Feint
Shifting the load in her hands slightly Enid managed to almost gracefully press the back of her hand against the doorbell. Stepping back and waiting for the door to open. Figuring it might take Wednesday a while to actually reach the door considering her knee
Enid would be lying if she hadn’t spend the last few days worrying a fair bit about Wednesday. The two of them having started texting the morning after the incident. Wednesday having taken surprisingly well to the mode of communication even if she was still signing every text with her name.
Which meant that Enid was now getting regular updates on how Wednesday was doing, her anxiety was still flaring up whenever the subject of Wednesday’s injury came up. The other woman seeming to insist on downplaying it even though Enid had a sneaking suspicion that Wednesday was mostly being stubborn.
So maybe her visit was partly a ploy to see how Wednesday was really doing. Not that she was sneaking up on Wednesday. They’d agreed on meeting the night before so that Enid could return Wednesday’s car. And they’d floated the idea of getting lunch as well so it wasn’t like Enid was doing anything they hadn’t at the very least discussed. Right?
Enid was pulled from her own thoughts as the door in front of her swung open. Enid’s hear clenching slightly at the sight of Wednesday having to support herself on a pair of crutches. Though she didn’t let it show, instead flashing her most convincing smile as Wednesday looked back at her with a degree of confusion painted on her face
“brought your car back” Enid continued to smile as if that was the source of Wednesday’s confusion
“I can see that…” Wednesday said her eyes flicking down to the car keys dangling from Enid’s right hand before moving back to staring at the rest of the stuff Enid was carrying. Enid’s eyes starting to strain slightly under the weight of the bags.
“I also brought a few things cause you said you were running low on food” Enid grinned lifting the two grocery bags in her arms slightly before moving to enter the apartment. Wednesday taking a step back to make room for her as gracefully as she could at the moment. Which meant she still exhibited more fluidity of motion than Enid was capable of on her best day
“I am more than capable of getting my own groceries Enid” Wednesday said following along down the hallway that made up her front hall. Enid having to slow down for Wednesday to keep up. Shooting a worried glance towards the other woman as she did so
“yeah but some of us would like it if you lived off of something other than protein bars and black coffee” Enid shot back with a cheeky smile. Knowing that the other girl had probably eaten something other than that the last few days but still frowning Wednesday at the presence of an empty cup of coffee on her kitchen island
“plus I promised I’d run through some of my recipes so I brought stuff for that too” Enid started unpacking the groceries. Admittedly not knowing where any of it went in Wednesday’s kitchen as she moved the coffee cup to clear up some more counter space. Doing a slight double take as she did so
“wait is this from The Buzz?” Enid said holding up the cup showcasing the little bee printed on the cardboard sleeve. Wednesday staring back at her as if that was the most obvious thing in the world
“yes it is. They quite conveniently offer delivery” Wednesday shrugged before plucking the cup from Enid’s hand and plopping it into the trash
“is this why you asked me to help you with UberEATS the other day?” Enid asked making no effort to hide the fact that she was judging Wednesday as the other girl shrugged
“I would have asked my brother but I already had to supply him with my phone number in exchange for his help with setting the device with a provider. No telling what he would have demanded for helping me again” Wednesday explained as she started looking over some of the stuff that Enid had brought. Putting away the stuff in places she could reach without walking around too much
“I thought you were getting food” Enid furrowed her brow. Wednesday seemingly not caring much about her displeasure as she put away a packet of stock cubes. Enid genuinely surprised to see that Wednesday already seemed to have at least some shelf stables in her kitchen “also The Buzz is across town. How the hell are you getting coffee delivered without it getting cold?”
