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Hector held open the office door and Lena watched through the frame Kara Danvers’s retreating figure. Yet another interview with Kara was over and her next appointment was waiting in the outer office. Business as usual. Up to this point, they successfully had covered the renaming ceremony of L-Corp, three new L-Corp product launches, and one case of industry espionage where L-Corp and Lena as the currently acting CEO was accused of plagiarism for nanotechnology designs. Kara helped Lena to prove her innocence against the resistance of her boss Snapper Carr and her boss’ boss James Olson. It turned out that in crucial positions in the L-Corp’s hierarchy some of Lex’s minos had been lurking and had proceeded with her brother’s old schemes under the guidance of Lillian Luthor. Kara managed to clear Lena’s name and the PR waves have calmed down since the scandal.
Lena set her jaw. Who was she kidding? L-Corp CEO Lena Luthor’s meetings with Kara Danvers, reporter from CatCo magazine, had slowly evolved from official interviews to informal get togethers between Kara and Lena. They had developed a friendly communication with a lot of blushing, friendly banter, and accidental knee brushes. Lena made mental air quotes around accidental. All that happened under the label of interviews. But seriously, when was the last time they talked on the record? So if it quacked like a duck, Lena should treat it like a duck. That meant that she had to give their personal relationship an adequate personal label.
Lena worried her thumbnail. What if Kara wasn’t on the same page?
Still holding the door handle in his hand, Hector looked after Kara, turned around, and gave Lena a sympathetic smile.
„Do you need a few more minutes before I let in Dr. Hastings from R&D?“
Lena gave Hector a long look. Sometimes she suspected that he and Jess could read her like a book, which was good. What made her a little bit sad was the fact that they were probably the only ones who were close enough to her to do that.
„Thank you, Hector, I will be back in a few moments.“
Lena went to follow Kara. She walked fast, she wasn’t running. Running didn’t suit a CEO. Thank god, she was in time nonetheless. Kara was still standing at the end of the corridor in front of the elevators, watching the red numbers on the display increase.
„Kara!“
„Lena, hi. Is everything alright?“
„Yes, yes.“ Lena took a deep breath. „I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me this week? There is this new Italian place around the corner I’m dying to try out.“ Kara bit her lip and smiled. That was a good sign, right? Lena added: „I just thought it would be a nicer place to talk than my office couch.“ Not quite the point she wanted to make, but she didn’t want to press to hard. She wanted things to evolve naturally between them.
Kara smiled brightly at Lena. Lena couldn’t help herself and smiled back.
„I would love that.“
„Good.“
A ping announced the arrival of the elevator. Lena reached out and patted Kara on the arm.
„I have your number. I will text you so we can find a date.“
Kara nodded, entered the elevator, and pressed the bottom to the ground floor.
„I’m looking forward to it.“
Kara waved as the elevator doors closed.
Lena returned to her office with a spring in her step and a tune on her lips. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Dr. Hastings sitting a in a chair with his fluffy-white fringe of hair around his ball-shaped head and his fluffy-white moustache. Glasses on top of his head, fiddling with a lose button on his lab-coat, he was engulfed in a binder. Its twin brother was sitting on two large file folders beside the chair. Lena pinched the bridge of her nose. Binders and folders were never a good sign when it came to Dr. Hastings. She made a stop in front of her assistant’s desk and leaned forward conspiratorially.
„Hector, Dr. Hastings is sitting there with what I suspect is a hard copy of an approximately fifty pages long power point presentation. Please make sure the meeting will end after twenty minutes. Dr. Hastings has to learn to come to the point and make the best out of a given time slot.“
Hector nodded, looked down and hid a grin. Not very good, though. She surpassed a smile but was thankful. Lena hated to use such tactics with her employees but she learned the hard way that Dr. Hastings was effortlessly able to stretch twenty minutes into two hours that felt like four. A fifty pages long presentation meant at least on hour of talking about facts, one and half if she factored in that Dr. Hastings had the temperament of a confused professor. This was only self defence.
