SEEK And Find

Chapter 35

"Wow," Anna breathed softly, looking around the quiet beach house. "I can't believe I'm really leaving..."

Sliding her arm around Anna's shoulders, Elsa leaned in, laying her head on the younger woman's and sighing. "A feeling I'm all too familiar with. And it only gets harder, trust me." Then she squeezed slightly and whispered, "Are you ready?"

"No. But let's go, anyway, the cab's probably almost here. Everything packed?"

"Yeah, I packed my greatest treasure. Oh, and some clothes and things, I suppose." Anna rolled her eyes bashfully, and Elsa grinned and kissed her temple. "I still think it belongs in a museum, but... I'll take good care of it, Anna. Promise. Just wish I had something as good to give you."

"No. You gave me everything I ever wanted."

Elsa's giddy little giggle and blush in response to that was yet another gift.

Once they were downstairs, they found Esmé in the kitchen, brewing fresh coffee and making them crepes again. Her smile was easy, and she slid the plates over without a word.

"You didn't have to do this," Anna laughed as she got some coffee to go with her meal. "I was gonna find something in the airport."

"Fuck that. You know it wouldn't be as good as these." Sliding the thin crepe around in the skillet for a moment before dropping it on her "catcher" plate, she glanced at Elsa. "So... last night."

"What about it?" Elsa responded guardedly.

"How was it?"

"ESMÉ, HOW DARE YOU!" While their Romani friend cackled, she poured her own coffee, following Anna's lead. "And not that it's any of your business, but Anna and I were perfectly chaste!"

"Well, not perfectly," Anna corrected before taking a sip. At Elsa's alarmed expression, she sighed and said, "Okay, okay, we were the most lesbian nuns on the planet. Better?"

Laughing even more as she piled fruit in the middle of her own crepe, Esmé said, "So funny that I'm actually going to miss you, catburglar. But... yeah, I kinda am. You make life interesting, for me and for your girlfriend."

Elsa and Anna exchanged a glance. After a few seconds, Anna whispered, "Are you? I m-mean, do I get to... like, obviously I won't make a big deal about it to anybody but family and friends, but... is that... are we...?"

"I... I don't know," Elsa breathed, sitting down on a barstool with her coffee. "That would be accurate. If it's... if we..."

"You two gaylets," Esmé muttered with a shake of her head. "I can't believe you didn't do 'La Lambada Desnuda'. What better time than your last night in Ibiza?!"

"Whenever we do it will be the right time," Anna whispered as they scooted a little closer. Even as Esmé rolled her eyes as if they were hopeless, she also looked a little put out as she looked down at her plate. "What's the matter? Jealous?"

"Of which of you?" she demanded defensively.

"Not us, specifically. But..."

Shrugging, she began sawing through her crepe with her fork as she said, "In that case... then yeah, I am. You two are scared and excited to be starting something new. I miss that feeling. Been a while for me."

"Really?" Elsa asked. "Your activities away from the SEEK House aren't satisfying you?"

"Oh, they are, but not in that way." Flashing a mysterious little smirk, she went on, "I just miss being with someone and trusting them completely, knowing that no matter how much one of us screws up, it's only because we want so much to be there for the other person. It's so rare..."