Dinner Plans.
Truth be told it was around 6am when they’d finally got back to their side of town, but both Lisa and Carla were in no mind to sleep just yet, too wired and excited to lay all their findings out from the night they’d just left behind. Lisa pulled up outside Carla’s office and they both headed inside.
Carla darted straight for the coffee machine, brewing two strong cups of coffee as Lisa had decided to settle on the small sofa in the corner of Carla’s office, a welcome comfort compared to the car seats they had both been sat in for the best part of the last eight hours.
Carla watched Lisa intently from across the room as she waited for the hum of the coffee machine to finish, the glare of the laptop screen illuminating Lisa’s striking features, her expression full of concentration as she uploaded the images they’d taken to the laptop from the camera. Carla enjoyed moments like this, moments of peace. Especially when she got to watch the blonde, without getting caught.
“Here you go.” Carla said as she placed a steaming mug of coffee on the side table beside Lisa, and switched the lamp on next to her to give them both a little gentler light, before switching the main lights off. Carla had kept the black-out blinds shut in her office, to keep the daylight out from their tired eyes as they gathered their thoughts and findings while it was all still fresh in their memory.
Carla sat beside Lisa, their shoulders brushing as Carla leaned closer to watch Lisa sift through the photo’s that had finally loaded on the screen in front of them. Lisa found comfort in having Carla so close, and smiled a little to herself as she felt the warmth of the other woman next to her. As Lisa scanned through the first photos that they’d taken as the black car had pulled up outside the PM’s residence, Carla stopped Lisa’s hand with her own as she remembered something critical. “Wait.” Carla spoke with urgency. “Just leave that there a moment. Lisa moved her hand away slightly, a little startled by the jolt of electricity that ran through her, but at the same time, instantly missing the touch. She allowed Carla take the lead on the laptop.
Lisa watched with intent as Carla quickly loaded up her emails. “There was something the PM’s wife sent me along with the PM’s schedule, she retracted the email and sent an apology saying she had sent something in error but I’d been able to save the document before she recalled it.”
Lisa cocked her eyebrow at Carla, their faces merely inches apart.
“Oh don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.” Carla offered a smirk in return. “Here, it’s a schedule for the children when they have a babysitter, but also there's something else. He's having meetings with unknown individuals at unknown locations. I'm not sure why she wouldn't want me to have this information."
Lisa was silent for a moment, her head was racing with thousands of possibilities, but she was wavering on the air of caution that they needed not to trust the wife.
"Okay, so here's some theories. One: the figure that left the home and entered the black car is either the babysitter or the wife. Which means, two: the figure that left the black car and entered the home is the opposite." Lisa paused a moment. "Let's say that based on the schedule, it was the babysitter who we followed to that address, and that could be her home. I'll follow that up."
"Which means, where had the wife been?" Carla added. "Where was the PM himself, so late? Did he even arrive home that night?"
As Carla also theorised, Lisa continued to scrutinise the documents that Carla had managed to steal before they were recalled.
"Look, Carla." Lisa leaned towards the brunette this time. "He had a undisclosed meeting last night, which ties in with these other events, with an unknown individual. Look, there's DK. Could that be initials, or code for something?"
"DK?" Carla repeats, wait there. Carla had seen this before, she was sure of it. She walked over to the noticeboard where she'd pinned up the PM's public schedule and there is was. DK. Hurriedly, she rushed back over to Lisa, pulling the schedule from underneath the pin. Lisa pleased that Carla had returned, sitting close. The coldness of her absence, though brief, hadn't gone unnoticed.
"This charity event Friday night, look. Circled on the calendar, DK."
"The sooner I get the name of the babysitter, the better." Lisa declared. So we can't rule that out just yet, but also be mindful DK might not be a person.
Carla leant back against the sofa. “Could it be that the PM is having an affair with the babysitter? But then if this is the case, why wouldn’t his wife want me to have the schedule for the kids? Unless she’s so caught up in her own secrets, that she really has no idea, doesn’t suspect a thing and sees no relevance in me having this detail.”
Lisa’s mind was racing with all the possibilities, but knew they needed her contact to get back to them before they could really go any further with anything concrete. “Okay, so we need to know more on that car and that address. I’ve messaged one of my contacts so we’ll just wait for them to get back to us on the car and the address.”
