What's in your (he)art

Chapter 3

 "Today was a damn bust, huh.."

 Lonnie sighed and wiped the sweat off her forehead. It had been stock day. Their boss, Mark, was too much of a cheap ass to hire guys to unload the cargo so the two of them had to do it. And while neither Kiah nor Lonnie wanted to admit it (mainly because both of them held some pride in being strong), it was always a bitch of a day to go through. 
 Kiah only nodded and headed for the staff room. Working at the supermarket meant wearing a uniform that she found incredibly stupid and somewhat demeaning. Mark all but forced her and Lonnie to wear it to keep their job. As she was seething with silent anger, Kiah had only managed to hear a few words from his explanation - good, store, image, advertising. She had bit her tongue in favor of keeping her job and taken the uniform. Wearing the stupid thing meant using the tiny staff room as a locker room. Since Lonnie shared her opinion of the uniform and too refused to further degrade herself by wearing it in public, they had to share the crammed space. Usually, they could manage to avoid changing clothes simultaneously but it seemed the day had taken too much out of them and neither had the patience to spend another minute in the gross, sweaty uniform. 
 And so....there they were, changing together. Lonnie didn't seem to mind as she quickly undressed. Kiah tried not to look, but it proved to be a challenge. She hadn't realized how fit Lonnie actually was. Her abs were toned and defined, her arms were really muscular and her traps, and her back, and..... Kiah found herself staring. Lonnie caught her and smirked. Kiah realized and immediately looked away, going back to changing her own clothes. 

"Hey, I don't mind. I've worked hard to get these."

 Kiah didn't look up and just hurried to change and get out. Lonnie ran after her. 

"Kiah! Wait!" 

Kiah stopped and waited for whatever it was that Lonnie had to say. 

"Do you wanna, uh, go out? I know a nice little bar nearby and it's real cozy and-"

"Lonnie, you know I don't...like you that way..." 

 Kiah felt like absolute garbage for turning poor Lonnie down. She could see how nervous the girl was and it made it even worse. 

"Oh, that's okay, we can still go as friends, coworkers or whatever to, you know, get a drink after a long day..."

 Lonnie rubbed the back of her neck, looking at the ground. Kiah just didn't have the heart to reject Lonnie again so she smiled. 

"That sounds like just what I need after this hell of a shift." 

 The girl before her smiled and her brown eyes lit up. For the first time ever, Kiah saw Lonnie as something more than her dorky coworker. She saw the way the street lights gave a warm yellow hue to her olive skin, the way her brows arched to give her a mean look which contradicted with her sweet personality and big heart. She saw a beautiful woman. 

 After a drink or two, their inhibitions had begun to fall. Lonnie was telling Kiah about that time an old lady had mistaken her for a guy from the back and how shocked the lady had been once she had got to see Lonnie's face. Kiah burst out in laughter, letting her anxieties get lost in the warm waves of intoxication. Lonnie had always been nice to her and it was not like Kiah was blind. She had noticed the way Lonnie looked at her when she thought she wasn't paying attention. Kiah had a wonderful woman that actually liked her and was willing to give her the love and attention she craved. So why couldn't she just take her?? What was stopping her from just kissing Lonnie right there and then? Kiah knew the answer but it only made her angrier. Why should she let her stupid crush on Cate ruin this one good thing happening in her life. 

"Earth to Kiah?"

Lonnie snapped her fingers in front of Kiah's face. Kiah realised she had zoned out, thinking about Cate yet again. Cate, who hadn't even bothered to text her in the last two weeks. She shook her head to herself and smiled at Lonnie. Lonnie smiled back and continued her story. Kiah signaled for the bartender for another drink. 

 Kiah had finished her third drink and was about to signal for a fourth when Lonnie grabbed her hand to stop her. 

"Kiah, not that I want to tell you what to do, but maybe you've had enough?"

 The younger girl smiled awkwardly. Kiah could see that Lonnie held no judgment and her remark was coming from a place of caring. She put her arm down and just looked at Lonnie for a moment. She would like to believe that her brain had shut off or maybe it was just spite but Kiah leaned in and captured Lonnie's lips in a long kiss, pouring all of her feelings for Cate in it. Lonnie stood still for a few moments, shocked. She finally returned the kiss when Kiah cupped her face and brought her closer. It seemed Kiah didn't care that they were making out in front of about a dozen people. Lonnie did, however, and reluctantly pulled away. Kiah looked at her, her eyes hungry for something more. Against her own better judgement, Kiah ordered another two drinks and downed them. The girl before her only looked at her with worry in her eyes. 

"Relax, Lonnie I have stamina."

 Kiah laughed and Lonnie awkwardly followed along. Kiah paid her bill and feeling rather confident, she stood up. 

"Do you want to see my place?" 

 Kiah asked with a suggestive smirk. Lonnie grinned and nodded her head. 

"To be honest, I've always wondered what your place looks like. Like, is it dark and mysterious like you or is it the complete opposite with yellows and stuffed animals and-"

"Shut up and let's go." 

 They called a cab and next thing Kiah could remember was her and Lonnie undressing in her bedroom. The rest of the night remained blurry and uncertain. Evidently, Kiah's 'a few drinks' had turned into yet another black-out.