How quickly can you fall into love?
“Tell me again why you’re making me do this, Sutton” Adena asked in hesitation as the two girls rummaged through their purses and pulled out their IDs. Sutton slid both of the cards through the slight opening under the glass window. The security officer glanced a little extra hard at the picture of the brown eyed woman in a hijab and back up at Adena who was sitting in the passenger seat of Sutton’s truck. In return, Adena gave him a wide smile and tilted her head as if she was questioning his sudden precautionary measures. He handed them back to Sutton reluctantly as she turned her head to face Adena and giggled, “He was probably wondering which news channel he remembered you from” Adena shook her head and let out a soft laugh at this.
“And because” Sutton pauses to think, “Kat is one of my best friends and she’s having a really hard time with this sexual awakening of hers. Adena-I just thought that with everything you’ve been through and you know- where you are now, that you’d be able to understand her more than I would.” Sutton says with a pleading tone in her voice, she glances over at Adena who agrees, “Okay fine- but you know I’m not one for serious relationships.”
Adena mumbles underneath her breath as if she was trying to subtly remind Sutton of a time when her heart was broken and she had given up on the idea of possibly loving again. “Yes- I know Dee, but Kat is different. And I’m not saying anything has to happen between you guys, I just think that you’ll appreciate each other’s company- that’s all” Sutton remarked as she parked in one of the few open spots left, labeled Reserved for Fashion Department. Adena nodded and pulled down the mirror above her head to apply any finishing touches of makeup. They stepped out of the truck and walked towards the entrance, Sutton pausing briefly a few steps away from the door as she turned to Adena and asked, “Do I look okay, or is this too much cleavage for an office party?” Adena laughed at this because she understood what her friend really meant, does this dress make me look hot enough to get laid tonight? “Sutton, I’m gay- there couldn’t possibly be enough cleavage and quite frankly, I think the term too much cleavage is a little sexist, flaunt what you got babe” Sutton smiled at this very Adena comment.
As soon as they walked into the Scarlet building, Sutton’s face beamed at the familiar faces walking towards her and Adena, “My girls!!!” she pulled them into a tight hug and finally released when she realized that Adena was still lingering in the back. “Hey, Adena, these are my friends- Kat and Jane, guys-” Sutton says eagerly, “This is Adena!” Adena nods as if in she was confirming her identity, and then she lets out a soft laugh, “Please forget about everything Brady has ever told you about me, but it’s so very nice to finally meet you two.” Adena says. Kat’s eyes sparkle at the sight of the beautiful photographer who Sutton was setting her up with. Kat wasn’t one to be at a loss for words, but right now, in this very moment, she was just admiring the way that red dress fit Adena’s body so perfectly, and her curves? Illegal. Jane replies to Adena with, “Well one thing she was for sure right about is that you are beaut-”
Adena giggles and thanks Jane before Kat interrupts and adds, “We should meet up with Alex and Ryan before they think we ditched them” Kat wouldn’t admit it but after seeing Adena, she was secretly grateful that Sutton had managed to arrange this set up and just wanted to rush this conversation with all of her friends and fast forward to spending the rest of her night chatting it up with Adena.
The girls agree in unison as they all walk into the elevator, Sutton aggressively pressing the button that would take them up to the roof.
Kat found her arm brushing up against Adena and her cheeks flushed when Adena glanced over to Kat and whispered in her ear, “There’s gonna be a lot more where that came from”
Kat couldn’t help but let out a laugh and respond with, “Well I sure hope so.”
The elevator door slid open and the girls all rushed out in an attempt to find the rest of their friends, Adena seemed to pause right then and there to admire the cloudless night sky and how the city’s street lights were shimmering in such an utterly beautiful way that she had almost convinced herself to run down to Sutton’s truck and grab her polaroid camera just to capture this breathtaking moment.
Sutton had caught up with Alex and the rest of the group, when she frantically turned around and realized that she had lost sight of Adena, Kat on the other hand had her eyes planted on the woman in the red dress and reassured Sutton that she will make sure to show her a good time. Sutton winked at Kat and screamed “You’re welcome!” as Kat ran back towards the elevator.
“Hey, are you okay?” Kat pulls Adena out of her own thoughts and Adena smiles and turns to face the curly haired woman and replies with, “Yes I- just appreciate beauty when I see it” A moment of silence for Kat’s heart which has now dropped and is doing backflips in her stomach.
Adena laughs at how affected Kat is by her words and for the slightest moment, she forgets about all of the concerns she had shared with Sutton in the car. The two start walking around the rooftop when Kat breaks the silence and asks, “So.. do you want to grab a drink? There’s an open bar” Adena squints her eyes in an attempt to understand the woman standing in front of her, “Oh you don’t drink, I have Muslim friends, I promise I’m not always this awkward” Kat says in hopes of making up for the previous inquiry. What was she thinking asking a Muslim to drink? In all fairness, Adena made everyone around her nervous and she knew it. “I make you nervous, don’t I?” Adena teases. “Like you wouldn’t believe” Kat lets out a breath that she forgot she was holding in.
