“tell me again what you thought of me,” paige asked, cheek resting on the bend of her elbow. her smile pressed her eyes into little crescents that made her look younger than she was.
they were lying in bed, sunday morning sunlight spilling through the gaps in azzi’s blinds. her room let too much light in in the mornings. it was her biggest flaw.
azzi rolled her eyes, turning on to her back underneath paige’s free arm. “i’ve told you, like, eight times,” she protested.
paige pulled azzi towards herself by her waist, the sheets rustling under her as she was dragged across the mattress.
“i know, but i want you to tell me again.”
azzi looked at her out of the side of her eye in performative judgment and then sighed, giving in as easy as she always did. she turned so they were facing each other and reached out to play with the collar of paige’s pajama shirt.
“when mila held up the lollipops, i looked up,” azzi recalled. her voice was low and soft.
paige closed her eyes, taking herself back to that moment. by then, she’d already fallen in love with azzi, she liked to say. but azzi hadn’t laid eyes on her yet.
azzi absentmindedly stroked the back of her fingers against paige’s chin as she continued the story. “and you were so tall. and good looking. and blonde. and obviously gay.”
paige snorted, eyes flying open. “stop adding details,” she complained.
azzi grinned at her, way too pleased with herself. “it’s true, though. i knew immediately.”
paige rolled her eyes, putting on a show of annoyance that was completely counteracted by the way she slipped her hand under azzi’s shirt to feel at the warm skin of her waist. azzi giggled and tapped her lip, pretending to need to think about what happened next. as if she hadn’t told paige this story once a month since they’d started dating.
“anyway,” she said, “don’t interrupt me.” paige blinked at her, patiently waiting for her to continue. “i looked up at you, and my heart, like, stopped in my chest.”
paige grinned, unable to help herself. this was her favorite part of the story.
“because i didn’t know what your personality was like yet,” azzi added.
paige scoffed. “stop, bruh. you’re so full of shit.”
azzi smiled at her again, little dimple peaking out to rub in just how much paige’s girlfriend loved ragebaiting her. then she took in a breath and let it out in a puff that was so cute, paige was overcome with the desire to kiss her senseless. but then she wouldn’t get the rest of her story. drawing on all her strength, paige refrained.
“and then i had to read the book and not look over at you because i would’ve stuttered or something,” azzi continued. “that was hard. i really wanted to look at you. i remember thinking that at least mila was sitting in my lap and you’d have to come back over to collect her. and i’d get to talk to you then. or at least look at you.”
“gay,” paige commented.
azzi gave her a flat look before continuing as if she hadn’t spoken. “and then you did come over, and you weren’t mila’s mom, and you were babysitting as a twenty-something year old, and i wanted to stay with the two of you as long as i could. so i asked mila if she wanted to see the other bluey books we had.”
paige nodded. “let’s skip this part because you don’t talk to me for the next fifteen minutes literally at all,” she said.
azzi laughed at her. “i was talking to mila! i was being a good librarian.”
“you were stealing my job and my kid,” paige corrected.
azzi rolled her eyes. then she shuffled a little closer to paige on the bed, and paige’s chest burst into a kaleidoscope of butterflies. “whatever.” azzi pursed her lips again in thought, presumably trying to remember the next interaction she and paige had. “oh, right,” she said, meeting paige’s eyes again. “then i lied and said you were good with her.”
paige groaned and turned her head to the ceiling. “you’re so annoying, bruh.”
azzi giggled, reaching out to hook a finger under the collar of paige’s shirt again. “well i didn’t know that to say,” she said. “i just wanted to talk to you.”
paige turned back to azzi and blew a sharp breath in her face. azzi scrunched up her eyes as it hit her. “continue,” paige said.
azzi looked away as she recalled the next events, her finger moving up to draw gentle lines down paige’s neck and collarbone. “you got all awkward and surprised,” she said. “and i laughed at you.”
she returned her gaze to paige’s with a smug little grin. paige pursed her lips, unable to argue with the objectively accurate account. azzi smiled wider.
