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Chapter Text

For the first time since she was old enough to go, Alyssa’s mother doesn’t send her to Bible camp to keep her pure and clean the summer before her senior year of high school. In fact, a lot of the endless rules that have always applied to Alyssa Greene loosen in the months following her coming out and junior prom.

Alyssa’s mother is trying . Mrs. Greene isn’t perfect, but she’s trying. Which, Emma reminds Alyssa at least once a day, is something; more than the Nolans did for Emma, at least.

How Emma can even stand to hear about Mrs. Greene after all that the woman put Emma through this past year is beyond Alyssa, but that’s her girlfriend for you. Emma’s huge heart is the reason why Alyssa fell for her to begin with and Emma’s endless and indiscriminate forgivingness is the whole reason they’re even still together. Emma sees the best in people, lucky for Alyssa, and especially for her mother. 

And for Kaylee and Shelby and Nick and Kevin. 

They’ve all become shockingly good friends following Trent Oliver’s intervention and the prom itself. Instead of harassing Emma at swim practice, Nick and Kevin now playfully compete with her for the best times. When Kaylee gets an D- on a report for English class the same week Shelby is out with the flu, Emma invites her over and coaches her through the finer highlights of Romeo and Juliet until she’s prepared to draft a B-worthy rewrite. When Shelby and Kevin have a fight that very nearly leads to a breakup, Emma even feels compelled to offer support after Shelby runs into her in tears in the hallway.

And because a trio of cheerleaders and two varsity football players have befriended her, Emma seems to be more widely accepted at school in general. Edgewater is still a small midwestern town with narrow-minded bigots abound but it’s getting better. For Emma, for Alyssa, and maybe for everyone else who might be “different” too. 

_

The last day of junior year falls on a scorching hot mid-June Friday. Kaylee’s parents - Edgewater’s most beloved local physician and the town attorney, respectively - are leaving to spend the weekend at their vacation home on Lake Michigan that night and Kaylee has invited both Alyssa and Emma to join her, Nick, Shelby, and Kevin at Kaylee’s for a “little end-of-the-year bash” with swimming in the family’s massive pool. 

Alyssa can’t wait. 

Emma is more hesitant. 

She’s been to Kaylee’s before, but that was before she came out as gay and was ostracized by the entire school and the community at large. She’s forgiven them but she hasn’t forgotten about the prom they held “just for her”. Putting herself into other people’s social situations still makes her nervous.

Still, when Grandma Bea calls up the stairs that Alyssa is there late Saturday afternoon following the last day of school, Emma jostles down the stairs with her bathing suit already on under her t-shirt and shorts and her crossbody bag of other essentials slung over her neck. When Alyssa smiles at her from where she stands at the foot of the stairs talking to Grandma Bea, her worries lessen. Not disappear, but they don’t feel as heavy with Alyssa present. 

Sometimes it still knocks the wind out of Emma that this girl is truly her girlfriend. Maybe even more so now that Alyssa is out and everyone (or at least everyone important to them) knows what they mean to each other. Strange to think that three months ago, she hadn’t even known she could feel this way. 

“You girls have fun,” Grandma Bea tells them with a wink. “You call me if you need anything okay?” she adds more seriously. 

Emma nods and leans in to kiss her cheek lightly. “I will, thank you. I love you.”

“I love you too,” Grandma Bea returns as she meanders further into her home, leaving the couple alone. 

“Hey,” Alyssa greets her, immediately reaching out for her hands and entwining their fingers. “You ready?”

Emma takes a deep breath. “As ready as I’ll ever be,” she says honestly. 

Alyssa steps in closer until they’re flush against one another. “I’ll be right here the whole time,” she tells her earnestly. “But, trust me, nothing bad is going to happen. I won’t let it.”

---

They take Emma’s old truck across Edgewater to the fancier part of town. Kaylee’s family lives in a mid-century modern house with a fenced in backyard and two poplar trees out front to break up the manicured front lawn. Nick’s new Chevy Silverado 1500 is already parked next to Shelby’s blue Camry in the drive and Emma wonders idly if Kevin has yet to arrive or if he rode with his girlfriend or maybe Nick.

