#random site note

Wilhemina Venable was a strict, no nonsense woman. Her entire life, she had gone about it like that. Not letting anyone close was the best way to protect herself from getting hurt, after all. No exceptions. But there were those times, when she’d let the tiniest bit of her walls crumble, collapse just a little. It didn’t happen often, and not for just anyone, but when it did it was a pleasant experience, at least for the other person.

Venable also, though she would not readily admit it, did quite enjoy getting out of the house. It could be suffocating, staying inside all of the time, between her home and her job, there were times when the woman really just needed to get out and get some fresh air. This was one of those times. Months ago, Venable had found a bookstore, a humble little thing, not extravagant in any way. And that was what had attracted her to go inside one day, check it out, see if there was anything interesting.

It didn’t take long for her to come to quite enjoy visiting said bookstore. They carried quite a few titles that Venable enjoyed, authors she’d before seen and liked. So it was a routine by now; every other week, the woman would come in, buy a few books, and leave. Nothing changed, the workers were accommodating, never rude even when Venable could get a bit snippy. Again, that was her normal tone; it was what she used to keep herself safe. 2

But today...oh, today was different. It had been a rather stressful day at Kineros, Venable’s two employers being particularly frustrating, that she was admittedly very excited to enter the quiet, calming atmosphere of the tiny shop. She did so, going about her normal activities, acquiring a few books, and heading to the counter to check them out. But today, there was someone new. Someone the woman did not recognize. She was used to getting the same two or three employees, always greeted by a warm smile and greeting, asking if she’d found what she’d come for, and leaving satisfied.

However, Venable was not faced with a familiar face. No, this girl was new, must be. She was friendly, just as the others, and greeted her with a cheerful “Hello, ma’am! How are you doing on this fine afternoon?” Venable’s eyebrows pulled together slightly, her eye narrowing critically as she eyed you. After a moment of silence she hummed and mumbled “Fine. Who are you?” You smiled a bit wider and chuckled as you replied “Oh, I’m new here. Y/n l/n, I’m a family friend of the owner. Between jobs, though this would be a nice break from all that stress, you know?”

Venable nodded briskly and watched as your hands swiftly checked her items out, movements fluid and efficient. “And how long have you been working here?” “A week. I saw you before, your last visit. I just wasn’t at the register that day, I was stocking shelves. It’s nice to meet you, Miss...?” Venable sniffed quietly and tightened her grip on her cane as she said “Venable.” Your smile remained, placing her books in a small bag and handing it to her carefully, making sure her long fingers were wrapped around the handle securely before pulling away. Curiously, your head cocked to the side a bit as you questioned “French? How exotic.”

Venable refused to acknowledge the gentle heat that pricked at her neck at your words. Instead she nodded once again, clearing her throat and muttering “Well then. I’ll let you get back to work Miss l/n.” You nodded and hummed, waving a bit as she walked away and calling out “Have a good day, Ms Venable! Enjoy your books!” Venable didn’t acknowledge you.

--

Another thing Venable wouldn’t acknowledge was the fact that you had strangely been the subject of her thoughts quite a bit. And what she didn’t know was that after your first encounter, you had been going through the same troubles. Both of you seemed to stay on each other’s minds for an unusually long time. Venable’s only idea to fix it was to not go to the store any longer, but she refused to let some random girl stop her from doing one of the very few things she enjoyed doing.

And so, she continued to go to the bookstore. And almost every single time she was in, she saw you. Sometimes you were checking her out (her books not her body calm down), sometimes stocking shelves, sometimes just walking past her at the perfect time. And the two of you never failed to make eye contact for prolonged seconds, which felt like much longer than they actually were. You eventually got an idea of why you seemed to get butterflies the more you interacted with the woman in purple, and as much as you wanted to deny it, you didn’t really know how.