#
One of the perks of eating out with Kara was that Kara was curious to try the cuisines from all over the world. Lena was happy to indulge Kara during their dinner dates. So far they had tried the Italian restaurant Lena had mentioned and a Japanese restaurant that Kara suggested. The periods between dinner were punctuated by lunch dates where they were more experimental. At the moment they were at a French restaurant that was still an insider tip among National City’s gourmets. They were waiting for their dessert, one pine nut tart with rosemary cream with two spoons.
The waiter was waiting for Lena’s approval for the selection of champagne that was suppose to accompany the tart. Lena took a sip, chewed on the liquid for a moment, and nodded. With the slight bow, the waiter filled their glasses and excused himself.
Lena smiled at Kara. Spending times with her never failed to make Lena feel light and optimistic despite the challenges that were thrown at her. And Kara was easy to talk to. Lena was so happy that she decided to take the plunge and ask Kara out. Lena never felt the need to censor herself. They talked about everything and they slowly worked their form more business like topics to topics that allowed them to get to know each other as persons - Lex’s downfall, their cooperations during the industrial espionage scandal, moving backwards to their time in college, their family backgrounds, their experience of being adopted, their favourite books and TV shows. This was the first time they cautiously crossed the threshold to the topics of sexuality, romance, and perhaps previous relationships.
They toasted to happy times and good company and Lena picked up the conversation thread that was on ice during the interruption of the waiter.
„Between the golden third-date-rule…“ Lena stumbled over the words. This was their third dinner date and she didn’t want to give the impression that she was presuming anything. Kara just smiled brightly at her. „…and the lesbian u-haul syndrome, I always believed that relationships between two people cannot be established with the help of a check lists.“
„Is the u-haul syndrome really a thing? I’ve only got Alex and Maggie as reference for lesbian relationships.“ Hearing that, Lena choked on her champagne. Why did Kara have only second hand experience with lesbian relationships? Lena pressed a napkin to her lips. Did she read the signs wrong? Kara wasn’t an aggressive flirter but she was responding to Lena’s flirting with bashful smiles and cautious brushes of hands. So far, Lena had filed Kara’s reactions under shyness. Thankfully the waiter choose that moment to bring the pine nut tart. Kara didn’t seem to pick up on the slight panic attack in front of her. She waited for them to be alone again and continued: „Maggie was Alex’s first and only girlfriend so far. They took their sweet time before moving in together but separated rather abruptly because they couldn’t agree on a very existential matter.“
Lena took a bite from the tart. She made a mental note to mention to Sam that Alex was single. Her CFO and Kara’s sister ran into each other during a L-Corp function to which Kara brought her sister and her friend Winn as additional guests. Sam, in her smitten daze, had been too tongue tied to ask Alex the important questions, let alone to ask for her number.
With a small laugh Lena said: „I have seen women dating each other for a long period of time and even marry but they still kept separate apartments. And there were couples that moved in together quickly - not after the second date but after the second month - and separated as quickly. There are as many ways to do this as there are women loving women - or rather people in general - out there.“ Lena moved her free hand to cover Kara’s. „How is Alex now?“
Kara covered Lena’s thumb with her own.
„Healing, I think. It took her some time to let go of the idea of her and Maggie. She is stumbling through single life for the first time as a fully aware lesbian.“ Kara’s brow crinkled. „But there was a brief encounter with another woman that helped her to move on.“
Good, so Sam wouldn’t serve as a mere rebound affair if she had a chance with Alex.
Kara took the spoon in the left hand and tried the tart. A sigh escaped her lips as she did so. She turned her other hand palm up and started to play with Lena’s fingers.
„What about you?“ Lena asked.
