Fatal Attraction

Chapter 33

Normani grabbed Dinah's hand and led her down the block, trying to keep her poker face. If there was one thing that she hated, it was having other people know that she was upset.

In this situation, however, that was a little bit harder to do, considering that Normani had just lost everything. She didn't regret her decision, of course. But she knew from that moment on, that her life was about to change.

For good.

"Baby, we don't have to walk so fast. It's not like they're gonna-"

"Dinah, we don't know that. I just need to get out of alphabet city, and fast."

"If you want, we can go more uptown? You could use a distraction."

Normani paused, thinking it over. Slowly, she began to nod.

"Where would you like to go?"

"When I went to Manhattan with my family years ago, my father took me to Central Park, where the big fountain is. We walked around, talking, laughing.. We had these tiny little ice cream sandwiches, and he told me that I would always be his-"

She choked on the last word, unable to completely finish her sentence. Dinah stopped walking at that point, and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend.

Normani rested her head on her girlfriend's shoulder, and allowed herself to cry. At that point, she didn't care who was watching, or what anyone was thinking.

"Come on, babe. I'll get an uber right now."

Normani nodded, wiping her tears away with her sleeve. Dinah took her hand, and guided her into the nearest Starbucks.

While they waited for the uber driver to arrive, Dinah ordered her a small caramel spice- which was Normani's favorite guilty pleasure drink. She smiled at the gesture, and gently kissed her cheek.

In the corner of her eye, Normani noticed a woman staring at the two of them. A pit immediately formed in her stomach. She could only imagine what they were thinking.

"Babe, what's the matter? Your entire face just tensed up," Dinah said, placing her hand on her girlfriend's cheek.

But before she had a moment to react, the woman opened her mouth to speak.

"Excuse me?"

Dinah looked over at the woman, understanding now why her girlfriend's attitude changed so significantly.

"How can we help you?"

The woman looked down at her feet, clearly caught off guard by Dinah's adamant attitude.

"I didn't mean to bother you, I just.. Wanted to let you know that you are a beautiful couple."

Normani's eyes filled with tears once again, as a smile finally appeared on her face. "Thank you, so much. That's very kind of you."

The woman nodded. "Have a nice evening, girls. Be safe out there."

Dinah smiled. "Thank you, same to you."

As the woman walked out, Normani wrapped her arms around Dinah once more. She immediately reciprocated, slightly lifting her up.

"Thank you."

Dinah frowned. "For the drink? Babe, it's-"

"No, not the drink. For being here, with me. I know that anyone would have seen that episode between me and my father, and would've fleed.. Or even had been offended at the fact that those are the people that I was raised by. The fact that you're still here, standing by my side.. I couldn't be more grateful."