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"Gabs, are you ready to go?" Madison called from the foyer.
"Yes, almost!" Gabriella called back. She pinned her earrings and checked her reflection one last time. Her pants had crisp creases. Her jacket sleeves stopped at the right length. Her lace turtleneck peeked through her open black dress shirt; it had the right amount of see-through while still being dinner-party-formal-worthy. She was worried about the cold, but she had a feeling a glimpse of cleavage was essential tonight. "This will work," she muttered to herself as she scooped one last item on her shelf. She made her way to the front door, where the other woman stood waiting.
Last week, Madison had nearly begged Gabriella to be her plus one to some very-important investor gala. 2027 had been kind to Scott and Tessa, who finally split from IAM and started a school of their own. Madison and Adrián stayed on as faculty, already a crowd favorite. With their two children and a packed rotation of young students, Madison kept busy; she also looked happy these days. Gabriella had been offered a position as well, but she didn't want to tie herself down just yet. According to Madison, they were looking for donors and investors to help bolster their expenses as they entered the new year. Gabriella had nothing better to do, so she agreed. Fingers crossed she wouldn't run into any of her old coaches or exes.
Madison looked up from her phone and reflexively smiled when she laid eyes on Gabriella. She watched as Gabriella nearly slid into her and immediately started pulling her Oxfords on. Her navy blue suit was perfectly tailored, and her light blue mock-turtleneck paired well. She looked warm and comfortable.
"Did you want to drive?" She left the laces untied for now; her winter coat was higher priority. She could tie them in the car. Gabriella patted down her pockets and double-checked that all her items were in their rightful place. Her trusty backpack was not allowed at this fancy event. Wallet, solid perfume, lighter, pen, microfiber cloth, watch, notebook, cigarette case, flask. Good, everything was present.
Madison nodded and held up the keys. "Car's warming up outside." She knocked her white sneakers together at the heels to get the snow off.
Adrián poked his head out of the kitchen. He wore a striped apron and held a dishrag. "You both be safe! You're staying at Gabi's tonight, yes?"
"Yep! See you, honey," Madison called back.
Gabriella also tossed a quick farewell and "Thanks for dinner!" behind her while she stepped outside. Bitter wind slapper her in the face and she swore under her breath in both English and French. January in Canada was not to be trifled with—and of course, she'd forgotten her scarf in her room. It was too late to go back in, so she hiked her shoulders up to her ears and tucked her nose into the upturned collar of her coat during the short walk to the car.
True to Madison's word, the engine was already thrumming and the heat was on. Gabriella sighed in relief as she buckled her belt in the passenger seat. Madison soon followed. In one smooth motion Madison threw the car into reverse and looked through the rear windshield to pull out of the driveway. Her hand moved from the gear stick and landed on Gabriella's thigh.
Gabriella swooned at the nonchalant contact. She loved that Madison was so unabashedly touchy—she tangled their fingers together without thinking and leaned back in the seat, drinking in the other woman's side profile. She loved the wisps of blonde strands that fell out of the band, and the sharp edge of her jaw that melded into her neck.
The car paused. Madison looked over with an amused grin. "I'm going to need my hand back, babe. Gotta put the car into drive."
"Oh!" Gabriella reluctantly let go. "Oops." She watched as Madison pushed the gearstick forward. To occupy her now-empty hands, she busied herself with putting her wristwatch on. Was she too pathetic? She watched as Madison executed a series of neat turns to get them out of the neighborhood. On the open road, Madison's hand returned to her lap.
Gabriella immediately clasped the offering in a loose grip, loose enough for Madison to pull it back if she needed to. Her anxiety settled at the base of her chest, lowered its haunches. As she looked out the window to the evening sky poking between tall buildings, she saw Madison smile her way in the reflection.
—
"Do we want a valet?"
"No."
As well-off as they both were, Gabriella found many rich luxuries ludicrous. Valets were a waste of time—and, she didn't trust a stranger alone in her vehicle. Additionally, it made leaving so much harder. And Gabriella's favorite thing to do at any social function was leaving!
"You're right." Madison chose a spot at the back of the lot and unbuckled her seatbelt. "Ready to get your schmooze on?"
"No, but let's get this over with…" Gabriella jumped out of the car and felt dread crawl up her throat. Together, in lockstep, both women crossed the icy parking lot to be greeted by bowtie-wearing staff and vaulted ceilings. Their coats were taken at the door and another escorted them to the main ballroom.
Scott and Tessa knew people in high places, but they hated calling in favors. She knew it must have been difficult to break down and hold this event. The only honey for that bitter medicine was the knowledge that this money would be used to offer a healthy educational space for young skaters.
"Here we go. See you in a bit," Madison grumbled through a tight-lipped smile.
—
Gabriella hated kissing up to rich fuckers. She hated watching Madison do it, even more so. The tall Unitedstatesian made herself smaller, more deferential to these smarmy men and out-of-touch women. Maybe it was her French heritage that gave her such a deep dislike of the upper class. But now was not the time or place to whip out her so-called "Marxist" ideals. Americans…
Throughout the night, Gabriella had wandered to other parts of the room in an attempt to find the Normal People. She did bump into her former colleagues and competitors, but those meaningful conversations were always crashed by some rich guy who smelled like sweat and liquor. Perhaps offering free alcohol to people who lacked self-control was intentional—maybe it opened their checkbooks. Regardless, Gabriella had to hold herself back from decking them in the jaw.
As surreptitiously as she could, Gabriella checked the time. Damn, only two hours had passed? Was it too early to leave? She glanced around the room, trying to find her favorite person.
Madison was currently engaged in a conversation with an old man who had three springs of grey hair on his head. His eyes kept drifting down to her chest, which made Gabriella curl her pocketed hand into a fist. She was sick and tired of men leering at women without a care in the world.
"Madison! Scott needs to talk to you." Gabriella interrupted the geezer mid-sentence and hooked the other woman's arm. "So sorry, have a lovely night," she threw at the creep as she pulled Madison away.
Once they were out of earshot at the bar, Madison raised an eyebrow. "What did Scott want to say to me?"
"Fuck me if I know." Gabriella shrugged and put her empty glass on the counter. "You looked like you wanted out."
"Thanks." Madison gently grabbed Gabriella's arm to look at her watch. "What say we get out of here?"
"Can we?"
"Hell yeah." She pulled out her phone and started the remote warm-up sequence. "Let's blow this pop stand."
At the coat check, Madison wiggled her eyebrows. "I think… we should go get some pizza. Thoughts?"
Gabriella's mouth started to water at the notion of melty cheese on hot bread. "Sounds so good right now. Yes."
The walk back to the car felt much shorter. Maybe she was skipping. Maybe it was the thought of pizza in her belly soon. The warm cabin of Madison's car greeted them once more as they buckled their seatbelts and got ready to leave.
Madison reached across the console and squeezed her hand. "Thanks you for doing this with me. I couldn't have done it without you."
Gabriella leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I'm glad you invited me. You know I'll do anything with you, Madison."
Madison, of course, perked up at the latter half of her heartfelt statement. "Even skydiving?" She'd been trying to cajole Gabriella to jump out of a plane for the better part of a year.
Gabriella hesitated. "Okay, I'll do almost anything with you."
"Boo. I'll get you eventually."
"You can try."
Madison raised an eyebrow. She never backed down from a challenge. "All right," she said with that adorable little smirk of hers.
"Shut up and drive, Madi."
———