“Do you- want to find somewhere quiet where we can just sit and talk? I’m less intimidating once you get to know me.” Adena suggests and Kat quickly accepts, leading them both to the elevator and back down to Kat’s office where she felt most comfortable. Her safe space.
“So..” Kat says as her and Adena find comfort sitting on the couch, “How do you and Sutton know each other?”
Adena thinks for a while trying to collect together bits and pieces of her memory of that night. “Well, it was one of my first nights in New York city and I had felt lost, moving away from home at a young age was a big change that I wasn’t as prepared for as I thought. I ran into Sutton at a coffee shop back in Greenwich and I guess she- realized that I might need a friend. She pulled up a chair and we just started talking.” Adena smiles because that was the moment when she realized that everything was going to be okay. “That’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard” Kat said feeling a tear roll down her cheek. She quickly reached and wiped it hoping Adena didn’t just witness that vulnerable split second.
“How old were you- when you moved out here? Where did you live before, I mean?” Kat found herself suddenly intrigued by Adena.
“I was seventeen when I left home-”
Kat’s eyebrows raise a little and her eyes are focused on Adena and Adena only, intently waiting to hear more. “And it’s not like I moved down the block or anything, I just- decided to up and leave the country.”
Kat hears the slight regret in Adena’s voice, “Iran will always be my home but what else can you do when your government is oppressive, I had to leave if I’m being honest. I wasn’t about to hide my sexuality from anyone.” Adena says. She lifts her head and looks at Kat, at this point Kat’s eyes were welled up with tears and impossible to hide. She didn’t even mind that Adena saw her like this, Adena paused and batted her eyes, “We’ve been talking for two minutes and I already broke you??Sutton is going to kill me” Kat laughs at this and reaches behind her for a napkin, “You’re right you ruined my mascara” Kat laughed and Adena rolled her eyes. “No but I think I understand what you’re saying” Kat confesses. “I would never have the courage to move across the world, but if it was the only way for me to be true to who I am, then I will do whatever it takes.” Adena rests the back of her hand on Kat’s cheek and wipes another tear gently with her thumb. Kat almost melts at the touch of Adena. But she manages to pull herself together just enough to ask another question. “So you’re seventeen and you realize that you want to come to New York, did you have a plan? Or was it just out of impulse?” Adena thinks for a little while and then admits, “Well, America had always been a dream, but I had wanted to travel for a while before I settled down anywhere. I spent a few months in Europe and another in Asia and just drowned myself in different cultures” Adena didn’t know why she was telling Kat this much personal information but she continued when she realized that Kat was genuinely interested, “it was all part of my self discovery journey, that’s actually how I came to appreciate the power of portrait photography. And then I moved to New York- and here we are.” Kat found comfort in Adena’s voice and she swears she could fall asleep listening to it, she noticed the little accent and pronunciation of certain letters which Kat absolutely adored. “You- just keep getting more and more badass don’t you?” Kat says still wrapping her head around how amazing Adena is. “Tell me about you, what was your childhood like?”
Adena pleaded in an effort to take some of the attention away from herself. “Well” Kat gathers together words to form a sentence. “I never really had any wild experience, I grew up with shrink parents so they psycho analyzed every move I made. Everything was civil, so moving to New York gave me a chance to be on my own.” Kat confessed with a sigh, “I guess I came just in time” Adena hints. Kat pauses for a moment and thinks about that remark, maybe Adena was right. This was Kat’s chance at just being herself and not having to live up to anyone’s expectations. It’s unsettling how safe Kat feels around Adena, she finds herself leaning in closer to the woman and just as their lips are about to meet, drunk Sutton and Jane barge in, completely interrupting Kat and Adena’s special moment. “There you two are!” Sutton laughs in relief as she looks over to Jane who was giving her an I told you so look. “We were just about to come and find you,” Adena says in an attempt to break the ice. “Yeah” Kat agrees and then furrows her eyebrows in concern, “Are you two drunk?”
“Not enough” Jane admits and Sutton grabs the bottle from her hands and remarks, “You’ve had enough for tonight, tiny Jane.”
“I agree, I should- uh take you two home.” Kat turns to Adena and gives her a look that was enough for Adena to understand. Sutton and Jane are already halfway out the door when Kat and Adena begin to follow. Kat quickly reaches for Adena’s phone and types her contact information into it before rushing out after her friends. Turning back to Adena, “I’ll be expecting a call tonight-or else” Kat winks. Adena follows through shortly after getting back home, she called Kat and they spent hours finishing up the conversation that was cut off too soon.
You guys, this is my first time ever writing fan-fiction, please be nice :) and feel free to send me prompts!
snowghoul
discoholicmusic
origamiaround
areudirty
theartofmadeline
