya’s comment, Whitney began to repeatedly slap Olivia on the shoulder, practically pushing her out of her chair. “Shit! She’s about to leave! Go, go, go, go, go!” 

Olivia turned again, finding Nora sliding her notebook into her bag and slinging the strap over her shoulder, an exasperated, almost sad, look on her face. I guess whoever she was meeting didn’t show up…

With a deep sigh, Olivia stood from her chair, turning back to her friends briefly. “Fine, but you two have to leave. Now!” 

“Okay, we’ll leave! But go over there now! Before she leaves!” Whitney cried. 

With one last roll of her eyes, Olivia picked up her drink and made her way through the crowd to Nora’s table. Nora had her head down, rummaging intently through her bag for something. She didn’t seem to notice Olivia’s presence at first. 

Leaning on the back of the chair opposite Nora’s, Olivia opened her mouth to speak, but before she could make a sound, Nora let out an irritated sigh and spoke without lifting her head. “Table’s all yours. I’m leaving.” 

“Wait, don’t go,” Olivia implored.

Nora looked up from her bag, her momentary look of confusion turning into something resembling shock. 

She stared at Olivia for a beat too long, her mouth hanging open, before replying. “Ms. Anders-” she cut herself off, shaking her head, before continuing,  “Olivia. Hi. Um… what are you doing here?”

“I was just having a drink with some friends. I saw you over here by yourself and thought I’d say hello. But if you were just leaving, I don’t want to keep you from any plans,” Olivia added quickly.

“N-no!” Nora exclaimed. “I mean… I… I don’t have any other plans,” she said, her lips curling into a timid smile. 

Olivia gestured toward the empty chair she had been leaning on. “May I sit?”

“Yes! Yeah. Of course,” Nora said, extending her arms toward the seat opposite her own, her face slowly turning bright red. I love it when she blushes like that.

Olivia smiled, her own cheeks turning a pale shade of pink as she pulled the chair out and sat down. “You’re not meeting someone?”

Nora looked down at her hands folded in her lap. “Well, I was supposed to be,” she replied defeatedly. “But seeing as she should have been here almost a half hour ago, I’m pretty sure I’ve been stood up,” she said, looking back up at Olivia with a weak smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

She. She had said ‘she’, right? So Nora was into women. To say Olivia was elated at this development was quite the understatement. But even though her hopes had just been confirmed, Olivia felt a stab of pain in her chest seeing Nora so down. Especially over some asshole that couldn’t even bother to show up for her.

“Oof, I’m sorry to hear that,” Olivia said with a small wince. Seriously, how could anyone stand her up? After a beat of silence, she added, “Well, she’s clearly an idiot… I guess her loss is my gain.”

Nora let out an almost inaudible giggle as she looked down, that weak smile from a moment ago transforming into a radiant grin directed at the tabletop. 

Nora hesitated for a moment before changing the subject. “So, what are you doing at a bar like this? I mean, it isn’t exactly a dive, but it’s not super upscale either…” 

Olivia couldn’t contain the laugh that sprang from her chest. “Oh, you have a lot to learn about me, Nora. I’ve been coming to this bar since you were in diapers!” 

Nora scoffed, amusement clear on her face. “How old do you think I am?”

“Yikes! I guess I backed myself into this corner, didn’t I?” Olivia squinted her eyes, really giving Nora a good look. She allowed the corners of her mouth to shift upward in a small smile as Nora held her gaze, raising her chin slightly and squinting right back at Olivia. “Well, you haven’t been working at Lexand very long, so I’m guessing you’re pretty fresh out of college… I’m gonna say, twenty-two? Twenty-three?”

“Hah!” Olivia couldn’t help but let her smile grow wider as Nora let out a hearty guffaw, her nose wrinkling as she laughed at Olivia’s estimation of her age. “I mean, you’re not that far off, I guess. I’m twenty-eight. Twenty-nine actually, at the end of September. But thanks for the ego boost!”

Olivia’s eyes widened in disbelief. Nora was still quite young, but she was shocked to hear that she was only a handful of years younger than herself. “Wow! So where have you been then?” Olivia asked, desperate to get to know the woman sitting across from her. “What were you doing before coming to work with us?”

Nora looked away again, her smile falling a bit as she searched for what words to say. Shit! Should I have not asked that? Did I hit a nerve? Great job, dumbass!

“Um… you know, it just took me a while to figure things out, I guess…” Nora explained with a noncommittal shrug of her shoulders. “I originally went to college in Boston. I was going to major in music, but I dropped out after my freshman year and ended up going back home for a bit. Then ‘a bit’ turned into a few years of working odd jobs here and there, until I finally decided to go back to school. 

I landed on graphic design because it was something creative that I could also get a good job with. I graduated last year, so you’re pretty spot on about me being fresh out of college at least,” she added with a shy smile in Olivia’s direction. 

“I’ve always wanted to live in New York, so as soon as I had enough money saved up, I moved out here and hopefully won’t ever look back.”

“So you initially went to school for music?” Olivia asked.

“Yeah,” Nora offered with another faraway look. 

There was something going on in that head that Olivia was yearning to learn. But she wouldn’t push for it. 

“My mom was an artist and a musician, so she taught me piano and guitar when I was pretty young,” Nora continued.

Olivia watched the other woman’s face change. A winsome smile grew across her cheeks as a beloved memory replayed in her mind.

“I remember watching her perform at this little dive bar back home when I was a kid. I always had a special table in the back. My mom would put a handwritten ‘reserved’ sign on top, along with a pink carnation in a little crystal vase.  The bartender would make me a Shirley Temple and fill the glass with cherries instead of ice while my mom sang to me from the stage…”

Olivia couldn’t help but smile, picturing little Nora transfixed as she watched her mother perform. “That sounds really lovely. Does she still perform?”

“Uh, no,” Nora replied, looking down at her hands lying in her lap. “She actually passed away when I was thirteen.”

“Oh. I’m so sorry to hear that.” 

“Thanks. It’s okay though. It was a long time ago.”

Silence hung in the air for a moment before Olivia attempted to change the subject. “So where’s home?” she inquired.

Nora let out a small giggle before answering. “St. Francisville, Louisiana,” she said with a smile and a genuine look of pride.

Olivia replayed the endearing way Nora pronounced Louisiana in her head. Lose-ee-anna.

“Really? I would have never guessed you were from the South,” Olivia said with a hint of shock. “You don’t have an accent at all.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve worked pretty hard at that. Try moving to Boston as an eighteen-year-old that sounds like they just stepped out of an episode of The Beverly Hillbillies.” Nora picked up her drink, holding it just above the table. “But get a few more drinks in me, and that accent’s comin’ right out!” Nora laughed from deep in her belly. The sound sent electric pulses through Olivia’s veins. 

“Oh, well in that case…” Olivia stood from her chair, slapping both palms down on the table, “... I’m getting us another round! What are you drinking?”

“Oh my gosh, no! I couldn’t!” Nora said, laughing even harder than before, clamping her hand down over her mouth as her eyes squeezed shut. 

“Nope, you can’t just dangle something like that in front of me and expect me not to take the bait!”

Nora sighed and threw her hands up in defeat as she responded, “Alright. I’ll have whatever you’re having.” 

Nora looked up at Olivia, hitting her head-on with the full force of that radiant smile. She’s got me. 

In that moment, Olivia knew she would do anything for that smile.