#fsff

"So, it's a horror movie?" Ellie asked as she held the bowl under the popcorn popper.

Lil just nodded before turning on the blender, crushing the ice and margarita mix inside. Ellie assumed they had done that on purpose, trying to avoid further questioning. Unfortunately, they did this to her regularly. Asking for Ellie to come over and watch movies while everyone else is out and about or too busy and then suddenly showing a terrifying movie.

Ellie could handle horror movies; she occasionally enjoyed them, but only if she had time to prepare herself beforehand. Suddenly being tripped up with a horror movie is not, has not, and never will be her idea of a fun time. Lil knew this, and that's why they were currently pulsing the blender instead of letting it go because they wanted to escape's Ellie's wrath a little longer.

Ellie glared at them before realizing the popcorn popper had stopped, freeing her hands. She all but slammed the bowl next to Lil, making them jump before pressing the button on the blender. The two of them stood there with the loud grinding noise filling the space before Ellie pressed the off button, effectively trapping Lil in a hug.

"Why am I just now hearing it's a horror movie?" She asked them.

Lil shrugged in response. Ellie clenched her jaw and sucked her teeth before moving away. There was no sense in arguing or being upset now. What's done is done, and she was going to be watching a horror movie with the person who didn't show fear like everyone else. Great. It was all going to be dandy.

The two settled with their snacks and drinks on the couch, and Lil pressed play. Ellie just hoped that it wasn't too frightening.

Ladybug Girlfriends

Maya opened Lillen's door and stepped inside, head grateful for the almost complete darkness. She had developed a headache a few hours ago, and the medicine wasn't working to relieve it. She hoped to get Lil to walk on her back or get a massage from Ellie, but she guessed they had already fallen asleep.

She slowly walked down the hall towards the tv light and sound, expecting to hear some snoring, but instead, she saw the two of them huddled in a corner of Lillen's couch, cuddling under a blanket and staring at the tv.

She heard a chainsaw begin to rev, and a woman screamed, so Maya guessed they were watching some slasher film, Lil's least favorite horror films, and Ellie's most nightmare-inducing genre.

Maya stepped back, not letting them see her, and decided to have a bit of fun with them. She quietly walked into the kitchen and waited until the chainsaw stopped before pulling out her phone. She waited until the woman was done screaming before making a quick blocked call to Ellie's cellphone.

Maya stifled her laughter as the two shrieked. Well, as Ellie shrieked and Lil squeaked, the closet to a scream they would make. Maya hung up the call before Ellie could answer and listened to the chaos she had created.

"They hung up." She heard Ellie say before the chainsaw started again, and the two went back to watching the movie.

Maya stayed there a while and composed herself before noticing a text from Sheb, saying she would be there shortly. Maya told her to enter as loudly as possible as they were watching a movie and wouldn't hear her otherwise. A common request on such nights so Sheb would play the perfect part in Maya's plan.

As long as she didn't get caught in the 15 minutes it took for Sheb to leave from the office to arrive at Lil's house.

She prepped her phone to make another call and listened to the movie, waiting for the perfect time. Much like the last time, the two shrieked in fear at the ringing, and Maya quickly hung up after hearing it ring a few times. She didn't need them catching on so quick.

"So they just hung up again?" Lil asked, pausing the movie now.

"Yeah. It's a blocked number which is annoying."

"And creepy. You don't have a stalker, do you?"

"No way. Not with Maya and Sheb around. There was a creepy guy on the train once, and Maya beat him so bad the conductor thought she was at fault."

"I remember that. Sheb was super proud."

"Of course she was. I was, too, kind of. Don't ever tell her, though."

"When do I tell anyone anything?"

The two laughed at their joke, and Maya almost felt bad listening in on the moment. Lil and Ellie's friendship was a strange one, but it was very important to the two of them. The time they spent together was for them. None of the other four ever really bothered them when they were hanging out. Here she was playing the creep, but she was also running out of time.

Maya guessed the time frame again; Sheb would be there in a moment which meant she had to work fast. She grabbed a stress ball from her purse, a gag gift from Melvin that was actually useful (Maya would never say such, especially to him), and her earbuds. She plugged in the cord and stuck the buds between her thighs before making the last call.

Instead of spooking the two as the calls had earlier, Ellie answered it furious, tired of the prank caller. Maya kept her lips shut tight, trying not to snicker, trying not to give herself away.

She waited a moment, wondering what Ellie would do now that she was done chewing the "prank caller" out, and upon hearing it was nothing, Maya threw the ball at one of Lillen's kitchen cabinets.