“tipping sufficiently is more than enough to make the drivers break a few traffic laws” Wednesday said not even trying to hide her smirk at Enid’s astonishment “my current record is twenty minutes”
“TWE-… Wednesday!” Enid smacked a bag of spaghetti against the counter hard enough that she was worried that some if it might have broken
“the real challenge was getting them to make my order correctly” Wednesday muttered “took a few tries for me to get them to understand what I wanted”
“either that or Eugene figured out that it was you ordering” Enid rolled her eyes in response. Refusing to believe that there was anyone else out there downing septuple espressos. Or at least hoping there wasn’t
“now help me figure out where your cooking stuff is so I can make you some actual food” Enid continued. Not sure how much Wednesday would be able to participate in the cooking with her limited mobility but still intending to at least try to cook together
“this was not what I had in mind when you said you would be coming by for lunch” Wednesday shook her head. Although she didn’t hesitate to start pointing out where the various kitchen equipment was stored
As she’d claimed Wednesday wasn’t completely useless at cooking. Meticulously following Enid’s instructions as they moved through the recipe. In all honesty Enid wasn’t sure how much she was actually teaching Wednesday. But they were having fun with it so she decided that it didn’t much matter. Plus they ended up with a dish that was actually edible which was a success in Enid’s book
“so I hope you like it” Enid said after the two of them had sat down at Wednesday’s small dining table. Enid having carried most of the stuff in on account of Wednesday not really being able to get around without using both of her hands “it’s my mom’s chicken pot pie pasta though I’ve added a lot of veggies to make it healthier” Enid blabbered on as Wednesday simply looked at her with one of her usual unreadable expressions
“Though that’s for Yoko’s sake not yours. I’m sure you eat plenty healthy” Enid added suddenly worried she’d said something stupid. Although the slight uptick of Wednesday’s lips told her that wasn’t the case. Enid instead opting for serving both them a helping of the dish
“it’s delicious. Thank you” Wednesday offered after a few minutes filled with the sound of cutlery on plates. Enid beaming at the compliment
“hey you helped too” Enid smiled as she pierced another piece of chicken from her own plate “I have the recipe written down for you if you want” she added remembering the small piece of laminated construction paper that she had brough along in her purse
“gladly” Wednesday nodded before the two of them returned to a comfortable silence as they ate. Enid feeling downright starved after spending all that time cooking. Never having related to the fact that cooking was supposed to make you less hungry
“so… how’s your knee” Enid said after a few more minutes. Tackling the apparent elephant in the room. Already having not mentioned the fact that Wednesday had obviously been sleeping on the couch. Though in all honesty Enid was kind of happy about that. Not particularly liking the idea of Wednesday having to climb up and down those stairs all the time.
“much better than at the beginning of the week” Wednesday said Enid feeling the knot in her chest loosen ever so slightly “I’ve regained a fair amount of mobility. These are mostly for show now honestly” Wednesday added nodding towards the crutches that were currently resting against the table
“well that’s good” Enid nodded maybe a little too enthusiastically considering the way Wednesday looked at her in response. Though she likewise let Enid’s reaction go without comment
“yes. I’m hoping to be able to join practice at least once before the championship. Especially considering how much Weems already complaining about my absence” Wednesday pulled a face at the remark. Clearly annoyed with her coach as usual although Enid suspected that she actually had a fair amount of respect for the woman as well. Not that Wednesday was likely to ever admit it
“how did you even manage to get her off your back?” Enid didn’t claim to know the coach very well. But she did have the feeling that she didn’t look all too kindly on people playing hooky
“I just told Weems and my mother that I had appointments that would get in the way of me attending” Wednesday shrugged. Enid feeling her eyebrows shooting upwards. Haven expected that the entire scheme would somehow be more challenging than that
“Weems trusts that I will not lose my edge due to missing a few sessions as unhappy as she is with my absence” Wednesday explained clearly picking up on Enid’s confusion “and mother merely seemed pleased with the idea of me having a social life”
Enid giggled slightly at the eye roll that accompanied the latter sentence. Wednesday shooting her a knowing smirk in response
“okay yeah that makes sense I guess. Plus it’s definitely a better story than what I told Yoko” Enid laughed going for a joke but clearly missing as Wednesday’s face fell at the reminder
“I do apologize that I’m forcing you to lie to Tanaka” Wednesday said catching Enid off guard with the sudden shift in mood
