Accepting You

Chapter 9 - Waffles

Liz waits patiently as Lily stabs at the fish and blows on it before putting it in her mouth. She sits at the edge of her seat waiting for a reaction.

"Mm, it's good!" Lily compliments and finds it hard to breathe when Liz's eyes brighten and a smile forms at her words.

"Really? You're not lying?" Liz squeals. "It's my first time so I won't be mad if you tell me it's not good."

"I'm serious," Lily urges, taking another bite.

Elizabeth cuts herself a piece of fish and takes a bite. The first thing she notices is the exterior. It's not nearly as crunchy as she thought it would be and if she is honest with herself, it's more doughy than she would have thought. There's no doubt that the flavor is there but the texture is slightly off.

She frowns to herself, not satisfied how it turned out. Lily is too nice to tell her truthfully. Liz isn't disappointed that Lily would save her feelings but rather at her own cooking skills. Yes, it is her first time making this dish but she was confident that should cook it well.

"I think the fries are what pushes this dish from being great to perfect," Lily laughs. "No matter the shape, it's still delicious. It's a metaphor for real life – No matter what you look like on the outside, you're delicious on the inside."

They both burst out laughing. "I don't think that's right," Liz laughs, bringing on more laughter from the two.

"No matter what you look like, you're just as great as a french fry," Lily corrects but that isn't right either. She goes on, changing the phrase bit by bit but all are as ridiculous as the last. They laugh until they are hunched over, holding onto their stomachs, and tears escaping their eyes.

Regardless of what Liz thought of the food, Lily very much enjoyed it. She finished every last crumb so it made Liz think Lily wasn't lying about her thoughts on the food. Maybe Liz's standards are too high for herself.

"You really cleaned up, huh?" Liz giggles. "You didn't leave anything."

"My mom taught me to always clear my plate," Lily tells her. "It's not hard when it's yummy food. Thanks again for cooking."

"My pleasure." Liz returns a smile.

Lily washes the dishes despite protest from Elizabeth. She keeps the younger woman company though, telling her a random story that comes to mind about Paul Bettany. It made the job pass quicker for Lily as she laughed at the imagery Liz was able to create in her head.

A stray bubble flies out of the sink and Liz reaches up and pops it.

"You just killed my minion," Lily gasps. She holds up her soapy hands and blows at them sending dozens of little bubbles flying into the kitchen at Liz.

"Your bubble fiends are no match for me," Liz bellows. She matches Lily's childish antics and swipes at the bubbles with karate chop hands.

"That may be so but you haven't battled me!" Lily laughs and swipes at her with her soapy hands. Liz is quick to dodge and backstep but Lily manages to swipe across Liz's face, creating a bubble stache.

"I'm wounded!" Liz cries and puts a hand to her forehead, pretending to faint.

Lily giggles and rinses her hands from the soap. "Here," Lily gestures and Liz walks up to her. Lily takes a wet finger and gently wipes the soap from her top lip.

"I–" Liz starts but is shushed.

"Shh," Lily says, her full concentration on the shorter woman's lips. Lily has to bend down a bit to get eye level but with careful fingers, wipes away the bubbles. Even with the bubbles gone, Lily finds herself hesitating to pull away. Liz's lips are soft and somehow familiar.