She takes her hand out of Alyssa’s hold to shift into park and cut the engine, before jumping out and running around to the other side of the vehicle. She doesn’t open Alyssa’s door to be chivalrous so much as because she likes to and she can and she enjoys the blushing smile it always brings to Alyssa’s lips. Alyssa recaptures her fingers as they walk up the flagstone path to the front porch together. 

Nick opens the door before they even make it to knocking. He has on his trademark cocky smirk that used to annoy the hell out of Emma but doesn’t anymore, a pair of gradient royal blue swim trunks and a striped tank top. He looks chill and relaxed and at-home in his girlfriend’s house and Emma wonders vaguely what that must feel like. 

“Hey, ladies,” he greets them, opening the door wider for them to step through. “We’re all out back. Go ahead through.”

Even though she technically remembers enough to know her way through Kaylee’s house, Emma lets Alyssa take the lead. Her girlfriend doesn’t drop her hand and instead uses it to pull Emma through the sleek home naturally. If Nick has any opinion or feelings about it, he doesn’t show it as he follows them too. It feels… amazing . Emma doesn’t quite have adequate words for it. 

When they make it to the backyard, everyone is there. Kevin is manning the grill; he too is in a pair of swim trunks - bright orange for him - and a gray muscle tank under an apron that reads “Nice Rack” with an outline of barbecue ribs on the front. Kaylee and Shelby are reclining on two outdoor chaise loungers, both in bikinis and large pairs of sunglasses. Their faces brighten at the sight of Emma and Alyssa. 

“There you two are!” Kaylee calls. “We thought you might have gotten lost or something.”

Emma can tell that Alyssa is rolling her eyes without even turning her head to look at her. “Oh, whatever,” she says dismissively to her friend. 

Her hand falls out of Emma’s grasp and Emma’s heart sinks for a moment out of habit. She’s so preoccupied with her disappointment that she doesn’t realize what’s about to happen until it’s happening. Then Alyssa’s shirt is coming off to reveal nothing but the fuschia bathing suit top underneath and Emma’s heart is doing all sorts of crazy things for a reason that has nothing to do with disappointment. 

If she didn’t know she was gay before , well then…

Still, she cannot be gay panicking in front of these kids who just learned to tolerate her.

She tries as hard as she can not to show how affected she is, but she’s never seen this much of her girlfriend’s gorgeous skin before and… God , is she attracted to Alyssa Greene. Emma bites her bottom lip and looks away as she feels the red hot blush creep up into her hairline and down her neck.

As she pointedly forces herself to look away from her girlfriend in a bikini, her eyes lock on Kevin’s. He’s very clearly witnessed her reaction and she genuinely expects him to face her with disgust or something like it. Instead, he just flashes her a sheepish half-smile and turns back to the grill, as if he ’s the one who’s been caught doing something inappropriate.

“Hey,” Alyssa says. Then she’s moved back into Emma’s line of sight, this time without her shorts on. “You okay?” she asks with nothing but genuine concern shining in her deep brown eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing,” Emma stammers, staring resolutely at Alyssa’s face and looking nowhere else. 

There’s a heavy pause and then Alyssa’s hand is back in hers. “Your face is really flushed.” Her other hand comes up to lay the backs of her fingers against Emma’s heated cheek. “Let’s go get you a drink,” she suggests. Over her shoulder she calls, “Kay, drinks in the refrigerator?”

Emma barely chances a glance at Kaylee. She’s known this girl since the second grade and Kaylee hasn’t changed much, which is how Emma is easily able to identify the knowing grin on the blonde’s face as she replies, “Yep, help yourselves!”

Alyssa practically drags her back into the house and through to the kitchen. Once they’re in there though, instead of immediately moving to the fridge for a beverage, Alyssa turns to her with earnest concern written all over her face. Her hands move up to grip Emma’s bare biceps firmly but gently, like she thinks Emma might need someone to hold her together and, honestly, it’s not too far off from the truth. 

