Reputation

Carina tugs on Maya’s shirt lightly as the blonde focuses on putting on her shoes. "Can't we just skip the groceries today? I have a better idea for how to spend our evening," she purrs, flashing a cheeky grin.

Maya laughs, swatting away her wife’s wandering hands "Nice try, babe, we can do whatever you want after."

A knock interrupts their playful banter. Carina raises an eyebrow "I'll go get it," she says, making her way to the door finding Amelia looking sullen on the other side.

"Amelia, hey. What's wrong?" Carina asks, stepping aside to let her friend in.

Amelia walks into the living room and slumps onto the couch with a loud sigh.

"I just came from an AA meeting," Amelia mumbles, her voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't want to be alone."

Carina nods remembering Amelia telling her about spiraling with her sisters being gone. 

Maya walks into the living room, having heard the conversation. "Hi Amelia I can go grocery shopping by myself, if you need some space," she offers.

Amelia turns and looks up at her, surprised. "Are you sure?" she asks.

Maya nods. "Of course. You need some time to yourself and a friend.”

Grabbing her purse and keys, Maya gives her wife a quick kiss before heading out. 

Once Maya had left, Amelia bursts into tears. Carina put her arms around her friend, trying to comfort her.

Amelia wipes her tears away "Things were going really well with Kai or I thought they were.” she says scoffing.

"And then, out of nowhere, Kai drops this bomb on me," Amelia continues. "They tell me that they've been offered a job in London, and that they accepted it. They didn't even talk to me about it first, they just made the decision on their own."

"That must have been really hard for you," Carina says softly.

"It was," Amelia agreed. "And the thing is, I knew that Kai's career was their baby. But I never expected them to not talk to me about something as big as moving. I thought we were in this together."

Carina listens intently, offering words of comfort and encouragement. By the time they were done talking, Amelia seemed to be feeling a bit better. "Thank you so much, Carina. I really appreciate you being here for me," Amelia says, giving Carina a hug.

Your love is a secret I'm hoping, dreaming, dying to keep

Change my priorities

Maya walked through the grocery store, shopping list in her hand as she browsed through the aisles, looking for the items she needed for the week. As she reached for a box of pasta, she noticed a baby nestled in a carrier strapped to the chest of one of two women who were walking by.

Maya felt a sudden pang of longing as she looked at the baby, and she couldn't help but think about starting a family with her Carina.

She chuckles thinking about how a few years back she thought she would never be in a serious monogamous relationship, let alone settle down with someone. She had enjoyed her freedom, and the idea of being tied down to one person seemed suffocating.

But all that changed when she met Carina. Maya had never considered herself the marrying kind, but with Carina, it felt right.

Maya shakes her head, trying to clear her thoughts as she pays for the groceries. She stops to grab some Chinese food before she makes her way back home.

When Maya returns home, she finds Amelia lying on the couch, staring blankly at the TV. Carina greets her with a kiss.

“Everything okay?” Maya asks softly as they work together to put the groceries away.

“Better now, I’ll tell you about it later, thank you for going to the store alone,” Carina replies, placing containers of rice, noodles, and various dishes on the table.

“Not a problem my love” Maya replies kissing Carina’s cheek.

"How are you feeling?" Maya asks softly walking into the living room.

Amelia shrugged, "Better, I guess. Thanks for leaving, you didn’t have to really."

"I know, I wanted to. Talking to Carina is quite therapeutic" Maya says with a chuckle. "I picked up some Chinese food on the way home, do you want some?"

“That she is” Amelia replies with a small smile and nods getting off the couch.

After they finish eating, Maya turns to Amelia. "Hey, if you want to stay over, we have a guest room you can use."

Amelia smiles gratefully. "Thanks, Maya. That's really kind of you. But I think I want to go home. I just need some time to be alone and process everything."

Maya nods in understanding. "Of course. Whatever you need. We're here for you, though, if you ever need anything."

"Thank you. Both of you.” Amelia mumbles 

Amelia grabs her purse standing up to leave and walking towards the door Amelia turns to Carina and Maya. "Seriously, thank you again for everything tonight.”

Carina hugs her "Anytime, Amelia. We’re here for you. Text me when you reach home si?”

“Will do” Amelia replies heading towards the elevator.

As Carina shuts the door Maya steps closer to Carina and wraps her arms around her waist. Carina responds by enveloping her in a tight hug.

“You okay my love?” Maya asks her voice muffled by Carina's shoulder

“Mhmm yes” Carina hums.

“Do you want to sit down for sometime before we have to clean up?” Maya asks, running her hand down her wife’s back.

Pulling back from their embrace “No let’s get the kitchen cleaned up” Carina says pressing a soft kiss to her wife’s cheek.

As they work in silence Maya does the dishes while Carina puts away the leftovers.

Maya glances at her wife who has a frown on her face. “You okay babe?” she asks

Carina hesitates for a moment before finally answering. "It's about Amelia. She told me that she and Kai broke up."

Maya's eyes widened with surprise "Oh” 

As Carina tells her about Amelia's breakup, Maya freezes feeling a pang of guilt. Memories flood her mind of the time when she had lost her captaincy and how she had pushed Carina away, prioritising her job over their relationship.

"Maya, are you okay?" Carina asks, noticing the sudden change in her wife's expression.

Maya takes a deep breath, trying to compose herself. "I'm fine. It's just... hearing about Kai reminded me of how I pushed you away when I was demoted, I put my job before our relationship, just like Kai did."

Carina's expression softens, and walks towards her wife "Bambina look at me. We’ve talked about this before. We've gotten past that. We've both grown from that experience and learned from it.

Maya feels a rush of relief wash over her, but she still felt unsure. "Are you sure we've moved past it?" she asks her voice barely over a whisper.

Carina smiles softly, taking Maya’s hand in hers. "Yes, I'm sure. We've been through a lot since then, and our love has only grown stronger. We've had our ups and downs, but we always come out stronger on the other side. I'm proud of the woman you've become, and I love you more than anything."

"I love you, Carina. Thank you for being patient with me and helping me grow as a person. You’ve changed my life. When we first met, I was so closed off and focused only on my job. But you... you helped me see that there's more to life than just work. You helped me grow and become a better person."

Carina's eyes fill with tears "Bambina, you have no idea how much you mean to me. You've shown me what it means to love someone unconditionally, to be there for them no matter what. You make me feel so loved and supported, and I can't imagine doing life with anyone else."

Maya smiles wiping away from her wife’s face "I'm so grateful for you, Carina.”

Carina pulls Maya in for a tight embrace, tears streaming down her face. "And you're everything I ever wanted. “ti amo così tanto bambino”

They stand there swaying slightly wrapped in each other’s arms "I saw the cutest little baby in the store earlier, and I just couldn't stop thinking about how excited I am to have a baby with you someday." Maya says breaking the silence.

Carina smiles sniffling a little “I've been ready for a while now, and I don't want to wait any longer. I'm ready to start a family with you."

Maya smiles, and before she could answer, Carina pulls her into a heated kiss.

She responds eagerly, wrapping her arms around Carina's neck as the kiss grows more passionate. She couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement at the thought of starting a family with Carina.

"We should start practicing, then," Maya said, a mischievous glint in her eye as they pull away breathing heavily”

"That's not how it works, love," she said. "But I'm definitely up for it." Carina giggles as she takes Maya's hand, leading her out of the kitchen and towards the bedroom.

Late in the night, the city's asleep

Your love is a secret I'm hoping, dreaming, dying to keep

Change my priorities

The taste of your lips is my idea of luxury