Walking over to the whiteboard, Lisa jotted down their theories.
- Figure A leaving the black car is babysitter/wife
- Figure B leaving PM residence is babysitter/wife
- DK is babysitter/unknown person/code
- Black car reg is: PM10 LDN
- 2428 Main Street - Who lives here?
- Black tie event - Friday - Charity Fundraiser?
- How many times does DK appear?
"Do you think I've missed anything?" Lisa asked.
When Carla hadn’t responded, Lisa glanced over at her to find her nestled further into the sofa, eyes closed. The weight of their revelations and the exhaustion of the stake-out finally taking hold.
Lisa smiled softly as she saw the slow rise and fall of Carla’s chest. She gently walked back across, closed the laptop and placed it on the floor beside the camera. Lisa sat back down, switching off the lamp beside her, then she grabbed the blanket that was slung over the back of the sofa and took the opportunity to throw it over both her and Carla. Leaning towards Carla, she nestled further into the sofa herself, closing her eyes, drifting off to sleep.
— — —
A few hours later, they were both abruptly woken by the loud crash of Ryan coming into the office.
“Why is it so dark in here?” He announced as he flicked the light switch on to find both Carla and Lisa snuggled under a blanket, waking from their slumber on the sofa. Lisa had fallen further into Carla, and looking suddenly flushed, lifted herself from the brunette’s shoulder. Carla had smiled softly as she sat up herself, stretching, but immediately feeling the cold in the absence of Lisa’s body leaning against her. Ryan had smiled softly at them both, but kept any further comment to himself as he walked over to make himself a coffee, saving both women from any further embarrassment.
Lisa had told a little white lie, leaving Carla’s office in a hurry, claiming something had come up with Betsy and she needed to dash off but promising she’d be in touch later. Carla had bought it of course, having enough work to get her head down with as well as catching Ryan up with the latest findings.
What Carla didn’t know was that Lisa had planned on inviting her over tonight, and cooking dinner for the two of them, but hadn’t planned on falling asleep, which had delayed her in her surprise plans. It was important to Lisa, that before anything else was said, or that the air between them grew even thicker that she thanked Carla for giving her a second chance, and that no matter what was to come between the two of them on their journey, that she would be there for Carla, and she’d be happy with whatever Carla wanted, even if that meant Lisa wanted more.
“So you two looked cosy?” Ryan said, once Lisa had left. His eyebrows dancing.
“Oh stop it, I don’t even remember falling asleep. We’ve both been out all night surveillancing the PMs address and were going through our findings but we must have just both been so exhausted…” Carla trailed off, genuinely not remembering falling asleep, let alone how Lisa had managed to fall asleep against her, however Carla hadn’t been complaining.
“So there’s nothing going on between you two?”
“You’re reading too much into it Ryan.”
“Maybe I am, but I’ve seen the way she looks at you. Are you sure you’re okay with the way things are?”
“I guess I’m just trying to figure things out. It’s complicated Ryan.”
“Well, do you think there’s a chance for something more?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know how she feels about me, if she even wants that. She’s got a load of baggage Ryan”
“Haven’t we all?”
They both laugh.
“Just, if there’s a connection, stop putting barriers in the way. Life’s too short for things like that, just don’t shut her out. And don’t wait too long.”
Ryan allowed his words to hang in the air for a moment, before he brought his aunt back to the case in hand.
“Find anything interesting?” Ryan piqued his interest, resisting the urge in giving Carla a further hard time about Lisa.
“Yeah, we did actually.”
As Carla caught Ryan up with all their latest findings, a message came through and Carla glanced at her phone, smiling when she saw Lisa’s name pop up, opening the message straight away.
Are you free this evening? L x
Yeah, always for you. What did you have in mind? C x
Can you come to mine, around 8? L x
Yeah, of course. Everything okay? C x
Everything’s fine. I just feel like we deserve a night off, can you afford a night off? L x
Yeah, I’ll leave some things with Ryan. I’m sure I can spare you a few hours ;) C x
“Lisa?” Ryan asked as he tried to get Carla’s attention.
“Yeah…um, she wants me to go round later. Have a few hours off, you know.” Carla mumbled nervously.
“Well go for it, you’ve only just found each other again. You’ve got to take every opportunity you can and if Lisa’s suggesting to spend time with you…then that’s a good thing, right?”
