When Where and How to Love

Chapter 78. A house or an apartment?

The Next Day - Valentina's Photography Studio

"Bella?" Valentina opened her office door to find her daughter's girlfriend. "Not that I'm unhappy to see you, but what are you doing here? You know Anne is at school, right?" She asked, concerned. The young woman looked worried. "Is something wrong? Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm okay. Nothing bad happened," the young brunette assured her. "But I do need to talk to you about something," the girl shifted nervously as she spoke.

"Bella, there's no need to be nervous, we've known each other a long time." She held the door open until the young woman passed.

"Are you busy?" Bella asked, clearly hoping for a negative answer. When Valentina nodded the girl froze, a dejected expression on her face as she stared at her. "Oh..."

"Well, if playing with my granddaughter is considered busy, then yes, I am," Valentina clarified with a smile.

Bella visibly relaxed when she spotted the playpen and the little girl inside. "Wow! That is a huge teddy bear!" Bella said, referring to the bear Leni was currently playing with. Kara's daughter couldn't get enough of the silly bear, she cuddled with it, climbed on it, chewed on it, and had even fallen asleep on it earlier that day.

"Don't even talk to me," Valentina sighed, walking towards the couch. "Camz, and I hate that stupid bear! Juliana and Lauren are obsessed with him. They claim they are going to fix him, but the stuffed animal goes back and forth between our houses and looks worse every time I see him!" She sat on the couch and invited Bella to sit next to her. They both watched as the little sheep sat on the bear and, taking a hold of its ears, tried to pull its head off.

"I don't know how she got into Anne's room," she looked at Bella, "but this morning, I found her attached to that bear." Leni had found Porni because Anne had not hidden him properly. "And now she won't part with him." Valentina had tried to persuade her granddaughter with toys and even candy, but the little girl would not give up the bear. Apparently, there was another member of her family obsessed with the stupid stuffed animal. A nervous giggle drew Valentina's attention to the young woman beside her, and more importantly, to the reason for her visit. "Anyway... What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"It's nothing bad. You don't need to worry." Bella clarified. "Just... that... well... you... you know that Anne and I have been girlfriends for a month."

Valentina nodded, having no idea where this conversation was going.

"And... well..." the girl swallowed. "I know that I'm ten years older than her, and I'm supposed to be the 'expert' in the relationship," she literally used her hands to make quotation marks on the word. "But..." she took a deep breath, "it's not like that," she shrugged nervously.

Valentina placed a hand on her back, offering support as she continued.

"It was hard, but you were always there; you took me in when I fought with my parents. It wasn't easy to tell the world that I liked girls."

Valentina nodded. She remembered the nights she, Kara, and Juliana had spent calming and comforting Bella when her sexual preferences had caused issues at home. "But Kara said things were much better with your family?" Valentina asked.

Bella nodded her head several times. "Yes, they are. My parents are happy with Anne; that is not the problem... Actually, there is no problem... that is, it's not actually a problem, a problem would mean that..."

"Bella!" Valentina stopped her. "Relax!" She had already gone through this with her daughter the day before, and if this was going to be an uncomfortable conversation, she wanted to get it over with quickly.