REDEMPTION

SIX

Took a trip to clear my mind
Now I'm even more lost
And you're still so fine, oh my oh my..
_______

On her first day of work, Baby woke up before everyone to start getting herself together. With her nerves on edge, she crept up the basement stairs and into the kitchen to make a cup of coffee and prayed that it would get her right.

"Good morning to you."

She jumped high enough to qualify as a pole jumper in the Olympics. Once she overcame her shock, she saw Beyoncé sitting at the table with her hands wrapped around a mug.

"Good morning," Baby replied with her eyes low. "I didn't see you there."

"At least this time you're fully clothed," she remarked, her tone almost reprimanding. Baby's neck snapped up, and she stared into Beyoncé with fire in her eyes, ready to read her from A to Z. She was humble, gentle, and kind, but a pushover she was not.

"First of all, I-"

"Save it," Beyoncé said, raising her hand as she cut Baby off. "I'm not interested."

Baby's nose flared along with her rage. Who did she think she was talking to? Disrespect was not something she tolerated, and even though Beyoncé was probably used to talking to everyone she met any kind of way that she wished, Baby wasn't scared to put her in her place. However, the fact that she was living in her home made her fight to control her tongue.

She turned to grab a mug and make a cup of coffee as Beyoncé cut her eye at her, taking the opportunity to watch her movements. There was no mistaking it; she could tell Baby was boiling hot and most likely cursing her existence in her mind, but she kept her cool.

"How are you getting to work?" she asked before standing to toss her cup of coffee down the drain. Pouring it was a habit, but she never drank it. Beyoncé hated coffee but sitting alone at the table each morning with a full cup had become one of her daily rituals.

"I figured I'd take the bus," Baby replied with a shrug. She would have been perfectly fine without the small talk but didn't want to be rude. Unlike Beyoncé.

She brushed past her at the same moment that she turned away from the sink. The suddenness of her movements threw off Baby's balance, and she nearly stumbled. Reaching out, Beyoncé steadied her by placing her hands lightly around the tiny girl's waist. The subtle touch alarmed Baby enough to make her jerk, but she recovered quickly and forced out a giggle.

"Sorry about that," she apologized, but then realized that Beyoncé hadn't yet pulled away. With a curled brow, Baby turned to her, and once her eyes connected with Beyoncé's, a surge of energy shot up her spine. She waited for Beyoncé to say something, but she simply snatched her hands back and frowned.

"Keep your apology," she muttered without looking in her face. Stuffing her hands in her pockets, she walked away, careful to make sure that not a single hair on her body came anywhere near hers. Her skin prickled at Beyoncé's body language; it was like her presence bothered her.

"Is there something wrong?" Baby couldn't help asking. She watched Beyoncé clench her jaw before she turned around and pierced her eyes through hers. Her expression was tight, unreadable. She was usually good at picking up emotions, but she was blank.

Beyoncé knew that Baby was confused by her actions toward her, but she wasn't sure how to fix it. Just before she'd walked into the kitchen, she had been at the table telling herself that it was possible to have a regular conversation with Baby and control her desire, but as soon as she laid eyes on her, tiptoeing through the kitchen on her pretty toes, she lost it. And then when she touched her waist... the feel of her body on her fingertips felt so familiar to Beyoncé. Too familiar, as if they'd been lovers in another life. Beyoncé couldn't trust herself around her, so she had to push her away.