“no. Hey. It’s totally okay. I get that you don’t want to risk her telling Divina” Enid shrugged trying her best to sound as genuine as possible. Because she didn’t really mind fibbing to Yoko. She was going to come clean at some point. Plus considering how smitten Yoko had been acting Enid didn’t really trust her to not spill the beans if Divina chose to ask her. Puppy dog eyes really were that woman’s fatal weakness. Which Enid had exploited plenty in the past so shed damn well know
“if you say so” Wednesday said even if she sounded very much unconvinced “what did you end up telling Tanaka? You never elaborated in our texts”
“oh… yeah” Enid said feeling somewhat sheepish “I just told her that I ended up drinking too much again and you had to drive me home” She continued to explain. Which was quite obviously not doing anything to console Wednesday with the way her face remained contorted in a grimace that definitely said unhappy
“You had not needed to debase yourself to cover for me” Wednesday said sounding genuinely hurt at the prospect of Enid suffering any injustice at her expense
“Hey it’s alright” Enid was quick to try and do damage control before Wednesday got the wrong idea “plus the busier she is cracking stupid jokes the less questions she’s asking. So it’s a win-win”
“fewer” Wednesday corrected out of reflex more than anything. Obviously mulling it all over before seemingly letting go of the argument even if her face made it clear she was still unhappy about it
“though one would imagine that the fact that you weren’t home would make Tanaka question your story”
“oh yeah no. Yoko didn’t get home until the morning after” Enid said pulling a face as she did so “which is another reason I’m not about to tell her anything just yet”
Judging by the way she perked up, this new tidbit was apparently enough to catch Wednesday’s attention. Enid herself smirking slightly at the reaction from the other girl
“so. Tanaka and Divina are…?” Wednesday raised an eyebrow leaving the question intentionally open
“I mean I don’t think they’re official or that they’ve… you know” Enid said making a hand gesture to finish the sentence rather than actually say it. A fact that seemed to entertain Wednesday endlessly even if she seemed to understand what Enid was trying to say
“because if they did and she didn’t tell me I’m going to literally scream” Enid said pointedly ignoring Wednesday’s smirk. Fully aware of the level of hypocrisy she was expressing but not particularly caring. The two of them sharing a small moment as they both sat in silent amusement at the implications of Yoko’s absence from the apartment
“…but your leg is really alright?” Enid finally broke the silence. Probably trying to calm her own nerves more so than trying to taking care of Wednesday. Though Wednesday didn’t really seem to mind apart from a slight sigh and an eye roll
“yes it’s perfectly fine. I’ve regained most of the range of motion and the swelling has reduced considerably. My only concern is that I still can’t put weight on it for extended periods of time which has made getting upstairs a challenge”
“oh I mean if you need anything from up there I can get it for you no sweat, really” Enid offered already halfway out of her chair when she noticed Wednesday rolling her eyes at her eagerness
“there’s no hurry Enid” Wednesday smirked as Enid let herself fall back down in the chair cheeks tinged slightly pink “though I wouldn’t be opposed to you bringing me some of my toiletries. I keep the downstairs bathroom reasonably stocked but it’s not quite the same”
“Can I just say it’s crazy that your place has two bathrooms? Like I’m not complaining but in a single bedroom downtown?” Enid said as she started gathering up their plates since it seemed that both of them were done eating at this point. Glaring at Wednesday when she moved to get up as well. Wednesday rolling her eyes but staying put as Enid cleared the table
“I believe it’s supposed go with the guestroom” Wednesday said offhandedly, looking up when Enid put the plates down a fair bit harder than she intended to
“you have a guestroom?!” Enid exclaimed from the kitchen island her reaction seemingly catching Wednesday off guard. Her eyebrows arching up in response
“then why in the world are you sleeping on the couch?” Enid asked while silently wondering why she’d been made to sleep on the couch as well
“oh there’s no bed in there” Wednesday said which did little to alleviate Enid’s confusion. The look on her face making that fairly clear
“the apartment came unfurnished and I never saw the point in acquiring one” Wednesday continued to explain “I mostly use it for storage” all of which earned her yet another disbelieving look from Enid which Wednesday met with a challenging raise of her eyebrow
“huh. Guess this explains how you’ve been getting fresh clothes” Enid said a few minutes later as the two of them stood in the doorway into what Enid had previously thought was some sort of closet but which was in fact an actual second bedroom pressed up against the bathroom wall on the far end of the apartment. Most of the room taken up by rows of cardboard boxes with neatly written notes on them. A select few boxes having been pulled out into the middle of the room where Enid could see several pieces of black clothing poking out.