Their screams of terror had her neck hurt from the way she was holding her smile. She was biting back every bit of laughter that she could, with all the willpower in her body. Because she, unlike them, could hear the door opening.

Sheb ran past her, shoes still on and holding her purse up, forgetting about the pepper spray, taser, and baton she always carried inside, terrified for what could be happening.

Maya couldn't see what Sheb looked like, standing posed inside the hallway with the light on her back, but she could imagine it. And from Ellie and Lillen's resulting screams, she knew her imagination wasn't far off.

Their screams and shouts brought peels of silent laughter running through Maya, almost choking her. She laid down on the floor, her stomach muscles screaming at her as she listened to them. She continued laughing as they got the light on and listened to Ellie tell Sheb what was happening. She laughed more as Sheb turned into the kitchen and saw her sprawled out on the floor, still silently laughing.

"You fucking bitch."

"I can't believe I'm letting you two talk me into this," Ellie said, smoothing the skirt of her dress once more.

"Stop worrying," Maya told her, checking her hair and makeup in the mirror next to the waiting area. "We're just having a nice dinner at a nice restaurant."

"Yes, one celebrities come to Maya!" Ellie whispered as harshly as she could. She knew she was out of place, she felt out of place, and no amount of comforting from her date partners would help her relax.

"Calm, Eloise," Sheb told her, giving a comforting half hug. "You will be fine. We won't let you make a fool of yourself, and if you somehow do, I'll just make a bigger fool of myself. I've done it before."

"She has."

"You still mad at me about that?"

Maya turned gave a look before turning her head to look at the hostess.

"I'm sorry, we're reservation only."

Sheb let go of Ellie's waist and stood in front of Maya as the other woman took a step back and turned away from the hostess. Ellie watched as Maya took a big breath in, waiting to see if it would be let go, but Maya stayed tense. It was as if the air in her lungs weighted itself to keep her rooted in her spot.

"Table for three under the name "Lovely". I spoke with Jorge to arrange it. I hope he's doing well on his vacation. It feels like he was talking about it every time we came here. It's been months of him talking excitedly about it, so I do hope he's enjoying himself."

Ellie quickly hid the bubbling laughter behind her fingers, trying to hold it in. There were only a few things Sugar hated above all else, and talking down to her, as if she didn't have a right to be somewhere, was an easy way to get her angry. And when Sugar got angry, she got passive-aggressive in a way that made it seem as though she was training for the Olympics. It was legendary and awe-inspiring. Ellie couldn't begin to understand how she managed it.

"Of course, Miss. I'm sure he's enjoying himself just fine."

"Well, that's good. Will you be showing us to our table then, or do we need to wait for another hostess?"

Ellie couldn't help but giggle that time while Maya gave a very unladylike snort in response. Some of the other guests giggled with them. Maya turned in time to see the hostess give a particularly unfriendly smile before moving from her podium, a few menus in hand.

She gestured for them to follow, and Sheb did so with a smile on her face, more than content in dealing with this woman. Maya gave a huff before retaking Ellie's arm and following behind. It was clear that the other two had no intention of allowing someone to ruin their evening. Still, the unpleasantness of their hostess was already starting to wear Ellie down. She already felt out of place; the last thing she needed was a snob looking down on her.

Being seated was a much quieter affair. The waiter, Pierre, who was already at the table, greeted Sheb and Maya with a kiss on the cheek before seating them. As the three caught up with each other in small talk, Ellie found herself relaxing more and more. Hearing Pierre say "Sheb" and not "Sugar" made her feel safe. She understood that this was a friend.

They ordered their food, getting a few things Pierre recommended, and enjoyed each other's company. As they talked and laughed and enjoyed themselves, Ellie found herself relaxing more and more. Her awkwardness fading away as she laughed at whatever ridiculous story popped out of Sheb's mouth or the absolutely scathing commentary from Maya.

The date was going far better than she could have imagined. Or the bottle of wine she was sharing with Maya was keeping her more relaxed than she realized it. Everything continued smoothly as the wine, desserts, and conversation continued to flow easily.

Ellie gave the history of the canelés she was eating while Maya took her hand and sipped at her glass of wine. Sugar told her stories of the office and their work. Occasionally leaning over and giving Maya kisses in thanks for being able to handle the travesty that was Sugar Honey Bee Lovely.

They laughed, and they joked, and most importantly, they enjoyed. It was marvelous and just what the three of them needed. It was perfect. And so, of course, it was interrupted.