“you looked really cute,” she said, placating. “and that’s when i started wondering if you liked me, too.” she moved her hand up to draw the pad of her thumb over the line of paige’s jaw. “but then you left the library, so i figured i was wrong.”
paige closed her eyes, cringing at her past self. “sorry,” she said.
azzi giggled. “it’s okay,” she said. “you came back. running.”
paige felt her face heat as she re-imagined what the scene must’ve looked like from azzi’s perspective. from the perspective of everyone else at the library. god. how embarrassing.
“and then you asked for my name, and you said it was pretty,” azzi said. for the first time since she’d started telling the story, azzi became visibly affected by the memory. her eyes turned distant and melty, and her face had softened into a whispered smile. paige felt the urge to kiss her senseless well up again.
“it is pretty,” she said instead. “you’re pretty.”
azzi looked up at her and smiled. “thank you,” she said softly. they looked at each other, sharing breath and warmth, and paige could tell azzi was debating whether or not she wanted to continue the story. she wondered what option azzi was weighing it against.
then azzi looked away and snapped back to herself with a quiet laugh. “and then you tried to leave,” she said. “again.”
paige closed her eyes against the embarrassment. “i didn’t know if you were even gay,” she said in defense. it was what she always said at this point in the story.
“i know, i know,” azzi said. “that’s why i told you when i got off work. and the rest is history.”
paige ran her hand up azzi’s shirt until it was splayed against her upper back. then she pressed azzi into herself until their chests were flush. “that’s a good story,” she said against azzi’s mouth.
“yeah?” azzi murmured, the corners of her mouth turning up. she slotted her knee between paige’s legs, joining in her girlfriend’s efforts to make them one body.
paige nodded. “you should tell it at our wedding.”
azzi’s face lit up, her brows raising as her grin grew into a full smile. “oh, really?” she asked. “that’s presumptuous.”
paige grinned, pushing herself up on her elbow and turning azzi over on to her back. “you know what they say,” she said, nudging her nose against azzi’s and huffing a laugh when azzi lifted her chin, seeking a kiss. “when you know, you know.”
“tell me again what you thought of me,” paige asked, cheek resting on the bend of her elbow. her smile pressed her eyes into little crescents that made her look younger than she was.
they were lying in bed, sunday morning sunlight spilling through the gaps in azzi’s blinds. her room let too much light in in the mornings. it was her biggest flaw.
azzi rolled her eyes, turning on to her back underneath paige’s free arm. “i’ve told you, like, eight times,” she protested.
paige pulled azzi towards herself by her waist, the sheets rustling under her as she was dragged across the mattress.
“i know, but i want you to tell me again.”
azzi looked at her out of the side of her eye in performative judgment and then sighed, giving in as easy as she always did. she turned so they were facing each other and reached out to play with the collar of paige’s pajama shirt.
“when mila held up the lollipops, i looked up,” azzi recalled. her voice was low and soft.
paige closed her eyes, taking herself back to that moment. by then, she’d already fallen in love with azzi, she liked to say. but azzi hadn’t laid eyes on her yet.
azzi absentmindedly stroked the back of her fingers against paige’s chin as she continued the story. “and you were so tall. and good looking. and blonde. and obviously gay.”
paige snorted, eyes flying open. “stop adding details,” she complained.
azzi grinned at her, way too pleased with herself. “it’s true, though. i knew immediately.”
paige rolled her eyes, putting on a show of annoyance that was completely counteracted by the way she slipped her hand under azzi’s shirt to feel at the warm skin of her waist. azzi giggled and tapped her lip, pretending to need to think about what happened next. as if she hadn’t told paige this story once a month since they’d started dating.
“anyway,” she said, “don’t interrupt me.” paige blinked at her, patiently waiting for her to continue. “i looked up at you, and my heart, like, stopped in my chest.”
paige grinned, unable to help herself. this was her favorite part of the story.
“because i didn’t know what your personality was like yet,” azzi added.
paige scoffed. “stop, bruh. you’re so full of shit.”
azzi smiled at her again, little dimple peaking out to rub in just how much paige’s girlfriend loved ragebaiting her. then she took in a breath and let it out in a puff that was so cute, paige was overcome with the desire to kiss her senseless. but then she wouldn’t get the rest of her story. drawing on all her strength, paige refrained.
