Aeipathy ➳ Normani ✓

twenty-six

C  H A P T E R T W E N T Y - S I X
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Normani stayed in her room for the rest of the night. She'd heard Arabella enter the apartment sometime after Anika had left and she refused to face her. So she stayed in bed until she eventually fell asleep.

The sound of the kettle boiling the next morning was what woke her. She rubbed at her crusty eyes and squinted at the sunlight that streamed through her room.

She could hear the unmistakeable husk of her ex-girlfriend's voice singing and for a moment she rationed how long she could hold out in her room before she died of thirst. But in the end, it wasn't worth it. She rolled out of bed slowly and donned a short gown over the sleep shirt and bed shorts she'd worn.

She opened the door to her bedroom and for some reason, the cotton fluff on her uggs was far more interesting than the other human in the apartment so she focused her attention on that until she made it to the kitchen.

She reached her destination and having nothing else to do, she leaned against the doorway silently, watching as her ex stirred a cup of tea, probably green if her diet hadn't changed.

As if she sensed she was being watched, Arabella looked up and offered a small, almost shy smile.

"Hi," she said.

She was still devastatingly beautiful, in fact, she'd become more comely since Normani had last seen her.

Her hair had grown longer and it shone with a vibrancy that hadn't been there before. Her skin was a healthy, brown, natural tan and her hands were covered in new black ink tattoos.

"Hello," Normani replied.

"I boiled water for tea, there's some leftover if you'd like," she said.

"Thank you."

She walked over to the same counter as the girl and she located her favourite mug. They worked in a mutual, tense silence.

Up close, Normani could make out one of the new tattoos she'd seen from afar, a black-inked symbol of the double Venus on her left hand. Arabella lowered herself onto a bar stool and placed her food out in front of her.

"I like your tattoo," Normani said after a long bout of silence.

"Which one?" Arabella replied and they shared a smile. It was the tiny push they needed to break the tension.

"The double Venus. You finally got around to getting it."

"I finally feel like a real lesbian," she replied with a crooked smile, "I'm kidding. I got it done this summer. The best part was that it was free at the place where I work. They sponsor all of my tattoos now."

"You work at a tattoo parlour?"

"Yeah," Arabella replied and Normani didn't miss the silent pride that shone in her eyes, hell, she was proud too. It was all Arabella had ever spoken about when they'd been together.

"Are you heading there now?"

She surveyed her outfit: tan cargo pants and a white golf shirt worn with white converse and her hair hanging down to her back.

She was sure it followed the dress code of the parlour but her outfit was so Arabella-like. She made it look attractive with little effort, like she did with many things.

"Yes," and then, "hey, Normani? "

Normani sensed that her next words were heavy. She felt a tightness in her throat and all too suddenly, the room felt very claustrophobic.