„When I watched Alex coming to terms with her sexuality, I realised that I have never given much thought to the gender of the person I was interested in. It never occurred to me that her sexuality could cause her so much pain. It hurt to see her struggle so hard.“ That was good to hear. Not about Alex struggle - Lena was able to relate to that very much -, but that Kara was open to date a woman, that Lena hadn’t read the signs wrong. Kara adjusted her glasses. „In the end, Alex was more lucky to actually find love. In my past, there are only a few might-have-beens, mostly because I didn’t realise that the other party was interested and unrequited crushes from my side.“
There was a sadness in Kara’s eyes that Lena wanted to kiss away. She wanted to tell her that unrequited love was a thing of her past as long as Kara would have Lena. Lena averted her eyes. She was getting ahead of herself. Instead she put another pastry goodness into her mouth and said after a moment of bliss: „I find that hard to believe that no-one was able to get your attention.“
Kara laughed.
„Alex always makes fun of me and says that potential suitor have to dance naked in front of with a keyboard painted on their chest me to get my attention. My mind is always occupied. When I was in school and college I often got so focused on studying and learning that I forgot the world around me. It is the same now when I’m researching for a story. When I’m not on a story, I do what writers should do to better themselves: read the old masters of the trade. Wait, I can prove it.“
Kara leaned towards her bag beside her chair. She kept her hold on Lena’s hand, even tightened her grip to keep her balance while rummaged through her bag. She came up again with a copy of The Final Days by Bernstein and Woodward. Lena was impressed. Kara was reading the documentation of the Watergate affair as past time.
Lena raised an eyebrow. „You brought a book to dinner? Should I be worried?“
Kara shrugged. „You never know when you might need one.“ She winked at Lena.
Lena huffed out a laugh. „Well, I consider myself lucky that I was part of one of your investigations and therefor was able to sneak into your focus.“
Kara squeezed her hand.
„Now we have talked so much about my sister’s and my love life. What about you?“
„My love life?“ Lena took a sip of her champagne. „I left the most significant relationship so far back in Metropolis. We had an start up in a garage together for five years and we were romantically together for the last two. When I took over the family business and wanted to move it to National City, Jacky gave me an ultimatum. So that was that. Economically speaking, the separation only did her good. Spherical Industries is thriving.“
Lena felt how under the dome of her hand Kara’s fingers suddenly pressed flat on the surface of the table. Lena massaged lightly the knuckle of the index finger with her thumb.
Kara fell back into her chair. Their hands lost contact.
„Your most significant relationship was with Jacqueline Sphere, founder and CEO of Spherical Industries. The woman that everybody expects to be able to cure cancer in the foreseeable future. And you tried to help her.“
Lena’s hand lay still outstretched on the table. She shrugged.
„Trying to cure cancer can help bonding but is not a sound basis for a healthy relationship if it is the only thing that holds you together.“
Lena held her hand palm up. Kara sank only deeper into her chair.
„As for the affairs I had here in National City according to the gossip column of CatCo magazine…“ Lena raised an eyebrow. „… - they are not true. For example, when someone claimed to have seen me out and about with Veronica Sinclair on Valentine’s Day, I was actually at home sitting on my sofa in my pyjamas watching Stranger Things.“
With a smile, Kara leaned forward again. She took her spoon with the right hand, filled it with tart, and slit the plate over to Lena. They finished their desert and champagne with a light banter until they decided to leave the restaurant.
Out on the street Lena hugged Kara.
„Thank you for this lovely evening. I can’t tell you how much I enjoy spending time with you“, Lena said. She straightened up without letting go of Kara. Kara looked so beautiful that Lena gave into the temptation to steal a good night kiss. She leaned slowly in. Suddenly, Kara entangled herself and waved to someone right behind Lena. Lena slightly lost her balance.
„Alex! What lucky coincidence to meet you here.“
Alex came over to the pair, not able to even greet them properly. Kara dived right into gushing about the fantastic food they just had while Alex gave Lena an apologetic smile.
„We can share a cab home“, Kara finished her flow of words. She went to the roadside to flag one over.
Lena could only stare at Kara wide-eyed. Alex turned to her.