Venable, however, absolutely refused to even think about those possibilities. Because they weren’t possible, it was just her stupid head playing some sort of cruel joke on her. There was nothing to be felt, at all. Even though the more she saw you the longer you stayed on her mind, the more you talked to her the more often your voice would float through her head at work, the more you accidentally brushed your fingers over hers when you handed over her books the more shivers were sent up her spine. No, Venable would not allow this to continue.

And so she pushed these feelings down, as far away as she could, and every time they should surface she pushed harder, doing practically everything in her power to keep you out of her thoughts. She;d even gone so far as to be particularly rude to you, her snappy remarks and wry comments becoming a usual part of her short conversations with you. But nothing seemed to deter you, you just kept giving her that same smile, those same cheerful words or laid back chuckle. Everything she tried didn’t work, and so she tried to force it more. Though she did everything except not coming to the store. Because something inside of her kept her coming back, every other week, like always. Nothing stopped her from somehow ending back up at that same place, with those same books, and that same girl. You.

--

Finally you had had enough. It was clear what was going on between you and Venable, and if she wouldn’t acknowledge it, then you would. As much as your anxiety wanted to get the best of you, force you to stay quiet and ignore what you now knew was real, you somehow managed to push through. So one day, when Venable came in as she always did, performed her typical routine, came up to the counter, you slid her books across the scanner, allowing the quiet beeps to fill the tense silence between the two of you.

But before you handed her the bag, you said “So um, can I ask you a question?” One of Venable’s eyebrows raised in question, and so you continued; “Can I take you out for some coffee, or something? I’d like to...get to know you a bit better.” The woman’s expression hardened significantly, and her eyes narrowed again, posture stiffening and hands tightening around her cane. She was very reluctant to say yes; she did not know you, nor did she particularly care to know you. But something forced her to agree, and she mumbled “Very well.”

It was quiet, but it was all the confirmation you needed, and the wide smile that spread across your lips was almost worth the uncomfortable feeling that had settled over Venable’s body. “Great! What works best for you? I’m free over the weekend, basically anytime you want.” Eventually the two of you agreed on a time and place, and Venable left with a roll of her shoulders, books in hand and lips in a tight line. Part of her was curious, perhaps a bit interested in this ‘date’, the other still wary and hesitant. She didn’t want to get close to you, because she knew she would only end up getting hurt. It always happened, she let people in and it always resulted in heartbreak.

--

The date went well. Excepetionally well. So well, in fact, that the two of you agreed to do this again. Venable found herself surprisingly enjoying herself,and you were a nice person to talk to. You were smart, witty, knew when to say what, not to mention polite. Never once pushing her to tell you anything, manners wonderful at all times, and Venable quite liked that. And the woman even realized that she was almost eager to see you again, to have another one of your little chats, that had extended much longer than either of you had expected.

Some days passed, you came to knew her first name, and were actually allowed to call her by it, instead of always using her last name, which had gotten a bit annoying after a bit. You could tell that the woman was not a very friendly person, not one to open herself up to just anyone, so being able to call her by her proper name felt like a pretty big privilege. And Wilhemina (which you’d complimented her greatly on, definitely not making her blush) gradually stopped denying herself the enjoyment of your company.

She stopped pushing down her slowly growing feelings for you, stopped refusing to acknowledge the fact that she was steadily falling more and more for your comforting presence and gentle personality. She began to recognize the little details about you, how your eyes crinkled in the corners when you laughed, or how bright your grin was whenever she said something that amused you. The way you sometimes would bite your lip and glance away from her face when you complimented her, your shy attitude making Wilhemina feel things she hadn’t felt in a very, very long time.

