Popcorn Love

Hazy eyes fluttered slowly open and began to focus. Elena chuckled low in her throat, the sound muffled and raw from sleep, as she came face to face with her son. He lay in her bed, curled up in a ball beside her with his face so close to her that they were nearly touching. His eyes blew wide the moment his gaze locked with hers, and Lucas burst into a wild fit of giggles, clutching his belly. “Hi Momma!”

“Good morning munchkin.” She reached out and palmed his cheek.

“Time to get up!” Lucas leaned into his mother’s touch. “Time to go to Gram’s!”

Confused, Elena glanced at the clock on her bedside table. It was barely after seven, which was late for a work day. She started to jolt out of bed before remembering.

“It’s Sunday, baby,” she said. “Momma doesn’t work on Sunday, remember?”

Lucas’s eyes widened. “Just me and you?”

The sight of his smile made her heart swell. She hoped her son would always show such enthusiasm about spending entire days with her. Lucas adored his grandparents and the time he spent with them each weekday, but he was a Momma’s boy through and through. Elena was his “most favoritest person” in the world and that was why the weekends, Sundays in particular, were his favorite days.

“Just you and me,” Elena whispered, tapping her index finger on the tip of Lucas’s nose.

He clapped his hands happily. “Where we going, Momma?”

Elena rolled onto her back and stretched her limbs, groaning as she did so, then laughing when Lucas began to imitate her. He scooted down on the mattress and threw his arms over his head, then groaned and grunted as he twisted about, opening his mouth wide in a fake yawn and scrunching his eyes closed.

His mocking sounds quickly turned into shrieks, though, when Elena suddenly turned and pounced on him, her fingers finding home just under his arms. She tickled his sides while he squealed and tried to wriggle away from her. She let up after only a moment so as to avoid any accidents on her bed and planted a loud, smacking kiss on his forehead before slipping out of bed and pulling her robe on over her night gown.

“Where would you like to go today?” She motioned for him to vacate the bed so she could make it up and he crawled across the top of the bed, latching onto Elena’s hands, so that she could help him slide down. “I wanna see the dinosaur bones!”

“Of course you do,” Elena said.

“Can we?”

“Of course we can.” She reached down to stroke the back of his head before moving around to the other side of the bed to adjust the sheets and blankets. “We will go after breakfast, okay?”

“Okay!” Pumping his fist into the air, he took off in a wobbly sprint down the hallway and toward the kitchen.

Elena ran a hand through her hair as she followed her son through the house.

* * *

The sudden, surprising blare of her phone nearly caused Elena to bump her head against the door frame as she strapped Lucas into his car seat. Once she got everything buckled, she pulled her phone from her purse and rolled her eyes as she saw Vivian’s face light up the screen.

“Hello darling!” Vivian’s voice echoed through the line as soon as Elena accepted the call. “How was your incredibly sexy date last night?”

“Incredibly disappointing,” Elena said. “In fact, he was so disappointing that I have determined to despise you for a minimum of one week.”

“Wow, a whole week?” Vivian gasped. “What did he do? Proposition you for sex before dinner?”

Elena slipped into the driver’s seat and buckled her belt. “Make it two weeks,” she huffed.

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I thought he was sexy.” Vivian chuckled. “What went wrong?”

“He was decently attractive,” Elena admitted. “Until he opened his mouth.”

“Are you sure you weren’t looking for reasons not to like him?”

“Please. Give me a bit of credit, Viv. The man attempted to order for me and then suggested that my disinterest in him doing so was due to the vast lack of pampering in my life.”

Vivian snorted into the phone. “Wow. That is just sad.”

“Where did you even find him?” Elena asked.

“Where else?” Vivian asked. “Work. He is a friend of my assistant. She suggested him.”

“Fire her,” Elena joked.

“Momma! We’re not moving!”

Elena glanced in the rearview mirror to see her son squirming in his seat. “I know, munchkin,” she said. “Just one more minute.”

“Vivian.” She turned her attention back to her phone conversation. “I will have to call you back. I’ve just gotten Lucas in the car, and we are headed to the museum.”

“Which one?” Vivian asked. “I have no plans for today. I could meet you there.”

“The American Museum of Natural History.” Elena started the car.

“I take it Lucas wants to see the dinosaurs again?”

“Of course,” Elena said. “Call me when you arrive, and Lucas and I will meet you.”