“and then i had to read the book and not look over at you because i would’ve stuttered or something,” azzi continued. “that was hard. i really wanted to look at you. i remember thinking that at least mila was sitting in my lap and you’d have to come back over to collect her. and i’d get to talk to you then. or at least look at you.”
“gay,” paige commented.
azzi gave her a flat look before continuing as if she hadn’t spoken. “and then you did come over, and you weren’t mila’s mom, and you were babysitting as a twenty-something year old, and i wanted to stay with the two of you as long as i could. so i asked mila if she wanted to see the other bluey books we had.”
paige nodded. “let’s skip this part because you don’t talk to me for the next fifteen minutes literally at all,” she said.
azzi laughed at her. “i was talking to mila! i was being a good librarian.”
“you were stealing my job and my kid,” paige corrected.
azzi rolled her eyes. then she shuffled a little closer to paige on the bed, and paige’s chest burst into a kaleidoscope of butterflies. “whatever.” azzi pursed her lips again in thought, presumably trying to remember the next interaction she and paige had. “oh, right,” she said, meeting paige’s eyes again. “then i lied and said you were good with her.”
paige groaned and turned her head to the ceiling. “you’re so annoying, bruh.”
azzi giggled, reaching out to hook a finger under the collar of paige’s shirt again. “well i didn’t know that to say,” she said. “i just wanted to talk to you.”
paige turned back to azzi and blew a sharp breath in her face. azzi scrunched up her eyes as it hit her. “continue,” paige said.
azzi looked away as she recalled the next events, her finger moving up to draw gentle lines down paige’s neck and collarbone. “you got all awkward and surprised,” she said. “and i laughed at you.”
she returned her gaze to paige’s with a smug little grin. paige pursed her lips, unable to argue with the objectively accurate account. azzi smiled wider.
“you looked really cute,” she said, placating. “and that’s when i started wondering if you liked me, too.” she moved her hand up to draw the pad of her thumb over the line of paige’s jaw. “but then you left the library, so i figured i was wrong.”
paige closed her eyes, cringing at her past self. “sorry,” she said.
azzi giggled. “it’s okay,” she said. “you came back. running.”
paige felt her face heat as she re-imagined what the scene must’ve looked like from azzi’s perspective. from the perspective of everyone else at the library. god. how embarrassing.
“and then you asked for my name, and you said it was pretty,” azzi said. for the first time since she’d started telling the story, azzi became visibly affected by the memory. her eyes turned distant and melty, and her face had softened into a whispered smile. paige felt the urge to kiss her senseless well up again.
“it is pretty,” she said instead. “you’re pretty.”
azzi looked up at her and smiled. “thank you,” she said softly. they looked at each other, sharing breath and warmth, and paige could tell azzi was debating whether or not she wanted to continue the story. she wondered what option azzi was weighing it against.
then azzi looked away and snapped back to herself with a quiet laugh. “and then you tried to leave,” she said. “again.”
paige closed her eyes against the embarrassment. “i didn’t know if you were even gay,” she said in defense. it was what she always said at this point in the story.
“i know, i know,” azzi said. “that’s why i told you when i got off work. and the rest is history.”
paige ran her hand up azzi’s shirt until it was splayed against her upper back. then she pressed azzi into herself until their chests were flush. “that’s a good story,” she said against azzi’s mouth.
“yeah?” azzi murmured, the corners of her mouth turning up. she slotted her knee between paige’s legs, joining in her girlfriend’s efforts to make them one body.
paige nodded. “you should tell it at our wedding.”
azzi’s face lit up, her brows raising as her grin grew into a full smile. “oh, really?” she asked. “that’s presumptuous.”
paige grinned, pushing herself up on her elbow and turning azzi over on to her back. “you know what they say,” she said, nudging her nose against azzi’s and huffing a laugh when azzi lifted her chin, seeking a kiss. “when you know, you know.”
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