Soul

“Kate…” her hair is tousled between my legs, in the place where I've felt her without her necessarily touching me. The place where I've wanted her since I let myself be consumed by her.

“I told you I would make you mine in every possible way”, her mesmerizing eyes search for me, and I must say the view is magnificent; her between my legs with a lustful gaze. “I love you so much, Shelby.”

“Shelby?”

The sound of my phone wakes me up from that horrible nightmare, and I couldn't be happier. I turn around to find the device on the nightstand. Max is still sleeping peacefully. I see a missed call from my mother. Concern grows when I check the time; it's six in the morning. I call her back, but it goes straight to voicemail. I'm about to try again when the call goes through.

"Mom?"

"Oh, darling, I'm so sorry. I accidentally left the phone unlocked and dialed you by mistake," the concern dissipates, and I chuckle softly.

"Thank goodness for that."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I was having a terrible nightmare, and your mistake saved me from that bitter experience," I brought a hand to my forehead, still smiling at the situation.

"Seizing the moment, why don't you both come over for dinner?"

"Is your incredibly busy schedule available?"

"My schedule is always open for two of my three loves. I'd love to see you."

"We'd love to see you too, Mom. Do you want me to bring something?"

"Your girlfriend."

"What?" I say two tones higher than usual.

"You heard me. It's time for me to be formally introduced to her."

"You already know what's going on between us, so why..."

"I'm a woman of older customs than myself. So I want to have a conversation with the person who keeps my eldest daughter awake at night."

"She... no..."

"Please, she's young, and she undresses you with her eyes every time you're together. That bed must be on fire," I feel my cheeks burning.

"I definitely won't bring Kate if this is going to be the topic of conversation," I hear my mother laughing.

"You have no idea how much I enjoy teasing you."

"Very cute," I say playfully. "I'll bring dessert."

"That dessert is all yours," she laughs again. "I want cake."

"You're unbearable."

"Bombastic, but ineffective, Dr. Romanoff. See you later."

"Until later, Mom," I shake my head and get up to take a shower before getting ready for school. This will be a memorable night.

As always, and as it's been for the past few months, the sound of my heels reverberates in the hallways along with some murmurs from students already there. I notice some curious glances; perhaps they heard about what happened with Kate's ex. I don't pay much attention to it and keep walking. Upon reaching the office shared by my girlfriend and sweet Peggy, I see a large padlock that keeps the doors closed, with the word "whore" painted on them in red. It seems the students have come out of hiding, and I'm surrounded by them within seconds.

"This must be a damn joke," I mutter.

"I know I'm not the most modest person, but I don't go to such extremes," I say with a big smile as I turn to Peggy. The students immediately start laughing. "Don't you think it's foolish to take this as something negative?" She looks at them as if they were in class. "You," she points to one of the guys who was caught, "like marijuana, right?" He nods. "Does that make you an irredeemable drug addict?"

"No, I don't use it every day."

"Of course, only on school trips," she says, and the laughter continues.

"You," she points to another student, "have many tattoos. Should I hide my belongings from you?" The guy laughs.

"I might just steal the attendance lists."

"Even in altered states, I'd know that I watch more soap operas than you do," I love her. "Do you understand where I'm going with this? Someone with few scruples and a low IQ thinks that doing this is humiliating and funny, but it helped me give a class. Everyone here will get an extra point in my class if you write an analysis of what happened here. I want your perspectives on prejudice, one page is the minimum." Some of them start applauding because no one minds getting extra credit.

"Go to class, kids," I tell them.

"Doctor Romanoff, I have pliers to break the lock in my car," I furrow my brow.

"I help my dad with construction, it's nothing illegal."

"Thank you, that would be very helpful," I said and the young man rushed down the hallway towards the exit. A whirlwind passes by me, and I catch her scent. By the time I turn around to look for her, she's already several steps away.

"This is not good," the sweet woman beside me says. I take long strides to catch up with her.

"Kate, don't do it," I struggle to speak. "We don't know..."

"Yes, we do," she says sharply. She doesn't even bother knocking; she opens the door abruptly, and only Walker is inside.

"What do you want, lesbo?" Before I can stop her, my girlfriend's fist has already hit the man's face, and he staggers backward, holding his cheek. I don't want anyone to see, which might not be a wise move, but I close the door, locking the three of us inside.

"I'm sick of your shit," I pull Kate away from him as much as I can.

"Have you lost your fucking mind? I'll make sure you get fired."

"It won't be necessary, after the beating I give you, I'll resign."

"It's not worth it, love," I tell her as calmly as I can.

"Listen to the Mom, get out of here before you regret it," now it's my turn to step forward, trying to get him behind his desk, defenseless.

"Just ask your little friend what happened to her. I know you've talked to Kate's ex, but I doubt she's told you what happens when you mess with me and my girlfriend," my arms are extended with Kate behind me. "I'll get you up to speed."

