#vanella

Ella couldn't complain, really. Yes she had left the buzzing city to move back into a sleepy town she thought she was not going back to but there was something comforting about knowing everyone that lived in her street, getting to see her childhood friend Kitty every other day when she was done giving singing lessons at the local school and nodding good morning to Charity, the florist from down the street, as she too got into work early in the morning so she could prepare the bakery for opening hours.

She had moved out of town to go to uni and then to France for what was supposed to be a short pastry course and ended up turning into moving there for three years till her mother got sick and now... Well, now she's rather comfortable, really. Even if her mother is no longer there anymore nor is there anything tying her down to the small town she grew up in, she does not miss the pollution or the traffic from living in a busy city, or constantly translating things in her brain from living abroad and she loves baking. It was a simple life, maybe not a particularly important life, but it was hers and she was rather content with it, specially on Wednesdays.

Wednesdays were when she got to see Vanity after she was done with her lessons. They had made fast friends, her and Vanity. She had originally come there as a favour for Kitty, to help with choreography for one of the school recitals she was putting together, originally just coming in for the weekends to help, have a bit of fun catching up afterwards and then get back on the next train back to London, and now she had her own dance studio filled with all the local children in town, not particularly far from where Ella had set shop herself.

Vanity would come in at closing hour every Wednesday, Ella would get her pain au chocolate and they'd chat as Ella made sure everything was ready for the next day before going to Vanity's for dinner. It started because Ella herself invited Vanity to come over for dinner once, when the holidays were coming and she was missing a family trip for work since the trip date that worked for the rest of her family didn't align with her schedule. Kitty couldn't make it because she was busy preparing the local choir so it was just the two of them, they'd made dirty rice and put on an episode of Little Miss Jocelyn and stayed up far longer than Ella usually did (or indeed should) but it was sleep lost for a worthy cause in Ella's opinion.

She heard the bell ring and automatically smiled.

"Hey you" Vanity greeted, she looked warm and cozy and gorgeous as usual in the most eye-catching orange coat Ella had ever seen, beautiful braids down to her hips.

"Hi" she said as she got a paper bag ready with pastries in it "How was your day?"

They chatted for a bit as Ella tidied up and Vanity snacked (carefully, making sure she was not making Ella clean again).

Most people just listened politely when Ella would talk about cooking or clients but Vanity would actually look engaged and ask questions and have answers of her own when Ella didn't.

"How do you manage?" Vanity asks.

"Mmh? Manage what?"

"These" she says pointing to the pastry in her hand "they taste so fresh, even if you're about to close the shop, didn't you say you make them first thing in the morning"

Ella can feel the tips of her ears going red.

"I'm glad you like them. I'm about done here, do we need to go to the shop to get anything for dinner?"

"No, we're all set I believe"

Most dancers Ella had met before Vanity were concerned mostly with how to get done with meals as fast as they could than with actually enjoying said meals, food was a means to an end and the end was being strong enough so they did not faint after all the constant exercise but Vanity was the exception to prove the rule for Ella. She did not shy away from the catering Ella put together that first recital she helped choreograph with Kitty, she would make the most emphatic sounds when eating something she truly loved (yes Ella might have blushed, shush) and she laughed with her entire body if she thought something was funny. In retrospect, Ella had no chance to ever meeting Vanity and not fall a tiny bit in love with her.

Kitty had known the second Ella realized she had a thing for Vanity but was good enough to just rib her about it when Vanity was not around. So maybe she had a bit of a crush on her. Who wouldn't. Vanity was beautiful and funny and she was marvelous to the kids she taught, she would say things like I saw this the other day and thought of you and she made Ella feel like she was not a bore. Kitty had hit her on the shoulder, said she had plenty of friends to confirm that she was nothing of the sort but that is not the important part, was it. The important part was that wether she was or not, Vanity made her feel like she was indeed not boring her and that didn't happen very often.

Not that it mattered, since she was not going to tell Vanity.

She truly couldn't complain. She knew everyone in her street by name, nodded good morning to the florist down the street, got to see her best friend every other day, she had her own business and did well enough to live off doing what she loved to do and she was good enough friends with Vanity to have dinner evenings with her midweek. It was truly enough for Ella. Of course she'd like— well. To do other things with her, of course, but the dinners and the easy friendship and the laughs and the conversation. She doesn't think she could do without those now that she was used to them and she was not willing to jeopardize them for the sake of a what if. It was not cowardly so much as it was practical, in her opinion.

"Are you helping Kitty with the recital this year?"

"Yes but I'm just going to help the older kids so they teach the choreography to the younger ones. Can't be around for opening night"

"Oh?"

