Crimson Cheeks

Chapter Seven

Staring at the dark brown door, Jenna had a sudden sense of deja-vu. She'd been there before, standing nervously outside Gwen's hotel room, anticipating whether or not to knock. This time, her mind was made up. She swallowed hard and brought her hand to the door.

A few moments passed before the taller woman opened the door, looking puzzled to find Jenna standing in the corridor. "Hey.", Jenna said with a shy smile, her eyes taking in the figure in front of her. She hadn't seen Gwen in what felt like ages but was actually a couple of days, as she was busy preparing for her cello scenes. Gwen, on the other hand, had seen her just hours before, while she was taking a very long nap. "I just wanted to say thank you for the muffins, and the tea. And for staying with me before.", she said.

Gwen smiled a small smile. "No need to thank me. I'm glad you're feeling better.", she said in a tender voice. She locked eyes with Jenna who seemed to be avoiding her gaze. For a little while none of them spoke. The taller woman broke the silence and moved to the side, opening the door invitingly. "Would you like some more tea?", she asked.

Jenna pretended to think about it for two seconds. "Sure.", she replied. She moved inside Gwen's room as the taller woman closed the door behind them. Jenna examined the space as she took a seat on the small sofa by the window. It looked almost identical to hers, and every other room she'd been to at the hotel. There was a framed picture of a small brown poodle on the chest of drawers. There was also a picture of Gwen next to a gray-haired man who had his hand on her waist. Jenna's head tilted with curiosity as she stood up and walked over to the pictures. "Who's that?", she asked.

Gwen turned her attention away from the assortment of insulated bottles she was moving around and looked over to where Jenna was. "Oh, that's my one and only.", she replied, as she was filling the kettle with water. "And there's also Giles, my partner.", she added.

Jenna felt her stomach clench at the hearing of the word 'partner'. Gwen had never mentioned him before. That changed things for her, it changed the entirety of the odds she thought she was gambling with. Then again, Gwen was a catch, it was stupid of her to assume she wouldn't have a partner. "Your one and only is such a cutie.", she said in a low voice, trying to divert her attention towards the cute dog in the picture. She couldn't overthink this there, she didn't have the privacy to have a breakdown.

"He really is. I miss him all the time.", Gwen said as she was pouring the water into an insulated bottle. "Do you maybe want some milk?", she asked.

Jenna's eyebrows furrowed at the question. "What for?", she asked as she made her way back to the sofa, trying to push away the wave of upsetting thoughts that were flooding her brain.

"Your tea.", Gwen responded and placed two mugs and the bottle on the small table in front of them. "Are you feeling alright?", she asked as she noticed the somewhat distressed expression on Jenna's face.

"Getting there.", the younger woman said and grabbed her mug, fixating her stare on the steaming liquid in front of her. She kept internally repeating to herself that everything was going to be okay. It was all but words to her clouded mind.

"You shouldn't stress so much about those cello scenes. You're doing a remarkably good job with those pieces, for the little time you've been learning.", Gwen said in an attempt to comfort the younger woman as she stirred her tea. "Besides, they'll be using a pre-recorded track anyway.", she added.

"Well, the character's still supposed to be able to hold the freaking bow.", Jenna responded in a sour, self-pity-induced tone and let out a small chuckle.

Gwen reached across the sofa, finding Jenna's right hand and grasping it in her own. The brunette held her breath as Gwen's thumb caressed her fingers gently. "Stop being so hard on yourself, love.", she said softly. "You are one of the very few extraordinary actors I've met. I doubt there will ever be anything you won't be able to do. Okay?", she asked looking deeply into Jenna's eyes.