Enid wasn’t entirely sure what the plan was once they found themselves sitting in the living room once again. Technically they’d only planned for lunch but neither of them had moved for Enid to leave just yet. Instead, just sitting on the couch making idle conversation in a surprisingly comfortable way. Wednesday going off about some sort of controversy with a fencer at the last nationals. Most of it going over Enid’s head but she was more than happy to just sit back and listen to the sound of the other woman’s voice. A fact she didn’t read too much into as she instead focused on humming and agreeing at the right moments.
Though even they ran out of small talk at some point. Instead drifting into silence just as Enid caught Wednesday glancing towards the clock. Their lunch and conversation having pushed them further into the afternoon than either of them having anticipated, and it wouldn’t be long before the sun would disappear behind the top of the surrounding buildings. Enid in turn took the glance to mean she would soon be asked to leave and instead opted to preempt her eviction since that only seemed polite. Though she never managed to get that far before Wednesday began talking once again catching her off guard
“do you have any further engagements today?” Wednesday said looking up from her lap catching hold of Enid’s eyes who was staring back, caught mid standing up.
“huh? Oh no I’m totally free. I mean I gotta go to work tomorrow but I have today off and Yoko is off somewhere with you know who so it’s not like somebody’s waiting” Enid cut herself off once she realized that she was rambling. Wednesday just smiling ever so slightly at her while Enid made a fool of herself
“I wanted to know whether you might want to stay over for dinner?” Wednesday asked maybe a bit quieter than she usually would. Though any anxiety was entirely misplaced as Enid perked up at the suggestion
“yeah! I mean sure that sounds nice” Enid smiled placing herself back on the couch laughing a bit at herself “did you have anything in mind or?”
“I was thinking we could order in since you’ve already gone through the trouble of cooking for me” Wednesday shrugged Enid agreeing readily before she continued “and until then we could maybe watch a movie?” Wednesday continued gesturing towards the tv. Which was about forty-five inches of further extravagance in Wednesday’s apartment despite the fact that Enid was fairly certain she’d never once seen Wednesday use it
“oh yeah definitely” Enid said smiling broadly. Wednesday pointing towards the table beneath the tv. Enid moving to open the small cupboard to peruse the selection of DVD’s. Her face falling after a few moments
“uhm do you have anything less… gory? I don’t do well with scary stuff” Enid said turning around towards Wednesday with an awkward smile. Though the grimace Wednesday with said that her collection might actually be limited to Cronos and some movie called audition
Though this problem was remedied by another quick trip into Wednesday’s guestroom. Where Enid, with some coaching from Wednesday, managed to pull out another box where they found some movies from back when Wednesday had been younger. According to herself at least. Though Enid still questioned the film choices for a young girl
In then end they settled on Arachnophobia which seemed to satisfy Wednesday’s need for Horror while also being lighthearted enough for Enid. Even though the blonde still hid behind the at several of the spider scenes. Which earned her an honest to god laugh from Wednesday. Which almost made up for the fact that she was probably going to be scared of basements for the next few months
After the movie ended, they ordered in as Wednesday had suggested. Opting for a local Indian place that Wednesday liked. Enid answering the door to grab their food before the two of them settling in on the couch to eat. Enid having discovered that Wednesday’s tv did screen mirroring. Which meant that Enid was currently pulling up her and Yoko’s Netflix account to put on her favorite show. Which she’d spent about an hour begging Wednesday to watch with her. Wednesday having acquiesced around the twentieth time Enid had asked. Enid deciding her day was an official success when she caught Wednesday smiling at some of the jokes.
________________________________________________________________________________
Wednesday really should have seen this coming. After all Enid had scoffed down about two servings of chicken korma, constantly thanking Wednesday for paying, before emptying Wednesday’s entire supply of popcorn while they worked their through the entire first season of Enid’s strange show. Though Wednesday had to admit it had it’s redeeming qualities even if a lot of the jokes went over her head.
