Page 101 of Guava Flavored Lies

“You have a problem with that?” Sylvie raised her brows.

Lauren’s smile illuminated her face. “No, sir.”

“Okay, now make me some of your subpar coffee. I have to go by the airport and Hialeah, and then I can shoot down to Little Havana. I’ll bring you an early lunch.”

Lauren didn’t protest Sylvie’s plan. Instead, she kissed her cheek and rolled out of bed.

“I’m going to use your shower!” Sylvie called as Lauren sauntered out of the room as if she’d forgotten she was stark naked.

When Sylvie emerged from the small bathroom in her dress, flats, and towel-dried hair, Lauren had already made them some toast and was apparently throwing together an exotic fruit salad.

The warmth that spread across Sylvie’s chest enveloped her like a soothing embrace. She’d never woken up with anyone to prepare for her day. Even when she’d lived with a woman exceedingly briefly years ago, she’d never woken up to eat with her. Even though she and Lauren hadn’t technically been to sleep, she was overwhelmed by how nice it felt to have the first hours of her day not be so solitary.

Sylvie’s attention drifted to Lauren’s full curves, wishing she never had to put her clothes back on. It was a sin to cover that perfection.

“How was your shower?” Lauren looked up from where she was dicing a star fruit.

Clouded by the giddy joy lingering in her body, Sylvie slid up behind Lauren. Her arms around her bare midsection. “Could have been better.” She kissed Lauren’s shoulder.

Lauren turned her head and kissed Sylvie’s temple. “What can I do to improve your experience?”

Reaching into the partially filled bowl, Sylvie plucked a grape out of the colorful collection. “You’re clever. I’m sure you can come up with something.”

Sylvie floated to one of two mugs promising steaming caffeine. Even if she was still high on lingering adrenaline, she expected the crash to come. She was going to have to keep herself plied with cafecito to survive the day.

The sweet latte was so good, Sylvie closed her eyes to sip it as she leaned against the kitchen counter. It was so delicious that she nearly paid Lauren a compliment.

When Lauren was finished chopping, she mixed the fruit before spooning it into two small glass containers. Their lids waiting right beside them.

Aware that the bulk of their days happened before noon, Lauren obviously knew they had to get going. Sylvie struggled not to become overwhelmed by the thoughtful act of serving her food to-go.

How many more things would they know about each other without explanation? How easily could they come together without begrudging accommodation?

“Are you taking down these walls?” Sylvie meandered away from the kitchen and into the living room which was under some sort of construction or demolition.

“I’m putting them back in, actually.” Lauren snapped the lids on the containers before picking up her mug and joining her in the space. “I detest open concept and the previous owners took a wrecking ball to every non-load-bearing wall in the place. My hope is to return it to it’s glorious mid-century roots.”

Sylvie turned to Lauren, her eyes wide. “Oh my God, I hate open concept too! Who the hell wants to see everything in your house all once? It’s like the only way to get privacy is to hide in the bathroom. Do I really need to see my dad cooking, my mother on her laptop, and my brother playing video games? Whoever came up with that stupid idea never had to listen to four different kinds of music at once.”

Lauren laughed. “Exactly! What’s wrong with a little space.” She pulled Sylvie into her arms and kissed her. Her lips sweet and strong like the café con leche in her mug. “Is there anything you feel lukewarm about?”

Sylvie cocked her head to the side. “Nothing worth mentioning.”

Lauren kissed her again.

“I do wish we could play a little hooky,” Sylvie admitted against Lauren’s lips, “but my parents just agreed to let me take over, and I don’t think taking the day off sets the right tone. I have to at least wait until the ink is dry.”

Lauren took a step back, excitement widening her eyes. “What! You didn’t tell me that! That’s awesome!” She pulled her into a crushing hug.

“There’s still a lot to do. Lawyers and all that jazz,” she replied, trying to diffuse the moment and extinguishing the heat rushing to her face.

“So no having to split the croqueta kingdom with your little brother?”

Sylvie smirked. “Apparently my fears were unfounded.”

Lauren gasped. “No!” She clutched her chest. “You jumping to unfounded conclusions and behaving as if it were fact?” She shook her head. “I don’t believe it. Not my Sylvie.”

Sylvie rolled her eyes, but couldn’t stop the smile conquering her lips. “Whatever.”

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