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Elle could function if she had a plan. So, she just needed one for this situation.
Over the last few months, Elle had developed a rather massive crush on her friend Liz. Which would have been completely terrible if she didn’t have the suspicion that Liz liked her too. She just couldn’t make a move without being completely sure, she wouldn’t risk their friendship for anything.
Thus, she needed a plan.
She had an idea. She would invite Liz to a sleepover, the rest of the plan already forming in her head.
========
When Elle had invited her to a sleepover, Liz had initially been excited. She never had any good girlfriends, so sleepovers weren’t a thing she was familiar with, but she was very willing to try out.
But now, ten minutes before leaving for Elles place, she was incredibly nervous. She had to spend an entire evening alone with Elle, with no distractions to keep Elle from finding out Liz liked her. Their friendship was too important to her, Liz would never want to ruin that, just because she had a crush on her straight friend.
When she arrived, Elle greeted her with a long hug, emphasizing how excited she was for the night.
“I haven’t had a sleepover in such a long time, it was sooo overdue that you and I have a girl’s night together”
“Yeah, I guess, I’m not really accustomed to regular sleepovers.”
They took the stairs up to Elle’s room, and Liz just now realized she had never been at her house or in her room before.
“Don’t worry it’s gonna be so much fun, we’ll watch movies, braid each other’s ha- wait, I don’t think I can braid your hair. Anyway, we’re gonna find something else to do”
“Sounds good.” And Liz had to admit; it was really adorable seeing Elle so full of anticipation just to spend time with her. At that moment she wished she had long hair, just so she could feel Elle’s fingers carding through it to braid her hair. Well, it was probably good that wouldn’t be happening.
“Wow, your room really couldn’t be any more you than this”, the room was enormous and entirely pastel pink and white. Liz didn’t know why she had ever expected anything else from Elle.
“Thanks, I’m glad you like it, it took my mum a long time making it this pretty. Anyway, go put your pyjama on, that’s rule number one for girl’s nights.” Elle smiled and turned towards her- wait was that a walk-in closet.
Elle walked into her -yep- walk-in closet and rummaged through the cupboards, while Liz grabbed her backpack from the floor and changed into her sleep t-shirt and sleep shorts (both black, of course).
When she turned back around, she almost had a heart attack. Elle was still standing in the closet, now wearing a pink, lacey nightdress(?) Liz hadn’t seen anyone with pyjamas like that before, except maybe in a movie (figures, Elle would have something like that).
After what felt like a long time of staring, which in reality hopefully had only been about a few seconds, she noticed that Elle was struggling with something. And when she turned around, Liz realised she was trying to detangle her Necklaces.
“Liz, can you help me, I think my gel nails aren’t really helping my case here”, Elle walked over to Liz, stepping right in front of her with her back turned.
“I don’t think those monstrosities help you in any case, but whatever.” Liz knew Elle could hear the smile in her voice, obviously she didn’t really mean to hurt Elle.
She wasn’t smiling anymore, when Elle lifted her hair to one side, and Liz could see the tangled-up necklaces, which just so happened to sit around Elle’s delicate neck.
She had to get this over with quickly, so she took the tangle into her hands, but in doing so she brushed Elle’s warm and soft skin. Her hands suddenly felt warm and electric. Shit.
The next time her hands brushed Elle’s neck, Elle shivered slightly.
“Sorry, are my hands cold?”, she didn’t think they were, she felt warm all over but that might not have anything to do with the temperature.
“Oh, no don’t worry, your fingers are just more callous than I expected.”
“That usually happens from years of playing the guitar, Elle-A.”, Liz had adopted the nickname from Dustin and used it sarcastically every time Elle was particularly LA-y. It was fun and Elle didn’t mind. She didn’t need to know that Liz would love to call her all other kinds of pet names, no, that wasn’t something anyone but Liz needed to know.
Finally, Liz managed to detangle the damn necklaces and stepped away from Elle. She didn’t turn around for a moment, but from her angle Liz could see her trying to suppress a smile. That didn’t seem like Elle at all, Liz had never seen her try to not-smile. Weird.
“Okay, now we make cinnamon rolls. I always make them with Maddison, we have like, the best recipe ever.”
“Is that girl’s night rule number 2?”, Liz’s tone was joking, but in all honesty, she wouldn’t know if it was.
“Yep, let’s go down, I’ve got the ingredients out before you came”, and with that Elle took off towards the kitchen. Liz followed her down into what had to be the biggest kitchen she had ever seen. Along the counter there were some containers with ingredients, just as Elle had promised.
“Okay, so first we make the dough and then- “
“Elle I’ve made cinnamon rolls before”, Liz interrupted her rambling before it could really start.
“Oh, yeah of course” Elle trailed of, and if there hadn’t been a spark in her eyes that told Liz she had just had a new idea, she would have assumed she had said something wrong.
They chatted about school and some new activist thing Dustin had come up with while mixing the dough. But when Elle wanted to start kneading the dough, she suddenly looked at Liz.
“I’ve never done this before” Elle said with the look of a kicked puppy.
“I thought you’ve made these with Maddison a million times before?”
Elle just stared at her with those gorgeous doe-eyes, “I mean yes, but she always kneaded the dough, I hate getting it under my fingernails.”
“I’ll do it, I don’t care about my nails anyway”, Liz took the dough out of the bowl to knead it on the counter. She could feel Elles eyes on her as she kneaded, was Elle staring at her arms? No, surely that was wishful thinking on her part.
“Can you show me how to do that” Elle asked.
That surprised Liz, she grinned at Elle “I thought you didn’t want to ruin your nails, Elle-A”
The kitchen light made it seem like Elle was blushing, which was definitely not happening.