„I’m so sorry. Her obliviousness is legend, but she really likes you. Please don’t give up on her“, Alex told Lena. She stopped abruptly as Kara waved them over, a cab waiting for her and Alex.
As Alex entered the cab, Kara came over to Lena one last to hug her good bye.
„I’ll text you so we can find date for our next dinner.“
And she was gone.
#
Lena went back to her office after Kara and Alex had left her behind in front of the restaurant. The thought of going home didn’t sit well with her. The emptiness in her office felt different than the emptiness in her apartment. Less personal, less existential, more chosen, more meant to be, more productive. It made her feel less alone.
She couldn’t believe that this was happening. A happy kiss or a rejection - that were the two outcomes she had expected, not that Kara would completely ignore the romantic implications of their interactions as if nothing had happened, as if this wasn’t a date.
Lena didn’t consider herself very mystical when it came to romance. She was quite straightforward, actually. When she was interested in someone, that someone knew that she was interested. She wasn’t used to the fact that someone didn’t recognise her flirting as flirting. Lena seemed not the only one to assume that this had been a date, that they were in fact dating. Alex was apparently under the same impression. Lena had met Kara’s sister only a few times after their lunches or as an additional guest at a L-Corp function but their interactions were always cordial. Lena believed that Alex’s display of empathy and support was genuine, without resentment for the Luthor name. Furthermore, Alex seemed to think that Kara felt the same way about Lena like Lena felt about her. Lena got the district vibe that Kara was interested. Maybe Kara doesn’t know that she is interested in Lena? Both Alex and Kara had pointed out Kara’s obliqueness to Lena.
Screw natural evolvement of personal relationships. If Kara didn’t get the message the conventional way, Lena needed to take a more direct approach.
She called the night porter at the reception in the lobby: „Yes, Lena Luthor here, could you please call a courier. I need a letter delivered tonight. It needs to be picked up in fifteen minutes.“
Lena poured herself a whiskey and knocked it back. What she was about to do was not for the faint hearted. There was no way that she could wait with delivering the message she was about to write. Keeping the letter in her bag over night gave her too much opportunity to loose her nerve. Losing her nerves was not an option. That was not a Luthor thing to do.
She took her personal stationary out of the side cupboard and her favourite fountain pen filled with night blue ink from her bag. Lena sat down on her desk. Of course, the text could be delivered in form of an email or text message but the electronic medium just didn’t convey the seriousness of Lena’s request to Kara. She could just call Kara, but somehow she felt that Kara would need some space to let the words sink in. Lena pinched the bridge of her nose, toke a deep breath, and wrote a few lines with in one flow. Her message was straight forward. More than a few lines weren’t necessary. She blew over the slightly wet ink to let it dry more quickly. She folded the letter, slipped it into the envelope, and addressed it to Kara. No one was to know that her hands were shaking the whole time. She got up, left her office, passed through the empty outer office, and entered the elevator to go downstairs. It didn’t matter that Jess or Hector weren’t there. Lena needed to hand over the message personally to the courier.
When the envelope changed hands, Lena was very aware of the fact that this was the point of no return for the future of her relationship with Kara.
Ride or die.
She watched as the bicycle courier hopped on his bike and left in the direction of Kara’s apartment.
#
Kara unlocked the door of her apartment while happily recounting all the details of the dinner with Lena to Alex. Alex nodded along the whole time they took of their jackets as well as their shoes and while they non-verbally agreed on having some snacks in front of the TV.
„Who would have thought that rosemary works so well in a sweet dish? It is like salted caramel sauce all over again.“
Finally, Kara had to breath and Alex jumped in: „Kara, please tell me one thing.“
Kara stilled in her progress to the freezer to get some ice cream.