“Okay, Emma, talk to me,” Alyssa says. “If you’re uncomfortable, we’ll leave, oka-”

“No!” Emma almost yells, and then tempers herself, “ No. We just got here.”

Emma knows Alyssa. She’s captain of the debate club, which means Emma’s not getting out of this conversation without a) starting a fight between them, b) confessing what’s really wrong, c) dying of embarrassment, or d) both b and c. Her money is on d. 

“Emma-”

“It’s not- I’m fi- You’re just-” Emma starts and stammers. 

Alyssa looks like she’s growing more worried by the millisecond. “Emma, it’s just you and me. Just talk to me.” Her hands wrap around Emma’s and she brings their joined hands up to hold under her chin which doesn’t help matters for Emma. 

She takes a deep breath and breathes out slowly, reminding herself again to just breathe, Emma . “I’veneverseenyouinabathingsuitbefore,” she finally manages to force out. 

The confusion is apparent on Alyssa’s face. “I’m sorry. What?”

Emma takes another deep breath, closes her eyes (because she doesn’t think she can get this out while staring into Alyssa’s eyes or anywhere else), and repeats, “I’ve never seen you in a bathing suit before.” After a moment of silence, Emma opens her eyes but looks at the ceiling as she adds, “And you look… really good.”

There’s a long silence and, as if she wasn’t already perspiring from it being 80+ degrees outside, Emma feels herself sweating bullets from sheer anxiety. Eventually she chances a glance at Alyssa- who seems to be barely holding in a laugh.

With a valiant effort to swallow back her smile, Alyssa finally says, “Are you trying to tell me that you’re acting weird because you’re hot for me?”

“Well, I wouldn’t exactly put it like that !” A beat. “But… kind of…”

This time Alyssa does laugh, but it isn’t the cruel laughter Emma has grown used to from her peers. It’s light and warm and amused and it reminds Emma how much she loves Alyssa’s laugh. It had been the first thing about her that Emma had fallen for. 

Alyssa takes a decisive step forward to put herself nearly flush against Emma. “I love you,” Alyssa says in a sigh. “I love how chivalrous and respectful and shy you are with me, but it’s more than fine with me that you’re attracted to me - I’d actually feel pretty terrible if you weren’t - and you don’t have to be embarrassed that you are. Emma, you’re my girlfriend.”

“I just- In front of everybody…?” Emma trails off. “I just felt… self-conscious.”

“And now?”

“I feel… less self-conscious?”

“Good.”

“You’re really beautiful,” Emma tells her sincerely. 

Alyssa smiles and reaches up to tuck a stray lock of curly hair behind Emma’s ear. “So are you.” 

Soft fingers caress Emma’s jaw and, before she even realizes she’s leaning in, her lips brush softly against Alyssa’s. Then, without realizing it, her palms are on the smooth skin of her girlfriend’s bare waist and Alyssa is pressed to her chest. Everything feels good and warm and right and--

“Would you two please stop making out and come hang out with us?” Kaylee’s voice breaks through the haze.

Emma jolts and tries to jump away from Alyssa but her girlfriend’s grasp is still tight as they turn in unison to regard Kaylee and Shelby. The blonde stands in the doorway to the kitchen with a small smirk and her hands on her hips. Her curly-haired brunette best friend stands slightly behind her with an apologetic look on her face.

“U- Umm…”

Emma’s pretty sure she’s stammered more in the last hour than she has in her entire life. 

Shelby sends her a reassuring smile. “You guys can kiss all you want later, but you literally just got here and we’d actually like to see you and hang out!”

“Give us two minutes,” Alyssa tells them.

The pair both roll their eyes but Emma can tell now that it’s goodnaturedly. “Fine. Two. Minutes, ” Kaylee relents

“Yeah,” Shelby says, “Any longer and we’re bringing the boys back with us to throw you both in the pool!”