“I don’t know, I just wanna be able to make them myself, I feel kinda not very independent just standing here, not knowing how to knead of all things”, Elle admitted.
Liz stepped aside to make space for Elle infront of the dough. Elle began to do something with the dough, it certainly couldn’t be called kneading.
“Wait, you’re doing this wrong”, Liz really didn’t know how anyone could mess up kneading like that. “You have to knead forward, like push the dough to the front and down.”
“Like this?” Elle asked, still doing it completely wrong.
“No, wait just let me show you”, Liz couldn’t believe she was doing this to herself, was she completely stupid? She stepped behind Elle, taking her hands in her own to guide them. Immediately every part of her that touched Elle sent sparks through her whole body.
“Is that fine?” Liz didn’t want to make Elle feel uncomfortable.
Elle looked back at Liz, her blue eyes boring into Liz’s soul. “Yeah, don’t worry,” a short pause “I don’t mind you close like this.”
Liz choked on her next words. Elle just smiled in that cute way of hers. She had no idea what those words did to Liz’s insides (actually she had an inkling, but Liz didn’t know that).
Elle turned back to the counter and Liz started to guide her hands in the right motion. They kneaded like that for a while, and the dough started to look like it was supposed to. Neither of them stepped away.
“How come you’re so strong?” questioned Elle in a conversational tone. Apparently she wanted to kill Liz. What a way to go, killed by a compliment from Elle Woods.
Noticing she had stayed silent a second too long Liz blurted: “I, um, do push-ups and stuff in my room sometimes.” Only belatedly did she realise that Elle should be strong too due to all her cheerleading practice.
Elle hummed.
“I think the dough is ready.” Liz stepped away from Elle, before she combusted from their proximity.
“You’re right let’s move on to the filling”, and they did. They completed the cinnamon rolls without further incidents, allowing Liz’s heart finally calm down.
Once the rolls were in the oven, they went to the living room to sit during the wait.
“Ok, rule number three, boys talk, so in your case girls talk.” Elle commanded.
“That’s not really my thing, you know that.” Liz tried to get out of it.
“Oh, come on it’s crucial to a sleepover. There must be something you can tell me. Like, what’s your type?”
You.
But Liz would rather die than say that so “Elle I don’t know, I’ve never thought about it.”
“You must know something you like, maybe a preferred hair colour?” Elle kept on pressing.
“I guess I think blondes are cute” there, that was noncommittal enough, just because she liked blondes didn’t mean she likes Elle, there are a lot of blonde gi-
“There aren’t a lot of blonde girls in Seattle”, shit Liz was so stupid. Elle made her nervous and Liz had forgotten she was practically the only blonde person in all of Seattle. “How’d you figure that out then?”
Now what the hell was Liz supposed to say to that.
“I guess I’ve seen blonde girls in movies, I didn’t really know I liked them until I said that right now.”
“Interesting. So, you wouldn’t go for the alternative type then?” Was Elle trying to get to a point? Liz was confused.
Fortunately, the timer for the rolls saved her from having to answer.
Liz got up and walked into the kitchen with Elle, who didn’t seem like she wanted to let this go. Liz usually liked how determined Elle could get, it’s what made her such a great person, but right now was not the time.
“What do you say, no one in our school that is your type then?”
“Not really, I guess. But to be fair we both know personality is the most important thing anyway, otherwise you wouldn’t be friends with anyone here, Ella-A” Liz joked to distract Elle.
Luckily it worked. “Hey, it’s not my fault no one here has a good taste in fashion.” Elle protested.
They took out the tray, but when Elle tried to take one of them into her hand, she pulled it away again with a hiss.
“Ouch! I think I burned myself”
“Go, put it under cold water, that’ll make it better”, Liz advised.
Elle opened the tap and let cold water run over her hand. After a few momenta she pulled it back out, “It’s fine now I think.”
“Let me see” Liz took Elle’s hand in her own. It did look fine; Elle must have only barely touched it.
“What’s the verdict, is my hand gonna fall off?” Elle looked at her, and only then did Liz realise how close they were standing together. She wanted to move back, but her body wouldn’t let her, it felt too nice to be in Elle’s proximity.
“No, I don’t think so” Liz muttered, the air around them felt heavy, some kind of tension between them. Then Liz caught Elle’s eyes flicking to her lips.
No that couldn’t be, Elle was straight. There was no way she wasn’t.
“Elle, why do you want to know if there’s anyone in school I’m interested in?”, Liz dared to ask.
Elle looked like she was gathering all her courage, “Because I want to know if you’re interested in anyone that’s not me” she confessed.
Liz couldn’t believe it; she must have been misinterpreting something. Elle couldn’t have meant that she wanted Liz to like her.
Upon seeing the uncertain and scared expression on Elle’s face, she concluded that, yes, Elle must have meant that.
“Liz, I like you”
Liz’s hands came up to cup her face almost automatically.
“Elle, please tell me this isn’t some kind of LA joke” Liz breathed out.
“It’s not. Say something Liz.”
But instead of saying something, she kissed Elle. It was better than she could have ever imagined, not that she hadn’t tried, but the real thing was a thousand times better. Elle slung her arms around Liz’s neck to pull her closer.
When they ran out of breath, they broke apart but still stayed in each other’s space.
“If I had known sleepovers entailed this, I would have asked for one a lot earlier”, Liz just couldn’t help but comment.
Elle smacked her arm, “That’s obviously not a sleepover thing, you imbecile.”
“Let’s try the cinnamon rolls, we can discuss this later, if you don’t mind” Liz suggested, because neither of them was in the state for a serious conversation right now.
“Yeah, let’s do that, but for the record, I really like like you.”
“For the record, I really like like you too.”