Chapter Text
“Elle?”
Elle, looked up at the sound of her name, huffing a bit at the interruption. She’d been making progress on a particularly difficult appeal and felt a spike of irritation as the sentence she’d been typing slipped away.
Saving the document, and popping her earbuds out, she looked in the direction of the voice. The person trying for her attention was backlit by the sun which was streaming through the windows of the record store-turned-cafe she’d frequented in high school.
“Yes?” Elle asked, wondering if one of her clients or coworkers had managed to find her retreat. Since moving back to Seattle, Elle hadn’t made many new friends yet, and she didn’t know who else might be trying to get her attention.
“Elle, is that you?” As Elle squinted against the sunlight, details started slotting into place about the figure in front of her. Auburn hair caught the light in a bronze cascade of curls, a slim build holding a tray of used coffee mugs and plates, tell-tale freckles across the bridge of a straight nose, and a collection of silver rings decorated muscular hands.
While their face was still blurry in the bright beams, Elle knew those freckles well.
“Liz?!” She stammered. “What are you doing here?”
“What am I doing here?” the other girl responded, “what are you doing here? Last I heard you were back to sunny California breaking hearts and taking names!”
Elle blushed. She didn’t know why she hadn’t expected to see her former bestie at the site of her best friend’s literal former employer… but…she hadn’t. And the damage was done.
The last time she’d seen Liz was during spring break her sophomore year of college. While all her Delta Nu sisters vacayed down to Cabo, she’d made the trip up to Seattle. 14 hours in her Porsche later, she and Liz were reunited and Elle remembered feeling like nothing had changed during their time apart. Bruiser in tow, they had run havoc across the city. Visiting Elle’s favorite stores (to Liz’s chagrin) and listening to Liz's newest heavy metal obsession (to Elle’s chagrin). Of course hours of catching up with Donna, baking brownies and pouring over the newest cosmo quizzes.
It was one of Elle’s favorite weeks. Some of most content moments of her life slot into that week. She remembered when she’d dropped Liz off at her little studio apartment tucked between an Ethiopian restaurant and an aquarium supply store. It was her last stop before getting back on the road to LA. She’d gotten out of the car to tell her to keep in touch and… Liz had hugged her. One of the only times Elle could remember her initiating contact. And when they pulled apart, Liz’s hands still holding Elle’s waist, Liz said she’d call.
Only she never did.
That was the last time Elle knew for certain she could call Liz her friend–not that she’d ever stopped being Liz’s friend, of course! But it was the last day Elle was sure that Liz would say the same.
Since that day Liz hadn’t returned her emails, her calls, her pages. Elle had even resorted to letters a couple of times. But she’d gotten the hint. Maybe Liz didn’t like LA Elle anymore, or she’d found a new pink-obsessed girl to follow her around. Maybe she just didn’t have time for Elle in her life. Whatever the reason, they hadn’t talked since and Elle didn’t really know what to do with the feeling of nerves thrumming through her chest.
“Elle,” Liz repeated, “What are you doing back in Seattle?”
“Oh, uh,” she stammered, “I live here now, or I mean we–” her eyes flicked to the little girl sitting in the patio chair next to her– “we live here now.”
It was only then that Liz’s eyes seemed to absorb the image of Elle’s daughter coloring away furiously to her left. She was up on her knees to reach the table and was concentrating intently on creating what looked to be some sort of swamp creature. Liz’s eyes widened slightly. She’d been so taken aback at seeing Elle, she hadn’t even noticed the little girl swathed in a delicate shade of pink. Her lips quirked up involuntarily. With her blonde ringlets and pink attire… she was Elle’s all right.
Liz’s amusement faded though when she noticed the wedding band on Elle’s perfectly manicured finger. Her hand still rested mid-sentence on her laptop. The diamond on Elle’s ring finger was sending dazzling rainbows of color across her keyboard. Liz felt herself flush, embarrassed at the disappointment she felt welling up inside her.
“Right.” Liz murmured. “Of course, um, what’s her name?”
“Lila,” Elle replied quietly. She seemed as surprised as Liz. Uncertain what the next steps were here. What do you do when encountering your best-Seattle-friend-and-confidant turned stranger for the first time in 11 years?
“She’s cute.” Liz made an effort to smile again. “Figures.”
“Figure’s what?” Elle responded defensively.
“Nothing!” Liz’s free hand came up in a pacifying gesture, “Just… that’s a name that makes sense for Elle Woods. Or…” Liz paused, unsure if she wanted to know whether Elle Woods was still Elle “Woods.” Of course, she’d wondered before what happened to Elle since she’d cut her off, but…she wasn't certain she truly wanted to have her suspicions confirmed.