Elena glanced in her rearview mirror to find Lucas looking right back at her. His eyes were narrowed, and Elena couldn’t help but let out a loud bark of laughter.

“Okay, okay, we’re going,” she told him, and his expression morphed into a smile.

* * *

Allison spread the small blanket out atop the grass, plopped down on top of it and pulled out her current reading material from her backpack—Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk. She had always enjoyed his minimalistic writing style, and Allison had nothing but love for any author who didn’t shy away from the ugly details and horrors of life.

Sticking her backpack under her head to use it as a pillow, she lay back and sucked in a deep breath, letting the smell of the Central Park breeze tickle in her nose. It was nice to get out of the dorms from time to time.

It was a gorgeous Sunday morning, and Allison wiggled around until she was comfortable, thinking about the night before. Elena Vega was like a puzzle—complex and intriguing. She was far from the typical rich girl who cherished money and material things above all else, and Allison wondered what more she might learn of the woman as she began to put all of the pieces together—if she was able to spend more time with her.

Tucking her bookmark into the back cover of her book, Allison began to read. She only managed a few pages, however, before she was suddenly and unexpectedly tackled. She yelped as a small body barreled into her, and Allison struggled for a moment to get away before recognizing her tiny attacker.

“Lucas?” she managed to choke out despite the boy having knocked the wind out of her. He giggled and nodded as a shadow cast over them both. Allison raised a hand to shield her eyes as she looked up to see the glowing form of Elena Vega.

Allison felt a gentle stirring in her stomach as she looked up at Elena and watched a bright smile spread across the woman’s face.

“I’m terribly sorry, Ms—Allison,” Elena said. “He saw you and took off before I could stop him.”

Allison pushed herself into a sitting position with Lucas in her lap and patted his back. “No, it’s totally cool.”

“Hey little man. I missed you,” she said, tickling Lucas’s belly. She then looked up at Elena and softly added, “Hi.”

“Good morning, dear. Quite the coincidence running into you today.”

“Wanna see dinosaurs?” Lucas squeaked as if he had just had the most brilliant idea of his young life.

“Uh….” Allison didn’t have a clue what Lucas was talking about.

“I am taking him to the museum,” Elena said. “He loves the fossil exhibits.”

“Oh right. Gotcha. I like that place too.”

“Come see!” Lucas pleaded as he bounced on her thigh and squeezed her hand.

“Oh, Lucas,” Elena said. “I’m sure Allison is rather busy with her own Sunday plans.”

“Nah, I’m good actually.” Allison bounced her knee with Lucas atop it. “I’d love to see the dinosaurs with you guys. I mean, unless you don’t want me to come, which is totally cool. I wouldn’t take offense or anything. I can understand wanting to spend time with your kid, just the two of you.”

Lucas had apparently chosen to hear only the beginning of her answer, because he yelled his excitement, jumped to his feet, and tugged on Allison’s arm before she ever finished speaking.

“No, it’s fine,” Elena said. “Vivian is meeting us there anyway.”

“Oh, well okay.” The blanket and book were quickly shoved back into Allison’s backpack. “Let’s go then.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind, Allison?” Elena placed a hand on Allison’s arm to hold her back. “I noticed you were reading. I would hate to interrupt your day simply because my son is overeager. You are more than welcome to decline his demanding invitation.”

Nudging Elena’s shoulder, she shook her head. “It’s fine, really. I’d take you guys over books any day, and hey, that is seriously saying something. I love books.”

A faint hint of pink painted Elena’s cheeks as she nodded. “Very well.”

Lucas hopped up and down beside them. “You have to hold hands!” he shouted.

Without really thinking about it, Allison slipped her hand into Elena’s, only to see Lucas’s face immediately scrunch in confusion. Elena cleared her throat, the pink tint of her cheeks now a deep crimson. She laughed as Lucas loudly explained, “No, Alson, you have to hold hands WITH ME!”

“Oh, uh, right.” Allison released Elena’s hand and swiped her own through her hair. “Um, yeah, because that makes so much more sense. Duh, Allison.”

Lucas squished himself between the two women. One of his tiny hands slipped into one of Elena’s and the other into one of Allison’s, and they walked together like that all the way to the museum.

* * *

Elena met Vivian at the main entrance of the museum while Allison and Lucas remained with the fossil exhibits.

“Where’s Lucas?”

“Well, hello to you, too.” Elena pecked her on the cheek. “He’s with Allison.” They linked arms and made their way inside.

