Gentle touch

Wine and worry

"Do you understand now?" Elise questioned, the girl stared up, wide eyed. She had been silently processing Elise's words, listening intently to every sentence. She now understood what Elise had meant, when she said that the girl had to go home with a smile, even if it was merely superficial.

She rolled her lips inwards as she nodded, glancing down at her half finished plate. Alexa wasn't sure how to respond, her tongue felt too heavy to speak.

"I know this is a lot to process, so it's okay if you need to take a minute." Elise reassured, the girl nodded once more. "Would you like some dessert?" The redhead questioned after a moment, "I know you didn't finish your lunch but I won't tell if you won't."

Alexa squinted her eyes in confusion, after what she had just told her, she was now asking if she wanted dessert?

The girl felt dizzy however, her mind was still reeling to make sense of it all, and so she nodded. She went to take a sip from her milkshake, however she found that it was merely the whipped cream at the bottom.

"I need the bathroom." Alexa muttered.

The words were incoherent, "what was that?"

"I need the bathroom." She spoke clearer, she gripped the table as she stood up, her legs threatening to shake. "I'll just be..uhm one second." Alexa promised, she waited in anticipation of Elise to tell her no, to tell her she couldn't go alone. Elise succeeded expectations however, giving a nod of approval.

Maybe she could sense the girls desperation, or perhaps she wanted to test the girl. "They're just over there." Elise pointed in the far right, Alexa's eyes scanned over to the doors.

Her legs moved before her mind could process her actions, until she heard her name being called back. "Wait Alexa, what dessert do you want!" Elise called out, Alexa blushed at the sudden attention, her legs continuing to move, even when she looked back.

"Just uhm...choose whatever." Alexa replied, she hadn't even looked at the dessert options. The girl hadn't turned her head around in time, she walked straight into a wall. "Fuck." She grumbled, rubbing her sore forehead. She awkwardly walked away from the wall, hoping that nobody had seen the collision. Alexa looked down, if she thought her blush was bad before, her cheeks felt twice as hot now.

A sigh of relief left her when she reached the bathroom door, she practically shoved it open.

She didn't actually need the bathroom, but it was her only shot at peace. Alexa walked over to the sink, flicking the cold water on. She grabbed a piece of tissue, getting it damp before placing it against her forehead, before dabbing it on her cheeks.

The water was left on, as she put the tissue in the trash. She grabbed the counter of the sink, looking down at the water. She didn't know what would help her, whether she needed to cry or laugh until her ribs ached.

Elise's words were still circulating in her head, and she wasn't sure what was the suitable way to cope with the information.

A creaking sound made her jump, the door had been opened, a mom and her daughter walking into the bathroom. "I'll be out here Olivia, okay?" The mom told the girl who nodded, before walking into a stall.

"Are you okay, dear?" The mom turned to Alexa, it took the girl a moment to realise that she was being talked to. She switched off the water, straightening herself back up, forcing a smile on her face. Alexa gave a hasty look to the mirror, her face still appeared a little red, but nothing concerning.

"Of course, thank you for asking though." She answered the woman, hoping she sounded confident. She hadn't spoken to regular people for as long as she could remember, it almost felt nice, if she shoved the circumstances aside