All in all it shouldn’t be a surprise that Enid was currently completely knocked out, having fallen asleep halfway through the last episode
Wednesday tried gently shake the other girl awake which only resulted in the blonde pushing Wednesday off herself mumbling something unintelligible but showing no signs of actually waking up.
Instead Wednesday just shook her head at the blonde before grabbing the empty bowl from Enid’s lap and pulling the blanket further around her. Scooting herself back on the couch. Resigning herself to watch the rest of the episode on screen before disturbing Enid’s sleep. For the blonde’s sake of course.
Enid blinked herself awake as the rhythmic buzzing from her phone pulled her from sleep. Enid groggily searching or the device until she managed to pull it out to turn her alarm off, moving to get off the couch when she found herself pulled back down by something heavy in her lap
Wondering if she’d fallen asleep while working on her laptop once again Enid glanced down to move it only for the sight that met her confusing her enough that Enid had to blink several times to try and make sense of what was going on.
First thing that Enid realized was that she once again wasn’t in her own apartment. The memories of spending most of the evening with Wednesday rushing back filling Enid with a warmth. The second was that she’d apparently fallen asleep on the couch. Both sitting up and without even getting ready for bed. Which was probably why her mouth tasted like ass
The third and most shocking fact was that the thing that had kept her from getting up wasn’t in fact her laptop but rather the fact that Wednesday was currently asleep next to her. Her head laying in Enid’s lap anchoring her to the couch
Enid couldn’t possibly imagine that this had been Wednesday’s intention. Both because of Wednesday’s general aversion to physical touch and also because it would be directly in opposition of the signals Wednesday had been sending her so far. Enid having already been surprised by the fact that Wednesday had asked her to hang out the night before.
Nonetheless Enid couldn’t help but smile to herself as she glanced down at the sleeping figure. Her heart squeezing more than it probably should at the revelation that Wednesday snored ever so slightly. Enid quickly pulling herself together and pushing those feelings back down where they belonged. The two of them were friends. Just friends.
That however didn’t mean that she was about to wake Wednesday up. Instead sliding out from under the other woman as carefully as possible as she tip-toed around the apartment to get ready for work. Sneaking small glances at Wednesday still asleep as she did so. Shooting the other girl a quick text before she half ran out the door so she might still make her bus.
Of course it turned out that they didn’t actually need Enid at the office. Sure she had to sit through a few of the usual meetings where her boss ran through the plan for the next issue. None of which really involved Enid who still hadn’t been given another article of her own despite trying to bring it up as frequently as she dared without seeming rude. Her editor seemingly haven taken this as Enid saying she needed more work. Which was probably why she was currently staring at a mountain of editing work that she had been asked to look at. A metaphorical mountain that is. Since her editor had merely slapped a flash drive in her hand and said that he needed it done by Monday. Probably thinking that he was doing her a favor by essentially saying he didn’t need to be in the office. But in reality, Enid’s plans for the day had more or less just been tanked.
She played with the idea of taking the bus back to Wednesday’s apartment and spend the day looking over grammatical errors while splayed out on the other woman’s couch. Though she dismissed the idea just as fast as it had arrived. Wednesday still hadn’t made a sound which most likely meant that she was still sleeping. And Enid didn’t exactly feel like waking her up to so she’d have some company.
Going home was likewise a dull prospect. With Yoko spending all her time either asleep in preparation for a night shift, or out spending time with Divina. Not that Enid blamed her friend. She was happy for her, really. She just also got a bit… fidgety when she was alone for too long.
So in the end Enid decided to live out her unlived college experience and sit and work on her laptop at a coffee shop. Not The Buzz, considering that place was clear across town, but rather some chain place that was a few streets away from the office. The coffee was definitely worse and horribly overpriced but it more than suited Enid’s needs who made a decent dent in the contents of the flash drive. Which turned out to be most of her coworkers’ additions to the football special that they were running two issues out. Something that Enid would usually find to be somewhat interesting but now she instead ended up tiredly dredging through the articles.
Enid had been sitting there a little over two hours, which had felt like an eternity, when she was suddenly interrupted by someone nearly slamming their drink down on the table next to her laptop. Enid looking up with her best affronted glare only to find herself locking eyes with another woman who was smiling right at her.
