Just Rosalie

A Different Path

ROSALIE WAS AWAKEN by footsteps moving around the bedroom. Getting up and stretching her arms, she noticed Elizabeth.
"Babe?"
Elizabeth turned with a smile on her face. Walking over to her wife, she slid onto the bed and under the covers.
"You slept all night," Elizabeth kissed her lips, "Abbi's having breakfast with Henry and Yasmin."
Rosalie nodded and cupped her wife's cheek with her hand, intensifying their kiss.
"Work's stressing you out, huh?"
Elizabeth sighed into the kiss. Leaning back, she nodded and lowered her eyes. Rosalie hated that Elizabeth was unhappy with her professional life. Over the years, Elizabeth found herself stuck behind an office desk instead of actually being hands on with the job. And it was starting to tamper with her mental well-being.
"I think I've expanded so much that I can't handle it anymore. I miss working on a house for months, making sure it's perfect-"
"You want to do that again?"
Elizabeth nodded and leaned her forehead against Rosalie's. She once loved her work, but after growing her business into what it was, she'd lost almost all interest.
"I wish I never stopped."
She whispered. Rosalie placed a kiss on Elizabeth's forehead and pulled her closer. Elizabeth rested her head against Rosalie's chest and sighed.
"We're financially secured, babe. I want you to do what you love, not something you despise. You deserve to be happy, personally and professionally."
Elizabeth let out a deep breath. She'd never depended on Rosalie financially in the seven years that they'd been together, and had no intentions to.
"I enjoy my independence, Rosalie."
Rosalie kissed Elizabeth's head and scoffed. Taking hold of Elizabeth's left hand, Rosalie ran her finger over the wedding band and smiled.
"I never asked you to give it up, babe. I'm just telling you that you don't need to worry about our financial stability, which means you can do whatever you'd like; whatever you want."
Elizabeth sat up and looked into Rosalie's eyes. She then looked down at their hands. The rings on their fingers brought a smile to her lips.
"I can't just do what I want. I have people who depend on me for employment."
Rosalie nodded and pulled her wife's hand to her lips. Kissing her ring, she interlinked their fingers and inhaled a deep breath.
"Our first trip to Milan together, when you took me to that estate near Lake Brie-"
"I really regret doing that."
Rosalie shook her head and hushed her wife with the tip of her finger pressed against Elizabeth's lips.
"I saw how alive you were looking around and discussing renovations. Macey was a pain, but that smile didn't leave your lips. I want to see that again. I want you to wake up in the morning excited about your day at work."
Elizabeth sighed. Looking into Rosalie's eyes, she thought about how much she'd once loved her job. She really needed that feeling again.
"What do you propose I do? I can't just abandon Isabelle in the mists of it all. We're partners after all."
"She's dealt with the New York office for all this time. I'd think she'd love to have more control over the business."
Elizabeth pursed her lips and ran her fingers through her hair. Moving her hand over her eyes, she thought of what to do.
"I've worked so hard to be where I'm at. I don't know if I can give it up either."
Rosalie wanted to make it all better. She held Elizabeth in her arms, while thinking about what could have been done.
"You miss travelling?" Elizabeth kissed Rosalie's chest and didn't answer. After Abbi had grown into a toddler, Rosalie had opted to stay home with her instead of travelling all the time. Abbi needed stability-to be in one place for the majority of the time, instead of moving around every few weeks or months. Elizabeth had continued to travel and headed back home as much as she could, but as Abbi grew older, she realized that she too should have stopped travelling as much. They needed to be together as a family. It was the main reason her career had taken a turn for the worse. She needed to be there for her daughter, which meant that she couldn't take a project halfway across the country anymore. And since Abbi started school, it was even worse. They'd considered homeschooling her, but Abbi needed to be around kids her age. It was the healthy choice for her, "you know how much I miss you when you're away, but I think it's time for you to find a new project."
Elizabeth didn't like the idea. The thought of being away from her family distressed her more than her unhappy professional life.
"Bunny, I need you. You might think I like being away, but I really don't. Who's going to read my babygirl her bedtimes, huh? You definitely won't be able to pull it off anymore, she's gotten too smart to overlook your mistakes."
Rosalie frowned, but also smiled. Placing a kiss on the back of Elizabeth's palm, she inhaled a deep breath and tilted her head to the side.
"What would you like to do?"
Elizabeth wanted to rid the stress of managing the business, and actually work on designing a house.
"I want to design our home. Don't you think it's time that we move out of your mom's lakehouse?"
Rosalie shrugged. She'd never thought about having her own house in Milan, but it was a good idea, since they'd spent most of their time there.
"I love that idea, but that doesn't solve your problem, babe."
Elizabeth smiled brightly.
"I think it does," Elizabeth slipped off of the bed and grabbed her laptop. Opening it and turning it on, she ran her fingers across the keyboard, "I've been working on a blueprint for a while, a few actually. And I want to design all of them."
"Tell me more."
Rosalie rested her chin on Elizabeth's shoulder and wrapped her arms around her neck, as they looked at the screen.
