Trust Fall

Cleo had come out to her parents as gay nearly twenty years ago, and while Fiona had never been anything but supportive, she still said human or person instead of woman. But hey, she’d take it.

“You’ve spent your entire adult life not feeling worthy of anyone’s time, attention, energy, or affection. None of which is your fault, but allowing it to rule your life, well, that kind of is.”

“Well, I’m no expert in sapphic romances, but maybe just say hi? It’s usually a good opener.”

“Thank you, again.” Cleo took a small step forward. “I want to get to know you too.” With that, she leaned forward, hesitating for a moment above Ivy’s cheek, then placed the softest of kisses against her skin that Ivy had ever felt. In that moment, if this was her last, Ivy was the happiest she had been in her entire life.

noticing the stars and hearts drawn on the side of her cup as she raised it to her mouth for her first sip.

The fateful day of crashing into Ivy when she was spending the day with Sophie. Finding Ivy’s number written on her coffee cup. The countless hours spent messaging back and forth. The two most perfect dates she could ever have imagined. The sudden warm feeling that she’d felt growing inside her that she hadn’t felt in such a long time.

“When I was in college, and started working for Lucas, my family were less than impressed. You see, my family has incredibly high standards, and they viewed working in the service industry as below me. They were horrified when they discovered that I not only had a job, but that I served people.”

“Growing up, my parents had great expectations of me and my brother. We went to the best schools, we participated in the “right” extracurriculars, we were always on our best behavior because it was the only way we were noticed and accepted, and it was the only way we got what we considered to be their love.”

said no daughter of theirs would be a college dropout, nor would she be so disgusting as to lay with anyone other than a man. Unless I sorted myself out and fell in line, then I couldn’t possibly be their daughter

They had made me feel like the love I wanted, and needed, was somehow wrong. That my being a drop-out made me a failure. That without those things I wasn’t worthy of their love.”

But then you came along, and for the first time ever, I knew that I wanted more. Then I got to know you, and I knew you were the one person that I felt like I needed to open up to.”

“You’re so brew-tiful,"

“You mocha me crazy,”

“I love you a latte.”

Elle is a Scottish author living in Ireland with her wife and daughter. She loves board games, movies, and travelling with her little family unit. She spends her time reading, writing, and diving into different hobbies for months at a time before her ADHD brain decides it’s time to move on to a new one.