Page 35 of Paradise Pride

35

Meghan

Meghan looked up at the three-storey building and smiled when she saw Florence sitting on her balcony. “Room service!” she yelled, holding up the tray of coffees and the bags containing takeaway breakfast.

“Hey! I’ll buzz you in!” Florence disappeared inside and seconds later, the door opened. The hallway was warm and stuffy, and the old building needed work, but the location was central, and Meghan liked the cheery, no-nonsense café underneath with its busy terrace and local clientele. Walking up the second flight of stairs, she saw Florence waiting for her in the doorway, dressed in a pair of jersey shorts and an old T-shirt that was torn at the edges.

“Sorry about my outfit. It’s what I put on when I come home, and I wasn’t thinking.”

Staring down at Florence’s legs, Meghan didn’t mind her skimpy outfit at all. “I like it.” Still sensing vulnerability in Florence’s demeanour, Meghan inched closer and gave her a long, clumsy hug while she balanced the coffee tray. “How are you feeling?”

“Much better, thank you.” Florence took the breakfast bags from her, walked ahead into the kitchen, and put them on the counter. “Sorry about the mess. I decided early on that I wasn’t going to clean up after Manuel, so I’ve just learned to live with his mess. As long as he takes the trash outside twice a week and does his own dishes, I can cope with the clutter. Luckily, we have a cleaner who comes in on Fridays, otherwise I don’t think we would last,” she added with a chuckle.

“The perks of living with a bachelor.” Meghan handed her a coffee and glanced around the kitchen. The drying rack was overflowing with plates, cups and cutlery, empty beer cans were spilling out of the bin, and the counter was full of cereal boxes and protein powders. There was a small breakfast table with a checked cloth and a dead plant, and three chairs, one of which had a leg missing. “It’s not so bad, though.”

“Wait till you see the living room.” Florence unpacked their breakfast and plated the croissants, scrambled eggs and salmon. “Yum. Thank you so much for this. You really didn’t have to do that.”

“You just fainted. You need to eat.” Meghan placed a soft kiss on her cheek and lingered against her. Their interaction was easy today; natural even, as if they’d known each other much longer.

“Mmm… I like being taken care of.” Florence’s goofy grin spread wide, and she turned to kiss Meghan on the tip of her nose, then beckoned her to follow.

“I see what you mean,” Meghan said, taking in the living room. She burst into laughter at the sight of numerous mats, dumbbells, rubber bands and other workout gear scattered over the floor. A huge, cracked mirror was propped against one wall, and training schedules were stuck to the wall above the sofa with duct tape. “I assume this isn’t your stuff either?”

“No.” Florence laughed and rolled her eyes. “Manuel is so vain, he works out in front of the mirror every day, then spends another ten minutes there, checking out the result.” She walked out to the balcony and put the food on a small folding table, then fetched two chairs from inside. “Let’s eat here. It’s much nicer.”

Meghan sat down opposite her and leaned over the railing facing the street. As she glanced down, she could see a small strip of beach in between buildings. “You have an ocean view. That’s pretty special.”

“Yes, we have a tiny sliver of ocean view, and we also look out onto a strip club.” Florence pointed to a large sign on the ground floor of the building opposite, which read ‘Diamond Club’. The club was closed, and the security booth in front of the entrance was covered in white graffiti. “It opens at eight in the evening if you’re interested in going. I thought since you’re a casino boss…”

“Don’t tempt me,” Meghan joked. “Have you been there?”

“Nope. Manuel went once when we first moved in, and even he didn’t want to go back.” Florence took a bite of her croissant and moaned. “This is good. I actually really needed food.”

Meghan noted that although Florence seemed back to her normal self, she occasionally shivered as if she was cold. “Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked. “You gave me quite the fright.”

“Yeah. Mostly, I just feel embarrassed.” Florence looked away. “It came out of nowhere.”

“Don’t be embarrassed.” Meghan reached over the table and took her hand. “Do you think I should be embarrassed about my panic attacks?”

“No…” Florence’s eyes widened as she shook her head. “No, not at all. That’s not what I meant.”

“Well, then. You shouldn’t be embarrassed either. I’m going to tell you what you told me. Your fear is real to you and therefore very valid. Now that you know that being stuck in a lift—or any small space, for that matter—will cause a reaction, you can choose to fight it, or you can avoid situations like that in future.” Meghan shrugged. “I thought I was ready to face my fears, but I wasn’t.”

Florence gave her a small smile. “I think for now, I’ll just avoid lifts too. It’s not like it’s going to get in the way of how I live my life.” She hesitated. “In a strange way, I’m glad it happened when it did because you were with me, and I don’t know what I would have done without you. I also think I have an idea of how you feel now, when you’re alone in a hotel room. It’s horrible, and I wish I could make that better for you.”

“But youhavemade it better.” Meghan got up, walked around the table and gave Florence a hug from behind. Holding her tightly, she buried her face in her neck and breathed in her scent. Her hair smelled of her shampoo, which Florence had used this morning, and her skin carried a vague hint of sunshine. Meghan loved her scent and wished she could bathe in it. “I miss you already even though I’m still here,” she whispered. She hadn’t planned on saying those words, but she felt them.

Florence squeezed her arms tightly and pulled her closer. “I’ve been thinking about that too.” She got up to hug Meghan back, and Meghan’s heart swelled with warmth. “Stella gave me some time off, so if you’d like to spend the week with me, I’m free,” she said, resting her chin on Meghan’s shoulder. “I know you’re here with Kim, and you probably have plans, but if there’s any chance you—”

“Yes,” Meghan interrupted her. “I’d love that. I want to spend as much time with you as I can. I’ll talk to Kim and make up an excuse. Andres is taking some time off too, now that they’re making wedding plans, so I think I can make it work.”

“Really?” Florence inched back to look at her. “That’s great. Anywhere you’d like to go or something you’d like to do?”

“Honestly, I don’t care as long as I’m with you.” Meghan smirked as she gestured at the view. “Even the Diamond Club would work for me.”

36

Florence

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