„Yes?“
„Why are you here with me right now? Why are you not heavily making out with Lena somewhere private?“ Kara gaped at her sister. „I imagine that Lena was hoping for that kind of out come for the evening. She was certainly leaning in for a good night kiss when I met you in front of the restaurant.“
„Alex! What?“
„You heard me. I got the impression that you liked her, too. For weeks now, all you talk about is her.“
Kara opened and closed her mouth a few times like a fish on land before she managed to get out: „I don’t think that Lena sees me like that. I would have noticed.“
And really, how could she as an insignificant reporter compete with the likes of Jacqueline Sphere or Veronica Sinclair? That was the league that Lena Luthor was playing in. She continued her way to the freezer and eyed its content. This conversation seemed to call for a mixture of Cinnamon Buns and Half Baked. Maybe a dash of Chocolate Fudge Brownie? And salted caramel sauce. She needed a deep bowl and a table spoon.
Alex raised an eyebrow.
„Like you did with Winn or James or Lucy - let alone James and Lucy as a couple - or Lesley or Adam or Mike.“
Kara through Alex a dirty look and sat on the couch with her bowl filled to the rim with ice cream. Alex had a point. Kara didn’t have a good track record on picking up signs. But not all was her fault.
„If that was flirting what Lesley did, she flirted like a four year old boy in a sand box. Or maybe you are wrong and she just wasn’t into me. And I did notice what Mike was doing. I just wasn’t interested.“ She picked at some invisible lint on a throw pillow. „This dinner tonight wasn’t a date, just a friendly dinner.
Alex still stood with her arms crossed over her chest in the middle of the apartment.
„Only because Lena didn’t club you over the head and dragged you by the hair into her Luthor lair to have her way with you does not mean that she is not trying to flirt with you.“
„Alex, seriously. Luthor lair?“
Alex gave Kara the this-is-what-your-running-with? look and continued: „If you don’t want her to woo you, do you mind if I give it a shot?“ She walked over to the fridge.
Kara threw the pillow.
„No. No! Stay way from her.“
The pillow landed with sad thud between the couch and the kitchen counter.
„Thought so“, Alex said with a chuckle, turned away, and stuck her head into the fridge to get a beer. „But you could get Sam’s number for me, if you happen to talk with Lena about her.“
Did she hear correctly? Alex’s voice was muffled by the open fridge door.
„What was that?“ Kara asked.
Still with the back towards her sister, Alex opened her beer.
„Anyway, Kara, I’m telling you, this woman is trying to woo you. If you don’t want her to give up on you, you have to be more - let’s say - responsive to her advances.“ She waved with her hands to emphasise the last part.
Kara didn’t know what to say to that. She didn’t need to. There was a knock at the door. Alex and Kara shared a look. Kara shrugged. Alex motioned her to open the door.
„Who is that?“ Kara shouted and stood up.
A male voice came through the door.
„Courier delivery. I have a message for Kara Danvers.“
Kara opened the door to reveal a bicycle courier with a hipster beard and way too tight cycling shorts to be considered suitable even to be PG-13. He was holding an envelope and an electronic signature pad. Kara raised her eyebrows at him as a greeting.
„You are Kara Danvers?“
She nodded. He held out the pad and they exchanged a signature for an envelope. After she and Alex were alone again, Kara returned to the couch. She opened the envelope and took out a note. It was hand written on Lena’s private stationery. Kara traced her fingers over the ink of the signature.
The note said:
Dearest Kara
You are invited to a seduction: Please let me indulge you with a home made dinner on Saturday Night at my place with the option for a pancake breakfast the next morning. My driver will pick you up at 7 p.m..
Wear the kind of clothes you would like to be seduced in.
Yours sincerely
Lena
„Ballsy.“ Alex read the note over Kara’s shoulder. „And more elegant than clubbing you over the head.“ Kara swatted her on the arm. Alex only laughed.
The note burned in her hands. Was this a joke? This was a joke. She swallowed hard. Lena wasn’t the type for this kind of joke. That kind of joke was cold and cruel. Lena was neither cold nor cruel. She was kind and warm, smart, and very protective of the persons she cared for. This couldn’t be a joke. Kara massaged her temples.
