Chapter 10-Getting Control Back
Summary: More soft Melissa as the girls prepare for Spring Break. Just a slight touch of drama for @milfjuulpod. (SEE I CAN WRITE MORE THAN ANGST). Hints at potential Janine x Ava future relationship. Also prepare yourself.. we only got about 6 more chapters before we close this series.
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1.9k (a lil small bean)
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Melissa woke up twenty minutes before the alarm was scheduled to go off. She had gotten used to this routine. Waking up before the alarm to let the silence surround her with a comforting ease. She used to hate these moments right when she woke up. Her bed had been cold and the regret of the night before heavy on her heart. But she hadn't felt that way since the first night you had curled around her and never let go.
Now moments in this silence were filled with dreaming of the future. The future that had the click of claws as Athena jumped on the bed in the early morning. The future that held music that would fill every corner of the house as you danced to unstress from the day. The future with conversation and laughter that would float over good food and drinks. And if she let herself really dream she could hear the patter of feet as children played hide and seek. She hadn't let herself dream like that in years but the thoughts were there getting sharper in focus every time she went.
You grumbled in your sleep moving slightly but settled as Melissa wrapped her arm around you. She pulled you close and placed a gentle kiss on your forehead. She knew at one time that this had been her biggest dream. While she had laid alone in hotel beds the remnants of Barbara still lingering in the air she had dreamed of you. Dreamed of what it would be like waking up next to you. How it would be to hold you in her arms. What your lips would feel like pressed up against hers. And now that those dreams were a reality Melissa felt like any dream could come true. It was a scary and exhilarating feeling all wrapped into one.
The sound of the alarm filled the room and so did your usual grumpy grunts and whines as you buried into the pillows. Melissa couldn't help but giggle as she shut off the alarm and pulled the pillow away from your head.
“Baby, we have to get up. You got the big presentation with the 8th graders today,” Melissa reminded you.
“They will be fine without me. Now give me that pillow back,” You grumbled.
“Not happening but if you get out of bed and get dressed I'll give you a kiss,” Melissa countered.
You squinted your eyes up at her, “Now wait a damn minute. I'm supposed to get a kiss before I get out of bed.”
Melissa shook her head with a laugh playing on her lips, “It was in the contract you agreed to when you said you would move in with me. Do you not remember signing it?”
You rolled your eyes, falling into her game, “No, because I was a little distracted by trying to make you cum all over my face.”
Melissa’s face immediately blushed as you winked, “Be careful or I'll start bartering sex.”
You threw your hands up in surrender, “I'm going. I'm going.”
You fell into your usual routine of getting ready, you and Melissa working with orchestrated ease. Melissa placed soft kisses on your cheeks, neck, and lips any time that she passed by you slowly dethawing your cranky morning heart. You sat on the counter watching her apply the last of her makeup and couldn't help but smile. Her usual Schemmenti armor of blazers and big loopy curls had been replaced. A green tank top was covered by an oversized denim button up that fed into a pair of black leggings and your pair of Timberlands.
“Whatcha staring at?” Melissa asked, pulling her hair up into a ponytail with two curls framing her face.
“You just make everything look so fucking beautiful,” You mused leaning down to kiss her.
When she pulled away she took one last glance in the mirror her nerves showing, “Doesn't look too.. too… I don't know.”
You moved to wrap your arms around her so you both could look in the mirror, “You look like a beautiful, strong, bad ass goddess. It is perfect.”
Melissa smiled leaning back against you, “Your shoes really bring it all together.”
You laughed giving her one final squeeze, “Is this what I have to look forward to when I move in, you constantly stealing all my stuff.”
“Not stealing if I'm returning it to the same place it came from,” Melissa said with a wink, “Now come on baby, let’s go to school.”
After you double checked that everything you needed for your vacation was secure in your back seat Melissa drove you to school. More at ease behind the wheel of your car then you felt sometimes.Once in the parking lot of Abbott an eighth grader rushed up to you pulling you towards the front door. He barely gave you enough time to shut the car door too excited to go over final minute details for the project. You looked back to wave one final time to Melissa who only shook her head with laughter.
At the assembly Melissa sat in the front of the rows of chairs leaning forward watching intently. The kids were spread all over on the floor in front of her but she wasn’t focused on that. She only had eyes on you as you made an absolute fool of yourself to help each different group of eighth graders present their favorite historical figure. You were all smiles and laughs always encouraging the kids to continue when they made small mistakes. She was ready for a snarky comment from Ava about you as the principal sat next to her.