They disappear back outside and Emma is left wondering if what just happened really just happened.

“We probably should get back out there,” Alyssa says. She reclaims Emma’s hand and begins walking backwards in the direction of the backyard. “Besides, I haven’t had my chance to see you in your bathing suit.”

Emma promptly chokes on the air she’s breathing. 

_

Revolutionary prom night aside, Emma can’t remember the last time she had this much fun.

Alyssa develops a notable staring problem when Emma removes her clothes to reveal her aqua blue racerback swim top and matching boyshort swim bottoms that Barry had picked out for and overnighted to her when she had told him about the invitation to this gathering. Kaylee and Shelby had smirked and thrown out a few teasing quips but neither they nor their boyfriends had so much as batted an eye when Alyssa got tongue-tied and over-eager in her offer to help Emma apply sunscreen to her fair skin so she didn’t burn. Whatever message Trent had conveyed to them seemed to have well and truly resonated.

They spent the afternoon and evening talking, eating, sunbathing, and swimming in the oversized inground pool. When the sun set, Kaylee flipped on the bistro lights strung around the backyard and Nick and Kevin built a fire in the fieldstone fire pit before disappearing out to the driveway for a few minutes. When they returned, they were carrying a few cases of alcoholic drinks. 

Emma had never had more alcohol than a taste of her Grandma Bea’s “Indiana lemonade” before in her life.

But, miraculously, no one pressured her to after her initial refusal.

Now, she’s sitting around the fire pit with these kids she’s beginning to maybe think about considering as her friends and the girl she is hopelessly in love with and she wonders if this is what it feels like to actually be happy. 

The sky is navy blue and speckled with bright stars (that they can only see because they’re in the middle of nowhere Indiana where there’s little light pollution) and the air has grown just a bit chilly despite the warmth of the gentle breeze. The three benches that surround the fire pit could comfortably seat three people each, but Alyssa is cuddled into Emma’s side as they sit on the one they’ve claimed as theirs, wrapped in the front-zip hoodie Emma had loaned her because she had been cold and needed something warm to wear. With no one paying them any attention, Emma is perfectly content with the arrangement.

Kevin gets up, presumably to get another beer for himself or spiked lemonade for Shelby, but when he returns, he is carrying something. A guitar. Seeing this, Kaylee and Shelby begin to cheer and Nick claps loudly.

Nick gets handed the guitar and begins tuning it with practiced ease until it sounds perfect even to Emma’s ears. Without notice or missing a beat, Nick’s aimless picking shifts into a familiar tune and next thing any of them know, he’s belting out “There’s Nothing Holding Me Back” by Shawn Mendes as naturally as he takes the field on game day. 

They cycle through a few songs. Kevin suggests “Let’s Get It Started” by the Black Eyed Peas and they laugh almost more than they sing the words. Shelby and Kaylee manage to cajole Nick into playing “Teenage Dream” by Katy Perry and the duet they create of it rocks almost harder than the original song itself in Emma’s opinion. By the time the final chords of “More Than Words” by Extreme are ringing through the night air, Emma is feeling elated.

“I know this sounds dumb considering we just finished junior year yesterday, but I’m like really excited for next school year and Mr. Oliver’s drama club to start,” Kaylee says.

“Me too!” Shelby agrees.

“So you’re really going to join?” Emma asks them.

“Hell yeah!” Kevin replies.

“Mr. Oliver is so cool,” Nick adds. “And it’s sweet that he’s, like, a real actor.”

Emma smiles. “I’m sure he would really appreciate you saying that,” she says, thinking of the Juilliard graduate and all he and the others had done for her. 

“Are you going to join drama club, Emma?” Shelby asks. 

“Yeah, I think I am.”

“Well,” Nick begins, standing up and extending the guitar to her, “for now, let’s hear one from the viral videostar.”

Emma hesitates, but accepts the guitar all the same. Alyssa shifts over next to her so she has room to accommodate the instrument, but stays close. Emma bites her lip in thought.

“What do you want me to play?”

