Four hearts as one

Chapter 15: Love, love, love, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing

"Hey," Uma walked to her and turned her to be face to face, scanning Mal's facial features and tracing them with her index finger, making her lose the frown she had been holding "What's wrong?"

Mal sighed, she couldn't keep this going.

"Nothing Shrimpy, I'm just tired" And extremely disappointed of myself for having a weak spot for you, she thought.

"Then stay" Uma blinked, locking eyes with her partner, searching an answer for Mal's abnormal behavior for the past weeks.

"Cant" She turned her head to peer through the window before looking at Uma again "I promised Jay I would see him at midnight" That was a lie, although she expected to find him in their abandoned building none the less.

"When will you show me that new place you have hidden all for yourself?" Mal grimaced at Uma, who tilted her head with raised eyebrows.

Mal chuckled.

"Maybe another day" Mal damned herself for allowing Uma to pierce through her though attitude once more.

She kissed Uma fondly before exiting the room.

As she moved for dark alleys, the tip of her nose and her neck grew colder, and the lump in the middle of her throat became unbearable.

She had tried, really hard, to not see Uma, to say she was busy, to not be alone with her, not to put herself in such temptation. But she couldn't avoid it, she just couldn't avoid caring for her and loving her; nor keep denying it.

So when the nighttime rolled around, her feet moved on their own, guiding her to Uma's room, discussing plans and talking until the tension was too much and they gave in to the passion.

Two weeks and five days, and she hadn't missed a night with her.

She touched her nose to warm it lightly and took a rock from the ground before throwing it at the sign.

"Home sweet home" She whispered, watching her sides for any unwanted people.

Indeed, she found Jay inside of the building, moving furniture around.

"Are you okay?" Jay asked, pushing a sofa against a corner, to have a free path to move a table forward.

Mal hummed not really hearing what he had said, too invested in painting her logo on a wall.

They had discovered the abandoned building a month prior to her hooking up with Uma, they started using it to hang out and store stolen stuff, but lately, they have been decorating and treating it as their own house. Only they knew how to reach the top and were careful to keep it that way.

"Are" Jay repeated, louder "You" She turned to face him when she heard him approach "Okay?"

Her eyes drifted to where an uncompleted portrait of Uma was, only her eyes and her nose were done.

"Why do you ask?" She cleared her throat audibly.

"I been tossing peanuts at you for the past hour and you haven't even noticed," He thought she would ask where did he find the peanuts, to what he was ready to brag about, being one of his best solo thieveries. But she barely processed what he said.

"Were you really? Didn't notice" He frowned at her, now very aware she was out of herself. Mal yanked in the bed next to an open area, she had a room of her own, away from the rest of the spaces, but there was a second bed there.

"That's what I said" He crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes at her "Okay" He lifted his voice "What's up with you?"

She stood to face him, and he placed both of his hands on her shoulders. He was willing to forget her little freak out a few weeks back, and her odd behavior after; but she was making it impossible for him not to worry.