“you’re Edith right?” the woman asked still smiling almost too widely down at Enid who was now instead confused at the apparent familiarity. Looking more closely the woman looked almost familiar. Enough that it tickled something in the back of Enid’s mind but not enough that she could actually remember her name. Or where in the world they might have met
“shit I’m sorry” the woman said pulling Enid out of her own thoughts. Enid realizing she’d just been angrily glaring for way longer than what was appropriate “I’m Taylor. We met at that fencing meet? You were hanging with Addams?”
Enid looked down at the hand that was now being offered to her at the same time as she could suddenly place the other woman’s face. She’d been the fencer that Wednesday had been excited to go up against back what felt ages ago. The left-handed one who as far as Enid remembered had also been majorly rude to Wednesday after the match. Which left Enid wondering what she was doing striking up conversation with her now. Though she still grabbed hold of the offered hand and shook it gently.
“yeah of course. And it’s Enid by the way” she said exchanging her glare for a small smile which she was fairly certain could be regarded as polite
“my bad I just caught your name from that article you did on Addams a while back. Didn’t connect the dots that you were the one following her around until way later though” Taylor grinned. Enid feeling her heart clench ever so slightly which she just attributed to pride at someone actually reading her work
“but yeah sorry I disturbed you. Just thought I’d say hi and shit. I should probably pop out” Taylor continued. The end of the sentence being accompanied by a look that it took Enid a few seconds to decipher as Taylor indirectly asking if she could join Enid at her table. Enid acting on autopilot not even realizing she was moving until she’d pushed her laptop shut and was patting at the seat next to her. Taylor flashing another dangerously broad smile as she sat down next to Enid.
“okay so you have just got to tell me how you managed to talk Addams into an actual interview” Taylor said taking a generous sip from the blended concoction of a coffee drink that she’d nearly splashed all over Enid’s laptop just moments ago
“uhm a magician never reveals her secrets?” Enid tried with a small laugh. Mostly because she wasn’t entirely sure what else to say
“oh come on don’t be a bitch like that. Spill it!” Taylor almost yelled with Enid reeling a bit from the name calling but quickly brushing it off, figuring that was just the way the other woman talked
“I didn’t really do anything special?” Enid tried again though the continued unimpressed look on Taylor’s face told her it still wasn’t enough “I sorta just talked to her?”
“you talked to her” Taylor parroted in a tone of voice bordering on mocking while raising an eyebrow at Enid “you got an impossible interview and even managed to melt the ice queen’s heart to drag you around town by talking to her”
“she doesn’t really like being called that” Enid blurted out without even intending to. Surprising both herself and Taylor judging by the shocked look on the other woman’s face. A look which quickly, albeit briefly, morphed into one of annoyance before that too melted away leaving behind a mask of indifference as Taylor just shrugged and took another sip of her drink
“yeah no I get that. Bad habit I guess. Just wanted to say job well done and all”
“It wasn’t that special” Enid shrugged feeling the same small rush in her chest as earlier. Casting her eyes down towards her coffee instead of meeting the other woman’s gaze
“hey don’t sell yourself short” Taylor said moving to catch Enid’s eyes again “you don’t see me saying that going quarterfinals at states wasn’t fucking A-grade”
“that does sound pretty impressive” Enid said with a small smile. Trying to look at it the same way as Taylor
“yeah you see? That’s what I’m saying” Taylor flashed a small knowing smirk leaning comfortably back in her chair raising the straw back to her lips while holding Enid’s gaze
It was a few more hours before Enid pushed open the door to her and Yoko’s apartment. Having ended up spending more time than anticipated talking to Taylor who had turned out to be pretty nice, albeit somewhat brazen at times. Though Enid figured that was pretty much on par for her circle of friends at this point.
They’d spent most of the time talking about Taylor’s aspirations for the rest of the season. The fencer sour that she hadn’t qualified for nationals this year but was still more than happy to regale Enid with her plans for various training regiments she would do during the off season. Enid nodding along the best she could and sipping at her coffee even after it had gone cold.