Shelby shrugs. “Whatever you want,” she answers simply.

Emma thinks for another moment and then smiles with a thought. She is nervous but slightly less so when she scooches a few inches from Alyssa before angling her body toward her. Alyssa stares at her, questioning and expectant.

Emma starts to play.

“ When your legs don't work like they used to before

And I can't sweep you off of your feet
Will your mouth still remember the taste of my love

Will your eyes still smile from your cheeks

And darling I will be loving you 'til we're 70

And baby my heart could still fall as hard at 23.

“And I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways

Maybe just the touch of a hand

Oh me I fall in love with you every single day

And I just wanna tell you I am

So honey now

Take me into your loving arms

Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars

Place your head on my beating heart

I'm thinking out loud

Maybe we found love right where we are

When my hair's all but gone and my memory fades

And the crowds don't remember my name

When my hands don't play the strings the same way,

I know you will still love me the same

'Cause honey your soul can never grow old, it's evergreen

Baby your smile's forever in my mind and memory

I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways

Maybe it's all part of a plan

I'll just keep on making the same mistakes

Hoping that you'll understand

But baby now

Take me into your loving arms

Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars

Place your head on my beating heart

I'm thinking out loud

That maybe we found love right where we are, oh

So baby now

Take me into your loving arms

Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars

Oh darling, place your head on my beating heart

I'm thinking out loud

That maybe we found love right where we are

Oh baby, we found love right where we are

And we found love right where we are”

For a moment after Emma’s voice fades out along with the ringing of the guitar, nobody moves or says a word. Emma herself is unsure if her bravery has finally taken things a step too far this time. Alyssa simply stares at her and, for once, Emma is having difficulty reading her face.

But Shelby - sweet but sassy Shelby - lets out a soft sigh of, “That was so sweet.”

And Kaylee turns to Nick and Kevin and says, “Yeah. Boys, take notes. That’s how you woo a girl.”

Kevin and Nick turn to Emma both jokingly incredulous.

A round of laughter echoes into the night. 

“Sorry?” Emma offers them, unsure of what else to say. 

“You better not be,” Alyssa tells her, speaking for the first time since Emma’s song. Her hand gently grips Emma’s shoulder and turns her to face her again, before her hands are on Emma’s cheeks and her lips are on Emma’s lips.

Their four friends - yes, friends - let out wolf whistles and catcalls and whoops and hollers at their display of affection, but all Emma can focus on is the taste and feel of her girlfriend’s mouth and how epically in love she is with Alyssa Greene.

Chapter Text

“My mom wants to have you over for dinner.”

Those were the very last words Emma ever expected to hear coming from her girlfriend’s lips, but they were the words that did one late-June afternoon as they sat together in Emma’s room reading respective books from the AP English summer reading list.

A million thoughts had flooded Emma’s mind, but the most resounding one was, “Why?”

Alyssa had smiled one of her more sheepish smiles and tucked a strand of dark hair nervously behind her ear. “I think… she might be trying to make amends for last year,” Alyssa had told her, making the concept sound as foreign to her as it felt to Emma. She had looked at Emma seriously and added, “You don’t have to say yes, it won’t affect anything between us. I know her actions in the past have really hurt you and wouldn’t blame you for not wanting to put yourself in a position to be hurt again.”

Emma had sighed. “But she’s your mom . And if she’s really trying..?”

“It’s up to you. I will be supportive no matter what you decide,” Alyssa had assured her. 

“If I say yes, you won’t leave me alone with her?” Emma double checked.

“Not for a second,” Alyssa assured her vehemently. 

Which brings her to the present, where she is making her way over to the Greene house. She has a fresh bouquet of pink carnations wrapped in brown kraft paper and an aluminum pan of Grandma Bea’s lemon angel cake bars sitting in the passenger seat to offer as olive branches. She is as nervous as she possibly could be inside but is trying to maintain a calm exterior.

