Second Ave Series: Ac-Counting on You (WLW)

The Show Must Go On

"You know, you can let me inside. I really want to see you in that dress!" Brook enthusiastically called through Gwen's phone and she stopped doing her makeup for a moment, turning her grin in its direction.

After nibbling on her lip and taking a few steadying breaths, she got back into finishing the last touches to her face as she replied, "You can come into the loft, but not the bathroom. I want to...surprise you." Blushing deeper than the evening sky, Gwen gulped before adding, "Is... I-Is that alright?"

"It's perfect and so are you. How do I get in?"

Feeling a sense of harmony as Brook answered in her typical, matter of fact tone, Gwen leaned back from her bathroom mirror as she replied, "Under the doormat is the spare that Tellie uses whenever he needs to come in, but I can't get to the door. I'll be in the living room soon."

"There's no rush, dove. We still have at least thirty minutes before Tellie's band starts their set and it'll only take about ten to walk there, remember?" Gwen listened as Brook unlocked and slid her door open, sending a rather sultry giggle through the phone. "I mean, when we walked it last night we may have been distracted by the time we went back to mine for cuddles, but I still timed it. Speaking of which, waking up next to you again was awesome."

"For me, too." Gwen put her makeup away and looked at herself one last time, running her eyes up and down her body.

She wore a folk style, long sleeve dress that ran down to just below her knees, showing off more skin than she ever had around Brook. True, she'd worn a dress during their family dinner, but it hadn't been so short, nor had the neckline plunged so far, showcasing her scars more than ever before. Gwen had half a mind to cover them with makeup, but after remembering the way Brook touched her last evening as they held one another on her bed, cuddling and kissing late into the night, she wanted to tempt fate. She also knew without a doubt that Brook didn't see her scars as a deterrent. In fact, sometimes it felt as if she didn't see Gwen's scars at all and she smiled at herself in her bathroom mirror as she adjusted the woven belt around her waist.

The dress was a deep olive tone and her belt was beige, holding the waistline firmly along her curves. Her sleeves fanned out as she lifted her arms and twirled, peeking back into the mirror to make sure her silk and lace stockings didn't show their tops. Checking that her garter belt was secure one last time as she raised the tail of her dress, Gwen considered how the night might end. After the implications of their late conversation the night prior, she was pretty sure Brook wouldn't want to go home tonight and she didn't want her to leave her for the remainder of the day either. They hadn't even seen one another since the morning, but Gwen was sure she wouldn't even chance parting from her again.

She knew what that meant and as she turned around and regarded herself one last time in the mirror, fixing the necklace along her neck to lay down straight. With a nod as she looked into her own eyes, she felt such determination to impress Brook tonight that she sensed a new sort of resolved warmth in her chest. After one last nod toward herself as her lips turned up into a giddy grin, Gwen turned toward the bathroom door and opened it, slowly walking into the outer hallway.

With a hard, nervous swallow as she recognized someone standing at the end near her living room, Gwen peeked over through a side glance and shivered. Brook looked phenomenal. Turning herself to entirely face her, it was like they were being drawn toward one another and she ran her eyes up and down her solid form. Starting from her feet, Brook wore a pair of brown, leather loafers, a pair of her trademark black trousers folded up at the ends to show off a pair of forest green, long socks that disappeared within them. Gwen felt her mouth water as her eyes arrived at her torso, donned in a sleek, deep green turtleneck draped in a black blazer with a cream pocket square. Just as she'd professed when inquiring as to what color Gwen would wear, Brook had tried to match her and she imagined them walking together in what she'd deemed a couples' outfit.