Instead Ava said something that shocked her for a completely different reason, “Welcome back Melissa.”
Melissa turned to look at her eyebrows raised, “I was here yesterday Ava. You were here right or did I just dream that it was you in your office trying to peddle clothes?”
“I am not talking about school. You have been walking around this place like a zombie for weeks. I know you have always been a closed off baddie but you were disappearing. Like someone had sucked all the light out of you and left you empty,” Ava replied leaning back to take in Melissa’s new look, “Then Y/N started treating you like you were worth something. Like how you deserve to be treated and you came back. Better than ever I might add.”
Melissa’s blush turned into a smile as she leaned over to give Ava a hug, “Thanks for welcoming me back, ya finally gonna tell your girl you been dreaming of her?”
Ava and Melissa both looked over at Janine across the aisle who was clapping and jumping up and down in her seat. Ava’s expression softened looking at the overenergentic woman. When she finally pulled her eyes away she looked between you and Melissa.
“If you and Y/N have showed me anything it is that love isn’t gonna fall on your doorstep if you don’t give it a chance so maybe I will,” Ava said and then after a long pause repeated, “Maybe I will.”
“Don’t wait to long is all I am saying,” Melissa shrugged looking back up at you as you sent her a wink, “You might lose your chance to have the galaxy cause you are too afraid to take the jump.”
“Love looks good on you Red.”
With that Ava was up to announce the end to the presentations and release the children outside for a school wide recess before dismissal. Children rushed out the doors pure chaos dissolving into laughter and the impatient head shake of teachers’ heads. This consumed the rest of the day until the children left and spring break officially began. Head buried in her phone distracted by one last minute email that needed to be sent Melissa didn’t realize Barbara was in front of her until it was too late.
“You told Gerald,” was the only thing she said.
Melissa took a moment to steady herself before looking up at the woman who used to be her best friend. She still remembered all the moments that had made her fall in love with Barbara. The shared lunches, weekends partying at PESCA, game nights, laughs over pedicures and so many more that she could not scrub away from her mind. But Melissa didn’t want to forget those moments. The good ones reminded her of how Barbara had encouraged her to grow as a teacher and recover from her divorce. The bad ones had merely been part of the rocky path that had led to you.
“I’m done lying for you Howard,” Melissa said simply, “I told Gerald you weren’t with me and where he could find you. If you proved him right that is on you and not me.”
“You don't even look like yourself anymore,” Barbara commented taking the rolled up sleeve of the denim jacket in her hand, “You even a real Schemmenti anymore without the leather and heels?”
Melissa yanked her arm away moving to the other end of the table, “This is the real me that you tried to destroy.”
“Because she was weak and needed to be broken in. Vulnerability only leads to others taking advantage of you.”
Barbara visibly recoiled as Melissa’s face softened to something that looked a lot like pity, “I don't know who hurt you Howard but I hope one day you find love like I have. A love that shows you that you can be vulnerable with someone and have them love you more for it. Who does not use it against you or manipulate it but becomes excited to learn more. Now if you don’t mind I have a vacation to get to.”
She grabbed her bag and headed for the door leaving Barbara in her wake wondering where her fiery redhead had gone. There was no fight in Melissa anymore at least not when it came to her. It was the fighting that Barbara missed the most when it came to the younger woman. How they would fight and argue then fall into bed as the only way to release all of tension still thick in the air. Now Melissa simply iced her out completely erasing the tense moments with silence that seemed to suck everything into it. In this silence Barbara knew it was foolish but she dreamed that Melisssa would walk back to her at the end. Fall into her arms and say that it had all been a mistake that the only person she could love was Barbara.
This was the last thing on Melissa’s mind however as she spotted you leaning up against your car waiting for her. The moment your eyes met her Melissa felt like she was soaring in the clouds. She grabbed you by the collar of your shirt and pulled you in for a kiss. You hummed against her lips and Melissa knew this was her little slice of heaven.
She pulled away just enough to lean her forehead against yours, “You ready for our trip baby?”
You gave her one final hug before nodding and opening the driver’s door for Melissa. She slid in and you curled into the passenger seat. With one hand on your thigh her eyes trained on the road Melissa followed the directions to the cabin on the screen. You sang along to the radio together occasionally feeding Melissa random snacks when she would begin to scream at the other drivers. It immediately cut her off and even though she had caught on to your silly trick she let you continue it. When you fell asleep head on a pillow propped against the window hand still wrapped in Melissa’s that feeling returned seeping deep into her bones. With you anything was possible.
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