This is important to her because Alyssa is so important to her and she knows Mrs. Greene is all the family Alyssa really has since her father left. Mrs. Greene inviting Emma into her home is a big deal. She wants this to go well. She wants Alyssa to be able to have a good relationship with her mother, the way Emma knows she never will with her own parents.

The Greenes live in a craftsman-style bungalow in a small subdivision neighborhood not far from where Emma lives with her Grandma Bea. Even recently, with their relationship out in the open, Emma doesn’t visit Alyssa’s house, though she had taken to picking her up before school and dropping her off afterwards since the prom. Still, she’s never been inside the home before.

She is grateful for the flowers and sweets when she arrives and is walking up the path to the front porch because holding them is the only thing preventing her hands from shaking or trying to straighten her clothes. She takes a deep breath to steady herself, then rings the doorbell and waits anxiously. She’s hoping it will be Alyssa when the door swings open but she’s never had that good of luck. 

Mrs. Greene opens the door. Her hair is perfectly-styled and her makeup is as flawless as usual but her attire is more casual and dressed-down than Emma is used to seeing: tailored olive-green denim jeans, a flowy white blouse, and white canvas shoes. The smile she gives Emma in greeting is friendly, if somewhat strained.

“Emma, hi,” she says.

“Hi, Mrs. Greene,” Emma replies, trying to swallow down her nerves. She shifts her weight and suddenly remembers the peace offerings in her hands. “Um, I brought these flowers. I thought you might like them. And some desserts, my grandma said you really liked them when she made them at the last bake sale.”

“Oh. That’s very thoughtful. Thank you,” Mrs. Greene utters. Her deep brown eyes - so very much like Alyssa’s - meet Emma’s gaze as she accepts the gifts and steps aside to open the door wider. “Come in.”

Emma steps over the threshold for the first time and it feels like some sort of victory. She takes in her surroundings, how everything is clean and tidy and organized like Mrs. Greene herself. She wants to nose around, to study the pictures in frames on the walls and take it the style and decor of the foyer, but she politely refrains. 

“Alyssa! Honey, Emma’s here!” Mrs. Greene calls up the open staircase before turning to Emma. “I’ll put these flowers in some water and check on dinner. She should be right down.”

“Do you need any help? With dinner, I mean,” Emma asks, then begins to panic. “Not that you would need help, but, um, would you like some?”

Mrs. Greene regards her for a moment as if she’s sizing her up and it is terrifying , but then the woman appears to soften. She’s still guarded, still poised and proper, but her expression warms ever so slightly. She seems touched by Emma’s offer, like she sees Emma trying the same way Emma sees her trying.

“That would be lovely,” she permits. “Why don’t you wait here for Alyssa and, when the two of you are ready, you can come join me in the kitchen?”

“That sounds great,” Emma agrees. 

Mrs. Greene disappears further into the house, presumably in the direction of the kitchen. Her absence gives Emma a moment alone to regain her bearings and look at the photographs on the wall that she’s been dying to take a closer peek at.

There’s several polished family photos and school pictures of Alyssa throughout the years. Having known Alyssa peripherally for most of her academic career, she already vaguely knew what her girlfriend looked like as a kid, but looking at these photographs through the eyes of a girlfriend puts a different spin on her memories. 

She hears hurried footsteps on the stairs and turns in the direction of the commotion. Alyssa is halfway down the steps, her dark hair is wet and haphazardly braided down her back, and her shirt is very obviously on backwards. Emma smiles lovingly at her, holding back a laugh as she moves toward her harried girlfriend. 

“So much for not leaving you alone with my mother. I am so sorry,” Alyssa rushes out, meeting Emma at the bottom of the stairs and immediately taking Emma’s hands. “Summer conditioning for cheer ran late and then I needed to shower and I was just stepping out when I heard my mom call to me.”

“Hey. Hey, hey. Breathe ,” Emma tells her kindly. “It’s okay.” She pauses, eyeing Alyssa head to toe. “Although, you… might want to… adjust your shirt before we join your mom in the kitchen.”

