Distraction(s)
Chapter 6
Eve went home and changed into a new outfit. She’d been wearing old trousers with a knitted turtleneck and she realized if she was going to a bar filled with people, she should look nice. It was not because of Dina. It was weird to think of an old student like that, isn’t it? Eve was trying not to but she kept replaying their conversation earlier. Dina couldn’t have been flirting… right? As you can see, the professor had a lot of questions about a lot of things, all without answers.
She pulled on tight black jeans and paired them with a hunter green V-neck t-shirt. Simple but flattering. She didn’t really want to do anything more than that, to be honest. Also, she didn’t want to look like she was trying. That would send certain signals.
Elena texted her earlier, telling her where the bar was and to Eve’s surprise, it was the same bar she’d been to two weeks ago.
After she went to V’s gym. After she saw Oks- Villanelle.
Of course this was where Dina worked. Luckily, she didn’t work at V’s gym, that would've been so much worse. Looking on the bright side.
The brunette sighed as she walked in, knowing she was in for a long night. It was Friday and that meant every single Uni student was in a bar tonight and if she saw one of her students, she might just crawl into a hole. It was just as awkward running into your students as it was running into your teacher. Trust Eve on this one.
She walked up to the bar, squeezing past young women and men, not seeing any of her students. She did see Dina at the bar, pouring glasses for a customer. When Eve walked up she saw that the customer was Elena and she was sitting next to someone else. A blonde. She wasn’t facing her but as the brunette got closer she heard that laugh. You have got to be kidding.
“Eve!” Elena yelled, visibly drunk.
When she sobered up, the professor was going to kill her. And she’d been right, the blonde was Villanelle, and she was looking right at her. It took her a moment to peel her eyes away and look toward Dina.
“Hi, Eve,” Dina smiled, pulling a glass and pouring the professor a drink. Okay, so maybe Eve did like this woman, “How are you?”
The professor sat down next to Elena, still feeling those hazel eyes on her. Luckily, her assistant was separating them.
“I need a drink.” She said, trying to force a smile.
“Well, lucky you. This,” Dina pushed the drink in front of the professor, “Is for you.”
“Thank you,” The brunette took the glass and drank as much of it as she could before setting it back down, “Wow.”
“Slow down there,” Dina laughed and then she realized she hadn’t introduced the blonde sitting with them, “Eve, this is Villanelle. She owns a gym up the road.”
Elena froze. She was starting to sober up very quickly. The tension couldn’t be cut with a knife and she was right in the middle of it.
And Villanelle was not happy. Actually, that was an understatement.
She’d been enjoying her night out so far, getting to know Dina, flirting with her a little bit, and hanging out with Elena. And despite Dina not reciprocating the flirting, Villanelle needed a break from the gym since she’d been there all day. But now there was Eve. She really didn’t appreciate the Universe pushing them back into the same room. She thought 8 years ago would be the last time she’d see the brunette. Then she thought two weeks ago would be the last time, but apparently Karma had other plans. However, she still had common decency. She wasn’t going to ruin the night for herself or for the other girls by saying how she felt about the professor being there.
She leaned forward, looking past Elena and at Eve, waving slightly. Also, the blonde couldn’t help but notice the fact that Dina had been staring at Eve this entire time. She really didn’t like that.
“Hi, Eve.” She liked saying the professor’s name, it felt natural. It shouldn’t, but it did.
Eve had no idea what to do. Why did this keep happening? Why were they put in the same place together again? And why did she keep pretending that she didn’t know her? She knew her. She knew everything about her. Well… she did.
“Hello.” The brunette met her eyes for a second then went back to her drink. She wanted to try and enjoy herself but she had a feeling Villanelle wasn’t going to allow that.
“So….” Elena tried to start a conversation, regretting inviting either of the women next to her.
“So Eve,” Dina leaned her elbows on the bar, not paying attention to any of the other patrons, “What’s up with you?” Villanelle could feel the flirting from across the bar and she was seething. She definitely wasn’t jealous, but she just believed very few people deserved the right to flirt with Eve.
“Oh nothing,” She waved her hand in dismissal, “My life is very boring, to be honest.”
Villanelle let out a scoff, she couldn’t help it. It must’ve been the alcohol. She was upset at Eve and she didn’t want to hide it after all this time. Also, alcohol.
“Oh my god, seriously?” Eve slammed her drink on the table, standing up and looking at Villanelle. When she looked at the blonde, she could see this was not Oksana. This was somebody else.
The professor wasn’t going to stand for this anymore. Who gave her the right? She left and now she had the audacity to scoff at her.
“What is it, Eve?” The blonde opened her arms in question, standing up to face the brunette.
“Oh god.” Elena mumbled, turning toward the bar and putting her hands over her eyes.
“Do they know each other or something?” Dina leaned forward to whisper to Elena.
“Or something.” She whispered back.
“After all this time, you really have to be in this bar? Right now?” Eve was starting to yell, luckily the place was so loud, no one was really paying attention to them.
“Why can’t I be here? It’s a free country, isn’t it?” Villanelle was starting to move closer.
“That’s not the point, Oksana.” The brunette rolled her eyes and threw her hands up and down, already fed up with the woman. She could smell the woman’s perfume. Oksana had always been fascinated with perfume, trying out a new one every week. But this one was very different. It was powerful, overwhelming. Still, Eve wasn’t going to let her guard down, not even for a second.