Alex tipped with a finger against the brow that was Kara’s crinkle brow. „But I guess to drag you off your thought cloud and up on cloud nine, one needs to go an extra mile or two.“ Alex took a swig of her beer and pointed with the bottle at the note. „She is certainly willing to do that while risking to make a complete fool out of herself. I knew that I liked her.“
„Alex!“
With a smug smile, Alex let herself fall beside Kara into the couch. Kara stood up, re-read the note, sat down, stood up again. She flicked her free hand at the note. It made smacking sound.
„What does that even mean: ‚Wear the kind of clothes you would like to be seduced in.’?“
Alex shrugged. „Something that looks low-key sexy, is comfortable, and easy to take off. Maybe a little surprise underneath the top layer to show Lena that you appreciate her efforts.“ She used her fingers to tip off the points she was making.
Kara opened her mouth to yell Alex’s name again. Instead came out:
„OK, so not the little red dress from the gala, then?“ She scrunched up her nose. „It’s too tight to be comfortable at a dinner table.“ She looked at the note and added to herself: „Lena already saw me in that one.“
#
Lena checked the display on her dining table for the sixth time - the candle sticks, the plates, the cutlery, the flower arrangement, table napkins, the light in the dining area. All good - like the last five times she checked. Lena went into the kitchen. Everything was prepared as far as possible. Lena had made the dessert first. It waited passionately for its entrance as the star of the evening. A parmesan soup was sitting on low heat on a back burner, waiting to be served as a starter course. The croutons were properly roasted and ready to be served as a topping for the soup. The main course had to be assembled freshly. The salmon had to be fried on point, so there was no way to prepare it in advance. Lena wanted to serve the fish on a arugula bed with an balsamic dressing and orange filets. The dressing was mixed, the arugula was washed and dried, the orange filets were cut. Yes, green leaves were a risk with Kara, but arugula wasn’t just any salad. And it certainly wasn’t kale. Lena would turn on the oven to roast potato wedges the moment Kara arrived.
Lena glanced at the kitchen clock. 7 p.m. on the dot. Her driver should be picking up Kara right that minute. She checked herself in the mirror. Her hair was down and she was wearing a lose top with a generous cleavage and jeans. She was aiming for welcoming sexy, not vampy sexy. She wanted to send clear signals without being scary. Lena stretched her back, drew in her stomach and regarded her reflection from a side view. Was her move to bold? Her move was to bold. How likely was it that Kara would actually come? Lena led out a breath and her posture collapsed in itself.
7:03 p.m. - Lena was pacing back and forth in front of her apartment door. Had she misunderstood Alex when she gave her a little pep talk in front of the restaurant? Had she managed to scare Kara away for good? Lena shook her head. What was done, was done. She tried not to overthink that Kara hadn’t reacted to the note. Lena couldn't blame her. It was a rather direct approach that needed to be marinated and she had received it only three days ago. Lena also hadn't added an RSVP to the note. She just had to hope for the best.
7:06 p.m. - No word. Was that good or bad? Nancy, her driver, didn’t convey the message that she was unable to pick up Miss Danvers. That was good. Lena nodded to no-one in particular. No message was good.
At least she was certain that Kara had actually received the message. They only saw each other in the meantime the day before from across the room during a press conference. Kara managed to ask her a question about the latest L-Corp product launch starting with addressing her as ‚MissLuthorLena‘ breathed out in one word while furiously blushing. So Lena had an indicator that Kara had received the invitation and - more importantly - got the message. After the press conferences they had no opportunity to talk. Kara had tried to linger but finally trailed out with the last of her leaving colleagues while Lena had been cornered by a bunch of very persistent reporters. Where was her Chief PR Manager when she needed her the most? Kara glanced a few times over her shoulder, though.