“I don’t know Ryan…I’ve said yes, I’ll come but, I don’t know. I’m scared that she’ll just leave again.”
“Have you talked about it, talked about what happened before?”
Carla gave Ryan a brief version of Lisa’s absence, not wanting to let him know everything, but just to give him an idea.
“Has she given you any reason to think she’ll do it again?”
“No…in fact, all she’s tried to do is reassure me that she’s not going anywhere.”
“So give her that chance Carla, because if you mess this up, that might be it. I think she deserves that second chance, and I think you believe that too. She looks at you the exact same way she does in that photo taken five years ago Carla, you can’t let go of that.”
Carla had kept a photo of her and Lisa pinned up on her refrigerator, taken the night they’d spent together in the pub. The night Lisa had left. Carla knew what Ryan was talking about. She had seen it too.
“Go home now, Carla. Get some rest before you go see Lisa tonight. I’ll start work on some of these boxes here, see if I can find some answers and I’ll catch up with you both tomorrow, okay?”
— — —
Carla was early to Lisa’s later that night. She wasn’t sure why Lisa had invited her round, whether it was in a professional or personal capacity. She didn’t know what to wear, whether to come smart or casual. So many things had crossed her mind.
The tension between them had been growing thicker since they’d reconnected, and they had fit back into each other’s lives as if they’d never been missing. The five year gap still wore heavily on them both, for different reasons, but it was quickly feeling lighter, and truthfully at times it felt like they’d never been apart.
Carla had waited in her car for almost the entire half hour she’d arrived early, deciding around 10 minutes before she was due to arrive that she’d take the slow walk up Lisa’s garden path. Once she approached the front door, she took a deep breath and knocked.
Lisa answered the door within seconds, dressed in the most fitted, tailored black tuxedo she’d ever seen in her life.
“Wow.” Managed to slip out of Carla’s lips before her brain had even caught up with her audible reaction. Lisa looked utterly breathtaking. Carla had well and truly seen Lisa in her power suits over their time working together in the past, but nothing had quite prepared her for this moment.
“Miss Connor.” Lisa announced, stepping to one side to allow Carla inside. Removing the bottle of red wine from her grasp and placing it to one side, Lisa then gently went to remove Carla’s coat, her hands accidentally brushing softly against the back of Carla’s neck. “May I?” Lisa asked gently as she tugged softly at the lapels of Carla’s jacket, before peeling it away once Carla had given her permission.
“If you’d like to follow me…” Lisa gestured towards the dining room, where she’d eloquently set the table for two. The room was lit by a few candles dotted around the room that had given the area around them a soft glow. Lisa pulled out a chair, and gestured for Carla to sit down. Carla followed suit but not before asking the question burning in her mind.
“Lisa, what is all this?” Carla asked, shaking with nerves that were laced with a layer of excitement and anticipation that only increased when Lisa followed up with the answer to Carla’s question.
“Lisa will be with you soon.” Her voice laced with a professional undertone, and she caught the bemused expression on Carla’s face. The fire in her eyes.
Role playing? Is that what we’re doing? Carla thought to herself. She really had no idea what was going on, but was excited at the idea of what lied ahead for her this evening.
“Mmm, shame. I think I’ll kind of miss the, um, sexy waitress look. Just something about the um, authoritative look you know, that does it for me.” Carla gestured to Lisa with her fingers, eyeing her up and down, before winking at the blonde.
Lisa swallowed hard. Had Carla really just called her sexy? Or was she just playing along? Does she think we’re playing a game? Is she flirting with me? Oh, god. Lisa desperately had to get her own thoughts under control if she was going to get through this evening in one piece. Just as Lisa was about to leave the room, the whole room landed in darkness.
“Oh no!” Lisa exclaimed, running through to the kitchen where the food was supposed to be cooking away, only to be met with the confirmation that the power was out, everywhere.
“Lisa, are you-“
“Don’t-“
But it was too late. Carla had followed Lisa through to the kitchen, to be met by the organised chaos where Lisa had been cooking away for Carla. Carla was just about to ask Lisa if she was okay, at the same time Lisa didn’t want her to follow her into the kitchen, to spoil the surprise, but it was all too late.