"Excuse me."

Sugar paused in her story to look at the woman, dressed in a gorgeous black dress and expensive jewels with a sour look on her face. Ellie knew that look. She saw it often enough when working at the cafe. Maya knew the look as well and was already thinking of ways to verbally rip the woman to shreds.

"I wish to inform you all that you're disturbing the other guests. You're being very loud."

Loud. Ellie understood the tone in the woman's voice. It's the way she heard her cousins be talked about as a child. The tone people used when speaking about her lovers when they were demanding respect in their field. It was a tone and a word the set them so on edge it almost brought Maya to her feet. Sugar's hand on Maya's leg was the only thing keeping her from bouncing up and pouncing on the unsuspecting woman.

Ellie wondered if the woman knew how close to losing those jewels she was.

Sugar waited a moment, a ploy and a tactic to make the other woman feel uncomfortable or to rile her up more, and took a sip of her sparkling lemon water. An impossible slow sip. If there was one thing Sugar Lovely knew how to do, it was how to annoy people in the worst of ways.

She finally turned back to the woman and plastered a lazy smile on her face, free of care and completely unbothered by this woman. "Then leave."

The woman was quiet, shock steady on her face before the outrage hit her. Ellie could only snicker behind her hand. It most certainly wasn't the response she was expecting Sugar to have.

"How dare-"

"Is there an issue here?" Pierre asked as he smoothly came up next to the woman. "Would you like a chair brought to the table to join them?"

"I'm not joining them! I've done your job and asked them to quiet down."

Pierre's eyes went cold behind his polite smile. "Well then, madam, as you've done my job once, I'm sure you can manage to do it again and find your way back to your own table."

"How dare you speak to me in such a manner? Do you know who I am?"

"No, madam, I am not aware. Please inform me as we walk back to your table, where I'm sure you'll stay for the rest of your evening here and not pester any other guests. I'm sure the owner of this fine establishment would take offense to you harassing some of his favorite guests."

They stood there for a moment before the woman turned around and went, hopefully back to her table, and the three of them burst out laughing. Loudly! As loud as they could, before they started their sweet habit, each raising the other's hand to her lips and giving it a kiss before they returned to their meal.

"Thanks again for helping close, Ellie. I really appreciate it."

"No problem boss. It's the least I can do since I'm off for a week."

"The least!? Girl, if you don't start using your time off you're gonna have a year of it saved."

"It's not that bad."

"Not yet!" He laughed as he finished locking the last of the doors. "But it will be soon. Now, you get your butt on home and enjoy the time off with those girlfriends of yours. And make sure to give Maya all of my love."

Once Maya had learned how much Dequan had helped Ellie out over the years she started doing the man's taxes for him every year. Along with creating business strategies, budgets for marketing, and reorganizing his entire payroll system plus more. After all of that Maya had stolen his heart, not that Ellie could blame him. Maya was damned good at her job.

Ellie waved him goodbye before starting the trek home, excited to have a whole week off. While it wasn't as bad as Dequan made it out to be, it had been a while since she took so much time off. The last time had most likely been when one of them was sick. She was looking forward to it. 

She daydreamed about their little vacation as she was walking home. Going over the list of boring stuff before focusing on the fun things. She knew it was going to begin with her cooking the chicken she had taken out that morning. 

Maybe she would make fried rice with it. Or have it with some pasta. There was still a bag of frozen broccoli, maybe they still had a jar of alfredo sauce. She was not in the mood to make it from scratch tonight. Or maybe-

She was brought out of her thoughts by a car horn honking behind her. She turned around, afraid, but relaxed when she saw Maya's ravishing red pulling up next to her. 

"Hey cutie," Maya called, through the window. "Need a ride?"

Ellie giggled, deciding to play along by twirling a piece of her hair while also twisting in place.

"I don't know if my girlfriends would like that very much."

"Aww come on now, what they don't know won't hurt 'em."

Ellie fell into a fit of giggles as she reached for the car handle and easily slid inside. 

"You're ridiculous," she told Maya before giving the other woman a kiss. 

"And you love me for it."

"I thought it was because you save me from having to take the subway."

Maya laughed sardonically before pulling back into the lane and the two driving off. The ride was quiet, the light sound of Maya's music playing along, a low hush, barely above the rush of traffic. 

Maya hating having the music on too loud when driving, another difference between her and Sugar-who believed in only loud and bombastic bass playing as she drove down the streets. Ellie didn't mind listening to either as they drove around. Since she didn't drive she felt she had no real right to tell them what to do with their cars.