Blonde brows knitted together. “Who the hell is Allison?”

“That would be the young woman that you found to be my babysitter for Lucas.”

“Oh!” Vivian clucked her tongue and nodded. “Right. I remember now. Wait, you’re paying your babysitter to go to the museum with you? Babe, that’s just sad.”

A manicured hand swatted her arm. “No, of course not. She was reading in the park, and Lucas saw her and invited her along. I think he may idolize her a bit. He went on and on about her during breakfast and in the car.”

“So you like her?”

“What?” Elena asked. “What do you mean?”

“I mean exactly what I asked. Do you like her? As a babysitter? What else would I have meant?”

“Oh!” Elena nodded. “Oh, yes. Yes, she is a wonderful babysitter. You know how shy Lucas can be, but he took right to her.”

“See? I am good at picking people.”

“For babysitting, perhaps. You should apply that skill to your choices in dates. I would rather not end up with another Brice.”

“Hey!” Vivian nudged Elena’s side with her elbow. “Give me a chance. You have only gone on one date, and the guy had excellent potential. How was I supposed to know he was a jerk?”

“Douche.”

Vivian cackled. “Come again?”

“Allison called him a douche.” Elena shot her a wry grin.

“College kids.”

“You do realize that we are only five years older than her, yes?” Elena bumped her side. “You forget that it hasn’t been long since you and I were those college kids.”

A wistful sigh escaped Vivian’s lips. “Yeah, those were the days. Though, even in college, you never would have used the word ‘douche’.”

Elena squeezed her friend’s arm and pointed across the room where a woman with long blonde hair and her back to them stood in front of a massive dinosaur skeleton. Lucas was tucked against her side as she held him and pointed up at the bones.

Scanning over Allison’s body, Vivian raised a brow at the ribbed tee, skin-tight jeans, and scuffed black boots. “Christ,” she muttered. “That’s the babysitter I chose?”

“You didn’t meet her?” Elena asked, surprised.

“No, I put an ad on Craigslist and she called me. I only spoke to her on the phone but she sounded sweet.”

“She is.”

“Yeah, and she apparently does Pilates all day long every day,” Vivian said, her tone envious. “Look at her legs.”

Elena nodded as they both stared at the babysitter. “She is quite in shape. You should see her stomach.”

Without another word, Elena took off toward Allison and Lucas, leaving Vivian to stare. “Wait, what?” she said. “When did you see her sto—Elena!”

* * *

“Momma, look!” Lucas pointed up at the massive dinosaur skeleton, his eyes wide even though he had seen each and every dinosaur in this museum multiple times.

With Lucas still bouncing on her hip, Allison whirled around and saw Elena standing there with another woman beside her. Elena cooed at Lucas: “I see, baby. Which dinosaur is that?”

“That’s Rex,” Lucas told her before stuffing his fingers in his mouth and sucking on them while he continued to stare up at the skeleton.

Both Elena and Allison chuckled before Elena motioned toward the other woman. “Allison, this is my friend, Vivian Warren, the one you spoke to about the babysitting position.”

Allison’s gaze shot to the blonde at Elena’s side. “Oh right, yeah.” Smiling, she stuck out her free hand to shake Vivian’s, while her other arm remained firmly tucked under Lucas’s bottom. “Nice to finally meet you in person, Vivian.”

Vivian slipped her hand into Allison’s and shook it gently. “You as well, Allison. I see you and Lucas have become fast friends.”

“Oh yeah.” Allison nodded. “We’re besties.”

Vivian reached out to pat Lucas’s arm. “Hey buddy.”

His head never turned but his small hand pointed up again as he said, “Aunt Viv, look!”

“I know!” Vivian feigned excitement. She then turned her attention back to Allison. “So, how is college life treating you? You’re at NYU, correct?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool,” Allison said. “Got a bed and food and a bunch of people obligated to carry on conversations in class with me, so it’s all good.”

The three women laughed together before Vivian asked, “What is your major?”

“Social work.” Lucas tugged her to the side when he dove toward his mother, who caught him and transferred him from Allison’s hip to her own. He pointed to the places he wanted to go, and Elena carried him accordingly, leaving Allison and Vivian to follow.

“Fascinating,” Vivian said. “Now, let’s get to the good stuff, shall we?”

“Sorry?” Allison asked. “What good stuff?”

“Elena’s date.”

“Oh that. She wasn’t too hard on you, was she?”