7:11 p.m. - What would she do with all the food if Kara didn’t show up? Lena worried her thumb nail. Maybe she could donate the dessert to the children at the hospital. Children liked meringue, didn’t they? What had possessed her to make two variations of meringue pies as desert for a date that might not even happen. Maybe she should stop watching all the season of The Great British Bake Off to wind down after work.
7:14 p.m. - Lena checked an online rout planner on her phone. The way between her and Kara’s apartments took approximately twenty minutes by car. There was still hope.
7:18 p.m. - The front desk of the apparent building called to announce her visitor, Kara Danvers. Lena’s hands were suddenly very clammy.
„Please let her up.“
Lena dried her hand on her jeans. Kara was on her way up. Lena imagined every step Kara had to take to get to her door like getting the instruction from the door man, the wait for the elevator, the elevator ride, the walk along the corridor towards the apartment.
7:24 p.m. - Did it really take that long to get from the ground level to her apartment? Was Kara taking a detour or had she turned around and fled in the last second? Lena had to restrain herself from watching the security feed on the panel beside the door. That would be too… extra.
There was a knock on the door. Lena ran her hand through her hair one last time, took a deep breath, and opened it.
Kara was standing there with a shy smile on her face and bouquet of violets in one hand and a little back pack over the shoulder. She was also wearing jeans and a navy blue button down shirt with one more button open than usual. The neck line framed nicely the pendant of her necklace that was hanging in her cleavage. It was the first time that Lena saw Kara with her hair down and not wearing glasses.
Lena leaned against the door frame and smiled at her.
„You are here.“
Kara bit her lip and held out the flowers.
#
Coffee brewed lazily in a French press coffee maker. Lena flipped a pancake, humming a made up tune to herself. She had learned so many exiting things about Kara during her seduction of Miss Danvers. Once Kara was aware what they were doing, she was quite the charming flirter and lost two layers of shyness. Maybe she wasn’t always smooth, but adorable. In the end it was Kara who initiated the first kiss on the couch with sticky lips between sips of espresso and bits of key lime pie. Lena later found out that Kara was wearing a dark red lace under the navy blue button up, that she liked to be kissed behind the left ear but not the right, and that she was - much to her own delight - very fond of Lena’s breasts. Kara was also surprisingly strong. She was able to carry Lena to the bed but she had to work on her aim. To her credit it had to be said that Kara was distracted. Lena listed the resulting bruises on her bottom as another kind of love bite. Kara preferred a flowery shampoo and an unisex perfume with a fresh heart note but she herself smelled like sticky buns in some places and tasted like a white truffle in others. Early in the evening, Lena discovered a tattoo over the pulse on Kara’s left wrist - the words ‚stronger together‘ in a neat script. It was normally covered by long sleeves or her wrist watch. During the small hours when the night was dark and the city was quiet, Kara told Lena in a low voice that Alex had a matching tattoo in a less accessible place. It was a sister tattoo to celebrate their bonding. After that, Kara had started to call Alex simply ‚sister‘ and dropped the label ‚adopted‘. Kara also grilled Lena about Sam to determine if she was a suitable candidate for Alex. In the morning Lena learned that Kara had stuffed into her backpack a fresh shirt, a fresh set of underwear, and her glasses in a case. And a book, because you never know. She didn’t have a tooth brush, but Lena was able to help her out with one.
Bare feet padded along the floor. A moment later, Kara hugged Lena from behind, ripped off a piece of pancake from the stag that she had already made, dipped it into maple sirup, and popped it into her mouth.
„These pancakes are really good. Do you know what is also really good for breakfast?“
„No?“
„Waffles.“
„Oh, really?“
Lena turned in Kara’s embrace and slipped her arms around Kara’s neck. Kara nodded.
„And as it happens, I make the best waffles in National City. Would you like to try them next week end?“
„I would love that.“ She rested her forehead against Kara’s. „What about today? What are your plans for the rest of the day?“ One hand slid from the neck to Kara’s sternum and rested above the heart.
Kara leaned forward and kissed the little birth mark on Lena’s throat.