"I'm not interested."

"Oh, dear, of course you are, because it could happen to you too. I got her fired from her modeling job. It didn't take much, just a couple of calls, and the doors closed on her. Don't provoke me, and start behaving like a damn adult for once. She's my girlfriend, and neither your insecurities nor your homophobia will change that, got it?" He looks surprised.

"Leave us alone, or you'll see what connections can really do, and I'm not talking about giving you a little art teacher position. I mean connections that can ruin your sad and miserable life," I say as a farewell.

"Just get the hell out of here."

"With pleasure, Walker. It was nice chatting with you," I wait for Kate to leave before me, fearing she might go back for Walker.

I've been waiting in Clint's office for a few minutes now. I know he's in an important meeting, but this is urgent. No more of this shit. I look at my left hand, and the remnants of a past life are still there. I can easily picture another ring with a "K" on it. Is it too soon? What the hell is too soon anyway? Who sets a parameter for love and intensity? How do I know if the instrument they're using is calibrated? How do I know if it's the right thing?

I deflate onto the couch, my mind wandering all over the place. Kate, Max, my mother, Lena, these idiots, my job, my classes. Do I really need this? I shake my head, trying to focus; the surge of emotions takes one thought and turns it into three, and those three transform into twenty. What is this inside me?

"Nat," I jump when I hear the voice behind me, "how long have you been here?" I shake my head. "Are you okay?"

"I'm leaving."

"What?"

"I'm leaving the university," I hear myself say.

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to hold you back or commit to my girlfriend," she makes an attempt to smile, "I love her, and you know that."

"Fighting her battles won't make her stronger."

"It's not about that. I know what she's capable of. It's time for you."

"For me?" He looks at me puzzled.

"If you want good management, you need people with at least a modicum of ethics. Walker, not in a million years, would meet that requirement."

"What does that have to do with you leaving and time for me?"

"I'm leaving for six months, and I'll come back to take full responsibility for all the academies. No exceptions, you can only pay me for the classes I teach, and I don't care about the rest."

"In exchange for what?"

"He goes," I stand in front of the tall man, and although he's much taller than me, I know I'm in control, "and it's not because I can't handle him or his crap; it's because he doesn't fit in the school's team for standards. You know it, everybody knows it, but you're afraid of what he might do."

"Do you think I'm afraid of him?"

"That's the only explanation for not having kicked him to the curb already."

"If I fire him today, will you stay?" I shake my head.

"He'll think it's because of what happened this morning. I want him to leave for the right reasons, although his stupid homophobia should definitely be among the arguments to do so."

"Can I change your mind?"

"No. Let me know when you have an answer," I turn to leave.

"Nat?"

"Yes?" I say, barely turning to look at him.

"You're terrifying, you know that?"

"I have practice working with idiots; I know the antidote," I smile, "Thanks for everything, my friend."

I head to my small office to pack up the few things I have; I hope it's around noon so I can say goodbye to Peggy. I'll deal with my beautiful girlfriend later. Once all my things are in a small box, I go to Peggy's familiar office. She's engrossed in her computer, surrounded by many books.

"How are you, Natasha?" she asks without taking her eyes off the screen.

"Pretty good, actually. I've come to say goodbye," I say abruptly.

She turns to me. "Please tell me it has nothing to do with that idiot." I smile.

"No, there are many things on my mind, and I feel like I'm not making progress in any of them, so I have to set something aside. At least for a while."

"Will you come back?" I nod.

"I need six months away to balance everything. I've talked to Clint, and I've added a few clauses to my return," I say with a smile.

"Of course you did. I knew you'd change things. Even if you want to fly under the radar, you can't."

"I'm just doing my job."

"And you found someone along the way," there's a knowing look in her eyes. "I can't even begin to imagine the pain you felt when you cleaned your hand, but I know it's worth it. She's a wonderful girl."

"I know, thank you," I unconsciously look at my hand. "She... I didn't know what I needed, what I was missing until she appeared."

"Life has mysterious paths; sometimes it's better not to ask questions."

"I totally agree," I smile. "Can you keep this to yourself? I'll tell her later."

"Of course, don't worry. See you soon," I moved closer to her for a hug.

"Thanks for everything."

"Don't be so formal; we can go out to dinner someday."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea."

I'm putting the finishing touches on my and my daughter's outfits. We're both genuinely excited about the evening, but for different reasons. I can't help but stifle a laugh as I think about Max dropping the bomb on my girlfriend. Just as I have this thought, the sound of the doorbell interrupts me.

"I'll get it!" my daughter immediately declares and rushes to the door.

"Ask who it is..."

"Kate!" I smile; of course, she couldn't wait.

"Hi, sweetie!" When I step out, Max is in her arms. "Hi," she says, turning to me.

"Hey," I approached to kiss her cheek. "Ready?" Max nods.