These dates went on for multiple weeks, the two of you had met at the same coffee shop at least five times by now, and on the sixth, you finally said “Would you....like to maybe come over to mine sometimes?” When Wilhemina didn’t respond, swallowing roughly and not meeting your gaze, you quickly stuttered out “I-I mean if you’re not comfortable with it that’s fine, I was just--” “That would be nice.” The woman across from you cut you off and you quickly closed your mouth, blinking a few times as you processed what she’d said. After a moment you finally muttered “Sounds nice...” before your lips pulled into a smile and you continued with “Alright! Don’t worry, my apartment is on the first floor, so you won’t have to worry about going up any stairs or anything,” before writing down the address of your apartment complex on a small piece of paper, handing it to her soon after.

Wilhemina gave you the smallest, the tiniest little smile, the first you’d seen from the woman, and your eyes widened a bit as your own smile grew and you laughed in surprise. Before you knew what you were doing you said “You have a very pretty smile. You should do it more often.” Both of you froze, and the words lingered in the air between you, Wilhemina‘s lips parting a fraction, your own snapping shut quickly and pulling into a tight line. After a second you said “I’m sorry, I was thinking aloud. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable,” quietly, trying to be as polite as possible. You hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but you had, and now you had that hanging over your own head. You’d never forgive yourself if you’d made the woman upset.

However the worry was diminished rather quickly when she murmured “Thank you,” head dipping a bit as she stared down at the table in an unusually shy manner. But your smile returned and you mumbled “Of course.” The two of you talked for a few more minutes before promising to see each other again, setting up a time as usual, this time planning to meet at your place. The idea of having Wilhemina in your living space made you excited, bouncing on your heels subconsciously, an action which the woman noticed and almost smirked at, evidence of your eagerness showing easily in your behavior.

--

As Wilhemina drove to your apartment complex, she went over your previous meetings. Dates, if you will. They’d gotten more and more comfortable, both of you opening up to each other easily, trusting each other with the other’s thoughts and secrets, if you could call them that. Wilhemina had yet to tell you about her back, though she was sure you had some sort of an idea because of her cane. You were a smart girl, after all, so there was no doubt you’d at least gotten some sort suspicion. But the woman wasn’t quite ready to let you see that part of her yet. Maybe someday, but...not right now.

It wasn’t long before she arrived at her destination, putting her car in park and exiting it carefully, retrieving her cane before walking towards the door, entering the building easily and heading to your apartment, where she knocked on the door three times before moving a step back. She waited a few moments for you to answer, and when you finally did she swallowed harshly, eyes sweeping down your body involuntarily. You wore a knee length black dress that was tight to your waist, off the shoulder sleeves, and casuals flats to match. You giggled at her expression but moved to the side, gesturing for her to enter, which she did.

Once she was inside, Wilhemina glanced around, noticing how neat and organized your space was, everything in a certain spot and nothing out of place. It was quite impressive, in her opinion, and it took a lot to impress Wilhemina Venable. But you quickly motioned her forward, and into what looked to be a kitchen area as you called out “I made lunch. I hope you’re okay with pasta?” Wilhemina hummed and replied “That sounds wonderful,” as she followed you. When you pulled out a chair for her she sniffed indignantly, but still gave you another of her small smiles, which made you grin and giggle happily.

But before she could say anything you were gone, off to get the food, which you brought to the table swiftly, placing it down carefully. Wilhemina then noticed how you’d already gotten plates and silverware out, completely prepared and ready for her to come over, which made her hum contently. “I hope it’s to your liking,” you mumbled once both of you had grabbed some pasta, mixed with what looked to be tomato sauce with some sort of meat. Wilhemina nodded and replied “It’s wonderful. You didn’t have to do all of this...” she trailed off, but you shook your head dismissively and said “Of course I did. I know how much work it takes to impress you, so I wanted to do something nice.”

Wilhemina hummed and nodded, taking another bite of the food, smiling again as the flavor his her tongue. It really was very good. The two of you made friendly conversation, as you always did, and you both felt much more comfortable in this private environment, no risk of people overhearing your conversation/ Which meant that Wilhemina felt much more comfortable to be open and easy with you, actually producing quite a few smiles, and even a few quiet chuckles and some remarks you made. Those were your favorite, and you made sure to actually let her know that. “You really should smile more, Wilhemina. You’re very pretty when you do. Not that you’re not always pretty, but I mean it just looks nice when--you know what I’m gonna stop before I embarrass myself.”