“Should she have been?” Blue eyes narrowed. “Or was she merely exaggerating?”

“I can hear you, dear,” Elena sing-songed from a few feet in front of the two of them.

“Congratulations, babe. Your ears are functioning.”

It was obvious the two women had been friends for a long time.

Allison shoved her hands into the rigid pockets of her tight jeans. “Uh, she only talked about it a little bit before I left, but yeah, the guy sounded like bad news.”

“Thank you, Allison.”

Vivian rolled her eyes at Elena’s words and ignored the glare shot her way when she said, “You know, Allison, if she’s not paying you to be here today, then you don’t have to have her back. You can tell me the truth.”

“No, it really did sound like a bad date,” Allison said. “You can do way better.”

“You hear that, Elena? She doesn’t even know me, and yet she already has faith in my skills.”

“Perhaps that is because she doesn’t yet know you, Vivian.”

“Ah, my best friend.” Vivian winked at Allison. “Her sweetness abounds.”

“Alson!”

Allison was still laughing as she stepped up to Elena’s side. “What’s up bud?” she asked Lucas as she elbowed Elena’s side with a conspiratorial nudge.

“Look!”

“Whoa!” Allison gasped, making a good show of looking up at the skeleton. “Which one is that?”

“Aptosaurs.”

Elena leaned closer to Allison and whispered, “Apatosaurus.”

“Ah, okay. He’s a big one, isn’t he, Lucas?”

Lucas nodded as he continued to suck on his fingers and stare up at the skeleton.

“All right,” Elena said, patting Lucas’s thigh. “Let’s move on. We have a lot of bones to see, and I imagine someone will be hungry soon.” She headed toward the next exhibit, Lucas’s hand already pointing up, while Allison and Vivian trailed along behind her.

* * *

Vivian tapped her nails against the kitchen counter as she waited for her coffee to brew. Her phone was pressed between her ear and her shoulder, and it was taking Elena nearly as long to answer as it was taking Vivian’s coffee pot to fill.

“Hello Vivian.” Elena’s voice greeted her after the fourth ring. “I was just finishing up dinner.”

“So am I,” Vivian said. “I’m having coffee.”

Elena snorted. “I know you’ve already eaten. You rarely make it to five o’clock without whining about your growling stomach.”

“True. I had sushi. So, today was fun.”

“It was.”

“Allison seems great.” Vivian was curious as to how Elena would respond. She had noticed how at ease Elena had seemed to be with Allison at the museum, and it had surprised her. Elena had always been rather closed off with strangers, especially where Lucas was concerned. She had perfect manners and could acclimate quickly to different social situations, but she preferred her own circle of people. That much had always been clear to Vivian.

“She is,” Elena said.

“You seemed really comfortable with her.”

“I suppose so, yes,” Elena said. “Why do you mention it?”

“No reason.” Vivian did her best to sound casual. “You just don’t usually warm up to people that fast, and Allison is obviously your complete opposite. I was just surprised.”

There was a long pause before Elena spoke again. “She seems to have that effect.”

Vivian nearly snorted. Allison certainly seemed to have some sort of effect, because she and Elena had made their way through that museum like old friends, or perhaps even something more. She had noticed the way Allison almost unconsciously always stepped to the side to allow Elena to pass through each doorway first, and she even placed her hand on Elena’s lower back a few times when they squeezed through a particularly crowded area. Vivian had gaped the first time it happened and Elena didn’t move away from the touch.

“She does,” Vivian said. She reached for her coffee pot as the machine finally wheezed out its last few drops and she poured herself a large amount into a waiting mug. “I’m glad she is working out for you.”

“Me too. Thank you again for finding her even though I suppose she technically found you through Craigslist.”

“Well, it was my ad, so I’m taking credit.” Vivian let out a soft laugh. “All right. I won’t keep you on the phone. I just wanted to kill time while my coffee brewed.”

“Glad to be of service,” Elena said, and Vivian made loud kiss noises against the speaker of her phone.

“Bye, babe.”

The call ended with Vivian sipping at her coffee and contemplating the other two women. There was obviously some chemistry there, though it was equally obvious that both Elena and Allison were entirely oblivious to it. Knowing Elena, it could take ages for the woman to realize it herself. Vivian decided that she would have to intervene to help the process along. She nearly clapped her hands with excitement, but instead held tightly to her coffee cup and took another hot sip.

“Where to begin,” Vivian muttered under breath, a smile quirking at the corners of her mouth.