In the end it was Taylor who had to run off first. Giving Enid a pretty hastened goodbye before hurrying out of the coffee shop leaving Enid sitting alone realizing she hadn’t gotten nearly as much work done as she’d wanted. The saving grace being that the two of them had remembered to exchange numbers which Enid was reminded of when a text ticked in while she was on her way home. Enid sparing a glance and a small smile down towards her screen as she walked into the apartment
Taylor C. : So nice talking with you today. I had a really good time. Would love to do it again sometime
Enid’s thoughts were however pulled away from her phone by the sound of metal clanging from further inside the apartment as well as the telltale smell of someone cooking. Enid raising her eyebrow in wonder as she quickly pulled her shoes off and hurrying further into the apartment to see what was going on
What was going on was in fact the cherry on top of an already incredibly weird day. Enid currently staring at Yoko rummaging around in their small open concept kitchen moving between stirring something in a pot on the stove and chopping a pepper. The girl even wearing an honest to god apron which Enid was ninety percent sure she’d bought just for the occasion
“you’re… cooking?” Enid said making Yoko turn towards her with wide eyes as she’d apparently not even heard her enter
“yeah. I am capable you know” Yoko said shooting Enid a cocky look as she busied herself with stirring the pot more than what could possibly be necessary
“uhm the last time you tried you almost set fire to our place” Enid shot back moving into the kitchen to see what in the world was being made. Which turned out to be some sort of stew type thing along with what looked to be a slightly sad looking salad
“but like seriously. You’re cooking dinner?”
“maybe I just wanted to pay you back for cooking for me all the time” Yoko said way too aggressively for that to be anywhere near the truth
“uhuh” Enid said making it very clear how little she believed a single word out of Yoko’s mouth “so what are we having?”
“uh it’s some Turkish thing” Yoko said which was very unhelpful and earned her another look from Enid “don’t look at me like that. I had to google a lot and I don’t know how to pronounce it but Divina said she liked it so I wanted to make it for her” Yoko continued to half ramble most of her attention being used on whatever was happening in the pot. Which judging by the intensity of the flame might be something burning
“wait hold up. Divina’s coming?” Enid asked having mostly zoned out for Yoko’s explanation until that particular bit of information
“what? no. She’s coming later this week I just wanted to like practice this to make sure it was edible or whatever” Yoko said realizing she’d probably said more than she wanted to and now attempting to backtrack it. Though the results were mixed
“so you’re cooking us a practice meal for when she actually comes?” Enid said her voice leaning towards a teasing tilt as the situation in front of her began to come into focus. The blush that started creeping up Yoko’s neck only confirming her theory
“oh shut up!” Yoko said threatening Enid with the spoon before shooting her a sour look “it’s not like you have anything to say. You didn’t even come home last night” Yoko added which Enid didn’t really know how she knew since Yoko hadn’t been home yesterday either last time Enid checked
“what? I told you I was dropping by Wednesday’s” Enid said which Yoko just raised an eyebrow at “we watched a movie and fell asleep!” Enid groaned already tired at the obvious hints Yoko was dropping
“so you spend the entire night with the goth empress and I’m the weird one for cooking dinner for my girlfriend”
“wait girlfriend? Are you guys official?!” Enid said unable to help the way her voice turned into a squeal towards the end with Yoko cringing at the sudden loud sound
“what? no!” Yoko quickly crushed Enid’s dreams before suddenly looking more forlorn as she continued albeit much quieter “I’m gonna ask her when she comes over. Hence. This” she gestured towards the mess of food preparation on the table while Enid was doing her best to not vibrate with excitement
“now will you just help me with this. The stupid recipe told me to put the rice in with the rest of the stuff and I’m pretty sure that is not how you cook rice and ugh its weird” Yoko complained with Enid completely unable to keep her reaction in check this time as she burst out laughing. Which earned her another series of threatening slaps with the spoon. Though she didn’t much care as she started checking what in the world Yoko was even cooking. Which began with reading through the close to thirteen different recipes that her roomie had open on her phone.
The meal actually turned out to be perfectly respectable much to especially Yoko’s surprise who had said several times she was ready to slather the entire thing in barbeque sauce and call it a failed experiment. When she’d taken her first bite and found it to be downright delicious Enid thought that the other woman might burst into tears as they sat on the couch and ate. Though Yoko just about resisted the urge to do that instead just shoveling the food in her mouth as they watched another Gilmore girls rerun.