Again Wilhemina chuckled and shook her head at your antics and rambling, thanking you quietly for the compliments and saying that she might try. Eventually you finished eating, and swiftly stood to take her plate, but she batted you away and muttered something about doing the dishes because you prepared the food. But you, being stubborn, whined “But you’re my guest, you shouldn’t have to--” “Shush.” You were silenced by the woman’s finger on your lips for a moment, brushing past you and grasping your plate in her hands, leaving you speechless and frozen. You;d never really made all that much contact with the woman, just fleeting touches when transferring books, or brushes of shoulders.

Quickly, you snapped yourself out of it and rushed into the kitchen again and huffed when you saw that Wilhemina was already halfway done, so you resorted to putting away the leftover food, since you apparently had made more than you thought. It didn’t take you long, so by the time you were finished so was Wilhemina, and you turned to her with a lazy smile as you said “Would you like to sit down for a while?” Wilhemina seemed to contemplate for a moment, but it didn’t take her long to nod and follow you back out and into your living space. You settled a few feet away from her on the couch, fiddling a bit with your fingers and biting your lip as you struggled to find the right words to say what you needed to say.

Eventually you muttered “Can I...tell you something?” And Wilhemina hummed in the affirmative, so you, quite nervously and not looking at her directly, though your body was turned towards hers, mumbled “I think....” again you cleared your throat, nerves getting extraordinarily high. “I-I think that I like you. Very much.” Your voice was quiet, barely above a whisper, and you still refused to look at the woman in front of you, too scared about what you’d see if you did. And the silence that extended felt like an eternity, and you were about to correct yourself and apologize, desiring nothing more than to move past your statement and pretend you’d never even uttered it in the first place.

But before you could, you heard a shuffling and suddenly felt fingers on your chin, tilting it up carefully to face the owner of said fingers. Wilhemina looked at you with a strangely soft look in her eyes, face soft and lacking any of it’s typical sternness. You bit your lip, waiting for her ultimate rejection, but instead of pushing you away or at least letting you down softly, you felt something press against your lips, which you quickly realized were none other than Wilhemina’s own lips. You froze, tensing up significantly. A moment passed, probably only a split second in real time, but it felt like an absolute lifetime where you stayed frozen, not moving at all.

Finally though, you responded, eyes fluttering closed and body involuntarily moving closer to Wilhemina’s until you could place your hands on her shoulders, pressing back into her lips, which were moving against yours smoothly and fluidly, the kiss slow and gentle, not rushed at all. It was amazing and new and wonderful and perfect and so many other feelings that you couldn’t even describe. But it didn’t matter, because in that moment everything else faded into the background, the only thing mattering being Wilhemina. Nothing else.

When the two of you finally parted, you stayed close to each other, your hands still on her shoulders and one of hers on your own shoulder, the other your leg. Wilhemina was the first to speak; “I think I like you too, very much.” And you giggled, keeping your eyes closed, partially for fear that if you opened them it would all be a dream and you’d wake up in your bed alone, but also because you just wanted to stay like this, the warmth of the other woman against you and her presence overtaking your senses.

And you did stay like that, even though you eventually found yourself on Wilhemina’s lap, arms curled around her neck with her hands gripping your hips in an almost possessive manner, which made butterflies erupt in your chest. You weren’t sure how much time passed, because it didn’t matter, but Wilhemina did need to get home, so you reluctantly got off of her and allowed her to stand, placing one last gentle kiss to your lips before letting you walk her out, waving goodbye and watching her form retreating until you could no longer see it. And when you did finally close your door, you pressed your back up against it, grinning and brushing your fingers over your lips, still feeling the warmth of hers against them, and you knew it would be alright.