Blurred Lines

29. the heat

A/N: So I totally thought that today was Thursday. My bad. My work schedule changes every week, so I lose track of my days. Also... September already??? WTF y'all. This year is flying by faster than I can fall asleep at night.

Oh, also, trigger warning: I went to a concert last night. Lauren Daigle. She was great, ngl, very happy, and very excited to perform and sing. It was weird, for sure, because she's a Christian artist. But 15-year-old I was living her best emo traumatized religious child life. 24, almost 25-year-old me was happy because she got to hear a pretty lady sing with a deep, raspy voice. I even sponsored a child from Guatemala. So I'm a mother now, I guess.

Lots of chaos, lots of trauma, but hey...

We have an update, a day late. 

Things are finally ramping up, my friends. 

--

"Here you are," I murmur, setting one of the glasses before Emily as I slide back into the booth next to her. "Thank you, Angel," she responds to me, my nickname a mere breath on her lips as if she's unable to refrain from calling me that. I have to resist the urge to lean up against her, settling to sip at my wine with a resigned sigh. Everyone falls back into easy conversation once the drinks are handed out, but I sit back and listen, watching Emily participate in what she's missed out on for so long.

She's a lot more relaxed than she usually is around the team, and a soft smile forms on my face as I watch her laugh at something Penelope says. I can never get over her smile or how her eyes crinkle at the corner when she laughs. It's so silvery and bright, and completely full of joy. I love seeing her so happy. I can't resist it anymore. I drain the last sip in my wine glass and then slide closer to her as subtly as possible.

My thigh touches hers, and she surreptitiously settles her hand on my leg. I reach for her hand and brush my fingers lightly over hers. She doesn't even look at me, doesn't even acknowledge the fact that I'm silently seeking her attention. She just gives it to me, lacing her fingers through mine. I instantly relax, content and happy to hold her hand as she continues talking with the team.

After a while, Emily tugs at my hand. I look over at her in confusion. She smiles at me, huffing a little laugh. "Lost in space, are we?" she teases. I flush in embarrassment, and she gives my hand a gentle squeeze of affection. "Penelope was asking you a question," she goes on, a little sparkle in her eye that I haven't seen before. It's almost like... mischief? It's definitely playful, but I don't dwell on it as much as I want to keep staring into my Mistress's eyes.

"Yeah, Pen?" I ask, turning to give her my attention. "Hey, Sugar, I wanted to know if you were coming dancing with us," she gives me a little smirk at the newest nickname she's come up for me to tease me about Emily, and I flush deeper. "Uh.. yeah, sure," I shrug lightly, forcing a smile to get my mind focused back on the fact that we're out. We're supposed to be having fun, after all.

"Yay, okay!" I'm rewarded with Penelope's exuberant smile as she bounces up from her seat and pulls at JJ. "Come on, come on," she huffs in her excitement. She's always like a child, with her enthusiastic and innocent joy. I chuckle softly. I'm going to have to sneak in at least a few more shots if I'm going to be able to handle the chaos that's about to ensue.

"Are you coming?" I ask my Mistress, giving her hand a soft squeeze. She smiles at my touch, but shakes her head. "No, I'm going to just relax here, keep an eye on Luke over at the bar," she says lowly, her eyes flickering over to where he's chatting with that same girl from earlier. "Oh... okay," I respond, pulling my hand from her grasp. It's not like I expected my Domme to agree readily or anything. I know Emily's not one for dancing.