Sure she’d moved on since and they were adults but still, if the new, married, definitely not single, Elle Woods was anything like her younger counterpart, Liz was in for a maelstrom of emotion.
“Oh… thanks. I think, I really like the flowers and um, she just… she looked like a Lila I guess. And–” she tilted her head to the side, smiling a bit slyly. Just the way she used to when telling Liz a truly juicy piece of gossip “–It’s still Woods. Elle Woods Esquire, actually.”
“Woah, really!” Liz smiled, “You actually did it! Elle Woods became a lawyer?”
Elle’s eyebrows raised, challenging, “Yup, surprised?”
Liz shook her head and huffed out a laugh, “Not even slightly.”
Pleased, Elle, hummed a bit to herself. She’d still never gotten over the slight twinge she felt when people responded quizzically to her being a lawyer. She knew she didn’t necessarily look the part, but she had a few pretty great cases under her belt if she did say so herself! And she did!
Still, she couldn’t help feeling a bit like an imposter, whenever anyone questioned her career-choice. But Liz… Liz was being sincere, Elle could tell. Even after all this time, the look of pride on her face shone clear as day.
“I always knew Elle Woods was destined for greatness.”
“Pffsh,” her blonde hair caught the light as she shook her head in response, “You’re just saying that.”
“Nope,” Liz said, shaking her head, lips smiling, “I knew.”
Elle felt that ooey gooey feeling in her heart warm. Waking up for the first time in a long time. Just seeing Liz brought back all the hope she’d been full of in her teens. Feelings she hadn’t been able to name since Emmett died.
At the same time, she rationalized, Liz had already abandoned her once. They weren’t friends. They were just catching up. Still… the feeling of hope was nosing its way out of her like a dog sniffing for a bone.
Liz shifted the tray against her hip, and it was only then that Elle realized, during this whole conversation–and her several moments of introspection– Liz had been standing there awkwardly weighed down by ceramic dishware.
“Oh, gosh!” She exclaimed. “I’m being so rude! You should sit down!” She went to push out the chair on her other side, nearest to Liz. It wobbled a bit and screeched awfully across the tile as Elle cringed internally at her less than stellar display of calm.
“That’s okay, Elle-A,” Liz smiled shaking her head. “I’m still working, I should uh, I should actually get back there,” her head nodded towards the back of the bar, where a kid in their teens with spiky hair and a nose piercing was watching the interaction with interest.
“Right. Of course,” Elle nodded, “How rude of me, monopolizing your time like this. Yes, of course. It was ah–it was lovely to see you.” She tried and failed for a pleasant smile. She didn’t know how to ask Liz if she’d like to be friends again, or have a coffee together, or even if she would want to talk a little longer. Elle had a child and Liz was probably busy being amazing and working and… and Liz had already made it clear that they weren’t friends anymore.
Liz watched as Elle’s hand hovered frantically from the proffered chair, to her lap, to her mug. She watched the diamond ring from her probably gorgeous, doting husband throwing light across different surfaces. Liz knew it’d be best to end it here. Say bye, have a nice life to Elle and leave it at that.
But Elle’s crestfallen expression as Liz moved to say goodbye, poorly concealed behind frenetic sips of her cappuccino, gave her pause. Would it really be so bad, she argued with herself, if I was to let this girl back into my life?
Really, Liz thought, you were being kind of a bitch, cutting her out the way you did, she scolded herself. But 20 year-old-Liz had seen no other way to handle the intense feeling of longing she’d had when Elle was in her life. How much she adored the ways her friend spoke, was endeared by her mannerisms, and–let’s face it–attracted to the gorgeous woman Elle had always been.
But you’re 31 now the a little voice said. You’re evolved, you’re hot, you’ve had 2 serious, badass, sexy girlfriends! And you broke up with them! What’s the harm to catching up with an old friend?
“Fuck…” Liz whispered to herself.
“What was that?” Elle said, squinting up at Liz.
“Ah.. nothing, just, I mean, if you want…
You’re a dumb bitch, Liz’s thoughts reminded her helpfully.
“You should, uh, look me up in the white pages” she continued anyway “… or um, one sec–” Liz half-ran to the bemused looking teenager behind the register. She handed over the tray of dishes in exchange for a black sharpie and napkin.
Liz leaned over Elle’s table scribbling a number, “Just, you can call me, okay… if you want, I mean…” Looking into Elle’s clear blue eyes, she silently hoped she was evolved as she’d told herself she was.
“I’ll answer.”