Alyssa looks down and then groans before slipping her arms back into her t-shirt and turning it around right there and then. She exhales shakily, so Emma smooths her thumbs over the back of Alyssa’s hands in hers. Suddenly, Emma’s not sure who is more scared right now- her or her girlfriend. 

She emphasizes taking deep breaths and Alyssa follows her lead for a few inhales and exhales.

“Better?”

“A little,” Alyssa sighs. “I’m sorry. You’re the one who’s essentially meeting my mom and here I am being all-”

“Alyssa,” Emma stops her with a gentle tone, “it’s a big deal for both of us. You get to be nervous too, okay?”

Alyssa looks at her like she’s going to cry from something like relief or gratitude. “How did I end up having someone in my life who’s so good to me?” she asks. 

Emma darts her gaze in the direction which Mrs. Greene disappeared and, when there’s no sign of Alyssa’s mom anywhere, she leans in and kisses Alyssa’s forehead lingeringly. “I love you,” she whispers to Alyssa and Alyssa only. 

“I love you, Emma Nolan.”

___

Mrs. Greene is flitting about the kitchen as they enter. Alyssa is insistently and unabashedly holding onto Emma’s hand when her mother looks at them. Mrs. Greene blinks at their joined hands for a moment but quickly moves on.

After that, the next hour goes by smoothly and, like with Alyssa’s (now their ) friends, Emma finds herself even kind of having fun. Mrs. Greene knows her way around a kitchen in a way Emma finds both surprising and also not surprising at all, but Mrs. Greene seems more surprised herself at the discovery that Emma is more than willing to roll up her sleeves to help and excellently takes both directions and instructions. Alyssa hangs back, stepping in to help out when she’s asked but mostly observing their interactions passively.

By the time they’re setting the table, Emma feels a little less shaky and a little more like she can handle any dinner table interrogations that might be about to happen. Cooking together was a decent icebreaker for her and Mrs. Greene, a way to create a rapport without delving into any hot button topics, while fashioning a delicious meal. She knows the older woman has questions for her and probably concerns still as well considering up until two months ago Mrs. Greene wouldn’t have dreamed of having Emma over for dinner, muchless as her own daughter’s girlfriend.

So, when they sit down to a meal of pork tenderloin, baked mac and cheese, and green beans, Emma is expecting literally anything, whether she’s ready or not. Alyssa has been by her side all evening as promised and remains so as they’re seated at the square table in the Greenes’ dining room. Emma respectfully bows her head when Mrs. Greene says grace and then they tuck into the meal. 

There’s a few minutes of relative silence which are neither comfortable or uncomfortable, but the quiet only lasts so long. 

“Thank you for agreeing to this, Emma,” Mrs. Greene breaks the silence.

Emma sits up straighter in her chair. “Oh,” she says in genuine surprise. “Thank you for having me.”

“I feel like we got off on the wrong foot,” Mrs. Greene continues.

“ Mom ,” Alyssa starts warningly. 

“It’s okay,” Emma tells her girlfriend, setting a reassuring hand on the forearm Alyssa has on the table. “I wasn’t expecting us not to talk about the proverbial elephant in the room tonight.”

Mrs. Greene nods. “Alyssa and I have… Well, we’ve spoken a lot,” she says, “and I… have to admit that I still… don’t fully understand how the two of you can feel the way you do about one another, but …  I do understand that you are very important to her and she is very important to me . It has become exceedingly evident from what I’ve seen that you both care deeply for one another and that you clearly treat her with love and respect I would want any romantic partner to treat her with. I expect that will continue?”

Emma’s heart feels full to bursting as she looks at Alyssa who looks close to tears again and entwines their fingers. “It will. For as long as she lets me,” Emma promises Alyssa as much as she assures Mrs. Greene.

Alyssa quirks her lips and squeezes Emma’s hand. 

“Good. Then I hope this can be the start of us getting to know each other better, “Mrs. Greene says simply.

Emma turns her smile on Mrs. Greene then. “Me too,” she says, and she finds she means it.