“It’s Villanelle,” The blonde seethed, “And what is the point, hmm? Can’t handle being here with me? Want me to leave?”
“Oh like you left 8 years ago? Where’d you go again?” Eve furrowed her brows, never getting the answer to her question from two weeks ago.
“I feel like we’ve had this conversation before,” Villanelle waved her hand in front of the brunette, angering the professor even more, “Can we just skip to the end?”
“So you can leave again? The doors that way.” Eve gestured toward the front of the bar.
The blonde clenched her jaw so she wouldn’t say something she’d regret.
“I’m not leaving Eve, but you’re welcome to.” Villanelle deflated, sitting back at the bar.
“Oh, fuck you.” The professor mumbled before turning, pushing past a few people, and stepping outside into the much colder London night.
She took a few steps and slumped against the outside of the brick building. There was another man out there, smoking a cigarette. The brunette had given up smoking when she married Niko and she hadn’t felt a need to smoke for years.
“Could I…” She gestured to the cigarette and the pack in the man’s other hand.
“Oh yeah sure,” He had a thick accent, maybe Irish, and pulled a cigarette out of the pack and handed it to her, “Need a light?”
“Yes, thank you.” She smiled, putting the cigarette in her mouth and her hands around it as the man lit it. She inhaled, took the cigarette between her fingers, and exhaled.
“Thanks, again.”
“No problem, mate. Have a good one.” The man threw his cigarette on the ground, stepped on it, and walked away.
Eve stood there for a few minutes, inhaling and exhaling. She wasn’t going to lie, she did feel a lot better. But the blonde was still on her mind. Why was she here and why did she keep tormenting her? London was so big, yet, for some reason, they ended up in the same bar on the same night with the same people.
“Eve?” Dina stepped out, looking left and right, but quickly met eyes with the professor.
“Eve, what are you doing out here? It’s cold.”
“I just needed a,” She looked at the cigarette, it being almost finished, “I just needed some fresh air.”
“Well, I don’t think this,” She carefully took the cigarette out of the professor’s hand and flicked it to the ground, “Is giving you any fresh air.”
Eve was then aware of their proximity. Dina was standing right in front of her and at this point, she was looking right into her eyes. That’s when Eve saw her eyes dip. Okay, the professor now realized she had definitely been flirting with her.
“I didn’t know you smoked.”
“I don’t usually, just when I’m stressed or need a distraction.” The professor shrugged, trying to avoid piercing blue-green eyes.
“Which one is it now?” Dina put both her hands on the brick wall behind Eve, next to the professor’s head. The brunette was now having trouble focusing. This wasn’t good, or was it?
“It... it’s kinda… both I think.”
That’s when she heard the ring of the bell from the bar’s door. Then two familiar voices.
“So I’ll see you next week for a class?” That accent was first. She could see the blonde hair from the corner of her eye.
“Right, yes, thanks V.” Elena. Of course.
Dina didn’t seem fazed by the two women because she was still staring at the professor’s lips. That’s when Eve had an idea. A stupid, completely alcohol-induced one.
She grabbed the labels of Dina’s jacket and pulled her in, their lips meeting in a kiss. The other woman was shocked for a second but then her mouth moved in sync with Eve’s. The professor thought it was nice. She’d only kissed one woman before this. She’d always appreciated women and their bodies, who wouldn’t? But, she’d never acted on any attraction she’d had. Except, well… 8 years ago. And now.
And she wasn't going to lie, she was definitely thinking about her kiss with Oksana as she kissed Dina, which she knew wasn’t right. But she couldn’t help but think of the two women who were only a few feet to her right. Well, she didn’t care much about what Elena would think, more about Villanelle. And the blonde…. For lack of a better word, was shocked.
She’d walked out of the bar, with Elena, and turned to her left to walk back to her place when she saw them. Eve. Kissing Dina.
“Oh, didn’t expect that one.” Elena said next to her, also in shock, but with a little hint of pride.
Villanelle couldn’t make words. So now Eve liked women? No, she couldn’t be mad about the brunette’s newfound sexuality. That wasn’t her fault. She knew what it was like to question and discover a liking for women. It just wasn’t fair. Wasn’t Eve married? Wasn’t that the reason she couldn’t be with her? Or was it because she had been a student? Technically, not her student, but a student nonetheless. But since Dina had graduated last year, Eve obviously didn’t care now. Fine, that’s how it is.
The blonde huffed, basically stomping past the two women who were now way-too-passionately making out against the brick wall. Eve wished she could say she was focusing on Dina. She was trying to, but she could hear Villanelle’s exhale and her boot-clad footsteps pass them. She couldn’t do this, she couldn’t use Dina this way. That wasn’t fair to the woman. She was sweet and kind, and Eve did like her but she didn’t think she liked her… in that way. Maybe she did, maybe she didn’t. Point is, she shouldn’t have kissed her.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have...” Eve pulled her head back, panting.
“It’s okay,” She smiled and tilted her head, “I liked it.”
Eve could see her blonde ponytail swinging as she walked behind Dina and down the street.
“Sorry, I need to…” She didn’t finish her sentence before slipping out of Dina’s grasp and chasing the blonde. Dina tried to yell for her, but Eve was already too far away.
“Oks-,” Eve really couldn’t get used to her new name but she was trying to, she wanted to, “Villanelle, wait, please!”