"I have a cool aunt reputation to defend back in South London"

"Oh you'll be with your sister this year then"

Ella should not be disappointed. Of course she was happy for Vanity getting to see her family. Ella herself was probably going to spend the entire month of December busy till right before Christmas trying to meet deadlines. She usually spent the actual holiday with Kitty and her family, they were as good as her own even before her mother got sick anyway and since Vanity had moved she too had been taken in by Kitty's all welcoming grandma on occasion.

"The kids are so excited, specially the older ones, they feel so grown up because they get to teach" she chatted as she moved around the kitchen, this time Ella got to sit down by the isle and watch, just passing things from the spice rack for Vanity as she cooked.

Vanity was busy watching the plantains in a pan when her phone started to ring.

"I'll get it" Ella said. She got Vanity's phone from the living room and saw the ID of the call. It was Vanity's sister.

"Would you put her on speaker, please?" Vanity asked. Ella nodded as she pressed the answer button to connect the call.

"Hello" Ella greeted.

"Van?" the voice at the other end asked.

"I'm cooking!" Vanity said, loud enough to be heard at the distance Ella was holding up the phone "What is it, babes? You're on speaker" she warned her.

"Oh are you with that girl you wanted to impress?"

There was a loud clanking sound from where Vanity hit the pan too loudly with the spatula she was using as she turned around to the phone.

"I'm not trying to impress anyone!"

"Yeah right, so what? Are you trying to poison the poor girl? You can't tell me you finally figuring out how to cook has nothing to do with—"

"Hanging up!"

"Oh, fine! I reckon if you were trying to poison her you would not be actually trying to figure out how to cook"

"Bye-bye, sis!"

"No, don't! I did call you for a reason, promise"

Vanity rolled her eyes and turned back to the stove.

"What is it then"

They talked for a bit longer while the blood turning Ella's ears red started to make her dizzy, she vaguely heard them say something about sleeping arrangements for the holidays and about how Vanity's niece was doing in school and things they should do when Vanity arrived. By the time Vanity's sister hanged up, the food was plated and the careful dam Ella had built to contain her feelings was threatening to break.

"You alright?" Vanity asked as she puts a plate in front of her.

"Yes, of course" Ella answered on instinct. She stopped looking at the bit of wall she has been staring at and turns to Vanity "It's just" she bit her lip "Is it true?"

Vanity sat down besides her on the isle.

"It's what true?"

"What your sister said. About—" Ella gulped, looking down for a second before staring at Vanity's eyes "About learning how to cook t-to impress me"

Vanity gave her a contemplating look and stayed silent long enough for Ella to regret asking.

"I mean—" she started, went silent once again, appearing to think her words carefully "I did need how to learn at some point, so not really, but I did start because I liked to hear you talk about it"

Ella furrowed her brow.

"But why?"

"Well... You like it. I like to hear you talk about things you like."

And the dam broke. All the careful things Ella had told herself about being content with just being friends suddenly could not sound any faker and the truth was threatening to spill out of her. Vanity looked down at her food, started to move the chicken around, uncharacteristically shy.

"Listen you don't have to—" Vanity started.

"The pain au chocolate"

"What" she looked up from her plate and back at Ella's face. Ella's ears are numb, she must have been blushing awful bad.

"You were right. They were fresh. I-I made them for you" and she couldn't shut up, her vision going a bit fuzzy "I always do, every Wednesday. I set aside enough time to make a second batch because i know you will be coming."

"Oh" Vanity sounds choked up.

"Yes... Oh"

Ella looked down at her lap, slumped shoulders and trembling hands. She had done it. She'd said it and potentially ruined their friendship and Vanity probably didn't want her around anymore. Maybe it was lucky December was around the corner. She'd be too busy trying to meet deadlines to think about it and she would not—

"Ella?" Vanity asked. Ella's eyes were damp and couldn't focus but she could tell her friend had gotten up from her seat and was now standing very close. A careful hand cupped her face and Ella forgot how to breathe. Vanity, ever so slowly, brushed her lips to Ella's. It was gentle and sweet and when Vanity started to pull away, Ella followed her, an embarrassing sound spilling out of her, something suspiciously close to a whine.

Ella's hands clumped Vanity's jumper, forehead pressed to her neck. They stayed like that for a minute, clinging to each other as Vanity's hand gently brushed her cheek and hair and the other one held her by the small of her back.

"I have an idea" Vanity murmured, Ella could feel her breath brush her temple "let's finish up dinner, I'll make us some tea and then we can move to the living room and talk" she pressed another kiss to her brow "Is that alright?"