Less Than Lovers | LisRene AU

11

"Cupcake?"

"Hey," Irene breathed out. She frowned a little, and then seemingly making a decision, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Lisa, sinking into her.

"Hard day?" Lisa pressed a kiss to Irene's forehead and immediately started her fingers through her hair.

"I had a terrible day. So hard. So many people...I didn't lose anyone, thank god, but..." she stopped herself and took a deep breath in. "I'm so glad I'm here with you, Lisa."

"Me too, sweetheart," Lisa said. Irene lifted her head up. Her eyes still looked concerned, and anxious and Lisa wanted to fix it. "Let me make some hot cocoa for you and you can tell me about it," she offered, starting to untangle herself from Irene's arms.

"No, don't leave," Irene said, tightening her hold. She kept her stare, only for a moment shifting her eyes down to Lisa's lips, before snapping them back to Lisa's. "Okay. About earlier...in the spirit of being completely candid with you..."

"Yeah?" Lisa smiled, unsure where this was going.

"You've been an incredible friend to me, Lisa. The last few months have been surprising. I never thought we'd be this close. I never thought I could be this close with anyone. I'm glad that we are. But..."

"But?"

"But I'm ready for more. I couldn't help myself earlier. I hadn't seen you in over a week and I missed you way too much for it to be considered friendly. Option two was actually a cookie that I stress-ate before seeing you. So...I kissed you."

Lisa smiled. "You did..."

"You asked me, all those months ago, if I was waiting for you and the truth is, I have been. I didn't realize that at the time but I think I've waited for you all my life. And I'm tired of waiting when all I want to do is be with you. And everyone in my life has been telling me to go for it, hell, even my dad told me to. So I did."

"Oh."

"'Oh'? Seriously Lisa, I just said, like, a hundred words there. I'm kind of pouring my heart out to you—"

Lisa stopped her by grabbing her face and kissing her. Finally. They could do this every day for the rest of her life and Lisa felt like her response would always be finally. She'd learned that every minute she wasn't with Irene was a waste of time, and validation from Irene that she actually felt the same way, as strongly as she felt.

It was different from their previous kisses. The first kiss was overwhelming, an outlet for sexual frustration more than anything. It felt like drowning. Subsequent kisses were either calculated or controlled or filled with anticipation – they were beautiful in a lot of ways, like a promise for more.

But this kiss? It felt less like drowning and more like falling.

When her tongue touched Irene's, she couldn't hold back her moan. When Irene tugged a little at her hair, she saw stars. Lisa's heart was beating so quickly, that she was sure Irene could feel it. She pulled back and stared into Irene's eyes. She realized it was the first time she'd ever initiated a kiss with her.

"Well, damn, cupcake. I thought I was going to do the grand gesture, give the big speech."

"Is this okay? I know I told you I would give you time, but you're all I could think about today. If I'm being honest here, you're all I've been thinking for months, and with the day I had, all I wanted was to come home, but when I tried to picture home, your face kept coming up and-- "

Lisa kissed her again, both of them smiling, their grins awkwardly pressing together. Irene cupped her face, bringing her impossibly closer. They stopped laughing, their eyes locking into one another, both realizing at the same time what was being said without saying the words. So Lisa said them.