Returning to You by Gwen Tolios

Author:Gwen Tolios [Tolios, Gwen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: LGBTQIA+, romance, Contemporary, family-drama, bisexual, biromantic, aromantic, asexual, influencer, forced outing, father/daughter relationship, mother/daughter relationship, workplace harassment, dementia, fake-dating
Publisher: NineStar Press
Published: 2022-06-20T22:00:00+00:00

WEARY, LISA OPENED her front door to the sounds of “Monster Mash” and Monica singing along. Instantly, her mood lifted. Monica had her phone propped in a bowl-cum-speaker, swaying from side to side as she sang, trailing her finger down a recipe.

When she turned around to get whatever she needed from the fridge, Monica locked eyes with Lisa. Her face turned pink.

“How long have you been there?”

“Maybe ten seconds,” Lisa answered, reaching for Monica’s phone and turning down the volume. “You look like you have everything ready to cook.”

“Go get out of those clothes and come help. Also”—Monica gave Lisa a slow head-to-toe look—“you look like you need a drink. Wine or something harder?”

“Wine,” Lisa threw back over her shoulder.

When she returned, Monica was pouring two glasses of Riesling. It would go horribly with what looked like a breakfast-for-dinner night, but Lisa kept her mouth shut. She thanked Monica and took a large gulp as she watched Monica put the finishing touches on an egg frittata before sliding it into the oven.

“Jason again?” She added more wine to Lisa’s glass.

“Yes and no.” Lisa frowned. “I mean, yes, Jason was an ass. And if he plans on asking me whose dick I sucked again, I will seriously consider talking to HR. But it’s not all that’s bothering me.”

“Oh?” Monica’s tone reminded Lisa of a time in school when she had gotten revenge on Lisa’s behalf. Lisa entered the apartment distraught after learning from a classmate her current bed partner had been hiding his STD. The next day, the guy’s car had been viciously keyed and the side mirrors ripped off. Monica played dumb to everyone who asked, but Lisa always suspected she had been the one to do it. Thankfully, Lisa’s test results had been clean. If it hadn’t been, she didn’t want to imagine what Monica might have done.

Lisa didn’t like conflict. She knew that. And sometimes, Monica took it upon herself to handle things for Lisa. It was why they were in a “relationship” after all. It served as a barrier, however temporary, between Lisa and her parents.

“Jason’s a dick. He did something in front of someone today, and my coworker did nothing. It pissed me off so much I confronted him!”

Monica circled her hand in a gesture to continue. Lisa sucked in a lungful of air, ready to spew, but a hard smack of insecurity made her voice thin when she spoke.

“He said he thought the same thing Jason did. He wouldn’t say it to me himself, but he wouldn’t stop Jason from expressing a shared opinion. I…I felt so…” Lisa hunched in on herself, bringing her hands into her armpits. “I felt like crying. But couldn’t.”

“Crying makes men uncomfortable. Maybe you should have.”

“Monica!”

“Kidding. I know you would have hated that.” Monica stepped forward and opened her arms. Not quite mustering the energy for a full hug, Lisa leaned forward until her forehead landed on Monica’s shoulder. Monica’s arms circled her, a warm, supportive weight. What had Monica

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.