Chapter 5 Liz and Elena

A short while later, Elena's phone rang. She ran from the kitchen to the living room, listening to the tone to try to find where she left it. Tucked in between the cushions, she grabbed her phone up and answered.

"Hey baby! Are you on your way home?"

"I am! my last ride dropped off a few minutes down the street. Did you already eat dinner?"

"Yeah, I did. Sorry," Elena apologized.

"It's ok. I'll be home soon and I'll tell you all about my meeting. Love you!"

"Love you too. See you soon."

Elena quickly finished loading her dishes in the dishwasher and grabbed a drink before sitting back on the couch and flipping through videos on social media.

Zeus' head perked up, and he trotted to the door, watching the door knob in anticipation. As the handle turned, his tail beat on the ground.

"Hey Zeus!" Liz exclaimed, greating the large black dog in the foyer. She gave him a few pats on the head before pushing by to hang her keys on the peg.

Slipping her shoes off, she asked, "Baby? Are you home?"

"In here," Elena replied sweetly from the adjacent room.

Liz gave her a quick peck on the lips, excitement shined on her face.

"How was your day at work?" Liz asked, plopped down on the cushion next to Elena.

"Oh, you know, the usual. Mr Audacity came in today. We went ahead and fired him," Elena giggled.

"It's about time! He was a menace!"

"Yeah," Elena shrugged. "Tell me about your meeting!"

Liz swiveled on the couch to sit cross-legged facing Elena.

"Oh my God! They were so nice! And loved my books. They want to publish all three and introduced me to the editor I'll be working with to iron out some of the kinks in the story!"

"I told you they would love you and your books!" Elena looked at Liz wth adoring pride. "How much did they offer?"

"I have the contract in my bag," Liz started, "But 10k per book and a 12% royalty on all physical books, and 20% on all ebooks and audio books. They said I could do my own audio recording and pay me for that as well! Aaaaand, I'm guaranteed future signings on the books I am currently writing."

Liz was practically bouncing with excitement. Elena, while also excited, knew there was a 'but' coming.

"But? There's always a catch." All ways pragmatic, she waited for the bad news.

Liz sighed, "Well, they want me to stop writing online and write exclusively for them."

She paused, gauging Elena's reaction. Instead, Elena just waited patiently.

Continuing, Liz said, "I can't have books out there with my name on them unfinished. So, I gave them two options. They could either let me finish my online books and continue to get royalties from the online company, or they could buy out the books and publish them, too. Once they were finished, of course. They told me they would discuss it and email me their decision. Either way, they want to publish the books I submitted to them!"

She could barely contain her excitement, and it overflowed, spilling throughout the room. Elena leaned over and gave her a huge hug, letting her know how proud and happy she was.

"I go back next week to sign some papers. You are the first to know, by the way. I haven't told anyone else. And Eva will probably show up to murder me if I don't tell her."

Liz gave Elena a kiss before running back out to her car for her bag and phone. Elana shook her head. If she had a dollar for every time Liz forgot her phone in the car, she could retire; maybe not indefinitely, but for a month or two at least.

Later that night, Liz curled up with Elena in bed. Their sex life had died off a little. It ebbed and flowed every few months, and this was a dry season. Elena didn't mind so much, and Liz was still very attentive and sweet to her. She recalled that was a big reason why Kris left. She felt disconnected from the relationship the three of them shared and blamed Liz for 'cheating' and bringing Elena into the relationship.

It took a long time for Liz to finally stop mentioning Kris daily. Every time she did, it broke Elena's heart. she could tell Liz loved Kris and most likely still did. Elena knew her own feelings for Kris were still there, even though she pushed them down the second time Kris ran; leaving only a note for an apology.

Liz grew so much since that day. She went from endless tears and deep depression to working nonstop. Unlike Kris, Liz never left even when things got difficult, even when she had every reason to leave. She stayed and felt with the mess left by Kris' sudden departure.

Elena's mind wondered to last nights dream, and she smiled. She wanted to feel that connection again and missed the intimacy.

Slowly, Elena rubbed Liz' back and down to her soft hips. Every inch of Liz was soft and smooth tonight.

'She must have shaved,' Elena thought to herself.

Liz sometimes went a while without applying a razor to her skin. She grew hair quickly, and it frustrated her. The thick hairs wearing down a razor after one use. Elena didn't mind most times. But a shaved Liz was a promising sign.

Her hands wondered to Liz thighs, gently rubbing and massaging. Hopefully, the intimate drought would end tonight and both could fall asleep completely satisfied. Liz let out a soft moan and spread her legs just wide enough to be inviting. This was all the encouragement Elena needed, her hand sliding closer until she found what she wanted.