the eras of us ⎹ Lana Parrilla & Jennifer Morrison

Chapter 30

"So," Bex started, swirling a glass in her hands, causing the orange liquid to move. "You're not homophobic then, huh?"

Jen's eyelids fluttered shut for a brief moment before she took a deep breath, meeting Bex's gaze with determination. "I've told you a thousand times, I'm not—"

"Clearly," Bex interjected, a mischievous smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. "Bisexual then?" She quipped, taking a casual sip from her Aperol Spritz.

"I—" the blonde hesitated, her gaze drifting momentarily to the serene garden around them. They stood on the patio, the table nearby already set for their late lunch or early dinner, each of them holding a drink. "I don't want to talk about it right now."

"Okay," the redhead muttered, clearly unsatisfied. "Then you'll have to listen to my best-friend-speech now, because if you hurt my sister—"

"Bex," Lana's voice cut in, as she stepped onto the patio, balancing a bottle of water and three glasses. "Stop threatening my girlfriend."

Girlfriend.

The word echoed in Jen's mind as a wave of fuzzy, warm feelings flooded through her body. She could feel the butterflies fluttering their tiny wings inside her stomach, making her take a deep breath and then a large sip from her own Aperol Spritz. She didn't even hear what the other two were now chatting about, because the only thing she could hear was the rhythmic thud of her hard.

"Hey." Lana's soft voice pulled the blonde out of her thoughts, the sound wrapping around her like a comforting embrace as the brunette let her fingers tenderly brush over the fading bruise on Jen's cheek.

"Hey," the blonde replied, her voice breathy as she met the other woman's gaze, while a small, genuine smile played on her lips. Lana's dark eyes were so close that she could admire all these different shades of brown, and she couldn't help but think how beautiful her long, thick lashes were.

"You're so beautiful," Lana whispered, her breath ghosting over Jen's lips, sending a shiver down her spine.

"I-" the blonde blinked a few times, unable to suppress a grin. "I was thinking the same thing about you," she admitted softly, her heart fluttering.

With a soft smile, Lana closed the gap between them, her lips meeting Jen's in a tender kiss. It was soft and slow, a silent exchange of feelings and emotions. The blonde immediately melted into the kiss, her heart soaring with a newfound sense of joy and contentment.

The brunette wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, pulling her closer, deepening the kiss as if Bex wasn't sitting at the table right behind them. Time seemed to stand still, the world around them was fading away until there was only the two of them, sharing this intimate moment under the warm afternoon sun.

Lana hummed in satisfaction before she broke off their deep kiss, though her lips kept pecking Jen's ever so slightly, making the blonde smile.

"Hate to interrupt such a romantic moment," Bex's voice suddenly interjected, making Jen and Lana turn around to see her sitting at the table with a mischievous grin. "But ew."

"Shut up," the brunette shot back, her tone playful but firm, making her best friend grin in amusement.

"Well, then stop being so nauseatingly sweet. You're making the birds in the garden roll their eyes."

"Like I said," Lana replied, taking her girlfriend's hand into her own before both of them took a seat at the table as well. "Shut up."

The redhead grinned. "If things get too mushy, I might have to break out the emergency bucket."