"I want to design a complete house off of my own ideas and then sell it."
"You want to delve into real estate?"
Rosalie kissed Elizabeth's shoulder blade and down her arm. Elizabeth sighed with a smile, realizing that Rosalie was using her lips to say that she supported her decision.
"You think it's a good idea, bunny?"
Elizabeth felt excitement filling her chest, not only because her wife was turning her on, but because of her taking a different path in her career.
"I think it's a great idea. I'm never going to stop you from pursuing your dreams."
"Even if it means leaving my firm behind?"
"Even then," Rosalie moved in front of Elizabeth and pushed the laptop to the side. Straddling her lap, Rosalie placed her hands on Elizabeth's shoulders and smiled widely, "you really think you could leave it all behind and start over?"
"With you by my side, anything is possible," Elizabeth sighed, "I just feel like it would be immature to do so; to give up the responsibility."
"Think of it as early retirement. And you don't have to give up your shares in the firm, you just need to hire someone to fill your position. And you'll keep up-to-date with everything."
"I can't just hand someone my job. It's not that easy."
Rosalie kissed Elizabeth's lips. Elizabeth always worried too much.
"Then you'll train someone for a few months. Someone very qualified to do so. Babe, Isabelle can't stop you from taking a step back, you own the majority of the company."
Rosalie was right. With effort, things could have gone smoothly within a few months. She'd finish designing a house within a year.
"It would he a huge investment. Should I really take the risk?"
Rosalie loved that Elizabeth involved her in all of the decision makings, even when it wasn't her place to decide. Of course Rosalie was her wife, but she'd never stop Elizabeth from pursuing anything that she'd set her mind to.
"I think it's worth the risk, babe. You can't put a price on happiness, and I can't wait to see your designs come to life. I'm so turned on by your ambition right now."
Elizabeth sank her teeth into her bottom lip, as she watched Rosalie's pupils double in size. She could see why she'd fallen so easily for Rosalie to begin with.
"Abbi wants to go in the pool, so you better take out your bathing suit."
Rosalie flipped her hair over her shoulder and yawned. The last thing that she wanted was to take a swim in the winter. Times like those, she regretted buying a house with an indoor pool.
"But it's so cold. I'll freeze to death."
"I'll adjust the temperature of the pool, turn it into a warm swim?"
Rosalie nodded.
"I forgot about that fancy adjuster. Are you slipping into a bikini?"
Rosalie bit her bottom lip, as she awaited an answer. She loved looking at Elizabeth sport a two piece. It was such a sexy sight.
"I'm an aging lesbian. Why do you always want to see me half naked?" Or completely naked.
Elizabeth placed her hands on Rosalie's waist and grinned. She appreciated how much Rosalie was still attracted to her. No matter how old she'd become, Rosalie always found a way to make her feel sexy every single day.
"Because you're my wife and I love your rockin' body," Rosalie leaned her lips against Elizabeth's ear, "remember the time I ate you out under water?"
Elizabeth's eyes widened with lust. God, that was an amazing experience.
"We can't do that here. Henry would flip if he found out. He'd complain about it till I hit menopause."
"He won't find out. We'll do it when everyone else is asleep."
Rosalie kissed Elizabeth's neck, eliciting a moan to escape her lips.
"You're such a wild child, bunny."
Rosalie hummed and cupped Elizabeth's cheeks with her hands. Looking intently into her wife's eyes, her heart thumped inside of her chest.
"We'll make it work, I promise. We'll figure everything out together, even if I have to manage your role at the firm," Elizabeth chuckled and kissed Rosalie's chest, "what's so funny?"
"I can't imagine you being behind a desk all day. You'd probably have a mental breakdown within a few hours."
Rosalie frowned and leaned back. Was Elizabeth questioning her ability to handle an office job?
"Are you calling me lazy?"
Elizabeth immediately shook her head, but continued laughing. Rosalie pouted and waited for Elizabeth to calm down.
"No, bunny. You're just not cut out for that type of work. It's paperwork and paperwork and even more paperwork. You're too creative to stay in one place for so long and focus on one thing. My love, you can't even help Abbi do her homework without needing a break."
Rosalie did have the attention span of a baby. But only in certain cases. She sighed and grinded her teeth together.
"But I could do it. I'm not stupid."
Elizabeth nodded, agreeing completely. She didn't intend to offend her wife, but Rosalie was good at certain things, and not so great at others. Everyone had their weaknesses.
"Of course you aren't. You're the one who has to help Abbi with her grammar. I can't punctuate for the life of me."
Rosalie shrugged and smiled widely.
"And you're great at math and science. I don't understand those two subjects at all. I barely passed them in high school."
"But you're an astounding artist."
"I'm pretty okay, I guess."
Rosalie cheekily smiled and pulled Elizabeth in for a hug. She couldn't remember a time when they'd gotten so much time to talk without being interrupted by Abbi. For the most part of their alone time together, they'd try to have sex. But it was just nice to sit and talk about their lives, and of course, flirt a little.