Carla noticed the disappointment etched on Lisa’s face as she let out an exasperated sigh. She tried to lighten the mood.
“I guess the universe has other plans-“
“Fuck the universe.” Lisa interrupted. “Sorry, sorry Carla-“
Carla edged closer to Lisa, slowly and tentatively as to not upset the blonde further.
“Hey come on, is Lisa going to turn up tonight at all or do I have to spend the rest of my evening with the sexy angry waitress?” Carla said softly and slowly, cocking her eyebrow which Lisa could just make out under the dim light as she lit some further candles.
Lisa chuckles softly, but disappointment still laced her voice.
“Oh don’t. I had my outfit planned and everything. I just wanted tonight to be special.” Lisa admitted, coyly.
Carla watched Lisa’s expression shift and felt a pang of sympathy. She had no idea what all this was about, but she was still enjoying the moment. Any time spent with Lisa was enjoyable really, despite the fact it was becoming more and more evident that they were both on a desperate mission to avoid any feelings for each other whatsoever. Carla allowed a playful smile grace her lips as she moved closer to Lisa, who was frantically throwing everything about, clearly frustrated that the power cut had ruined everything she had planned.
Carla grabbed her wrist gently, rubbing softly at the inner part as she gently turned Lisa to face her.
“Well, I’ll just have to leave that to my imagination, how stunning you would have looked. But honestly, as long as you’re here, Lisa, tonight is special.” Carla’s tone was soft,
Lisa’s heart swells at Carla’s words, her body wavering to Carla’s touch. “Really?”
“You know what.” Carla began gently. “Just spending time with you is enough. Go get changed into something more comfortable, I’ll finish clearing up in here and then we’ll order in, okay?” Carla’s tone was firm but graceful and Lisa felt a wave of warmth wash over her at Carla taking control of the situation. Just being looked after by someone else, when she was supposed to be the one in control tonight, it was overwhelming but it was just what she needed. Just solidifying her unspoken feelings for the brunette, solidifying why exactly it was that she wanted this woman so much.
“Are you sure?” Lisa asked cautiously, allowing the disappointment in tonight dissipate and a small smile to fall on her lips.
“Go.” Carla gave her a knowing look.
— — —
A couple of hours later and both women were sat mirroring their positions from the other night, facing each other on the sofa, legs tucked in with their knees brushing slightly against the others, already having shared a bottle of wine together.
“Can I ask you what tonight was all about?” Carla dared, as she traced around the rim of her wine glass with her finger.
“I wanted to thank you, Carla.”
“Thank me for what?”
“For giving me a second chance. For letting me back into your life, in both professional and personal ways…at least, I hope I haven’t misread that.” Lisa looked down as she fiddled with the stem of her wine glass, a nervous movement that Carla had grown to notice and to adore.
Carla took Lisa’s wine glass, placing it on the coffee table with her own, and grabbed both Lisa’s hands, caressing her knuckles with the pads of her thumbs as she felt Lisa’s fingers wrap around her own.
They’d often found themselves offering physical contact to the other a lot recently, with the other always reciprocating it. It was a way of them both connecting, that was deeper than just words.
“You haven’t misread anything.” Carla confessed. “In fact, you couldn’t be closer to the truth if you’d tried, but then again, you were always a blood good detective….still are.” Carla smiled softly as Lisa before continuing further.
“Look, Lisa, I’m not sure what you want from this, from us. But I know what I want and I know now isn’t the time to be taking about…feelings…but I just want you to have something to hold on to. This is more than just a professional working relationship for me. I’ve got you back in my life and I’m telling you now, I’m not letting you go.”
Lisa leaned forward.
She was overcome with emotion at the weight of Carla’s words and she couldn’t deny that it was everything and more that she’d wanted to hear. She hesitated slightly as she’d entered Carla’s personal space and her eyes flicked momentarily between Carla’s eyes and her lips.
Carla sat still, frozen almost, as she watched the blonde move closer, certain she knew what Lisa was going to do and despite the butterflies in her stomach and the overwhelming nerves that were coursing through her veins, she was ready… but Lisa shifted slightly at the last minute, and planted a soft kiss to Carla’s right cheek before she wrapped her arms around the brunette and hugged her tightly.
It wasn’t the kiss Carla was hoping for. But it was a kiss, and it certainly felt more than just a kiss.