After dinner Enid pulled out her laptop once again and tried to get some more work done. Though that plan fell through quite quickly as her brain turned out to be completely fried. Enid abandoning the project favor of messing around on her phone. Opening and closing several apps before she returned to her messaging app and pulled up the few unanswered texts she’d gotten
The first few were from Wednesday who continued to complain that Enid’s editor wasn’t actually giving her any proper work. Enid giggling slightly at the series of insults that Wednesday levied towards the man. All of which had probably been last used around two centuries past. A fact which Enid happily pointed out to the other woman before reassuring her, again, that she didn’t really mind the low effort assignments. If nothing else they were easier and she still got paid to do it. Though Enid didn’t really expect an answer in the near future considering she was responding in the middle of Wednesday’s writing hour. Though she had been kind of wondering how the other woman managed that with her typewriter still upstairs. A thought that Enid put a pin in to interrogate her about later. Because god help her if Wednesday was climbing those stairs everyday.
The next few texts were a bunch of spam in the group chat that Kent had added her to weeks ago. Enid reacting to a few of the memes and jokes but otherwise leaving the chaos well alone. They were nice enough. Just also way more into the club scene than Enid was ever going to be so she didn’t hang out with them much
That done Enid found herself staring at the message from Taylor all over again. Her heart beating slightly faster once again in a way that Enid was starting to realize wasn’t just from her journalistic work getting praised. Enid swallowing thickly as the realization settled and she tried to deal with it. Taylor was being… forward. Very forward even which Enid had to admit was maybe pushing her out of her comfort zone a bit. But on the other hand she wasn’t about to deny her own feelings considering how well that had panned out for her last time. And she was allowed to enjoy it when a pretty girl paid attention to her. At least that’s what Enid told herself as she tried figuring out what to say to Taylor’s undisguised offer. Deleting and retyping her response several times before finally settling on something she was happy with. Even if it was somewhat basic
Enid : I had a really fun time too. Would love to do it again <3
“someone looks happy” Yoko’s voice pulled Enid’s attention away from her phone just as the other woman plopped down on the couch in front of her and deposited a bowl of popcorn on the coffee table
"any particular reason you’re smiling like a doofus at your phone or is it just the usual cat videos on insta?”
For a few seconds Enid considered lying to Yoko. It certainly seemed simpler than explaining the kind of weird and extremely spontaneous situation that Enid had suddenly found herself in. But when it came down to it Enid couldn’t actually make herself do it. Part of her already felt bad enough about the lie concerning Wednesday that adding another one on top of it felt downright insurmountable. So instead Enid took a deep breath before meeting her friends gaze again
“I… think I maybe kind of met someone?” she said the uncertainty of what was actually happening bleeding into her voice despite the apparent straightforwardness that Taylor was presenting. After all Enid didn’t want to be presumptuous. Not that it in any way stopped Yoko’s eyes from going wide as saucers when she heard the news
“SERIOUSLY?!” was all the other woman managed to get out before choking on the mouthful of popcorn she’d just helped herself to obviously not expecting the revelation that Enid had just delivered. Enid laughing half awkwardly and half sadistically as she patted her friend on the back waiting for her to regain the ability to speak
“no but seriously?” Yoko tried again once she’d managed to dislodge most of the kernels from her throat. Enid giggling and nodding in response which only seemed to confuse the other woman even more as she threw her hands up in exasperation
“and you tell me now?! Details! All of them!” Yoko mostly screamed which only made Enid giggle even harder and delayed said exchange of details even further much to Yoko’s annoyance. But as Enid began telling what had happened earlier she felt a strange sensation of calm wash through her despite her still rapidly beating heart. She’d finally patched things up with Wednesday, mostly at least. Yoko and Divina were doing great. And even if she’d managed to fuck her last crush up something horribly it didn’t seem like that meant there were no other chances for her out there. For the first time in what felt like forever Enid felt genuinely optimistic about her situation. Plus there was popcorn which always helped