"Kate, can I ask you a question?" Uh-oh.

"Always, sweetie," she looks at my daughter with so much tenderness.

"If you're my mummy's girlfriend, does that make you my mom too?" The woman's face goes through several expressions in seconds: surprised, anxious, and then happy. So, I decide it's best to pick up my daughter in my arms before she blurts out more.

"I told you that you would kill her, muffin," I say, taking Kate's hand, who still doesn't know how to respond. "I'm sorry."

"So, then?" My little one looks at her with a certain excitement in her voice.

"I... I..." Kate struggles to find words.

"I told you that Kate will be whatever you need her to be," I remind my daughter. They both nod. "But for now, we'll set that aside." The brunette stands in front of us and takes a deep breath.

"I love you very much, Max. God knows I would give my arm for you," she caresses her cheek, "if you want to call me that, and your mummy is okay with it, there's no problem for me. It's an honor to be a part of your life."

"I love you very much too”.

“Alright, we all love each other. Now, let's go to Grandma's before it gets too late".

We step out hand in hand, and my girlfriend takes care of fastening Max's seatbelt. As we start driving, I place my hand on her thigh.

"Do you love my mummy?" I hear the voice from behind us.

"Very much," she promptly replies.

"And would you like to live with us?" I turn to her, genuinely interested in her answer.

"Of course, who wouldn't want to wake up with the most beautiful women on the planet?"

"But I'm a little girl," I don't need to see her to know she's furrowing her brow.

"My mistake, the most precious girl in the world and the most beautiful woman in the world," she looks into my eyes, and there's no doubt, she's all I want.

Of course, dinner was quite uncomfortable. Mom didn't hold back, but I could see she was very happy for me, for us, for her granddaughter, because you have to be very clueless not to see that Kate is crazy about my daughter. The ravioli that Mom made reminded me of the old times when it was just the two of us and Yelena; the fact that she did this for my girlfriend meant a lot to me. We're sitting in the garden with a cup of coffee in hand, having just returned from dropping Max off in the guest room.

"Thanks for dinner, Mom."

"Thank you both for coming, especially you, Kate. It means the world to me to see my daughter so full of life."

"I'm just returning some of what she makes me feel." My hand finds hers to intertwine our fingers.

"There's something I'd like to tell both of you," I take a sip of coffee before continuing, "Today, I quit my job."

"What?!" Kate stands up.

"Easy, my love, hear me out." I pull her to sit back down, but she doesn't. She looks upset.

"Is it because of what happened this morning?"

"Not at all," I take her hand to my lips, "Kat, take a seat and listen carefully to what I'm about to say because I don't want you to blame yourself for this." She reluctantly complies.

"What happened today?" my mom asks, looking confused.

"The asshole I told you about today won the gold medal for being a jerk," I summarize.

"So?" She looks very concerned.

"There's a lot inside me. Many loose ends, and I'm not making progress anywhere. School is something I can do without serious consequences."

"What will you do?"

"I'll meditate a lot, analyze things, and when everything makes sense in my head and heart, I want you to live with us. Your apartment, mine, I really don't care as long as I can see you every day." She looks so surprised that I make a huge effort to contain my smile. She doesn't say anything for several moments; I caught her off guard.

"Dear, this is the moment when you say yes," my mom looks more than excited.

"Damn right!" She said so happy. I leaned in to give her a kiss. "I love you," she whispers against my lips. "Are you sure?"

"More than sure, love. I love you too." I turn to look at my mom, who has a huge smile on her face.

"Come give me a hug." I let go of my girlfriend and rushed into my mother's arms. "Don't be shy; I have big arms." Kate joins us. "Love each other every day as if it were the last, because it might be," she says before letting us go. "I'm so happy for you both." She lets us go.

"Thank you, Mom. I'm glad you accept this."

"Why on earth wouldn't I accept seeing my daughter happy? Part of wanting you to bring Kate was to tell you that you can count on me, that I'll do whatever it takes to contribute to your happiness. I'll always be here for you, so, darling, you have the enormous task of dealing with these two crazy cows."

"It's the best task life could have given me," my girlfriend says without taking her eyes off me.

"Another cup of coffee?" I suggest.

"I'm tired," my mom announces. "I suggest you lock up properly when you leave; I'll be sleeping in the same room as Max. You can pick her up tomorrow; it's not worth waking her up."

"You're not very subtle," I tell her.

"I don't care. Go and stop wasting time." My girlfriend stands up and gives my mom a loud kiss on the cheek.

"You're the best future mother-in-law in the world." She takes my hand and drags me to the door.

"See you tomorrow," I shout from the door.

"Don't sleep too much!" is the last thing I manage to hear.

"Your place or mine?" my beautiful girlfriend asks.

"Surprise me." She gives me a kiss on the forehead, and we head to the car. I can already hear my heart beating a mile a minute. I love her more than I can put into words.