There were no other cars in sight as Maya pulled into the building's parking garage and let Ellie get out first. Maya always did so, even though Ellie never went upstairs without her. Sheb would though. Sugar Honey-Bee Lovely didn't believe in standing around waiting on people if she didn't have to, but Ellie thought it was nice to go up with someone. 

She stood there to wait for Maya when she saw the nice elderly couple from down the hall bring down a bunch of luggage. She quickly offered to help them. 

As they all walked the 5 feet to their car, the couple informed Ellie that they were going to visit the grandson who lived out in the country for a few days. Ellie told them about her own vacation plans. 

Ellie liked the couple, if only because they were cute and kind. When the three had first moved in together many of their neighbors had tried to get them kicked out but the Masons had told them to ignore everyone else. All that mattered was that the three of them were happy. 

Afterward, Ellie and Mrs. Mason traded recipes all the time and took time each week to visit each and other and trade some more. The woman made a mean peach cobbler that can only come from being raised in the south. 

Maya joined Ellie and the couple in standing around and making small talk. When Mr. Mason noticed the time he urged the girls to go on with their day so he and the Missus could hit the road. Mrs. Mason promised to bring back the homemade cinnamon raisin bread recipe from her grandson's wife. 

Ellie and Maya waved goodbye to the couple before getting on the elevator and hitting the button to head on up. Maya casually grabbed Ellie's hand and held it the whole way up and down the hallway to their condo. It was sweet and rare that Maya showed affection in such a way so Ellie reveled in it the whole walk home. 

"Sugar! We're home!" She yelled as they slipped off their shoes and Ellie hung up her bag. 

Maya tossed her keys onto the hook without looking. It was an absolutely stunning display of skill that left Ellie shocked and feeling a bit flushed. Maya enjoyed showing off the particular skill of hers, tossing something and watching it land where it should, astounding everyone who saw. Sheb hated it.

"I'm in the bedroom!" Sheb yelled out to them.

"Our's or your's," Maya said mostly to herself, not truly asking.

"I heard that!" Sheb yelled back. " And it's not funny!"

"I'm a comedian so I don't know what you mean," Maya told her as they stepped into the room. 

Sugar was packing one of her suitcases, it was already filled with clothes, the bright pastels she allowed herself to wear on weekends when she was away from the office catching Ellie's attention. Ellie also noticed the some of Maya's bright red shirts were also packed inside and a few of her own pale pink shirts. 

"Sugar?" Ellie asked, too concerned and curious.

"Mm? Yes, Love?"

"Why are you packing a suitcase?"

"Because flower of my heart, we're going away for our vacation."

"I thought we were staying home this time. Sheb! I didn't plan anything! There's food in our fridge- I took out chicken this morning!"

"Don't worry about it, Lil is coming over to take care of Princess so I'll let her know to cook it up and eat here. Just her." Sheb reassured, quickly remembering the last time Lil had watched their condo. "She knows what to do. And you are going to enjoy a nice relaxing week at a hotel, where all of your food is going to be cooked by someone else."

"Sugar! Maya!"

"Oh no, don't turn that cute voice on me. I'm agreeing with her on this." Maya said from the chair she was sat in, Princess already in her lap.

"I don't understand," Ellie said as Sheb moved her to sit down on the bed. 

"You took such good care of us last month while we were running ourselves ragged with the planning and the campaign and when you were already so overworked at the cafe, we just want to give you something back as well."

"It wasn't a-"

"Don't!" Maya scolded. "Don't you dare tell us that it wasn't a lot of work. You barely got any sleep at all last month, less than we did because you got up and fixed us breakfast and lunch and came home from your busy day and made us dinner and Ellie-"

"Eloise." Sheb started again, taking Ellie's hands in her own. "We love you and we care for you so much that we want to give you something back for all the good you've done for us. Let us give you this. If you really hate being in the hotel and being waited on then we can cancel it early and come back home. But I want you to try and enjoy it. Please."

Ellie's resolved wobbled at that, it was rare that Sugar begged or said "please". She was convinced it was too much on her pride, and Sugar Lovely was nothing if not prideful. 

Ellie frowned before sighing, defeat in the sound. She simply nodded her head and allowed Sheb and Maya their joy at winning. It wasn't as if Ellie was losing anything really. She was going to what was sure to be a 4-star or more hotel with her lovers, who would pamper and spoil her all week long while eating delectable food and probably enjoying a spa.